Issue - meetings

This paper seeks approval of bids from the Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector against the local authority’s allocation of the “Quality and Access for all Young Children Capital Grant”.  These bids have been recommended by a panel established for this purpose.

RESOLVED:(i)         That the recommendations of the panel for the second

tranche of bids for the “Quality and Access Early Years Capital Grant Allocation” be accepted as follows:

·        Annex A approved

·        Annex B accepted in principle but required additional information to be provided to officers

·        Annex C required substantial reworking and should be declined at this stage

(ii)               That approval be given for the Early Years and Extended Schools Service to bulk purchase certain items under £2500 and distribute them directly to settings.

(iii)That a copy of the monitoring documentation be forwarded to the Executive Member.

REASONS:            (i)            To enable the further development of early years

provision in York, in accordance with government guidelines.

(ii)               To obtain economies of scale.

(iii)             To ensure that appropriate quality assurance processes are in place.

The Executive Member considered a report that sought approval of bids from the Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) sector against the local authority’s allocation of the “Quality and Access for all Young Children Capital Grant”.  These bids had been recommended by a panel established for this purpose.  This was the second tranche of applications and a further three tranches were planned. 

The Executive Member requested that future reports on this grant application included the address and postcode of the provider making the request.  It was agreed that it was also important for analysis to be carried out as to the geographical spread of the allocations as this would identify whether a targeted response was required in particular areas.

Officers were questioned as to the way in which the funding was allocated to the successful applicants and the quality assurance arrangements that were in place to ensure that the funding was being used effectively.  The Executive Member was informed that 50% of the grant was paid in advance and that the remaining funding was allocated on completion of the project, subject to invoices being provided.  A monitoring process had been developed to enable officers to assess the impact of the funding, this included an assessment six months after the funding had been received.  Applicants were asked to sign a contract that gave a commitment to continue to offer services for three years after the receipt of grant funding.   

It was noted that, in future tranches, there were likely to be fewer bids but for larger amounts of funding.

RESOLVED:(i)         That the recommendations of the panel for the second

tranche of bids for the “Quality and Access Early Years Capital Grant Allocation” be accepted as follows¹:

·        Annex A approved

·        Annex B accepted in principle but required additional information to be provided to officers

·        Annex C required substantial reworking and should be declined at this stage

(ii)               That approval be given for the Early Years and Extended Schools Service to bulk purchase certain items under £2500 and distribute them directly to settings.

(iii)That a copy of the monitoring documentation be forwarded to the Executive Member².

REASONS:            (i)            To enable the further development of early years

provision in York, in accordance with government guidelines.

(ii)               To obtain economies of scale.

(iii)             To ensure that appropriate quality assurance processes are in place.