Issue - meetings

Background:

The Cabinet accepted this report as urgent owing to the requirement to notify the bidders of the outcome of the tender process within 90 days of the submission deadline.

The Leader of the Labour Group, Councillor Maple, addressed the Cabinet on this item. He stated that the Labour Group were pleased, in principle, to see this report on the Cabinet agenda as the Group had not supported the original Cabinet decision to commence the tendering process.

He referred to the impact of the tendering exercise on the organisations involved and expressed the view that this may have been avoided if the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee had agreed to refer the original decision back to Cabinet for reconsideration when the matter had been considered by the Committee under the call-in procedures earlier in the year.

This report provided details on the future delivery of Integrated Youth Support Services (IYSS), following previous reports to Cabinet in January 2016 and April 2016 where it had been agreed that a tender process be undertaken for these services.

The report stated that the tender process had been undertaken and the Council had received multiple respondents. A further piece of independent review work was undertaken since the tender process which suggested there were significant further savings and service benefits available by not awarding the contract.

Reasons:

The independent review and financial data suggests that there are significant further savings and service benefits available by further reviewing the IYSS service provision and not awarding the contract.