Agenda and minutes

The Members had before them:

A.    The Agenda papers (previously circulated); and

B.    The Minutes of the meeting held on 29 June 2017 (previously circulated).

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Head of Legal and Democratic Services in writing or by e-mail indicating both the nature and content of their proposed participation no later than 9.00am on the working day before the meeting (in this case 19 July 2017).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed below.

None.

The Minutes of the meeting of 29 June 2017 have been previously circulated.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 29 June 2017 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Cabinet considered the Worcestershire Children and Young People Plan (CYPP). The details were set out in the report.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were raised:

a)    The Cabinet Member for Children and Families introduced the report. He commented that the Council's performance had not been good historically and must improve and learn from best practice. The Council should build on its strengths, prioritise partnership working to improve outcomes and focus on added value. The Council had a vision for what it expected for every child. The vision was split into four key areas as set out in the report and it was those elements that needed to be developed and scrutinised. If the plan was not making a difference to children's lives then it was not working. The Council needed to be brave and make positive decisions and act differently. The Council would listen to the views of young people and families because it was their voice that underpinned everything;

b)    The CYPP was at the heart of everything that the Council did. The Council could not work in isolation. It was about partnership working with partners across all sectors. The vision and ultimate outcomes were right for the children in Worcestershire – it was just a case of ensuring that the action plan was put into effect;

c)    Engagement trees had been set up in all the Council's libraries and had been well-received. A successful workshop had been held at Wood Green Church with partner organisations. At this meeting a pledge was made that recognised the role of partners in the CYPP. Partners also agreed to look at ways to incorporate the actions within it in their own strategic plans;

d)    It was crucial that Cabinet received updates on the progress of the CYPP on a regular basis;

e)    The Chairman of the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel commented that the Corporate Parenting Board had expressed concern about the responsibility of housing providers for the provision of housing for young people in the county. The Council needed to do more work to engage registered social landlords to support the most vulnerable care leavers. A meeting with the relevant senior housing officers should be arranged to address this issue. The Leader welcomed this suggestion; and

f)     The Cabinet Member for Children and Families confirmed that a protocol for housing young people was being developed but more needed to be done. It was patronising to suggest that young people commented in a "more simplistic fashion". Their views were more sophisticated and deserved to be listened to.

RESOLVED: that

a)    the views of children, young people, parents/carers and practitioners and Scrutiny be noted as summarised in the report;

b)    COUNCIL BE RECOMMENDED to adopt the new Children and Young People's Plan (CYPP)  2017-2021, set out at Appendix 1 to the report as approved by the Health and Wellbeing Board, as part of the Council's Policy framework for a whole-system response to improving outcomes for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1793.

The Cabinet considered the Council's Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery arrangements. The details were set out in the report.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were raised:

a)    The Cabinet Member for Health and Well-being introduced the report and commented that the LGA document 'A Councillors Guide to Civil Emergencies' provided a checklist of good practice which for the most part the Council had addressed. It would be beneficial to arrange a seminar for all councillors to remind them of their responsibilities in a civil emergency. A West Mercia Local Resilience Forum had been established and the Council recognised its responsibilities and the importance of partnership working. The Council had set in place a series of measures to be ready to respond to a civil emergency situation. Key staff would be trained to be able to respond to an emergency and provide support to schools. District councils were also aware of their responsibilities;

b)    The role of local radio should be recognised in providing local residents with vital information in an emergency;

c)    The strength of the Plan was that it was not detailed and therefore allowed a degree of flexibility to respond when events did not go according to plan. When released, the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry should provide lessons for local practices and procedures;

d)    The visible presence of officers attending an emergency provided an important sense of reassurance to the public;

e)    One of the notable factors in the response to the flooding crisis in 2007 was the positive community response. The Plan therefore recognised the important role of the voluntary and community sector. Co-operation between partner agencies had improved over time and the county was now in a better position to respond to a major emergency locally or countywide; and

f)     The Cabinet Member for Health and Well-being expressed his appreciation for the dedicated work of the Council's Emergency Planning team.

RESOLVED: that

a)    the structures of the West Mercia Local Resilience Forum (LRF) and County Council representation and participation be noted;

b)    the multi-agency suite of emergency plans for responding to emergencies be noted;

c)    the arrangements for humanitarian assistance be endorsed;

d)    the Emergency Planning service level arrangements that the Council has in place with the southern District Councils be noted;

e)    the regular training of County Council staff and exercising of plans be noted; and

f)     the Emergency Planning Critical Incident in Schools provision be noted.

