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Agenda item

Council Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector Strategy, and Community Fund Progress Report

Officer: Hazel Simmonds

Key decision: no

Minutes:

The Leader proposed and Cabinet agreed to take the Part A items in the meeting in the following order:

  1. Item 6 (0-25 Special Education Needs and Disabilities Strategy)
  2. Item 10 (Adoption of Supplementary Planning Document 2 – Suburban Design Guide)
  3. Item 5 (Council Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector Strategy, and Community Fund Progress Report)
  4. Item 7 (Post-16 Travel Assistance Policy Changes)
  5. Item 8 (Parking Policy 2019-2022)
  6. Item 9 (Equality Annual Report)
  7. Item 11 (Stage 1: Recommendations arising from Scrutiny)
  8. Item 12 (Investing our Borough)

 

The Cabinet Member for Safer Croydon & Communities introduced the report which was in two parts; the first part looked towards the introduction of a Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector Strategy, and the second half of the report reviewed the second year of the Community Fund.

 

The council had not previously had a Strategy on how it would work with the community sector and facilitate coordination within the sector. Consultation had taken place in relation to the Strategy with over 200 organisations taking part in online surveys and workshops. It was recognised that the Strategy was a high level paper which set out the policy framework in the context of the Corporate Plan and the findings of the Opportunity & Fairness Commission, and that a further report would be taken to Cabinet in May 2019 which would set out how the council would commission future work with the voluntary sector. The Cabinet Member stated the council would support the voluntary sector in preparation for the recommissioning of the sector later in the year.

 

The organisations which had taken part in the consultation, along with the officers and the Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources were thanked for their work in developing the Strategy.

 

Members were informed that the report outlined the outcomes of the Community Fund with accompanying case studies on the impact of the funding following year two of the Fund. The Cabinet Member thanked all the organisation for their work in delivering projects and outcomes through the Community Fund.

 

The Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources stated he was proud that the council had not reduced its commitment to the voluntary sector over the past five years despite reduced budgets, and had actually increased its commitment. It was noted that the council spent in excess of £15million annually on the voluntary sector and would seek to continue to support the sector.

 

Members noted that the Strategy would be important especially in light of increased locality working and requested a timescale on the implementation of the Strategy and new commissioning of the sector. In response the Cabinet Member for Safer Croydon & Communities stated that locality work would only be successful through stronger partnership working with the voluntary sector and that the Strategy would facilitate improved working. To assist the voluntary sector to prepare for the changes to the commissioning of their services the Cabinet Member requested that all councillors assist in alerting organisations of the changes.

 

The Leader of the Council delegated to the Cabinet the power to make the decisions below.

 

RESOLVED: To

 

1.    Approve the Council’s Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector Strategy, as attached at Appendix 2 of the report;

 

2.    Subject to compliance with consultation requirements in relation to stakeholders, delegate to the Executive Director (Gateway, Strategy & Engagement), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Safer Croydon & Communities, authority to amend the strategy as necessary and to ensure publication of any amendments. Any proposed amendments shall be reported back to Cabinet as soon as reasonably practicable; and

 

3.    Note the progress on the annual milestone outlined in the  annual impact report (at Appendix 1 of the report) due to be published in March 2019.

 

Supporting documents: