Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 9 November 2020 and 30 November 2020 were a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman. 

(1)  Mrs Bell said targeted symptom-free testing was to be offered to secondary schools in Kent before Christmas.  The numbers of school age children testing positive for Covid-19 had been a matter of concern and testing would assist in preventing children without symptoms passing on the virus. Existing testing infrastructure was to facilitate symptom free testing and schools were urged to support the testing programme.  Additional mobile testing units were to be deployed to a small number of schools and further education colleges.

Community testing was due to begin in all districts in Kent after Christmas as part of the Covid-19 Winter Plan.  There were logistical challenges in regard to the preparation of test sites, recruitment of staff and management of the equipment and IT infrastructure. Work was being done to set up sites in Thanet and Swale with assistance from military planners. Key workers and their families would be targeted first and lateral flow testing would be used.

Under the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations 2020, a Christmas market which had been due to take place in Broadstairs was cancelled.  An assessment of the arrangements for the event concluded concerns about the positive case rate in the local area, the scale of the event and the lack of detail in the event’s risk assessment constituted a serious threat to public health.

Covid-19 local restriction tiers were being reviewed but it was anticipated that Kent would remain in Tier 3 restrictions.

(2)  Ms Chandler said throughout the pandemic, the CYPE divisional management team had undertaken planning to look after staff health and wellbeing as well as continuing with the statutory duty to safeguard children.

Ms Chandler said that there had been an increase in referrals since half term and work was being done to review the latent demand model.  It was thought that there were higher levels of staff sickness and the impact had been felt more in the second wave of the pandemic.  Face to face work needed to continue with children and families.

Work had been undertaken to look at how frontline staff could be supported and if staff had capacity to assist in this regard.

In the second wave of the pandemic, there had been reports of more staff sickness and staff had reported increased anxiety around completing home and school visits, particularly in Thanet and Swale where the infection rate was higher.  Staff resourcing had also been an issue for staff working in Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Staff undertaking home and school visits had PPE, risk assessments had been completed for both staff and for families.

The annual Try Angle Awards were launched on 12 August and nominations were open to children and young people between the ages of 11 and 18 years old, who deserved recognition for their efforts, determination and perseverance. Award categories included achievement in the arts, sports, music and personal development. Open Access Team and Kent Youth Voice were judging the awards in each district.  Planning was underway for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 193.

1)    Mr Oakford said the report was the first forecast since the Budget amendment and reflected the situation at the end of September 2020.

2)    There was a forecasted underspend, excluding schools and Covid-19, of £4.5 million, which was a change from the last report of £12.4 million with a previously reported overspend of £7.9million. All directorates had seen an improvement in their forecasts, with all apart from ASC reporting a forecast underspend.  The forecast for CYPE had moved from an overspend of £6.7 million to an underspend of £1.1 million, which reflected a reduction in demand.

3)    The reported Covid-19 position was an available grant of £15.4 million compared to a £17.2 million budget held corporately. The available grant was a result of underspends, most notably due to lower numbers of social care clients moving into care and a reduction in demand for home to school transport.

4)    The Budget and Medium Term Plan relied on underspends going forward and it was emphasised that it was important not to lose sight of this going into the new financial year.

5)    Resolved that the Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report be noted.

Rachel Kennard, Senior Intelligence Analyst was in attendance for this item

1)    Rachel Kennard outlined the report with results of 35 key performance indicators (KPIs) up to the end of September 2020.  KPIs were rated red, amber or green based on the most recent performance against targets.  Despite the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic, 21 of the KPIs were ‘RAG’ rated as green and represented continued delivery of the Council’s priorities.

2)    There had been increased digital engagement from the public and online services were being used to access services. 7% fewer telephone calls were made to the Contact Point.

3)    There had been improvements in timescales for referrals and services within social care and a higher proportion of adults with additional needs were living in their own homes or with family.

4)    There were 3 areas that had been ‘RAG’ rated as red and performing below target. The CYPE target for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) to be issued within 20 weeks.

5)    Under Public Health, the KPIs ‘RAG’ rated red related to NHS health checks and sexual health services which had been affected by the pandemic.

6)    Mrs Chandler said that progress had been made with the number of EHCPs issued but the indicator used for the Performance Report did not show this progress.  There were high levels of demand for EHCPs.

7)    Mr Payne asked for Members to note that the submission of the Development Consent Order for the Lower Thames Crossing would happen in 2021.

8)    Ms Bell said that Covid-19 had affected Public Health services but many services had been delivered online and it was anticipated that there would be a mixed model of virtual and face to face services moving forward.

9)    In response to a question from the Leader, it was noted that the new regression based approach flagged those KPIs with a statistically significant trend.

10)Resolved that the Quarterly Performance Report – Quarter 2 be noted.

Mark Scrivener, Corporate Risk Manager was in attendance for this item

1)    Mr Scrivener advised the main ‘refresh’ of the Corporate Risk Register was undertaken in the summer due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

2)    The emerging winter risks had been reported on earlier in the year and it was noted that the nature of the risks had been fluid due to the evolving situation and challenges presented by the pandemic. The risks that remained at a high level were in relation to Covid-19 and the end of the transition period for exiting the EU.

3)    It was reported that the risk in relation to the workforce had been moved from medium to high level. Whilst the Staff Wellbeing Survey had shown staff resilience, there were concerns moving into the winter in relation to higher Covid-19 infection rates.

4)    The Leader said that steps had been taken to manage risks in relation to  ‘Effectiveness of Governance within a Member-led Authority’ and this area was being re-examined.

5)    Resolved that the Corporate Risk Register be noted.

Report to follow.

David Smith, Director of Economic Development was in attendance for this item.

1)    Mr Whiting introduced the agenda item and wished to emphasise the effects of Covid-19 on the Kent economy, businesses and residents.  Measures had been put in place to aid businesses.

2)    Mr Smith said that Kent’s largest business sector, retail and wholesale were severely impacted by the first lockdown. The near closure of the construction sector also had a severe impact on Kent’s economy, due to the concentration of this industry in the county.

3)    Public Health rules on social distancing and government restrictions had impacted on the arts, entertainment and leisure sector and this impact had worsened since the summer.

4)    It was forecast that there would be some recovery to the Kent economy and the level of recovery would be affected by whether a Trade and Cooperation Agreement had been reached between the UK and the EU. Unemployment would be likely to lag behind the return to output growth.  It was expected following a decrease in September that unemployment figures would increase due to the second lockdown.

5)    An update was provided on the Kent and Medway Economic Renewal and Resilience Plan. Full details of support for businesses were accessible on the KCC website.

6)    Resolved that the presentation on Sustaining the Economy Post-Lockdown be noted.

Zena Cooke, Corporate Director Finance and Dave Shipton, Head of Finance Policy, Planning & Strategy, were in attendance for this item.

1)    Mr Oakford said the results of the Spending Review were better than anticipated.  Additional funds were ‘one offs’ with the exception of the opportunity to increase the adult social care precept by an additional 1%, subject to Full Council’s approval.  It was hoped that the government would announce the final financial settlements in December.

2)    The Covid-19 funding, the social care grant and council tax compensation would not mean that there were not financial challenges and £90 million spending pressures for the coming year.  Savings would still need to be achieved.

3)    Mr Shipton said that there were adjustments that would be needed over the medium term as there was still a significant imbalance in the Spending Review. 

4)    Resolved that the Spending Review be noted.