Agenda, decisions and minutes

To note any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Cllr Lynden Stowe (Cabinet Member for Finance and Change) and from Cllr Kathy Williams (Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care: Delivery).

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2019 (minutes attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2019 were confirmed and signed as a true record of that meeting.

To  declare any pecuniary or personal interests relating to specific matters on the agenda.

Please see information note (1) at the end of the agenda

No declarations of interest were made at the meeting.

Up to 30 minutes is allowed for this item.

Written questions

To answer any written questions from a County Councillor, (or any person living or working in the county, or is affected by the work of the County Council), about any matter which relates to any item on the agenda for this meeting.

The closing date for the receipt of written questions is 4.00 pm on Thursday 18 July 2019

A written answer will be provided for each written question and presented to the questioner and to Cabinet Members in advance of the meeting. The questions and answers will be taken as read at the meeting and need not be read out. At the discretion of the Leader of Council, each questioner in attendance at the meeting will be allowed to ask one supplementary question in response to the answer to the original question.

A copy of all written questions and written answers circulated at the meeting will be attached to the signed copy of the minutes of the meeting.

Please email questions for the attention of jo.moore@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Urgent questions

An urgent written question may be asked by a member of the public about any item on the Cabinet agenda for that meeting which the Chairperson considers could not have been reasonably submitted by the deadline for the receipt of written questions, provided he or she gives notice of the question to the Chief Executive by 12 noon the day before the meeting.

A total of 16 public questions and 30 member questions were submitted for consideration in advance of the meeting.

Please refer to the link below to view the responses to the questions: -

http://glostext.gloucestershire.gov.uk/documents/b15994/Questions%20and%20Answers%20Wednesday%2024-Jul-2019%2010.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=9

If unable to access the document at the link above, please go to the link below and select the ‘Cabinet Questions and Answers’ PDF document at the top of the web page: - 

http://glostext.gloucestershire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=9229&x=1

The following supplementary questions were asked at the meeting.

Public Questions:

Question 1: Linda Phillips

Agenda Item 6: Future Provision of Care Homes in Gloucestershire and the Relevant Consultation

Reiterating concerns about the national crisis affecting Care in the Community and the NHS, Ms Phillips asked the cabinet member to oppose the proposed closure of two ‘unique and special care homes’ in the Stroud District and provide support to The Orders of the St John Trust by investing in the two establishments.

Response by: Cllr Roger Wilson (Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care: Commissioning) 

Cllr Wilson informed Ms Phillips that the impact of these issues would be considered later in the meeting. Cllr Wilson confirmed that a number of issues raised today had ‘been picked up’. 

Question 2: Sally Powell

Agenda Item 6: Future Provision of Care Homes in Gloucestershire and the Relevant Consultation

Ms Powell asked how could Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) guarantee sufficient suitable provision in the Stroud area to meet the needs of both GCC funded and self funded residents given the lack of assessment information regarding each resident's care needs?

Response by: Cllr Roger Wilson (Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care: Commissioning) 

Cllr Wilson confirmed that GCC officers had invested a huge amount of work into providing alternative places for the affected residents. 

Question 4: Sally Powell

Agenda Item 6: Future Provision of Care Homes in Gloucestershire and the Relevant Consultation

Given the provision of respite and new NHS placements provided by Wyatt House, Ms Powell enquired whether the County Council had engaged with carers and care providers to assess the impact of the proposed closures and to discuss what alternative provisions could be made?

Response by: Cllr Roger Wilson (Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care: Commissioning) 

Cllr Wilson confirmed that part of the consultation process, (pending the decision from today’s meeting), would be for officers to consider the number of places available to residents. He confirmed there would be places available after the decision was made.

Question 8: Sally Powell

Agenda Item 6: Future Provision of Care Homes in Gloucestershire and the Relevant Consultation

Ms Powell requested details of the budgeted works proposed for Wyatt House and asked, ‘on what basis had it been deemed necessary for the proposed works to the care homes be carried out and on the recommendation of which clinical body’?

