Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Reform & Governance.

This is a draft proposal for Information Advice and Guidance. It is being brought forward earlier than other Growth and Reform proposals because of the dependencies with commissioning.

As part of the ongoing process of Growth and Reform across the Council this business case proposes a course of action to realise £200K savings from the Information Advice and Guidance budget. The changes proposed involve a structural reform of the budget, a partial restructure of the service, and a potential targeted offer of voluntary redundancy. 

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Alison Blount on 0161 474 5107 or email: alison.blount@stockport.gov.uk

The Cabinet Member for Reform & Governance submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) seeking the Scrutiny Committees comments on a draft proposal for Information Advice and Guidance which was being brought forward earlier than other Growth and Reform proposals because of the dependencies with commissioning.

As part of the ongoing process of Growth and Reform across the Council this business case proposed a course of action to realise £200K savings from the Information Advice and Guidance budget. The changes proposed involved a structural reform of the budget, a partial restructure of the service, and a potential targeted offer of voluntary redundancy. 

The Cabinet Member for Reform & Governance (Councillor David Sedgwick) attended the meeting to present the report and answer members’ questions.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report Cabinet Member for Reform & Governance.

This is a draft proposal for Information Advice and Guidance. It is being brought forward earlier than other Growth and Reform proposals because of the dependencies with commissioning. Following the Cabinet meeting it will go to the relevant scrutiny cycles for comment. 

It is recommended that the report be noted and that officers be asked to draw up more detailed proposals in line with the content of the report.

Officer contact: Alison Blount, 0161 474 5107, Alison.blount@stockport.gov.uk

The Cabinet Member for Reform & Governance submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Cabinet to consider a draft proposal for changes to the Information, Advice and Guidance services to realise potential savings as part of the Council’s Growth and Reform Programme. The draft proposals had been brought forward ahead of other planned proposals in order to meet commissioning dependencies.

The Cabinet Member highlighted the high quality of the work from staff and volunteers at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, but emphasised that the current contractual arrangements could not be extended any further due to the Council’s own procedures and other procurement regulations. This provided an opportunity for the Council to consider more fundamentally the service and how it was provided.

RESOLVED – That the Information, Advice and Guidance draft proposals for the recommissioning of the service be approved and that the Deputy Chief Executive be requested to prepare a detailed business case for the proposal.