Agenda and minutes

No apologies for absence were received.

No declarations of any disclosable pecuniary interest were received.

Minutes of the meeting held on 10 March 2016

Decision Made:

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 10 March 2016 be confirmed as a correct record.

Report of the Head of Regulation and Compliance

Mr. Roger Hutchings, Advisory member from Healthwatch Sefton, and a Member to the Working Group will attend the meeting to report on the work undertaken by the Working Group and the recommendations

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Regulation and Compliance which incorporated the report of the Working Group, which had been appointed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Adult Social Care) to undertake a review of customer satisfaction and quality with regard to the provision of domiciliary care within the Borough.

Mr. Roger Hutchings, Advisory Member from Healthwatch Sefton, and a Member to the Working Group attended the meeting to report on the work undertaken by the Working Group and the recommendations.

The Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care welcomed the content of the report and indicated that the recommendations would be taken into account prior to the commissioning of any future domiciliary contracts.

Decision Made: That

(1)       That the Commissioners of the Domiciliary Service in Sefton be requested to:-

(a)       liaise with Care Providers to consider how increased continuity of care by care workers can be achieved.

(b)       encourage Care Providers to consider providing care workers with a concise data log book of service users’ basic care needs and daily routine, to facilitate increased continuity of care where different care workers are used.

(c)        consider how increased partnership working with Care Providers can be achieved, in order to share common concerns, good practice, etc.

(d)       consider producing an Information Pack, containing general information on options available, such as direct payments, and a simple chart illustrating which organisations individuals can approach to raise issues, make complaints, etc.; the Information Pack to be provided to individuals entering the domiciliary care system, and to be made available at the Sefton Carers’ Centre and Sefton Pensioners’ Advocacy Centre.

(e)       submit the annual questionnaire and survey results produced by Care Providers, together with any Annual Report produced by Commissioners, to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Adult Social Care), on an annual basis.

(f)        encourage Care Providers to provide service users and relatives who are in direct contact with the Provider on a regular basis, with a named contact from the Provider.

(g)       encourage Care Providers to provide more consistent training and induction for care workers.

(h)       consider how communication can be increased between Care Providers, service users and their families, and Sefton Carers’ Centre, particularly in the event of service users raising any concerns or issues.

(2)       That the following recommendations as set out in the report be noted:

1.         That the Head of Adult Social Care be requested to submit a report / presentation to a future meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Adult Social Care), explaining:-

(a)       the costs associated with provision of the different aspects of  the Domiciliary Service;

(b)       the impact of the Care Act 2014 on the provision of domiciliary care; and

(c)        the proposal to move towards outcome based commissioning with regard to the Service.

2.         That NHS South Sefton Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group, be requested to support and assist with investigating concerns raised during the course of this review, regarding errors in medicine management by pharmacies, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 126.

Report of the Director of Social Care and Health

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Social Care and Health which provided details of the draft Children and Young Peoples Plan which was centred on improving outcomes for children and young people and families across the Borough.

The Cabinet Member – Children, Schools and Safeguarding commended the work undertaken by the Sefton Youth Advisers as part of the production of the draft Children and Young Peoples Plan.

Decision Made:

That the Children and Young Peoples Plan for Sefton be approved.

Reasons for Decision:

There was a need to prepare and review a Children and Young People Plan under the Children Act 2004 to underpin the legislation.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

None.

Report of the Head of Adult Social Care

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Adult Social Care which provided details of Sefton Mental Health Strategic Plan for 2015-2020 which provided a framework to develop an overarching action plan for the delivery of the strategy in the context of the Strategic Objectives in the Sefton Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the priorities within the Sefton Carers Strategy 2014 – 2019, Clinical Commissioning Groups Plan for Mental Health in Sefton, Sefton Strategy for Older Citizens 2014 – 2019 and the Children and Young People Joint Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2014-17.

The Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care welcomed the content of the report and indicated that the issue of ‘mindfulness’ would be integrated in to the action plan for the Strategy

Decision Made: That

(1)       the content of the Strategic Plan be agreed, as described in the report        and

(2)       due to the importance of Mental Health within the Borough, the Cabinet commends the Plan to the Council for noting.

