Manchester City Council Report for Information. Report to: Communities Scrutiny Committee - 27 January 2016

Transcription

1 Manchester City Council Report for Information Report to: Communities Scrutiny Committee - 27 January 2016 Subject: Report of: Budgets and Business Plans Deputy Chief Executive (People) and Deputy Chief Executive (Growth and Neighbourhoods) Summary The purpose of this report is to provide the Communities Scrutiny Committee with those aspects of the Council s budget and business proposals that relate to the Committee s remit. Recommendations The Committee is invited to consider those aspects of the Council s Budget and Business plans relating to the Committee s remit. Members comments will be included in the report to Finance Scrutiny Committee when it considers the proposed budget on 15 February Contact Officers: Name: Geoff Little Position: Deputy Chief Executive (People) Telephone: g.little@manchester.gov.uk Name: Sara Todd Position: Deputy Chief Executive (Growth and Neighbourhoods) Telephone: s.todd@manchester.gov.uk Name: Fiona Worrall Position: Director of Neighbourhoods Tel: f.worrall@manchester.gov.uk Background documents (available for public inspection): The following documents disclose important facts on which the report is based and have been relied upon in preparing the report. Copies of the background documents are available up to 4 years after the date of the meeting. If you would like a copy please contact one of the officers above. Item 5 Page 1

2 Corporate Core Directorate Budget and Business Planning 2016/17: Finance Scrutiny Committee, 28 January 2016: Finance Scrutiny - 25 February 2016 Children and Families Budget and Business Planning 2016/17: Young People and Children Scrutiny Committee 26 January 2016, Health Scrutiny Committee 28 January 2016 Growth and Neighbourhoods Budget and Business Plan 2016/17: Young People and Children Scrutiny Committee - 26 January 2016, Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee 26 January 2016, Economy Scrutiny Committee 27 January 2016 Item 5 Page 2

3 1. Introduction 1.1 Budget and business planning is a key part of the Council s performance management framework. Its purpose is to align service priorities and resources with the aims and objectives of the Council and the City as a whole. Through the budget and business planning process, all directorates demonstrate and evidence their contribution to the delivery of the organisation s objectives. 1.2 Three draft plans have been produced for 2016/17, covering the Corporate Core, Growth and Neighbourhoods, and Children and Families Directorates which are currently being reviewed through the Council s scrutiny process. 1.3 This report sets out the detail of those directorate budget and business planning proposals which fall into the remit of the Community Scrutiny Committee, specifically any proposals in relation to matters concerning citizenship and inclusion, including Community Cohesion Respect Agenda Equality and Inclusion Older People Information and Advice Services Youth Offending/Disorder Domestic Violence/Abuse Crime and Policing 1.4 As requested by Members, particular information has been presented around any proposals in relation to: Equalities funding The Neighbourhood Investment Fund Advice, Information and Guidance Domestic Abuse 1.5 A specific report elsewhere on today s agenda sets out details of how equality has been considered as part of this year s budget and business planning process and details any equality implications of the directorates proposals. 2.0 Budget Proposals 2.1 Voluntary Sector: Children & Families Directorate The Manchester Strategy particularly values the role of the voluntary sector, recognising that the ideas, knowledge and flexible approach to problem solving in this sector is hugely important in shaping the city and supporting communities. In particular the strategy recognises and values the deep connection many voluntary organisations have with the people who use their services and the communities within which they operate. Local people and users of services are often managing, working for, or volunteering with the organisations. In turn this means that these organisations can often connect Item 5 Page 3

