Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive

Further to Minute No. 182 of the Cabinet Meeting held on 27 January 2011, the Council 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.

It was moved by Councillor Robertson, seconded by Councillor Blackburn:

That:

 (1)            approval be given 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);

(2)            approval be given 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;

(3)            approval be given 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;

(4)            approval be given 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;

(5)            approval  be given 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;

(6)            approval be given 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;

(7)            approval be given 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

(8)       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.

An amendment was moved by Councillor Hardy and seconded by Councillor P. Dowd that the motion be amended by the addition of the following text:

"Subject to the deletion of Options B15-114 and B15-115 in Appendix D1, the deletion of Option B15-43.1 in Appendix D2, the re-instatement of a sum of £169,858 to the Sefton Citizens Advice Bureau referred to in Appendix E and the removal of that organisation from the review of services"

 On a show of hands, the amendment was lost by 36 votes to 22.

A further amendment was then moved by Councillor Moncur and seconded by Councillor P. Dowd that the motion be amended by the addition of the following text:

"Subject to the deletion of the Options B15-116, B15-117, B15-118, B15-119, B15-120 and B15 -121 in Appendix D1"

The requisite number of Members having then signified their wish that the voting on the amendment should be recorded in accordance with Rule 18.4 of the Council and Committee Procedure Rules, the voting was duly recorded and the Members of the Council present at the time, voted as follows:

FOR THE AMENDMENT:

Councillors Bradshaw, Brennan, Byrom, Carr, K. Cluskey, L. Cluskey, Cummins, Doran, M. Dowd, P. Dowd, Fairclough, Friel, Gustafson, Hardy, Kelly, Kerrigan, Maher, Mahon, McGinnity, Moncur, Tweed, Veidman and Webster.

 AGAINST THE AMENDMENT:

Councillors Barber, Blackburn, Byrne, Cuthbertson, Dodd, Dorgan, Dutton, M. Fearn, Lord Fearn, Fenton, Gibson, Glover, Griffiths, Hill, Hough, Howe, Ibbs, Jones, C. Mainey, S. Mainey, McGuire, McIvor, Papworth, Parry, Porter, Preece, Preston, D. Rimmer, Robertson, Shaw, Sumner, Tattersall, Tonkiss, Sir Ron Watson and Weavers.

 The amendment was lost by 35 votes to 23.

 Following further debate, a vote was taken on the original motion and on a show of hands, the Motion was carried by 35 votes to 23 and it was

RESOLVED:

That

 (1)            approval be given 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);

(2)            approval be given 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;

(3)            approval be given 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;

(4)            approval be given 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;

(5)            approval be given 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;

(6)            approval be given 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;

(7)            approval be given 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

(8)       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 (2) to (4) set out above be recorded, namely:

            Councillors Bradshaw, Brennan, Byrom, Carr, K. Cluskey, L. Cluskey, Cummins, M. Dowd, P. Dowd, Fairclough, Friel, Gustafson, Hardy, Kelly, Kerrigan, Maher, Mahon, McGinnity, Moncur, Tweed, Veidman and Webster.)