Julie Webster, Director of Public Health introduced the report which provided an update on funding received from national government by Wirral Council for Drug Treatment and Recovery services. Members were reminded that in January 2021 the Government announced an additional £148m funding package to reduce drug-related crime and health harms. Wirral were 1 of 3 authorities in the Liverpool City Region to receive funding, which was outlined in a report that came to Committee in June 2021. The Committee was advised that since that report, further funding allocations had been received to achieve reductions in drug related deaths, offending and illicit drug use, which the report before members detailed.

The Chair advised the Committee that Appendix 1 was confidential by virtue of instruction from Government that the information contained within it cannot be publicly released, and Appendix 2 was exempt by virtue of paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. Therefore, should members wish to discuss the appendices as part of the deliberation of the item, the Committee would need to move to exclude the press and public from the meeting.

On a motion by the Chair, seconded by Councillor Kate Cannon, it was –

Resolved – That

1)  under section 100 (A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined by paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A (as amended) to that Act. The public Interest test has been applied and favours exclusion.

2)  The planned proposals for spending the £2.8million ADDER/Accelerator Programme grant funding as set out within the report and in more detail in Appendix 2 be agreed.

3)  the £651,991 in-patient drug detox grant funding allocated on behalf of the 9 Cheshire and Merseyside councils and the £111,364 share for Wirral Council be accepted.

4)  the funding of £140,000 per annum for two years granted to Wirral Council to deliver the national Individual Placement Support (IPS) into employment scheme be accepted.