Agenda item

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 the Advice Review and Advice Services Service Level Agreement.

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

The report provided an update on the provision of advice services across council in-house and Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) providers and set out a proposed process for a new three-year Service Level Agreement (SLA) through co-design with VCS advice providers for the period 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24. It was noted that it was proposed that this would be done through inviting a lead VCS organisation to work with the Council.

The report noted that the provision of advice services across a range of topics, and especially in relation to benefits and debt, both through council services and the voluntary sector, provided essential support to thousands of vulnerable people in Rotherham each year. The Cabinet Member for Cleaner, Greener Communities noted that demand for advice services remained high, and was expected to continue to rise, particularly as the economic impact of the COVID emergency, and end of financial support schemes created increased financial difficulties for residents. The Cabinet Member advised that experiences and learning gained from operating the Community HUB throughout the COVID emergency had been captured and would be used to inform the development of improved referral pathways for advice services. The Cabinet Member advised that it was proposed that all advice service providers that would be delivering services under the SLA would be signatories to the agreement in order to enable them to access further grant funding.

Members asked how the council’s in-house advice services were being engaged in the review and the development of a new SLA. The Cabinet Member noted the remit of, and the services provided by the council’s in-house advise services and assured members that they would be part of the discussions regarding the development of the new SLA. Members asked for assurances that new SLA for advice services would have the capacity to cope with the projected increase demand for services. The Cabinet Member advised that the design process would include considerations around how services delivery was designed that would enable the SLA to have the capacity to provide for the anticipated increases in demand for services.

The Chair asked whether it was feasible for the proposed annual budget for the SLA not to be increased from the current budget or increase over the period of the SLA given the predicted increase in demand. The Cabinet Member advised that there were no plans to increase the budget allocated for the SLA but noted that the design process could potentially impact on this.

Members asked whether there was a risk of smaller advice organisations being not being included in the new SLA. The Cabinet Member assured members that the new SLA would be an inclusive and a partnership between the council and advice providers.

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.