Agenda item

Members were reminded that the issue of the provision of welfare rights advice had been discussed previously.  Although consideration had been made to increase provision centrally, this had not been possible. Therefore, any future service provided locally would be for the Area Council to decide.   

Members were reminded of the current provision in the North Area, and the outcomes delivered by the service, which included £1,208,964 of benefit gain in the period September 2020 to August 2021, with £93,937 debt also handled within the period.

It was noted that provision varied across Area Councils, but the report highlighted a number of opportunities from combining the procurement and management of similar services.  It was noted that there may be a number of providers, but the number of those that were AQS accredited was small.

The report provided a number of options which included commissioning a service independently in the North Area, based on local need; and to align commissioning cycles to procure with other Area Councils in individual lots.

Whilst potential benefits of combining procurement were acknowledged, there were concerns expressed about whether this would undermine the locally determined element of the service.

Members also expressed their disappointment that an expanded service could not be provided more centrally, given the increased demand due to the rising cost of living.

With the consensus that a future service should need to be suited to the needs of the North Area, it was suggested that the option to align commissioning cycles be explored.

RESOLVED:-

(i)           That sections 3 to 7 of the report be referred to, and be considered, with additional insights from the anti-poverty priority working group;

(ii)          That the option to align commissioning cycles and procure provision for multiple areas, using different lots for individual area councils be preferred, subject to the service being able to be tailored effectively to meet the needs of the North Area.