Agenda item

Report of the Director of Adult Services and Housing

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Adult Services and Housing on the outcome of consultation for One Coventry Services. Appendices to the report provided: The Proposals (One Coventry Services Phase One); One Coventry Services Equalities Impact Assessments (post consultation); One Coventry Services Programme Equality Impact Assessment (post consultation); the Consultation Summary Report; Individual Proposal Consultation Feedback; and Details of petitions considered by the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills at her meeting on 11 February 2025.

Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee considered the report their meeting on 11 April 2025 and a Briefing Note detailing their consideration of the matter and their recommendation to Cabinet, was circulated.

One Coventry Services was an operational change programme within the Transformation Plan 2024/25.

The programme aimed to deliver services differently by bringing them together in communities and building on current approaches within family hubs, libraries and adult social care settings. Proposals aimed to enable increased integration of a wider range of services and deliver financial efficiencies through reducing the number of service delivery locations and thereby the costs of operating these services in terms of both property and staffing. 

This was a programme of work that would develop over time, but the content of this report referred to the outcome of consultation regarding a series of proposals that were consulted on between 9 September 2024 and 4 November 2024.

The consultation was to be considered as a first phase and proposals were focussed on initial opportunities to bring services and service locations together. In doing so this wouldimprove efficiency by removing duplication in running costs and delivery functions. It would also enable residents to access services in single locations.

The design principles for One Coventry Services in this first phase of activity were:

·  Retain/prevent closure of services through integration/ co-location of services in a reduced number of buildings.

·  Ensure continued accessibility in community locations.

·  Maximise use of Council buildings.

·  Focus on best value for money.

·  Consider community reach and current footfall.

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

1)  Approves the recommendations received from Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee following their consideration of the report at their meeting on 10 April 2025.

2)  Notes that 2 petitions (as set out in Appendix F to the report) relating to proposals were received and considered by the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills at the meeting which took place on 11 February 2025.

3)  Notes the outcomes of the public consultation and the cumulative resulting equality impacts in Appendix C to the report and the updated Equality Impact Assessment for each proposal in Appendix B to the report.

4)  Approves the implementation of the proposals as consulted on and detailed in Appendix A to the report:

i.  Bell Green Library Service – Relocate Bell Green Library Service to Park Edge Family Hub building.

ii.  Dover Street – Relocate the office base of Adult Social Care Promoting Independent Living Service and the office base of Axholme Enablement and Outreach Service to other existing council Buildings providing Adult Social Care potentially including the Wildfred Spencer Centre and the Gilbert Richards Centre.

iii.  Holbrooks Library Service – Relocate Holbrooks Library Service to the Dementia Partnership Hub.

5)  Approve the implementation of the revised proposal detailed in Appendix A to the report:

iv.  Coundon Library Service – Relocate Coundon Library Service to Coundon Family Centre (Social care offices). Supporting Families Team to remain in their current location at Pathways Family Hub.

6)  Approve the revised proposals detailed in Appendix A to the report:

v.  Canley Library Service – Seek expressions of interest for the development of community led library provision in the Canley area (Subject to Equality Impact Assessment and further consultation as required). 

vi.  The Moat Family Hub – Maintain the Moat Family Hub service in its current location and relocate the Supporting Families Team from the Moat Family Hub building to Moat House Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre. (To be implemented through management action.)

7)  Notes the proposal not recommended at this time:

vii.  Pathways Family Hub – Relocate Pathways Family Hub service to Jubilee Crescent Community Centre.

8)  Delegates authority to the Director of Adult Services and Housing, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, and Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, to approve any subsequent variations to the proposals outlined in Appendix A to the report which are deemed necessary to bring into effect the recommendations set out in this report.