Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Margaret Bell, Yousef Dahmash and Jan Matecki.

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse declared a non-pecuniary interest as a Director of Healthwatch Warwickshire.

Councillor Sarah Feeney declared an interest as the parent of a child in receipt of SEND support.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2024.

The minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 5 September 2024 were agreed as an accurate record.

To note any requests to speak on any items that are on the agenda in accordance with the Council’s Public Speaking Scheme (see footnote to this agenda).

None registered.

A report outlining the Warwickshire County Council Adult Social Care Strategy 2024-30 for approval.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Margaret Bell

Councillor Sue Markham outlined the report on behalf of the Portfolio Holder Councillor Margaret Bell.

She explained that significant engagement over the past year with people who use our services, their carers, social care staff and the wider market, had provided the focus areas for the proposed Adult Social Care Strategy.  She explained that this was a five year plan designed to meet key challenges and she signposted Members to the three strategic outcomes which would be delivered.

The outcomes would be delivered through five focus areas as outlined in the report and together would make a significant contribution to the achievement of Warwickshire being a County where ‘people could live their best lives’.  Delivery of the five focus areas would guide activity over the next five years, building on the Adult Social Care Innovation and Improvement programme.

Progress of the strategy would be monitored and reported to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as required.

The Leader recognised that more Councils were designing strategies around a strength bases approach.

Councillor Roodhouse broadly supported the strategy’s direction and referred to the work that Healthwatch Warwickshire had undertaken earlier in the year.  He highlighted the self-help tools detailed in focus area one and hoped that officers would remain mindful of the digital divide.  Councillor Roodhouse reminded the meeting of the pressures being encountered with hospital discharges.  He also noted the development in new technologies but was mindful that many people still wanted human interaction.

Councillor Sarah Feeney felt there was a lot of encouraging work in the document and asked for clarification on how the Council was coping with the increased demand for mental health support.  She queried if the pressures on the NHS were being picked up by the Council and asked how it was engaging constructively with partners.

Councillor Andy Crump felt that scrutiny had an important role to play in monitoring how the strategy was working.  He also referred to the work undertaken by the Fire and Rescue Service within the community such as Safe & Well checks.  He reminded the meeting of the decision to drive money into prevention and protection through the Resourcing To Risk work.

Councillor Martin Watson welcomed the report which he felt was well written and detailed clearly what was going to be done, the impact and how the work would be measured.

Councillor Markham thanked Members for their positive comments and referred to the delivery plan which set out how outcomes would be measured.

In response to Councillor Feeney’s query, the Executive Director for Adult Social Care and Health, Becky Hale, noted the increased demand for mental health services.  However, she did not feel that the pressures across the NHS and local government were counteracting each other and gave assurance that the Section 75 joint arrangements were working well.  She referred to the recent Community Transformation update provided at the overview and scrutiny meeting which noted that there were more people able to access help.  Officers were monitoring this and working with CWPT  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

A report requesting support for the further establishment of SEND resourced provisions.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Kam Kaur

Councillor Kam Kaur introduced the report which she was pleased to be able to outline to Members. 

She explained that over a period of time, a number of resourced provisions had been agreed and the report outlined the strategic direction being followed.  Councillor Kaur gave an overview of the current situation in some mainstream schools and how there was evidence of a demand for resourced provision.  This provision allowed students to be educated near to home, with lessened travel time and had the added benefit of enabling students to remain in education in their communities and study with their peers.

Councillor Kaur highlighted some of the work undertaken this year and referred to the statistics shared at the Overview and Scrutiny meeting, which had included an increase in numbers of students needing EHCP’s.  Cabinet had previously endorsed the Delivering Better Value programme of work and one of the key workstreams was to expand the number of resourced provision places from 168 to 529 by 2028.

She highlighted the finances detailed at paragraph 2.3 of the report which, based on Department for Education announcements, would lead to a cumulative budget of £21million for the period 2024 to 2028.  It was hoped that this investment would help to future proof Warwickshire and the needs of its residents.

Councillor Isobel Seccombe welcomed the paper which built on the work that the Portfolio Holder had been carrying out with the department. 

In response to a query from Councillor Sue Markham, Councillor Kaur provided further information on the engagements undertaken with schools including monthly meetings and discussions with Chief Executive Officers of different consortiums and head teachers to share good practice.  The recent Headteachers Conference had highlighted the SEND challenges within schools and the pressures on the workforce.

Councillor Sarah Feeney raised a concern that smaller, village schools may become oversubscribed because they were consistently performing well at providing support.

The Leader agreed, citing a small school in her division that was in demand as they provided excellent support.  She reiterated the important part the local community played in enabling a child to thrive.

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse broadly welcomed the report and acknowledged the restrictions on local authorities to direct schools.  He asked if it was possible to know where there were schools that were not yet engaging as it would be useful for all elected members to know what was happening in their area.  He also asked for any more information on staffing and whether there were enough people coming through the system.

Councillor Kaur acknowledged the comments and assured that the Council was very mindful of the challenges and how to manage situations when the support did not work.  She felt that the Early Years Pathway was a tool to get the transition right from an early stage.  There was more detail that could be shared on workforce streams and although the EHCP figures were changing daily, she offered to share those to demonstrate how demand was increasing.  In relation to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To approve the proposed allocation of the Household Support Fund to assist with the provision of crisis support to vulnerable households.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Heather Timms

Councillor Heather Timms introduced the report which proposed the allocation of the Household Support Fund for use between 1 October 2024 and 31 March 2025.