Reasons for Decision:

The communities of Sefton face increasing health inequalities and poor health and wellbeing outcomes.  In order to ensure that these outcomes are improved, particularly for the most vulnerable people, the Council needs to ensure that the priorities of the Health and Wellbeing Board, which includes Mental Health are fit for purpose / financially sustainable. The strategic plan plays and important role in helping to deliver the required improvements.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

None.

Report of the Head of Adult Social Care

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Adult Social Care which provided details of the proposals for the joint commissioning of a single sensory service in partnership with neighbouring local authorities.

Decision Made: That

1)         approval be given to the joint commissioning of a new service covering both visual and hearing impairments within the reduced funding available;

(2)       the Head of Adult Social Care in consultation with the Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care be granted delegated authority to award the new contract to the highest scoring bidder following the outcome of the joint procurement exercise.

Reasons for Decision:

The Council currently delivers, and/or commissions, a number of services from a variety of providers to support people with hearing and visual impairments. These services had been commissioned on a piecemeal basis and consequently they do not provide an integrated pathway and do not connect well together. The Council provided element of this service is a small isolated part of the overall provision and as a consequence it is disconnected from the other providers. In addition it had been difficult to guarantee a consistently reliable service as there is no cover for holidays and sickness absence. As a result of the lack of continuity and connectedness the Council had attracted criticism from the visually impaired community.

In order to address the concerns raised by the visually impaired community the Council had carried out a review of sensory services. Linked to this the Cabinet meeting held on the 3 July 2015 considered recommendations regarding savings following from the Voluntary, Community and Faith  (VCF) sector review. Members considered and agreed a budget reduction of £152,769 relating to small grants paid by Adult Social Care to the VCF sector. This budget reduction had an impact upon several of the organisations that provide services that support people with a sensory impairment. Thus it was recommended that current services be decommissioned and a single Hearing Impairment/Visual Impairment service be commissioned so that the required savings are realised and the service provided a clearer and more consistent Pathway. In addition it was proposed to commission the service on a Merseyside City Region basis to ensure that by aggregating Council budgets with other neighbouring local authorities, and jointly contracting a single contract to cover all sensory services, and secure a better, more flexible and cost effective service.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Two other options had been considered:

·         Continuing to grant aid existing services at a reduced level of grant – this was not recommended as it would continue the current disconnection in service delivery and the reduced funding would either make services unsustainable or would at least increase the gaps in service delivery.

·         Commission a new single service on a Sefton only footprint – this was not recommended because although this option would address the issue of better joining up services, it was questionable whether a cost-effective, comprehensive and sustainable service would be provided within the reduced Sefton-only funding available.

Report of the Head of Strategic Support

The Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Strategic Support which provided details of a proposal to introduce advertising to the Council’s website via the Council Advertising Network for a one year pilot.

Decision Made: That

(1)       approval be given to the principle of allowing external advertising on the Council’s website and intranet;

(2)       approval be given to officers working with the Council Advertising Networkfor 1 year to pilot income-generating advertising on the Council’s website; and

(3)       it be noted that the pilot will be monitored by the Cabinet Member – Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services on a quarterly basis with a report produced after one year with findings and proposals for the future.

Reasons for Decision:

The Council is constantly seeking ways to make efficiencies, identify savings and create additional income. Analysis shows that an increasing number of local authorities are currently pursuing revenue generation through their websites and this is growing year on year.

Officers have spoken to other local authorities who have implemented advertising on their websites who confirm that there have been no complaints from local residents, that the content has been suitable and that projected revenue targets have been met. Councils currently using the service include:

Wokingham, Hackney, Bolsover, West Dorset, Northamptonshire, Weymouth & Portland, COSLA (association of Scottish Authorities), North Dorset, Christchurch, North East Derbyshire, East Dorset, Purbeck, Birmingham, Derby, Norfolk, Blaenau Gwent, Stratford, Carlisle, Mid Suffolk, Monmouthshire, North East Lincolnshire, Buckinghamshire. 

The Communications Team had recommended a 12 month pilot of the use of advertising on the website and intranet as a way to generate additional income for the Council. Website advertising is a recognised way of generating income but can be resource-heavy. The Communications team has advertised the opportunity on the CHEST and received one response from CAN Digital Solutions.  CAN is offering Sefton Council a 50% share of all revenues generated from advertising in year one. This offers value for money as:

·         It requires minimal resources to effectively manage the activity, by providing simple tools to veto any adverts before they appear.

·         the Communications team recognise they do not have the access and same national level contacts that CAN will have which will make the sales job much more efficient through accessing the large national corporates.

·         there is no contractual commitment to display adverts, so the Council could stop advertisements appearing at any time.

The Council will review this arrangement in 3 and then 6 months from pilot commencement. The duration of the contract will be 12 months with a 1 month notice period.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

The Council had sought alternative providers via the CHEST, CAN was the only provider to respond.  Other councils that are using the service had also been consulted. These local authorities had conducted their own research and had also been unable to identify an alternative solution that provided the same level of service or match the level of income.

The Council could consider delivering this opportunity in house, however, councils that have  ...  view the full minutes text for item 130.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive which provided details of the process and evidence involved in preparing a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and sought approval of the draft CIL rates in a Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule, the draft ‘regulation 123’ list and supporting evidence for consultation purposes.

The Cabinet Member – Planning and Building indicated that the proposals set out in paragraph 4.1 of the report included a zero charge in the CIL rates for apartments and he requested that this issue be considered in more detail by Keppie Massie, the Council’s planning consultants.

Decision Made:

That approval be given to the Community Infrastructure Levy Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule set out in Appendix 1, the draft ‘regulation 123’ list, set out in Appendix 3 and the supporting evidence for consultation purposes, subject to the Cabinet Member – Planning and Building being given delegated authority to determine the CIL rate for apartments which will be included in the consultation.

Reasons for Decision:

To allow the CIL Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule, the draft ‘regulation 123’ list and supporting evidence to be published for consultation purposes.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Not to have a Community Infrastructure Levy. - It is not a statutory requirement to introduce a levy however Sefton would potentially miss out on a significant receipt for contributing towards its infrastructure requirements. The report indicates the potential for 11,000 new homes in Sefton by 2030 raising an estimated £20 million over the period, given the proposed charging schedule. Both the Council and its associated Town and Parish Councils would benefit from this resource and the increase in the Council Tax Base.

Report of the Chief Finance Officer

The Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Finance Officer which provided details of progress in the achievement of the approved savings for 2015/16 (and any residual savings carried forward from 2014/15); other financial risks elsewhere in the budget; the Government’s invitation to the Liverpool City Region to be included in a pilot for the implementation of the 100% Business Rates Retention Scheme; the forecast on Council Tax and Business Rates collection; and the process for determining Adult Social Care fees for 2016/17.

Decision Made: That

(1)          the progress to date on the achievement of approved savings for 2015/16 and residual savings carried forward from previous years be noted;

(2)          the wider financial pressures being experienced in the remainder of the Budget be noted

(3)          it be noted that the Council, together with the other authorities in the Liverpool City Region had agreed to work with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to participate in and to develop the details of the approaches to be piloted as part of the review of the 100% Business Rates Retention Scheme;

(4)          the forecast position on the collection of Council Tax and Business Rates be noted; and

(5)          With regard to Adult Social Care fees for 2016/17:

(a)  Officers be authorised to conduct consultation with providers’ regarding fees for 2016/17;

(b)  the Cabinet Member – Adult Social Care be granted delegated authority to make any post-consultation decisions regarding future fees in conjunction with the Head of Adult Social Care and the Head of Corporate Resources, within the resources available in the 2016/17 Budget; and

(c)  Officers report back to Cabinet if it is found that any potential decisions regarding fees are beyond the resources available.

Reasons for Decision:

To ensure Cabinet are informed of the latest position on the achievement of savings for the current financial year and to identify wider budget pressures being experienced elsewhere in the budget. To inform Cabinet of the offer from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to the Liverpool City Region to participate and develop approaches to be piloted as part of the review of the 100% Business Rate Retention Scheme. To provide an update on the forecast outturn position on the collection of Council Tax and Business Rates, and to agree the process for determining Adult Social Care fees for 2016/17.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

None.

The Chair welcomed Stuart Barnes, the Chief Planning Officer to his first Cabinet meeting and expressed thanks to Derek McKenzie, the Interim Head of Planning Services for the work he had undertaken for the Council and in particularly on the Local Plan.