Meeting documents

Apologies were received from Mr M Tett and Mr N Brown, with Mrs J Teesdale attending as Deputy Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Public Health.

There were none.

Of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 10 September 2018.

RESOLVED: The minutes of the meeting held on 10 September were AGREED as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman.

Cabinet’s attention was brought to the following:

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services thanked those who had promoted Adoption Week and made reference to the purple ribbons displayed across the county.  Mr Whyte drew Cabinet’s attention to the Early Help Consultation that was now underway running until 13 December 2018.  He is also highlighted the first public meeting would be held in Aylesbury on 8 November.

The Cabinet Member for Resources highlighted the recent Customer Services Week at the beginning of October which saw engagement with residents across Aylesbury and Wycombe. 

The Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing announced the £140m additional funding that had been received from the Department of Health and Adult Social Care to spend on adult social care in Buckinghamshire.  Lin Hazell highlighted that there were tight requirements to how the money could be used and they would be in discussion with NHS partners. 

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Environment highlighted the Household Waste Recycling consultation that was due to close that day.  There had been a total of 5900 responses so far.  18 public events had been held, 14 responses from interested organisations and a petition received including 3174 signatures.  Mr Chapple thanked council staff that had worked over and above during the consultation period.  He also thanked residents for their responses which would now be reviewed.

There were none.

For Cabinet to consider the Forward Plan

RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the report.

RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the report.

For Cabinet to consider the Select Committee Work Programme

RESOLVED: Cabinet NOTED the report.

Mr Whyte, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

• Cabinet had discussed the item back in June 2018 when it was agreed to go out to consultation on the strategy
• The report before them included the consultation evaluation report and a copy of the children’s strategy, adult’s strategy, the children’s consultation report and the adult’s consultation report.
• The importance of looking at how services could be improved to ensure the best offer for children and their families are available; focused on the child’s needs.
• Joined up strategies meant a better transition into adulthood.
• The consultation would start on 5 November 2018 and would close on 11 January 2019.

Ms J Bowie, Service Director, Integrated Commissioning, attended the meeting in order to answer any Member questions.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• In response to a member’s question regarding the inclusion of children’s centres in the delivery of some services, Ms Bowie stated that they would seek to utilise local services in day centres.
• A Member asked for assurances that comments regarding the accessibility and readability of the consultation documentation had been addressed, Mr Whyte confirmed that engagement session had been held with service users for adults and children.  Ms Bowie highlighted that that a variety of channels to maximise accessibility and had acted on previous consultation feedback e.g. making questions more targeted.
• Concerns had also been raised about transport and distance to services, including those placements out of county.  Ms Bowie stated that they were looking at the range of offers and services that were already within local communities.

Lin Hazell, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing supported the strategies and the vision within the adult’s strategy helping adults to continue to live independently.  Lin Hazell urged service users and residents to take part in the consultation.

Mr Whyte highlighted that they were working closely with the Clinical Commissioning group for the NHS with Families And Carers Together (FACT) in Buckinghamshire.

Cabinet were asked to:

1. APPROVE the final Short Breaks Strategies for Disabled Children and Adults as set out in Appendices 1 and 2;
2. ACKNOWLEDGE the Short Breaks End of Consultation Evaluation Reports for Disabled Children and Adults as set out in Appendices 3 and 4;
3. APPROVE proceeding with public consultation on the draft Adult Short Breaks Policy and the short breaks offer for Children.

RESOLVED: Cabinet AGREED the above recommendations.

Mr B Roberts, Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care (HASC) Select Committee and Mrs L Wheaton, Committee and Governance Adviser attended the meeting to present the recommendations from the Child Obesity Inquiry undertaken by the Select Committee.

Mr Roberts introduced the report by thanking those who had given up their time to talk to the Inquiry Group as part of their evidence gathering and highlighted the following:

• The Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan published in 2016, aimed to reduce England’s rate of childhood obesity within the next 10 years.
• The inquiry had tested how well Buckinghamshire were doing at tackling the issue. 
• It was a complex issue but it was hoped that the recommendations highlighted would give the Council a greater role in facilitating change.
• There had been a lack of a coordinated action plan with targeted interventions to help reduce child obesity in Bucks.
• The report focused on healthy eating rather than physical activity as this had recently been driven by the "Active Bucks" initiative.

