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Issue 1098
Call 0114 283 1100
30th January 2020
www.looklocal.org.uk
Local News
Consultation set to launch on South Yorkshire devolution deal
SOUTH Yorkshire is a step closer to receiving tens of millions of pounds in additional powers and resources, after the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority today agreed to proceed with the implementation of the Devolution Deal.
nounce that today the Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority has agreed to proceed with the implementation of the Devolution Deal for South Yorkshire. The agreement to launch the required consultation represents a significant step forwards.
The deal was agreed by Mayor Dan Jarvis and council leaders in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield at a meeting of the Mayoral Combined Authority earlier this morning.
“Subject to its completion and the parliamentary process, the people of South Yorkshire will be able to benefit from the Deal this year, including from the £30 million annual investment fund.
Prior to that meeting, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, voiced his support for the deal when he met Mayor Dan Jarvis at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. During his visit, Mr Jenrick met staff and toured Factory 2050.
“We also look forward to the progression of discussions over the coming months on the role and functions of a Committee of Leaders from across Yorkshire, based on the existing Yorkshire Leaders Board.
In a joint statement, Mayor Jarvis and Mr Jenrick said: “We are delighted to an-
“Through continued collaboration we will support more positive economic outcomes for people right across the historic county.”
The devolution deal brings with it £30m a year in additional funding for economic growth, as well as power over the adult education budget totalling around £35m each year. It also means additional powers for the Mayoral Combined Authority, in areas including transport, skills, and governance.
Following the leaders’ agreement this morning, a public consultation on the proposals will be launched next week, Mayor Dan Jarvis and Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and and run for six weeks. Members of the public will be asked their views on bringing increased powers and resources to the region, and putting more decisionmaking responsibilities in the hands of local leaders. Following this public consultation, an Order will be laid in Parliament, which will need to be signed by the four council leaders and Mayor Jarvis before the devolution deal is formalised.
Local Government
£600k for GP Neighbourhoods innovative projects THE Upper Don Valley is one of seven GP practices in Sheffield to have been given extra funding to help improve the health and wellbeing of people in their areas. NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has given practices £600,000 as part of the CCG’s primary care transformation fund. The GP practices are working together in different groups known as ‘neighbourhoods’ to support the needs of their local residents. This is in addition to the £718K that the CCG awarded to neighbourhoods last year. The money will be used to fund a number of neighbourhood projects including supporting young people with mental health and emotional wellbeing advice, early intervention for mental health illnesses in teenagers and adolescents, identifying reasons for early deaths in 25 to 39 year olds, improving the lives of people with dementia, social prescribing and tackling loneliness and reducing isolation in older people. In Sheffield, practices, community and voluntary groups as well as social care and schools have joined together to form neighbourhood groups across the city, in order to bring together services and staff. The idea behind neighbourhoods is to support people to gain control of their own
health and wellbeing, helping them to live well and independently, reducing ill health as well as unnecessary hospital admissions. Each neighbourhood covers a community of around 30,000 to 50,000 people. This means that neighbourhood teams are small enough that they know each other as well as their patients; it means they can provide seamless care and a mix of skills from hospital staff, mental health services, GPs and social care to name a few. Dr Anthony Gore, Sheffield GP and Clinical Director for Care Outside of Hospital at the CCG, said: “I’m incredibly excited to announce this second allocation of money to our neighbourhoods. Our aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of people across Sheffield by commissioning more care and support into neighbourhoods - closer to where people live. By investing this money, our neighbourhoods can start working to achieve this, particularly tailoring services to meet the specific needs of their local residents.” With this new investment, each of the neighbourhoods receiving funding will work on an individual project. The CCG will learn from the projects to see what works and what could be done differently.
Upper Don Valley is one of the neighbourhood areas to receive funding. Upper Don Valley Neighbourhood Clinical Director and GP at Oughtibridge Surgery Dr Ruth Izard, said, “We are thrilled to have received this money which will see us working with a number of community organisations across our neighbourhood, including health and social care, education and leisure, to offer mental health and emotional wellbeing advice to young people aged 13 – 25 living in Oughtibridge, Deepcar, Stocksbridge and Wharncliffe side. “In particular, we are working closely with Stocksbridge Leisure Centre to put on physical activity sessions such a football and keep fit for young people, which will also offer emotional support if needed. There will also be wellbeing cafes at secondary schools, drop in sessions at GP practices and individual counselling support. “Teenage and young adulthood is a pivotal point in an individual’s life and can be fraught with challenges and difficulties. We hope that by increasing the number of young people exercising, using leisure facilities and attending face to face social groups and drop in sessions that it will improve young people’s health and wellbeing as well and reducing loneliness and social isolation.”
