Agenda and minutes

To receive notification of any apologies and associated substitutions.

Declarations of InterestApologies were received from:

      i.        Mr Paul Carter, Chairman and Leader of the Council.  Mr John Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement and Deputy Leader took the Chair in his absence and the Deputy Cabinet member for Finance and Procurement joined the meeting to manage items within that portfolio as a result.

    ii.        Mr Matthew Balfour, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport who was substituted by the Deputy Cabinet Member, Mr Clive Pearman.

   iii.        Mr Mike Hill, Cabinet Member for Community Services

No declarations of interest in items on the agenda were received.

To agree as a correct record the minutes of the previous meeting.

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman accordingly.

To receive a report providing the provisional revenue and capital budget outturn position for 2015-16, including a final update on key activity data.

Cabinet received a report providing the revenue and capital budget outturn position for 2015-16 and including a final update on key activity data.  The report also sought approval for various necessary re-phasing and roll forward of funds as set out within it and detailed below.

Ms Susan Carey, Deputy Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement introduced the item for members, first reporting that this was the sixteenth year in which a balanced budget had been delivered and thanking officers for the hard work that had been required to achieve it.  Ms Carey referred to work of particular note within each directorate, as detailed in the report, to manage pressures that had occurred during the year and which would, in some cases, continue in the future, such as support for unaccompanied asylum seeking children.  She continued, and referred to the following:

Revenue budget:

1. That after necessary rephasing and roll-forward of funds an underspend of approximately £3.6million had been achieved.  Of this approval was sought to allocate £1.1million to ‘Find and Fix’ pothole repairs and just under £2.5million to support future budgets.
2. Savings would continue to be expected with a further £81million to be found from the 2016-17 budget and therefore efforts must continue if a balanced budget were to be delivered in the next financial year.

Mr Peter Oakford, Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services spoke to the item.  He reported that in June the Home Office had invited KCC to attend two meetings on the matter.  The first to announce the dispersal programme, and the second, a meeting of all South East authorities, to discuss how the programme would move forward.  The meetings had been positive and there was there was an understanding of the challenges that Kent faced in this area but as yet the programme remained voluntary.  Nationally some Local Authorities had started to sign up to the programme but the details of what that sign up would mean and the proposed dispersal numbers were not yet known.    KCC already had 270 young people placed outside of Kent and it was hoped that the first step in any programme could be to see those authorities with which they were placed take full responsibility for them.  KCC had a further 163 young people ready to move in to new accommodation should other Local Authorities volunteer to take them. 

He reported that KCC continued to liaise with government regarding the programme and had sought assurances regarding a move to a mandatory programme of dispersal should numbers of arrivals rise to the levels of 2015, something which, as yet, had not occurred.

Mr Andrew Ireland, Corporate Director for Social Care, Health and Wellbeing identified two key issues for his Directorate.  Firstly, the introduction of a dispersal scheme, which he was confident would occur but as yet had no indication of timelines or of the voluntary or mandatory nature of any scheme and secondly, the fact, reported previously that a significant number of the young people in question were close to turning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 171.

To receive a report containing details of the key areas of performance for the authority at quarter 4 of 2015-16.

Cabinet received a report containing the latest quarterly performance information relating to key areas of performance for the authority.

Richard Fitzgerald, Business Intelligence Manager – Performance was in attendance and introduced the item for members.  In particular he referred to the following performance results:

1. Across the indicators the majority were ‘green’ with only one indicator recorded as ‘red’.  The direction of travel was also positive.
2. Customer Services indicators now included figures recorded since the agylisis contract began and were showing an increase in visits to the website and a decrease in phone calls as desired.
3. In the GET Directorate diversion from landfill of household had exceeded target.
4. The Education and Young People’s Directorate had seen further improved figures for those schools judged to be ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ and primary school ratings were now in line with the national average. Adult Social Care had recorded a reduction in the proportion of delayed discharges form hospital where KCC was responsible.

1. The only ‘red’ target related to the number of admissions to residential care which had increased significantly in the quarter, and now exceeded the floor standard with pressures from hospital activity having put additional pressure on social care services in the last few months of the financial year.

Mr Graham Gibbens, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health reported that demand in Adult Social Care remained high and that although it was disappointing that admissions to residential care had risen the he remained committed to facilitating independent living for those who desired it for as long as that was possible.

Mrs Susan Hohler, Deputy Cabinet Member for Community Services welcomed the positive results recorded for the Libraries and Archive Services.

Mr Sean Holden, Deputy Cabinet Member for Economic Development, referred to the Broadband infrastructure project, despite further gains became harder to achieve as coverage became more widespread, continued to progress well.

In response to a question from the Chairman, Mr Fitzgerald reported that the indicators included in the report were reviewed annually as part of the council’s business planning process.  Each Cabinet Member and officers from the relevant directorate would help to identify the indicators that would be reported to Cabinet and the indicators would be updated for the next meeting in September.

It was RESOLVED that the report be NOTED.

To receive a report providing details of funding set aside for a pothole blitz.

Cabinet received a report containing information about the award of a one off capital sum and additional internal funding to be used to deliver a campaign of pothole repair during the summer. 

