Agenda item

Update on planned activity for the Transformation Challenge Award Project

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Warriner)

 

Report of Chief Officer (Health & Housing)

Minutes:

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Warriner)

 

Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer (Health & Housing) to update Cabinet members on the project activity for the Transformation Challenge Award (TCA) and seek endorsement for the revised project activity as agreed by the Partnership (i.e. Lancaster City Council and Lancashire County Council).

 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

 

 

Option 1:Continue with originally agreed budget

Option 2:Introduce new project activity and revised budget

Advantages

Broad remit for project work streams

Broad approval for agreed project activity from Health and Wellbeing Partnership

 

Coherent list of projects that complement and support each other

 

Project addresses issues that are most relevant to community

 

Ensures greater participation from Partners

 

Greater emphasis on empowering community

 

Greater emphasis on innovative approaches to transforming the way services are delivered

 

Greater sustainability

 

Outcomes are consistent with original bid

 

Disadvantages

Considerable amount of time has passed since project activity was agreed with a large amount of staff turn-over meaning interpretation of aims of project activity and associated delivery of outputs made more difficult

 

Extra budget required for targeted enforcement approach following decision not to pursue licensing

 

Some proposed activity would duplicate work undertaken by other Partners in district

Reliance on creation of posts, rather than utilising existing expertise within community

 

Greater number of projects to coordinate and evaluate

Risks

As a large amount of time has passed since the project started, there will have to be some re-appraisal of the original project workstreams, which would likely lead to re-interpretation of their aims with any unspent grant returned to the MHCLG (formerly DCLG) if can’t be agreed / delivered.

 

Greater number of projects, requiring more participation and coordination

Potential to duplicate activity if projects are implemented in isolation.  Potential for grant clawback by the MHCLG (formerly DCLG), reduced by achieving same outputs as original bid, albeit through slightly revised delivery mechanism.

 

The officer preferred option was option 2. Considerable effort has gone into building a consensus with partners. There is broad agreement on the main priorities for improving health and wellbeing in the district and the best approach for this. The agreed project activity addresses a number of the underlying problems with innovative, sustainable approaches that are asset based and designed to build resilience in the community.  The outcomes will be the same as the original bid - reduction in repeat demand for services, smarter ways of working with focussed populations, improving community safety and wellbeing and empowering the community to build on its own strengths.

 

  Councillor Warriner proposed, seconded by Councillor Hanson:-

 

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved and that updates on the Transformation Challenge Award Project be reported to the Housing Regeneration Cabinet Liaison Group.”

 

Councillors then voted:-

 

Resolved unanimously:

(1)          That Cabinet notes the proposed changes to the Transformational Challenge Award project delivery approach.

(2)          That the General Fund Revenue Budget be updated to reflect the proposed project budget delivery changes, split across relevant financial years as appropriate, subject to there being no additional cost implications for the City Council. 

(3)          That updates on the Transformation Challenge Award Project be reported to the Housing Regeneration Cabinet Liaison Group.

 

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

 

Chief Officer (Health & Housing)

Chief Officer (Resources)

Reasons for making the decision:

 

The proposed project activity will still meet the outcomes as expected in the original bid but now has the benefit of addressing some of the specific issues that have arisen from community feedback and from the involvement of the Health and Wellbeing partnership. Clarity around the project activity should now enable delivery at a pace within the next 12 months to ensure tangible improvements to the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our district.   Healthy and Happy Communities is one of the ambitions in the proposed new Council Plan.  The revised project activity will directly contribute to some of the outcomes under this ambition.

 

Supporting documents: