Agenda and minutes

To note that Mr A R Chell has replaced Mr P J Homewood as a member of this Committee.

RESOLVED that it be noted that Mr Chell had replaced Mr Homewood as a member of this Committee.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 26 April 2012 are correctly recorded and that they be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(1)       Mr Hill and Ms Honey updated Members on the issues listed in the paper circulated with the agenda and answered questions from Members.

Budget

(2)       Mr Hill stated that good progress was being made towards achieving budget savings. 

Integrated Youth Services

(3)       Mr Hill thanked Members for their contribution towards reshaping the youth service within their area.  He explained that most of the new in house youth service team were in place and that currently the property rationalisation process was underway, which included efforts to identify a centre in Tunbridge Wells.

(4)       Mr Hill explained that on the commissioning side the pre qualification phase of the process had just concluded and 120 potential providers had met the criteria.  Overall the service transformation remains on target to go live in January 2013.

(5)       In response to a question, Mr Hill gave an assurance that no youth service building would be disposed of until the commissioning arrangements for that area were known.   In relation to whether successful service providers using existing buildings would be encouraged to retain existing users of the premises, Mr Hill confirmed that this would be dealt with sympathetically on a case by case basis.

(6)       Ms Slaven confirmed that there had been sufficient expressions of interest in the commissioning of youth services to cover the whole of the County.

Library Service

(7)       Mr Hill reported that as savings from the library services were not due to be achieved until 2014/15 this was progressing at a gentler pace.  He was very encouraged by suggestions that had come forward as a result of local discussions.  A variety of options were being considered. With small libraries it would probably be a question of collaboration with Parish Councils, the voluntary sector and other local organisations. Regarding larger assets there had already been collaboration with other organisations such as the Gateways, and this was something to build upon.

(8)       Mr Hill referred to a meeting with Vice-Chairmen of Locality Boards in a couple of weeks’ time to discuss the library service. 

(9)       Mr Hill mentioned the recent Hornby competition, which had generated a lot of interest from young people and teachers.  It had been very worthwhile and he congratulated Mr Chell and his team.

Commissioned Services

(10)           Ms Honey informed the Committee that Ms Lesley Andrews, Head of Commissioned Services in Customer and Communities had now left KCC and Ms Honey wished to record her thanks to her for the work that she had done for the Drugs and Alcohol team.  The Drugs and Alcohol team were now providing services for those in prison.  Work was being undertaken on the needs assessment for Drugs and Alcohol services and she offered to make the results of this available to the Committee.

Kent Jobs for Kent Young People

(11)           Ms Honey reported that the Kent Jobs for Kent Young People scheme had been launched at the recent 2020 business event.  165 businesses had expressed an interest in taking on an apprentice.  The first 14  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

(1)       Mr Hespe circulated a paper which updated Members on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  He highlighted the grant secured from the Greater London Authority of £180k to dress Kent in the official London 2012 look.  He also referred to the planned appointment of 250 volunteer Games-time Kent Greeters, 200 of which had been appointed to date.

(2)       In relation to the Olympic Torch relay, Mr Hespe gave details of the arrangements that had been made for this high profile event in Kent and the ways in which this was going to be celebrated by communities along the route. 

(3)       Mr Hespe referred to the prestigious Paralympic Road Cycling at Brands Hatch and the local issues around the related road closures which officers were working hard to mitigate.  He was confident that these would be resolved.

(4)       Mr Hespe updated Members on the current position regarding training camps in the county and the long term legacy for Kent from the agreements signed with nations to secure economic, tourism etc links with Kent.

(5)       Mr Hespe informed the Committee that there were 25 Kent athletes participating in the Games.

(6)       Mr Hespe reported on the work on business continuity and keeping essential services operating, including resilience.

(7)       Mr Hespe informed Members that the estimated economic benefit to Kent from Games-related tourism to 2016 would be £324m.

(8)       RESOLVED that the update be noted.

(1)       Mr Hill and Ms Slaven introduced a report which provided an outline of Kent’s approach to the Government’s Troubled Families Programme.  Ms Slaven also gave a PowerPoint presentation which included: the government agencies contributing to Troubled Families, Troubled Families in Kent, the payment by results opportunity, the option for creating a transformation agenda, 10 proposed steps for working with a family, the multi-agency governance model and milestones for the programme.

(2)       Mr Hill, Ms Honey and Ms Slaven answered questions and noted comments from Members which included the following:

• Ms Slaven confirmed that there was a debate going on about the negative connotations of the name “Troubled Families” and it had been suggested that locally this initiative could be called “Kent Family Action Programme”.
• In relation to the target to achieve no more than 3 days unauthorised absence from school for children in these families, Ms Slaven confirmed that this was a target set by the Department of Communities and Local Government in consultation with the Department of Education.
• In response to a question on the role of Members in relation to this programme, Ms Honey referred to the multi agency governance model and the role of the Kent Forum. It was anticipated that Locality Boards would also be heavily involved.  This was welcomed by Members with a Locality Board in their area.
• Ms Honey confirmed that conversations would be had with the families that would be supported under this programme to make it clear that it was necessary for them to commit fully to the programme and to put in their time and effort in order to achieve beneficial outcomes.
• In relation to a question on possible duplication with the European Social Fund, Ms Slaven advised that there should not be any duplication and she explained the connection between the Fund and the Troubled Families programme.
• A Member emphasised the importance of the focus being on a change in behaviour by the families in the scheme and that there should be sanctions available.  It was essential that the right outcomes were achieved at the end of this programme. Officers explained the need to strike a balance between a carrot and stick approach, and confirmed that they were committed to ensuring that this programme was successful. 
• Another Member highlighted the need to deal with the lack of aspiration in these families and to find out how to motivate them to achieve so that they could realise their potential.

