Agenda and minutes

At this point, Members are asked to declare:

·        any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests

·        any prejudicial interests or

·        any disclosable pecuniary interests

which they may have in respect of business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare, at this point in the meeting, any personal interests, not included on the Register of Interests, or any prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interests they may have in respect of business on the agenda. No further interests were declared.

It is at this point in the meeting that members of the public who have registered to speak can do so.  The deadline for registering is 5.00pm on Friday 19 July 2013.  Members of the public can speak on agenda items or matters within the remit of the committee.

To register to speak please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting, on the details at the foot of the agenda.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

To approve and sign the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee held on 3 June 2013.

RESOLVED:       That the minutes of the last meeting of the Committee held on 3 June 2013 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To consider the decisions made by the Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Young People at her Decision Session on 10 July 2013 in relation to the above item, which has been called in by Cllrs Runciman, Aspden and Ayre in accordance with the Council’s Constitution. A cover report is attached setting out the reasons for the call-in and the remit and powers of the Corporate and Scrutiny Management Committee (Calling-In) in relation to the call-in, together with the original report and the decisions of the Cabinet Member.

Members received a report which asked them to consider the decisions made by the Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Young People on 10 July 2013 in relation to the future of the Toy Bus and the alternative options available. The Toy Bus service had originally been offered as a saving for the 2014/15 budget savings round however, with the need to find in-year savings, Officers had explored the possibility of stopping the service within the current financial year.

Details of the Cabinet Members decision were attached as Annex A to the report, with the original report to the Decision Session attached at Annex B. The decision had been called in by Cllrs Runciman, Aspden and Ayre on the following grounds:

1.        “A lack of proper public consultation. The decision to cut the Toy Bus was taken at February’s Budget Council, but the public consultation did not take place until May. The consultation indicated that the most popular idea was to keep the Toy Bus. Therefore, it is misleading to claim that the option chosen “is supported by the consultation process”.

2.        The Toy Bus is still a popular service used by 513 families in York (as of December 2012).

3.        There is no detailed plan provided as to how the Mobile Library will incorporate a toy-lending service e.g. no layout plans and an admission from officers that “there is no detail at this stage”. There is no commitment that there will not be a break in service before the end of the Toy Bus and the start of the Mobile Library service.

4.        The Toy Bus provides a specialised and distinct space for children and parents to access toys. The trained staff on-hand are able to provide guidance to children, but also to provide advice to parents. The importance of helping parents to acquire the skills to play with their children and teach their children through play should not be underestimated. It is unclear if the new proposed arrangements would allow for this kind of interaction.

5.        The detail on the need to replace the Toy Bus “in the foreseeable future” remains vague.

6.        The yearly saving (excluding staff who will be redeployed) is just £14,589 - a relatively small price to deliver a popular service to some of the most vulnerable families in York and help to give our young children a good start in life. It is also clear that money invested in this age group brings long-term sustainable rewards for communities across the city.

7.        The decision to cut this service is not consistent with the poverty strategy recently tabled by Cabinet.

In light of the above, the Liberal Democrat Group continue to oppose the decision to end the Toy Bus provision and the decision to cease this provision in the current financial year.”

Members were asked to decide whether to confirm the decision (Option a) or to refer it back to the Cabinet Member for re-consideration (Option b) as set out in the report.

Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.