To discuss the review of community councils.
Minutes:
The chair invited Councillor Richard Livingstone, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Community Safety, to explain some of the budget context to the work of the Democracy Commission, which as part of phase 2 was focusing on the role and purpose of community councils. Cllr Livingstone explained that Southwark received approximately three quarters of its funding from central government and as a result of government cuts had to find £34 million of savings in 2011/12. As a result the council had to make savings across departments and this was an opportunity to review how community councils worked as well as identifying savings.
Darryl Telles, Neighbourhoods Manager, gave some more specific background into the budget available to community councils and explained the consultation process for the Democracy Commission phase 2 which had included: focus groups, questionnaires, and staff workshops.
Darryl took questions and comments from the floor relating to: how the membership of the focus groups had been selected, reducing the level of meetings, cutting food provided to meeting attendees and just providing tea and coffee, the format of meetings and the lack of participatory discussion and the possibilities of merging community council areas.
Darryl explained that a representative sample of meeting attendees had been selected to form the focus groups.
The meeting took part in a voting exercise on the options for community councils, the results of which are attached as an appendix to the minutes.