Agenda, decisions and minutes

To note any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Cllr Andrew Gravells, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 30 September 2015 (minutes attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 September 2015 were agreed and signed as an accurate record of that meeting.

To note any declarations of interest.

No declarations of interest were made at the meeting.

To answer any written and/or oral questions from a County Councillor, (or anyone living or working in the county, or anyone who is affected by the work of the County Council), about matters which relate to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item.

The closing date for the receipt of written questions was 4.00 pm on Thursday 5 November 2015.

Please send questions to the Chief Executive marked for the attention of Jo Moore (email: jo.moore@gloucestershire.gov.uk)

An oral question may be asked by a member of the public if notice of the question is given by the questioner to the person presiding at the meeting, or the Chief Executive’s representative, at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.

Please note that the start time of this meeting is 9.30 am.

Depending on the nature of the questions, it may not be possible to provide a comprehensive answer at the meeting, in which case a written answer will be provided as soon as reasonably possible after the meeting.

Questions received and proposed responses do not accompany this agenda but will be circulated prior to the meeting.

Public questions

No public questions were submitted for consideration at this meeting.

Member questions

Please refer to the following link to view the responses to the member questions submitted for consideration at the meeting.

http://glostext.gloucestershire.gov.uk/documents/s26789/Member%20questions%20and%20responses%20-%2011%20November%202015.pdf

A total of 19 member questions were submitted for consideration, for which the following supplementary questions were asked at the meeting.

Question 1: Cllr Jeremy Hilton

You have failed to answer my question on how much in percentage terms the gate fees have risen in the negotiations on the revised project plan. Your answer states savings of £153 million, when you previously stated this would be £190 million, down by £37 million. This is a financial disaster for the council. We could have built an MBT Plant cheaper than £37 million. On a previous occasion the Chief Executive told me what the gate fees would be for the revised project plan.By the end of today, could you please provide me with a written note on what the gate fees will be and what we will be paying per tonne?

Response by: Cllr Ray Theodoulou – Cabinet Member for Finance and Change

You know I cannot give you this information as it is subject commercial confidentiality. 

Response by: Cllr Jeremy Hilton

It is disappointing you are unable to confirm what the gate fees will be. We have a right to know. I will be calling in this decision for failing to provide the information.

Question 2: Cllr Jeremy Hilton

Your figures show a cash injection of £30 million (£13 million plus £17 million). This will only reduce the project costs over 25 years by the same sum of £30 million. Surely, this is a reckless use of public money. We could get a better return of our money over 25 years by just leaving £30 million in the bank. Please justify this cash gift of £30 million of public money to the private company UBB.

Response by: Cllr Ray Theodoulou – Cabinet Member for Finance and Change

There is no question of paying a cash gift to a private company. Construction costs have escalated over time, and because of the delays it has been necessary to inject further funds.  

Question 3: Cllr Jeremy Hilton

There must be a long list of capital projects your cabinet colleagues would like to start, but are unable to because you are blowing £30 million on a cash gift to UBB. For example, in Avonmouth, four councils built a MBT plant with greater capacity than your mass burn incinerator, for just £25 million. When will you apologise to your cabinet colleagues and the members of this council for squandering council reserves by such reckless spending?

Response by: Cllr Ray Theodoulou – Cabinet Member for Finance and Change

It is not reckless spending. The project will give substantial benefits to the people of Gloucestershire by diverting 92 per cent of residual waste from landfill. The project will also avoid the production of harmful methane  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider recommendations from the Recruitment and Retention of Social Workers Scrutiny Task Group. Chairman of the Task Group, Cllr Tracy Millard, to present the report.

Cllr Tracy Millard, Chairman of the Recruitment and Retention of Children’s Social Workers Scrutiny Task Group, presented the task group’s recommendations following a review of challenges to the council in retaining children’s social workers.

Leader of Council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, thanked the task group for its work in producing this detailed report. Having considered all of the information, including known proposals and reasons for the recommendations, Cabinet noted the report and, 

RESOLVED to: -

Produce a formal response to the task group’s recommendations

Cllr Tracy Millard, Chair of the Recruitment and Retention of Children’s Social Workers Scrutiny Task Group, presented the task group’s recommendations following its review of issues relating to the recruitment and retention of children’s social workers.

Cllr Millard thanked colleagues, officers and social workers for their contributions and informed the meeting that the task group hoped to fulfil two objectives from the review, the first, to make recommendations from which the council can create a working environment to retain its social workers and make Gloucestershire a desirable place to work, and the second, to make recommendations for the council to recruit social workers from increased investment. Cllr Millard referred to the high regard in which social workers were held and the importance of recognising their achievements and successes. She confirmed that the task group would reconvene in January 2016 with the intention of furthering this discussion alongside development of the Draft Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Cllr Paul McLain, (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Strategic Commissioning), and Leader of the Council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, thanked the task group for its work and agreed to consider the recommendations in full before making a detailed response, including confirmation of proposed actions.

