Agenda item

[That Council consider the motions received by Councillor Ian Brookfield and Councillor Adam Collinge]

1.    That the motion on UK Shared Prosperity Fund be agreed.

2.    That the substantive motion on Inspection of SEND Services be agreed

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Brookfield moved the following motion:

 

“That this Council notes that the government plans to replace European Union ‘structural funds’ with a new UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), due to launch in April 2022. Indeed, in their 2019 general election manifesto, the Conservatives promised that their ‘new’ UKSPF would “at a minimum” match the level of EU spending in each of the four nations of the UK.

 

Prior to the introduction of the UKSPF, the government’s UK Community Renewal Fund (CRF) aims to support communities to pilot programmes and new approaches.

 

However, the early indications are that areas in need are not receiving the allocation they need from the CRF or that they reflect previous allocations of EU funding. On the contrary, wealthier, non-priority areas are getting relatively more. For example, a Priority 2 area like Coventry received more than some Priority 1 areas like Birmingham and Dudley.

 

The fact that areas like Devon are receiving more CRF funding (£9.3million) than the West Midlands (£5.3 million), not reflecting current EU allocations in those areas, raises serious questions about the government’s attempts at levelling up and the methodology they are using to allocate funds.

 

This Council, therefore, is instructed to use all available avenues to lobby the government to ensure it is fair, consistent and equitable in its approach in distributing UKSPF monies, now and in the future to reflect EU allocations, ensuring the areas with the greatest needs receive their fair share.”

 

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Brookfield outlined the rationale for the motion. Councillor Stephen Simkins seconded the motion.

 

Councillor Ellis Turrell moved the following amended motion:

 

After paragraph one, delete paragraphs two to five and insert:

 

This Council welcomes that the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund will remove much of the inefficiency associated with the previous EU funds, which was described in Parliament by the cross-party Work and Pensions Select Committee as being “mired in inordinate bureaucracy”.

 

Prior to the introduction of the UKSPF, the government’s UK Community Renewal Fund (CRF) aims to support communities to pilot programmes and new approaches.

 

This Council notes that so far this calendar year the UK Government has provided the following funding to Wolverhampton worth a total of at least £346.3 million:

 

November:

·       UK Community Renewal Fund (Wolverhampton VCS Partnership): £719,703

·       Local Reform and Community Voices 2021 - 2022: £197,247

·       War Pensions Disregard Grant 2021 - 2022: £31,573

·       Workforce Recruitment and Retention Fund (Adult Social Care): £931,990

 

October:

·       Self-Employment Income Support Scheme: £2.7m

·       Levelling Up Fund (City Learning Quarter): £20 million

·       Homelessness Prevention Grant 2021 to 2022 Exceptional Winter Top-Up Allocations: £185,848

·       Additional House Benefit Administration Subsidy: £97,170

·       Pension Credit Uplift funding: £2,066

·       Discretionary Housing Payments: £1,353,558

·       Additional New Burdens (Welfare Reform Change) £129,395

·       Payments for the Verify Earnings and Pensions Service: £35,084

·       Housing Benefit Award Accuracy Initiative: £19,436.99

·       Mid-year Discretionary Housing Payments: £1,904,278

·       Housing Benefit Administration Subsidy (2021.22): £1,000,947

 

September

·       Household Support Fund: £2,631,877.25

 

August:

·       Traffic Signals Maintenance Grant Awards 2021/22: £500,000

 

July:

·       Ockenden Review of Maternity Services: £182,462

·       Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (Royal Wolverhampton) £4,887,705

·       Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (Royal Wolverhampton) £5m

·       LA Covid-19 Test and Trace Contains Outbreak Management Fund: £2,247,124

 

June:

·       COVID Local Support Grant (Extension): £999,457

·       Safer Streets Fund: £247,602

 

May:

