Agenda item

To receive a report from Anne-Marie Scott, Assistant Director, Prevention & Early Intervention, Emma Krasinska, Programme Manager, Public Health and Professor Derek Ward, Director of Public Health, which invites the Committee to consider and comment on future funding for Citizens Advice Lincolnshire, prior to consideration by the Executive on 7 November 2023)

Consideration was given to a report from Anne-Marie Scott, Assistant Director, Prevention & Early Intervention and Emma Krasinska, Programme Manager, Public Health and Professor Derek Ward, Director of Public Health, which invited the Committee to consider and comment on future funding for Citizens Advice Lincolnshire, prior to consideration by the Executive at its meeting on 7 November 2023.

Appendix A to the report provided a copy of the Executive report for the Committee to consider.

In presenting the Executive report to the Committee, reference was made to: details of the review of Citizen’s Advice Service in Lincolnshire; options for future funding mechanisms; reasons for the proposed recommendations; the background to Citizens Advice in Lincolnshire; the Strategic outcomes, policy benefits and legal context; current arrangements and service model; the results of the equality impact assessment; details of the demand and need for the service in Lincolnshire; and service performance.

In conclusion, the Committee noted that it was felt that a multi-year grant agreement would provide a longer-term guarantee of financial certainty and stability at a time when the service was experiencing increases in demand. It was highlighted that the Lincolnshire County Council core grant funding supported employee costs and an annual uplift in line with the National Living Wage increases would help maintain the level of funding in real terms. The Committee noted further that working more closely with district councils and the Integrated Care Board could lead to future joint funding arrangements with some or all partners, which could encourage consistency in reporting across the three branches.

During consideration of this item, the following comments were noted:  

Grant Funding Agreement

·       Support was given to the continuation of the funding and the recommendation to move to a three-year grant funding agreement with annual increases in line with the National Living Wage;

·       Disappointment was expressed that the level of funding would only increase by £17,236 on 1 April 2024 from the current level of funding which had been in place since 2018/19, and that no additional award was being provided to Citizens Advice to recognise that there had been no funding increase since 2018/19 even though there had been cost of living increases, especially over the last two years. It was confirmed that the £17,236 increase from April 2024 reflected the current 6.2% increase in the National Living Wage. In addition, it was highlighted that Lincolnshire County Council was one of a number of funders of the Citizens Advice Service in Lincolnshire; and

·       With regards to the payment of the funding to Citizens Advice, it was confirmed that payment would be on a quarterly basis.

Lincolnshire Branches of Citizens Advice

·       In relation to the three branches of Citizens Advice in Lincolnshire, it was confirmed that one of the smaller branches had an arrangement with the national advice line to provide reciprocal support. This meant that their calls would roll to the national advice line when they were unable to answer them, and when they had capacity, they would reciprocate that back as part of the arrangement.

Background Papers

·       It was recommended that the information links under the Background Papers should be explored by all Members, in particular the monthly Cost of Living Dashboard provided by the national Citizens Advice service, where useful information about level of need by Lincolnshire district areas could be found.

The Chairman on behalf of the Committee extended his thanks to the presenters.

RESOLVED

That unanimous support be extended by the Public Protection and Community Scrutiny Committee to the recommendations to the Executive, as shown on page 42 of the report pack; and that the comments raised by the Committee be forwarded on to the Executive, prior to the decision being taken on 7 November 2023.