Agenda, decisions and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on the agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.  Councillor D’Agorne declared a personal interest in agenda item 4 (minute 38 refers) – “2011/12 Children & Young People’s Budget Proposals” as a careers adviser at York College.

To approve and sign the minutes of the Decision Session of the Executive Member for Children and Young People’s Services held on 11 January 2011.

RESOLVED:That the minutes of the Decision Session held on 11 January 2011 be approved and signed by the Executive Member as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak at the meeting can do so.  The deadline for registering is 5.00pm on Monday 31 January 2011.

Members of the public may register to speak on:-

• An item on the agenda
• An issue within the Executive Member’s remit
• An item that has been published on the Information Log since the last session.

A trade union representative from Unison spoke on item 4 on the agenda – “2011/12 Children & Young People’s Budget Proposals”.  He stated that Unison appreciated the difficult situation facing the council but was nevertheless very concerned that the proposed cuts were not incremental and could not be achieved without resulting in fewer services for children and young people in York.  He stated that those services which were non-statutory but which had proved to be very valuable, would be particularly hit.  He also raised concerns at the impact on the early intervention work that was taking place and which was cost-effective in the longer term.  He stated that he appreciated that every effort would be made to avoid redundancies but he believed that the outcome would be the loss of skilled staff, which would mean that it would not be possible to rebuild to provide the same level of service in the future.

The trade union representative raised issues in respect of specific proposals including:

• ACES 12 and 13 - attention was drawn to the written representation that had been submitted by Unison regarding these proposals.  Concerns were expressed that the cuts would impact on front-line delivery and that insufficient account had been taken of the possibility of income generation.  Attention was drawn to issues in respect of careers guidance services which were currently being debated in Parliament.  A request was made that ACES 12 and 13  be referred back for further work.
• ACES 49 – a request was made that the proposals be given further consideration.
• Strong objections were raised to the proposals in respect of early years provision, particularly children’s centres.  A request was made for more work on equality impact assessments to be carried out and that, in view of their impact on families and communities, more consultation take place.
• ACES 16, 43 and 99 – concerns were expressed regarding the lack of clarity as to the impact on staffing.
• ACES 10, 30 and 88 – concerns that had been raised at the previous meeting in respect of the Front Door proposals were reiterated.
• ACES 87 – concerns raised as to how the Family Intervention Service could continue to deliver the support that it was currently providing if staffing was to be reduced.
• ACES 33, 63 and 91 – concerns expressed regarding impact on staff and on users.
• Proposed cuts to staffing at Mill House – concerns that this would impact on frontline delivery.
• CANS 29 and 14 – concerns expressed that the importance of the arts was not being recognised. Unison would wish to be closely involved in mitigating the impact of the proposed cuts.

The trade union representative stated that Unison had grave concerns about all of the proposed cuts and would wish to be involved in the consultation.  They particularly requested that ACES 12 and 13 were referred back for further consideration and that ACES 14 was either referred back or a commitment given that there would be a longer period of consultation.

Councillor D’Agorne  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

This report presents the Executive Member with the 2011/12 budget proposals for Children and Young People’s Services.  The Executive Member is asked to comment on the proposals.

RESOLVED:            (i)            That it be confirmed that the budget proposals are in line

                                    with the council’s priorities.

(ii)That the recommendations be accepted by the Executive Member and forwarded to the Budget Executive for their consideration.

(iii)That officers be thanked for their work in preparing the report.

REASON:            In accordance with consultation on the budget.

The Executive Member received a report as part of the consultation on the 2011/12 budget process.  The report presented the 2011/12 budget proposals for Children & Young People’s Services and included:

• 2011/12 Base Budget, as set out in paragraph 17 of the report;
• Savings proposals, as set out in Annex 2 of the report;
• Fees and charges, as set out in Annex 3 of the report;
• Residential Homes and Foster Carers, Sharing Care, Adoption and Residence Order Weekly Allowances, as set out in Annex 4 of the report.

The Executive Member was invited to consider whether the budget proposals were in line with the council’s priorities and to comment on the budget proposals for savings and growth, which had been prepared by officers and contained in the report.  The proposals were intended to form part of the council’s budget to be considered by the Budget Executive on 15 February 2011.  Budget Council would be held on 24 February 2011 and would make decisions on the overall budget for the council.

