Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Paul Sweet.

There were no declarations of interest submitted.

[For approval]

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 27 March 2019 be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

[To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting]

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

Councillor Roger Lawrence informed the meeting that, as the embargo on announcements had now been lifted from the grants discussed in item 12 – Education Grants, the item would now be considered in the open part of the meeting and the exclusion of press and public would not be moved.

1. That the establishment of a Ward Fund of £10,000 for each of the 20 wards, totalling £200,000 be approved as a pilot for a period of one municipal year, running from May 2019 to May 2020.

2. That a contribution of £50,000 to be made to the Wolverhampton for Everyone Partnership be approved to accelerate their programme and agenda.

3. That start-up costs to manage and administer the ward funds process be approved at a cost of £25,000.

4. That it be approved that the total cost of £275,000 be funded from Public Health grant income.

5. That the proposed Governance structure for the ward funds, and that the Constitution be amended accordingly, be approved.

6. That authority be delegated to the Leader of the Council, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, to make any changes to the Ward Funds governance.

7. That authority be delegated to the Leader of the Council, in consultation with the Deputy Managing Director, to make any changes to the Ward Funds processes and procedures.

8. That it be noted that Wolverhampton for Everyone is an existing partnership between the City of Wolverhampton Council, Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council and other key partners.

9. That it be noted that the core values of Wolverhampton for Everyone have been included within the Council Plan 2019-2024 and the ward funds initiative will directly contribute towards the partnership by co-producing and co-designing local solutions to foster cultural change and future resilience within communities.

10. That it be noted that a full evaluation of the impact of the ward funds initiative will be undertaken in order to establish the outcomes delivered for the community, this will help to inform whether the ward funds will be available in future years, the outcome of this evaluation will be reported to Cabinet.

Councillor Roger Lawrence presented the Wolverhampton for Everyone Partnership and Ward Funds for approval and referred to the amended version of the map provided in the supplement pack.

The Wolverhampton for Everyone Partnership would support local people to unlock potential within their communities and create positive change within the City. The Ward Funds would allocate £10,000 for each Ward in the City, for Councillors to use to prioritise and target local issues, enabling the development of long-term resilience and capacity in communities. The Ward Funds programme would be subject to a 12-month pilot period and would be evaluated to determine whether it would continue after the pilot year.

Resolved:

1. That the establishment of a Ward Fund of £10,000 for each of the 20 wards, totalling £200,000 be approved as a pilot for a period of one municipal year, running from May 2019 to May 2020.

2. That a contribution of £50,000 to be made to the Wolverhampton for Everyone Partnership be approved to accelerate their programme and agenda.

3. That start-up costs to manage and administer the ward funds process be approved at a cost of £25,000.

4. That it be approved that the total cost of £275,000 be funded from Public Health grant income.

5. That the proposed Governance structure for the ward funds, and that the Constitution be amended accordingly, be approved.

6. That authority be delegated to the Leader of the Council, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, to make any changes to the Ward Funds governance.

7. That authority be delegated to the Leader of the Council, in consultation with the Deputy Managing Director, to make any changes to the Ward Funds processes and procedures.

8. That it be noted that Wolverhampton for Everyone is an existing partnership between the City of Wolverhampton Council, Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council and other key partners.

9. That it be noted that the core values of Wolverhampton for Everyone have been included within the Council Plan 2019-2024 and the ward funds initiative will directly contribute towards the partnership by co-producing and co-designing local solutions to foster cultural change and future resilience within communities.

10. That it be noted that a full evaluation of the impact of the ward funds initiative will be undertaken in order to establish the outcomes delivered for the community, this will help to inform whether the ward funds will be available in future years, the outcome of this evaluation will be reported to Cabinet.

1. That the development phase funding as outlined in section 6 of the report be approved for all phases of the Westside Link Project, to construction design stage and Early Contractor Involvement.

2. That the submission of a Full Business Case for Phase 1 to the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, West Midlands Combined Authority and/or Central Government for potential funding opportunities be approved.

3. That the outcome of the public and stakeholder consultation and responses provided to address the issues raised be noted.

Councillor John Reynolds presented the Westside Link Public Realm Proposals - Outcome of Consultation for Phases 1 and 2 and Potential Delivery Programme for Phase 1 for approval. The report outlined the outcome of the public and stakeholder consultation process carried out on phases 1 and 2 of the Westside Link proposal, which took place in

November and December 2018. It also set out the recommended delivery phasing of the Programme going forward. It was noted that the Programme would need to be renamed as it would revitalise the City Centre, encompassing much more than just the Westside Link phase.

Councillor Steve Evans stated that the Programme would create a high-quality pedestrian environment in the City Centre. This would include improved pedestrian and cycling connectivity and the creation of new public spaces capable of hosting large scale events and activities in support of the Council’s ‘Events City’ concept.

Resolved:

1. That the development phase funding as outlined in section 6 of the report be approved for all phases of the Westside Link Project, to construction design stage and Early Contractor Involvement.

2. That the submission of a Full Business Case for Phase 1 to the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, West Midlands Combined Authority and/or Central Government for potential funding opportunities be approved.