• The inquiry group heard from Public Health colleagues about their statutory duty to deliver the National Child Measuring Programme as part of the evidence gathering.
• A number of different areas within the Council could help facilitate and deliver change e.g. the Fostering team and Members, in their role as community leaders
• The inquiry group heard from a Head teacher who had invested in refurbishing their school kitchen and the challenges they faced.

·         Mr Roberts also stated that if Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) became a statutory subject in schools, the PSHE Leads should be represented on the Healthy Communities Partnership subgroup. 

·         Building on early years and school-based initiatives and involving parents was also key in supporting children to make healthier food choices.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• The importance of parental involvement from a young age, before they enter school.
• It was made clear that the County Council did not have the resources to provide ambassadors to champion healthy lifestylesbut could work with schools to make sure the right messages were being communicated.  Schools themselves would have to take more of a lead in delivering the programme.  A Member suggested the use of School Governors as ambassadors.
• More emphasis to be put on physical activity and Mr Roberts confirmed that if Cabinet accepts the recommendation to set-up a subgroup then the work of Active Bucks would be part of this..  Initiatives such as Simply Walk to be highlighted and using Local Area Forums (LAF) to help drive it forward.
• It was reflected that it was a national issue with big financial and health costs.  Further work needed with parents before school age, role of health visitors to be considered and working with districts to ensure that access to leisure centres and sporting events were open to all.

Cabinet responded to the recommendations as follows:

Mr K Carpenter, Group Manager attended the meeting to present the new Highway Services Policy.  Mr Carpenter highlighted the following points:

• Two years ago the Department for Transport (DfT) had published a new code of practice, Well Maintained Highways, designed to give local authorities a more local approach to the management of their highways.
• The code has allowed the Council to target their resources better and to being more effective and efficient when taking account of risk.
• The new code had two years to be implemented
• The Council had been taking a risk based approach for a number of years.
• The Council had been making good progress over the last couple of years implementing asset management, achieving DfT Level 3 which was the highest level in their incentive fund assessment.
• They had achieved ISO55001 and had won an award for their asset management.
• The new policy focussed on adopting a risk based approach for all highway infrastructure maintenance.
• The policy adopts all aspects of the code and established a framework for the Transportation service to work to.
• Risks would be assessed, levels of service set and the resource required.
• The policy would be supplemented by four individual policies; Network Safety, Network Management, Winter service and Safety Inspections.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• Mr Carpenter confirmed that while devolution of powers to parish councils was not included in the policy, it would require them to take a risk based approach of how they would manage those third party works.
• The value of engaging with local Members and parish councils in identifying projects.
• The categorisation of potholes and helping residents understand how this is carried out and within particular timeframes dependant on the severity.
• The need for the footways programme to be a priority to bring them up to standard.  Mr Carpenter stated that work was ongoing to achieve this and would work with local members using their local knowledge in developing the delivery of the programme.
• Mr Carpenter highlighted that communications to residents was one of their biggest challenges.  They continued to use every channel available to them and Mr Shaw directed residents and Members to the infomercial on the Buckinghamshire County Council website.

Recommendation

Cabinet APPROVES the Policy, which outlines the guiding principles for the development of service levels based on local needs, priorities and affordability.

RESOLVED: Cabinet AGREED the above recommendations.

Mr M Appleyard, Cabinet Member Education and Skills introduced the Home to School Transport Consultation item and highlighted the following points:

• 5000 pupils were eligible for free Home to School transport which cost the Council a total of £12.8m and the consultation looked at options of how the cost could be reduced. 
• The next few years would see the Council modernising the way in which children were transported to school and this could include the use of public services more particular those that ran parallel with a school routes.
• The consultation would include speaking to special needs groups at separate meetings and 11 meetings around the county to talk to mainstream pupils.

