Proposed decision:

To approve the Integrated Work and Health Strategy for Kent and Medway on behalf of KCC, subject to approval from other partner organisations (Medway Council and Integrated Care Board).

Reason for the decision

Approval to develop the strategy has come from the Integrated Care System Leaders (from KCC, Medway Council and the Integrated Care Board (ICB)) and Kent and Medway Economic Partnership (KMEP) in response to national expectation and strong local support for the development of an Integrated Work and Health Strategy for Kent and Medway.

Background – Provide brief additional context

The interconnection between employment and health outcomes and inequalities is well-established and has previously been discussed by the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP). This is recognised in the Integrated Care Strategy which includes a shared priority to address the economic determinants that enable healthy lives, including stable employment and the commitment: “We will help individuals fulfil their potential by achieving secure employment through education and skills development and by supporting businesses.” The Kent and Medway Economic Framework which is owned by the Kent and Medway Economic Partnership (KMEP) also recognises the connection between economic prosperity and health and wellbeing. It includes an ambition to place economic opportunity at the centre of economic renewal and prosperity, recognising the “strong correlation between economic inactivity, ill health and multiple forms of deprivation.”

The focus of the Kent & Medway Strategy will be to integrate work and health support for employers and individuals by enabling local people with long term conditions and disabilities to start, stay and succeed in work so that the general health and productivity of the workforce can be enhanced, skills shortages can be addressed, and local businesses will be more able to increase productivity and grow. The strategy will enable key organisations in Kent & Medway to better understand the challenges that employers face with regard to long term health conditions and the issues that prevent people with health conditions from accessing employment opportunities and sustaining work. It will also ensure that the various strands of current and potential activity can be better coordinated to avoid duplication and ensure positive outcomes for local employers, residents and the local economy.

Options (other options considered but discarded)

Other options were not considered as there is a national expectation and strong local support for the development of an Integrated Work and Health Strategy for Kent and Medway.

How the proposed decision supports the Framing Kent's Future - Our Council Strategy 2022-2026

The strategy being developed directly aligns with Framing Kent’s Future Priority 1: Levelling Up Kent commitments:

·       To support the Kent economy to be resilient and successfully adapt to the challenges and opportunities it faces over the coming years.

·       To work with partners to develop a skills system for Kent that delivers skills that are resilient to changing workforce needs and opportunities and supports people to higher level skills.

·       To see significant improvements in the economy, connectivity, educational attainment, skills and employment rates and public health outcomes in deprived communities in coastal areas so that they improve faster than the rest of Kent to reduce the gaps.

·       To work with our partners to hardwire a preventative approach into improving the health of Kent’s population and narrowing health inequalities.

How the proposed decision supports Securing Kent’s Future 2022 -2026: Securing Kents Future - Budget Recovery Strategy.pdf

The strategy is being developed using external funding secured for this purpose and it does not in itself commit KCC to further spend. The strategy aims to make a positive contribution to key health determinants (employment and income specifically) without which, individuals are more likely to require ongoing support from public health and social care services.

Financial Implications

The development of the strategy is being funded by the DWP/DHSC grant with support from relevant KCC and Medway Council officers as well as NHS colleagues. The strategy itself is not a funded strategy but with government announcements about the need for local ‘Health, Work & Skills plans’ and other potential initiatives around supported employment, it is anticipated that externally funded programmes will support the implementation phase of the strategy. Further details will be worked up in due course. If Kent and Medway pursue a Strategic Authority, this agenda is a clearly stated priority within the Skills and Employment, and Health, Wellbeing and Public Sector Reform ‘areas of competence’ of such an authority, and therefore new powers, opportunities or funding might reasonably be anticipated.

The future implementation of the strategy may bring about indirect longer term financial benefits for KCC in addition to reducing public sector spend on the ill -health prevention agenda. Programmes to help more people into work will support business growth and productivity which could lead to increased business rates receipts in Kent as companies grow and occupy new space. Similarly, additional council tax receipts could be generated if people are supported into the labour market reducing reliance on (housing) benefits.

Proposed decision:

To agree the Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2025-29

Reason for Decision and Background

Kent County Council (KCC), as the Local Authority (LA), has a statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places are available. The County Council’s Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2025-29 (KCP) is a five-year rolling plan which is updated annually. It sets out our future plans as Strategic Commissioner of Education Provision across all types and phases of education in Kent.

The Plan sets out how we will carry out our responsibility for ensuring there

are sufficient high quality places, in the right places for all learners, while at the same time fulfilling our other responsibilities to raise education standards and promote parental preference.  The Plan details the expected future need for education provision, thereby enabling parents and education providers to put forward proposals as to how these needs might best be met.

This Plan reflects the dynamic and ongoing process of ensuring there are sufficient places for Kent children in schools, and other provisions.  It is subject to regular discussion and consultation with schools, district/borough councils, KCC (Kent County Council) Elected Members, the diocesan authorities, and others.  The content of this Plan reflects those discussions and consultations.

