Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies were received from Cabinet Member, Clive Harriss and Rachael Shimmin Chief Executive.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 11 October 2022.

RESOLVED –

That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 11 October 2022 were agreed as a correct record.

There were no declarations of interest.

The following hot topics were raised:-

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing

The impact of the Autumn Statement 2022 would need to be looked at following the announcement on Thursday including social care reforms. Social Care was a big part of the cost pressures which Councils were facing nationally.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment

An award was received from Chiltern Rangers to the Council on the outstanding contribution to conservation. The Council had worked very hard on the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and other areas such as tree planting (140,000 trees) and improving chalk streams. The Team were congratulated by Cabinet Members.

Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources

The new County-wide Revenue and Benefits System went live on 20 October 2022 which covered benefits, council tax and business rates. The new system should deliver significant savings and residents were encouraged to register for an online account so that they could view and update their details easily and quickly.

https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/council-tax/

Cabinet Member for Transport

Reference was made to traffic issues on A413 coming into Aylesbury which was due to failed lights, an officer had been called to resolve the traffic management issue from the utility company who had to resort to stop and go boards. There was also some emergency work being undertaken near Stoke Mandeville by utilities which also impacted the area.

He also referred to being successful in the largest ever single bid for electric vehicle charging. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles had fully funded the bid of £400,000 which allowed the service area to push forward on their EV Strategy to have a 1,000 publically accessible points. The Leader welcomed this and commented that the UK had the biggest sales of electric vehicles out of any European Country. It was therefore important for Councils to help facilitate the provision of infrastructure to reduce the number of carbon producing vehicles.

Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services.

The Service Area had won a national award for the best local offer. The National Association of Family Information Services presented the award which was a digital based offer to help families trying to access information about services, including special needs. The Team were congratulated by Cabinet Members.

Cabinet Member for Communities

25^th November would mark White Ribbon Day to end male violence against women. Communication around the campaign would include advertising on the radio and the success of the campaign would be analysed by the take up of support services on the Council and partnership websites.

Leader

The Leader also made reference to the Autumn Statement which would impact on the Council’s planning assumptions with regard to building the budget for next year and years beyond that. Normally the Council would have some clarity around budget setting but this year there was uncertainty about the impact of the Autumn statement, particularly in the area of social care reforms. Officers would be analysing the impact on the Council. In addition the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Question from Councillor Michael Bracken to Councillor Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration

My question follows a period in which I have been seeking to advise and assist a number of residents impacted by construction and planning issues in a particular location. The underlying issues are complex and clearly difficult to address and include:-

·       prolonged and delayed construction project including multiple changes of contractors and project managers;

·       repeated disruptions to access residences either because of deliveries or of inconsiderate behaviour and the parking of vehicles blocking access;

·       poor site management practices which took no account of their impact both causing detritus, dust and noise through to outright damage to neighbouring properties and possible planning breaches requiring investigation;

·       additional wear and tear to public roads and pavements including damage caused by deliveries and equipment;

·       noise disruption including construction work at unreasonable hours such as weekends and bank holidays; In particular residents were dismayed at around the time of public examinations where students had their ability to study and work on revision harmed or constrained; and

·       light pollution at the site including through the night  directly into neighbouring properties. This arose from both construction lighting as well as what appears to be a permanent feature of the new property which was not considered at the time of planning.

May I ask you to consider reviewing the impact of problematic construction projects on residents and in particular:-

·       consider the instances of problematic construction projects and whether this may be a category which should receive additional attention. For example consider the tracking of issues which are reported to our various departments, functions and to the extent that we are aware, external agencies; and

·       as we look to continue to improve our Website to review the advice and guidance available to residents when faced with a problematic construction project. Specifically it can be difficult for residents to know to which department or function either in the council or separate government agencies they should properly raise issues and the mechanism to do so.

Question from Councillor Robin Stuchbury to Councillor Anita Cranmer, Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services

Many of our secondary schools are oversubscribed, I understand that this includes The Buckingham school with classes containing over 30 pupils. Are there any figures available for Buckinghamshire regarding school places by catchment area/secondary school to better understand how the education authority is managing the growth within the community?

If these figures are available, do they include any children who have to travel out of their catchment area to obtain a school place which could be detrimental to the Council’s aspiration to lower its carbon footprint and which also incurs a cost to parents and/or the Council’s home to school transport budget?

Members would also benefit from understanding capacity and vacancy figures for primary schools given the significant growth in Buckinghamshire, particularly the north of the county.

The following responses to the Cabinet questions were noted:-

Question from Councillor Michael Bracken to Councillor Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration

“My question follows a period in which I have been seeking to advise and assist a number of residents impacted by construction and planning issues in a particular location. The underlying issues are complex and clearly difficult to address and include:-

• prolonged and delayed construction project including multiple changes of contractors and project managers;
• repeated disruptions to access residences either because of deliveries or of inconsiderate behaviour and the parking of vehicles blocking access;
• poor site management practices which took no account of their impact both causing detritus, dust and noise through to outright damage to neighbouring properties and possible planning breaches requiring investigation;
• additional wear and tear to public roads and pavements including damage caused by deliveries and equipment;
• noise disruption including construction work at unreasonable hours such as weekends and bank holidays; In particular residents were dismayed at around the time of public examinations where students had their ability to study and work on revision harmed or constrained; and
• light pollution at the site including through the night directly into neighbouring properties. This arose from both construction lighting as well as what appears to be a permanent feature of the new property which was not considered at the time of planning.

May I ask you to consider reviewing the impact of problematic construction projects on residents and in particular:-

• consider the instances of problematic construction projects and whether this may be a category which should receive additional attention. For example, consider the tracking of issues which are reported to our various departments, functions and to the extent that we are aware, external agencies; and
• as we look to continue to improve our Website to review the advice and guidance available to residents when faced with a problematic construction project. Specifically it can be difficult for residents to know to which department or function either in the council or separate government agencies they should properly raise issues and the mechanism to do so.”

RESPONSE from Councillor Strachan

The Council provides a number of services which investigate issues occurring at construction sites in its area and have powers to pursue formal action where such issues breach either local requirements (such as planning permission details) or national legislation (such as highways). Due to the large array of potential issues that could occur at a construction site (planning, highways, noise, light, dust, Health & Safety), and therefore the complexity of legislation involved, it would be difficult to address all the possible scenarios within a single team. Therefore whilst I acknowledge that the issues you raise are likely to cause local concern, it is our job to ensure we provide a joined up response across the teams that are involved. It would be unfair to expect residents to know who within the Council to report their concerns to without us trying to provide some assistance, so we have already commenced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The Leader introduced the Forward Plan and commended it to all Members of the Council and the public, as a document that gave forewarning of what Cabinet would be discussing at forthcoming meetings.

RESOLVED –

That the Cabinet Forward Plan be noted.

For Cabinet to note the Select Committee Work Programme.

The Leader introduced the Forward Plan and commended it to all Members of the Council and the public, as a document that gave forewarning of what Select Committees would be discussing at forthcoming meetings.

RESOLVED –

That the Select Committee Work Programme be noted.

The Transport, Environment & Climate Change Select Committee agreed to set up a Rapid Review of Pollution in Buckinghamshire’s Rivers and Chalk Streams at its meeting on 22 January 2022. The Review Group was chaired by Cllr Robert Carington and comprised of Cllrs Bill Chapple OBE, Peter Brazier, Mick Caffrey, David King and Adam Poland-Goodyer.

Between March - June 2022, the Review Group collected evidence through meetings both in person and on Teams. The Review Group then met in June to discuss and agree its key findings and recommendations, which were presented in the report found at Appendix 1.  The report was presented to the Transport, Environment & Climate Change Select Committee on 3 November 2022.

Cabinet was asked to consider the recommendations of the Select Committee Review of Pollution in Buckinghamshire’s Rivers and Chalk Streams.

RESOLVED

1)      That the Select Committee and Review Group, as well as the supporting officers, be thanked for their work and subsequent recommendations.

2)      That Cabinet’s responses to the review and recommendations, as set out and circulated to Members, be AGREED.

