Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillors Alastair Adams, Matt Dormer, Steve Mackay and Tim Reid (Church Representative).

None.

Members of the public wishing to take part should notify the Democratic Governance and Scrutiny Manager (Interim Monitoring Officer) 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 Tuesday 6 December 2022).  Further details are available on the Council's website.  Enquiries can also be made through the telephone number/e-mail address listed in this agenda and on the website.

None.

(previously circulated).

The Minutes of the Meetings held on 29 September, 20 October and 25 October 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Leader and Chief Executive were invited to attend the meeting to update Members of the Board on the new and emerging pressures for the Council likely to impact on the 2023/24 budget and medium-term financial plan.

By way of introduction, the Leader made the following introductory points:

·         This year was the first post Covid year without the Covid support funding from Government.

·         The demand for adult social care was reverting to pre-Covid patterns.  The demand for residential care was increasing and the cost and complexity of care packages was rising.

·         Whilst the Council had invested heavily in children’s social care and reducing the number of children entering the care system, there were placement pressures on the number, complexity and cost of packages.

·         There were significant cost pressures around home to school transport, inflation pressures relating to staff pay and fees and charges which were not unique to Worcestershire.

·         The Autumn Statement was better than expected.

·         The adult social care reforms had been delayed until October 2025.

·         It was expected that the Government Settlement would be announced around 21 December and the draft Budget Report would be published around 23 December 2022.

During the opportunity for questions, the following main points were made:

·         Last year, there had been a  provision of 1.25% for staff pay increases in the Budget, whereas the actually increase was approximately £2000 per member of staff equating to a £4m cost pressure this year.

·         It was suggested that there were pressures around staff shortages and some councils were offering pay levels which could not be matched in Worcestershire and were not sustainable in the long term.  Recruiting experienced social workers was challenging and Worcestershire had lost some staff to London Councils.  Although pay rates in Worcestershire were not the highest, the Worcestershire package was good and Worcestershire was a nice place to work.

·         A Member suggested it was a ‘perfect storm’ in terms of staff recruitment.  In response, the Chief Executive explained that there was a ‘hot’ market for recruitment.  Worcestershire was able to recruit and had recently appointed a Director of Public Health and a Monitoring Officer; the process was just taking longer.

·         Worcestershire had adopted a flexible working model between office and homeworking (according to business need) with staff working 2 days (pro rata) in the office.  General feedback from staff was that they welcomed the mixed model.

·         A Member raised a concern about the difficulties of recruiting staff to work in domiciliary care, which the Chief Executive acknowledged was a challenge.

·         The Chief Executive believed that the Integrated Care System was a real opportunity for Worcestershire partners to work together to deliver more efficient services to its communities.

·         In response to a Member question about whether consideration had been given to disposing of some of the Council’s assets to raise money, the Leader confirmed that this was not an option being considered as the use of the Councils assets were being maximised.

·         In terms of fees and charges, this was not an area  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1292.

The Scrutiny Panel Chairmen/Lead Members provided an update on recent Scrutiny meetings and activities.

Adult Care and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Cllr Shirley Webb)

Since the November Panel meeting, Members of the Panel had been meeting with the local social worker teams.

Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel

Cllr Steve Mackay, Chairman of the Panel had submitted a written update, which would be circulated to the Board.

Corporate and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Cllr Emma Stokes)

The Chairman provided feedback from the Panel’s recent meeting which included an update on the Council’s Strategy for Museums, Arts and Culture and a Corporate Procurement Strategy Overview.

Environment Overview and Scrutiny Meeting (Cllr Tony Muir, Vice-Chairman)

The Vice-Chairman provided feedback from the Panel’s recent November meeting which had included a report detailing the background of the Waste Contract prior to a more detailed report being provided post completion of the contract’s extension and a progress report on the Council’s Net Zero Carbon Plan.

Looking ahead, the Panel would be looking at home to school transport jointly with the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Panel.

The Vice-Chairman of the Panel suggested that consideration should be given to Scrutiny Panels having member champions for key areas of the Scrutiny Panels.

Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Cllr Brandon Clayton)

The Chairman provided feedback from the Panel’s recent meeting which had included an update on patient flow and winter planning, including how this would impact on ambulance hospital handover delays and a tour of the new Urgent and Emergency Care Unit. 

Crime and Disorder (Cllr Richard Udall)

The Lead Member for Crime and Disorder reported that he would be doing some background research in animal welfare and the impact of the rising cost of living on sex workers in Worcestershire.

Work Programme and Cabinet Forward Plan

It was agreed that:

·       A report on Member substitution at Scrutiny meetings would be added to the Agenda for the February 2023 meeting.

·       the Adult Social Care Charging Review which was a Key Decision for Cabinet on 2 February 2023 would be added to the January agenda of the Adult Care and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Panel.