The Head of Customer Services has submitted a report which seeks approval of a new service specification for commissioning advice services.

Officer Recommendations: That the City Executive Board:

1.  Approve the specification for commissioning advice services as set out in Appendix 1.

2.  Agree that the identification of the priority area to be included in the service specification together with the associated outcomes and measures are delegated to the portfolio holder for Customer Services and Social Inclusion and the Head of Customer Services to agree with the commissioned advice agencies prior to 1 October 2014.

The Head of Customer Services submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) which sought approval of a new service specification for commissioning advice services.

Cllr Susan Brown, Executive Board Member for Customer Services and Social Inclusion presented the report.

The Head of Customer Services outlined one change to the report, in paragraph 12; the first sentence should read “For 2015/16 the priority area will be in line with the Council’s Financial Inclusion Strategy”

Cllr Tanner said the discussion should focus on teaching people how to spend money well rather than telling them how to spend their money. Personal catastrophe causes people to get into debt rather than financial mismanagement.

Cllr Seamons asked how the Board was to monitor the outcomes. Cllr Price said a monitoring report would come back to CEB once the priority areas and measures had been agreed.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.  Approve the specification for commissioning advice services as set out in Appendix 1.

2.  Agree that the identification of the priority area to be included in the service specification together with the associated outcomes and measures are delegated to the portfolio holder for Customer Services and Social Inclusion and the Head of Customer Services to agree with the commissioned advice agencies prior to 1 October 2014.