Note: a complete breakdown of the scrutiny recommendations and Cabinet’s responses can be found here.

The Transport, Environment & Climate Change Select Committee agreed to set up a Rapid Review of Pollution in Buckinghamshire’s Rivers and Chalk Streams at its meeting on 22 January 2022. The Review Group was chaired by Cllr Robert Carington and thanks were given to the Members which comprised of Cllrs Bill Chapple OBE, Peter Brazier, Mick Caffrey, David King and Adam Poland-Goodyer. The Chairman also thanked the two Cabinet Member involved Cllr Gareth Williams and Peter Strachan, stakeholders and officers particularly Karen Fisher and Chris Ward.

Between March - June 2022, the Review Group collected evidence through meetings both in person and on Teams. The Review Group then met in June to discuss and agree its key findings and recommendations, which were presented in the report found at Appendix 1.  The report was presented to the Transport, Environment & Climate Change Select Committee on 3 November 2022.

The Chairman in his presentation made the following points:-

·         Chalk streams were unique as they provided pure, clear water from underground chalk aquifers and springs where wildlife could grow and thrive. These environments were rare, with an estimate of 85% of the known chalk streams in the world being located in southern and eastern England; nine significant chalk streams alone could be found in the Chilterns Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

·         The Government’s Environmental Audit Committee recently concluded that every single river in England was contaminated by chemicals and made recommendations on how to overhaul the situation. Buckinghamshire’s rivers and chalk streams, like many others across England, were impacted by a range of different factors. This included pollution from sewage, highways, agriculture, water abstraction and flooding. The Environment Agency stated that the majority of the county’s rivers have a moderate status – none have a good or high status. The Select Committee was especially concerned to hear of reports of increased discharge events by water companies and HS2 work potentially polluting the chalk aquifer beneath the Misbourne Valley. As a result, Members were keen to undertake a cross party Rapid Review to gain a better understanding of the current health of Buckinghamshire’s waterways and areas of responsibility, understand concerns, and hear how these were being addressed. In addition, the Rapid Review wanted to identify areas for potential improvement through, for instance, increased partnership and collaborative working. 

·         A number of meetings were held with voluntary sector organisations and stakeholders such as Chilterns Chalk Stream Project & Chilterns Conservation Board, Chiltern Society, National Farmers Union, River Chess Association & Impress the Chess, and the River Thame Conservation Trust. Other meetings were held with the Strategic Flood Team, Highways, the Water Services Regulation Authority, Thames Water, Anglian Water and Natural England. Affinity Water and the Environment Agency were both unable to attend and sent in written answers to the Committee’s questions.

·         There were three main areas that the Committee felt should be prioritised and were also areas where the Council could have the most impact; water pollutants and run-off, communications and engagement and education.

·         With regard to water pollutants  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee agreed to set up an Inquiry into the development of primary care networks in Buckinghamshire in September 2021.

A small group of councillors volunteered to participate in the Inquiry. Evidence gathering meetings, with a number of stakeholders, took place between January 2022 to June 2022. The Inquiry Group was chaired by Cllr Jane MacBean and comprised of Cllrs Phil Gomm, Carol Heap, Howard Mordue, Alan Turner and Julia Wassell. Following the evidence gathering meetings, the Inquiry Group then met to discuss and agree its key findings and recommendations, which were presented in the report found at Appendix 1.

As the focus of this Inquiry was on the development of primary care networks, the majority of recommendations were aimed at the Integrated Care Board, Integrated Care Partnership and Place-based Partnership. Representatives from the Integrated Care Board have been asked to respond to the recommendations relevant to them. Cabinet was asked to consider the recommendations of the Select Committee which were aimed at the Council.

RESOLVED

1)      That the Select Committee and Inquiry Group, as well as the supporting officers, be thanked for their work and subsequent recommendations.

2)      That Cabinet’s responses to the Inquiry and recommendations, as set out and circulated to Members, be AGREED.

Note: a complete breakdown of the scrutiny recommendations and Cabinet’s responses can be found here.

The Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee agreed to set up an Inquiry into the development of primary care networks in Buckinghamshire in September 2021.

