The report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) is enclosed.

As a result of Manchester’s participation in the Cabinet Office’s Delivering Differently for Young People, we had supported the development of an independent Youth and Play Trust. That trust could then enter into a financial agreement that would see it develop, coordinate and manage the commissioning of youth and play services across Manchester (Minute Exe/16/014).

By supporting the establishment of an independent Youth and Play Trust, known as “Young Manchester”, that independent charity was now able to attract additional investment into the City for young people’s services in a way that the council could not.

A report submitted by the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) proposed the adoption of a new strategy that would be the framework for future partnership work between the Council and its partners and stakeholders, who all shared responsibility for making sure that young people had access to a high quality offer that addressed their universal and their specific and targeted needs.

The strategy put forward a proposed vision for these services:

“Ensure our young people have the opportunity to achieve their full potential and benefit from the economic prosperity of the city. They will contribute to, and benefit from, supportive and dynamic neighbourhoods with access to a wide range of youth, leisure and recreational opportunities.

Their voice and citizenship will continue to be placed at the heart of the city’s current and future identity, recognising that our young people are the future of Manchester; economically, socially and culturally. They will come to define our city, and its relationship with the global community.”

The strategy set of a set of proposed actions, referred to as ‘we wills’, divided up into four key themes:

·         Thriving Young People

·         Highly Skilled Young People

·         Progressive and Resilient Young People

·         Living Well, Healthy & Safe Young People

·         Connected & Heard Young People

The vision, themes and proposed actions were all supported. The role that the Council’s Youth Strategy Team were to have in implementing the strategy was explained in the report.

The report also examined the requirements for the Council’s future financial contributions to the delivery of Youth and Play services. The intention was for investment by the council into the Youth and Play Trust to be used as leverage to secure additional third party investment which would support the sustainability of youth and play services across the city. The facilitate that the Council would be asked to considered setting a three-year budget for the service as part of the coming budget setting processes for 2020/21 and beyond.

We noted that the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee had considered the report at a recent meeting and had endorsed the recommendations (Minute CYP/19/47).

Decisions

1.         To agree, subject to budget, the continuation of investment into Young Manchester for the next 3 years, on the basis that Young Manchester uses this as leverage to grow external investment to support the sector.

2.         To consider and approve the adoption of the proposed vision, strategic themes and ‘We Wills’ to deliver the Strategy over the next 3 years.

3.         To delegate authority to complete the production of the strategy document to the Strategic Lead (Parks, Leisure, Events and Youth), in consultation with the Executive Member for Skills, Culture and Leisure, for communication with young people, partners and the Youth Sector.

4.         To delegate authority to finalise the contract value to the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer, in consultation with the City Solicitor, the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods and the Executive Member for Skills, Culture and Leisure, following conclusion of the VAT assessment to ensure that the contract fee is delivered within the available budget.

5.         To delegate authority to the City Solicitor to enter into, complete and execute any documents or agreements necessary to give effect to these decisions.

6.         To note that the case for a three-year budget would be part of the budget setting processes in the coming months.