Response by: Cllr Roger Wilson (Cabinet Member: Adult Social Care: Commissioning) 

Referring to details included in the detailed cabinet report, Cllr Wilson informed Ms Powell that various assessments, including assessments by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) had been undertaken, in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To receive an update on the year-end forecast for the 2019/20 County Council’s Revenue and Capital Budgets.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, gave an update on the year-end forecast for the 2019/20 County Council’s Revenue and Capital Budgets

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

RESOLVED to:

1.    Note the forecast revenue year end position as at the end of May 2019 for the 2019/20 financial year as showing a net £2.956 million overspend against the revenue budget of £429.661 million.

2.    Note the one off transfer of £0.028 million to GFRS from the Transformation Reserve to subsidise travel on a targeted basis for key stage 2 and 3 children across Gloucestershire.

3.    Note the forecast capital year end position as at the end of May 2019 of £1.147million overspend against the current budget of £121.537 million

4.    Approve the addition of £1.147 million to the Highways capital budget funded from a variety of sources as outlined in the body of the report.

5.    Note the allocation of £1.209 million from the approved carriageway resurfacing budget to specific schemes as outlined in the body of the report.

In the absence of Cllr Lynden Stowe (Cabinet Member: Finance and Change), Leader of the Council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, gave an update on the year-end forecast for the 2019/20 County Council’s Revenue and Capital Budgets. The update to reflect the financial position for the 2018/19 year end, showing a forecast revenue year end position of a £2.956 million overspend, (on a net budget of £429.661 million), representing 0.69% of the budget.

The Leader confirmed that the most significant change within the report was the net position forecast overspend in the Children and Families Budget, reported at £7.427 million. The Leader said the overspend reflected ongoing pressures attributed to the high cost of external placements and safeguarding staff budgets. An efficiency plan had been put in place to reduce the forecast overspend to below £5.0 million by the end of the year. The Leader advised that the council’s investment aimed to address some of the issues experienced in delivering Children’s and Families Services, issues not unique to Gloucestershire. 

The Communities & Infrastructure Budget forecast reported an overspend of £0.310 million. This was largely due to an overspend of £0.357 million in the council’s waste budgets, for which it was proposed should be offset by areas forecast to be on (or very close) to budget. The council continued to address a number of minor overspends in other budgets. 

The Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service reported a forecast overspend of £0.213 million. This was mainly attributed to significant increases in employer superannuation costs for fire service pension schemes. Although a grant had been received to alleviate the increase, this had only represented 90 per cent of the costs. It was proposed that the overall overspend be off set by a number of underspends identified in corporate budgets.

The Leader advised that the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) was forecast to overspend by £4.842 million. This included a deficit carry forward of £2.884 million, primarily a consequence of cost pressures in the High Needs Block. Although there had been a temporary fix from government, without the necessary additional funding, it was unlikely the DSG grant would be brought back into balance in the near future, creating a potential financial risk to the Council.  To reduce the risk, a 5 year recovery plan was underway. The Local Government Association (LGA) would also work with councils to highlight the impact of the cost pressures to the Government. 

In terms of capital, the Leader reported a forecast year end position of £122.684 million. This included an in year overspend of £1.147 million against the current budget. It was proposed that an increase of £1.147 million be added to the capital programme. Further other changes to be put forward during the next 6 to 8 months.

The Leader referred to Appendix A of the report, detailing financial support for subsidised admission and travel for school children to attend Skillzone from September 2019. The information was noted.

Cllr Richard Boyles, (Cabinet Member for Safeguarding Children and Early  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To seek Cabinet approval to close Southfield Care Home, Stroud and Wyatt House Care Home, Stroud and to consult with residents and their families on the impact of the closures.

Cllr Roger Wilson, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, (Commissioning), sought approval for the proposed closures of Southfield House Care Home, Stroud, and Wyatt House Care Home, Stroud and to undertake consultation on the impact of the closures.  

