Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Waste and Recycling provided information on sustainable play provision from April 2014 on the summer play scheme programme.

In response to a reduction in funding from Families First (formerly Cymorth), and to ensure that the service could operate within budget, all Town and Community Councils had been advised that the number of play schemes available to them during summer 2013 would be limited to a maximum of two each and that summer play scheme provision would be reduced from five weeks to three weeks at locations to be agreed in local consultation.

At its meeting on 1 March 2013, the Council made a one-off allocation of £12,000 for the 2013 summer play scheme to ensure that requests for additional provision by Town and Community Councils could be met on a match-funding basis.

The Director of Lifelong Learning said that plans for 2013 were advanced and the level of take up and impact of the 2013 programme would be evaluated by the Play Unit and would inform the planning for future years.

The availability of grant funding for summer play schemes in 2014/15 and beyond had not been confirmed by Families First.  However, planning assumptions were based upon continuity of funding.

RESOLVED:

That, subject to consultation with Overview and Scrutiny and confirmation of Families First funding for Summer Play Schemes in 2014/15 and beyond, to confirm the future allocation of grant funding for the provision of summer play schemes on the basis outlined in section 2.02 of the report with the same allocation being offered to each Town and Community Council on the present match-funding basis.