Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests.

The meeting received the minutes from the previous meeting of Central Area Council held on 19^th September, 2016.

RESOLVED that the minutes of Central Area Council meeting held on 19^th September, 2016 be approved as a true and correct record.

The Area Council Manager introduced the item. 

Attention was drawn to the table within the report at Appendix 1 which detailed expenditure that had been agreed, was in the process of being taken forward, and areas where approval had yet to be given, but were those where Members had previously indicated they were keen to see investment.  It was noted that the budget had yet to be formally agreed, but proposals being put forward suggested that the Area Council budget for 2017/18 would be reduced from £500,000 to £450,000 for the year.

The information presented also took into account an amount of income from the contract with Kingdom security, with this projected to decline in the future as residents respond to the continued presence.  However, it was acknowledged that this was difficult to predict and there was a significant time delay from issuing tickets and receiving payment, especially if the matter was referred to court.

Based on the figures supplied, Members noted that in year balances of approximately £62,000 remained in 2017/18, £30,000 in 2018/19, and £13,000 in 2019/20.

The meeting noted that within the financial overview presented, there had been no provision made for any further devolving of funds to the Ward Alliances or towards the family support priority previously agreed.

Members went on to consider proposals related to monies devolved from the Area Council to each Ward Alliance Fund in the area.  Previously £10,000 had been devolved, and attention was drawn to the balances at the start of the current financial year, alongside those remaining unallocated.

The meeting discussed a proposal to return any of the additional £10,000 that had been unspent at the end of the 2016/17 financial year, noting that Ward Alliances would be allocated a further £10,000 of ‘core’ funding for 2017/18.  The meeting discussed the proposal in some detail. The need for public monies to be spent appropriately, and in a timely way, in order to address the needs identified within each Ward was noted. However, it was also noted that when deadlines such as the end of the financial year were imposed, this could provide an unnecessary barrier to in taking forward some worthwhile projects, especially when they were reliant on other agencies which may be prone to delays.   In order to take account of this, it was agreed that any of the £10,000 devolved to Ward Alliance Funds not spent by 31^st July, 2016 be returned to the Area Council.

In light of the discussion, it was agreed that any further discussion on devolving of Area Council funds to Ward Alliance Funds in 2017/18 be deferred to a future meeting.

RESOLVED:-

(i)        That the financial position for 2017/18-2019/20  based on Central Area Council’s existing commitments, and any procurements, SLAs and programmes agreed in principle and currently in development be noted;

(ii)       That the proposal for return of monies devolved from Central Area Council to the five Ward Alliances in the area, should it not be spent by 31^st July, 2016,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

The Central Area Council Manager introduced the item, reminding Members that the current Youth Programme would come to an end on 31^st March, 2016, as would the Service Level Agreement (SLA) to provide support to those in Private Sector Rented Housing.

Members were reminded that at the previous meeting of the Area Council, the business case for a ‘service to build emotional resilience and wellbeing in children and young people aged 8-14 years’ was supported.  In addition Members agreed that the service ought to be delivered by one main provider. Consequently a specification of requirements and a procurement strategy synopsis had been development and had been circulated.

The Area Council Manager drew Members’ attention to the documents circulated and points within, including the background, context, and the aims and objectives of the commission.  It was noted that the suggested value was for £130,000 per year, initially for one year, but with the ability to extend the contract.

Members noted that the specification included the minimum requirement to provide three sessions per ward each week, with these ideally held in community venues.  It was discussed whether this may be too prescriptive, and it was agreed that the specification be made more flexible for any prospective provider to highlight what provision they considered appropriate.

It was noted that this exercise would hopefully result in a single provider, which would then be augmented by other smaller providers.  It was suggested that a proposal as to how this might be taken forward would be considered at the next meeting of the Area Council and it was seen essential that this provision be complementary to the main contract.

The meeting went on to consider the business case relating to the SLA with the Safer Communities Service to provide a Private Rented Housing Management and Enforcement Service.  To date the current service had engaged 949 households with over half having three or more contacts with the service.

Members noted that the approach taken with regards to private rented sector housing had been reviewed within the Safer Communities Service, and as a result the service was looking to provide an additional resource.  It was likely that this would be an officer covering two Area Councils.   Members were supportive of the proposal to extend the SLA for an additional year, noting the success of the current service. The need to work with any centrally provided service was acknowledged.  It was suggested that a full review of the service takes place towards the end of 2017/18.

RESOLVED:-

(i)           That the progress made in taking forward the procurement for a service to build emotional resilience and wellbeing in children and young people aged 8-14 years be noted;

(ii)          That, subject to the minor amendments discussed, the specification of requirements, associated costs and procurement strategy synopsis for the service to build emotional resilience and wellbeing in children and young people aged 8-14 years be approved at a cost of £130,000 per annum for one year with the ability to extend  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.