COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, May 14, 2012
HEADED ITEM NO H 8.
ESTATE MANAGEMENT & COMMUNITY FORA UPDATE
Reports were presented to the Members at the Council meetings of 13th February 2012 in response to a question and a number of motions: and an update on the matter on 16th April 2102
The four projects referred to in the question are the:
- North Clondalkin Community Safety Forum
- South West Safety Forum,
- Fettercairn Estate Management
- Killinarden Estate Management Group.
The funding for the four projects – Fettercairn and Killinarden Estate Management Group and North Clondalkin Safety Forum and South West Clondalkin Safety Forum – was channelled through the Council from the Department to the groups and mainly provided for wages of the four workers plus miscellaneous funding for small projects and/or administration. The four workers operate in a governance structure to a management Committee – SDCC has a representative on the Committees as do a number of other relevant state agencies and groups.
The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government advised the Council and the projects that as part of the Government’s Comprehensive Review of Expenditure and the 2012 Estimates process, difficult decisions have had to be taken in relation to prioritising funding for core services in all programme areas. The funding being provided to support this Department’s mainstreamed drugs projects under the Housing programme in 2012 has been reduced by 75%, i.e. from €400,000 to €100,000 (€496,000 in 2008). In respect of the four projects within South Dublin County Council the 2011 allocation was €210,000. They advised that in this context, it is no longer possible to continue to fund the mainstreamed drugs projects within that allocation.
Subsequently the Department of the Environment Community and Local Government provided additional pro rata funding to support the projects for the second quarter of 2012, i.e. to 30 June 2012.
This decision was made in order to ensure that projects have sufficient time to identify alternative streams of funding and/or to undertake a reconfiguration of project tasks and priorities.
The Minister advised that “---------- this funding is being provided strictly on a once-off basis and on the clear understanding that it represents an extension of the transitional arrangement only, thereby providing projects with sufficient time to undertake a fully comprehensive consultation to identify future alternative funding mechanisms. This payment represents the final housing budget contribution to the projects and no further mainstreamed funding will be provided by the Department. As previously, outlined, it will be a matter for other public funding bodies to identify the resources to deliver on the overall objectives of the reconfigured projects beyond end June 2012."
The Minister also acknowledged the difficulty for the Council to financially maintain the projects on an ongoing basis –“ -----however, I understand the Council has very limited discretionary expenditure in this regard. Therefore the ongoing sustainability of these projects should be determined in the context of the reprioritisation of key services within available resources. This should include modification and/or reconfiguration of services and rationalisation of administration costs, where appropriate." The last sentence refers to the services of the Drugs Task Forces.
The project workers have been an asset to the local communities, the Council and all other relevant state agencies in terms of information from within the local community, organising clean ups, summer projects, events, Local Policing Fora, working on joint projects generally funded in the main by the Council as well as providing a representational role on a number of Fora in the area. They are of value particularly in terms of their independent role within communities, particularly disadvantaged communities, and providing a valuable link between those communities and state agencies including the local authority. Their link specifically with the Council has been one of positive influence in tackling crime, anti social behaviour - all complex and sensitive issues - in addition to promoting the pro social behaviour agenda and providing confidence in the community in a partnership approach.
Their value and evidence-based work is especially crucial to the work and efforts of the Drugs Task Forces also and underpins pillars of the National Drugs Strategy. Drugs Task Forces have a key role under the National Drugs Strategy in responding to the drug problem in their areas and Community engagement is key to the successful implementation of the national drug strategy and to developing responses to emerging needs at a local level.
The Department advised that it would be a matter for all public funding bodies as part of the consultation process to identify resources to deliver on the overall objectives of the reconfigured projects beyond end of June 2012.
Council officials have, since the initial meeting with the DOECLG maintained contact with the Department and co-ordinated meetings with the stakeholders involved with the projects including Dodder Valley and CPLN Partnerships, Clondalkin and Tallaght Drugs Task Forces. The Council is also aware that the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, who has responsibility for the national drugs strategy, is currently undertaking a review of the structures that underpin the strategy at local, regional and national level. This will include how current funding structures can be improved or streamlined, particularly with local and regional drugs task forces.
The aim of the discussions has resulted in a proposal to maintain the four projects to the end of 2012 following identification of funds on a partnership basis between the Council and stakeholders namely Tallaght Drugs Task Force and CPLN.
In this regard from the Councils perspective it is proposed to identify a sum of €48,000 from the Tallaght Community Linkage Fund for the projects at Fettercairn and Killinarden with a contribution also from the Tallaght Drugs Task Force and a sum of €30,000 from the Councils own resources within the Community and Housing 2012 Budget with a contribution from the CPLN Partnership for the Safety Forum projects at North Clondalkin and South West Clondalkin. The procedure in terms of the Community Linkage Fund will be followed in the coming weeks. It is proposed that the funds will be advanced in two tranches ie end of June 2012 and end of September 2012 based on update report from the projects.
The Council contribution is identified across a range of budget codes to minimise the effect on any planned programmes. There is an understanding that this is a proposal for a once off contribution from the Council. This will maintain the projects to the end of 2012 only and will allow the projects to continue while the report of the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, who has responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, on the review of the structures that underpin the strategy at local, regional and national level is finalised. It is understood as advised that this will include how current funding structures can be improved or streamlined, particularly with local and regional drugs task forces.
The proposal provides an opportunity to the relevant projects and stakeholders for the report to be issued, for alternative funds to be sourced and /or for the collective structures to identify an alternative model for the delivery of service.
The financial assistance by the Council as identified and as outlined in the proposal is in respect of 2012 only and there is no possibility of funding from the Council beyond 2012. The financial sustainability of the projects will depend on the review as referred to above to provide the financial support into the future. The above is an approach that is proposed in the absence of a national solution to all the projects affected by the funding issue and should a national solution be advanced the funding proposal as outlined above will not be required.
The approval of the Council to the proposal as presented is requested.