Having considered all of the information, including known proposals and reasons for the recommendations, Cabinet noted the report and, 

RESOLVED to: -

Produce a formal response to the task group’s recommendations

To seek approval to commence public consultation on the Gloucestershire Draft Local Transport Plan 2015-2031.

Due to the size of the document pack for this item, hard copies of the pack will be available on a request basis only. In addition to reference copies at the meeting itself, the full document can be viewed on the council website at the following link:- 

http://glostext.gloucestershire.gov.uk/documents/b11254/Gloucestershires%20Draft%20Local%20Transport%20Plan%20Consultation%20Wednesday%2011-Nov-2015%2010.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=9

Cllr Will Windsor Clive, Cabinet  Member for Fire, Planning and Infrastructure, sought approval to commence public consultation on the Gloucestershire Draft Local Transport Plan 2015-2013.

Having considered all of the information, including known proposals and reasons for the recommendations, Cabinet

RESOLVED to: - 

Approve the Draft Local Transport Plan for an eleven week public consultation, using the material in Appendix A of the published report, between 20 November 2015 and 5 February 2016.

Cllr Will Windsor Clive, Cabinet  Member for Fire, Planning and Infrastructure, sought to commence public consultation on the Gloucestershire Draft Local Transport Plan 2015-2013.

Cllr Windsor Clive explained that the current plan had been adopted in 2011, based on the council’s commitment to undertake a series of formal reviews in future years. The documents at Appendix A of the report represent the final stage of the first formal review, for which it was proposed public consultation commence on 20 November 2015 and end on 5 February 2016.

A range of updated transport policies and delivery priorities to be consulted on, setting out the basis for the council’s long term approach to managing existing and increased transport demand in relation to projected housing development and accelerated economic growth for the period up to 2031. Members were advised that a number of historic schemes had been removed from the plan as they were no longer relevant. The revised document to assist with future funding bids.

Cabinet to consider the consultation report at its meeting in April 2016, followed by adoption of the Local Transport Plan by Full Council in June 2016.

Having considered all of the information, including known proposals and reasons for the recommendations, Cabinet

RESOLVED to: - 

Approve the Draft Local Transport Plan for an eleven week public consultation, using the material in Appendix A of the published report, between 20 November 2015 and 5 February 2016.

To seek approval to introduce Electronic Call Monitoring (ECM) across all externally commissioned domiciliary care services.

Councillor Dorcas Binns, Cabinet Member for Older People, sought approval to introduce Electronic Call Monitoring across all externally commissioned domiciliary care services. 

Having considered all of the information, including known proposals and reasons for the recommendations, Cabinet

RESOLVED to: -

1)    Approve the introduction of Electronic Call Monitoring across externally commissioned domiciliary care services in Gloucestershire, and

2)      Authorise the Commissioning Director: Adults and DASS to conduct separate contract negotiations under the ESPO Framework, (in accordance with the rules of that framework and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015), to purchase provider licenses from CM2000 for a 7 year term. This will enable external domiciliary care service providers and internal Gloucestershire County Council staff to use the Electronic Call Monitoring System for the purposes of recording actual support worker visit detail within the domiciliary care contract.

Councillor Dorcas Binns, Cabinet Member for Older People, sought approval to introduce Electronic Call Monitoring across all externally commissioned domiciliary care services. 

Cllr Binns informed members that the current domiciliary care contract was up for re-tender, and would be awarded in April 2016. She stated that the new contract would give the council an opportunity to extend the scope of the existing Electronic Call Monitoring (ECM) system, (currently used to monitor learning disability services), and include the monitoring of services to be provided under the new contract.

Outlining a number of benefits to the council, Cllr Binns explained how the new system would assist in processing payments to providers by the recording of the actual number of service hours being delivered, and not just the hours being commissioned. 

Outlining the two options referred to in the report, Cllr Binns proposed that Cabinet agree option 2, and approve a full roll out of the system. The advantages of taking this option included the ability to undertake an audit of all services, and thus ensure delivery of the latest support plans, and the appointment of ECM officers to enable robust partnership working.

Having considered all of the information, including reasons for the recommendations, Cabinet supported the proposals and

RESOLVED to: -

1)    Approve the introduction of Electronic Call Monitoring across externally commissioned domiciliary care services in Gloucestershire, and

2)    Authorise the Commissioning Director: Adults and DASS to conduct separate contract negotiations under the ESPO Framework, (in accordance with the rules of that framework and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015), to purchase provider licenses from CM2000 for a 7 year term. This will enable external domiciliary care service providers and internal Gloucestershire County Council staff to use the Electronic Call Monitoring System for the purposes of recording actual support worker visit detail within the domiciliary care contract.

