Agenda and draft minutes

The Members had before them:

A.    The Agenda papers (previously circulated); and

B.    The Minutes of the meeting held on 10 January 2024 (previously circulated).

Apologies were received from Cllrs Adrian Hardman and Adam Kent.

Cllr Marc Bayliss declared an interest in Agenda item 4 as the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Assistant Director for Legal and Governance 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, 31 January 2024).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed on the website and in the agenda.

None.

The Minutes of the meeting of 10 January 2024 are circulated separately.

RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 10 January 2024 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and commented that the proposed budget had been subject to consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. He particularly thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board and panel members for their detailed study of the budget in a short period of time. Their comments had been noted. The Council was facing considerable financial pressures with a 2023/24 overspend of £21m albeit the total gross overspend was currently forecast to be £35m in 2023/23, we call this a structural deficit.

He added that the financial pressures facing this Council in respect of Children Social Care placements, Home to School Transport, and Adult Social Care were being experienced on a national basis. The Council along with the CCN and local MPs had lobbied the Government and as a result the Government had agreed additional funding for the Council. He thanked local MPs who had lobbied the Government on behalf of the Council. These budget pressures were ongoing and despite a fall in inflation, demand continued to rise. In total, the Pressures and Investments built into the budget at this stage for 2024/25 amounted to £86.5m (including the £35m structural deficit). In addition to the Government funding, the Council was introducing a series of measures to reduce the budget gap in relation to children’s services through investment in supported living and expansion of Internal Supported Living Provision and by managing demand in Adult Services. These additional savings and efficiencies and reduction in income receivable resulted in a revised budget gap of £7.2 million. This £7.2m budget gap was expected to be covered by an additional use of reserves unless additional funding was received as part of the Local Government Final Settlement.

In the ensuing debate, the following points were made:

·         The Council had a clear strategy to address the additional financial pressures facing the Council. It was going to require tough but necessary decisions. Council tax would need to rise whilst maintaining a balance with the impact of the cost of living on local residents. The proposed Council Tax increase  would mean an extra £1.41 a week on a Band D property. Despite the budget pressures, the Council continued to maintain investment in those issues that local residents considered important including roads, pavements and infrastructure. A number of parish councils had expressed their satisfaction that the Council was continuing to support the lengthsmans scheme and grass cutting despite the budgetary pressures

·         A member from outside the Cabinet queried whether the Council was looking to move away from a reliance on funding through Council Tax and whether the Council would continue to lobby for a long-term financial settlement. The Leader of the Council responded that despite the proposed rise in Council Tax, the level of Council Tax levied by this Council remained the 3^rd lowest amongst comparable local authorities. It was important to minimise the impact of Council Tax on local residents and for the Council to live within its means

·         The Government had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2205.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and commented that an organisational redesign of the Council was proposed to ensure that the Council was fit for the future with the right management structure in place to deliver the Corporate Plan and the Council’s statutory functions. This review would change the size and shape of the Council. The current structure had been in place for 5 years and he thanked staff for their work over that period. The decision to move Worcestershire Children First back into the Council provided an opportune moment to undertake the review.

He added that the review focussed on preserving the core services of the Council, such as Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and Economy and Infrastructure as well as the key support functions such as Human Resources, legal and finance. A series of Appointment Panels would be arranged to take these proposal forward. He acknowledged the destabilising impact that the review would have on staff.

In the ensuing debate, the following points were made:

·         Staff and the trade unions would need to be consulted on the proposals in the review. The review was necessary in order to ensure that the Council was a lean as possible to deliver the Corporate Plan and its statutory functions

·         It was essential that the outcome of the review engendered a team working approach to provide services that were resident-focused

·         Although staff might consider the changes to the structure to be of concern, they could also be seen as liberating and empowering

·         A member from outside the Cabinet commented that it was important that the Council reviewed the top tiers of the organisation before examining the lower tiers. It was queried why the role Director of Public Health was not at Strategic Director level and why libraries and archaeology had been considered an appropriate responsibility for that role. The Leader of the Council responded that the role of Director of Public Health would remain at the top level of management in the organisation. The decision to move libraries into public health was due to the greater focus on using libraries as health and well-being hubs. Paul Robinson, the Chief Executive added that public health was a relatively small directorate compared to Economy and Infrastructure and the change in the structure would enable a greater level of cross working

·         Paul Robinson explained that the review would start at the top of the organisation before determining the staffing structure necessary to deliver services at the front line and then appropriate levels of management.

Cabinet to recommend that Council:

a)    Approves in principle, subject to consultation, the Chief Executive’s proposed revised Directorate structure and functional areas of responsibility;

b)   Supports the proposals, in principle subject to consultation, for the Chief Officer structure for Tiers 2 and 3 as set out in the report;

c)    Authorises the Chief Executive to carry out all necessary staff consultations in relation to the proposed changes;

d)   Authorises the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, to finalise  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2206.