Agenda item

(To receive a report from Mark Popplewell, Head of Finance (Children's), which describes the budget proposals arising from the Provisional Local Government Settlement, announced on 17 December 2016 and the implications for commissioning strategies within Children's Services)

Consideration was given to a report which outlined the budget proposals arising from the Provisional Local Government Settlement, announced on 17 December 2016 and the implications for the following commissioning strategies: Readiness for School; Learn and Achieve; Readiness for Adult Life; and Children are Safe & Healthy.

Members were advised that nothing had changed since the proposals were last presented to the Committee.  However, it was noted that that the commissioning strategy – Children are Safe & Healthy would have some significant cost pressures due to the increased number of Looked After Children, and an increase in Regulation 24 placements and Special Guardianship Orders.

The Committee was provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         It was commented that not all children's centres were used equally, and it was acknowledged that footfall could be very different in different areas.  It was queried whether services provided in children's centres could be moved to other buildings, such as village halls, to improve access to them. 

·         Concerns were also raised about maintaining the quality of services, such as PEEP, in children's centres. It was noted that the quality of PEEP would be closely monitored and officers were waiting for tenders for a new early year's contract, which included the delivery of PEEP groups, to come back in. It was highlighted that if there were no tenders within the financial envelope, then this would be a cost pressure for Children's Services with no suggestion to reduce services.

·         Concerns were raised about the decommissioning of the careers guidance service and the lack of support now available to young people. It was noted that NEETs would continue to be tracked and the impact of decommissioning the careers guidance service would be monitored.

·         Concerns were raised about the cost pressure arising from the additional school transport costs from the closure of the Mablethorpe site of Monks Dyke Tennyson College, as it had been previously reported that money had been assigned to cover this cost. It was noted that this was not a new cost pressure, but there was a need to formally agree the permanent cost pressure through the corporate budget process so that it was included within the Children's Services base budget for 2017/18.

·         It was commented that some of the service reductions being proposed were not consistent with other things which had been discussed such as careers guidance and support for vulnerable young people at age 16/17.

·         It was noted that none of the decisions to reduce services were easy, but these were the least worst options.  Safeguarding had been prioritised by the authority and the Executive supported this approach.

·         In relation to concerns about careers guidance, it was commented that schools taught citizenship, so there were still opportunities which could be utilised.

·         It was thought there was a conversation that needed to be had about how to deal with children's centres where footfall was low.  Staff were working on how to increase footfall in some of the children's centres.

·         In relation to the reductions in the employers pension contribution, it was clarified that this was not a reduction in the amount paid into the fund, but was a service area reduction to take account of the reductions in numbers of staff, instead an increased sum would be paid into the pensions fund from the corporate budget.  Therefore it would be a corporate payment rather than coming from service area budgets.  This change would be cost neutral to the council and employee. 

RESOLVED

1.    That the comments made in relation the proposed budget changes for the Commissioning Strategies – Readiness for School; Learn and Achieve; Readiness for Adult Life; and Children are Safe & Healthy be passed on to the executive at its meeting on 7 February 2017.

2.      That the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee recognise and support the requests for additional funding to finance the cost pressures within the 'Learn and Achieve' and 'Children are Safe and Healthy' commissioning strategies for 2017/18.