Issue - meetings

Matter for Decision:

The mid-year financial review, presented to Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Committee on 30 September 2013 set out the challenges facing Cambridge City Council as an organisation. It anticipated that the City Council will need to transform the way that it delivers services, reflecting on the sorts of options the Council would need to consider in order to achieve this with diminishing resources. The report considered future options for Arts and Recreation and Community Development, discretionary services which together account for around a quarter of the Council’s net budget.

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Community Wellbeing:

 

The Executive Councillor resolved to:

 

     i.        Agree that a range of options would be brought forward for transforming the delivery of Arts and Recreation and Community Development in the longer term.

 

    ii.        Building on the principles in the review of Children and Young People’s Participation Service (ChYpPS),  as reported to this committee in January 2012, ask the Head of Community Development to restructure the service to deliver savings of £340k for 2014.

 

Reason for the Decision:

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations:

The Committee received a report from the Director of Customer and Community Services regarding the Future Options for Discretionary Services.

 

At the request of Councillor Moghadas, it was agreed that the two recommendations detailed in the report be considered and voted on separately.

 

Councillor Moghadas stated that the recent review of the ChYpPS service had demonstrated the unique nature of the service and how other authorities did not do anything comparable. However, she argued that rather than evidence to support a cut to the service, this should be celebrated and valued. She argued that while Cambridge in general was an affluent area, there were pockets of deprivation and a 50% cut to universal play provision would be a hard hit for families.

 

The Executive Councillor for Community Wellbeing expressed disappointment that Labour Councillors were considering voting against the recommendation. She stated that the report was not proposing a simplistic approach but rather was looking at new ways to deliver the service.

 

Councillor Roberts argued that the report lacked data on how the money would be saved, the level of redundancies and the impact on services ward by ward.

 

Concerns were expressed regarding the following issues:

       i.        Voluntary agencies would be expected to pick up the shortfall in services

      ii.        The loss of the diversionary nature of the ChYpPS service would result in increased anti-social behaviour and associated costs.

    iii.        Had other services, such as those used extensively by non-city residents, for example the Junction, been considered as an alternative saving?

    iv.        The options in the report were limited and lacked detail.

     v.        The ChYpPS bus and boat offered unique play experiences for young people and could also be income generating with the correct commercial managmement.

 

The Executive Councillor for Community Wellbeing responded and stated that the ChYpPS team was valued and that the report was not a reflection on the services provided. The report seeks to protect the core values of the service while recognising the current financial realities. The holistic approach was designed to maintain the good work achieved to-date. The alternative would be to just stop doing things.

 

The Head of Community Development outlined the timeframes for delivering the savings and consulting staff. He confirmed the income generating targets of the ChYpPS Adventure service and stated that this service had the potential to grow and expand. The potential for delivering training to other providers was also being explored.

 

The Director of Customer and Community Services outlined the benefits of bringing together the Arts and Recreation Service and the Community Development Service in the longer term. This would allow alternative business structures to be explored and would facilitate the sharing of skills and experience.

 

Councillor Kerr, in her role as Young People’s Champion, stated that the ChYpPS service was highly valued and that steps would be taken to protect its core values, particularly for vulnerable young people. However, hard financial decision needed to be taken. Alternative sources of funding were not available and officers had worked hard to explore all possible option.

 

The Committee resolved unanimously to endorse recommendation 2.1.

 

To agree that a range of options would be brought forward for transforming the delivery of Arts and Recreation and Community Development in the longer term.

 

The Committee resolved by 4 votes to 4 (on the Chair’s casting vote) to endorse recommendation 2.2.

 

Building on the principles in the review of Children and Young People’s Participation Service (ChYpPS),  as reported to this committee in January 2012, to ask the Head of Community Development to restructure the service to deliver savings of £340k for 2014.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations.

 

Conflicts of interest declared by the Executive Councillor (and any dispensations granted)

Not applicable.