Agenda item

To consider a report by the Commissioning and Tendering Officer (copy attached) which details the Local Commissioning Plan 2017-18 for the Supporting People Programme in Denbighshire.

11.15 a.m. – 11.45 a.m.

The Lead Member for Social Care (Adults and Children’s Services), Councillor Bobby Feeley, introduced the report and the draft Local Commissioning Plan 2017-18 together with the associated WIA (previously circulated). 

The Lead Member advised that the Supporting People (SP) Grant, which was ring-fenced by WG for the delivery of SP services, had been subject to cuts in recent years.  The SP grant money delivered a number of the requirements of the Housing Act (Wales) 2014, the Social Services and Well-being Act (Wales) 2014 and the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.  She advised that latest indications from WG were that the SP Grant for 2017-18 had been protected from a further cut.  However, when the draft Plan had been drawn up a cut of at least 5% had been anticipated for the forthcoming year, therefore pages 19 to 31 of the draft Plan outlined proposed service development, decommissioning and remodelling proposals based on the anticipated cuts.  If the grant was maintained at its current level these decommissioning/remodelling proposals would not need to be implemented unless they would be in the interests of the service-users.

Responding to members’ questions the Lead Member, Head of Service and Supporting People Team Manager advised that:

·       the term ‘wet provision’ related to a safe environment for individuals suffering from severe drug or alcohol addiction to ‘take’ their addictive substance up to a managed tolerance level.  At present the local authority’s services were not geared to deal with individuals suffering from severe addiction;

·       the SP Grant was a separate ‘standalone’ grant, ring-fenced for SP services, it was not part of the Council’s Revenue Support Grant (RSG) and consequently the Council did not have any control over cuts to the grant from central government.  All the Council could do was to manage the impact of those cuts on SP services;

·       the proposed service development, decommissioning and remodelling proposals outlined in the SP Local Commissioning Plan were there as a contingency in anticipation of an approximate 5% cut to the grant for 2017-18.  If the grant allocation was unchanged cuts would not have to be implemented, nevertheless cost negative service improvements would as a matter of course be considered;

·       the process for providing and auditing grants to voluntary sector (third sector) providers was extremely thorough and robust; and

·       there was no evidence that Denbighshire suffered adversely from a greater number of individuals that presented themselves in need of SP help who were deemed to be ‘…with no local connection…” than other areas.  It was just that the authority now had a better audit process and the question on local connection was now being asked to all individuals who contacted the Council for help.

Committee members requested that:

·       they be provided with a list of third sector providers who delivered SP services in Denbighshire; and

·       the graphic illustration relating to the ‘Hidden problem of Homelessness’ on pages 8 and 9 of the draft commissioning plan (pages 104 & 105 of the agenda pack) be accompanied by a graph and the relevant numbers in each category;

At the conclusion of an in-depth discussion the Committee:

RESOLVED that

(i)  Cabinet be advised of Scrutiny’s views that, having reviewed the Supporting People Local Commissioning Plan for 2017-18, it wished to register its concerns that the Supporting People grant had been subject to year on year cuts from Welsh Government for a number of years; and

(ii)   whilst acknowledging that contingency plans had been made within the Supporting People Local Commissioning Plan for 2017-18 to accommodate further cuts, if the Supporting People Grant monies was maintained at its current level that the funding remain within the Supporting People services to maintain the services provided.