Minutes:
(1) The Leader updated the Council on events since the previous meeting.
(2) Mr Carter referred to the significant progress that had been made in finding solutions for the £94 million savings that needed to be found for the next Financial year, this would be considered later in the meeting.
(3) Mr Carter referred to the progress that had been made across all agencies, particularly Kent Police and Highways England to ensure that all Kent Highways were kept open at the ports of Folkestone and Dover post Brexit. In relation to post-Brexit M26 lorry park plans, Mr Carter had expressed his concerns to the Secretary of State. Mr Carter confirmed that Kent County Council supported the Traffic Assessment Project (TAP) which would allow both of the M20 carriageways to be kept open, with a contraflow system in both directions. He referred to an opportunity to introduce TAP in Lydden, Dover, in order to increase capacity as lorries embarked onto the ferry service. Mr Carter stated that he and Mr Whiting would be attending a multi-agency meeting with the Secretary of State in upcoming weeks to discuss the plan further.
(4) Mr Carter confirmed that Kent County Council were working closely with Bexley Council and Dartford Borough Council to promote the vision to construct a Crossrail extension from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet.
(5) Mr Carter referred to the challenges from the Sir John Armitt review of the Thames gateway.
(6) In relation to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) Mr Carter stated that Kent County Council was campaigning to change the Government’s view on the proposed governance arrangements of LEPs. He expressed the view that LEPs could not operate without the help and input of County Councils. Mr Carter explained that signatures had been received from almost every leader in county governance, supporting the County Council’s involvement in LEPs and asking the Secretary of State to re-consider.
(7) Mr Bird, the Leader of the Opposition, referred to the recent letter from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care which announced that an extra £240 million would be allocated to Councils in the coming year and Mr Bird welcomed the £6 million that Kent County Council would receive.
(8) Mr Bird expressed his views on the need for a more radicalised approach to social care in the UK and the need for a closer integration of social care services. Mr Bird said that the pressure on providing hospital beds could be reduced by encouraging healthy lifestyles and healthy living environments.
(9) Mr Bird supported the views expressed by Mr Carter in relation to the extension of the Crossrail Elizabeth Line from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet.
(10) In relation to LEPs, Mr Bird agreed with Mr Carter that local authorities needed to be a significant part of the governance associated with LEPs, whilst ensuring that the governance of LEPs reflected the voice of communities.
(11) In conclusion, Mr Bird thanked Mr Carter for clarifying Kent County Council’s views on the post-Brexit M26 lorry park plans and said that the plans, if implemented, would have a detrimental impact on Kent.
(12) Mr Farrell, Leader of the Labour Group, expressed his views on the LEP’s governance arrangements and the Crossrail extension from Abbey Wood to Ebbsfleet, and welcomed the additional £6 million that Kent County Council would receive from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
(13) Mr Farrell said that the Local Government Association had launched a nationwide consultation to start a debate which would seek ways to provide additional support to the social care services caring for older and disabled people.
(14) Mr Farrell expressed his views on social care services in the UK and said that whilst populations continued to rise, and social care needs became more complex, continuing to build bigger hospitals and social care facilities was not a logical solution to reducing the pressure on providing hospital beds.
(15) Mr Farrell referred to the Care Quality Commission's identification of areas in the country in which joined-up working between health and social care services could be improved, whilst the proposed appointment of a Director of Partnerships within the Adult Social Care Directorate was an important step in the right direction, much more needed to be done.
(16) Mr Farrell expressed his views on the additional £20 billion of funding that would be allocated to the NHS and said that the additional resource should focus on providing a good standard of social care to vulnerable individuals whilst promoting health and wellbeing.
(17) In conclusion, Mr Farrell welcomed a conversation between Kent County Council and the NHS to explore ways in which post-discharge beds could be provided in communities and halfway houses.
(18) Mr Whybrow, Leader of the Independents Group started by congratulating all of the staff at Brockhill Country Park that had been involved in the Country Park of the Year award, and congratulated country park staff for the work they had done to eradicate single use plastic.
(19) Mr Whybrow expressed his concerns relating to Operation Stack.
(20) Mr Whybrow supported the views expressed by Mr Farrell in relation to the Local Government Association consultation paper on adult social care.
(21) Mr Whybrow referred to the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and expressed his concerns about how the ever-increasing global temperature would affect every resident in Kent.
(22) Mr Whybrow referred to the need to put the Kent Environmental Strategy into the mainstream and have a zero-emissions strategy.
(23) In replying to the other Leaders’ comments, Mr Carter referred to the additional money that Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, had provided for supporting social care to facilitate timely hospital discharge and to prevent people needing to be admitted to hospital.
(24) Mr Carter stated that the additional £20 billion that would be allocated to the NHS should be invested in local care to ensure that health, alongside social care, could deliver what was needed to continue to help and support the elderly, frail and vulnerable.
(25) Mr Carter referred to his work with the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership and stated that a key focus had been for the Local Care Implementation Board to ensure that a greater proportion of the NHS budget was invested into local care. He hoped that the awaited Adult Social Care Green Paper would support this approach and referred to the lobbying from the LGA and the County Council Network to encourage much-needed additional resource to be put into adult social care working alongside NHS partners.