It was time for my second Scrutiny meeting of the week last night, this time the Childrens And Families Commitee. There where anumber of very interesting and important discussions.
I welcomed the councils plan to improve and increase the SEND provision across the borough, but once again questioned the use of the councils neighbourhood model in this decision making. As I have called out before this model provides more resource to the more affluent areas of the borough due to the vast disparity in the sizes of the neighbourhoods. For context 42% of the population live in 2 of the 7 neighbourhoods. I will continue to push back on this model.
After the motion Claire Vibert, Labour Party and I brought to full council in March it was dissapointing that there was no mention of Violence Aginast Women and Girls or Domestic Abuse in portfolio agreement for this year. I called this out and it has now been agreed it will be added and a full report will come to commitee on the work the council are doing to eradicate this epidemics.
Finally there was a report on and by the children in Stockport who are in care, this was probably one of the best presented reports I have seen and the words directly from those young people really hit home. The words, “we are not a burden” really hit home with me and it is something as a council and a society we should remeber when we are talking about finances around care and support for all people, they are not a burden.