Agenda and minutes

Resolved that the Minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2011 be agreed and signed by the Chairman as a true record.

– Report by Mr J Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Finance & Business Support and Mr A Wood, Acting Corporate Director for Finance & Procurement and Corporate Directors)

(1)    Mr Simmonds outlined the key elements of this report and highlighted the main pressures.  Despite these the overall position of the budget was similar to how things had been in the past at this time of the year.  Mr Wood said that if management of the budget continued as at present then there was no reason to think that the budget would not be balanced or have a small surplus at year end.  Mr Lynes referred to page 114 of the report and raised a question regarding call volumes and training for staff in the Contact Centre.  Ms Honey said she would look into these matters and also said a review of the Contact Centre was currently underway.

(2)    Mr Carter placed on record his thanks to officers for the work they were putting in to keep the budget on track.  He also said Cabinet Members and Corporate Directors needed to continue to focus on management actions in order to maximise opportunities and reduce pressures.  Mr Carter also asked for an update on Asylum matters to be submitted to a future meeting of Cabinet. 

Cabinet resolved to:

(a)    note the latest monitoring position on the revenue and capital budgets,

               (b)       agree the changes to revenue cash limits within the ASC&PH & SCS portfolios to reflect realignment of budgets in line with 2010-11 outturn and changing trends of service provision.

               (c)        agree the changes to revenue cash limits within the EHW portfolio to reflect the restructure of KHS, revisions to waste contracts and realignment of budgets in light of the 2010-11 outturn.

               (d)       note that residual pressures are currently forecast within the SCS & CCS&I portfolios and management action is forecast to be delivered within the F&BS, BSP&HR and Deputy Leader’s portfolios.

               (e)       note and agree the changes to the capital programme,

               (f)         agree that £5.246m of re-phasing on the capital programme is moved from 2011-12 capital cash limits to future years

               (g)       agree the £0.300m transfer of funding from Preliminary Design Fees for the Improvement to Maidstone High Street

               (h)        agree the £0.274m transfer of funding from Broadmeadow Extension to Older Persons Strategy – Dorothy Lucy Centre

               (i)         agree the £0.080m and £0.045m transfer of funding from Tunbridge Wells Respite Centre and Bower Mount respectively to the LD Good Day programme

               (j)         note the latest financial health indicators and prudential indicators

               (k)        note the directorate staffing levels as at the end of June.

               (l)         note that the final split of Early Years’ budgets between “standards and quality assurance in early years settings” (ELS portfolio) and “provision of early years and childcare” (SCS portfolio) has not yet been resolved . As a transitional arrangement the entire budget is currently lodged in the SCS portfolio.

               (m)        agree a virement of £0.307m from the under spend on the debt charges budget within the Finance  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

– Report by Mr R Gough, Cabinet Member for Business Strategy, Performance & Health Reform and Ms K Kerswell, Managing Director)

(Mr R Fitzgerald, Performance Manager was present for this item)

(1)    This report presented the Performance Report which provided Cabinet with information on the key areas of the Council’s performance activity for the first quarter of 2011/12.

(2)    Mr Gough said the quarterly report replaced the previous Core Monitoring report and at this stage was still in development.  The report was therefore still being developed and would contain more information as the year progressed.  Mr Gough also spoke of the work the Performance Assurance Team and Delivery Assurance Team.  These were two officers groups who within their terms of reference had been tasked with regularly reviewing the information included in the Quarterly Report.  Mr Lynes said and it was agreed future reports would as appropriate include reference to the relevant Cabinet Member.  Mr Carter said the format of this report was a step in the right direction but asked Cabinet Members and Corporate Directors to challenge the information coming forward.

(3)    Cabinet resolved to note the report

– Report by Mr G Gibbens, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Public Health and Mr M Newsam, Interim Corporate Director, Families & Social Care)

(Mr M Thomas-Sam, Adult Social Care Business Strategy was present for this item)

(1)    Mr Gibbens said as he would be making the decision on this matter as the relevant portfolio holder he wanted his decision to be informed by the views reached by the Cabinet and also those reached by the Adult Social Care and Public Health Policy Overview Committee which was meeting on Tuesday 20 September 2011.  In answer to questions, Mr Gibbens said in undertaking this review there had been wide consultation and every effort had been made to ensure people had been provided with the right information, and that work would be ongoing.  Mr Thomas-Sam said the report made clear the basis on which the review had been undertaken and presented the results of the consultation exercise.  The report also considered the implications for service users and any impact on inequalities.

