Decision details

To extend the Advice and Inclusion Contract with CCP for a further 2 years, from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2017

To extend the Advice and Inclusion Contract with CCP for a further 2 years, from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2017

In October 2011 Cabinet agreed to the re-tendering of the Advice Contract for a period of 3 years from 1^st April 2012 to 31^st March 2015, plus a further 2 years subject to satisfactory performance and available finance.

County Community Projects (CCP) were successful in their bid for the contract, which began on 1^st April 2012.

Since setting up the service, relevant Officers from Cheltenham Borough Council have monitored and reviewed the performance of CCP in the delivery of this service.

Officers are satisfied that overall the service is supporting the outcomes identified within the service specification. Key performance issues are highlighted within the attached report.

Re-tender the Advice Contract. This option has been rejected for the following reasons:

Performance by CCP is good overall, although further improvements are needed in relation to debt advice. Current feedback from CCP is that some significant improvements are underway in relation to debt set-aside outcomes which are achieved in the main from successful applications for Debt Relief Orders. However the benefits from their current work will not be seen until later.

Re-tendering the advice contract is a resource intensive process which would be felt at a time when other key housing projects are currently being pursued (such as the review of private sector housing). It is likely that re-tendering the advice contract would result in delays in the council meeting other housing projects.

In the last re-tendering exercise significant savings were made to the council in terms of the cost of the contract (c.£46k/year, of which £21k has been used to invest in other homelessness prevention services). There is no guarantee that further savings would be made on a future contract, and indeed costs to the council could increase.

The service specification which focuses on debt advice, benefit take-up, debt prevention and homelessness prevention are still relevant priorities today (in light of the ongoing welfare reforms) and therefore there is no requirement to change them.

Service-users will benefit from a period of stability for a further 2 years.

Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) concur with our assessment of CCP’s delivery of the service to date. CBH have recently met with CCP (at CCP’s request) to discuss operational issues relating to referrals into their debt advice service. This meeting was productive, and a series of ongoing meetings have now been diarised to embed referral arrangements. In addition, a member of CBH’s Housing Options Service sits on the quarterly monitoring meetings, and is therefore able to feed in any issues arising on an ongoing basis.

Cheltenham Borough Homes