COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, October 08, 2012

MOTION NO.21

MOTION: Councillor E. Tuffy

That this Council, noting the decision of the Government, to merge the CPLN and DVP Area Based Partnerships, registers its support for the work of both Partnerships  in South Dublin County, and requests the Manager to write to the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, conveying the view of the Council  that it supports the work of CPLN and DVP,and is of the view that any proposed merger should protect specific projects of both Partnerships across the County and ensure that the services  provided for disadvantaged communities and individuals in the County are continued, and that there is no reduction in the financial and other resources currently available to the two Partnerships for Community Development actions.

REPORT:

A letter was received from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government on 22^nd June 2012 requesting that the two Partnerships and the Council come together to examine a plan for the future delivery of the LCDP to the Clondalkin and Tallaght areas with a view to creating a single structure for the delivery of the programme in the county.  It stated that a “proactive approach on the part of all three stakeholders in light of impending budget cuts in 2013 and 2014 could best position  the SDCC area to mitigate the effects of the cuts.”  The intention of the Department was that a plan would be in place within a short timeframe and that a new / remodelled structure would be in operation by the beginning of the 2013.

 In order to progress the matter an Oversight Group was established in July with the following membership:

• Philomena Poole, County Manager
• Anna Lee, CEO, Dodder Valley Partnership
• Marie Price Bolger, Chair, Dodder Valley Partnership
• Larry O Neill, Acting CEO, CPLN Partnership
• Padraig Rehill, Chair, CPLN Partnership
• Sarah O Gorman, SDCC

Initial meetings of the Oversight Group in were held in July and an agreed list of actions was carried out including:

High level information was provided by CPLN and Dodder Valley Partnerships including organisational charts, financial information, details of assets and leases, details of IT systems, and a list of employees terms and conditions including salaries, pensions, length of service and leave entitlements.     The Oversight Group is responsible for ensuring that any merger does not bring about any increased liability in terms of tax legal responsibilities or disadvantaging the county in terms of programmes.  The Group have now agreed that:- 

• A single entity can be put in place by end 2012 to allow for the transfer of the current programme contracts held by DVP and CPLN into 2013 and to submit a joint 2013 LCDP plan, as well as resolving any issues in programmes beyond the LCDP remit
• A single Board can be established but the exact composition needs to be agreed as a priority as well as the mechanism for establishment
• The appointment of the CEO and the Chairperson are key roles that will need to be agreed.
• There will be a need for more than one location to effectively deliver services but there will be a single HQ.
• When the technical exercise of a combined strategic plan and risk analysis are complete the detail of the model will be clearer and can be presented to the Boards.

A full listing of all known risks was prepared and it has been developed to form the basis of detailed proposals to go before the Boards of both Partnership Companies at the end of October.  In developing the proposals there has been a high level of agreement on the regard held for the work of the Local Development Companies in terms of innovation, direct delivery, collaborative working and area based impact.  There is also agreement on the opportunity presented to consolidate the work in a single county structure which could best position the county area to mitigate the effects of any impending budget cuts.

Subject to the agreement of the Boards the Oversight Group will move towards establishing the single county structure, a single Board of Directors and producting a joint LDCP Strategic Plan by December 2012 as well as developing a plan which will bring in all of the agreed programmes under the new entity and which will run from January to June 2013.  In this timeline the full merger will be complete by June 2013.

If the motion is passed details of the Members' sentiments will be conveyed to the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for his attention and reply.