The Committee considered a report (CH5) containing the Business Strategies and savings proposed for their service areas.
The proposals for savings to the Children and Young People’s (CYP&F) budgets were grouped and considered under four main headings:
1. Management Review (including business and administrative functions)
2. Education (including School Improvement and national strategies)
3. Communities (redesign of the Early Intervention Service)
4. Social Care and Safeguarding
In addition the Committee considered proposals for the Music Service.
Councillor Lynda Atkins expressed concerns in relation to the impact of proposals for youth services in respect of Wallingford. Public transport between Wallingford and Didcot was not easy with no buses in the evening or Sundays. There were also issues around the relationships between young people in Wallingford and Didcot. She feared that there was a band of young people who would not be reached by the proposals.
The Committee considered the savings proposals line by line and agreed (by 10 votes to 3) to support in principle the proposals for CYP&F. They also supported the proposal for the Music Service.
In giving their support, members stated that they would wish to be briefed regularly on the roll out of the Early Intervention Centres. In particular members were assured that there would be outreach support provided from the centres.
Further, members would wish to be part of any review that would consider charging families for respite care for disabled children. Members expressed a hope that this could be avoided if possible.
Finally, the committee would wish to monitor closely proposals for changes to the funding of the Equality and Diversity Achievement Service (EDAS) and to be given an opportunity to scrutinise the business plan for Outdoor Centres at some time in spring 2011.