Meeting documents
Cabinet
Tuesday, 20 December 2005
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To Members of the Cabinet Notice of a Meeting of the CabinetTuesday 20 December 2005 at 2.00 pm County Hall, Oxford
Contact officer: Kath Coldwell (Tel: 01865 815902; E-mail) Membership
Decisions taken at the meeting will become effective at the end of the working day on 30 December 2005 unless called in by that date for review by the appropriate Scrutiny Committee. Copies of this Notice, Agenda and supporting papers are circulated to all Members of the County Council.
AGENDA
To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 6 December 2005 (CA3) and to receive for information any matters arising therefrom. Cabinet Member:
Finance Report by Head
of Finance & Procurement (CA5). The consolidated forecast position to date shows a balance of £10.686m. This is an increase of £0.865m since the last report, which is primarily the result of a reduction of £0.715m in the forecast Directorate overspend. Action Plans are in place for Directorate overspends which have arisen in year and it is anticipated that the forecast overspend will reduce before the year-end as a result of management actions identified by these plans. The
detail for each Directorate is summarised within the report and individual
reports for each Directorate are in the Members’ Resource Centre.
Cabinet Member:
Finance Report
by Director for Resources and Chief Executive (CA6). This report is the third in a series informing members on the service and financial planning process and issues for 2006/07 and the medium term. The report sets out the latest information on the Council’s financial position, provides an update on CCMT’s budget management proposals for 2006/07 and outlines areas of uncertainty. The Provisional Local Government Finance settlement was announced on 5 December. At the time of writing this report much of the information required to understand the full implications of the settlement was outstanding, therefore these are not covered in the main report. An addendum will be issued for the meeting once all of the details are known which will include effects of specific grants. There have been a number of changes this year making this the most complicated settlement since the introduction of the Council Tax in 1993. These changes relate to the implementation of the Dedicated Schools Grant, the introduction of a new grant system, changes in Formula Spending Share and the announcement of figures relating to more than one year. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED, subject to consideration of the further information on the funding implications of the provisional local government settlement to be circulated for the meeting, to note the report. Cabinet Member:
Finance Report by Head of Property (CA7). This report provides information on progress with the Review of Property Assets – Office Reorganisation Proposals and Central Offices Project. Two options for progressing the projects are identified and the implications of delays in implementation are considered. The two options are:
1. to
progress the review now, based on the proposals previously agreed by
the Cabinet (as outlined in the report); or
2. to
delay progression of the review until the implications of the realignment
of Adult’s and Children’s services and Shared Service Centre are clear.
If the review is progressed under Option 1, the implementation of the main consolidations of office would be from Autumn 2006. However, there is a risk that the provision would not match the need once the realignment and Shared Service Centre implications are clear. If the review is progressed under option 2 there would be at least a 6 month delay in the implementation of the major consolidations of offices - to commencement in mid 2007. This is the recommended option. Due
to the level of uncertainty relating to the pattern of office provision
needed, it has not been possible to prepare a full financial appraisal.
For the same reasons it has not been possible to prepare a more detailed
business case for the investment necessary into the Cricket Road Centre
in East Oxford. However, at this stage it appears that a capital investment
will be required to complete the implementation of the Review.
Cabinet Member:
Children & Young People Report by Director for Learning & Culture (CA8). The Cabinet on 18 October 2005 approved the draft Children & Young People’s Plan for wide consultation. The Cabinet asked officers to report back on the financial implications of the Plan and how they could be met, in the first instance from existing directorate budgets or otherwise through the budget bidding process. In general terms, it is intended that most of the actions in the Plan will be implemented within existing resources. There is much that can be achieved by realigning services, enabling staff to work together more efficiently and effectively and shifting the balance of our resources into prevention, early intervention and direct support for children and families. There are some areas, however, where it is clear that additional investment is needed in order to deliver the improvements in outcomes for children and young people detailed in the Children & Young People’s Plan. These include children’s social care, an integrated ICT system, the youth service, locality teams and means of engaging children and young people. Additional funding for Children’s Social Care has been allocated in the list of non-discretionary pressures in the current budget setting process. The other items have been included in the Council’s Corporate and Cross Directorate Choice Options. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the resource implications of the Children & Young People’s Plan and that these are included in the Corporate and Cross-Directorate Policy Choice Options under consideration in the current budget process.