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

RESOLVED to:

1.    Approve the closure of Southfield House Care Home, Stroud.

2.    Agree that any capital receipts arising from the disposal of Southfield House Care Home will be ring-fenced for future developments for older people in the County.

3.    Delegate authority to the Director of Integration, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Commissioning, to:  

i)             Consult with residents and families of Southfield House Care Home on the impact of and arrangements for the closure of the care home.

ii)            Facilitate moving the residents to an alternative care home that will meets their needs.

4.    Approve the closure of Wyatt House Care Home.

5.    Agree that any capital receipts arising from the disposal of the properties will be ring-fenced for future developments for older people in the County.

6.    Delegate authority to the Director of Integration, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care Commissioning to:  

i)             Consult with residents and their families of Wyatt House on the impact of and arrangements for the closure of the care home.

ii)            Facilitate moving the residents to an alternative care home that will meet their needs.

Cllr Roger Wilson, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, (Commissioning), gave a detailed account of the background and proposals relating to the proposed closures of Southfield House Care Home, Stroud, and Wyatt House Care Home, Stroud. In presenting the report, Cllr Wilson sought approval to undertake consultation on the impact of the closures. 

Cllr Wilson expressed the difficultly in making this decision, particularly in relation to the impact the decision would have on residents, families and staff at the two care homes. Noting the exceptional care and competency provided by the staff at the care homes, Cllr Wilson acknowledged the care homes not only provided care to the residents, but also represented their homes.

Cllr Wilson reported that, sadly, on the advice of The Orders of St John Care Trust, (the charity organisation running the care homes), both properties had been identified as unfit for purpose for the future. As a result of changing demands for care, the two properties were unable to attract sufficient  self-funding residents and were therefore struggling to maintain full occupancy.

Furthermore, the cost of making improvements to upgrade the properties was considered too expensive, and even then, would not reach the high standard of care deemed appropriate for Gloucestershire in 2019.

Cllr Wilson confirmed he had visited both care homes and had spoken to staff and to residents. He was also aware of several other members, (from a range of political parties), who had visited the properties and expressed his appreciation for the diligence that was being attributed to this sensitive issue.

Reporting on some of the features of the properties that had identified the care homes as being unsuitable for future use, (single double-glazing/poor 1970’s insulation),  Cllr Wilson also referred to the out-dated design of the properties, expressing concern about the absence of en-suite facilities; the inappropriate size of bedrooms and corridors; and the inaccessible gardens, (although beautiful and well maintained), but without access for wheel chair users or residents with limited mobility.

Cllr Wilson recalled the cabinet decision taken on 19 June 2019, seeking approval of the Strategy for the Commissioning of Residential and Nursing Care Provision, where, under the requirements of the Care Act 2014, and in conjunction with the NHS, the Council was made accountable of the duty to provide the best and most suitable accommodation for elderly and vulnerable residents. In Gloucestershire, this decision had been against a backdrop of falling demand for residential care placements as more people remain in their homes for longer , rather than being admitted to care.

Responding to the question of why the decision to close the care homes needed to be taken at this time, and why it was not possible to allow the homes to remain open for existing residents, it was explained that the issue of retaining staff and providing quality care when the future of a care home is under question becomes much more challenging.

Acknowledging the impact on staff at the care homes and the inevitability of staff  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To seek approval to procure and award a contract for the delivery of structural maintenance works for 2 years from April 2020 to 2022.

Cllr Vernon Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways and Flood, sought approval for the procurement and award of a contract for the delivery of structural maintenance works from April 2020. 

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

RESOLVED to:

Authorise the Lead Commissioner, Highways Authority, to:

1. Carry out a public procurement law compliant competitive tender process for the delivery of a two year single provider contract for the delivery of structural maintenance works commencing 1st April 2020, and

2. Award such contract (following the conclusion of the said competitive tender process) in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Flood, to the preferred provider(s) evaluated as offering the Council best value for money for delivery of the required works.

