Council Leader Mark Hawthorne stated that the council were faced with extremely difficult decisions and that this was reflected in the proposals being put to the meeting. He added “Of the many messages out of the consultation, the clear one repeated time after time after time was the desire to see those services which protect the vulnerable saved.” He reinforced the message that the council had to explore means to focus the resources it had on the most needy & vulnerable.
This however was not enough to address the anxieties of people present at the meeting and at one stage he was heckled from the public gallery.
During the debate, continuing concerns; including those about libraries, youth centres and the Dursley training unit, were raised. However it was reinforced by the Cabinet member for caring and community services, Antonia Noble that a period of consultation was still in force. She had recieved e-mails this week which will be included in this process.
Transport
Press releases about the bus network have stated that that the resources will be used to ensure people can get to essential places. There will be a ‘hub and spoke’ design. The new design will focus on community transport and other rural bus services becoming the ‘spokes’ that feed into the ‘hub’ market towns and popular services which ensure people can get to where they need to go, in particular to school, to work or to the doctors. “The new ‘hub and spoke’ design will ensure that people can to essential services and it will ensure that people in more isolated communities can get where they need to go using community transport.
Concessionary Fares
Gloucestershire County Council has approved a new scheme to provide free bus travel for the elderly and disabled.
However, feedback during the consultation showed real concern about people in rural areas accessing services where buses did not run after 9.30am.
To address this concern, a separate report will be put together, which will look at cost effective ways of helping these isolated communities affected by the change.
To protect the more vulnerable in our society the council will also be offering a free companion pass for disabled people who are unable to travel unaccompanied.
Youth Services
Regarding Youth Services, The county council is proposing to target its own services at young people who are identified as being most in need of extra support or at risk of getting into trouble. Funding for prevention activities will be increased by £1.3million.
The council has been running a small number of projects that target young people who are considered to be at risk, such as young people on the fringes of crime, children in care, young people who are NEET – not in education, employment or training – and teenage parents. These projects have been extremely successful and will become the core of the new service.
The county council is retaining a youth support centre in each district as a base for the transformed youth support service, while community groups will be given the opportunity to play an enhanced role in delivering more general youth activities. The hundreds of voluntary and independent organisations in the county have a proven track record in providing these – and they are used by far more young people. As well as offering youth centre buildings to the community, the county council is making £50k available per district to support local groups to run activities for young people.
Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Youth, said: “It is very encouraging that so many communities have stepped forward to talk to us about taking on youth centre buildings and running activities for young people.
A press release about the revised proposals for Libraries, taking into account opinions expressed during consultation, is summarised previously in this news section – to see the above mentioned releases click the following links
press release – bus services
Press Release – Concessionary Fares
press release – youth services