Councillor Timms explained that the fund was allocated to the Council by the Department of Work and Pensions, with Warwickshire’s allocation totalling £3.47 million.  The intention was to deliver this via Warwickshire’s Local Welfare Scheme which was well established and had run successfully in previous years.  She reminded Members that the funds had to be spent and could not be held over for future usage.

The report advised that the funding would be used to provide short term support for food, energy and water bills and other wider essentials with more detail provided at section 3.4 of the report. Additional work would include winter warm packs to pensioners and residents in receipt of disability benefit, cost of living vouchers for care leavers, winter warm hubs, foodbanks and a variation to the Act on Energy Warm and Well contract.

Having received no questions or comments, Councillor Timms outlined the recommendations as written.

Resolved

That Cabinet

1)    Approves the proposed allocation of the £3.47m Household Support Fund (HSF) for use between 01 October 2024 and 31 March 2025 as set out in the report and authorises the Executive Director for Resources to distribute the same in accordance with this allocation report; and

2)    Should the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (“the Secretary of State”) make any future determinations in relation to the Household Support Fund, delegates authority for revision to any funding allocation to the Executive Director for Resources, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate & Culture.

A report requesting approval of the Council’s new Armed Forces Covenant Pledge.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Heather Timms

Councillor Heather Timms introduced the report which outlined the new Armed Forces Covenant Pledge.  This reflected the Council’s commitment to creating opportunities for the armed forces communities across Warwickshire.

Section 1.2 of the report detailed the considerable level of work carried out in Warwickshire since the first covenant was entered into in 2012.  This had included working in partnership with other local authorities, education and employment support and covered reservist and cadet force personnel.  Each section of the pledge had been developed and agreed with all council directorates and services.  Councillor Timms expressed her pleasure to be hosting the covenant signing event in November alongside Coventry City Council, Stratford District, Warwick District and local businesses.

Councillor Martin Watson was fully supportive of the decision to re-commit to the covenant and recognised the good work and support provided by the Council.  In response to a query relating to uptake levels in neighbouring areas, Councillor Timms advised that officers continued to work to generate as much uptake as possible.

Councillor Isobel Seccombe recalled the original commitment made in 2012 and gave credit to the Armed Forces Champions who had worked hard to generate interest, including former County Councillor Bob Stephens.  The armed forces bases located in or near to Warwickshire were discussed, along with the recruitment to particular regiments associated with the area.

Councillor Crump agreed with the comments made, stating that former councillors and advocates of the covenant would be extremely pleased to see this work continuing.  He welcomed the report as he represented many ex-service personnel in his area.

Having considered the report, Cabinet agreed the recommendations as laid out.

Resolved

That Cabinet

1)    Approves the Council’s new Armed Forces Covenant Pledge attached at Appendix 1; and

2)    Authorises the Executive Director for Resources in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate, and Culture to agree such minor modifications to the new Pledge as may be necessary from time to time.

To receive a report recommending an addition to the Capital Programme and authorising the procurement of necessary contracts and associated agreements, as required.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Peter Butlin

Councillor Peter Butlin introduced the report which outlined the highway improvement scheme at the A452, Europa Way, Gallows Hill, Harbury Lane and Heathcote Lane roundabout, following development at Asps Farm, Warwick.

The report recommended the addition of the scheme into the Capital programme following the permission of a substantial housing development, totally 900 houses and a primary school.  The work would cover an upgrade to the roundabout providing better access for pedestrians and cyclists.

The scheme would be fully funded by developer contributions and any unforeseen costs would be met by the developers.

Councillor Butlin referred to the scheduling of works which had been very intricate and well managed by all parties involved.  He also signposted Members to a plan of the five spoke roundabout and site location.

Having received no questions or comments, Councillor Butlin outlined the recommendations as detailed on page 69 of the agenda.

Resolved

That Cabinet

1)    Recommends to Council the addition of £3.7million to the Capital Programme in relation to the section 278 highway improvement scheme at the A452, Europa Way, Gallows Hill/Harbury Lane/Heathcote Lane Roundabout (The Asps 1D), which will be fully funded by developer contributions; and

2)    Authorises subject to Council’s agreement to the required addition to the Capital Programme, the Executive Director for Communities to procure and enter into any necessary construction contracts and associated agreements required to implement the scheme on terms and conditions acceptable to the Executive Director for Resources and subject to the requirements of the section 278 agreements with the developers.

To consider passing the following resolution:

‘That members of the public be excluded from the meeting for the items mentioned below on the grounds that their presence would involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972’.

Resolved:

That members of the public be excluded from the meeting for the items mentioned below on the grounds that their presence would involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972.

To consider the exempt minutes of the 5 September 2024 meeting of Cabinet.

The exempt minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 5 September 2024 were agreed as an accurate record.

A report requesting approval to commence a procurement process for the provision of an integrated 0-19 Public Health Nursing Service.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Margaret Bell

Councillor Sue Markham introduced the item and summarised the exempt report.

Resolved

That the recommendations as set out in the exempt report were agreed.

The meeting ended at 14.41