Discussion led by the Chairman to consider future work programme items and areas of work.
Minutes:
16.1 The Chairman led a discussion to explore with the Committee Members and Officers areas of work to which the Committee could contribute and add value. There were two topics that had been identified through his discussions with Members: the Older People’s Day Centres, and services for young people.
16.2 With regard to the Older People’s Day Centres, and following on from the discussion on the previous agenda item, the Chairman emphasised the importance of Member involvement in the health check process: notwithstanding the sensitivities of the relationships between the council and each voluntary organisation, Members had to be satisfied that the council was getting good value for its funding contribution, and users of the Day Centres were getting a good service that was in line with best practice for the sector.
16.3 Katie Webb agreed that the funding of the Day Centres had always been a sensitive issue, and the health check aimed to provide objectivity to the organisational assessment that would enable comparisons between organisations. Officers had just completed the annual monitoring exercise and it was possible to do some crude value for money assessments to compare services provided within Waverley, and also with similar services operated by councils across Surrey.
16.4 The Committee noted that Haslewey, in Haslemere, was thriving as a busy community centre for all ages: it provided the Community Meals Service in the area and also a day time café service, and offered a wide range of activities and exercise classes. This was a model that officers would like to see Rowleys and the Gostrey Centre move towards. The Farncombe day centre was a very traditional centre, but was meeting local demand and operating at close to capacity.
16.5 The Committee agreed that Cllr Jenny Else and Cllr Steve Cosser would work with Officers on the Day Centre health check project, to add weight and Member support to the process and outcomes. It was noted that the timing of this review would inform decisions to be taken in 2020/21, as part of the considerations around renewal of the Service Level Agreements.
16.6 With regard to youth provision, Cllr Kika Mirylees and Cllr George Wilson wanted to understand better what services were provided, and by which agencies, and what could be done to expand services. Cllr Wilson reported that Godalming Town Council was doing some work on youth provision in relation to the problem of anti-social behaviour, with the aim of trying to divert the attention of some of the ‘hangers on’ away from the influence of the ring-leaders.
16.7 Katie Webb explained that Waverley’s contribution to the provision of services for young people in Waverley was through the lens of addressing youth anti-social behaviour. The Safer Waverley Partnership had responsibility for action in relation to Child Sexual Exploitation and Serious Organised Crime, and had seen an increase in incidents of youth anti-social behaviour since Surrey Youth Services had been cut back. The Safer Waverley Partnership annual report was due to be scrutinised at the Committee’s November meeting, and Katie suggested that this would be an opportunity to report to the Committee on the work of the Joint Action Group, which would help the Committee consider what approach they might take to looking at provision of youth services.
16.8 Cllr Robini raised concerns about the A Place to Be Youth Club in Haslemere. The Club had a long history but its future was in doubt due to the rent of premises at the Wey Centre increasing since the establishment of the Haslemere Youth Hub. Kelvin Mills agreed to report back to Cllr Robini with more details on this matter.
16.9 The Committee thanked Officers for their comments, and agreed that Yasmine Makin and Katie Webb would follow up with Cllrs Else and Cosser to scope the work on the day centre health checks; and further consideration would be given to the topic of youth provision following scrutiny of the Safer Waverley Partnership Annual Report in November.