Interview with:

·  Cabinet Member for Community Services, Councillor Marion Ring; and

·  Sports, Play and Youth Development Manager, Jacqueline Bryden.

Councillor Mike Fitzgerald presented a speech (appendix A) to the Committee outlining why he had called in the decision to increase the fees and charges for the Hotfoot play scheme.  Councillor Fitzgerald accepted that the originally stated increase of 21% was inaccurate, however raised concern that the second briefing note failed to identify clearly that there was to be a 15.3% increase in the discounted fees and charges.  Councillor Fitzgerald questioned whether the increase in fees could be avoided by other means, such as limiting money spent on the printing of leaflets, and also questioned the appropriateness of increasing fees and charges after the annual budget had been agreed

Councillor Julia Batt informed the Committee that she too believed the increase in fees to be too high.  Councillor Batt referred the Committee to paragraph 1.3.3.b of Agenda Item 9 and highlighted that the comparison of the discounted rates of the Hotfoot play scheme and the Tunbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC) Leisure Pass Scheme, failed to consider the increase in price which occurred in relation to the number of children per family that attended Hotfoot.  This compared to the fixed charge of £8 for the TMBC Leisure pass scheme for between 1 and 4 children.  Councillor Batt considered that a comparison of price with only the TMBC play scheme was unacceptable.  Finally, it was questioned whether this price increase would further deter parents from using the scheme, thereby decreasing overall income.  Councillor Mrs Batt called for the report to be rescinded and for the fees and charges increase to be no higher than inflation.

The Chairman invited visiting members to present their concerns to the Committee.  All visiting members agreed that the increase in fees and charges was too high and that it would impact most significantly on those families who could least afford it.  It was reiterated that such a large increase could further discourage uptake of the scheme.  A Councillor raised particular concern that the higher percentage increase in concessionary prices undermined one of the core corporate values of the council, to promote equality (as set out in paragraph 1.5.1 of the agenda item 9).  It was agreed by the Committee that reports signed by Cabinet Members must contain sufficient detail in support of the decision.  A more comprehensive report was necessary, outlining why alternative savings were not plausible.  Finally, Councillor Garland highlighted that a number of decisions with regard increasing fees and charges had been made by the previous administration during 2007/08 after the budget had been set.  This included an increase in Hotfoot charges of 11.1%.

In response to the arguments identified, the Cabinet Member for Community Services, Councillor Mrs Marion Ring,stated that the financial downturn had had a significant influence on her decision.  Councillor Mrs Ring recognised that comparison with other play schemes was necessary, but it was incorrect to refer to incomparable schemes.  The Chief Finance Officer, Mr Derek Williamson identified that the Council had lost significant financial investment during the last year; however the Council had managed to protect the majority of the services it provided.  Hotfoot had been kept, however the fees and charges had to be considered in light of the financial environment and the obligation to deliver the budget which had been set by Council.  A shortfall in income from the Hotfoot play scheme had been covered in previous years by a reduction in the availability of facilities, however this could not continue indefinitely. 

The Committee was informed that this was an Ofsted based scheme, of which there were very few in Kent and so comparisons had been difficult.  The contrast with the TMBC play scheme was possible as similar pricing structures had been in place.  The Sports, Play and Youth Development Manager, Mrs Jacqueline Bobb, identified that the increase equated to an additional 40p per day if pre-booked, or 50p per day if paid for on the door.

Mrs Bobb outlined a number of pressures that had necessitated the price increase:

·  The cost of hiring the premises had risen from £200 to £225 per week;

·  Children with behavioural problems and physical disabilities were increasingly being encouraged to join the scheme but this required the employment of additional members of staff.  Children who had been referred to the scheme by social services often required additional supervision;

·  Ofsted had increased costs and now charged £114 for the registration of new sites.  Additionally, Ofsted insisted on carrying out Bureau (CRB) checks on top of those that had already been carried out by the Council for a further £44 each;

·  Child protection training, which had previously been provided free of charge by Kent County Council (KCC), was now charged at £450 per day.  Mrs Bobb informed the Committee that at least two days of training would be required for staff members.  The Council was looking into providing the training in-house;

·  European Legislation now required that casual staff be paid holiday pay; and

·  Outside suppliers were costly, however all attempts were being made to utilise free suppliers to facilitate the scheme.

In response to a question Mrs Bobb informed the Committee that each premises was able to hold 100 children, however only enough staff were initially employed for 50 children to ensure that money was not unnecessarily spent on employee wages.  Mrs Bobb also informed the Committee that take up of the scheme was hindered by the apparent lack of willingness of schools to assist in its promotion.

A Councillor stated that the report did not show appropriate consideration of alternative funding streams and a rise in fees should not be the first option.The Committee recognised that a lot more information was available than had been conveyed within the report and it was vital that reports for decision were factually correct.  Members were reminded that where they felt information was lacking, they were justified in asking for further detail. 

Resolved: 

That the Cabinet Member for Community Services delay the increase in fees for Hotfoot 2009-10 until alternative funding streams have been investigated.