The Holderness LAT – Local Action Team

THE LOCAL ACTION TEAMS – or LATs – are East Riding Council facilitated bodies that bring together key agencies to help them coordinate their activities more effectively. Crucially, they help develop local action plans for each area under the auspices of the Local Strategic Partnership.

Here, Vicky Bolton, the Local Action Officer for the Holderness LAT explains what they are all about:

“There are six Local Action Teams covering the East Riding; Beverley, Bridlington and Driffield, Goole and Howdenshire, Haltemprice and Hunsley, Holderness and Market Weighton and Pocklington. They each work with local people to understand the key issues affecting their community and help to improve quality of life and well-being.

Each team is chaired by a ward councillor and includes a representative from the police, health and fire services. There is also a representative from the voluntary and community sector. Together they bring the expertise, experience and ‘clout’ required to shape services to the needs of the local community. Each Local Action Team holds a meeting in public every six weeks.

Local Action Teams work with local people to understand the things that are important to them. They also work with public service organisations but do not replace or duplicate existing public services, instead they help to shape services to the needs of the communities.

Local Action Teams vary from one area to another to fully reflect local needs and priorities. Holderness LAT is chaired by Councillor Arthur Hodgson (South East Holderness) and includes Inspector Philip Hinch (Humberside Police), Paul Clucas (Humberside Fire and Rescue Service), Peter Hirschfeld (Humber and Wolds Rural Community Council), and Chris Rooke (NHS ERY). The team can also co-opt specialist members to help them deal with specific issues and currently Tracy Brice (East Riding Youth Service) is helping the team to discuss youth facilities and engagement with young people.”

The Holderness LAT regularly discusses issues of concern to the Hedon area:

• It helped with actions to set up the Hedon Youth Club and will be visiting the club soon to see what goes on there;
• It has discussed the need for a pedestrian crossing on St Augustine’s Gate;
• Its members will take part in a Question Time event at South Holderness Technology College;
• It is helping coordinate a social media project (Facebook, Twitter, etc) bringing together younger people and Humberside Police.