Agenda and minutes

None.

To agree the minutes of the meeting of 1 June 2015 as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 June 2015 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman accordingly.

To receive a report and presentation detailing the progress of Kent’s Dementia Friendly Communities Programme and agreeing to become ‘Dementia Friends’.

Cabinet received a presentation and training session in order to become ‘Dementia Friends’. 

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health introduced the session to members, he explained that the Prime Minister had been supportive of communities becoming more dementia friendly and in December 2014 had taken the same training with his Cabinet. 

He referred to areas of good practice already being undertaken in the County and welcomed officers to the table to make the presentation and to run the training session.

Anne Tidmarsh, Emma Hanson and Alison Carter presented to Cabinet information about current practice and future aims for working with people with dementia and the dementia friends programme and how this work would support the strategic aims of KCC  [Presentation available online and on request].

Following the presentation Cabinet Members undertook exercises designed to create greater understanding of the different needs of people living with dementia and were announced as ‘dementia friends’.  Members were asked to promote understanding whenever they had the opportunity and the team offered to attend any meeting or venue that members felt would be suitable for delivery of the same or similar training.

The floor was opened for questions and discussions and the following comments were received:

Mr Carter, Leader, KCC welcomed the presentation and thanked officers for attending.  He suggested that Parish Council’s may wish to receive the training and officers confirmed that KALC would be approached as a starting point to such dissemination.

Mr Sweetland, Cabinet Member for Commercial and Traded Servcies, addressed Cabinet, he reported that he had already undertaken the dementia friends training with the Youth Advisory Board and welcomed the opportunity to encourage further work with young people many of whom would experience dementia through their grandparents, a time which could be exceptionally difficult for young people.  He confirmed the importance of raised awareness, including within the medical profession, where it was important that doctors understood that dementia was not a natural part of ageing.

Mr Cooke, Cabinet Member for Corporate and Democratic Services spoke to the meeting.  He discussed diagnosis and the reluctance of the medical profession and families to acknowledge Dementia in family members.  In particular he considered that there was a stigma attached to the illness by some older people that prevented quick diagnosis in some cases.

Mr Gibbens, closed the item by thanking those present or their committed participation, thanked those in attendance for a comprehensive and enjoyable session and looked forward to working to promote dementia awareness in the future.  He encouraged members to take action in the future to continue the promotion of the dementia friends programme, including consideration of the use of member grants to achieve such aims.

Dementia friends awareness session closed.

To receive the Budget outturn report for 2014 - 15

Cabinet received a report providing the provisional revenue and capital budget outturn position for 2014-15, including a final update on key activity data.

Mr Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement introduced the item for members; he reported the final outturn figure as contained within the report, an approximately 6.1m underspend, and briefly detailed those areas that would be subject to rollovers and other planned actions including the movement of some funds to the reserves to support future budgets.

He thanked officers and Members for the hard work that had been undertaken in order to produce a successful budget but warned that pressures were set to increase in the future and more hard work would be needed.  In particular he reported that pressures remained in SEN Home to School transport, the costs of support for unaccompanied asylum seekers and the Kent Freedom Pass.

Mr Carter, Leader, Kent County Council welcomed the successful outcome achieved and reiterated the thanks that Mr Simmonds had previously expressed to officers and members. 

It was RESOLVED that:

To receive the latest budget monitoring report for 2015 - 16

Cabinet received the first budget monitoring report for 2015-16. The report reflected the position for each of the Directorates based on the major issues arising from the 2014-15 outturn which were either not addressed in the 2015-16 budget build because they came to light after it had been set or were continued pressures/savings that were addressed in the budget but only up to demand levels as at November/December time, when the 2015-16 budget was calculated.

The report also provided initial forecasts for both the revenue and capital budgets.

Mr Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement introduced the item for members.  He reported that

IT was RESOLVED that: