Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of People

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of People, which set out proposals for Phase 2 of the Connecting Communities programme.

The report indicated that the central proposals within Connecting Communities were bringing together children’s centres and youth services into integrated early help family hubs for 0-19 year olds located in the area of greatest need and reshaping the Council’s library service.  This would enable the Council to target resources to greatest need in response to the very challenging financial situation it faced because of central Government reductions in the resources it was making available to the Council.

It was noted that the grant Coventry received from central Government had reduced by 44% since 2010/11 to 2016/17 and by 2020 it was estimated to reduce further to 55%.  The budget for the People Directorate was 70% of the Council’s net budget and so the services provided needed to contribute significantly towards those savings.

The scale of the grant cuts meant that current delivery of services was no longer sustainable and as a result of the Council’s financial position and the needs of residents, there needed to be a radical change in the delivery of services.  This meant working closely with residents and partners in new ways to maximise the total public funding that remained to support the most vulnerable in the City.  The delivery of the savings programme outlined within the report would contribute to the total savings requirement of £35m by 2017/18.  The Cabinet were advised that it was also likely that further savings across Council services would be needed in the future, requiring more work to reshape how to achieve better outcomes for people in Coventry.

The Connecting Communities programme focussed on how services might be delivered differently in the communities and neighbourhoods where there is most need and within the resources available.  In February 2016, the Cabinet approved implementation of Phase 1 savings of £1.2m full-year effect in relation to libraries, play centres, community centres, youth services, commissioning and public conveniences (Minute 121/15 refers).  These proposals were on track to deliver the £1m savings target set for 2016/17 (and £1.2m ongoing) as part of the original £5m savings target for City Centre First set out in the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Coventry’s long term strategy was to focus on avoiding crude cuts through closer partnership working with statutory and voluntary agencies and communities.  The Connecting Communities approach was to work with others to redesign services that could be delivered within the resources available, focussing on supporting those areas most in need.  Connecting Communities was the overarching transformation change programme for the People Directorate, which delivered a wide range of key frontline services to Coventry residents and, as such, it was anticipated that further phases would be forthcoming at a later point.

In early July 2016, outline proposals for Phase 2 were published with a view to proactively seeking feedback and suggestions from key stakeholders on how the proposals could be developed or improved.  Since then, targeted engagement had taken place with people and groups who had an interest in the future of the service areas directly affected by the proposed changes which, in summary, included:

·  The development of an integrated model of family support through the creation of a series of family hubs that would support people earlier and provide interventions that prevent the need for more intensive involvement by the Council or other statutory agencies.  This approach required that some existing services would cease to be provided by the Council in order that the Family Hub would be appropriately resourced and effectively targeted. 

·  The development of a sustainable, modern and comprehensive library service as community hubs in three broad categories of core libraries, partnership libraries and community libraries.

An addendum to the report was circulated in advance of the meeting, which summarised this further engagement activity and feedback received in the period since 8^th August 2016.

In addition, the report indicated that the Council wanted to work with communities and organisations of all types to build on some of the good work that already existed, to provide universal accessible and integrated services.  This would ensure effective targeting of reduced Council resource to meet statutory obligations and enable Council resources to be targeted on the most vulnerable. 

The Cabinet noted that, as part of the 2015/16 budget setting process, the Council had agreed to establish a one-off £500k Transition Fund to support work with residents and communities in developing new approaches to delivering Council services.  This fund was increased to £525k following a merger with the Community Grant Fund.  The report provided an update following initial expressions of interest from groups and organisations during Phase 1. 