Mr T Vouyioukas, Executive Director for Children’s Services, Ms S Callaghan, Service Director for Education and Mr R Smith, Director of Growth Strategy and Highways attended the meeting to answer Member’s questioned.  Mr Vouyioukas highlighted the following points:

• The report set out the current position of home to school transport and the areas that the consultation would cover.
• Feedback on the consultation would be reported back to Cabinet in March 2019.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• The importance of engaging effectively with service users as part of the consultation, ensuring all groups were covered.
• The Council had to secure the most cost effective and sustainable way of providing the service while still meeting their statutory obligations.

Recommendation

1. To agree to undertake a 10 week consultation on possible changes to the Council’s Home to School Travel Policy and provision.  In particular the Council will be consulting on:
   1. The Council’s preferred options for changes in relation to Home to School Transport, as well as other options and alternatives.
   2. The staged implementation of changes to Home to School Transport.
2. To note that the results of the consultation and engagement with Buckinghamshire residents and transport stakeholders would be reported to and inform a subsequent decision by Cabinet in March 2019.
3. To request that delegated authority be given to the Executive Director for Children’s Services, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, to make revisions to the Home to School Transport policy.

RESOLVED: Cabinet AGREED the above recommendations.

Mrs E O’Neill, Head of Finance TEE attended the meeting to present the Parking Annual Report 17-18 and highlighted the following points:

• The Council operated a parking enforcement scheme as part of the Traffic Management Act 2004.
• The scheme covered all on street parking in the county and all activity relating to Civil Parking Enforcement (including off-street parking).
• A requirement of the scheme was for the Council to publish an Annual Parking report.
• The report showed a deficit but this had reduced from the previous year.
• The scheme was not for income generation but to look at reducing the deficit.

Cabinet raised and discussed the following points:

• Local discussions that had taken place regarding making parking easier and more cost effective for residents, for example the introduction of parking disks.  It was agreed that this would be an item on the next Parking Governance Board to discuss.

ACTION: Mrs O’Neill

• There was an ongoing programme about how best to engage with residents and upgrading technology.
• Virtual permits would go live on 30 October 2018.
• Understanding the Council’s view on parking and what residents can expect making it easier for Local Members to have those conversations with residents.
• Mrs O’Neill stated that the Parking Governance Board was currently looking at guidance for permit parking and would make sure this and any other guidance be made available to all Members and would work with Local Members and their Local Area Forums (LAF)

ACTION: Mrs O’Neill

• The rate of recovery was also raised and benchmarking against other local authorities.  Mrs O’Neill stated that the recovery rate was similar to other local authorities and that those delayed could be due to being unable to trace the owner.
• It was highlighted that the main reason for representations related to lines and signs not being clear.  Ms O’Neill stated that they were ensuring lines and signs were being refreshed so that the Council could enforce properly.

Recommendation

That Cabinet NOTE the Annual Parking Report before publication.

RESOLVED:  Cabinet NOTED the report.

For Cabinet to consider the report.

Mr Shaw, Deputy Leader gave an overview of the Council’s acquisition of properties in order to generate revenue for the Council.  The Council had built up a portfolio of properties and Cabinet was asked to consider the acquisition of Grade A office opportunity at Voyager Place, Maidenhead.

Mr J Chilver, Cabinet Member for Resources highlighted the following points:

• The acquisition met the strict criteria for all new investments and due diligence would be carried out

• The investment would fit all the Councils requirements and ensure a balance across all sectors.

Due to the confidential nature of the acquisition Cabinet discussed the confidential appendices within a closed session not webcast.

Following the confidential session it was noted that Cabinet highlighted the need for due diligence on the acquisition before any final decision would be taken.

Recommendation

That Cabinet:

1. Approve further formal due diligence and negotiations with the Chalk Portfolio Limited’s investment agent;
2. Authorise the Cabinet Member for Resources and Executive Director of Resources to conclude the purchase of the Property following a successful outcome from the process of due diligence and negotiations.
3. Allow and authorise the Council to enter into or execute under seal, if necessary any agreements and other related documentation required to facilitate the completion of the purchase of the Property.

RESOLVED: Cabinet AGREED the above recommendations.

RESOLVED

That the press and public be excluded for the following item which is exempt by virtue of Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12a of the Local Government Act 1972 because it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

To consider confidential apprendices.

12 November 2018

29 October 2018

12 November 2018