Agenda item - The future of the OPC

A discussion on the future of the OPC (paper to be supplied by the OPC)

335.1  This item was introduced by Penny Morley, who outlined three options for the future of the OPC:

·         Beginning conversations with like-minded community & voluntary sector organisations in order to plan for a future without council funding

·         Continuing to lobby Councillors to restore funding

·         Vote to dissolve the OPC.

Ms Morley noted that when previously discussed by OPC members at a business meeting, the favoured option was Option 1.

335.2  Members discussed whether further lobbying Councillors was likely to prove productive. Ms Morley argued that it was not, as two of the three political groups had recently voted to discontinue OPC funding at a Policy, Resources & Growth Committee meeting and were unlikely to have altered their stance since then.

335.3  Jack Hazelgrove proposed that Option 2 be amended: the OPC should continue in its present form until early 2019 (using the £5K transitional funding offered by the council to cover 18/19 support costs), and should then lobby all candidates for the 2019 local elections, seeking restoration of financial support.

335.4  There was debate as to whether option 1 would be feasible, with no OPC Secretary in position to undertake negotiation with potential partners. Lynne Shields suggested that some of the transitional funding could potentially be used to make the post of Secretary a paid position.

335.5  Members also discussed: using lower cost meeting venues (a Care Home in Carden Avenue has offered free use of a room); and drafting a new OPC constitution (the Chair confirmed that Mike Bojczuk has offered to do this).

335.6  It was agreed that the decision on options should be deferred until the next OPC Business meeting (October 2017), and that no speaker should be booked for this meeting so as to give plenty of time for debate.