Venue: Council Chamber - County Hall, Llandrindod Wells, Powys
Contact: Stephen Boyd 01597 826374
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Apologies To receive apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from County Councillor Jonathan Wilkinson. |
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To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the last meeting held as a correct record. Minutes: The Leader was authorised to sign the minutes of the last meeting held on 20th February 2018 as a correct record. |
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Declarations of Interest To receive any declarations of interest from Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda. Minutes: County Councillor James Evans declared a prejudicial interest in item 6 Schools Policy having spoken on it at a governors meeting. |
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Regional Partnership Board -'Delivering the Vision': The Joint Area Plan PDF 107 KB To consider a report by County Councillor Rachel Powell, Portfolio Holder for Children, Youth, Libraries and Leisure Services and County Councillor Stephen Hayes, Portfolio Holder for Adult Services. Additional documents:
Minutes: Cabinet considered the Joint Area Plan to prioritise the integration of health and care services over the next five years. It was a statutory requirement of the Social Services and Well-being Act to publish a plan by 1 April 2018 approved by both the Council and the Health Board. The plan would focus on delivering the Health and Care Strategy approved in March 2017 and would take forward joint working with the Health Board.
The Leader advised that the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething AM and Minister for Children and Social Care, Huw Irranca-Davies AM to discuss the parliamentary review of health and social care in Wales.
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Safeguarding Children: Quarterly Update PDF 213 KB To consider a report by County Councillor Rachel Powell, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, Youth, Libraries and Leisure Services. Minutes: In presenting the safeguarding report the Portfolio Holder stressed that the period it covered was October to December 2017 and that it was not the current position of the service which continued to show signs of improvement. The actions taken following the CSSIW inspection making Children’s Services a corporate priority with the support of the Improvement Board, Welsh Government and the Inspectorate had helped stabilise the service and now the focus needed to be on improvement. A follow up inspection in December had highlighted concerns about operational practice which were being addressed in the latest iteration of the Improvement Plan.
The Portfolio Holder gave the latest staffing figures for the service: there were 360 posts, of which 53% were permanent, 25% fixed term and the rest casual or agency staff. 43 agency staff had been brought in following the inspection report and the aim was now to reduce the number of agency staff and recruit full time staff and continue to stabilise the service. She noted that sickness levels which had been high during the period covered in the report had fallen considerably with only 15 staff taking sick leave in February.
The Portfolio Holder, Interim Director of Social Services and Interim Head of Children’s Services acknowledged that there was a considerable amount of work still to be done in areas such as the supervision of frontline staff. Roadshows were being held with staff dashboard of indicators was being developed for each team, to help them focus on and monitor their own performance in respect of assessments, visits to children, care planning and reviews and staff supervision. The Acting Chief Executive also noted that the appointment of a permanent Director of Social Services due to take up post in April would further help to stabilise and improve the service.
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Schools Policy - Plans for Powys Schools and Forward Transformation Work Programme PDF 81 KB To consider a report by County Councillor Myfanwy Alexander, Portfolio Holder for Education. Additional documents:
Minutes: County Councillor James Evans left the meeting whilst this item was being considered having declared a prejudicial interest.
Cabinet considered feedback received during the recent consultation on the Plans for Powys Schools Policy, and an updated version, renamed the ‘School Organisation Policy’, and an associated Delivery Plan which outlined the Council’s priorities for the period 2018-2021. The new policy would replace the current Schools Organisation Policy 2015, and would become effective from the 1st April 2018.
County Councillor David Jones presented the report of the Scrutiny Group which had looked at the policy and highlighted three areas of concern: issues raised by Wales Audit Office on need to increase the pace and scale of change, post 16 provision and the reducing number of pupils and courses in the face of competition from cross border sixth form colleges, and issues of governance and a lack of clarity of where decisions would be taken.
The Portfolio Holder for Education explained that the need to increase the pace of change was one of the main reasons for the revised School Organisation Policy. She acknowledged the competition from sixth form colleges noting that it showed that pupils were prepared to travel to access courses. Pastoral care and access to the Welsh baccalaureate compensated for some of the social pressures to go to sixth form colleges in larger towns. It was confirmed that all decisions would be taken by the Cabinet.
Members noted that not every pupil wanted to go on to take A Levels and that there had to be a range of options open to them as shown by the recent very successful careers fair. Members also discussed the review of ALN currently being undertaken and the configuration of special schools in the county noting the preference of many parents for their children to be educated close to their communities.
County Councillor James Evans returned to the meeting. |
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To consider a report by County Councillor James Evans, Portfolio Holder for HR ICT and Communications. Additional documents: Minutes: Cabinet considered the revised Joint ICT strategy.
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Financial Overview and Forecast as at 31st January 2018 PDF 164 KB To consider a report by County Councillor Aled Davies, Portfolio Holder for Finance. Minutes: The Portfolio Holder for Finance presented the budget outturn report for the period ended 31 January 2018. He noted that whilst an additional £602k of savings had been achieved during the month with Highways, Transport and Recycling saving £336k and Adult Social Care £266k, all other Service’s unachieved savings remain the same leaving £3.981m yet to be attained.
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Capital Programme Update for the period to 31st January 2018 PDF 177 KB To consider a report by County Councillor Aled Davies, Portfolio Holder for Finance. Minutes: Cabinet received the capital programme update for the period ended 31st January 2018 and noted that the capital virements referred to in the report had been approved by Council the previous week. The Portfolio Holder for Finance drew Cabinet’s attention to additional grants received from Welsh Government for investment in Highways and Brecon cultural hub and advised that Welsh Government were likely to extend the directive allowing authorities to use capital receipts to finance the revenue costs of transformation.
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Correspondence To receive such correspondence as in the opinion of the Leader is of such urgency as to warrant consideration. Minutes: The Leader advised that a poppy making workshop would be held at County Hall on 4 April to make a curtain of poppies to commemorate those who had died in the First World War and she invited all members to participate. |
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Delegated Decisions Taken Since the Last Meeting PDF 40 KB To note the delegated decisions taken since the last meeting. Minutes: Cabinet received details of delegated decisions taken since the last meeting. |
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Forward Work Programme PDF 100 KB To consider the Cabinet forward work programme. Minutes: Cabinet received the forward work programme. The Portfolio Holder for Education asked for the report on Banw and Llanerfyl primary schools to be included. Cabinet was advised that a visit to both schools had been arranged for the afternoon of 19 March. |
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Exempt Items The Monitoring Officer has determined that category 3 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules applies to the following items. His view on the public interest test (having taken account of the provisions of Rule 14.8 of the Council's Access to Information Rules) was that to make this information public would disclose information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).
These factors in his view outweigh the public interest in disclosing this information. Members are asked to consider these factors when determining the public interest test, which they must decide when considering excluding the public from this part of the meeting.
Minutes: RESOLVED to exclude the public for the following item of business on the grounds that there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under category 3 of The Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007).
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Residential / Nursing Care Home, and Supported Tenancy Fee Review To consider a report by County Councillor Stephen Hayes, Portfolio Holder for Adult Services. Additional documents:
Minutes: Cabinet considered the fee setting methodology for Residential and Nursing Care Homes following a review undertaken by an independent specialist. The report set out a series of options which were expanded upon by the Health and Social Care Change Manager and the Head of Transformation in a presentation to Cabinet.
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North Office Review To consider a report by County Councillor Phyl Davies, Portfolio Holder for Property and Waste.
Additional documents:
Minutes: Cabinet considered the review of office accommodation in the north of the county. The Solicitor to the Council advised that the report should remain confidential until staff had been informed.
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