Title and Reference – PCC/D/124
Subject: Addendum to Decision PCC/D/093 Youth Offending Service (YOS) Funding Agreement
Report of: Police and Crime Commissioner
Date: 27/12/2023

Summary:
A decision was made previously to accept monitoring from the YOS’ in the same schedule as the data that is presented and confirmed through the Community Safety Partnerships and at the Criminal Justice Board and the YOS Strategic Managements Boards. Via this process, YOS are providing sufficient data through the report prepared. The implications of this financial approach meant that payment in arrears would be delayed, with the first quarter being paid in October 2023 as opposed to July 2023, with each payment being a quarter in arrears of the standard payment schedule.

Further to decision paper PCC/D/093, a financial concern was raised by Luton YOS to report that payment in arrears in line with the revised monitoring structure, leading to a 3-month delay would present financial implications at year end, with quarter 4 not being invoiced for until 3 months after the funding period had ended in June/ July 2024. This presents an issue at the point of budgeting and forecasting future spend and need for accruals to manage funds.
YOS are providing sufficient data through the report prepared for the Community Safety Partnerships and at the Criminal Justice Board and the YOS Strategic Managements Boards which subsequently includes data to be captured for commissioning purposes.

Recommendation:

A recommendation is made to fund YOS in line with all other providers, at the end of each quarter in line with the financial year as opposed to upon receipt of the monitoring report as prepared and submitted for the Community Safety Partnerships and at the Criminal Justice Board and the YOS Strategic Managements Boards.

Given that data is provided sufficiently via this route and therefore is a collaborative approach to funding the YOS, there is merit in providing funding in according with financial quarters.

It is to be noted that the Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire maintain the right to withhold or withdraw funding from YOS if there are concerns raised or performance/ delivery activities do not align to the grant agreement.

Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
I hereby approve the recommendations above.