Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of People

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of People, that had also been considered by Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee on 3^rd March 2017 (their minute 64/16 referred), that provided an update on consultation feedback and the outcome of engagement with local communities to explore how services might be delivered differently in the future for Phase 2 of the Connecting Communities proposals. Phase 2 comprised two overarching proposals to reshape the way that support was delivered to children and young people aged 0 to 19 years and the provision of library services in the city.

 

Connecting Communities was an ambitious approach to redesigning services through collaboration with local communities. Phase 1 of Connecting Communities focused on ten specific proposals, all of which were on track to deliver the £1m savings target set for 2016/2017 and £1.2m ongoing.

 

Phase 2 of Connecting Communities focused on how services and support could be delivered differently in local communities with the greatest need, within the resources that were available. As a consequence of cuts, a target of £3.8m was set for this work. Across all phases of Connecting Communities a total of £5m savings must be achieved, in line with the total requirement set for the original City Centre First programme, which had now been incorporated into the wider Connecting Communities change programme. 

 

The grant Coventry received from central Government had reduced by 49% from 2010/2011 to 2017/2018 and by 2020 this was estimated to reduce further to a 55% reduction. Due to the increase in the city’s population this equated to a 51% reduction per person from 2010/2011 to 2017/2018. The budget for the People Directorate was 70% of the Council’s net budget and so the services provided by the People Directorate needed to contribute significantly towards those savings. 

 

The scale of grant cuts meant the current way in which services were delivered was no longer sustainable. The financial position and the needs of residents needed to be balanced alongside making radical changes 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. Part of the Council’s strategy was also to work with organisations that could draw upon resources that the Council cannot access and to enable this to happen as far as possible. The delivery of the savings programme detailed in the report contributed to the total savings required of £35m by 2017/2018.

 

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, focusing on supporting those areas that were most in need. Connecting Communities was the overarching transformational change programme for the Council’s People Directorate which delivered a wide range of key frontline services to Coventry residents and as such further phases were likely to be forthcoming at a later point.

 

In August 2016, Cabinet approved public consultation on two proposals (their minute 24/16 referred), with a number of key elements from 12 September 2016 to 12 December 2016.

 

A number of council services were included within the scope of Connecting Communities including libraries, children’s centres, nurseries and the youth service. The list was by no means exhaustive and was expected to eventually comprise of all elements of People Directorate, and possibly wider service transformation to deliver broader savings targets.

 

The Cabinet noted that the report had been considered by the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee at their meeting on 3rd March 2017, and a briefing note setting out their recommendations was circulated at the meeting. The Committee recommended that the Cabinet agrees:

 

1.  To Involve Ward Councillors in further discussions about the implementation of the proposals.

 

2.  To provide Ward Councillors with mapping information so they can see how the proposed changes affect theirs and surrounding wards.

 

3.  That no childcare or children’s centre provision is closed without outreach services in place to support vulnerable families and ensure that there are no gaps in provision.

 

4.  That before any umbrella organisation is considered for youth provision in the city, careful consideration is made as to how this would operate, the impact it would have and the potential cost of delivery.

 

The Cabinet also noted that petitions submitted as part of the Connecting Communities consultation had been considered by the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People on 28th February 2017 and the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills on 6th March 2017 and a briefing note setting out their recommendations was circulated at the meeting.

 

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People recommended that:

 

i)  Cabinet take account of the issues raised through the petitions, submitted as part of the Connecting Communities consultation on the ‘Family Hubs’ proposal, when considering the Connecting Communities report at their meeting on 7th March 2017.

 

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills recommended that the Cabinet:

 

i)  Takes into account the issues raised through the petitions submitted as part of the Connecting Communities consultation on Library proposals when considering the Connecting Communities report at their meeting on 7th March, 2017.

 

ii)  Recognising the high level of community support and interest in maintaining libraries, recommends that the Cabinet considers using that level of support to campaign for increased Government funding. 

 

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

 

1.  Agrees to the additional recommendations from the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee.

 

2.  Agrees to the additional recommendation from the Cabinet Member Children and Young People

 

3.  Agrees to the additional recommendations from the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills.

 

4.  Notes that 10 petitions were considered by the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills and the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People in relation to the proposals, at their respective meetings on 28th February 2017 and 6th March 2017, and have been considered as part of the consultation process and outcomes.

 

5.  Notes the outcomes of the consultation and the resulting equality impacts and the updated Equality Consultation Analyses detailed in Appendix A to the report.

 

6.  Approves the implementation of the proposals detailed in Appendix B to the report:-

 

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 by September 2017.

 

ii.  For the Council to end children’s centre provision from the following six children’s centres: Barley Lea (Stoke Aldermoor), Canley, St Augustine (Radford), Stoke Heath, Richard Lee (Wyken) and Spon Gate (Spon End) by September 2017.

 

iii.  To end children’s centre contracts with private, voluntary and independent providers at Tommies, Flutterbies and Valley House by May 2017.

 

iv.  To end all Council directly provided term-time nursery provision in 9 children’s centres (Foleshill, Tile Hill, Radford, Moat House (Wood End), Middle Ride, Bell Green, Barley Lea (Stoke Aldermoor), Canley and Stoke Heath) by September 2017.

 

v.  To proceed to implementation of a new operational model for delivery of nursery provision by the Private, Voluntary and Independent sector, for two, three and four year olds in current children’s centre buildings by September 2017.

 

vi.  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.

 

vii.  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 by September 2017.

 

viii.  To retain Hillfields Young People’s Centre as a Children’s Resource Centre and to retain On Target Youth Centre but further explore the transfer of this building to the voluntary youth sector.

 

II - Libraries

 

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

 

ii.  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 with the development of Stoke Library as a Library and Learning Centre as part of Connecting Communities.

 

iii.  To retain Aldermoor library and Allesley Park as partnership libraries in their existing locations with reduced budgets by September 2017.

 

iv.  To retain Canley library as a partnership library and continue developments to relocate to the Charter Primary School site as part of the existing children’s centre space by September 2017.

 

v.  To retain Hillfields as a partnership library and relocate to the WATCH building with a reduced budget from October 2017.

 

vi.  To retain Jubilee Crescent library as a partnership library with a reduced budget by September 2017 and take forward plans to redevelop the site including library provision with a reduced budget.

 

vii.  To work with community groups to enable the transition of Cheylesmore, Earlsdon and Finham libraries to become community-led by September 2017.

 

viii.  To work with Caludon Castle School to enable the transition to a community-led library by September 2017.

 

ix.  To defer and develop options for the future delivery of a library service in Coundon as part of Connecting Communities to be included in Phase 3 plans.

 

7.  Approves the following recommendations for the Transition Fund:

 

i.  The award of up to £20k to Cheylesmore Community Association limited to enable the transition to become a community-led library service.

 

ii.  The award of up to £20k to WATCH Ltd to enable the delivery of a partnership library in Hillfields.

 

iii.  The outline process for award of Transition Fund to enable further development of youth sector universal youth services, including identification of a lead voluntary sector organisation to provide infrastructure support for future provision (detailed in Appendix C to the report).

 

iv.  To agree that future awards under the Transition Fund be approved by the Director of Finance and Corporate Services as S151 officer, following consultation with relevant Cabinet Members.

 

8.  Delegates authority to the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, as appropriate, to approve subsequent variations to the proposals outlined in Appendix B to the report.