The Executive Member requested that officers respond to the issues raised by the Unison representative earlier in the meeting.  Officers stated that there had been a constructive dialogue with the trade unions and that they were committed to this continuing.  The financial circumstances that the Authority was facing were unprecedented and were particularly challenging because the cuts to funding were front-loaded and could not be introduced incrementally.  Attention was drawn to the consultation that had taken place, as detailed in paragraph 13 of the report, and of residents’ views that funding for children’s social care should remain the same.  The proposals that had been put forward did not include any reduction in social workers or core child protection capacity.  There remained a commitment to preventative work, as evidenced by the funding that it was proposed be allocated to the family intervention project. There were no proposals to close youth facilities or children’s centres.  The directorate would embrace the opportunities for new partnerships and was looking to integrate and restructure service delivery whilst maintaining the focus on providing high quality and safe provision for children and young people in the city. 

In respect of youth services and Connexions, attention was drawn to a reduction in the area-based grant which had not been passed on.  Officers had prepared a paper outlining initial thoughts as to how the savings in this area could be achieved.  A more detailed paper, outlining options, would be presented to the Executive Member in the Spring. Consultation would take place with staff and with schools regarding the options.  It was acknowledged that there was uncertainty about future arrangements in view of the debate that was taking place nationally on this issue.

Referring to the proposals in respect of youth services, officers stated that the intention was to retain universal services, including localities, but that there would be cuts.  The network of youth provision was valued and there would be a greater emphasis on more targeted provision. 

In respect of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

This report seeks approval for:

• The purchase of play services through service level agreement for the funding period 2011-2014
• The reallocation of some funding for the current funding period

RESOLVED:(i)         That, subject to the outcome of Budget Council, the

                                    following allocations of funding be made:

·        Bell Farm Adventure Playground to be allocated £20k on a one-year agreement in the first instance.

·        Officers to be delegated the authority to extend to a further two-year agreement, at no more than £20k per annum, following a full organisation review by CVS which ensures that the organisation continues to develop and provide evidence of robust governance arrangements.

·        A reallocation of £15k to be made to the Bell Farm Adventure Playground Playbuilder scheme (capital funding) to contribute to the redevelopment of the site.

·        SNAPPY to be allocated £35k per annum for a three-year period.

·        Playspace to be allocated £24k per annum for a three-year period, which would look to support two Chill Out Zones.

·        Space 109 to be allocated £6k per annum for a three-year period.

·        The Council for Voluntary Service to be allocated £12k per annum for a three-year period to work with targeted play organisations.

(ii)            That, should funding remain once the allocations have been

made, further funding be allocated to the Playspace Chill Out Zones".

REASON:            To continue funding quality play provision across the city in line

                        with the Taking Play Forward policy priorities.

The Executive Member received a report that sought approval for the purchase of play services through service level agreements for the funding period 2011-2014 and the reallocation of some funding in the current funding period.

Officers gave details of the projects that were recommended for approval, as outlined in the written report.

RESOLVED:(i)         That, subject to the outcome of Budget Council, the

                                    following allocations of funding be made:

·        Bell Farm Adventure Playground to be allocated £20k on a one-year agreement in the first instance.

·        Officers to be delegated the authority to extend to a further two-year agreement, at no more than £20k per annum, following a full organisation review by CVS which ensures that the organisation continues to develop and provide evidence of robust governance arrangements.

·        A reallocation of £15k to be made to the Bell Farm Adventure Playground Playbuilder scheme (capital funding) to contribute to the redevelopment of the site.

·        SNAPPY to be allocated £35k per annum for a three-year period.

·        Playspace to be allocated £24k per annum for a three-year period, which would look to support two Chill Out Zones.

·        Space 109 to be allocated £6k per annum for a three-year period.

·        The Council for Voluntary Service to be allocated £12k per annum for a three-year period to work with targeted play organisations.

(ii)            That, should funding remain once the allocations have been

             made, further funding be allocated to the Playspace Chill

Out Zones.

REASON:            To continue funding quality play provision across the city in line

                        with the Taking Play Forward policy priorities.