·       Local Council Tax Support Schemes for 2021 - 22: £3,298,187

·       Wellbeing for Education Recovery: £32,149

·       COVID Local Support Grant: £249,864

·       Rough Sleeping Initiative £512,400

·       Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (4^th grant): £4.6m

 

April

·       Culture Recovery Fund:

o   Wolverhampton Grand Theatre: £568,357

o   The Asylum Art Gallery: £12,500

o   Newhampton Arts Centre: £32,871

o   Boundary Way Project: £13,600

·       Holiday Activities and Food Programme: £1,870,890

·       Workforce Capacity Fund for Adult Social Care: £688,239

·       Restart grant Allocations: £11,262,546

·       Adult Social Care infection and Rapid Control Testing Fund: £1,923,805

 

March:

·       Christmas Support Payment (wet-led pubs): £102,400

·       Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed): 964,614

·       Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open): £29,660,214

·       Additional Restrictions Support Grant: £7,606,554

·       Local Authority Public Health Grant: £21,159,004

·       Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme: £140,000

·       Staying Put Duty: £200,139

·       Adult Weight Management Services Grant: £239,290

·       Welcome Back Fund: £234,488 (plus additional support from the High Streets Taskforce)

·       National Leisure Recovery Fund £267,638

·       COVID Winter Support Scheme: £369,174

·       Towns Fund: £25 million

·       Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) Taskforce: £10 million.

·       UK Community Renewal Fund: £20,000.

·       Levelling Up Fund Capacity Allocation: £150,000

 

February:

·       Sales, Fees and Charges Compensation Scheme: £4.27 million

·       Domestic Abuse Victim Accommodation Support Fund: £650,902

·       Former Independent Living Fund Grant: £948,777

·       Settlement Funding Assessment: £102.3 million

·       Improved Better Care Fund: £14.3 million

·       New Homes Bonus: £1 million

·       Social Care Grant: £11.4 million

·       Lower Tier Services Grant: £500,000

 

January:

·       Business Loan Schemes: £76,601,025

·       E-Rostering (Pharmacy and AHP – Royal Wolverhampton): £491,000

·       Community Champions Scheme (Covid-19): £474,943

 

In light of the Government’s levelling up agenda, this Council is instructed to use all available avenues to lobby the Government to ensure it is fair, consistent and equitable in its approach in distributing UKSPF monies, ensuring the areas with the greatest needs continue to receive their fair share.

 

Councillor Ellis Turrell outlined the rationale for the amended motion. Councillor Simon Bennett seconded the motion.

 

The amended motion was debated by Council. The amended motion was lost.

 

That the motion on UK Shared Prosperity Fund be agreed.

 

Councillor Adam Collinge moved the following motion:

 

“This Council notes the findings of the inspection of SEND services within Wolverhampton. Council agrees to the formation of a Review Group, outside of the existing scrutiny process, to monitor progress of SEND services and provide regular, dedicated scrutiny and support to assist in both the embedding of the strengths that exist within the service and to improve where weaknesses have been identified. Council agrees that the Review Group will have an independent chair, be politically balanced and may invite representatives from partner agencies.

 

Council delegates responsibility to the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny Panel for the selection of both Review Group numbers and membership.”

 

Councillor Adam Collinge outlined the rationale for the motion. Councillor Stephanie Haynes seconded the motion.

 

Councillor Dr Mike Hardacre moved the following amended motion:

 

In paragraph 2 after the word “agrees to” insert the word “explore” and after the word process insert the following wording “in consultation with SEND Partnership Board and other partnership bodies and organisations”

In paragraph 3 after the word “agrees that” replace the wording in the rest of the sentence with “if the parties consulted agree that such an approach has merit, then proposals be brought forward to full Council for approval having consulted with the partners above”.

 

Councillor Dr Mike Hardacre outlined the rationale for the amended motion. Councillor Beverley Momenabadi seconded the motion.

 

The amended motion was debated by Council. The amended motion was carried.

 

Resolved: That the substantive motion on Inspection of SEND Services be agreed.