4 with people in more profound and effective ways. The sector has played a critical role in building community capacity, managing assets and delivering services The role of the voluntary and community sector is central to the strength based approach. The Council wants to support the sector to have maximum impact and reach. It is intended to work with the sector to develop proposals before 2017/18 to pool different grant pots and relevant commissioning budgets to enable a new approach to supporting the development of community assets. The new approach to funding would be aligned with the integration of services at neighbourhood level and, in particular, the integration of health and social care and the further development of early help hubs into wider Public Service Hubs. This would be underpinned by support to an infrastructure body charged with growing and supporting community assets Working with the voluntary and community sector can be hampered by bureaucratic processes. For example, transferring premises to community use or seconding staff into or from the voluntary and community sector can sometimes take so long that the moment is lost. The Council will therefore undertake a review with the sector to identify those internal Council processes which most often get in the way. The Council will then review and streamline those business processes that have been prioritised. The timescales and priorities for this work will be agreed with Executive Members. Voluntary sector staff are now part of the teams developing the detail of integrated health and social care and early help In the past year the Council have done much to start to change our relationship with the voluntary sector. The Council have run coproduction/co-design processes around equalities funding and proposals to change how carers organisations are supported. The Council have worked successfully with a group of voluntary sector Chief Executives to improve the involvement of the sector in some of the major change processes In considering budget proposals the directorate has been mindful of the impact of previous rounds of budget savings on the voluntary sector. Minimum wage rises and pension changes are also increasing the pressure on voluntary sector budgets. The proposals in this paper will have a minimal (though not nil) impact on the sector In the main the Council will be extending existing grant arrangements until the end of March 2017 although this will be conditional on the agreement of refreshed outcomes which align to the Council's strategic priorities. This will include the current arrangement with the VCS infrastructure organisation. It is also proposed that there will be a simplified monitoring process so organisations receiving funding from more than one source within the Council will submit a single rather than multiple returns. 2.2 Review of Community Association Grants and Neighbourhood Investment Funds: Growth & Neighbourhoods Directorate Item 5 Page 4

5 2.2.1 There are no savings anticipated against these areas. However, there is a direct link to work outlined above to bring separate Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) funds across the Council together into one single pot. Two sources of VCS related funding sit within Growth and Neighbourhoods - Community Association Grants (which are due to be re-commissioned in April 2016) and the Neighbourhood Investment Fund (formerly known as CASH). Changes to the administration of these grants and how this funding links to strategic priorities are to be considered as part of the work alongside the VCS review. 2.3 Domestic Abuse: Children & Families Directorate The Children s and Families Directorate 2015/16 budget agreed 7.924m of additional funding, comprising a 3.5m cash limit allocation to adult social care to address the priorities identified in the improvement programme and to prepare services for integration. This investment went into a package also comprising funding to implement the Care Act ( 4.424m) which includes grant ( 1.973m), additional cash limit ( 1.000m) and a mandatory funding allocation within the BCF ( 1.451m) Detailed work in the improvement programme has included consideration of the investment priorities as a whole package against the total funding available A significant proportion of the funding has been deployed in 2015/16 and includes some one-off commitments. Looking ahead to 2016/17, a 0.651m reduction in cash limit support for Care Act implementation has been included reflecting the delay in phase 2 of the reforms. The investment can be categorised into six spending blocks one of which is Reform of Homelessness and Domestic Violence services In 2016/17 the proposals is to invest 936,000 to support this block, with 300,000 specifically focused on domestic violence and alcohol reduction services. This investment is specifically linked to the Delivering Differently programme on Domestic Violence. This is a crosscutting theme and is linked to the Community Safety Partnership, the reform of Early Help Hubs and well as the development of evidence based interventions and specific pathways. 2.4 Advice, Information and Guidance: Children & Families The Council s contract for advice, information and guidance was previously agreed as part of the 2015/16 budget for a two year period and is now entering into its second year. Following consultation, the current providers have agreed in principle that they can deliver a workable service which includes both targeted and universal provision and achieve 165k saving in 2015/16 rising to 375k in 2016/17 as agreed through last year s budget setting process. 2.5 Community Safety (Mediation): Growth & Neighbourhoods Item 5 Page 5

6 2.5.1 Proposals in this areas offer potential savings of 50k from the implementation of a new commissioned delivery model for the service. 2.6 The areas outlined above set out those budget proposals for 2016/17 which fall within the remit of the Community Scrutiny Committee. 3.0 Next Steps 3.1 The above information includes details of those areas within Directorates 2016/17 budget proposals of relevance to the remit of the Communities Scrutiny Committee. Members are invited to consider and comment on these proposals. 3.2 Following the consideration of the Directorate budget and business proposals in January, Members comments will be included in the report to Finance Scrutiny Committee when it considers the proposed budget on 15 February 2016 prior to its submission to Executive on 17 February. Item 5 Page 6