Agenda item

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

Forward Plan Ref: 2020/126

Contact: Louise Tustian, Head of Insight & Corporate Programmes Tel: 07741 607452/Hannah Doney, Head of Corporate Finance Tel: 07584 174654

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

This report sets out Oxfordshire County Council’s (OCC’s) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities for 2020/21 – December2020.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

a)            note this month’s business management and monitoring report;

b)           approve virement set out in Annex C-2b relating to the Rough Sleeping; Drugs and Alcohol Grant Scheme and note the virements set out in Annex C-2c;

c)            approve the bad debt write-offs set out in AnnexC;

d)           note the allocations of the Contain Outbreak Management Fund as set out in Annex C-5c.

Cabinet had before them a report setting out Oxfordshire County Council’s (OCC’s) progress towards Corporate Plan priorities for 2020/21 at December 2020.

Councillor Liz Brighouse, Opposition Leader, thanked the administration for supporting amendments to the budget proposed by the Labour Party in relation to young people with mental health problems and added that she was very impressed with the work done by Children, Education and Families to support these young people.

Councillor Brighouse advocated a more holistic approach to these issues.  She noted that 50% of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) were not completed within 5 months and asked if the right children were getting access to EHCPs or if some might only be temporarily distressed for example.

Councillor Brighouse also referred to long waiting times for access to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) and stated that the outcomes were not clear to the Council.  She accepted that it was a national problem but believed that Oxfordshire could set an exemplary standard.

Councillor Brighouse asked that consideration be given to using funds for EHCPs and CAMHS differently – for example ensuring that there was a mental health professional in every secondary school to provide support there.

Councillor Glynis Phillips, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance, noted that the highways public satisfaction survey had shown that 50% of people in Oxfordshire were not satisfied with the overall situation.  The Performance Scrutiny Committee would need to examine where there was room for improvement.

Councillor Phillips welcomed the funding for youth services noting that the evidence showed that youth workers get to know families and can often provide advice before problems escalate.  These issues were reflected in the Risk Register which showed the highest risks related to the demand for services for vulnerable children.

Councillor Phillips noted the in-year overspend of £11.5m in the High Needs Dedicated Schools Grant and asked for more detail on the plans to bring this into line with its operating budget.  Increasing demand and reducing budgets were leading to an unsustainable situation – even given the innovative approaches being identified and implemented by staff.

Councillor Phillips welcomed the government’s announcement of a comprehensive review of children’s social care but noted that there was no completion date.  She hoped that the Chancellor would announce an increase in the early intervention grant to provide sufficient resources while this review takes place.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat introduced the report which showed that the Council continued to perform strongly despite the challenges posed by COVID-19.  There were 14 RAG rating indicators showing Green, 12 showing Amber and none showing Red.  There were no score changes in the Leadership Risks.  Along with the Workforce and Staffing report which was also on this agenda, this report highlighted the hard work that the Council’s teams continue to undertake during these challenging times.

Councillor Heathcoat noted in particular a number of areas of work in her own portfolio including the work of the Trading Standards team in tackling scams, the Safe and Well visits which continue in line with COVID safety requirements and the difficult work of first responders in attending road traffic accidents.

Councillor David Bartholomew noted that the Council had passed a revised budget for 2020/21, the budget for 2021/22 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy to 2025/26 all of which will ensure that the Council continued to manage the pandemic response in a balanced, responsible way.

Councillor Bartholomew stated that there were forecast underspends of £1.1m in business as usual and £0.3m in corporate measures.  COVID-19 grants were expected to total £72.6m of which £25.7m had so far been passed on to

schools, providers, the voluntary sector and the City and District Councils.

The current forecast for general balances at 31 March 2021 was £30.1m, compared to the position at 1 April 2020 of £28.7m.  84.6% of planned savings totalling £18.4m were on track to be delivered in 2020/21

Cabinet Members also highlighted the following points:

·         The HIF1 (Housing Infrastructure Fund) project potentially could cost the Council £2m per month if not completed by November 2024.

·         95% of live iHub (OCC’s Innovation Hub) projects were progressing on schedule and on budget, demonstrating the Council’s commitment to the knowledge economy.

·         The Council achieved an 8% reduction in carbon emissions in its own estate – above the target of 6% - and had also installed 17,500 LED lights, almost half of the target of 40,000 by 2025, despite the delays in work at the height of the pandemic.

·         The percentages of household waste recycled and composted were close to target despite the centres being closed for a period during the pandemic, demonstrating how the centres were valued by the public.

Councillor Ian Corkin asked officers to check again the figure of 79,338 premises that have enabled access to superfast broadband listed on Agenda Page 30 as he felt that this under-reported progress.

RESOLVED:  to

a)            note this month’s business management and monitoring report;

b)            approve virement set out in Annex C-2b relating to the Rough Sleeping; Drugs and Alcohol Grant Scheme and note the virements set out in Annex C-2c;

c)            approve the bad debt write-offs set out in Annex C;

d)            note the allocations of the Contain Outbreak Management Fund as set out in Annex C-5c.