In the event that the preferred provider is either unable or unwilling to enter into that contract with the Council then the Lead Commissioner, Highways Authority shall be authorised to award such contract to the next willing highest scoring suitably qualified provider.

Cllr Vernon Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways and Flood, sought approval for the procurement and award of the council’s contract for the delivery of structural maintenance works in April 2020. 

In September 2017, a new delivery model was developed in consultation with Cabinet and a cross-party Cabinet Panel to take forward the way in which the council procured and delivered its highway contracts post April 2019. Building on the success of the previous year, Cllr Smith explained that the contract for delivery of the council’s structural maintenance works with effect from 1 April 2020 would help in delivering the council’s £150 million investment in the county’s highways.

Outlining a variety of projects (both completed and underway), Cllr Smith stressed the importance of considering the county’s carbon footprint as part of the council’s commitment to reducing its carbon emissions. He also stressed the value of the proposed contract in enabling the council to bid for the best evaluations.

Commending the smooth delivery of the council’s resurfacing works during the past two years, Cllr Smith thanked the Highways Team for their hard work. Noting Cllr Smith’s expression of appreciation to the public for its understanding of any disruptions that may have occurred during the delivery of major project works, Leader of the Council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, requested that consideration be given to the planning of any future schemes in conjunction with related works and schemes overseen by utility companies. The Leader stressed the importance of ensuring the county’s roads avoided becoming gridlock.

Other cabinet members commended the work being undertaken.  

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

RESOLVED to:

Authorise the Lead Commissioner, Highways Authority, to:

1. Carry out a public procurement law compliant competitive tender process for the delivery of a two year single provider contract for the delivery of structural maintenance works commencing 1st April 2020, and

2. Award such contract (following the conclusion of the said competitive tender process) in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and Flood, to the preferred provider(s) evaluated as offering the Council best value for money for delivery of the required works.

In the event that the preferred provider is either unable or unwilling to enter into that contract with the Council then the Lead Commissioner, Highways Authority shall be authorised to award such contract to the next willing highest scoring suitably qualified provider.

To approve changes to the approved Children & Families Capital Programme

Cllr Patrick Molyneux, (Cabinet Member for Economy, Education and Skills), sought approval to approve changes to the approved Children and Families Capital Programme.

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

RESOLVED to:

Approve changes to the Children & Families Capital Programme as set out in the published decision report, to approve:

1. A new scheme for the provision of additional places at Prestbury St Mary’s C of E Primary School, funded by the transfer of £0.270 million from the approved basic need provision, and

2. An additional £0.206 million developer s106 contributions for Cleeve Secondary Academy.

Cllr Patrick Molyneux, (Cabinet Member for Economy, Education and Skills), sought to approve changes to the approved Children and Families Capital Programme.

Cllr Molyneux recalled that at the council meeting on 14 February 2018, the 2018/19 Children’s & Families Capital Programme had been approved. The following year, on 13 February 2019, the 2019/20 Children’s & Families Capital Programme had been approved. Cllr Molyneux confirmed that, since this time, schemes had been developed for a number of schools, for which the decision report gave an update on subsequent changes. The schemes represent part of the council’s ongoing commitment to investing £100 million into new schools, improving school buildings and expanding facilities at schools across Gloucestershire.

Cllr Molyneux informed members that the council had worked collaboratively with the Diocese of Gloucester to ensure proposed works to provide additional school places and other improvements at the Prestbury St Mary’s C of E Primary School were delivered in a coordinated way to i) deliver an efficient scheme and ii) minimise any disruption to the day to day running of the school. 

It was noted that additional Section 106 Developer Contributions had been received for Cleeve Secondary Academy to help deliver improvements at the school, and to enable the school to cater for additional pupils arising from local housing. 

