North Wales Assembly Member and Shadow Secretary for Communities, Mark Isherwood, has raised concerns in the Assembly Chamber this week over Flintshire County Council’s removal of discretionary rate relief from Scout groups.
Mr Isherwood told the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children, Carl Sargeant AM, that ScoutsCymru is concerned about the impact this is going to have, particularly on young people from poorer backgrounds.
He said:
“ScoutsCymru has carried out a number of independent evaluations. An independent impact assessment in 2011 found that 89 per cent identified that Scouting had helped them build key skills, including social, team working and leadership.
“A more recent report on the employability of young people in Scouting has found that this had helped them develop the skills that they need in work and helped their future employability. This year, Edinburgh University released the results of a study into mental well-being, finding a positive impact on those who participated in Scouting or Guiding throughout their lives.
“Concerns have been raised by ScoutsCymru regarding Flintshire - and I’m not picking on Flintshire, but it’s just that they tell me that it’s thus far the only county that’s done this - regarding the removal of discretionary rate relief from Scout groups and the impact that that’s going to have, particularly on young people from poorer backgrounds.
“They’ve also been refused access to Flintshire Council’s hardship fund, where they say that the work that they’re doing is actually providing assets to the community and helping the local authority do more with the resource available. While you may not want to be specific about Flintshire, what actions can you take to engage with local authorities to recognise that projects such as this are actually part of doing things better and not an easily disposable cost?”
The Cabinet Secretary replied:
“Flintshire aside, I am familiar with the issue that the Member raises and I think that for one of the Scout groups involved in that, the actual cost—and while I recognise that the Member is raising a general principle of investment—the actual cost to the Scout group is £1 per week in terms of the increase in their rateable value or the rate cost. I think it’s around that number.
“Notwithstanding that, I do recognise that the value of Scouts and other organisations have to be considered in terms of a very challenged financial settlement for local authorities. But I do, and I think they do also, value the contribution that they make to our communities.”
Mr Isherwood added: “Until the Labour Welsh Government starts helping local authorities and other public sector bodies to understand that supporting community-based voluntary organisations is about improving lives and therefore saving money for the statutory services that they provide, we will continue to see vast sums of public money wasted on dealing with the avoidable social and economic consequences”.