Issue - items at meetings - Financial Inclusion

Report of the Strategic Director; Communities (copy attached).

(1)               That the progress so far achieved on the co-production of advice outcomes as part of a community-led commissioning programme between the Council and the Advice Partnership be noted;

(2)                That the development of the intelligent commissioning process for financial inclusion be supported, and the Strategic Director; Communities lead the development of the work across the partnership;

(3)               That the pivotal role of local advice services in promoting financial inclusion, the acute challenges faced by those services and that the support the work of the advice partnership in supporting those services to transition to a sustainable footing be acknowledged;

(4)               That the integrated approach to commissioning Financial Inclusion outcomes illustrated by the proposals from the Housing and Social Inclusion Delivery Unit (see Report, Appendix 1) be supported;    

(5)               That the linkages between this work and similar work underway across the Council to deal with the impact of the Welfare Reform changes and the potential introduction of new ways of dealing with “wraparound” services for “troubled families” be noted.

218.1    Councillor Duncan introduced the report which outlined the progress made in terms of developing a strategic approach to financial inclusion through a wide-ranging set of actions and interventions.  He noted that it was intended to embed the work through the development of a framework for financial inclusion.

218.2    Councillor Mitchell welcomed the report and stated that she believed it was an excellent report which set out the foundation for a strategic approach and wished to pay credit to the officers involved in putting it together, as she felt it would benefit residents across the city.

218.3    Councillor Theobald welcomed the report and asked for more information to be provided in relation to the proposed community banking approach.

218.4    The Strategic Director; Communities stated that the process sat well with Intelligent Commissioning and provided links to assist people e.g. advice agencies, basic bank accounts and money management.

218.5    Councillor Wakefield also welcomed the report and the development of community banking, but expressed concern over the Government’s welfare reforms and the impact on residents.

218.6    The Chair noted the comments and stated that he felt it was an excellent piece of work and hoped it would encourage more people to joint the credit union and the council as an organisation would be able to invest in it.  He then put the recommendations to the vote.

218.7    RESOLVED:

(1)         That the progress so far achieved on the co-production of advice outcomes as part of a community-led commissioning programme between the Council and the Advice Partnership be noted;

(2)          That the development of the intelligent commissioning process for financial inclusion be supported, and the Strategic Director; Communities lead the development of the work across the partnership;

(3)         That the pivotal role of local advice services in promoting financial inclusion, the acute challenges faced by those services and that the support the work of the advice partnership in supporting those services to transition to a sustainable footing be acknowledged;

(4)         That the integrated approach to commissioning Financial Inclusion outcomes illustrated by the proposals from the Housing and Social Inclusion Delivery Unit (see Report, Appendix 1) be supported;  

(5)         That the linkages between this work and similar work underway across the Council to deal with the impact of the Welfare Reform changes and the potential introduction of new ways of dealing with “wraparound” services for “troubled families” be noted.