Issue - meetings

Report of the Chief Executive

Recommendations:-

1.           That approval be given to progress arrangements for VCS Infrastructure Services in Rotherham, including:-

a.           Co-design with voluntary sector organisations for services to be delivered through a SLA for three years commencing from April 2021;

b.           Invitation to bid and appointment of a  ...  view the full agenda text for item 48

Consideration was given to the report which detailed progress after a review and renewed approach to the delivery of Voluntary Sector Infrastructure Services and which subsequently led to the award of a three-year Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR) running from April, 2018 to March, 2021.

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48

Cabinet Portfolio:-              Cleaner Greener Communities

Strategic Directorate:-        Chief Executive

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 21 September 2020 in respect of Voluntary Sector Infrastructure.

The Cabinet Member for Cleaner, Greener Communities and the Head of Policy, Performance and Improvement attended the meeting to present the report.

The report stated that in November 2017 Cabinet and Commissioners had approved a review on a renewed approach to the delivery of Voluntary Sector Infrastructure Services in Rotherham and that this had resulted in the awarding of a three-year service level agreement (SLA) with Voluntary Action Rotherham (VAR) running from April 2018 to March 2021. The SLA brought together working with both VAR and Rotherham Ethnic Minority Alliance (REMA) into a single SLA.

The report made recommendations for the next three-year Infrastructure SLA for the period April 2021 to March 2024 that would take forward the commitments set out in the Rotherham Compact, build on experience gained through the current SLA and take into account research on the impact of COVID 19 in order to set out a aspirational strategic approach for the future of the voluntary and community sector in Rotherham.

The report also provided information on the approach that would be taken in order to enable the Council to achieve an “excellent” accreditation under the Equality Framework for Local Government and for it to be able to address the equalities implications that had arisen from the COVID 19 emergency. The Cabinet Member for Cleaner, Greener Communities advised that details on the processes and timescales for this work would be provided in a future report to Cabinet.

The Cabinet Member advised that in order to enable this review to take place and also to enable a new SLA for VCS Infrastructure to commence in March 2021 it was being recommended that the equalities component of the current SLA be separated from the future VCS Infrastructure arrangements and incorporated into the equalities review. The Cabinet Member advised that the recommended approach would protect the services currently provided by REMA around increasing capacity of ethnic minority organisations for at least a year, whilst the Council undertook a wider piece of work to improve equalities but also allow for the wider VCS infrastructure to continue. The Cabinet Member advised that Voluntary Action Rotherham and REMA had been consulted and had advised that they were supportive of the proposed approach.

Members welcomed the proposed approach to reviewing how Voluntary Services would be provided and noted their approval for the integral role that Voluntary Organisations would play in the design process of the new SLA.

The Chair thanked the Cabinet Member for Cleaner, Greener Communities and the Head of Policy, Performance and Improvement for attending the meeting and answering members’ questions

Resolved: -.

That Cabinet be advised that the recommendations be supported.