Cabinet Member:
Schools Improvement Report by Director for Learning & Culture (CA9). On 20 September 2005 the Cabinet authorised officers to carry out a formal consultation with schools on proposals to delegate the statementing budget (a centrally held budget for supporting children in mainstream schools with Statements of Special Educational Needs). The report describes the consultation process, results, and implications if the scheme were to be approved. It also makes recommendations about implementation. The Cabinet is being asked to agree proposals to delegate a significant amount of the statementing budget. The consultation process also gave schools an opportunity to consider the ‘additional funding’ allocated to some schools and partnerships. A large number of schools felt unable to respond and requested more discussion and information. It is recognised that further work with schools needs to take place before any recommendations can be made on this aspect of the consultation. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to agree to:
Cabinet Member:
Schools Improvement The County Council provides either free or subsidised transport to over 12,000 young people travelling to school or college. The policy reflects statutory requirements, which are set out in the 1996 Education Act and the 2002 Education Act. The budget for home to school transport for 2005/06 is £14,197,000 but as at November 2005 the projected total overspend is £590,000. However, the Cabinet has already approved a virement request of £370,000 from other Special Educational Needs (SEN) services to meet the SEN/Post16 transport overspend, thereby reducing the overspend overall to £220,000. This report sets out the reasons for the projected overspend and reports back on the management actions that have already been taken over the last year to address some of the budget pressures, including a rise in the concessionary fares. The report also identifies options where some of the non-statutory elements of the transport policy may result in savings. However, any changes to policy will need to be phased in, given that parental decisions about choice of school will have been made on the basis of the current policy. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet Member:
Schools Improvement Cherwell District Council is progressing a major project to refurbish and improve the Bicester & Ploughley and Kidlington & Gosford Sports Centres and to rebuild the Spiceball Park Sports Centre. These jointly used centres provide the sports halls for Bicester Community College and Gosford Hill secondary schools and swimming provision for Banbury schools. The overall package is currently estimated to cost £17–18 m. The District Council has requested a contribution of £1,567,500 (inflation proofed) and land from the County Council. This is in respect of the increased educational benefit from the rebuilt and improved Spiceball pools, the traffic management works at Bicester and the replacement of the sports hall and major work to the swimming pool at Kidlington, the old part of which is owned by the County Council. A Detailed Project Appraisal is attached (CA11) which traces the history of joint investment in these centres, describes the works currently proposed, the method of procurement and the benefits expected from the proposals. The age, suitability and condition of these buildings together with the education benefit are justification for a contribution, especially at Kidlington. Three options for differing levels of contribution based on different assessments are described. The contribution would be funded from within existing capital resources. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED:
Cabinet Member:
Transport The County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council and Henley Town Council have been working in partnership to develop an Integrated Transport Strategy for Henley on Thames. A Short-Medium Term Strategy covering the period 2005-2011 was identified and endorsed by South Oxfordshire and Henley Town Councils and agreed by the Executive in April 2004. A major part of this Strategy was the promotion of a traffic management scheme to combat the current traffic problems in the town centre and an environmental improvement scheme to undertake changes to the surroundings on Duke Street and Bell Street to provide a better pedestrian environment. A public consultation on the proposals has been held to seek comments and to gauge the level of support of Henley. This report describes the proposals, reports on the consultation and seeks a decision on how to proceed with the schemes. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet Member:
Transport Banbury has a long history of flooding. In response to local concerns the Environment Agency (EA) is proposing to construct a flood alleviation scheme to reduce the risk of future flooding. Planning permission has been granted for the scheme by Cherwell District Council. This report considers the benefits and disadvantages of the scheme with regard to the public highway and sets out the County Council’s legal responsibilities. The chosen scheme is the result of a series of studies carried out by consultants for EA between 2001 and 2004. Various options were considered before concluding that a combination of flood storage upstream of Banbury and localised flood defences within the town would provide the "most sustainable, environmentally acceptable, cost effective, socially acceptable and technically feasible of all the flood defence options". The scheme entails the construction of an embankment to contain flood water in the area between M40 and A361, permitting flooding of the A361 roadway and agricultural land to the east. The report assesses the proposals in the context of the Council’s legal duties in respect of the protection of the highway and the overall risks posed by flooding. It concludes that the proposals are reasonable and could be supported, subject to certain safeguards. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to accept the Environment Agency’s Banbury flood alleviation proposal on the basis set out in the report and agree the withdrawal of the County Council’s objection, subject to the following conditions being met to the satisfaction of the Director for Environment & Economy and the Solicitor to the Council:
Cabinet Member:
