Agenda item

Report and Presentation of the Executive Director of People

Councillor Maton, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills and Councillors Ruane and Seaman, Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Children and Young People have been invited to the meeting for the consideration of this item

Further to Minute 34/16 the Committee considered a report of the Executive Director for People regarding Connecting Communities Phase 2.  Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee had requested the outcome of consultation prior to consideration at Cabinet, which was due to take place on 7th March, 2017. 

The report noted that the grant Coventry received from central Government had reduced by 49% from 2010/11 to 2017/18 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 2010/11 to 2017/18. 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. 

Connecting Communities was recognised as an ambitious approach to redesigning services through collaboration with local communities.  Phase 1 of Connecting Communities focused on ten specific proposals.  These proposals were on track to deliver the £1m savings target set for 2016/17 and £1.2m ongoing.

The report noted that 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. 

Phase 2 comprised of 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.

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 must 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 described in this report contributed to the total savings required of £35m by 2017/18.

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, with a number of key elements from 12 September 2016 to 12 December 2016 (their minute 24/16 refers).  This report 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.

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 not 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 Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Children and Young People discussed the need for new ideas and working with the voluntary sector and communities to find positive solutions.

Officers representing Involvement and Partnerships, Children’s Services, Youth Services and the Library Service presented to the Committee regarding emerging messages, positive responses and concerns, the proposal and the position after consultation.

The Committee questioned officers on the following:

•  Physical space to deliver the services from Family Hubs and what the hub and spoke model would look like

•  Support for community organisations who would be involved in delivering library services, especially in terms of financial viability

•  Contingency if community and voluntary organisations were unable to continue, both in partnership and community library models

•  That more emphasis on the grant reductions should be made to explain the reasons for the changes.

•  Support for vulnerable families in areas where Children’s Centre services were being withdrawn and packages of support for the transition to the Family Hub model, particularly for those families who were going to have to travel further.

•  Details on reduction of posts and whether these would be voluntary or compulsory redundancies.

•  Involving Ward Councillors in changes and a map which visually highlights changes within wards

•  Further detail regarding the umbrella organisation idea within the new youth provision

•  Phase 3 

RESOLVED that the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee recommend Cabinet consider:

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.