To provide an update on the year-end forecast for the 2015-16 Revenue and Capital Budgets, and make any consequential decisions.

Please note:

Please note that this report contains exempt and non-exempt information. If Cabinet wish to discuss the exempt information, consideration should first be given to whether the public should be excluded from the meeting by passing the following resolution:

In accordance with Regulation 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, the public to be excluded from the meeting for this item of business because it is likely that, if members of the public were present, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, and the public interest in withholding this information outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information to the public.

The reason for the information being private is because:

‘the relevant information relates to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Authority holding that information (Paragraph 3, of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972)’

Cllr Ray Theodoulou, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Change, gave an update on the year-end forecast for the 2015/16 Revenue and Capital Budgets before seeking approval on several consequential decisions.

One of the decisions related to approval of a £17 million one-off financial contribution towards the residual waste project, seeking funding from revenue reserves to mitigate the cost of delay in the annual revenue costs of waste over the life of the project.  

Before considering the report, Leader of Council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne advised Cabinet that, if it should need to discuss the contents of the exempt information, (Appendix A), relating to this item, consideration would have had to have been given as to whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Regulation 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012. Cabinet confirmed that it was content to consider the report without making reference to the exempt information.

Having considered all of the information, including known proposals and reasons for the recommendations, Cabinet

RESOLVED to: -

1)    Note the forecast revenue year end position as at the end of August 2015 for the 2015/16 financial year of a net £3.9 million overspend, and mitigating actions being taken.

2)    Note the forecast capital year end position of a £4.9 million underspend for 2015/16, and recognises that this is the result of slippage in capital projects and that the total capital programme budget remains unchanged.

3)    Agree a revenue contribution to capital from the Business Support Services Budget of £0.15 million to support the Archives capital project, which is largely funded from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

4)    Agree £0.3 million of approved capital grant funding be transferred to the Thrupp Primary School project.

5)    Approve a £17 million one-off financial contribution to the residual waste project, funded from revenue reserves to mitigate the cost of delay in the annual revenue budget for the project over 25 years.

6)     Authorise the Director of Communities and Infrastructure to agree and sign the deed of variation restatement of the residual waste contract.

Cllr Ray Theodoulou, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Change, gave an update on the year-end forecast for the 2015/16 Revenue and Capital Budgets before seeking agreement on several consequential decisions.

Cllr Theodoulou referred to the recommendations on pages 51 and 52 of the report and explained that he would be presenting the recommendations in two parts, the first, to concentrate on the ‘housekeeping’ elements of the report, including an update on the year end forecast for the 2015/16 Revenue and Capital Budgets, and the second, relating to the residual waste project.

Before considering the report, Leader of Council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne advised Cabinet that, if it should need to discuss the contents of the exempt information (Appendix A) that accompanied the report for this item, consideration would have had to have been given as to whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Regulation 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012. Cabinet confirmed that it was content to consider the report without making references to the exempt information.

Cllr Theodoulou reported an overall year end revenue forecast position of a £3.9 million over-spend, equivalent to 0.9 per cent of the net budget, (based on actual expenditure at the end of September 2015 and forecasts made in October 2015). Within this overall forecast, Cllr Theodoulou reported an over-spend of £4.3 million, (2.9 per cent of the net budget), in Adult Services, and £2.6 million, (2.6 per cent of the net budget), in Children and Families Services. Cllr Theodoulou explained that the Adult Services forecast was dependent on the council making further cost savings, (to be delivered under the new management arrangements outlined in the report), and that a financial recovery plan had been put in place to offset potential increases in the number of children in care in Gloucestershire.

Having updated members on the current financial position, Cllr Theodoulou proposed a revenue contribution of £0.15 million from the Business Support Services Budget to support the Archives Capital Project, and a transfer of £0.3 million of approved capital grant funding to the Thrupp Primary School Project.

He also proposed a £17 million one-off contribution from the capital fund reserve to mitigate the cost of delays in the residual waste project. Cllr Theodoulou referred to some of the challenges the council had encountered since commencing the project 3 years ago, including escalation of costs attributable to the project through inflation.

Outlining two options from which to finance the costs, the first, to borrow money entirely from the banks, and the second, to use that part of the capital reserve not otherwise allocated for investment, Cllr Theodoulou recommended Cabinet take the second option. This would allow the council to reduce its overall borrowings and give the same rate of return as that required by the banks. At the end of the financial period, the energy to waste plant would revert to ownership by the County Council. In  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.