Options

The KCP sets out the principles by which we determine proposals, and it forecasts the need for future provision. It also sets out in more detail, plans to meet the commissioning needs which arise in each district and borough in Kent during the next five years.

Proposed decision

Leader of the Council to approve the Ukraine Co-operation arrangements and to authorise the entering into the relevant MOU with the Chernihiv Regional Government.

Reason for the decision

The Executive supports the ongoing Member led activity of engaging with charitable groups and community organisations across Kent. 

The progression to the entering into an MOU with the relevant Ukrainian authorities, under the authority of a KCC key decision, provides corporate support and represents the policy choice being made to formalise KCC’s commitment to work with partners and support Members in developing community led and delivered programmes of support and relief.

The decision does not authorise the commitment of KCC resources.

Background – Provide brief additional context

Around the UK, a small number of Local Authorities have entered into agreements with regions of Ukraine to establish connections, identify opportunities to offer support and to work with partners to facilitate relief and assistance.

Chernihiv is a region in northern Ukraine, bordering both the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. This places the region on the frontline of the conflict and the damage inflicted by the war will require recovery over a number of years.

KCC will act as a co-ordinating body to encourage, facilitate where appropriate and promote relevant support activity in Kent.

Options (other options considered but discarded)

KCC was under no duty to enter into these arrangements.  It was viable for KCC to take no action in this area but this could have potentially limited the scope for co-ordination of the positive community led work already taking place in Kent.

How the proposed decision supports the Framing Kent's Future - Our Council Strategy 2022-2026

-      The decision includes the entering into an MOU which has longer term aspirations to support improved connections between Kent and Chernihiv, including promoting engagement and development between youth organisations, the charitable sector and tourism.  This supports the Levelling Up priority of Framing Kent’s Future.

-      The shorter term initiatives around supporting relief and aid activity to alleviate the suffering from the war in Ukraine does not involve commitment of KCC resources.

How the proposed decision supports Securing Kent’s Future 2022 -2026: Securing Kents Future - Budget Recovery Strategy.pdf

-      The decision relates to the entering into an MOU which does not commit KCC to the deployment of resources or spend.  The approach seeks to balance the political desire to support Ukraine with the financial limitations on the Council and the need to emphasise its  Best Value duty.

Proposed decision

That the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills agree to:

a)    Approve the Implementation of a standardised School Led Transport arrangement for schools, settings and other independent third party support agencies.

b)    Delegate authority to the Corporate Director for Children, Young People and Education,  to enter into relevant contracts or other legal agreements, including Service Level agreements (SLAs),and ensure sufficient administrative capacity, as necessary to implement this decision

Background

In line with the council’s Transport Policy for Children and Young People aged 4 to 16 and Post 16 Transport Policy Statement including Post 19, a proposed standardised approach for School Led Home to School Transport has been developed. This will facilitate direct provision of school transport to entitled pupils via their school, setting or other independent third party support agencies, at a reduced cost to the KCC arranged alternatives.

Reason

Historic non-standardised arrangements are currently in place with three schools who provide transport support for all entitled pupils that attend their setting. These schools report that these direct arrangements allow for a more responsive transport offer, which improves not only the child’s journey to and from school, but also their learning experience throughout the school day. From a Local Authority perspective, school led arrangements are more cost effective  than the market equivalent and ensure that limited capacity remains available for other pupils. It is therefore prudent for Kent to implement standardised arrangements and make this opportunity available for all qualifying Kent schools.

Options (other options considered but discarded)

Kent County Council is undertaking a full review of Home to School transport arrangements to identify potential opportunities to deliver it’s statutory duties in a more cost effective manner. Consideration was also given to the potential to secure savings following retendering exercises within the existing network. This option was discounted as a system wide retendering exercise was recently completed in 2022/23 academic year and recent higher levels of inflation significantly reduce the potential for this to reduce current spend.

How the proposed decision supports the Framing Kent's Future - Our Council Strategy 2022-2026

This decision supports Framing Kent’s future priority 2 – Infrastructure for Communities, in particular making use of innovative transport opportunities to ease pressures on pre-existing transport networks.

How the proposed decision supports Securing Kent’s Future 2022 -2026: Securing Kents Future - Budget Recovery Strategy.pdf

This decision supports Securing Kent’s Future both in terms of supporting the objective to ensure the in-year budget remains in balance (objective 1) along with identifying and delivering saving opportunities to support the setting of a sustainable budget and MTFP (objective 2) through providing alternative commissioning arrangements for Home to School Transport. This will contribute towards the delivery of the £6.3m savings attributed to Home to School Transport in 24-25 where new arrangements are entered into during the new academic year. 

