Minutes:
(1) Mr Carter began his Leader’s report by stating that it contained mainly positive news but, as Ofsted would say, a few areas of concern. Starting with the positives he stated that he was hugely grateful to everybody who had been involved in the recent LGA Peer Review. Opposition leaders had been very much involved in the review and had been at the feedback session and in summary the LGA were enormously impressed with everything they had seen and heard.
(2) He stated that there was also an enormous positive in the progress and direction of travel in ‘Facing the Challenge’ with, pleasingly, a culture of openness and honesty from all members and staff interviewed but there would be more on Facing the Challenge later in morning.
(3) He had been delighted to attend the Health and Wellbeing Board the previous evening to collectively sign-off with the lead clinicians and accountable officers from the seven CCGs in Kent their better care and commissioning plans, which would be submitted to the Department for Health over the coming few days.
(4) The plans set out by the CCGs proposed to deliver:
· 7 day a week access to GP teams
· 24/7 access to emergency primary and community nursing and social care support
· Dedicated neighbourhood/community teams directed by GPs to support their patients with more Health visitors, District Nurses, Physiotherapists, social care support and specialist mental health practitioners
· Teams that will help and support particularly the elderly, vulnerable, and sick in their own homes as far as is possible
· Dedicated specialist teams that have intimate knowledge and understanding of their patients and bring humanity and personal care back into primary and community health.
(5) The Leader stated that the previous day the executive of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) had signed off the Kent, Essex and East Sussex ‘Strategic Economic Plan’, which most importantly contained the Kent and Medway chapter, which set out the economic growth plans for the region over the next six years. The Plan had to be with government by Monday in the hope and expectation that significant money would flow from them as they delivered their promise for a single pot growth allocation covering this period, some £70million to £80million per year anticipated with much of this money earmarked for transport schemes (60%) as well as support for housing and commercial growth (40%). This announcement was expected before the summer recess. Finally, in relation to the LEP, the Leader stated that he was pleased to announce that David Godfrey had been unanimously appointed as the new director to head up the Partnership.
(6) Continuing on the economic development front, the Leader stated that he had been pleased to receive the pre-budgetary announcement of a £200m support package for Ebbsfleet, Eastern Quarry, and the Swanscombe peninsular to accelerate progress in the growth agenda in the Thames Gateway, as well as the establishment of an urban development corporation, the details of which were eagerly anticipated.
(7) With regard to East Kent, the Leader stated that he was sure Members had been saddened by the announcement of the potential closure of Manston airport. For many, many, years KCC had helped and supported Manston airport and would continue to support Sir Roger Gale, MP, who was working closely with Mark Dance and KCC’s Economic Development team, to help and support in any way possible.
(8) Turning to areas of concern the Leader stated that it continued to be a great area of concern that as yet there had been no reasonable explanation from the Department for Education as to why KCC was £30m short on the basic need school expansion programme for 2014 to 2017. Likewise he was concerned that the recent consultation on fairer school revenue funding did nothing to address the poor Age Weighted Pupil (AWP) allocation in Kent, stating that where other similar authorities got increases, Kent got nothing.
(9) With regard to asylum the Leader stated that he and Andrew Ireland had had a very positive meeting with the new Home Office, Minister James Brokenshire, and he was hopeful that the Council would shortly get adjustments to the grant regime that would effectively remove the financial burden on Council Tax payers, and he hoped that there might be an offer on the historic debt owed as well.
(10) Finally, he stated that he was grateful that the government had granted Kent County Council an additional £8.6million for emergency road repairs following the exceptionally wet winter, with the hope that the Bellwin Scheme might deliver further help and support.
(11) Mr Latchford, Mr Cowan, Mrs Dean and Mr Whybrow all responded to the Leader’s report.
(12) Mr Carter acknowledged and responded to the opposition group leaders’ comments and the Leader’s report was noted.