Cllr Tim Harman, (Cabinet Member for Public Health), commended the council’s investment in schools. Having attended an Air Quality Panel meeting the previous day, Cllr Harman referred to the good work that was being undertaken by officers to address this controversial issue? Cllr Molyneux confirmed Air Quality issues in Gloucestershire schools was a key priority.  

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

RESOLVED to:

Approve changes to the Children & Families Capital Programme as set out in the published decision report, to approve:

1. A new scheme for the provision of additional places at Prestbury St Mary’s C of E Primary School, funded by the transfer of £0.270 million from the approved basic need provision, and

2. An additional £0.206 million developer s106 contributions for Cleeve Secondary Academy.

To seek approval to exercise the contractual option to extend the existing contracts for the provision of targeted family support services in children and families centres in Gloucester City, Forest of Dean and Stroud and Cheltenham and Tewkesbury localities from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022.

Cllr Richard Boyles, (Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years), sought to extend existing contracts for the provision of targeted family support services in children and families centres located in Gloucester City, Forest of Dean, and in the Stroud, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury localities. 

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

RESOLVED to:

Delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services to exercise the option to extend the current contracts for the provision of targeted support services in  the 16 Children and Family Centres located in Gloucester City, Forest of Dean, and Stroud, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury localities from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022.

Cllr Richard Boyles, (Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years), explained that the purpose of the report was to seek approval to exercise the contractual option to extend the existing contracts for the provision of targeted family support services in Children and Families Centres located in Gloucester City, Forest of Dean and Stroud and in the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury localities from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022. Current contracts had the option to extend for a further period for up to two years. The contracts support the ‘payment by results’ work of the Troubled Families Programme.

Cllr Boyles informed members that the Children and Family Centres had exceeded targets for the last 2 years and in doing so had supported many more children and families than anticipated and had made a larger contribution to the payment by results service of Families First that helped make up the current Early Help Service.

Broad consultation had been undertaken during the contract periods, with families encouraged to give their views on the services they received. The results of the consultations demonstrated how families felt services were accessible; that they felt engaged and that they had been listened to and valued. The overall partner and user feedback would be used to help shape the services going forward beyond the contract extension recommendation. T The contracts would be robustly monitored and were currently performing well, sustaining positive outcomes for the children and families they supported.

Cllr Boyles informed members that in enabling the 2 year extension of the council’s contracts would help sustain the continuity of care for some of the county’s most vulnerable children and families. In the meantime, commissioners would work on the development of the council’s longer term strategy for future provision, in line with the new Sufficiency Strategy, and with any national decision in relation to the future funding of the Troubled Families Programme.

It was noted that there was a resource implication in the extension of the contracts, with a shortfall of £252,000 from a budget of £7,250,964  To address this, Cllr Boyles advised that, built into the commissioning budget over the next 12 months would be measures to make savings from ensuring a more effective management of the contracts. This would neither affect the contract nor the budget.

Cllr Boyles proposed Cabinet adopt Option 2 of the options; to secure the 2 year extension whilst continuing to deliver continuity of care to the families needing support.

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

RESOLVED to:

Delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services to exercise the option to extend the current contracts for the provision of targeted support services in  the 16 Children and Family Centres located in Gloucester City, Forest of Dean, and Stroud, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury localities from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2022.

To seek approval to conclude the establishment of a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for Transport Services.

Cllr Nigel Moor, (Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning), sought approval to conclude the establishment of a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for Transport Services.

