Meeting documents
Executive (I)
Friday, 28th February, 2014
| REPORT TO: | 14 |
| DECISION NUMBER: | PH/25/2014 |
| EARLIEST DATE FOR DECISION: | 26th February 2014 |
BETTER START FUND | |
| Matter for Consideration: The approval process for the Better Start Fund project. | |
| Information: The Council forms part of the Better Start project which is an application for funding from the Big Lottery Fund towards a number of initiatives for Early Intervention for children from conception to age three. The project is proposed to be led by a lead partner within the 3rd sector namely the NSPCC. The NSPCC on behalf of the project group has received £400,000 to develop a final bid and if that is successful Blackpool could receive approximately £40 million over 10 years to help babies and children. The other project main partners are the Clinical Commissioning Group and the Lancashire Constabulary. The final decision will be announced in June 2014. The project plan outlines a key vision namely “ to give every new baby in Blackpool a better start in life, helping them enjoy the early care and nurture they need to be healthy and ready for school” The project proposes the creation of an Executive board to drive forward progress and the Council will be represented by the Chief Executive Officer, the Assistant Chief Executive Children’s Services and the Assistant Chief Executive - Treasurer Services, The project will be delivered via the NSPCC under the control of the Executive Board who will be accountable for the funding and outcomes. One of the methods of delivery will be through a Blackpool Innovation Unit for Early Child Development The programme of support will be targeted at the pre-birth to 3 age group and focus on language and communication, nutrition and personal and emotional wellbeing. The conditions for full receipt of the money and implementation are attached at Appendix A. The deadline for submitting the bid is 12noon Friday 28th February 2014, however the Big Lottery Fund has indicated bids can be accepted subject to confirmation by the delivery partners at a later date. | |
| Does the information submitted include any exempt information? | NO |
| Legal Considerations: As part of the bid submission, the parties have to agree a draft Partnership Agreement to be presented by the NSPCC as part of the bid application. The Council has been advising on this agreement. The draft will change depending on how or if the bid is successful. The Big Lottery Fund could require changes and the parties to the partnership agreement would have to negotiate and agree the draft once it is known what funds have been obtained and what the services to be provided by the parties. | |
| Personnel Considerations: As part of the bid a full equalities plan and resource plan has been put together. | |
| Financial Considerations: The Better Start Bid, if successful, would provide Big Lottery Grant funding to partners within a range of at least £35m up to £45m over the next ten years. However, partners are also expected to invest matched-funding and Blackpool partners are proposing to contribute a further £30 million (with the Local Authority contribution being approximately £15 million) over the life of the project, bringing the total investment within a range of at least £65m to £75m. Given ever reducing budgets, the only possible way the Council's share of this amount of funding can be found would be from re-investing the savings expected from the Better Start funded projects. These interventions, if successful, would reduce spend in several Council-funded areas. From a Council perspective this commitment to re-investing savings would obviously mean that these savings would not be able to contribute to any future Council funding gap. The matched funding contributions would be contractual and written into the partnership agreement. The Delivery Partners are also to seek legal advice during the first 12 months as to whether these monies should be held in a joint trust account or remain ring-fenced in each Delivery Partner’s bank account. | |
| Performance Management Considerations: The project will require a local performance reporting arrangements and there is a full plan for monitoring and learning | |
| Risk Management Considerations: A full risk log has been completed as part of the bid | |
| Relevant Officer: Sue Harrison , Assistant Chief Executive- Children’s Services | |
| Relevant Cabinet Member: Councillor I. Taylor | |
| Consultation Undertaken: The parents and community have been an integral part of the bid writing process and they have formed their own Better Start Partnership Group. They have been fully consulted on every aspect of the bid and a number of parents and community organisations along with public sector strategy leaders spent two whole days in January planning the bid priorities, outcomes and projects. The community and parents will continue to be a part of the Better Start process. | |
| Background Papers: | |
| Is this a key decision? | NO |
| Is the decision required in less than 5 days? | NO |
| Recommendations: To delegate to the Assistant Chief Executive, Children’s Services after consultation with the Assistant Chief Executive, Treasurer Services and the Cabinet Member for Children's Services: (a) the authority to confirm that the Council will be part of the Blackpool bid to the Big Lottery Fund, led by the NSPCC, along with partner organisations for the Better Start Fund; and (b) that if the bid is successful, authority to enter into an agreement on behalf of the Council with partner organisations for the Better Start project, subject to a further detailed report being submitted to the Executive regarding appropriate budget approvals being identified and secured for the Council's contributions. | |
| Reasons for Recommendations: To enable the better start bid to be progressed. | |
| Is the recommendation contrary to a plan or strategy adopted or approved by the Council? | NO |
| Is the recommendation in accordance with the Council’s approved Budget? | YES |
| Other alternative options to be considered: Not to be part of the bid. | |
| Policy, Overview, and Scrutiny Committee Chairman (where appropriate) Date Informed: N/A Date Approved: N/A | |
| DECLARATION(S) OF INTEREST (if applicable) None | |
| Decision: The Cabinet Member agreed the recommendations as outlined above namely: To delegate to the Assistant Chief Executive, Children’s Services after consultation with the Assistant Chief Executive, Treasurer Services and the Cabinet Member for Children's Services: (a) the authority to confirm that the Council will be part of the Blackpool bid to the Big Lottery Fund, led by the NSPCC, along with partner organisations for the Better Start Fund; and (b) that if the bid is successful, authority to enter into an agreement on behalf of the Council with partner organisations for the Better Start project, subject to a further detailed report being submitted to the Executive regarding appropriate budget approvals being identified and secured for the Council's contributions. | |
| Date: | 28th February 2014 |
| Reason for Decision: To enable the better start bid to be progressed | |
Date of Publication: | 28th February 2014 |
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