Meeting Details

None.

The Cabinet noted the development process with regard to the Essex Organisation Strategy, and considered whether to recommend the Strategy to Council for adoption.

The Chairman responded as follows to questions by Councillors Turrell, Pond and Henderson:

• Appropriate contingency arrangements were in place, and could be implemented if required.
• The description of towns inside the M25 as 'metropolitan' would be deleted from the second paragraph of the Foreword.
• Consideration would be given to including a specific reference to the creative industries, and Councillor Pond advised of any subsequent change to the Strategy.
• Consideration would be given to use of the term 'more for less', and whether reference should be made to issues around managing risk.  Councillor Henderson would be advised of the outcome.

Resolved:

That the Essex Organisation Strategy be recommended for adoption by Council, in the form set out at Appendix 1 to report FP/806/04/17.

The Cabinet received a report which presented and provided commentary on the provisional outturn position for 2016/17 prior to formal closure of the accounts.

The Cabinet Members for Resources and for Health and Adult Social Care provided the following information in response to questions by Councillors Turrell, Pond and Henderson:

• The reported overspend should be seen in the context that it represented 0.5% of the total budget, thereby demonstrating a healthy system of financial management. Although reserves could not be used indefinitely as a means of plugging gaps, the current approach was sufficiently robust.
• There were significant pressures on expenditure in Adult Social Care, and a Sustainable Futures approach was being progressed with a view to identifying means to manage demand. There were inevitable challenges inherent in setting budgets for demand-led services, due to fluctuations throughout the year.
• The Council faced challenges in recruiting social care staff, but initiatives were in place to move towards a full establishment.
• The Council would take advice to ensure it received the best possible return on invested funds, but it was not possible to predict performance for the coming year.
• An under spend could be seen as positive in circumstances where it arose from the adoption of improved operating procedures.

Resolved:

1. That £3.785m is withdrawn from the General Balance to offset the underlying over spend on the Revenue Budget.
2. That approval be given to allocate under spends between portfolios (as set out within the ‘Transfers of under / over spends between Portfolios’ column of Appendix B to report FP/742/02/17).
3. That  £6.635m be appropriated to the Carry Forwards earmarked revenue reserve in respect of requests to utilise 2016/17 under spends in 2017/18.
4. That £6.635m be released from the Carry Forwards Reserve in 2017/18 for the purposes detailed in Appendix C to report FP/742/02/17.
5. That the following amounts are appropriated to / from restricted and other revenue reserves:
   

   			Appropriations to reserves	Appropriations from reserves
   			£000	£000
   Restricted Funds
   	PFI – Building Schools for the Future		394
   	PFI – Clacton Secondary Schools		5
   	PFI – Debden School		25
   	Waste Reserve		1,388
   	Schools		-	(4,635)
   	Trading Activities		527	(600)
   	Sub total – Restricted Funds		2,339	(5,235)	(2,896)
   Future Capital Funding			1,226	-	1,226
   Other revenue reserves
   	Capital Receipts Pump-Priming		143
   	Community Initiatives			(782)
   	Transformation		1,840	(1,232)
   	Sub-total – Other revenue reserves		1,983	(2,014)	(31)
   Net Total			5,548	(7,249)	(1,701)
   Note: Appendix G to report FP/742/02/17 sets out the position on the restricted and other revenue reserves as at 31st March 2017 after incorporating the above proposals.

    

6. That Capital payment budgets, and associated capital financing, of £9.790m be re-profiled into subsequent financial years, in respect of slippage in schemes.
7. That Capital payment budgets, and associated capital financing, of £10.069m be brought forward from 2017/18 in respect of schemes that have progressed ahead of schedule.
8. That Portfolios’ 2016/17 capital payments budgets be reduced by £19.987m, with increases of £21.144m to other schemes, to reflect achieved activity in 2016/17.
9. That the financing of capital payments in 2016/17 be approved on the basis set out within Appendix E to report FP/742/02/17.

The Cabinet's approval was sought to procure a contract for the care, support and housing management for a supported living scheme in Braintree for ten adults with learning disabilities and behaviours that can challenge.   If approved, the contract would commence on 1st November 2017 for a duration of five years, with the potential to extend for a further two.

Responding to a question by Councillor Turrell, the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care confirmed that the accommodation costs to the Council would be met from the housing and other welfare benefits received by the residents. Given their particular requirements, it was extremely unlikely that those concerned would be able ever to live in an unsupported environment, and the proposed scheme would offer them a better quality of life than was possible in their current circumstances.

Resolved:

1. That the care, support and housing management for a supported living scheme in Braintree be procured, with a maximum contract length of five years and with a maximum contract value of £9.5 million, with the potential to extend for two years at a cost of £3.3 million.
2. That, subject to the award of the construction contract under a separate decision, the Director of Adult Social Care be authorised to award the contract to the successful bidder following completion of the procurement process.
3. That the scheme be disposed by lease on terms authorised by the Director, Business Operations in conformity with the terms set out in report FP/836/05/17.

The Cabinet's approval was sought for the modifications to the Essex Replacement Waste Local Plan (RWLP) which had been recommended by the Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State to examine the Plan.  The Cabinet was also asked to recommend the Waste Local Plan for adoption by full Council in July 2017.

The Cabinet Member for Housing, Property and Planning advised that, although the report had been prepared on the basis of the Inspector's draft recommendations, the final version of her report had now been received. The Cabinet was therefore being asked to base its decision on the recommendations contained within that version, which had been circulated in advance, with hard copies available at the meeting.  The Cabinet Member highlighted the main differences between the Inspector's draft and final reports.

Responding to Councillor Turrell, the Cabinet Member for Housing, Property and Planning undertook to provide a response outside the meeting concerning the monitoring arrangements which would be in place.  She commented that much of this would be undertaken as part of the planning process, as and when applications were considered by the Development and Regulation Committee.

Resolved:

That full Council be recommended to adopt as the Essex Replacement Waste Local Plan the version approved by Council in 2016 as amended by:

(a)     the main modifications recommended by the Inspector in her final report (circulated in advance of the meeting);

(b)     the minor modifications supported by Cabinet in December 2016 (set out in Appendix 4 to report FP/818/04/17); and

(c)     the further minor modifications set out in Appendix 6 to report FP/818/04/17.

The Cabinet's authority was sought to decommission the Falls Prevention Service across Essex, as a result of a reduction in public health grant receivable from the Department of Health.

Responding to questions by Councillors Turrell and Henderson, the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care advised that the Falls Service had not been delivering the benefits originally anticipated.  In the light of this, and also in response to a planned reduction in the public health grant receivable from the Department of Health combined with spending pressures in other areas, it was considered essential to review the current service provision.  The notice periods for early termination of the contracts concerned were between 6 and 12 months, which would allow sufficient time to work with partners to develop alternative approaches to minimising the incidence of falls.

Resolved:

That the falls prevention service be decommissioned as soon as possible.

It was noted that the next meeting would take place on Tuesday 18 July 2017 at 10:00am.

The meeting closed at 10.29am.