Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Cabinet Member for Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/079

Contact: Louise Tustian, Head of Insight & Corporate Programmes Tel: 07741 607452/ Kathy Wilcox, Head of Financial Strategy Tel: 07788 302163

Report by Corporate Director Customers & Organisational Development and Director of Finance (CA6).

This report sets out Oxfordshire County Council’s (OCC’s) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities for 2021/22 – August 2021. This Cabinet report will concentrate on the latest performance and risk position (August 21).

Cabinet is RECOMMENDED

a)                 To note August business management and monitoring report.

b)                To approve the virement set out in Annex C - 2b;

c)                 To approve the transfer of the Tax Income Guarantee Scheme grant to the Business Rates Reserve as set out in Annex C paragraph 77

Recommendations agreed

Cabinet considered the report setting out Oxfordshire County Council’s (OCC’s) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities for 2021/22 – August 2021 with a focus on the latest performance and risk position (August

21).

Councillor David Bartholomew, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance, addressed the financial aspects of the report. He asked for clarification on Paragraph 15 where it said that the report was “on an exception basis”.  He made the following observations:

·         Home to School Transport was listed as one of the biggest risks and yet it was also noted that “more efficient transport solutions should materialise and result in ongoing cost reductions”.  This appeared to be a contradiction.

·         The regional Memorandum of Cooperation which was aimed at controlling the costs of agency social workers had not continued.  He asked if this would lead to spiralling costs.

·         He noted that £7.9m of reserves were earmarked for future cost pressures in Adult Social Care and asked what implications this might have for next year’s adult social care precept.

·         He asked for a more expansive explanation of the £1m overspend under Environment and Place in the next report.

Councillor Calum Miller, Cabinet Member for Finance, thanked Councillor Bartholomew for his observations and said that he would take on board the suggestions for future reports.  In relation to the reserves earmarked for Adult Social Care, these had already been budgeted to meet future cost pressures.

Councillor Miller drew particular attention to the significant pressures under Children’s Services.  Capital infrastructure plans were under review in order to take account of significant inflationary pressures.  It was also essential that the savings under Adult Social Care and Environment & Place were achieved.  He moved the recommendations.

Councillor Liz Brighouse, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services, noted that Home to School Transport had been a perennial issue, made more difficult recently by the scarcity of drivers.  It was long overdue a review.

Councillor Brighouse stated that the Memorandum of Cooperation on agency social workers simply was not working.  The Council was looking to find ways of training its own.

RESOLVED:

a)                      to note August business management and monitoring report.

b)                     to approve the virement set out in Annex C - 2b;

c)                      to approve the transfer of the Tax Income Guarantee Scheme grant to the Business Rates Reserve as set out in Annex C paragraph 77