A small group of councillors volunteered to participate in the Inquiry. Evidence gathering meetings, with a number of stakeholders, took place between January 2022 to June 2022. Following the evidence gathering meetings, the Inquiry Group then met to discuss and agree its key findings and recommendations, which were presented in the report found at Appendix 1.

As the focus of this Inquiry was on the development of primary care networks, the majority of recommendations were aimed at the Integrated Care Board, Integrated Care Partnership and Place-based Partnership. Representatives from the Integrated Care Board have been asked to respond to the recommendations relevant to them. Cabinet was asked to consider the recommendations of the Select Committee which were aimed at the Council.

The Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Select Committee made the following points in presenting the Committee’s report:-

• In July 2019, as part of the NHS Long-Term Plan, around 7,000 general practices across England came together to form more than 1,250 Primary Care Networks. In Buckinghamshire there were 13 PCNs. 
• The regulations around PCNs have been incorporated into the contract that each GP practice had with the NHS through NHS England.
• To support PCNs, the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) provided funding for 20,000 additional roles to create bespoke multi-disciplinary teams, including pharmacists, physiotherapists, paramedics, mental health practitioners and social prescribing support workers.
• NHS England also introduced a statutory requirement for every surgery to set up a Patient Participation Group to allow patients to work with their surgeries to enhance and improve the service they offer.
• Since 2019, the HASC Select Committee had, over the past few years received presentations on PCN development.  It was fair to say that the PCNs were developing at very different rates and their success in recruiting to the additional roles and reorganising was varied.
• The Inquiry was set up to look at the different working practices of 13 PCN’s and Patient Participation Groups to understand the key challenges they faced. In addition, the Inquiry Group wanted to collate examples of good practice and discuss areas of improvement with key partners.
• Evidence gathering took place between January and June of this year and the Chairman thanked all those who gave up their valuable time to talk to the Committee. In particular, the Chairman thanked the Inquiry Group for their hard work, which comprised of Cllrs Phil Gomm, Carol Heap, Howard Mordue, Alan Turner and Julia Wassell. She also thanked Liz Wheaton who supported the Group from the Scrutiny Team.
• The report contained 17 areas of recommendation based on what the Committee heard during the evidence gathering.  The majority of the recommendations were aimed at health partners.
• In July, clinical commissioning groups were abolished and Integrated Care Systems became legal entities.  The Integrated Care Board, Integrated Care Partnership and Place-based Partnerships have been formed and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

At Vesting Day, the Council put in place an interim Civil Contingencies Policy to discharge its duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA).  Since then the Government had developed a national strategy for resilience and the new Council Resilience Framework and Standards Policy (CRF&S) at Appendix 1 would ensure that the Council complied with these new national standards together with its duties under the CCA. 

The CRF&S policy had been discussed at a range of presentations to Members, including the Select Committee for Communities and Localism in April 2022.

The new Council Resilience Framework and Standards Policy was the overarching policy document and this included 3 ‘sub’ policies covering Emergency Resilience; Place Resilience and Organisational (Council) Resilience.  The CRF&S Policy incorporated the detail covered in the interim Civil Contingencies Policy, so allowing that Vesting Day policy to be replaced. 

RESOLVEDthat the new Buckinghamshire Council Corporate Resilience Framework and Standards Policy be endorsed and it be noted that this replaces the interim Civil Contingencies Policy agreed prior to Vesting Day.

At Vesting Day, the Council put in place an interim Civil Contingencies Policy to discharge its duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA).  Since then the Government had developed a national strategy for resilience and the new Council Resilience Framework and Standards Policy (CRF&S) at Appendix 1 would ensure that the Council complied with these new national standards together with its duties under the CCA. 

The CRF&S policy had been discussed at a range of presentations to Members, including the Select Committee for Communities and Localism in April 2022.

The new Council Resilience Framework and Standards Policy was the overarching policy document and this included 3 ‘sub’ policies covering Emergency Resilience; Place Resilience and Organisational (Council) Resilience.  The CRF&S Policy incorporated the detail covered in the interim Civil Contingencies Policy, so allowing that Vesting Day policy to be replaced. 