The Cabinet considered the Council's Balanced Scorecard report Quarter 4 2016/17. The details were set out in the report.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were raised:

a)    The Cabinet Member for Transformation and Commissioning introduced the report. She indicated that 5 red performance indicators had been updated in quarter four 2016/17:

·         Looked After Children – New processes had been put in place to improve senior managerial oversight and decision-making for children coming into the care system and a Resources Panel also met regularly

·         Children with a Child Protection Plan – The thresholds for holding an Initial Child Protection Conference were being reviewed

·         Older People Funded in Permanent Care Home Placements -  Extra care continued to be developed as an addition to residential care

·         Sickness rates were reducing. Processes and systems were being reviewed to develop a pragmatic and outcome-focussed approach, focussed on long term cases

·         Staff who feel the Council has a clear vision for the future – A number of staff engagement sessions had been arranged to improve the clarity of the vision

The red risk on the risk register related to "serious harm or death due to a failure on the part of the Council" and resulted from the Ofsted report. Actions were in place to address this issue. Demographic pressures remained a red risk. Recruitment issues in Adult Social Care had been addressed and the red risk had been downgraded;   

b)    The high response rate of 60% to the staff survey reflected efforts to engage staff. The Council needed to incorporate this feedback into the Corporate Plan;

c)    Although the indicator for the number of businesses surviving 3 years or more was unsatisfactory, it showed that the Council's Open for Business Policy created an environment where people felt empowered to open a business. Overall, the number of green risks for the Open for Business area of focus indicated that the Council was successful in encouraging economic growth and employment;

d)    It was considered that people should be allowed to remain in their own home to improve their quality of life. This risk was proving difficult to address due to the demographic pressures in the county; and

e)    The highest levels of sickness rates in the Council were in Adult Social Care and this was to be expected given the nature of the work. It would be interesting to see benchmarking data to see whether other councils had similar sickness rates. The Leader indicated that benchmarking data on sickness absence should be included in future balanced scorecard reports.

RESOLVED: that

a)    the latest update of the Corporate Balanced Scorecard for Quarter Four 2016/17 be received, noting the 17 indicators rated as 'green' and considered actions being taken to improve performance for the 5 indicators rated 'red' where there has been an update in Quarter Four 2016/17;

b)    the latest refresh of the Corporate Risk Register be noted including actions to mitigate the two risks that are rated 'red'; and

c)    the refresh of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1795.

The Cabinet considered the Minerals and Waste Local Development Scheme. The details were set out in the report.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were raised:

a)    The Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure introduced the report. He reiterated that this was the fourth call for sites not the third as referenced in the report. The NPPF required the Council to maintain a seven year landbank for sand and gravel and a ten year landbank for crushed rock. It also required the Council to make reference to specific sites rather than preferred areas in the Plan. It was recognised that the Council did not have the required supply of minerals. The consultation process for the Plan would continue. There was a requirement to monitor the Waste Core Strategy every 5 years; and

b)    Parish councils in the south of the county were frustrated by the length of time that the Minerals and Waste Local Development Scheme was taking to complete. In the future, the call for more sites would become increasingly futile and counter-productive.

RESOLVED: that

a)    the Minerals and Waste Local Development Scheme (LDS) July 2017 – July 2020 be approved; and

b)    the Director of Economy and Infrastructure be given delegated authority to make minor amendments to the LDS prior to publication.

The Cabinet considered the response of the Director of Adult Services to the Ombudsman's finding of maladministration in an adult social care case. The detail was set out in the report.

In the ensuing debate, the following principal points were raised:

a)    The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care introduced the report and apologised to the complainant for the Council's mismanagement of the case. The Ombudsman was right to point out the Council's failings in the report. The Council was determined to learn from the report and an action plan had been drawn up. This should also remind staff of their responsibilities; and

b)    A member from outside the Cabinet commented that the report to Cabinet did not make any reference to the fact that the Council had acted contrary to the law in this case. The Leader responded that he would ask the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to provide guidance to Group Leaders on the remit of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman Report had also been circulated to all members of the Council by the Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED: that

a)    the adverse Ombudsman report in relation to Mr B, published on 15 June 2017 be noted;

b)    the response of the Director of Adult Services to the Ombudsman's finding of maladministration be endorsed; and

c)    the Director of Adult Services be authorised to take all appropriate steps to address the issues raised in the Ombudsman's report.