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

RESOLVED to:

Delegate authority to the Lead Commissioner - Community Infrastructure to:

1)    Conduct a public procurement law compliant procurement process for  the establishment of a ten year Dynamic Purchasing System (“DPS”) for the provision of passenger transport services commencing February 2020;

2)    Admit or remove suppliers from the DPS during its ten year term in accordance with the selection criteria or any revised selection criteria set out in the DPS;

3)    Procure transport services, using the DPS, from providers of Passenger Transport Services (including Home to School Transport Services and Social Care Transport Services) and award contracts for such services up to the value of £499,999 in aggregate in respect of any single contract award PROVIDED that the Lead Commissioner - Community Infrastructure reports back to Cabinet on an annual basis throughout the term of the DPS with  details of the aggregate value of all contracts that were awarded using the DPS in the previous year and,

4)    Procure contracts for the supply of transport services during financial year 2019/2020 (whose estimated aggregate values shall equal £18m) from operators admitted to the existing DPS and the proposed new DPS; contracts for transport services required by the council in subsequent financial years shall be the subject of separate Cabinet decisions.

Presenting the first of two ‘related’ reports, Cllr Nigel Moor, (Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning), sought approval to conclude the process of establishing a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for Transport Services.

The initial Transport DPS had been agreed by Cabinet in 2016. (This allowed the Integrated Transport Unit to use a web portal for the procurement of transport contracts for Home to School, Public Transport and Social Care).

Cllr Moor explained that the decision concluded the next iteration of the DPS. The system was the same as before, with the exception of the online marketplace now being split into lots (i.e. lot 1 for small taxis, lot 2 for larger taxis, lot 3 for school buses). This would allow the procurement of transport to meet different requirements.

The length of the proposed DPS had been extended to 10 years, (this would be flexible). Notice could be given without incurring financial penalty at any point during the 10 year period should the system no longer meet requirements. The ability to open new lots to meet legislation changes had been retained.

Cllr Moor drew members attention to the due regard statement that accompanied the decision and reported no concerns of those with protected characteristics. He confirmed all vehicles to be procured in this way would be fully compliant with all national accessibility regulations.

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

RESOLVED to:

Delegate authority to the Lead Commissioner - Community Infrastructure to:

1)    Conduct a public procurement law compliant procurement process for  the establishment of a ten year Dynamic Purchasing System (“DPS”) for the provision of passenger transport services commencing February 2020;

2)    Admit or remove suppliers from the DPS during its ten year term in accordance with the selection criteria or any revised selection criteria set out in the DPS;

3)    Procure transport services, using the DPS, from providers of Passenger Transport Services (including Home to School Transport Services and Social Care Transport Services) and award contracts for such services up to the value of £499,999 in aggregate in respect of any single contract award PROVIDED that the Lead Commissioner - Community Infrastructure reports back to Cabinet on an annual basis throughout the term of the DPS with  details of the aggregate value of all contracts that were awarded using the DPS in the previous year and,

4)    Procure contracts for the supply of transport services during financial year 2019/2020 (whose estimated aggregate values shall equal £18m) from operators admitted to the existing DPS and the proposed new DPS; contracts for transport services required by the council in subsequent financial years shall be the subject of separate Cabinet decisions.

To seek approval to use the Transport Dynamic Purchasing Systemto procure and award passenger transport contracts and to provide feedback on progress in implementing passenger transport contract related decisions as agreed by Cabinet in July 2018.

Cllr Nigel Moor, (Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning), sought approval to use the council’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to procure and award the passenger transport contracts referred to in the decision report and to provide feedback on the council’s progress in implementing transport related decisions agreed in July 2018. .

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

RESOLVED to:

Authorise the Lead Commissioner: Community Infrastructure to:

1)    Use the TDPS in accordance with its terms to undertake in each case a legally compliant procurement process to procure contracts between July 2019 and July 2021 for the provision of each of the local bus services set out in Table 1 of the published decision report;

2)    Upon the conclusion of each of the procurement processes described in Recommendation 1 above, to award a contract to the highest scoring preferred provider in each case evaluated as offering the Council best value for money for delivery of the services in accordance with the TDPS requirements.

In the event that a preferred provider for a contract is either unable or unwilling to enter into a contract with the Council then the Lead Commissioner: Community Infrastructure is authorised to enter into such contract with the next willing, highest scoring, suitably qualified provider.

