Agenda and minutes

The Members had before them:

A.    The Agenda papers (previously circulated), and

B.    The Minutes of the meeting held on 19 April 2018 (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 Wednesday 13 June 2018).  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 19 April 2018 have been previously circulated

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 19 April 2018 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Cabinet considered a report on plastics and non-recyclable cups following the Notices of Motion which had initially been heard at Council on 15 February 2018. Following the initial referral to Cabinet on 19 April a more detailed report had been requested.

In the ensuing debate the following principal points were raised:

·       Members from outside the Cabinet who had proposed the original motions welcomed the report and the fact that the Council was moving in the right direction. They felt it was now the role of the Council to show community leadership

·       The Cabinet Member for the Environment highlighted that the Council was actively engaged in identifying alternatives to single use plastics. Schools, restaurants and pubs were already engaged in reducing their use and the County Hall restaurant which used to throw away 100,000 single use coffee cups a year now used compostable cutlery and containers and offered a discount to those using re-usable cups. Waste management arrangements at County Hall were currently being reviewed to enable staff and visitors to recycle and dispose of waste correctly. The 'Lets Waste Less' campaign was being promoted

·       The Member for Economy and Infrastructure pointed out that some items were designed to only be used once so care was needed when speaking of single use plastics. Care was also required to ensure disposal was carried out efficiently as a neighbouring authority had got into trouble for sending recyclable plastic to landfill. The Member for the Environment and the Director of Economy and Infrastructure were asked to ensure that this was not happening in Worcestershire

·       Littering needed to become socially unacceptable and everyone needed to do their bit, with the Council using its influence over partners

·       A member from outside the cabinet had some concerns that it would be difficult to influence some sectors, for example schools who were in a difficult financial positions and also that the Government's Environment plan was so long term

·       It was agreed the Council was moving in the right direction and Community Leadership was important.

RESOLVED: that

a)     Cabinet did not adopt Notice of Motion 1 given the content of the report and actions being taken but supported the general principles behind it;

b)    In relation to Notice of Motion 2 Cabinet recognised that the Council had already endorsed the importance of these issues to residents and employees and was actively engaged in identifying alternatives to single use plastics within its direct operations as referenced in the report; and

c)     Cabinet intended that Council commissioners should use all reasonable endeavours to consider issues relating to the disposal of plastics in specifying, procuring and contracting for goods and services.

The Cabinet considered the pre-consultation feedback regarding future provision of Council-provided day services for adults with a Learning Disability and the Connect Short-term Service. The details were set out in the report.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Services moved the recommendations in the report and highlighted that the Wyre Forest area had been a leader in the provision of a variety of learning disability day services which enabled service users to have a choice of activity, however it was necessary to produce strategies for income generation or cost reduction.

SpeakEasy NOW was thanked for the time and effort they had put into the pre-consultation engagement exercise. During the engagement exercise it had become clear that services had to operate in a very changeable environment and had developed through speaking to users and carers. With any changes that came about in future, communication would be important to highlight the choices available and transport was key. District Councils would need to have an input in the provision of sporting activities. Overview and Scrutiny had made comments which had been adopted and added into the report.

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

·       The Cabinet Member for Health and Well-being felt the pre-consultation work had been very useful and this opportunity would allow services to be expanded so they were more suitable for current needs and allow for more interaction for those using the services

·       A member from outside the Cabinet explained that some residents from his area were worried that the consultation would mean cuts. The fear and concern was so great that a petition about the Wendron Centre had been handed to him which exceeded 1100 signatures.  He felt that the petition showed the strength of feeling in Bromsgrove

·       Another member from outside the Cabinet explained that a briefing had mentioned that if the public were concerned that they could go to the Hub but that was moving to a less accessible location

·       The Member for Adult Services explained that change was looking inevitable and concerns were heard and noted but the nature of Learning Disability provision in Wyre Forest was rich. He felt that some members of the Labour group had acted in an ill-judged and reckless manner when they called in the pre-consultation engagement which was attempting to gag the Council from speaking to users. They had also stood outside the Wendron Centre and collected signatures for the petition. He felt they had raised false fears and created concerns without engaging with officers to find out about the situation

·       The Cabinet Member for Transformation and Commissioning reported that she had had to reassure people about the Wendron Centre. She paid tribute to the staff at the Wendron Centre for their fantastic work

·       Other Members of Cabinet agreed with the Member for Adult Services and felt that the pre-consultation engagement showed that the Council was listening to the public. People would continue to have a choice, the requirements of the Care Act would continue to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1851.

Cabinet considered the future provision of replacement care (overnight respite) services for adults with a Learning Disability. The details were set out in the report.

The Member for Adult Services introduced the report and highlighted that he recognised the sensitive nature of this report as those who used the service built up a long term relationship with the carers, however there were 1,800 bed nights block purchased but not used per annum and 3,000 nights were purchased outside of the block contracts so work was needed on why this was happening.

The pre-consultation work was carried out by SpeakEasy NOW who had the trust of service users. Meetings had been held which had generated ideas on how to save money.

