Labour has questioned motives behind a review of the county’s Area Action Partnerships (AAPs).
In November, councillors received a ‘survey’ on AAPs, which Labour refused to respond to, questioning the motives behind the survey, after AAP board members were not included in the survey.
Cllr Angela Surtees, Labour lead for communities and inclusion, said:
“The title suggests “partnership” but clearly there is none on show. Why exclude parish and town councils, partners and stakeholders and the public representatives on all 14 AAP boards?”
Concerns were raised when it became apparent that a review of “community engagement and funding processes” was primarily focused on AAP activity, oversight, and funding. Based on the findings of 61 responses from less than a third of the AAPs board make up.
Cllr Surtees is demanding to know why the review seems solely focusing on AAPs.
“The review purports to be on community engagement, but on reading the documents, it’s almost exclusive focus is on AAPs,” said Cllr Surtees. “The AAPs are a vital link into the heart of some of our most deprived communities and were created to target and support community need quickly and effectively, with input from the community the service supports.
“It appears the Tory Coalition’s “community engagement” is failing, as it has already failed to survey all AAP board members and omitted public and partners from the original survey.
“It is right and proper that, after 12 years, the service should be the subject of a review, but I just don’t understand why a review of “community engagement” would only focus on the AAPs and not take in a wider remit.
“Had this Tory-led Coalition not already made a grab on the AAP Towns & Villages budgets to boost councillors neighbourhood budgets, I might not be so suspicious, but it increasingly looks like the Tories, LibDems and Independents want to dismantle the current structure, which would undermine everything the AAPs have been set up to do.”
Funding comes in many forms from a wide range of departments, and Labour is asking why this review doesn’t consider all funding processes.
Labour Leader, Cllr Carl Marshall, said:
“If this is actually a review of AAPs rather than what the title suggests then at least be up front about it and we can have a proper debate. Once again, it looks like this Coalition is using stealth tactics to slide things past the people of County Durham, just like it did the 3% Council Tax hike last week.
“Like the Government it represents, this Tory-led Coalition does not care about communities in County Durham, it does not care about businesses queuing up for space on redeveloped Aykley Heads land and it does not care about a crippling cost of living crisis hitting families – it cares only about feathering its own nests and will stop at nothing to undo genuinely important community projects, just because they were created by a Labour council.”
The Council intends to hire consultants to carry out the independent review of “community engagement”, something Labour deems unnecessary and costly, given the authority’s excellent scrutiny processes.
County Durham is served by 14 AAPs, based around local geography, with boundaries agreed through extensive local consultation. Size of population covered by AAPs differs, however AAPs are excellent at responding to their locality needs, partners and stakeholders are key elements of delivery of AAPs projects and the public representation gives vital grass root information.
Through the work of the AAPs the council has allocated £59.5m to over 10,000 community-based projects, levering in £69.7m of external matched funding. Resulting in a funding return ratio of £1.29 for every £1 of DCC investment.