Issue - meetings

Youth Connect

Meeting: 11/07/2017 - Children and Young People Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel (Item 11)

11 Youth Connect pdf icon PDF 88 KB

This paper seeks to update the Panel on the progress of this service.

:

Minutes:

Councillor Richard Samuel addressed the Panel. He informed them that the Riverside Youth Centre was within his ward of Walcot.

 

He said that the report was in response to the Council budget of February 2017 that agreed that it would need to reduce the budget of the Youth Service by 500k as part of the response to continuing Council budgetary pressures.

 

He stated that he was concerned when he read that ‘We are presently exploring options that would allow these buildings to be leased to one or more organisations that can take on delivery of agreed youth services in the future.’

 

He said that he felt that the Panel were being asked to comment on decisions that had already been made or at the very least proposed and that they had received no options appraisal documents.

 

He added that he was worried that services would be externalised and privatised and that he felt that the public would not want this to happen. He said that Ward Councillors had not yet been consulted either.

 

He called for the Panel to request a contextualised report that includes financial information and that wider consultation be carried out with Councillors, Young People and Stakeholders.

 

The Chair thanked him for his statement.

 

Councillor Liz Hardman commented that the views of young people should be harnessed through this piece of work.

 

The Divisional Director for Safeguarding & Social Care said that the rationale for embarking on this process was that the Council feel that this is an area where we can seek assistance through community groups.

 

The Chair asked if it was indeed a fait accompli.

 

The Divisional Director for Safeguarding & Social Care replied that consultation was still ongoing and that he would be happy to bring back an options paper in the future.

 

Councillor Richard Samuel stated that for the scrutiny process to be effective the Panel must be involved at the most appropriate stage.

 

The Divisional Director for Safeguarding & Social Care commented that initially staff were not ready to discuss the matter.

 

Councillor Sally Davis said that she felt that the report before the Panel today was an overview of the process to inform them prior to the options stage.

 

Councillor Liz Hardman commented that we are told that there is a good level of interest across the majority of B&NES for community groups to take on the running of Youth Services. She asked which services are these and which services do you anticipate will no longer be provided once the new model is implemented.

 

The Divisional Director for Safeguarding & Social Care replied that we can confirm that the Council has received a number of initial expressions from a range of community organisations. He added that they are planning an information evening for any organisation that may be interested for September. He said that it is hoped that the event will outline some of the key areas for which the Council is seeking to enable these groups to assist with the running of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11

: