Agendas, Meetings and Minutes - Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: County Hall, Worcester

Contact: Simon Lewis  Committee Officer

Media

Items
No. Item

Available papers

The Members had before them:

 

A.    The Agenda papers (previously circulated);

 

B.    7 questions submitted to the Head of Legal and Democratic Services (previously circulated); and

 

C.   The Minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2018 (previously circulated).

Additional documents:

2020.

Apologies and Declaration of Interests (Agenda item 1)

To receive apologies and invite any councillor to declare any interest in any of the items on the agenda.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Mr R Bennett, Mr R J Morris, Mr P Middlebrough, Mrs M A Rayner, Mr A Stafford, and Mr C B Taylor.

 

An apology for being late was received from Mr C Rogers.

2021.

Public Participation (Agenda item 2)

To allow a member of the public to present a petition, or ask a question relating to the functions of the Council, or to make a comment on any matter on the agenda.

 

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, 12 September 2018). Further details are available on the Council’s website. Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed below.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Mr Slezakowski presented a petition urging the Council to review its decision and grant a traffic management permit to the contractor to build the footpaths and a bus stop for Choules Close, Pershore.

 

Ms Bond, Chair of the Worcester bus users' forum, made comment and asked a question in relation to the public transport infrastructure.

 

Ms Daffin made comment on recent changes to bus services in Welland.

 

The Chairman thanked all the public participants for their contribution and said they would receive a written reply from the relevant Cabinet Member.

2022.

Minutes (Agenda item 3)

To approve as a correct record and authorise the signing of the Minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2018 (previously circulated electronically).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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

2023.

Chairman's Announcements (Agenda item 4)

To receive any announcements to be made by the Chairman.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Noted.

2024.

Reports of Cabinet (Agenda item 5) pdf icon PDF 85 KB

To consider the report of the Cabinet and to receive answers to any questions asked on it. Matters where decisions have already been taken are on White pages.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council reported the following topics and questions were answered on them:

 

·         The establishment of the Worcestershire wholly owned Council Company for Children's Social Care (Worcestershire Children First)

·         Children's Social Care Services Improvement Plan

·         Future Provision of Overnight Unit-based Short Breaks for Children with Disabilities

·         Joint Local Area SEND Inspection – Local Area Action Plan

·         A38 Bromsgrove Major Scheme

·         Minerals and Waste Local Development Scheme.

2025.

Notices of Motion - Notice of Motion 1 - Bus and Community Transport Provision (Agenda item 6) pdf icon PDF 77 KB

To receive the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services on any Notices of Motion received by him (Lilac pages).

 

Councillors are asked to note that any Notices of Motion must be received by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services no later than noon on Tuesday, 4 September 2018.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council had before it a Notice of Motion set out in the agenda papers standing in the names of Prof J W Raine, Mrs F M Oborski and Mrs E B Tucker.

 

The motion was moved by Mrs E B Tucker and seconded by Prof J W Raine who both spoke in favour of it.

 

The Council agreed to deal with the motion on the day.

 

In the debate, the following principal points were raised:

 

·         An urgent cross-party scrutiny exercise was required to address public transport issues and to help officers and the Cabinet Member get the best service possible from the available funding. Particular focus should be on those residents with no alternative transport and to avoid social isolation. The scrutiny should both feed into the budget process and find longer term solutions  

·         The Council did not work collaboratively with local bus companies or understand passenger needs, had not reduced car usage, congestion and air pollution, and had not spent the available £1.8 wisely. Further cuts to services were due next week despite investment in bus shelters and dropped kerbs. Local councillors had not been informed of timetable changes until the last minute. A petition was submitted asking for the reversal of the decision to change bus services in South Worcestershire

·         The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways thanked all members who attended the meeting on 13 August with the Managing Director of First Bus in relation to timetable changes and proposals to increase future bus use. He accepted the Notice of Motion on behalf of the administration. The Council was a bus-friendly authority with buses seen as an alternative to car usage. However the Council did not have the funds to replace lost bus services. He accepted that there was no alternative for some people and the potential for social isolation, particularly for the elderly. He wanted to provide a stable foundation for buses services, planned and co-ordinated with other forms of transport including a network of community and voluntary transport. Therefore a review had already been commissioned together with a public consultation exercise. The review should take 6 months to complete. He thanked the transport team for their work in mitigating the impact of the reduction of bus services and members for submitting comments on behalf of local residents. He was concerned about the impact on officer-time of this scrutiny exercise taking place in parallel with the review

·         An important function of scrutiny was policy development therefore this scrutiny exercise could work effectively in tandem with the bus services review

·         There were only four bus providers in the county which left the Council in a poor bargaining position

·         There were cuts proposed for the no. 2 service through Habberley, Kidderminster for which the Council had refused to fund a replacement service. For urban areas of this nature, community services were not an appropriate alternative option 

·         It was important that scrutiny received the requisite officer support to enable it to do its work effectively and make  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2025.

2026.

Notices of Motion - Notice of Motion 2 - County Bus Services (Agenda item 6)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council had before it a Notice of Motion set out in the agenda papers standing in the names of Mr R C Lunn, Mr P Denham, Mr P M McDonald, Mr R M Udall, Ms P Agar and Ms C M Stalker.

 

The motion was moved by Mr R C Lunn and seconded by Mr P Denham who both spoke in favour of it.

 

The Council agreed to deal with the motion on the day.

 

In the debate, the following principal points were raised:

 

·         The aim of the Notice of Motion was to increase bus usage and thereby encourage bus companies to extend service provision. There were examples elsewhere in the country where bus services operated successfully, for example the Channel Islands. There was no reason why this Council could not learn from such examples. The Council should consider: asking bus companies to put on more services at peak work-related times; encourage smaller bus companies to take up routes; provide help/expertise to bus companies to run on time; unblock obstacles on urban routes; and encourage bus companies to listen to users

·         Unless car drivers were encouraged to use buses, service provision would continue to decline. Reducing subsidies did not make economic sense as it led to increased car usage and associated congestion and pollution. This Council needed to help bus companies run better services by unblocking bus lanes and improve marketing and communications

·         The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways accepted the motion on behalf of the administration. The Council had a good relationship with First Bus and consequently the no 30 and 35 bus services had been reprieved. A first class bus service was expected from all bus operators. The Council was already improving reliability and marketing, providing real-time information, removing parking and bus lane obstacles, addressing issues with utility companies, introducing traffic lights management and a congestion programme, co-ordinating bus timetables/schedules and integrating them with train timetables, and providing greater ticket flexibility. The school run was a particular obstacle and parents should be encouraged to walk their children to school

·         This Council should act as a "critical friend" for bus users. Bus company operational matters seemed to be prioritised over customer needs

·         Congestion led to incremental loss of time which led to reduced services and thereby reduced confidence in bus services as a whole, resulting in the erosion of the bus network

·         Some parents were unable to walk children to school because of work commitments

·         Overall bus services in the county were really poor. In particular, bus provision in the north of the county was unreliable with buses prone to break-down.

 

On being put to the vote, the motion was unanimously agreed.

 

Council RESOLVED "Council calls on the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways to consider presenting a report to Cabinet, which should include a series of proposals to improve usage, reduce fares and remove some of the main obstacles that slow down buses.

 

As the County Council are unfortunately not allowed by Government legislation to run  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2026.

2027.

Notices of Motion - Notice of Motion 3 - Nitrous oxide abuse (Agenda item 6)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council had before it a Notice of Motion set out in the agenda papers standing in the names of Mr P M McDonald, Ms P Agar, Mr R M Udall, Mr R C Lunn, Mr P Denham and Ms C M Stalker.

 

The motion was moved by Mr P M McDonald and seconded by Ms P Agar who both spoke in favour of it.

 

The Council agreed to deal with the motion on the day.

 

The following amendment replacing the last paragraph of the motion was moved by Mrs L C Hodgson and accepted by the mover and seconder of the motion which therefore became part of the substantive motion as altered:

 

"Therefore, this Council calls upon Trading Standards and other partners to consider ways of increasing the awareness of the dangers of this product to rid our streets of this hippy crack."

 

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

 

·         There was evidence that anti-social behaviour had been linked to the use of nitrous oxide which had become a significant concern. Cuts to the Trading Standards service had contributed to the increase in use. Trading Standards needed to liaise with partner organisations to take appropriate action now

·         The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Communities acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and that this was not just a matter for Trading Standards but also partner agencies including the Police, district councils and the NHS. The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 included reference to nitrous oxide but did not give any specific formal powers to the Council. Trading Standards were keen for people to contact them to provide a greater understanding of the issue

·         Currently the possession of nitrous oxide was not an offence because there were legitimate reasons to possess it. However it was illegal to supply it or import it for human consumption. Although there had been no deaths in the West Mercia region last year, crimes had been reported associated with its use

·         A clear message should be sent to the Government that neighbourhood policing was the most effective method of dealing with substance abuse and reductions to this service were undermining this work

·         The reductions in youth service provision had had an impact on the ability to gather information about levels of abuse in local communities.

 

On being put to the vote, the substantive motion was unanimously agreed.

 

Council RESOLVED "Used gas canisters are increasingly littering our streets as the use of nitrous oxide spreads across the county.

 

Nitrous oxide, laughing gas or hippy crack is among the latest illicit substances to hit our streets. Nitrous oxide is a colourless gas that when inhaled can make people feel euphoric and relaxed.

 

The effects of the gas have seen it nicknamed "laughing gas", but it can also cause some people to have hallucinations. The effects are caused by the drug slowing down the brain. Nitrous oxide is normally bought in pressurised canisters. It is then transferred to a container such as a balloon to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2027.

2028.

Notices of Motion - Notice of Motion 4 - Domestic abuse (Agenda item 6)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council had before it a Notice of Motion set out in the agenda papers standing in the names of Mr R M Udall, Ms C M Stalker, Mr P Denham, Mr R C Lunn, Mr P M McDonald and Ms P Agar.

 

The motion was moved by Mr R M Udall and seconded by Ms C Stalker who both spoke in favour of it.

 

The Council agreed to deal with the motion on the day.

 

Those in favour of the motion made the following comments:

 

·         This motion would not only protect the Council's employees but enable this Council to show leadership and an example to other employers in the county. The current policy of allowing 5 days compassionate leave at the discretion of the relevant Director or to use sick leave was insufficient. The proposed 10 days paid leave would boost employee confidence and provide financial security

·         Lack of self-esteem and confidence was a major factor affecting victims and anything that could help them in these circumstances was vital

·         The flexibility of the current arrangements meant that approval was discretionary and not a right. The three main concerns of victims were housing, finances and health and each of these factors needed time resolve. In some cases, there was the need to protect children

·         It was surprising that the administration was unwilling to support this motion. It was the right to receive this leave that was important, giving employment protection rather than relying on the discretion of managers. Only a small number of employees would be affected by this right and therefore the financial impact would be minimal.

 

Those against the motion made the following comments:

 

·         The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Transformation and Commissioning commented that the Council had committed to a pledge against domestic abuse and sexual violence. The Council had a range of policies to support employees with time-off with pay including up to 7 days special leave. The Council's current policy framework was flexible and could be utilised to support employees experiencing domestic abuse beyond the 7 days. Employees were encouraged to disclose issues to line managers who could respond flexibly to requests for time off and seek approval for special leave. Given this flexible approach, the notice of motion was unnecessary

·         The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families argued that this motion was flawed because it sought to make the victim suffer whilst the perpetrator was left untouched.

 

On a named vote, the motion was lost. 

 

Those voting in favour were:

 

Ms P Agar, Mr C J Bloore, Mr P Denham, Mr A Fry, Mr M E Jenkins, Mr R C Lunn, Mr P M McDonald, Mr L C R Mallett, Mrs F M Oborski, Prof J W Raine, Ms C M Stalker, Mrs E B Tucker, Mr R M Udall (13)

 

Those voting against were:

 

Mr B Clayton, Mr A A J Adams, Mr R C Adams, Mr A T Amos,  Mr T Baker-Price, Mr R W Banks, Mr G R Brookes,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2028.

