Community teams to be ditched for new model

The Local Action Teams and Neighbourhood Action Teams, which address issues including anti-social behaviour and service delivery, will be phased out over the next six weeks and replaced with six new Community Partnerships.

The changes were agreed by East Riding Council’s Cabinet after a review of their roles which considered a report in December last year by the then chief fire officer, which concluded it “has been difficult to justify the true effect of LAT activity by way of cost benefit beyond the obvious benefits of a swift response to a local problem.

“Local problem solving has clear benefits and LATS have proven most effective in addressing a range of local issues. However, it is questionable as to whether many of these issues would have been addressed without the LATS and perhaps picked up by other committees or partner strategies.”

Alan Menzies, the council’s director of planning and economic regeneration, whose report recommended the new format, said: “Many of the people who sat on the LATS sat on the NATS and had the same conversations about similar issues. This is quite cumbersome and there must be a more useful way of dealing with these issues with a single community partnership.

“The emphasis will remain on local issues, local solutions and engaging with the community.”

The new partnerships, featuring members from the public, private and voluntary sectors, will be based around Beverley; Bridlington and Driffield; Goole and Howden; Haltemprice, Hunsley and Brough; Hornsea, Withernsea and Hedon; and Market Weighton.

They will also have responsibility for administering a new £200,000 parish grant fund.

The reforms will save about £65,000 from the £280,000 a year spent on LATS and NATS.