(2)    Cabinet resolved to agree that:

(a)    the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health take the final decision to implement the revised charging policy after taking into account the views expressed in the Cabinet report and those of the Adult Social Care and Public Health Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committee which was meeting on 20 September 2011.

(b)    and for the reasons set out in the Cabinet report, the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health should take the decision to approve the proposed change of name of the policy to the ‘Non-Residential Charging Policy’.

– Report by Mrs J Whittle, Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services and Mrs M White, Business Strategy and Support)

(1)    Mrs Whittle said this report set out the methodology and outcomes of the strategic review of the current Kent Children’s Trust Board arrangements.  The report made recommendations for changed arrangements which were required in order to meet statutory responsibilities.  The report also proposed other arrangements that focused on joint commissioning to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.  Mrs Whittle referred also to paragraph 3.2 of the report which detailed the proposed membership of the new Children and Young People’s Joint Commissioning Board.  Mr Carter spoke of the importance of having the right connections between the locality based trust boards and the role of KCC members as corporate parents.

(2)    Cabinet resolved to approve the following actions:

(a)  for the reasons described in the Cabinet report, to cease the Kent Children’s Trust Board and replace it with a  Children and Young people’s Joint Commissioning Board.

(b)    agree the membership and chairmanship arrangements as proposed in section 3.2 of the Cabinet report.

(c)     agree to the establishment of a stakeholder advisory group, taking account of the stakeholder engagement requirements of other key strategic Boards and groups; and,

(d)    a review the new arrangements be undertaken in 12 months time.

– Report by Mrs J Whittle, Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services and Mr M Newsam, Interim Corporate Director, Families & Social Care)

(1)    This report provided Cabinet with an update on progress on the Children’s Services Improvement Plan and outlined the focus for the next six months.  Mrs Whittle said that with thanks to the staff involved significant progress continued to be made and as a result a firm grip had been restored with respect to the allocation of cases.  Mrs Whittle also reported on a meeting with the Children’s Minister who had been reassured as to the progress being made and future focus.  Mrs Whittle also gave an update on the campaign to recruit more experienced social workers.  There would be a further update to a future meeting of Cabinet on the help and support the Council is giving to support vulnerable families and individuals and also on the recruitment campaign.

(2)    Cabinet resolved to

(a)    the achievement of the August Improvement Notice Targets

(b)    the very significant progress that had been made since the last quarterly report, and

(c)     the themes that would  be the focus of the Phase 2 Improvement Plan

– Report by Mr G Gibbens, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and Mr M Newsam, Interim Corporate Director, Families & Social Care) (Mr Gough made a personal declaration of interest in that he is a co-opted member of the PCT cluster Board)

(1)    This report asked Cabinet for approval to utilise the PCT funding for social care improving health outcomes across the seven broad areas in line with the Department of Health guidance. The report also requested delegated authority to officers to commission the services needed and agree with the PCT to deliver these improved outcomes.

(2)    Mr Gibbens said the main thrust of this report was about having in place mechanisms which focused on allowing people to receive the help and support they needed in order for them to stay in their own homes.  Mr Gibbens highlighted in particular the agreed investment areas for Kent as detailed in paragraph 6 of the Cabinet report.  Mr Gough spoke about the need to promote sustainable health strategies which should be a focus for the Health and Wellbeing Boards.  Mr Lynes said he welcomed the report and spoke of the need to ensure members serving on Locality Boards where provided with a proper briefing on the role and purpose of those Boards.  Mr Carter said he agreed with the need to have member briefings and also said senior officers with the Families and Social Care Directorate should not take any decisions regarding the commissioning of services under delegated authority until such time as they had had proper opportunity to familiarise themselves with the detail of the policy and its implications.  

(3)    Cabinet agreed to:

a)        Note the content of the report and the deployment of the re-ablement monies

b)           Approve the use of the PCT funding for social care improving health outcomes across the seven broad areas in line with the Department of Health  guidance

c)    senior officers within the Families and Social Care Directorate should not be authorised to take any decisions regarding the commissioning of services under delegated authority until such time as they had had full and proper opportunity to familiarise themselves with the detail of the policy and its implications.  

Cabinet resolved that the minutes of these meetings be noted 

– report by Mr A King, Deputy Leader and Mr P Sass, Head of Democratic Services)

Resolvedthat the comments and actions detailed in the report be noted.