2029.

Notices of Motion - Notice of Motion 5 - Adult Social Care - Green Paper (Agenda item 6)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There was insufficient time to consider this motion within the allotted 90 minute time limit for the consideration of Notices of Motion.

 

A procedural motion to grant a maximum of 20 additional minutes to consider Notice of Motion 5 was lost.

2030.

Report of the Cabinet Member with Responsibility - Cabinet Member for Children and Families (Agenda item 7) pdf icon PDF 140 KB

To receive the report of the Cabinet Members with Responsibility for Children and Families, and the report of the Cabinet Members with Responsibility for Education and Skills on current issues and proposed developments within their areas of responsibility and to receive answers to any questions on the report (Green pages).

 

NB. Council has allowed a maximum of 30 minutes question and answer for each of the Cabinet Member reports.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families presented his report which concerned a number of overarching issues:

 

·         Service Improvement Plan

·         Ofsted

·         Early Help

·         Troubled Families

·         Finance and Human Resources

·         Worcestershire Children First

·         Corporate Parent (and Corporate Parenting Board)

·         Serious Case Reviews

·         Children's Centres

·         Short Breaks Respite for Children with Disabilities

·         Adoption Central England

·         Strategic Commitment, Investment and Leadership.

 

The Cabinet Member answered questions about his report which included the following topics:

 

·         The Family Front Door

·         Conflicting advice received from Ofsted and Essex County Council

·         Early Help intervention and consistency of service

·         Early Help likely outcomes

·         Impact of the employment of agency staff on permanent staff retention

·         Budget overspend

·         Current Children's Centres attendance levels

·         Short Breaks consultation sessions with parents/carers groups.

2031.

Report of the Cabinet Member with Responsibility - Cabinet Member for Education and Skills (Agenda item 7)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Education and Skills presented his report which concerned a number of overarching issues:

 

·         The Schools Landscape

·         School Places

·         School Funding Issues – General context – High Needs – F40 Group

·         Budget

·         Babcock Prime Education Services

·         Attainment – Key Stage 2/GCSE/Key Stage 4/A level results 

·         Education and Skills Board

·         Virtual Schools

·         Worcestershire Schools Forum

·         Governors.

 

The Cabinet Member answered questions about his report which included the following topics:

 

·         School place planning – working with developers

·         A school admission appeal for Woodrush High School

·         The work of Babcock Prime Education with North Bromsgrove High School leading up to its Ofsted report

·         Key Stage 2 SATS results

·         The number of applications for school places

·         State school selection on faith grounds

·         High Needs budget

·         Replacement of mobile classrooms

·         Shortage of SEN school places

·         Sale of Stourminster Special School

·         statistical neighbour comparison of the average scaled schools in reading and maths for Key Stage 2 pupils

·         Agricultural, farming and horticulture skills shortage and campaign for GCSE in this area

·         Key Stage 4 results in the County

·         Virtual School celebration event

·         percentage of Looked After Children who attended University annually.

2032.

Question Time (Agenda item 8) pdf icon PDF 71 KB

To receive answers to any questions asked by Councillors (Orange pages).

 

(Members are reminded of the timescale adopted by Council for notice of questions. A Councillor may only ask a question if:

 

·         It is delivered in writing to the Head of Legal and Democratic Services by noon on Tuesday 4 September 2018 or

·         If it relates to urgent business, the Head of Legal and Democratic Services is notified at least half an hour before the start of the meeting.)

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Seven questions had been received by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and had been circulated in advance of the meeting. The answers are attached in the Appendix.

2033.

Reports of Committees - Audit and Governance Committee (Agenda item 9) pdf icon PDF 95 KB

To consider the report of the Audit and Governance Committee and to receive answers to any questions asked on this report.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council received the report of the Audit and Governance Committee containing a summary of the decisions taken.

 

The Committee Chairman confirmed that the Statement of Accounts 2017/18 had now been signed off by the external auditor on time and with an unqualified opinion. He expressed his gratitude for the excellent work of the Council's financial team.