Agenda and minutes

Councillor Peter Butlin announced that Warwickshire Property and Development Group (WPDG) had won the Newcomer of the Year Award at the Insider Media Midlands Property Awards 2024.  He applauded the efforts of WPDG and the Council’s teams for their efforts.

Councillor Jan Matecki

None.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 17 October 2024.

The minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 17 October 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).

Councillor Isobel Seccombe welcomed Mr Richard Dickson (a resident of Kenilworth) to the meeting to speak on agenda item 2 “2024/25 Financial Monitoring - Forecast position at Quarter 2”.

Mr Dickson advised that he had some questions regarding the A46 improvement project, which had also recently been discussed at a West Midlands Combined Authority meeting:

1.     Has the design review been completed, approved and submitted?

2.     When is the County Council planning to have completed its review of costs and when will the County Council publish both what the extra costs are budgeted to be and whether local taxpayers will be required to contribute towards these costs?

3.     When is the County Council currently planning that all the improvement works at this junction will be completed?

Mr Dickson indicated that he hoped the answer to question 1 would be ‘yes’, to question 2 ‘by the end of November’ and to question 3 ‘by the end of June 2025’.  He understood that major projects did not always run to plan but continued problems undermined trust in the Council and its elected representatives.

Councillor Seccombe noted that the Cabinet were receiving an update on the A46 Stoneleigh Junction scheme later in the meeting and that the relevant Portfolio Holder was not present.  However, she would endeavour to ensure that answers were provided to Mr Dickson, although this may take some time due to the exempt nature of the report.  She also noted that Mr Dickson had attended Cabinet on two occasions to ask questions regarding the scheme and it was clear that there were other local interested parties.  She would therefore seek to find a way of providing a running update of frequently asked questions and answers that could be shared with all and she requested some forbearance whilst this was set up.

This report outlines forecast financial position of the organisation at the end of 2024/25 based on the information known at the end of the second quarter.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Peter Butlin

Councillor Peter Butlin, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property, reminded Members of the overspends because of service demand which were set out in the quarter 1 report and of the financial recovery plan that was put in place as a result.  The position in quarter 2 was a headline overspend of £41.6m, however, taking account of funding and reserves already set aside the net residual overspend was £9.5m which would need to be funded from reserves at the end of the financial year. In percentage terms, the net residual overspend was at 2.4% which was over the +/- 2% tolerance but it was a considerable improvement from the quarter 1 position when it was 6.7%.   Councillor Butlin noted that the net overspend masked the fact there was a £24.8m net service overspend, off-set by £15.3m corporate services underspend, which included higher than budgeted interest from treasury management returns.  He explained the service pressures related to an ongoing increase in volume and demand in social care (Adult and Children’s), market failure in terms of excessive costs for placements and lack of capacity, insufficient funding for SEND, and Home to School Transport. 

Councillor Butlin went on to outline the savings forecast as 59% of the £16.2m required for the year and explained that the shortfall (£6.6m) was largely due to the service pressures causing overspends.

He concluded by referring to the section of the report dealing with Capital, and the quarter 2 forecast for controllable spending which sat at £176.1m with the total forecast on capital spend rising to £201.2m when other spend such as s278 contributions and economic-growth related activity was also considered.  

Councillor John Holland commented on the need to focus on putting residents first.  He noted the challenges of bring up children with SEND and the high (emotional and financial) cost of taking children into care.  However, he considered that there was more to be done with partner agencies who were able to raise funds to support those who required services. 

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse referred to the unsustainable increases in demand for services set out in the report and whilst he had noted the content of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement particularly regarding funding for SEND, the detail of this and the Local Government Settlement were still awaited.  He had concerns regarding the service pressures causing overspends as although spending was slowing, the trajectory was still heading in the wrong direction and he sought assurance that the Council was not heading towards a Section 114 Notice from the Section 151 Officer. 

Councillor Isobel Seccombe noted that all groups would be having conversations with the finance team regarding budget preparations.  She noted that Officers had worked hard to support the Financial Recovery Plan and the Council was now in a better position. This did not resolve the challenge of increasing demand for services which was being faced nationally.   The Council was aware of the challenges and was working hard to mitigate the cost of demand by putting in solutions and trying  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

A report providing an update to Cabinet on the treasury management activities for 2024/25 as at quarter 2.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Peter Butlin

Councillor Peter Butlin, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property, introduced this report noting the excellent work with regard to investments which had generated income to offset costs.  He highlighted that interest rates had remained stable through most of the first half of 2024/25 leading to the interest income at quarter 2 on treasury investments being £8.8m against the annual budget of £2.5m.  This was helping offset the service overspends highlighted in the previous report but with the recent decrease in interest rates, and a rising DSG overspend, future reports would see this rate of return reduce.  External borrowing remained unchanged but Councillor Butlin considered that if the situation regarding the statutory override was not addressed, further borrowing would be necessary.

In response to a comment by Councillor Andy Crump regarding interest rates, Councillor Butlin stated that interest rates had fallen by 0.25% and he did not feel there was likely to be more significant movement but the team were doing an excellent job to maximise the Council’s investments.

Resolved:

That Cabinet notes the update on Treasury Management activity and performance in respect of the first two quarters of the 2024/25 financial year.

A report that updates Cabinet on progress against targets set out in the current Council Plan.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Yousef Dahmash

Councillor Yousef Dahmash, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, noted that the report summarised the Council’s performance in Quarter 2 against the strategic priorities, and Areas of Focus, set out in the Council Plan 2022-2027.