3. That the outcome of the public and stakeholder consultation and responses provided to address the issues raised be noted.

That the Tackling Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Including Violence against Women and Girls Strategy 2019-2022 be endorsed.

Councillor Hazel Malcolm presented the Tackling Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Including Violence against Women and Girls Strategy 2019-2022 for endorsement. The existing Strategy had been refreshed and updated to encompass domestic violence, honour-based violence, forced marriage,

female genital mutilation, sexual violence and the recently added issue of stalking and harassment. The Strategy would build on partnership working, focussing on three strands of delivery: prevention, provision, protection and justice and performance. 

Resolved:

That the Tackling Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Including Violence against Women and Girls Strategy 2019-2022 be endorsed.

That the Safeguarding Statement for the City of Wolverhampton Council be approved.

Councillor Sandra Samuels OBE presented the City of Wolverhampton Safeguarding Statement for approval. The Safeguarding Statement set out the Council’s commitment and ownership of safeguarding and how it was demonstrated across the organisation as a whole. The Statement would promote the welfare of the children, young people and adults using or receiving services provided or commissioned by the Council, and support the organisation to fulfil its statutory responsibilities. The Statement would also provide a consistent understanding of the standards that the Council would continue to demonstrate.

Resolved:

That the Safeguarding Statement for the City of Wolverhampton Council be approved.

1. That the Children and Young People’s Participation and Co-Production Strategy 2019- 2021 be approved.

2. That the Council’s commitment to ensuring that children and young people have influence over decisions and actions on services that affect them be endorsed.

In Councillor Paul Sweet’s absence, Councillor Peter Bilson presented the

Children and Young People's Participation and Co-Production Strategy 2019-2021 for approval. The Strategy set out the Council’s commitment to the importance of effective participation of children and young people and co-production of the services that affect them. The Participation Strategy had been developed in partnership with members of the Children in Care Council and the Youth Council during 2018-2019. The young people consulted had shared that they wanted to be engaged in service development and decision making. Thanks were extended to the Council’s Participation Officers for their work on the Strategy and throughout the year.

Resolved:

1. That the Children and Young People’s Participation and Co-Production Strategy 2019- 2021 be approved.

2. That the Council’s commitment to ensuring that children and young people have influence over decisions and actions on services that affect them be endorsed.

1. That the Youth Council’s future aims for 2019 be endorsed.

2. That the work of the City’s Youth Council throughout 2018 be acknowledged as outlined in their annual report, attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

In Councillor Paul Sweet’s absence, Councillor Val Gibson presented the City of Wolverhampton Youth Council Annual Report 2018 for endorsement. It was noted that the Youth Council had gone from strength to strength, thanks to the work of the Council’s Participation Officers and the children and young people involved. 

Representatives from the Youth Council attended the meeting to present their Annual Report, which detailed the activities of the City’s Youth Council throughout 2018 and their key aims for 2019. Key events to note illustrated greater involvement of the Youth Council in City of Wolverhampton Council’s processes. This included involvement of the Youth Council in the formation of the new Council Plan, strengthened links with the scrutiny process and opportunities to be involved in the budget consultation.

An updated version of the City of Wolverhampton Youth Council Annual Report 2018 would be published following the meeting.

Resolved:

1. That the Youth Council’s future aims for 2019 be endorsed.

2. That the work of the City’s Youth Council throughout 2018 be acknowledged as outlined in their annual report, attached as Appendix 1 to the report.

[To pass the following resolution:

That in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business as they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information on the grounds shown below.]

1. That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Education, in consultation with the Director of Education and the Director of Finance, to accept the grant of £516,000 as outlined in the report and to spend against the grant monies received

2. That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Education, in consultation with the Director of Education and the Director of Finance, to accept the grant of £272,000 as outlined in the report, awarded from the Early Years Professional Development Fund, and to spend against the grant monies received.

3. That the establishment of budgets to allow expenditure, as set out in the report, and the grants to be spent be approved.

Councillor Lynne Moran presented the Education Grants report for approval. As the embargo on announcements relating to the funds had been lifted, it was agreed that the noting recommendation should be removed from the report, as it was no longer relevant.

City of Wolverhampton Council had been successful in a bid for the Early Outcomes Fund, on behalf of the four Black Country local authorities and in partnership with local health professionals. The Fund would assist the organisations to start a transformational journey to improve the collective operation of local services in securing good early language outcomes for children. The Council had also been successful in a bid to the Early Years Professional Development Fund, which had been designed to improve children’s early language, literacy and numeracy through high quality, evidence-based professional training for the pre-reception early years workforce, raise quality in settings, and would be targeted to benefit disadvantaged children. The combination of the funding from both successful bids would contribute positively to improved early learning outcomes for children in the City.

Resolved:

1. That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Education, in consultation with the Director of Education and the Director of Finance, to accept the grant of £516,000 as outlined in the report and to spend against the grant monies received

2. That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Education, in consultation with the Director of Education and the Director of Finance, to accept the grant of £272,000 as outlined in the report, awarded from the Early Years Professional Development Fund, and to spend against the grant monies received.

3. That the establishment of budgets to allow expenditure, as set out in the report, and the grants to be spent be approved.