Issue - meetings

Summary of decisions that took place at open session.

The Chair of the Panel, Councillor Bill Brown, announced that he had received a request that for Members to consider a decision taken by the Mayor and Cabinet on 15 January 2020 in relation to the disposal of former Wide Horizons sites in Wales and Kent.  The Chair advised that the decision would be implemented on 29 January 2020, unless called-in by Members of the Panel.

The Interim Executive Director of Children and Young People, and the Property Strategy & Technical Support Manager made a presentation on the decision taken by the Mayor and Cabinet on 15 January 2020 in relation to the “Disposal of former Wide Horizons sites in Wales and Kent”.  The Panel noted that Wide Horizons was an adventure learning charity formed in 2004 as a result of a joint initiative.  Wide Horizons went into administration in 2018 and at the time were managing eight outreach services providing adventure experiences for nearly 47,000 children and young people each year.  It was recognised that three of the outdoor centres, two in Wales and one in Kent, are owned by Lewisham Council.  

In response to questions raised, the Officers advised the Panel that since the liquidation of Wide Horizons, Lewisham Council had been responsible for maintenance and other property associated costs for the properties it owned.  Hence, the recommendation to the Mayor and Cabinet to grant authorisation to agree to dispose of the sites, subject to the Secretary of State for Education’s consent being obtained.   It was stated that the Council’s newly designed Beckenham Place Park had been earmarked to deliver outdoor educational services and also to run family workshops over the summer months

In a follow-up question, the Officer confirmed to the Panel that disposal of the assets in Wales and Kent would not be detrimental to children and young people in Lewisham because there were other easily accessible and safer alternative facilities elsewhere.  However, it was the view of Members that the sale of the land would be detrimental to future generations, and therefore should only be considered as a last resort.  Members also agreed that the offer available at Beckenham Place Park was excellent, but not comparable, as it was not residential.

In view of the considerations, Members resolved to ‘call-in’ the decision taken by the Mayor and Cabinet on 15 January 2020 relating to the “Disposal of Former Wide Horizons sites in Wales and Kent, in order to enable the Mayor and Cabinet to reconsider its decisions, requesting that:

“Consideration should always be given to retain the freehold on land we own.  In the circumstance, options for income generation should be properly considered to help cover costs currently incurred from the land, including possible future use and opportunities”.

The Panel

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

Summary of decisions that took place at open session.

Summary of decisions that took place at open session.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

Summary of decisions that took place at open session.

The Chair of the Panel, Councillor Bill Brown, announced that he had received requests that for the Panel to consider two key decisions taken by the Mayor and Cabinet on 30 October 2019, namely:

·                     The re-commissioning of building-based day services for older adults; and

·                     The 2020/21 Revenue Budget Cuts.  

The Chair invited presentations on the matters, highlighting that the decisions for consideration would be implemented on 13 November 2019, unless called-in by Members of the Panel.

1.            Re-commissioning of Building-Based Day Services for Older Adults

The Director of Adult Joint Commissioning, and the Public Health Commissioning Manager gave an oral report to the Panel about re-commissioning of building-based day services for older adults. 

The Panel noted feedback on consultation undertaken about proposed changes to commissioned day services, together with the decision by the Mayor and Cabinet whereby it a proposal for the future re-commissioning of older adult day services was agreed.  The Chair highlighted the implication of the decision, advising that older adults’ day service provision in Lewisham currently operating at Cedar Court, Cinnamon Court and the Calabash Centre would be provided as a single service offer.

In response to questions raised by Councillor Sakina Sheikh, Vice Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Officers confirmed to the Panel that the consultation period was longer than usual following a request by Members of Healthier Communities Select Committee to extend the timetable.  It was stated that the consultation exercise included notification on the Council’s website, with a link to a survey questionnaire, and a hyper-link to key stakeholders’ portals, with a request that they forward the posting onto their networks and contacts.

Continuing with their response to questions by Councillor Sheikh, the Officers confirmed to the Panel that letters were sent to services users directly affected by the proposals, and their families, with an invitation that they discuss concerns they might have with Council officials.  It was stated that an independent advocacy service was also organised to further support the consultation exercise.

In relation to an enquiry about procured arrangements by Councillor Sheikh, the Officers advised the Panel that it was normal to review the effectiveness of service provision as the end of a contract agreement.  This, as part of the review of adults’ day centres, equality, environmental and budget implications were considered, including the impact on service users and their families.  It was stated that during the exercise, data from contract monitoring highlighted that users’ footfall across the centres were declining, hence the proposal to combine the three centres to ensure efficient use of resources, with a view secure a significant amount of savings for reinvestment into the service.

Commenting on the Officers’ responses, Councillor Sheikh acknowledged the need for budget savings and reinvestment.  Councillor Sheikh was however of a view that because the two community-led social groups currently operating out of the Calabash Centre comprised of African-Caribbean and Asian elders, equality should have been at the heart of the decision.  In particular, the Council was supportive of environments  ...  view the full minutes text for item 255

RESOLVED that the report be noted.