Sustainable Development At its 6 September meeting the Cabinet considered a report on the programme for the preparation of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Development Framework and a draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). Consultation on the draft SCI took place between 30 September and 11 November. This report outlines responses to the consultation and proposed changes to the draft SCI and recommends the Cabinet to recommend to Council that it agrees submission of a revised SCI and statement of consultation to the Secretary of State. There was a wide measure of general support for the document both from local council and community representatives and those representing the industry. There were a number of detailed comments and suggestions. Groups and organisations want, in particular, to make sure that they will be consulted and will have the opportunity for early involvement in the process. A number of respondents also emphasise the need to ensure feedback to show how consultations have influenced the preparation of the local development documents. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED, subject to consideration of any comments on behalf of the Environment & Economy Scrutiny Committee, to RECOMMEND Council to:
Cabinet Member:
Transport Report by Head of Transport, Principal Engineer (CA15). A scheme to provide a new bus terminus and building and to upgrade the existing car park was programmed to be constructed in 2005/06. Following production of the final contract documents and a detailed cost estimate the scheme was found to have exceeded the approved project appraisal of £1.97M. A reassessment of the scheme and available funding has been carried out. Provision of a new bus terminus layout with a building is considered the priority and a new cost estimate has been prepared together with a revised project and resource appraisal. An upgrade of the remaining part of the original car park would be deferred until a later date when funding becomes available. Some necessary minor repairs will be undertaken to areas of the car park to maintain its serviceability until a major refurbishment is undertaken in the future. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve Project Appraisal H173/1 and the implementation of the amended scheme as described in the report and Appraisal. Cabinet Member:
Community Safety Report by Director for Community Safety & Chief Fire Officer (CA16). The Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004 reflects the move away from a ‘civil defence’ approach to emergency management to one which recognises the modern environment. Consequently it imposes additional statutory obligations in some areas. Implementation has been staged over a year to allow responders to align their plans with the Act including the Business Continuity Regulations for businesses and voluntary organisations (by April 2006). The CCA 2004 gives the County Council and the District Councils, statutory emergency planning duties as Category 1 responders. Other Category 1 responders include Fire Authorities, the NHS and the Police. Category 1 responders have the following duties: Planning, training and exercising; Risk assessment and risk mitigation; Emergency response and recovery; Business continuity management (BCM) for the authorities’ own business; BCM promotion for the local area; Information sharing; Co-operation in multi agency work. Much of this is best practice within this authority but there are areas requiring additional work such as BCM within the County Council and community BCM. Action plans are developed and being progressed to meet these needs. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet Member:
Health & Community Services Report by Director for Social & Health Care (CA17). This report describes a proposal to achieve closer working between the Pension Service of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the County Council as part of a nation-wide drive to improve pension services for older people and forms part of the national drive to develop the Third Age Service. The report seeks agreement in principle to this initiative and to discussions continuing between stakeholders to agree firm proposals for implementation. The report also seeks approval for the initial phase of this project as set out in the proposals. The Pension Service’s aim is to be working in joint teams with all primary tier local authorities. It seeks to provide improved access to benefit checks particularly for the estimated 20% of vulnerable potential customers not yet engaged with it. The Pension Service has previously identified Oxfordshire as one authority to go earlier than others with the formation of a Joint Team by April 2004. A joint management structure is proposed, including a multi-agency Strategic Management Board to manage the operational joint team. The aim of the Joint Team will be to meet the needs of the partnership organisations fully, including the full range of data capture and verification duties required by all partners. The current aim is to draw in Fairer Charging visiting arrangements with the initial focus on the collection of financial assessment information and pension credit applications for older clients. Future arrangements may extend to disability type benefits and allowances, Housing Benefit and the Supporting People programme. For persons under the age of 60 years, there may be a similar partnership working with Jobcentre Plus. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
Cabinet Member:
All The Cabinet Procedure Rules provide that the business of each meeting at the Cabinet is to include "updating of the Forward Plan and proposals for business to be conducted at the following meeting". Items from the Forward Plan for the immediately forthcoming meetings of the Cabinet appear in the Schedule at CA18. This includes any updated information relating to the business for those meetings that has already been identified for inclusion in the next Forward Plan update. (Members are reminded that the meeting diarised for 3 January has been cancelled, so the Schedule shows the items listed for the two next meetings, on 17 January and 7 February.) The Schedule is for noting, but Cabinet Members may also wish to take this opportunity to identify any further changes they would wish to be incorporated in the next Forward Plan update. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to note the items currently identified for forthcoming meetings. December 2005 |
