Agenda item

The Report of the Executive Manager – Communities is attached.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)    a delivery partnership with Trent Bridge Community Trust be established to enable the future delivery of YouNG.

b)    the Executive Manager Communities, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Community and Leisure, be delegated authority to agree the final Governance arrangements, ‘in kind’ staff resources and associated Service Level Agreements, income and performance targets.

c)    the existing budget provision of £82,000 per year for YouNG continues to be allocated until December, 2020.

d)    the proposed Governance arrangements for the delivery partnership, as detailed at Appendix 1 of the officer’s report, be approved.

Councillor Upton, on behalf of the Portfolio Holder for Community and Leisure presented the report of the Chief Executive on the work that had been carried out regarding the options for the future delivery of YouNG and seeking approval for a proposed delivery model that would ensure that the initiative could be delivered sustainably in the future.

The report noted that in 2016, to assist the Council in determining its future commitment and involvement in the YouNG initiative an independent report had been commissioned and produced by Internet Guru Ltd. This report had been considered by Cabinet in January 2017, where it had been resolved that the Community Development Group be requested to evaluate and scrutinise its findings and to make recommendations back to Cabinet regarding the future delivery of YouNG (Minute No.35 2016/17). The report provided details of the outcome of the work of the Community Development Group and recommended how YouNG could be delivered in the future to ensure that it was both sustainable as well as being able to meet its objective of supporting and improving the opportunities for young people in the Borough. 

Councillor Upton advised that as a result of the work carried out by the Community Development Group it was recommended that the Trent Bridge Community Trust (TBCT) be commissioned as a partner agency to deliver and grow the YouNG brand and project. Councillor Upton noted that it was essential that the future delivery of YouNG was sustainable, and that the proposed partnership with TBCT would provide this sustainability as it would benefit from the trust’s current networks and infrastructure deployed in delivering both Positive Futures and other initiatives.

The report noted that the Trent Bridge Community Trust had agreed, in respect of delivering YouNG, to:

·       provide 30 dedicated hours per week management of the programme.

·       develop an accreditation scheme for businesses to be young person friendly and provide work experience placements.

·       deliver a weekly YouNG ambassadors programme which includes a YouNG ambassador representative from each of the seven secondary schools across Rushcliffe and provides: mentoring support, accreditations, educational workshops, careers advice and guidance and employability activities via digital channels into schools.

·       redefine and develop a range of work experience placements.

·       to deliver existing projects, such as YouNG Goes Euro.

·       deliver the YouNG markets initiative across Rushcliffe.

·       recruit and develop Interns annually.

The report also contained details of alternative options for the future delivery of YouNG which had been considered as well as their reasons for rejection.

Councillor Robinson, in seconding the recommendations, noted the importance of investing in young people’s futures as well as the Council’s excellent record in working with young people and helping them to achieve their goals. Councillor Moore noted how impressed he had been with how well the TBCT had delivered the Positive Futures project and that he was confident that the TBCT would be able to develop and grow the YouNG initiative.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)    a delivery partnership with Trent Bridge Community Trust be established to enable the future delivery of YouNG.

b)    the Executive Manager Communities, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Community and Leisure, be delegated authority to agree the final Governance arrangements, ‘in kind’ staff resources and associated Service Level Agreements, income and performance targets.

c)     the existing budget provision of £82,000 per year for YouNG continues to be allocated until December, 2020.

d)    the proposed Governance arrangements for the delivery partnership, as detailed at Appendix 1 of the officer’s report, be approved.

REASON FOR DECISIONS

To enable a sustainable delivery model for YouNG to be established which will contribute to the achievement of the Council’s Corporate Strategy key objective of “maintaining and enhancing our residents’ quality of life” and the strategic task to “facilitate activities for children and young people to enable them to reach their potential”.