Mr Clive Pearman, Deputy Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport introduced the item for members.  He reported that the programme had now begun and would mark a new style of delivery which it was hoped would see significant improvements in the number, speed and quality of repairs undertaken.  The project would run for four months in order to achieve the greatest impact over the summer months and would be managed by Commercial Services Kent.

Roger Wilkin, Director of Highways, Transportation and Waste, spoke to the item to explain further the nature of the monies allocated and the work to be undertaken.  The money received from central government (£1.47m) had been supplemented by funding from KCC to a total of £3million and was set aside for a defined ‘Find and Fix’ scheme; Amey would still be responsible for the day to day business of highway maintenance.  This scheme would be delivered by a network of local contractors and it was believed that the delivery model would show real dividends in terms of the quality and affordability of outcomes, and early signals were positive.

It was RESOLVED that the report be NOTED.

To receive a report of the Grammar School and Social Mobility Select Committee Report.

Cabinet received the report of the Select Committee on Grammar Schools and Social Mobility.

Mrs Jenny Whittle, Chairman of the Committee was in attendance to present the report and, in particular, she thanked the officers and witnesses who had been involved in the production of the report and continued to refer to the following:

      i.        That the remit of the committee had been to assess how it might be possible to improve access for children from poorer backgrounds to grammar schools in the County.  Those children had been identified as those in receipt of free school meals and those for whom the school received a ‘pupil premium’.

    ii.        Nationally, research had shown that the attainment gap between poorer children and their more affluent peers was detectable from an early age and widened throughout the education system.  In Kent 57% of high ability children for whom the school received a pupil premium would go on to attend a Grammar School as opposed to 79% of children of similar ability who did not qualify for a pupil premium.  IN numbers this translated to approximately 700 children from poorer backgrounds who would be able to attend a Grammar School but who did not.

   iii.        Despite reductions in the attainment gap at some primary schools in Kent, this had not translated in to more pupils from poorer economic backgrounds passing the 11+ or attending Grammar Schools.

   iv.        The recommendations looked at the work that KCC, Primary School Head teachers and Grammar Schools could do to encourage applications and attendance from children from poorer economic backgrounds.  Grammar Schools were encouraged to work with parents to allay commonly held fears about the support for pupils with conditions such as dyslexia and the cost of uniforms and trips for example and Head teachers were encouraged to work with parents identify at an early stage those children that may be suitable to take the 11+.

    v.        Finally Mrs whittle referred to the low numbers of children in care attending grammar schools and the work currently being undertaken to address the issue.

Mr Latchford, Leader of the UKIP group and Select Committee Member addressed Cabinet.  He referred to his own experience of attending a Grammar School and the positive impact it had had on his life.  He believed that key to improvement in attendance by children from poorer economic backgrounds would be providing ensuring that parents were equipped with all of the information that they needed in order to make an informed decision about the Kent test and any application to a Grammar School.  This he argued was the responsibility of all of those parties to which the Chairman of the Select Committee had referred, Head Teachers, KCC and the schools themselves.  He hoped that the hard work and recommendations of the committee would be acted upon not only in Kent but nationally and that opportunities for the children that needed them most would be increased.  He concluded by thanking the Chairman, officers and witnesses for their hard work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 174.

To receive a report detailing the outcome of the Examination into the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 by the Government-appointed Inspector and seeking endorsement of the Plan for adoption by the County Council.

 Cabinet received a report providing details of the outcome of the examination into the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 by the Government-appointed Inspector and seeking endorsement of the Plan for adoption by the County Council.

Katie Stewart, Growth Environment and Transport, was in attendance to present the report, she reported that the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan was very important to the council’s aims of sustainable growth, particularly in light of the intended increase in housing in the County.  Increased housing would lead to increased waste and managing this was an important duty of the county council. 

Mrs Sharon Thompson, Growth, Environment and Transport, spoke to the item she reported that this was the final stage of the plan making process.  The plan set out how the council would allocate sites for minerals and waste management facilities and would set out how planning applications for such development would be determined.  Many other authorities were yet to deliver local plans despite pressure from government and had taken seven years to get to this stage.  

Both Cabinet and the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee were being consulted on the plan before it was considered by County Council for adoption.  The inspector had assessed the plan as legally compliant and suitable for adoption and the choice for county council would be to adopt the plan with the modifications that the inspector had identified or to start the process again.

Mrs Thompson continued to explain the practical importance of the plan, it treated waste as a valuable resource and as such aimed to divert it from landfill and use it more efficiently.  It would ensure the steady supply of minerals to support growth whilst continuing to use them wisely in order to protect them for the use of future generations.  It also supported the council’s corporate objectives.  The report had been underpinned by an extensive evidence base and the Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee had been actively involved.  Public consultation had also been critical and there had been six in total since 2010 with each helping to refine the plan further.

Mrs Thompson recommended that Cabinet endorse the plan to County Council for adoption and assured members that it would allow a local perspective on national planning policy and guidance in on site allocation work that would be the next stage of plan making.

It was RESOLVED that the report be noted and the recommendations to County Council be endorsed.