The Cabinet Member for Communities reported that the draft Policy had already been considered by the Select Committee for Communities and Localism and also presented to other Members, Service Directors, Parish Clerks and Community Boards. Feedback from the consultation process was extremely positive and that the new framework brought a range of resilience within the Council.  The Policy would be reviewed annually.

In response to a question it was noted that a Member briefing would be held to communicate the new Policy. The Team had held community workshops with Chepping Wycombe, Wexham and Iver and Marlow and further workshops would be held with town and parish councils including the unparished area in Wycombe. The aim would be for local parishes to develop their own local emergency resilience plans. Another question was raised by the Leader about the multi-disciplinary approach and buy-in from partners to the new framework. In response it was noted that the service area had engaged with the Thames Valley Resilience Forum and the draft Policy was presented at their Annual Conference. The Bucks Resilience Group which mainly included local partners and responders had also been included in the process. Other authorities had contacted Buckinghamshire to follow their good practice.

RESOLVEDthat the new Buckinghamshire Council Corporate Resilience Framework and Standards Policy be endorsed and it be noted that this replaces the interim Civil Contingencies Policy agreed prior to Vesting Day.

This report sets out the Revenue and Capital outturn position for Buckinghamshire Council for the financial year 2022/23 as at Quarter 2. The Council was continuing to experience significant financial pressures due to the current economic situation and the high levels of inflation.

The Revenue outturn position as of Quarter 2 was a forecast adverse variance of £1.8m, which was a reduction of £2m from the adverse variance of £3.8m reported at Quarter 1.  Appendix 1 provided detailed information on the revenue forecast outturn by Portfolio. £19.2m of savings were incorporated into the approved 2022-23 Revenue budgets.

Work was ongoing to understand the impact of inflation and how this would affect the capital programme. The current exceptional rates of inflation might have a significant impact on what can be delivered within the approved budget for the year.

RESOLVED -

1)      That the report and the risks and opportunities contained within it be NOTED.

2)      That the following reserve movements be APPROVED:

-          A contribution to a corporate earmarked reserve of £15m of income arising from Energy for Waste electricity sales.

-          A contribution to a corporate earmarked reserve of £4.4m from income arising from a legal dispute regarding third party waste and metals income, and a corresponding contribution from reserves of £4.4m into corporate budgets.

-          A drawdown of £0.15m from the “Mitigating Future Financial Risks” reserve to create an employee hardship fund as approved by the Senior Appointments & Pay Committee (SAPC).

This report sets out the Revenue and Capital outturn position for Buckinghamshire Council for the financial year 2022/23 as at Quarter 2. The Council was continuing to experience significant financial pressures due to the current economic situation and the high levels of inflation. In Adults and Children’s social care, pressures continued to be experienced due to  increased demand and complexity and in Children’s Services the market had become dysfunctional with a lack of suitable placements driving up unit costs.

The Revenue outturn position as of Quarter 2 was a forecast adverse variance of £1.8m, which was a reduction of £2m from the adverse variance of £3.8m reported at Quarter 1.  This reflected the Council’s prudent financial management, successive delivery of targeted savings and strong processes in place to manage risk. There was an adverse variance on portfolio spend of £15.7m (£10.4m forecast at Quarter 1) offset by £13.9 m (£6.6m forecast at Quarter 1) of corporate mitigations which included the use of contingencies and corporate funding, such as interest and a one-off legal settlement of £4.4m.

Appendix 1 provided detailed information on the revenue forecast outturn by Portfolio. £19.2m of savings were incorporated into the approved 2022-23 Revenue budgets. The £15.7m adverse variance in portfolios included £4.7m in Health and Wellbeing from demand pressures, £9.5m in Children’s Services, including £3.2m in placement budgets due to the national lack of available placements and increased demand and complexity of need and staffing costs, £2.1m in Accessible Housing and Resources of which £1.1m was attributable to inflation on energy costs in Property and Assets and £1m of new pressures in Legal and Democratic Services and Insurance, £2m adverse variance in transport services due to increased contract costs and a favourable variance of £3.3m in Climate Change and Environment from additional income from the sale of electricity from the EfW site. Cabinet was being asked to transfer £15m of income arising from this to an earmarked reserve.

