Minutes of the Meeting of the Community Empowerment Fund Steering Group at 6 pm on Thursday 6^th February 2003 at Halton Voluntary Action

Attending

Andy Guile (Chair) - Halton YMCA, Peter Cowley - Chapelfield Community Centre, Michael Gelling - Halton Credit Union, Nora Rimmer - Four Estates Ltd, Christine Heesom – HCUF, W Edwards – WHCF, Ann Culverhouse - Soroptomists

In attendence

Debbie Dalby – HVA, Joe Devaney – HVA, Sauren Ghosh – HVA, Alison Gleave – HVA, Barbara Haley - Age Concern

1. Apologies for Absence

There were no apologies.

2. Minutes of the Steering Group meeting held on 16^th December 2002

The minutes of the Steering Group meeting held on 16^th December 2002 were accepted as a true record.

3. Matters Arising

1) Alison Gleave reported that the Youth Federation and the Youth Participation projects were running. Andy Guile reported that the YMCA had still not received a letter confirming the project. It was agreed that this would be forwarded from HVA.

2) Brook Chambers – Debbie Dalby reported that there had been a meeting with English Partnerships and that HVA was looking to assess the needs to empower the groups in Brook Chambers to take over the management of the building. The Community Empowerment work would then be done as part of a larger project in Sefton House were funding had been received from Learning and Skills. A long debate followed on the issue and it was agreed that:

a) the Steering Group expressed disappointment that the Community Empowerment Centre had not developed as it had been originally intended.

b) the new Coordination Panel should receive a comprehensive report on all the options available for the Community Empowerment Centre together with the costs to the Community Empowerment Fund.

3) Barbara Haley addressed the meeting on Halton Open (Older Peoples Empowerment Network).

She had set this up through Age Concern and the Community Empowerment Fund was now contributing extra money to develop the work within the context of Halton Together. She reported that Halton Open had developed out of a wish from the Health Service to have feedback on outcomes. She had now set up all communications. She gave the meting a copy of her newsletter and a diagram of the communications network that had been established. (A copy of both is attached to the minutes.) The meeting congratulated Barbara on the work that she had done and Michael Gelling called for the coordination of as many newsletters as possible by the Halton Together Network. Joe Devaney said that Halton Open was an example of how work on setting up networks can be done by commissioning key organisations.

It was agreed:

a) CEF funding be used to help provisionalise the Halton Together newsletter.

b) If possible the money should be spent inside Halton.

4. Report of the Elections Working Group

It was agreed that the new membership of the Panel be accepted and that the seven late applications be included but that he panel be now closed until October.

5. Preparations for the first meeting of the Coordination Panel on Tuesday 11^th February 2003

It was agreed that the meeting should be very much an information dissemination exercise with some basic decisions being made. The agenda would be:

1) Apologies for absence.

2) Appointment of temporary Chair and welcome.

3) Introduction of the Panel to the Community Empowerment Fund in Halton by the Community Empowerment Coordinator.

4) The role of Government Office North West (by Bhupindra Mistry and Hazel Catt).

5) Introduction to Halton Voluntary Action (by Debbie Dalby, Chief Executive).

6) Basic decisions on how Halton Together will be run:

a) Constitution and timetable for Election of officers.

b) Preparation of Terms of Reference.

c) The role of Panel members.

d) Process for election of representatives to the Halton Partnership etc.

7) Subsequent meeting dates.

8) Questions and discussion.

6. Date for Full Network Meeting

It was agreed that the Full Network Meeting should be on Monday 10^th March 2003 at 7.00 pm in the Halton Stadium.

7. Other Business

Chris Heesom was the only Steering Group member who wasn’t going forward to the new Panel. The Steering Group unanimously gave her a vote of thanks for the service that she had given. It was agreed that a social event be organised to mark the end of the Steering Groups work and that Alison Gleave would contact members on this.

At this stage all HVA staff (with the exception of the Chief Executive) left the meeting, which then continued.