Cllr Nigel Moor, (Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning), sought approval to use the council’s Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to procure and award the passenger transport contracts referred to at Table 1 of the decision report and to provide feedback on the council’s progress in implementing transport related decisions agreed in July 2018, (Table 2).

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

RESOLVED to:

Authorise the Lead Commissioner: Community Infrastructure to:

1)    Use the TDPS in accordance with its terms to undertake in each case a legally compliant procurement process to procure contracts between July 2019 and July 2021 for the provision of each of the local bus services set out in Table 1 of the published decision report;

2)    Upon the conclusion of each of the procurement processes described in Recommendation 1 above, to award a contract to the highest scoring preferred provider in each case evaluated as offering the Council best value for money for delivery of the services in accordance with the TDPS requirements.

In the event that a preferred provider for a contract is either unable or unwilling to enter into a contract with the Council then the Lead Commissioner: Community Infrastructure is authorised to enter into such contract with the next willing, highest scoring, suitably qualified provider.

To seek approval to tender for the provision of an intensive Positive Behaviour Service for Children and Young People with learning disabilities and/or autism.  

Cllr Richard Boyles, (Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years), sought approval to tender for the provision of an intensive Positive Behaviour Service for Children and Young People with learning disabilities and/or autism. 

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

RESOLVED to:

a)    Approve the commissioning of an intensive positive behaviour support service for children and young people, to be facilitated by the Provider using a Social Impact Bond;    

b)    Delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services to carry out an OJEU compliant competitive tender process and award a contract, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years, for a positive behaviour support service for children and young people

c)    Delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services to develop a commissioning implementation plan, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years.

Cllr Richard Boyles, (Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years), sought approval to tender for the provision of an intensive Positive Behaviour Support Service (PBS) for children and young people with learning disabilities and/or with autism, and at risk of going into care.

Cllr Boyles informed members that the behaviour support service was an intensive programme of support, designed to help children and young people with challenging behaviour stay at home with their families.

The service to introduce a person-centred approach to ensure any actions taken would be directed at the unique needs of each individual child or young person. Such methods had been successfully implemented in other parts of the country and had been found to decrease the frequency and severity of challenging behaviour, improve the quality of life for young people and their families and reduce the need for residential care.

Cllr Boyles believed a Positive Behaviour Support Service for Gloucestershire would improve the quality of life for young people with learning disabilities and/or with Autism. It would also avoid the cost to the council of expensive residential placements which, currently, were reported at around £220,000 per year per child. On average, 6 young people per year enter placements. 

If approved, the GloucestershirePositive Behaviour Support Service to commence in April 2020, supporting up to 14 children or young people with learning disabilities and/or with autism, displaying challenging behavior and at risk of entering full time residential care within 6 months. The PBS service to work intensively with 4-5 children at any one time for a period of up to 2 years. Young people would be referred to the service by a multi-agency panel.

Cllr Boyles explained that if the council was to use this Social Impact Bond model, there would be no need to provide up front investment for the project. GCC would be eligible to access £360,000 from the Life Chances Fund, (government funding used to encourage the development of Social Impact Bonds).

The contract between the council and the provider would be an outcomes based contract with payments made on the successful outcome of the providers work with the young person.

Savings of £4,320,000 were forecast, (covering the term of the programme).

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

RESOLVED to:

a)    Approve the commissioning of an intensive positive behaviour support service for children and young people, to be facilitated by the Provider using a Social Impact Bond.  

b)    Delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services to carry out an OJEU compliant competitive tender process and award a contract, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years, for a positive behaviour support service for children and young people

c)    Delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services to develop a commissioning implementation plan, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Safeguarding and Early Years.