Financial Implications

The cost of home to school and college transport is funded by the Council Tax General Fund and totalled £67.9m in 2023-24 of which £2.4m was spent on existing school led transport agreements.

The intention of all school led transport arrangements is that they will only be organised where there is a financial benefit in addition to the opportunity to provide more flexible options for eligible pupils. Given the nature of operator provided transport, it is likely that most school led arrangements will meet this requirement. Additional staffing administration requirements are expected to be funded from securing new agreements. Based on proposals put forward by providers to date, it is estimated this will be achieved with the securing of one additional agreement, with additional agreements contributing towards the wider savings targets related to Home to School.

Legal Implications

Sections 508B and 508C of the Education Act 1996 explain how Council tax funded  school transport should operate across the UK for 4 to 16 year olds.

Under the Act, a parent is responsible for ensuring that their child attends school regularly. However, Section 444(3B) provides that a parent will have a defence in law against a prosecution by a Local Authority (Council) for their child’s non-attendance at school, where the Local Authority has a duty to make travel arrangements in relation to the Children and Young People (CYP) under Section 508B and has failed to discharge that duty. 

Local Authorities do not have a general obligation to provide Council tax payer funded  or subsidised post 16 travel support in the same way as for pupils aged 4 to 16, but do have a duty to prepare and publish an annual transport policy statement specifying the arrangements for the provision of transport, or other support that the authority considers it necessary to make to facilitate the attendance of all persons of sixth form age receiving education or training.

The requirements placed on a Local Authority are defined in the Education Act 1996 (as amended), Education and Skills Act 2008, Education and Inspections Act 2006, Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 and the Equality Act 2010.

There are legal implications in relation to compliance with the Public Contract Regulations 2015 in relation to Economic Operators as well as compliance to our internal policy Spending the Council’s Money.

Proposed decision:

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate and Traded Services to agree to the implementation of a new Independent Consultancy Services Framework to support the delivery of the Capital Works Programmes over a 6-year (4-year+1+1) contract period to include the following disciplines:

•              Lot 1 – Multi-discipline (client delegated duties)

•              Lot 2 – Project Manager (including client delegated Quantity Surveying duties)

•              Lot 3 – Supervisor

•              Lot 4 – Technical Advisor

•              Lot 5 – Construction Design and Management Advisor

Reason for the decision

The Kent County Council had previously appointed consultants on a project-by-project basis via the Property Services Consultancy Framework, to provide professional consultancy services to support construction projects. However, the Framework expired in June 2020 and procurement of such services has since been conducted on a project-by-project basis, tendered or direct award procurements in-line with Spending the Council’s Money Policy and Public Contract Regulations.

The current method of procuring consultancy services is time consuming and resource intensive and requires a more efficient approach. In addition, a new professional consultancy services framework that aligns to the new construction partnership framework (already in place) and proposed minor work construction partnership framework (subject to procurement).

Options

There are 3 options to consider for the ongoing procurement of consultancy services:

•              Insource of consultancy provision.

•              Continuing with current arrangement of tendering/direct award for each requirement

•              Establishing a new Construction Consultancy Framework.

Option 3, to establishing a new Construction Consultancy Framework is the preferred option, as this would provide a pre-qualified framework of consultants to efficiently support the projects procured via the new Construction and proposed Minor Works Partnership Frameworks on behalf of Kent County Council. It is likely that the Frameworks will work on a rotational basis so that all suppliers get equal allocation of works (performance and project dependant).  In addition to this the facility to undertake mini tenders will be included.

It is envisaged that the new Independent Construction Consultancy Services Frameworks will commence by October 2023.

How the proposed decision supports the Interim Strategic Plan

The proposed decision will support the objectives of Strategic Delivery Plan 2020 – 2023 by:

•              Supporting the delivery of the Council’s Infrastructure Capital Delivery Programme

•              Supporting the delivery of the Kent Commissioning Plan for Education Provision 2020-2024, including the Basic Need programme

•              Supporting the KCC Corporate Estate maintenance programme.

•              Supporting the KCC Education Estate maintenance programme.

Proposed decision –

Contracts to be awarded to successful providers for the provision of Community Support Services (Care and Support in the Home) for Disabled Children and Young People following a recent procurement exercise linked to the Adults Care and Support in the Home contract.

Delegate decisions on the implementation to the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, or other Officer, in consultation with the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health as appropriate.

Further information –

Decision 20/00102 - Community Support Services for Disabled Children & Young People was taken on 19 March 2020 and allowed officers to follow a competitive procurement process for children’s community support services within the Adults ‘Care and Support in the Home’ contract. 

Following the competitive procurement process a further decision is required to award the contracts to the successful providers. 

Approval to the Director of Infrastructure to progress with and enter into the necessary documentation to complete the disposal of the aforementioned property in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate and Democratic Services. The Decision will seek legal agreements to be actioned to complete the sale of the relevant properties.