Issue - meetings

To consider the allocation of funding in connection with the young futures hubs and local youth transformation programme.

Members considered a report of the Executive Director of Place/Deputy Chief Executive which advised that the Council had been awarded funding of up to £2.05m over two years, through the Government's Young Futures Hubs and Local Youth Transformation Programme. The funding would provide a significant opportunity to strengthen youth provision, improve outcomes for young people and develop a sustainable, place-based model of youth support across Oldham.

To ensure the timely implementation of the programme and compliance with the conditions of grant funding, approval was sought to formally accept the funding and delegate authority to the Executive Director of Place/Deputy Chief Executive and the Director of Communities, in consultation with the Director of Children's Services, to undertake all actions necessary to deliver the programme.

The report presented two Options:

Option 1 (preferred Option) - to accept the funding. The benefits were the security of significant external investment, establishing two Young Futures Hubs within the borough, enabling the transformation of the local youth system, improving outcomes for young people, strengthening youth voice and participation and creating a longer-term sustainable model for youth provision.

Option 2 – To decline the Funding. This would likely lead to a loss of external investment, missed opportunities to improve local youth services, a reduced ability to address identified needs and a reduced capacity to strengthen local youth infrastructure.

Resolved:

That the Governance, Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Board, support the recommendations in the submitted report of the Executive Director of Place/Deputy Chief Executive, to:

1.    Approve the acceptance of grant funding of up to £2,050,000 from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and associated Government delivery partners for the delivery of the Young Futures Hubs and Local Youth Transformation Programme – noting that the grant funding for the Programme will be issues in Stages.

2.    Authorise that the Executive Director of Place/Deputy Chief Executive and the Director of Communities enter into, execute and deliver all grant agreements, funding agreements, partnership agreements and associated documentation required for the implementation and delivery of the programme.

3.    Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Place/Deputy Chief Executive and the Director of Communities, in consultation with the Director of Children's Services and the Director of Finance, to approve and implement all operational and financial arrangements necessary for delivery of the programme.

4.    Approve the creation and recruitment of such fixed-term posts as are required to support programme management, delivery, participation, commissioning, monitoring and evaluation functions, provided that all associated costs are fully funded from the external grant allocation.

5.    Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Place/Deputy Chief Executive and the Director of Communities to approve expenditure, commission services, award grants, undertake procurement exercises and enter into contracts necessary for programme delivery, subject to compliance with the Council's Constitution, Contract Procedure Rules and Procurement Regulations.