Work was ongoing to understand the impact of inflation and how this would affect the capital programme. The current exceptional rates of inflation might have a significant impact on what can be delivered within the approved budget for the year. There was a forecast slippage of £13m which was 8% of the total budget which was within 10% target. The biggest spend was in Education and Children’s Services much of which related to savings against budget and a delay in delivery. Table 3 in the report showed that the Council was on track to deliver 98% of its targeted savings in the current financial year.

The Leader reported that the Council had robust financial management and referred to two other Councils who were facing financial difficulties due to increased demand pressures. The underlying pressure on this Council was currently at £16m which was a serious concern going forwards but was currently being managed through corporate mitigations. Savings on the capital programme was due to savings achieved on the Kingsbrook School.

RESOLVED -

1)      That the report and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Cabinet received a performance report which detailed the key performance measures reported through the Corporate Performance Framework for 2022/23. Cabinet also received the performance scorecard, which provided information on four key elements of performance for the Council covering Finance, Customer Service, Performance and Human Resources indicators.

Within the performance report and performance scorecard, outturns which were performing at or better than target were classified as Green, those which were within 5% of the target were Amber and those which were more than 5% of the target were Red. At the end of Quarter 2, 92 indicators had outturns reported with a Red, Amber or Green status. Of these, 62 are Green (67%), 12 are Amber (13%) and 18 are Red (20%).

RESOLVED -

1)      That the Council’s performance for the Quarter 2 period 2022-23 be NOTED.

2)      That the actions being taken to improve performance, where required, be NOTED.

Cabinet received a performance report which detailed the key performance measures reported through the Corporate Performance Framework for 2022/23. Cabinet also received the performance scorecard, which provided information on four key elements of performance for the Council covering Finance, Customer Service, Performance and Human Resources indicators.

Within the performance report and performance scorecard, outturns which were performing at or better than target were classified as Green, those which were within 5% of the target were Amber and those which were more than 5% of the target were Red. At the end of Quarter 2, 92 indicators had outturns reported with a Red, Amber or Green status. Of these, 62 are Green (67%), 12 are Amber (13%) and 18 are Red (20%).

Cabinet Members then provided comprehensive explanations for the performance marked as red (shown below) where performance was more than 5% off the target for each of their portfolio’s, these were as follows:-

Leader

Buckinghamshire unemployment rate as a percentage of National unemployment rate – the Leader reported that this was higher than it should be. However, many businesses in Buckinghamshire were desperate for staff such as Pinewood and Silverstone and a whole variety of other businesses. The Council was working with businesses to address this issue. A number of Deputy Cabinet Members were working on skills with employment workshops and also through the Opportunity Bucks programme where they were collaborating with key partners to ensure direct engagement with community groups in the worst affected wards.

Accessible Housing and Resources

Percentage of phone calls answered in the Customer Service Centres and Average Call Wait Time

The Service Area were outside target but an improvement had been made on Quarter 1. They had been impacted by the waste service reorganisation and also the £150 energy and council tax rebates. Mitigating actions were detailed in the report which included the recruitment and training of new starters and the development of a flexible workforce that could be brought in to deal with surges in demand. Last week the average wait time was below three minutes which was within target.

Average time for processing new Housing Benefit claims (days)/ Average time for processing Housing Benefit change claims (days)

This had been impacted by the new Revenues and Benefits System. The system was closed for a number of weeks so no changes could be made and they were now addressing the backlog. The service area should be back on target by the year end. 

Number of sickness absence days per FTE annually (rolling 12-month period)

This was marginally over target but there was an improvement on Quarter 1. If excluding the impact of Covid the Council was within target. The Council did provide targeted support to employees on health and wellbeing across the Council.

Climate Change and Environment

% of Missed Bin Collections

The Council was now back to the levels prior to the round reorganisation. There was an occasional day with a 100 missed bins and the service area had nearly completed a week  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

6 December 2022 at 10am

6 December 2022 at 10am