The scrutiny committee received a report of the Head of Community and Environmental Services setting out the end of year report for the Community and Voluntary Sector Commissioning Framework. 

The Contract Monitoring Officer outlined key highlights for each of the voluntary organisations and community centres. 

It was noted that the Citizens Advice had difficulties in retaining some of the volunteers it trained.  It was suggested that the organisation may wish to introduce some form of commitment from people it trained as volunteer assessors.  This would ensure they did not leave as soon as they had completed their training.

Councillor Grimston suggested that Meriden Community Centre needed to promote itself to the local community.  She felt it was not being actively promoted to the local community.

In response to a question about other groups supported by the council, for example given rent free accommodation, the Leisure and Community Section Head advised that the council was currently undertaking a piece of work looking at the council’s assets and the arrangements with the current leaseholders.  The review would look at the rental values and the organisations’ contributions to the community.  Activities would be mapped and the social value to the council would be identified.  The results would be presented to a future committee.

It was noted that the funding to Watford Community Housing for the running of Leavesden Green Community Centre had ceased.  The Leisure and Community Section Head explained that the group would be required to produce a business plan.  Officers attended annual general meetings for the organisations; they looked at the accounts and activity programmes.

It was agreed that officers would contact the community centres to ask about their contact with local schools.

The Leisure and Community Section Head outlined his suggestion for a new task group in the next municipal year.  Details of the types of questions the task group could consider had been included in the report.  If the scrutiny committee was happy with the initial suggestion he would work on the proposal form.  It was noted that this would be presented to Overview and Scrutiny Committee later in this municipal year for formal agreement.  The task group’s membership would also be agreed at that point.

RESOLVED –

1.      that the Community and Voluntary Sector Commissioning Framework end of year report for 2016/17 be noted.

2.      that the proposed draft terms of reference for a new task group be approved and a formal scrutiny proposal be presented at a future meeting for final agreement.