It was recognised that people with disabilities could now live longer and have more complex needs. It was therefore likely that the service would need to expand in the next few years so the report did not recommend a consultation but rather to look into improving the service through better commissioning and working with the Health and Care Trust to make best use of health led services.

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

·             SpeakEasy NOW were thanked for their work creating information for pre-consultation engagement. They had pointed out an inaccuracy in there document (p81) that under the section on Pershore Short Breaks 'Worth Crescent' should read 'Pershore'

·             The Member for Education and Skills felt that the report showed that service users and carers were listened to and the Cabinet Member had given a clear steer that there should not be any closures or restructuring. It was important to make the right choices for vulnerable service users

·             A member from outside the Cabinet welcomed the way the pre-consultation engagement had taken place, in that the work would progress based on knowledge rather than assumption. It was important that all providers work together.

RESOLVED: that

a)           the aim of improving outcomes and efficiency of replacement care (overnight respite) provision for adults with a Learning Disability, together with the results and feedback to date from pre-consultation engagement with individuals using services, carers, staff and other stakeholders, which had identified the importance of replacement care for people using services and their carers and generated many ideas about how services could be organised differently in the future be noted;

b)          the approach to achieving that aim, with the intention that the Director of Adult Services and her commissioners work with the providers of the commissioned replacement care services to remodel the way services were provided in order to meet eligible care needs now and in the future, ensuring maximum value for money, by exploring the options set out in paragraph 25 of the report and then implementing improvements as appropriate be endorsed; and

c)           if any future proposals for service change  require formal consultation, proposals would be brought back to Cabinet to seek permission to consult at a future date as required. 

Cabinet considered a report about the updated Streetscape guidance document which would assist developers and support the aims of the LTP4.

The Cabinet Member for Highways highlighted the new policy on parking standards. Improving parking was a key way of tackling congestion, one of the main concerns for residents and the interim guidance from 2016 needed updating. The new guidance required all new developments to supply off road parking and the concept of car free developments had been abandoned and replaced with the more relevant term parking free developments. The guidance would be subject to annual review so it could be updated if necessary. There would be a minimum level of parking based on the number of bedrooms and that standard would be the same for social and affordable housing. This guidance recognised that people would continue to have cars and the need for parking spaces was increasing.

In the ensuing discussion the following main points were made:

·       The Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure commented that green infrastructure, ecology and biodiversity were also covered in the design guide

·       Members of the Cabinet felt that the report was important to help with parking problems and damage to footpaths from cars parked on them. However they were concerned whether local planners and District Councils would follow the guidelines. It was then clarified that it was developers who needed to be encouraged to follow the guide although it was unclear whether developers could be made to adhere to the guidance

·       A member from outside the Cabinet was disappointed that the guide seemed to be all about cars and parking with nothing about cycling or public transport. The Cabinet for the Economy and Infrastructure pointed out that public transport was not in decline. Priority for pedestrians was included in the LPT4 and the design guide, however the issue of cars and insufficient parking still needed to be addressed

·       A further concern from a member outside the Cabinet pointed out that developers seemed to think the guidance was too onerous and there was a contradiction as the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) encouraged developers to look at individual circumstances rather than follow the design guidance

·       The Cabinet Member for the Environment pointed out that extra parking spaces would mean fewer cars parked along roads or in potentially dangerous places and therefore mean safer roads for pedestrians and cyclists

·       The Cabinet Member for Children and Families welcomed the pragmatic approach to parking. He highlighted the situation in Warndon where parking around the roads was a problem due to cars which couldn’t park at the hospital

·       A member from outside the Cabinet congratulated the Cabinet Member for Highways and felt that the guidance should be implemented across the whole county

·       The Director of Economy and Infrastructure felt that the key to getting developers to use the design guide was to work with them at an earlier stage of the planning process. He offered to produce a written answer regarding the queries to do with the NPPF  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1853.

The Cabinet considered the Resources Report. The details were set out in the report.

Some main points were highlighted:

·       The Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance welcomed the news that there was a small surplus

·       The in-year pressures on Children's Services had been reflected in the budget setting for 2018/19. The Adult Services budget required on-going attention

·       Efforts had been made to address pressures in Commercial and Change as well as Finance, and monitoring was on-going of the in-year position which would help to make the right provision for next year's budget

·       There was enormous capital investment in a number of projects such as flood mitigation and renewal of town centres. All the projects supported the Corporate plan which had been put together as a response to issues which were important to the public

·       The Cabinet Member for Adult Services explained that there was more transparency than before. It had been a challenging year but nearly £1 million a day had been spent on services to residents and £65 million had been spent on local infrastructure schemes, which were of long term benefit to the County

·       Credit should be paid to the LEP which had been successful in securing £4.5 million for 5G and the pension fund had had a successful year following a number of years of being in deficit.

RESOLVED: that

a)              financial performance for the year ending 31 March 2018 and the unaudited Annual Financial Report and Statement of Accounts 2017/18 be endorsed;

b)              updates to earmarked reserves and general balances as detailed in paragraphs 44 to 48 of the report be approved; and

c)              the draft Annual Governance Statement for 2017/18 was considered prior to final approval being sought from the Audit and Governance Committee in July 2018.