Recommendations as to the proposed process for allocating the Committee’s Neighbourhood Working Budget and Road Safety Budget for 2014/2015

The Constituency Manager (Wirral West) reported upon the Constituency Committee Budget 2014/2015 and sought the views of the Committee as to the process for taking forward expenditure in relation to the Constituency Committee’s budget allocation for 2014/2015, i.e. –

A  2013/2014 Budget Underspend

The Committee’s total budget allocation for 2013/2014 amounted to £100,000, which was made up of –

·  £50,000 core Council budget to ‘kickstart’ neighbourhood working, which was allocated on the basis of £10,000 per ward (minute 23 (6 March 2014) refers). The Constituency Manager highlighted the underspend for each ward, which, as agreed by the Committee, had been held in reserve, to be carried over into 2014/2015, for ward improvements and/or to extend a further opportunity for local projects to access grant funding and add value to existing community activities.

·  £50,000 Public Health Outcomes Fund budget to improve health and well-being, with a focus on supporting voluntary, community and faith sector organisations. Following the grant allocation, there was a net underspend of £5,633.57 and the Constituency Manager reported upon work with partners to develop a project proposal in response to a Cabinet Office funding opportunity aimed at supporting older people and reducing hospital admissions during the winter months. Should the bid be successful, the project would fund a voluntary or community sector organisation in each of the four constituencies to act as a ‘winter champion’ by increasing social action and improving the support networks available for older people where they lived.  The Constituency Manager sought delegated authority to use the Public Health underspend of £5,633.57 to further develop the partnership working with the voluntary, community and faith sector in respect of support for older people in Wirral West.

B  2014/2015 Neighbourhood Working Allocation

The Council’s budget allocation for 2014/2015 included a further allocation of £200,000 to be devolved to the Constituency Committees to enable neighbourhood working to be further developed (£50,000 per Constituency area). The Committee was requested to consider whether the broad approach of an equitable split between five wards, with projects voted upon by the community, should continue in 2014/2015, subject to development and improvement of the approach based upon feedback received by way of a survey from the local community. The Constituency Manager provided an outline of the survey results and set out the priority areas that had been identified.

With regard to the Council allocation for 2014/2015, a Member expressed a view that levels of deprivation and population across the Constituency should calculated and that funding should be allocated to wards on that basis. An alternative view was also expressed that, in view of the levels of funding available to be allocated, the grant should be distributed to wards on the same basis as in 2013/2014.

C  2014/2015 Integrated Transport Block (Road Safety) Allocation

This provided an allocation of £77,750 for each Constituency Committee, which was required to be distributed in relation to the following objectives –

·  Improving Road Safety (£38, 875)

·  Promoting Active Travel and Health (£38,875)

The Constituency Manager outlined the rationale for each of the objectives and indicated that the funding was to be used for capital expenditure schemes as opposed to revenue expenditure (i.e. the funding may be spent on the creation of a fixed asset rather than on operating costs or the provision of a day to day service.). She proposed that recommendations for the allocation of the road safety budget across the five wards would be by way of consultation with Members of the Committee and that a lead Member would be nominated from each ward to work with the Constituency Manager and the Road Safety Team to identify road safety schemes.

With regard to the 2014/2015 Council allocation, it was moved by Councillor Green and seconded by Councillor Hale –

“That the budget of £50,000 be allocated on the basis of £10,000 per ward, with project applications being voted upon by the community, and that the recommendation at paragraph 14.3 of the report now submitted, be agreed.”

It was moved as an amendment by Councillor Patrick and seconded by Councillor Sullivan –

“That levels of deprivation and population across the Constituency be calculated and that the 2014/2015 Council allocation be allocated to wards on that basis.”

The amendment was put and lost (5:7)

The Motion was put and carried (7:3)

Resolved –

(1)  That in relation to the 2013/2014 Community Fund underspend, carried over for each ward, the Committee agrees that this should continue to be allocated by the Constituency Manager through ongoing consultation with the relevant ward councillors in line with minute 23 (6 March 2014).

(2)  That, in relation to the 2013/2014 Public Health Outcomes Fund underspend of £5,633.77, the Committee agrees that the Constituency Manager be given delegated authority to utilise this funding to support partnership working with the voluntary, community and faith sector to support older people.

(3)  That, in relation to the 2014/2015 Council allocation, the Committee delegates authority to the Constituency Manager to develop the Community Fund programme taking into account the feedback from local people as to their priorities for expenditure and the feedback from groups for improving the community voting process. (7:3)

(4)  That, in noting the priorities identified by local people, the Committee requests that these should be taken into account in respect of the work being undertaken by the Council and Executive to develop proposals for the further devolution of budgets, functions and responsibilities to the Constituency Committees. The Committee further requests that the Constituency Manager prepare a report for the next meeting of the Committee on how these proposals are progressing with a view to producing a business case thereafter.

(5)  That, in relation to the 2014/2015 Road Safety Allocation, the Committee agrees that a Lead Member for each ward should be nominated to work with the Constituency Manager to identify possible schemes for funding.