It was proposed to move into public consultation following a period of intense engagement work with employees, partners, community and voluntary groups and residents on two specific proposals to deliver the remaining Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) target of £3.8m of the original City Centre First programme for 2017/18 which has now been incorporated into the wider Connecting Communities change programme.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:-

1.  Approve a period of consultation from 12 September 2016 to 12 December 2016 on two proposals to change the way that services are delivered in order to achieve savings of £3.8 million for 2017/18 as required by the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) original City Centre First Programme (now Connecting Communities Phase 2). The proposals for change for 2017/18 are:

  I - Family Hubs

i)  To develop eight integrated family hubs for 0 to 19 year olds from the current children’s centres and youth services, located in areas of highest need, specifically at the following current children’s centres: Bell Green, Foleshill, Tile Hill, Radford, Moat House (Wood End), Middle Ride (Willenhall), Gosford Park and Hillfields.

ii)  For the Council to end children’s centre provision from the following children’s centres: Barley Lea (Stoke Aldermoor), Canley, St Augustine (Radford), Stoke Heath, Richard Lee (Wyken) and Spon Gate (Spon End) and to seek expressions of interest from schools, private, voluntary and independent (PVI) operators to provide nursery provision for 2, 3, and 4 year olds in the these children’s centre buildings.

iii)  To end children’s centre contracts with private, voluntary and independent providers at Tommies, Flutterbies and Valley House and also to investigate potential opportunities for efficiencies within the Children’s Centre in the Hillfields area, which may become a family hub.

iv)  To end all Council directly provided term-time nursery provision in children’s centres (Foleshill, Tile Hill, Radford, Moat House (Wood End), Middle Ride, Bell Green, Barley Lea (Stoke Aldermoor), Canley and Stoke Heath) and to seek expressions of interest from schools, private, voluntary and independent (PVI) operators to provide nursery provision for 2, 3, and 4 year olds in the these children’s centre buildings.

v)  To retain Council delivery of a targeted and specialist youth offer focused on young people who are hardest to reach and most vulnerable as part of the family hub model; and

vi)  To end Council provided universal youth work provision in the following 16 locations: Youth Centres: African Caribbean Centre for Young People (Freehold Street, Hillfields), Hillfields Young People’s Centre (Yardley Street, Hillfields), Jardine Crescent Young People’s Centre, On Target Youth Centre (Doe Bank Lane, Spon End), People’s Place (Acorn Street, Stoke Aldermoor), Stoke Park Youth Centre, Whoberley Youth Centre, Wood End Youth Centre (The Venny); and Community venues at Bell Green Community Centre, Cheylesmore Community Centre, Hagard Community Centre, Henley Green Community Centre, Jubilee Crescent Community Centre, Stoke Heath Community Centre, Xcel Leisure Centre (Canley) and Baginton Fields School.

  II - Libraries

vii)  To develop sustainable, modern and comprehensive libraries as community hubs in three broad categories: core libraries, partnership libraries and community libraries. 

viii)  To retain five core library services; Central Library, Bell Green, Foleshill, Stoke and Tile Hill with a reduced budget and increased self-service and volunteering opportunities as well as seeking to share space with partners wherever possible.

ix)  To develop partnership library services in Stoke Aldermoor, Canley, Hillfields, Radford (Jubilee Crescent) and Allesley Park with a reduced budget and through further investigation of opportunities to locate library services in the same buildings as community organisations or services and to make increased use of volunteering opportunities.

x)  To seek interest from organisations and community groups who wish to provide ancillary library provision in Caludon (Wyken), Cheylesmore, Coundon, Finham and Earlsdon and where this is not successful, to cease to provide libraries in these areas.

2.  Approve the following recommendations for the transition fund:

•  Variations to the transition fund process to enable Officers to collaborate with stakeholders to encourage Expressions of Interest that will enable the delivery of proposals outlined above.

•  Re-open the Transition Fund process to run in parallel with the consultation process and timescales described above.

•  Recommendations for awarding to be covered through the report to the Cabinet on the outcome of the consultation process. Where this is in possible awards of Transition Fund will continue to be made by the Executive Director of Resources

3.  Approve the following recommendation for the community delivery requirements:

•  To support officers continuing to develop the Council’s requirements of organisations and community groups where activities move from being Council-led to being led by other organisations or community groups.