• Members thanked Ms Honey and Ms Slaven for the work they had carried out to develop this programme for Kent.

(1)       Mr Hill introduced the decision report relating to the delegation to Kent and Medway Fire Authority of KCC’s duties and responsibilities under the Safety at Sports Grounds Act 1975, the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987 and the Safety of Sports Grounds Regulations 1987.

(2)       RESOLVED that the Committee endorse the Cabinet Member decision to delegate to Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority, KCC’s duties and responsibilities under the Safety at Sports Grounds Act 1975, the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987 and the Safety of Sports Grounds Regulations 1987.

(1)       Mr Hill and Mr Scrivener introduced the Customer & Communities performance dashboard which set out progress against targets set in business plans for key performance and activity indicators.

(2)       Mr Hill and officers answered questions and noted comments from Members including the following:

• Mr Scrivener undertook to include information on the Troubled Families programme in future reports.
• There was a need for more data on the public’s view of the service that they had received.
• Mr Crilley explained the reasons behind the data for the Contact Centre, which included the impact of the weather on services, and time critical issues regarding Adult Education and Highways response information.  He explained what steps had been taken to mitigate the impact of these factors and confirmed that the figures for the last 2 weeks of June showed an improvement.
• A Member suggested that there should be consistency in the use of apparently interchangeable terms such as “footfall”, “physical visit” and “attendance”. Officers undertook to look at this but explained that some of the terminology reflected that used in Government targets. 
• It was suggested that there was a need to focus on outcomes and Corporate Plans as well as including some ad hoc indicators such as the number of schools participating in Kent School Games.
• It was difficult for Members to judge whether targets had been set at the right level as they did not have the detailed information to assess this.  It was suggested that Members could look in more detail at certain service areas, for example Trading Standards, at future meetings.
• It was noted that some indicators were short term, such as the number of Kent athletes competing in the Olympics, and these would come off of the dashboard once the time to achieve this had passed.

(3)         RESOLVED that the comments made by Members on the Customer & Communities performance dashboard, including those relating to the appropriateness and relevance of the indicators currently included in the dashboard, be noted.

(1)       Mr Hill and Mr Scrivener introduced the 2011/12 Business Plan outturn monitoring report which provided highlights of the achievements in the year for the Customer & Communities Directorate.

(2)       Mr Hill, Ms Honey and Mr Crilley answered questions and noted comments from Members including the following:

• In response to a question Mr Crilley confirmed that the delay in building the Edenbridge Centre would not lead to any additional cost for the County Council as it was a fixed price contract.
• Mr Crilley confirmed that the maintenance of vegetation along Public Rights of Way was proving to be challenge, particularly in the current year due to the weather conditions.  Mr Hill informed Members that the Environment, Highways and Waste Cabinet Committee had recommended that in future Members Highways Grant should be available to use on Public Rights of Way.

(3)       RESOLVED that the report and the comments made by Members be noted.

(1)       Mr Hill and Mr Shipton introduced a report which summarised the 2011/12 financial outturn for each of the A-Z budget lines within the Customer & Communities Directorate.  He also mentioned that all Cabinet Committees were being invited to establish an Informal Member Group (IMG) to assist with the development of their budget.

(2)       Mr Hill and officers answered questions and noted comments from Members including the following:

• It was noted that 39% of the directorate’s spending was funded from income.
• Members were asked to inform the Chairman if they were interested in serving on the IMG to assist with the development of the 2013/14 budget proposals. Members emphasised the importance of this IMG and that in order for it to be effective Members and Officers needed to work closely together.
• Mr Shipton confirmed that at the September meeting Members would receive the 1^st quarter’s monitoring which would be submitted to Cabinet on 17 September and therefore would be the most up to date information available; however,in order to achieve this, the report may have to be sent to Members after the agenda is published.
• Reference was made to the enormous achievement by officers in achieving an  underspend in the Coroners service. Members were reminded that this budget was outside of County Council control.
• Mr Crilley explained the extra expenditure on the Contact Centre and stated that he did not expect this to recur in the current year.

(3)       RESOLVED that the report, including the setting up of an Informal Member Group to assist with the development of the Budget for this Directorate, and the comments made by Members be noted.

(1)       Mr Hill and Mr Baker presented The Youth Justice Plan which set out how the Integrated Youth Service (IYS) would work during 2012/13 towards the principal aim for the youth justice system: “the prevention of offending by children and young people”. This plan is a statutory requirement (Section 40, Crime & Disorder Act 1998) for local authorities and would be submitted to the Youth Justice Board for England & Wales for their approval. The Plan would be submitted to the full County Council in the autumn.   

(2)       Mr Hill, Ms Slaven, Mr Burrows and Mr Baker answered questions and noted comments from Members including the following:

• Ms Slaven explained the restorative justice model, including the role of the victim within it.  She also gave an explanation of the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) for the management of offenders.  She referred to a visit that had been arranged to Cookham Wood Young Offenders Institute for one of the Deputy Cabinet Members and extended this opportunity to other Members.
• Mr Burrows informed Members of the legislation relating to the naming of young offenders in Court cases.

(3)       RESOLVED that the comments made by Members be noted and the Youth Justice Plan 2012/13 for the Integrated Youth Service be endorsed prior to submission to the County Council for approval as the statutory Annual Youth Justice Plan.

(1)       Mr Hill and Mr Beaumont presented the draft Community Safety Framework 2012 -15.

(2)       A Member suggested that Kent’s brilliant record road safety record in relation to the 57% reduction in road deaths between 2000/2010 should be included if possible.  Mr Beaumont undertook to look at how this could be reflected within the document.

(3)       RESOLVED that the comments made by Members be noted and the Kent County Council’s draft Framework for Community Safety 2012 – 2015 be endorsed prior to submission to the County Council for approval.