Agenda item

Councillors Janet Gardner, Phoday Jarjussey and Mo Khursheed attended as Ward Councillors in support of the petition.   

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised at the meeting included the following:

• The lead petitioner advised that the 90 residents at Jupiter House had not been advised as to what was going on and that a decision had been made without them.  Residents had been keen to be involved in the process but had not been advised of which organisations had been shortlisted to provide the service;
• Some residents of Jupiter House had previously lived in YMCA run establishments and had not had a pleasant experience.  They felt that there was a possibility that YMCA might treat Jupiter House as a hostel and not think of the needs of its residents;
• Residents at Jupiter House often had complex care needs and were worried that their needs would not be met once YMCA had taken over;
• Concern was expressed about the continuity of services once YMCA had taken over, e.g., would the IT facilities, education, training and employment support facilities be retained;
• It was stated that the number of complaints about Jupiter House had decreased over the last two years and the number regarding YMCA residents had increased;
• As a result of discussions with residents, future procurement processes would include consultation that strongly emphasised how important it was for service users and stakeholders to respond; and
• The local Ward Councillors would continue to hold monthly ward surgeries at Jupiter House to address any concerns that the residents might have about the changes as they were implemented or any changes in standards.

Councillor Philip Corthorne listened to the concerns of those present and responded to the points raised.  He advised that he had no power to reverse the decision to let the contract to YMCA. 

The Young People and Care Leavers Strategy had been developed in 2009 and had resulted in an open tendering process taking place in 2010 in relation to residential facilities across the Borough.  With regard to the process that had been undertaken, it was noted that the Council had consulted with the Jupiter House residents (a focus group of Jupiter House residents and a questionnaire) as well as with care leavers. 

It was noted that the YMCA-run Ventura House in Hayes was not comparable with Jupiter House as it was a hostel rather than a foyer.  Officers advised that they had not approached tenderers to arrange visits to one of their comparable foyers as it was likely that they would have been shown an extremely good example rather than a typical example which would not have been helpful. 

Although the Council had not been permitted to involve current service users in the tender evaluation process (as there would have been a conflict of interest), more could have been done to ensure that they were aware of what was being proposed.  The Head of Democratic Services and the Borough Solicitor would be asked to review the consultation process that had been undertaken in relation to Jupiter House and provide the Cabinet Member with guidance on these procedures for future reference.

It was noted that West London YMCA had written to all Jupiter House residents on 1 September 2011 to explain about the future service provision but that these letters had not been received.  Petitioners were advised that the service provision would remain largely the same and that there were a number of current staff that would transfer to YMCA under TUPE.  Officers were asked to ensure that Jupiter House residents were provided with a copy of the letter (which confirmed responses to questions raised at the residents' meeting that took place on 11 August 2011) and a copy of the new service specification. 

Petitioners were assured that Mr Chris Bewley would be managing the YMCA contract at Jupiter House.  Mr Bewley would make regular visits to the premises so that he could receive feedback on the service provision.  It was noted that, whilst West London YMCA would be providing the service, the building would still be managed by Stonham. 

RESOLVED:  That the Cabinet Member:

1. acknowledged the petitioners’ concerns and notes the content of the report for the purpose of responding to the petition;
2. asked officers to ensure that Jupiter House residents were provided with the letter from West London YMCA confirming responses to questions raised at the special residents' meeting that took place on 11 August 2011 and also access to a copy of the new service specification; and
3. requested that the Head of Democratic Services and the Borough Solicitor review the consultation process that was undertaken in relation to Jupiter House and provide the Cabinet Member for Social Services, Health and Housing with guidance on these procedures for future reference.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

The Cabinet Member has all the required information available to enable him to respond to the petition.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

No alternatives were considered.