David Whewell and Kevin Sweeney will give a presentation regarding the new formula for calculating the allocation of youth service staffing around Wiltshire, with specific reference to how this will affect the Pewsey Community Area, followed by an opportunity for questions.
Minutes:
While introducing the next item, the Chairman welcomed the large number of young people who were in attendance at the meeting, and Carol Grant, Headteacher of Pewsey Vale School.
Kevin Sweeney, Operations Manager for Youth Development Services, Wiltshire Council, gave a presentation on the new formula for allocating Youth Worker Staffing resources across Wiltshire.
Historically, the provision of funding for youth services across Wiltshire had been relatively inconsistent, with some areas having secured extra funding and others having little in comparison. To address this, officers had developed a formula for allocating staff resources between Wiltshire’s 20 Community Areas, as follows:
As there was no overall change to the level of resources available, some areas would see their share drop and others would receive greater levels of resources. Under the new formula, it had been calculated that staffing provision for the Pewsey Community Area would drop by around 30 hours per week. However, it had also been identified that the formula had been applied to the population statistics under the former community area boundaries, with the Pewsey Community Area having since had a net increase in population as a result of the boundary changes. As such, officers had agreed with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services that no change would be made to the current funding/staffing levels for the Pewsey and Marlborough community areas, until the formula had been applied to the correct, up-to-date figures. This proposal was supported by the members of the Area Board.
It was also noted, that even under the current population figures, Pewsey’s share of the funding may still drop, and that this may result in some of the current services being discontinued and/or reduced.
Kevin emphasised that the proposals were based on fairness in terms of allocating central resources, and that the new formula had been developed by choice. Any additional resources from Town/Parish Councils, Area Boards, or partner organisations would not be affected by the formula.
The Chairman invited questions and comments as follows:
· Concern was raised regarding a perceived lack of consultation with Pewsey Vale School, and with Extended Services. Kevin commented that he understood that there had been consultation with the school and with Extended Services, and undertook to look into this issue.
· The view was expressed that rural areas, such as the Pewsey Community Area, required greater levels of funding, as there were significantly fewer facilities for young people in comparison to urban areas. Kevin responded that the formula reflected this, with a proportion of the funding being allocated based on rurality/sparsity. It was also noted that the new funding arrangements would see a general movement of resources from urban to rural areas.
· A significant level of support was expressed for the breakfast and lunch clubs at the Shak, which were considered to be of great value to young people from rural areas coming into Pewsey for school. Kevin commented that, once the final level of resources was known, a wide consultation would be carried out to identify which, if any, services could be reduced.
· It was also suggested that discontinuing the breakfast and lunch clubs could result in young people going off the school site during these times, which may have implications in terms of health and safety.
· Councillor Brady added that the Cabinet was aware of the difficulties of providing youth services in rural areas, that that £100K had been allocated towards transport for young people in accessing these services. This funding would be made available through the Area Boards, to ensure local input into its use, and further details would be made available shortly.
In summarising, the Chairman commented that, once the accurate figures were known, a wider consultation needed to be undertaken with the school, Extended Services, and the young people who use the Shak.
Decision
The Pewsey Area Board proposes that there be no change in the youth funding allocation for the Pewsey and Marlborough Community areas, until the formula has been applied to the current population figures.