Issue - meetings

Further to the budget scrutiny meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board held on 14^th and 20^th December, 2017 respectively, consideration was given to additional information in respect of the following proposals which had been deferred previously:

a)    CYPS 5 – School Improvement – Members asked for more detail in respect of where the saving will come from and the impact on the service, including a description of the minimum service requirement.

b)    PH2 – Withdrawal of £25k funding from homelessness service – further information required detailing the impact of the reduction on the delivery of the homelessness strategy.

The Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services provided a verbal update in respect of budget proposal CYPS 5 regarding the School Improvement Service. It was explained that the original proposal had been misleading in that the proposal did not relate to school improvement, but rather the Rotherham Youth Enterprise, which formed part of the Education and Skills Service in Children and Young People’s Services. In elaborating on the revised proposal, it was reported that the number of full time equivalent redundancies arising was expected to be seven and the saving from the cessation of the service would be £183,500. In reviewing the proposal, Members expressed concerns regarding the plan to not fill a vacant post in the Early Years service and Members requested an update on this position in June 2018 to understand the impact of not filling the vacancy. Having received the verbal update, Members not willing to support the proposal and requested that a further report fully detailing the proposal be submitted to the next meeting on 31 January 2018.

Officers from Housing Services provided additional information on the proposal to withdraw £25,000 of funding for homelessness services from the Public Health budget. Assurances were provided that there would be no impact on homelessness services as there were other resources that could be used to mitigate the removal of the Public Health funding stream, such as the Housing Revenue Account and the Homelessness Grant.

Members reflected on the other areas where they had requested further information from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment and noted that this information had been circulated separately and that they were able to provide support to the proposals.

Resolved:-

1.     That the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services submit a report on the budget proposal in respect of Rotherham Youth Enterprise to the next meeting on 31 January 2018.

2.     That, following the assurances provided, the budget proposal in respect of the withdrawal of £25,000 of funding for homelessness from the Public Health budget be supported.

The Chair welcomed the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment and other officers, as well as the Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy, to the meeting.

Members considered the following budget proposals: