The Interim Director of Children’s Services reported upon the impact on the Children and Young People’s budget in 2011/2012 arising from a reduction in grant funding through the Early Intervention Grant (EIG) of £4,874,000. The purpose of the grant was to help improve outcomes for children, young people and families by early intervention. It was un-ringfenced, consisted of a number of different areas and from 2011/2012, would be paid in a single sum with authorities free to allocate funds to their priority needs.

He reported that budgets had been reduced following Area Based Grant cuts of £2.6m announced last summer and of those reductions, £836,000 were in EIG areas. The remaining savings were £719,000, found in other education budgets, and £1,088,000 from reductions outside the department. In 2011/2012 EIG had reduced by a further £2,231,000 and £383,000 had been achieved through the Council’s EVR/Severance Scheme. He commented that this included the closure of the Early Years Mobile Crèche; reduction in administrative and financial support for Surestart; and alternative delivery of the Family Information Service. Other decisions had been taken, including a renegotiated Connexions contract, all of which totalled £2,231,000 of the £2,231,000 required; and the Interim Director indicated that the shortfall had been included as growth within the Council’s budget. Having regard to the adjustments, the Director indicated that the budgeted spend on EIG areas in 2011/2012 would be £17,873,000.

In response to comments from Members, the Interim Director reported upon the numbers of posts that had been deleted in Children’s Centres. He agreed to provide detailed information in relation to those posts to Members direct, together with comparison figures for expenditure in 2010/2011.

It was moved by Councillor P Gilchrist and seconded by Councillor A Brighouse –

“That the report and the careful management of the reduction in grant funding be noted”.

It was moved as an amendment by Councillor P Davies and seconded by Councillor A Jones –

“That the Committee is not convinced that the scale of reductions in grant can be made without impacting adversely on frontline services”.

The amendment was put and lost (4:6)

The motion was put and carried (6:4)

Resolved (6:4) (Councillors P Davies, D Dodd, A Jones and J Stapleton voting against) – That the report and the careful management of the reduction in grant funding be noted.