Agenda item

The Cabinet considered the progress of the Council's FutureFit Programme together with proposals for change and reform to support the Medium Term Financial Plan.  The details were set out in the report and Appendices.

In the ensuing discussion, the following main points were made:

(a)       The Cabinet Member for Transformation and Commissioning introduced the report. He commented that the Corporate Plan set out the Council's wider strategy and vision. It specified certain initiatives going forward in the next 2 years as well as giving an indication of the things that had already been done. Savings had been made whilst improving services and without losing the vision of making Worcestershire a better place to live, work and invest in. The Council had reached out to the public through a number of surveys and roadshows and their input was valued.  The public had noticed the improved value for money and had expressed a greater level of satisfaction with Council services than previously. There remained challenges particularly in relation to the vulnerable old and young which were being addressed through extra care units and increased technology to allow people to live independent lives. The contribution of the public should be recognised for example Dementia Care volunteers. The Council was investing in major infrastructure projects as well as general day-to-day maintenance. There was a commitment to invest in highly skilled and committed employees and to attract the best people from outside the county. A number of contracts were being examined with a view to driving up efficiencies and savings. The transformation and change rationale was cross-directorate and he considered that the Council was free of barriers between directorates;

(b)       The Leader of the Council stated that the proposals were based on engagement and consultation with the public and business community. The financial challenge of £34m had been set out in the budget and the report set out how the Council would address that. The Council would look to invest the additional transitional funds of £5m received from the Government. The Council would look to optimise Council tax receipts through working with district councils. The Council would look at aspects of growth and inflation and already had plans for £13m of growth. The Council had an extra £6m worth of proposals for income generation, better use of assets and efficiency and reform. Some of the proposals were long term in nature and would be rolled forward to 2018/19. However there remained a financial gap of £2.9m. There would be time for further consultation before the budget was finalised; 

(c)      The relevant Cabinet Member considered that Adult Social Care had benefited from additional funds in the budget. The provision of Supported Living accommodation was vital for people with learning disabilities to enable them to lead independent lives, and to date 340 people had been supported. In response to the findings of the Winterborne View Inquiry, the Council had successfully brought people back into county accommodation albeit at extra cost. The Council would continue to explore the purpose-built and conversion of accommodation to help more people maintain their independence as they became frail, including the potential for the first care village in the county. The Council was also working with providers to see how the offer had changed in terms of private sector provision;

(d)       The Council had been successful and would continue to seek additional and alternative sources of funding. There remained capacity to increase recycling in the county and the Council would facilitate this. Any measures introduced for the public would not be punitive in nature but educational. Mercia Waste Management had employed an officer to undertake training and work with other organisations - for example a session was held with parish councils to identify ways in which the community could contribute. The impact of housing growth on waste management was a major area that needed monitoring. There was potential to review the size of waste bins on a voluntary basis. The PFI resource would be spent, as the Government intended, on  the EfW plant at Hartlebury;  

(e)       The national Dementia Friends Scheme had given the Council greater awareness of the impact of dementia how to recognise the signs of dementia and how to help people living with it. Every member of the Council should be encouraged to take part;

(f)       The proposals were about change and reform rather than service reduction. The Council's financial resource envelope was shrinking year by year and therefore FutureFit included proposals to grow the Council's income; 

(g)       Improving connectivity was important and the Council should be proud of the progress made to date although there remained some gaps in the service. It was also recognised that mobile coverage was not good throughout the county. The Broadband Stakeholder Group had agreed to expand its remit to embrace mobile connectivity;

(h)       A Member from outside the Cabinet expressed concern about the reference in the report to the provision of high quality services despite what he saw as short 15 minute home visits, the closure of 2 Children's Centres, the lack of control over the employment of staff following the commissioning out of services, the rise in charges and the £2m budget reduction for Learning Disability services. The Council had also failed to set a target for its use of agency staff;

(i)        The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care suggested that those criticising the report needed to come up with alternative proposals. The Council had raised £65m in income generation, and next year a further £200k was expected to be raised and although this was a modest sum in itself, it was a proactive way to address the financial gap; 

(j)        A Member from outside the Cabinet (who was also a district member) queried the support the County Council would provide to district councils in relation to changes to the household waste collection service.  The Cabinet Member for the Environment responded that a joint officer body had been established together with closer member relations in order to address environmental waste issues with district councils. Work continued to reduce the amount of waste produced but any changes to the waste collection service needed to be mutually beneficial to all parties;

(k)       The Cabinet Member for Health indicated that the Council had no plans to close its Children's Centres or reduce the number of health visitors. The Health Visitor service had been commissioned out to the Health and Care Trust and although there had been a 10% reduction in the financial envelope, work was underway in consultation with the Health and Care team to redesign the service. The Director of Public Health was working with other directorates and partner organisations to progress and underline the importance of public health, which was a long term process; and

(l)        The Cabinet for Adult Social Care responded with regard to the £2m reduction in the Learning Disability budget for 2018/19 that the plan was to work with Health to identify additional resources such as from the Better Care Fund. The '15 minute' home  visits which had been referenced was only a small part of the service, and followed NICE guidance that they were not to be used for personal care. The service was constantly reviewed to ensure that it was appropriate for the needs of its clients. Some of these calls would eventually become unnecessary as a result of the use of technological advancements.       

RESOLVED: that

(a)        the significant progress of the FutureFit Programme and its achievements over the last 12 months be noted;

(b)       the Cabinet supports, in principle, the proposals outlined in the report and supporting papers, that are intended to deliver £8.8 million through additional income generation opportunities, better use of assets, efficiencies and reform for 2017/18 and a further £4.6 million in 2018/19; and

(c)        the Strategic Leadership Team be requested to work with Cabinet Members to develop further proposals to close the emerging potential financial gap of up to £2.9 million to balance the 2017/18 budget.