Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report :

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1) Summary of Decision Area:

1.1. In view of the impending retirement of the Director of the Lymington Community Association it is appropriate to consider utilising the available budget to fund a senior community support officer in the headquarters team that has remained vacant due to lack of funding. Also to consider the level of transitional support to Lymington Community Association.

2) Issues Covered in Report:

2.1. Historic context of the Community Support Service and it's evolution since it's establishment on transfer from the then Education department.

2.2. A summarise review of the action taken in recent years in conjunction with community associations where transferred staff have resigned or changed their duties.

2.3. The current staff structure of the headquarters Community Support team.

2.4. The opportunity that is presented to recruit to the senior vacancy in the headquarters team utilising the budget that will become available on the retirement of the Director of Lymington Community Association from 1 April 2009.

3) Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

i) with effect from 1 April 2009 the funding currently allocated to the cost of employing the Director of Lymington Community Association be re-allocated to fund the post of Senior Community Support Officer that has been held vacant since February 2008.

ii) that the Lymington Community Association be offered one-off transition funding of £10,000 to be drawn down over a period of 3 years commencing in 2009/10.

MAIN REPORT

1) Contextual Information:

1.1. The issues to be considered in this report stem from the way in which the current Community Support team has evolved following the reorganisation of the then Education department's Youth and Community Service in the late 1980's.

1.2. At that time the Community element of that service was transferred from the Education department to the then Countryside and Community department and two teams were established namely the Community Support team and the Adult Learning team. The latter was later to be transferred back to the Education department just before the Learning and Skills Council changed the basis of funding five years ago.

1.3. In addition, many of the larger community centres that had operated through the 1980's had a very close connection with the provision of adult learning and because of this some centres had been directly supported by the Education department in terms of the provision of permanent staff, including wardens or directors, administration and caretaking staff. These too were transferred to the Countryside and Community department.

1.4. By 31 March 1997 the overall workforce had reduced significantly through natural wastage combined with a policy of non replacement of these staff as they retired or resigned. On 1 April 1997 a number of centres were transferred to Portsmouth and Southampton as they became unitary authorities on the reorganisation of local government.

1.5. This left just four supported centres in Hampshire in Leigh Park, Gosport, Lymington and Fordingbridge which, outside of the headquarters Community Support team represented the remainder of the workforce originally transferred from the Education department in the late 1980's.

1.6. Of the four remaining supported centres at 1 April 1997 the Leigh Park Community Association has remained a key partner in delivering community development in the Leigh Park area and the Recreation, Heritage and Communities budget continues to fund the administrator (25 hours) and a centre attendant (10 hours) as part of the annual revenue support programme. Leigh Park continues to be the county's area of greatest deprivation as measured by the indices of multiple deprivation and receives much targeted support to help reduce inequality.

1.7. In Gosport the manager and senior administrator of the Gosport Community Association had been transferred across from the Education Department in the late 1980's and remained a financial commitment for the community support service until 1999 when it was agreed with the association that the centre manager would, in the lead up to his retirement, transfer to the headquarters team to assist other centres around Hampshire. His first assignment was to assist the Wickham Community Association to transfer from an unincorporated organisation to a company limited by guarantee. There followed a period of long term sickness culminating in his retirement on grounds of ill health. His post was not subsequently filled. At the time when the manager was originally transferred to the headquarters team the senior administrator at Gosport CA accepted the post of association manager and a mutual agreement was reached with the association whereby her salary costs would transfer to the association. To support this transfer and her pension rights while the association increased it's income sufficiently to pick up this new commitment the sum of £20,000 was provided to support these costs and drawn down over a period of 5 years by the association.

1.8. Similarly, at Fordingbridge Community Association the part time manager had transferred across from the Education department and on her retirement a small amount of funding was made available from the annual revenue support budget to assist the association during the transition.

1.9. At Lymington Community Association the full time centre director has been in post since the original transfer from the former Education department in the late 1980's. He has recently given notice of his intention to retire on 31 March 2009.

2) Key Issues: The work of the headquarters community support team and current staff structure

2.1. There have been a number of changes to the role of the headquarters community support team over the last ten years. These have centred around the development of it's role in building effective partnerships with community associations across the county especially in those areas of significant disadvantage. These partnerships, which also include district councils and the voluntary and community sector, are delivering against departmental priorities as well as a range of corporate priorities including those in the local area agreement and the corporate improvement plan.

2.2. The current staffing structure has evolved as resources have become available. One significant source has been the non replacement of staff originally transferred in from the former Education department. The changes set out in paras 1.7 and 1.8 above show how resources formally allocated solely to one organisation have been released to support the headquarters community support team to broaden it's influence across all districts.

2.3. The basic structure consists of two teams of three, each with a senior and two assistant community support officers. The teams are overseen by the community support officer. Currently the budget is insufficient to support the full structure and one senior post (a team leader) is held vacant. With the declared intention of the Director of the Lymington Community Association to retire on 31 March 2009 the opportunity arises to recruit to the vacant senior community support officer post and complete the structure.

2.4. This would mean that in line with arrangements made with other organisations that the post at Lymington would no longer be funded. Whilst there is no stated policy that transitional support should be provided to such organisations it would be reasonable to offer a tapering grant over the next two or three years. Under the circumstances it is proposed to offer £10,000 in total to be drawn down over three years.

3) Outline of Options: There are 2 options to be considered following this review

3.1. Option 1: Support for the staff structure only

a) That the funding be entirely used to support the current headquarters Community Support team staff structure and the work of the team.

3.2. Option 2: Support for staff structure and transitional support for Lymington Community Association

a) That the funding be used to support the current staff structure and that a small amount of funding is made available to Lymington in order to support their costs temporarily during this transition period. The proposal would be to offer decreasing funding over 3 years as follows :-

2009/10 - £5,000

2010/11 - £3,000

2011/12 - £2,000.

This funding would cease after the 2011/12 payment.

4) Recommendations:

See Executive Summary for Recommendations.

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION: