Decision details

The Cabinet considered the report of the Assistant Chief Executive on the initial outcome of the review undertaken by a project group of Members and Officers on how the Council supports, commissions and procures services through the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector.  The review is one of the six ‘Big Ideas’ projects being undertaken as part of the Council’s Transformation Programme.

A copy of a letter from the General Manager of Southport YMCA in response to the proposed termination of funding to the organisation as referred to in the report was circulated at the meeting.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)       the initial outcomes of Stage 1 of the review of the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector in Sefton be noted:

(2)       the funding allocations excluded from the review as detailed at Appendix A of the report be noted;

(3)       the impact of the reduction in specific Coalition Government grants on the Sector, over which the Council could not assert any influence be noted;

(4)       the developments in relation to progressing the Big Ideas transformation programme on becoming a Commissioning Council be noted;

(5)       the Council be recommended to give approval to the honouring of 90 day contractual commitments for all Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector organisations or groups that lose 100% funding as set out in Appendix D1 and D2 to the report, and to the sum of £10,661 being prioritised in the 2011/12 budget (£5,242 for schemes in Appendix D1 and £5,419 for schemes reduced in Appendix D2 of the report);

(6)       the Council be recommended to give approval to the reduced allocations of funding for organisations as detailed in Appendix D1 of the report and to Officers being mandated to formally write to the organisations advising them that the funding has ceased;

(7)       the Council be recommended to give approval to the proposed reductions in funding for organisations as detailed in Appendix D2 of the report and to Officers being mandated to formally write to the organisations advising them that the funding has been proportionately reduced and/or ceased and that this will be further reviewed in 2011/12;

(8)       the Council be recommended to give approval to officers being mandated to formally write to the organisations in Appendix B1, 2 and 3 of the report advising them that the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative funding has ceased and/or will cease and the Council will not have the resources to continue with these schemes once the specific funding comes to a natural end;

(9)       the Council be recommended to give approval to the sum of £15,705 (core) being retained and to the provision of £56,258 for the activity detailed in Appendix C of the report continuing for one year only;

(10)     the Council be recommended to give approval to the establishment of a set of reviews as detailed at Appendix E of the report and to the sum of £1,855,353 being prioritised in 2011/12 pending the outcomes of the reviews;

(11)     the Council be recommended to give approval to the establishment of a consolidated grant fund of £50,000 for 2011/12 and to Officers and Members of the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector Overseeing Group being mandated to establish criteria and a process for the allocation of such funds to eligible organisations and that this fund be the responsibility of a designated Cabinet Member (as yet to be determined); and

(12)     further reports be submitted to the Cabinet and Council on the outcomes of the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector Reviews proposed with any further recommendations.

            (In accordance with Rule 18.5 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules the following Councillors requested that their votes against resolutions (6) to (8) set out above be recorded, namely:

            Councillors P. Dowd, Fairclough, Maher and Moncur).