To authorise the Lead Commissioner, Highway Authority, to receive funds from Highways England (via Cotswold Canal Trust) for the proposes of procuring a contract for works in respect of the proposed A38/A419 Whitminster Roundabout Bridges and Canal Improvements

Cllr Vernon Smith, (Cabinet Member for Highways and Flood), sought authorisation for the Lead Commissioner, Highway Authority to receive funds from Highways England (via Cotswold Canal Trust) for the proposes of procuring a contract for works in respect of the proposed A38/A419 Whitminster Roundabout Bridges and Canal Improvements

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

RESOLVED to:

Authorise the Lead Commissioner; Highway Authority to:

(1)  Receive £4.0m by way of funding from Highways England (via Cotswold Canal Trust) for the purpose of funding a contract for works in respect of the proposed A38/A419 Whitminster Roundabout Bridges and Canal Improvements described in this report (the “Contract for Improvement Works”);

(2)  Permit the council to become the “Client” for the purposes of procuring the proposed Contract for Improvement Works;

(3)  Conduct, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, a public procurement law compliant tender process for the purpose of awarding the proposed Contract for Improvement Works;

(4)  Award and enter into the proposed Contract for Improvement Works with the preferred tenderer evaluated as offering the Council best value for money for delivery of the required works or, in the event that the preferred tenderer for the contract is either unable or unwilling to enter into that contract with the Council, to award and enter into such contract with the next willing highest scoring suitably qualified tenderer.

Cllr Vernon Smith, (Cabinet Member for Highways and Flood), sought authorisation for the Lead Commissioner, Highway Authority to receive funding from Highways England (via the Cotswold Canal Trust) for the proposes of procuring a contract for works in respect of the proposed A38/A419 Whitminster Roundabout Bridges and Canal Improvements Scheme.

Cllr Smith confirmed that the Cotswold Canal Trust had received two grants to support work on the Cotswold Canal Restoration Project. The grants comprised Heritage Lottery Funding and Highways England Funding. Total funding for the scheme was estimated at £4.5 million.

Outlining the options outlined in the cabinet decision report, Cllr Smith sought to authorise the Lead Commissioner: Highways Authority to progress the works, as described above.

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

RESOLVED to:

Authorise the Lead Commissioner; Highway Authority to:

(1)  Receive £4.0m by way of funding from Highways England (via Cotswold Canal Trust) for the purpose of funding a contract for works in respect of the proposed A38/A419 Whitminster Roundabout Bridges and Canal Improvements described in this report (the “Contract for Improvement Works”);

(2)  Permit the council to become the “Client” for the purposes of procuring the proposed Contract for Improvement Works;

(3)  Conduct, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, a public procurement law compliant tender process for the purpose of awarding the proposed Contract for Improvement Works;

(4)  Award and enter into the proposed Contract for Improvement Works with the preferred tenderer evaluated as offering the Council best value for money for delivery of the required works or, in the event that the preferred tenderer for the contract is either unable or unwilling to enter into that contract with the Council, to award and enter into such contract with the next willing highest scoring suitably qualified tenderer.

An information report from Cllr Nigel Moor

Cllr Nigel Moor, Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, presented a detailed information report on how Gloucestershire County Council intends to respond to the Climate Change Emergency declared at the Full Council meeting on 15 May 2019 and the steps being taken to revise and strengthen the Gloucestershire Climate Change Strategy over the next 5 years.

Cllr Moor set out the key dates for the proposals, including the intention to submit a revised Climate Change Strategy to Cabinet for approval on 13 November 2019.

Working in conjunction with the Corporate Management Team, members to consider the anticipated resource implications for the work and feedback from the public engagement consultation undertaken during August and September 2019. To seek the views of young people, it is proposed a Youth Climate Panel be established and for the council to engage with schools during September 2019.

Thanking officers for their commitment in enabling the pace of work to accelerate, Cllr Moor confirmed briefings had been made to the Environment Scrutiny Committee on 17 July 2019 and to the Corporate Management Team on 18 July 2019.

Further updates to be provided to the Environment Scrutiny Committee, prior to approval of the Climate Change Strategy by Cabinet on 13 November 2019 and adoption by Leadership Gloucestershire on 19 December 2019.

The information report was noted.