Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance

Forward Plan Ref: 2019/

Contact: Steven Fairhurst Jones, Corporate Performance & Risk Manager Tel: 07932 318890/ Hannah Doney, Strategic Finance Manager (Assurance & Reporting) Tel: 07584 174654

Report by Corporate Director Customers & Organisational Development and Director of Finance (CA7).

This report sets out Oxfordshire County Council's (OCC's) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities and provides an update on the delivery of the Medium Term Financial Plan, at 31 January 2020. A summary of overall performance and description of change is contained within the report. The report contains three annexes:

·         Annex A shows our current performance against targets and summarises progress towards overall outcomes set out in our Corporate Plan.

·         Annex B sets out the Leadership Risk Register which has been developed as part of the Council’s work to strengthen risk and opportunities management

·         Annex C sets out the current financial position, providing detailed explanations of significant budget variations and an update on the Medium-Term Financial Plan including the delivery of savings agreed by Council in February 2019 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

a)            note the contents of this report;

b)           note the virements set out in Annex C – 2b.

Cabinet had before them a report that set out Oxfordshire County Council's (OCC's) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities and that provided an update on the delivery of the Medium-Term Financial Plan, at 31 January 2020.

Councillor Liz Brighouse, Chairman of the Performance Scrutiny Committee, gave apologies from Councillor Glynis Phillips who was also due to speak and reported on the discussion of the report at the scrutiny committee making the following points:

·         The scrutiny committee does not get to see every report since they are provided monthly so took the opportunity to have a lengthy discussion, in particular focussing on SEND and Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).

·         It was pleasing to hear that the Council is working with other councils to learn from each other on these nation-wide challenges.

·         It was agreed to work with the Education Scrutiny Committee to explore the reasons for the increase in the number of applications for EHCPs and discuss if there are better ways that money could be spent for some children.  The Chairmen will meet to scope a proposal for a working group.  They will meet with relevant officers as part of this process and seek information on the costs of various options such as out-of-county placements.

·         The scrutiny committee also discussed Delayed Transfers of Care (DTOCs).  They had already examined this at a previous meeting and intend to continuously review progress on this issue on which this county is the sixth or seventh worst in the country.

·         On the Growth Deal, the committee would like to see the actual housing figures behind the RAG ratings and see the percentages of social and affordable housing involved.

·         At its next meeting it will focus on the overspends detailed in Annex C.

Councillor Lorraine Lindsay-Gale, responding to these points, stated that she was happy to work with the scrutiny committees on the EHCP issue.  The issue of needing to use out-of-county placements was identified two years ago and three new schools were planned.  Two are held up in the planning process but the third is on track.

Councillor David Bartholomew summarised the report and more recent developments on behalf of Councillor Heathcoat:

·         It indicated that good progress was being made on the priorities in the Corporate Plan.

·         On DTOCs the Government had just announced the public health grants and Oxfordshire’s was £31m up 5.1% on last year.

·         The forecast Directorate overspend of £6.5m will be partly met from the remaining corporate contingency budget of £3.5m and £0.4m of the Strategic Measures underspend.

·         There is a £4.5m overspend related to increased costs in corporate parenting.  A small change in numbers of young people requiring small group living can create a significant change in overall spend.

·         £5.8m of savings that are not expected to be achieved in year are reflected in the Directorate forecast outturn position. These might be achieved in 2020/21.

Councillor Lawrie Stratford added that the DTOC figures have been improving but the Covid-19 virus introduced a new pressure.  Staff face a new challenge in providing home care.  This is a quickly changing situation.  He welcomed the increase in the public health grant but he will need to see the detail.  It is possible that there may be more expectations placed on the Council.

The resolution was moved by the Chairman and adopted unanimously.

RESOLVED: to

a)            note the contents of this report;

b)            note the virements set out in Annex C.