Agenda item

RESOLVED

1.         That the proposed budget cuts be noted.

2.         That Committee member’s desire be noted that facilities offered to local community groups by a commercial nursery should remain affordable.

3.         That care leavers in established homes should not be adversely affected by the reduction in cost of commissioned care leaver housing.

4.1 Pinaki Ghoshal, Executive Director Children & Young People’s Services, introduced the report and the meeting discussed three additional budget cut proposals that were recommended.

4.2 It was confirmed that the proposed specialist social care support review (C-35) would not result in redundancies or cuts to provision.

4.3 Clarification was received that the children’s centre implicated in the review of commercial opportunities (D-13) had not been in operation since 2016. The private nursery already operating in the building wants to expand into the empty space. The new services will add to the quality of the commercial nursery’s offer to their families, but it will not be a free service to the community. It will generate additional income for the Council as well as reduce operational costs. Legal advice is currently being sought to ensure compliance. The committee expressed concern that members might have been misled by the text of the proposal. They wanted reassurance that the space and facilities offered to the local community from a commercial nursery would remain affordable.

4.4 Work on the reduction in cost of commissioned care leaver housing (C-36) has already started by moving away from spot-purchasing and by achieving improved commissioning arrangements that will not impact on quality. The service is reasonably confident that the savings can be achieved, based on work already completed. It is unlikely that a young person would have to move from their current accommodation to a new one. The meeting wanted to underline that care leavers who are already in established homes should not be moved out of them.

RESOLVED

1. That the proposed budget cuts be noted.

2. That committee members’ desire be noted that facilities offered to local community groups by a commercial nursery should remain affordable.

3. That care leavers in established homes should not be adversely affected by the reduction in cost of commissioned care leaver housing.