Issue - meetings

The report makes recommendations on the award of Local Prevention youth service contract and grant funding from September 2015, based on Runnymede Youth Task Group discussions. This report will be presented by Leigh Middleton.

The Local Committee agreed to:

1) approve the Youth Task Group recommendation to award a contract for a 36 month period for One to One work from 1 September 2015 to Eikon for the value of £47,000 per annum (subject to future changes in SYP budgets). Within the contract there is the opportunity to extend for the service for a further two years, subject to budget changes, provider performance and any changes in the needs of young people.

2) Approve the Youth Task Group recommendation to award a grant for a 36 month period for Neighbourhood Work from 1 September 2015 to Eikon for the value of £46,000 per annum (subject to future changes in SYP budgets). Within this grant agreement there is the opportunity to extend the service for a further two years, subject to budget changes, provider performance and any changes in the needs of young people.

Mr Leigh Middleton introduced the report for decision, explaining that there had been two meetings of the Runnymede Youth Task Group in order to arrive at the recommendation, due to the second bidder withdrawing their bid after the process had begun. However, following this news the Task Group met with Eikon (and partner the Lifetrain Trust) for a second presentation and subsequently agreed to recommend them for both the One to One and the Neighbourhood aspects of the work from autumn 2015.

Members raised the likely 20% reduction in budget and asked for clarification. Mr Middeton said that this budget was protected for 2015-16 but may reduce in future years and that providers had been briefed on this. He said that Eikon had won a number of contracts which helped them to achieve efficiencies of scale and withstand some budget reduction.

The Local Committee agreed to:

1) approve the Youth Task Group recommendation to award a contract for a 36 month period for One to One work from 1 September 2015 to Eikon for the value of £47,000 per annum (subject to future changes in SYP budgets). Within the contract there is the opportunity to extend for the service for a further two years, subject to budget changes, provider performance and any changes in the needs of young people.

2) Approve the Youth Task Group recommendation to award a grant for a 36 month period for Neighbourhood Work from 1 September 2015 to Eikon for the value of £46,000 per annum (subject to future changes in SYP budgets). Within this grant agreement there is the opportunity to extend the service for a further two years, subject to budget changes, provider performance and any changes in the needs of young people.

The chairman concluded the meeting by announcing that he intended to step down as the chairman from May onwards. The vice chairman thanked him, on behalf of the Committee, for his years of office and added that she had learnt a lot from his example.