There were no questions on the report.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

1.        Notes the Quarter 2 2024/25 organisational performance; and

2.        Agrees to refer the report to Overview and Scrutiny Committees to consider, in detail, the information relevant to their individual remits.

This report seeks approval for the commencement of a procurement process for a hardware contract for the Schools ICT Traded Service.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Peter Butlin

Councillor Yousef Dahmash, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, introduced this paper seeking approval to commence procurement of a hardware contract for use by the Schools ICT Traded Service, who supplied hardware to Warwickshire schools.  The current contract was due to expire in 2025 and it was envisaged that the new contract would be in place to allow for a transition between providers.

There were no questions on the report.

Resolved:

That Cabinet

1.     Approves the commencement of a process to procure general ICT hardware for provision to schools within Warwickshire through the Schools ICT Traded Service; and

2.     Authorises the Executive Director for Resources to enter into any agreements necessary to implement recommendation 1 on terms and conditions acceptable to him.

A paper presenting the new vision for Leamington Town Centre for endorsement.

Cabinet Portfolio Holders – Councillors Martin Watson and Jan Matecki

In the absence of the Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, Councillor Isobel Seccombe advised that this item would be deferred to a future date.

Councillor Boad commented that she hoped the delay would not be significant and Councillor Seccombe responded that the delay gave an opportunity to reset and understand the funding position in more detail.

Resolved:

That the decision be deferred for consideration at a future meeting.

A paper seeking approval of a policy document that brings together existing guidance documents and separate policies relating to the Local Authority’s duties under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Kam Kaur

Councillor Kam Kaur, Portfolio Holder for Education, explained that when a child could not attend their educational setting because of a physical or mental health need, exclusion, or any other legitimate reason, the local authority was responsible for arranging suitable provision.  This report brought the existing guidance for the three categories under the Section 19 Duty, into a single document in order to ensure consistency and provide clarity for parents and schools.  Bringing attention to the demand and cost implications in the report, she noted that the policy was not proposing savings and there was an increased demand for the service, evidenced by 751 education health and care plans (EHCPs) being issued in 2023, rising to 1,010 currently and 1,200 expected by year end. 

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse welcomed the report, noting that the policy indicated it would be reviewed every three years and he questioned if this had always been the case, or if it should be a shorter timeframe.  He also questioned whether the figures associated with the report were reported annually to overview and scrutiny.

The Executive Director for Education indicated that requests under the Section 19 duty itself were not reported annually, but figures around the number of children affected by the policy were – eg the number of exclusions  Councillor Kam Kaur stated that she was supportive of the figures being provided to Scrutiny.  Councillor Seccombe noted that the policy stated review would be every three years or ‘where major changes in legislation or policy required it’ and she supported that flexibility.

Resolved:

That Cabinet approves Warwickshire’s policy for ‘Supporting children who are unable to attend their education setting under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996’, attached to the report at Appendices 1 and 2.

A paper presenting the Safe Accommodation Strategy 2025 – 2028 which outlines how Warwickshire will implement the statutory duties associated with the provision of safe accommodation, as required by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Cabinet Portfolio Holders – Councillors Andy Crump and Margaret Bell

Councillor Andy Crump, Portfolio Holder for Fire & Rescue and Community Safety, explained that this report presented a refresh of the existing 2021-2024 strategy which had been informed by contributions from local victims and survivors who had responded to a ‘call for evidence’ and endorsed by the Safer Warwickshire Partnership Board and Violence Against Women and Girls Board.  He noted the 2025-2028 Strategy continued with the five key objectives as outlined in the 2021-2024 Strategy which were detailed in the report.  He welcomed the report and continuing work with Refuge.

Councillor Margaret Bell, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care & Health similarly welcomed the report and the consultation with victims and survivors that had taken place.  She considered that the strategy reflected the different needs that had been highlighted by respondents to the ‘call for evidence’.  She looked forward to the multiagency delivery and seeing how that would work in practice.

Councillor Isobel Seccombe welcomed the report, noting the importance of keeping safe accommodation locations confidential.  Councillor Crump agreed that it was important to find the correct location for properties and noted the significant impact on children. 

Resolved:

That Cabinet

1.         Approves the Warwickshire Safe Accommodation Strategy 2025-2028, and

2.         Authorises the Executive Director for Social Care and Health to finalise the delivery plan 2025-2028 in consultation with the Portfolio Holders for Adult Social Care and Health and Fire & Rescue and Community Safety and partners.

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’.

Councillor Sarah Boad asked why the A46 Stoneleigh Junction Update report was considered confidential and was advised that it was due to ongoing legal negotiations.

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 17 October 2024 meeting of Cabinet.

The exempt minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 17 October 2024 were agreed as an accurate record.

This is an exempt report updating Cabinet on the A46 Stoneleigh Junction Scheme.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Jan Matecki

On behalf of the Portfolio Holder for Transport and Property, Councillor Peter Butlin, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property, introduced this item and summarised the exempt report.

Resolved:

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

This is an exempt report seeking approval to commence a procurement process for supported accommodation arrangements to replace the current contracts, which are due to end in 2025.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Sue Markham

Councillor Sue Markham, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families, introduced this item and summarised the exempt report.

Resolved:

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

An exempt report presenting a site-specific business case for approval.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Peter Butlin

Councillor Peter Butlin, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property, introduced this item and summarised the exempt report.

Resolved:

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