Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 14 February 2023.

RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 14 February 2023 were agreed as a correct record.

There were no declarations of interest.

The following hot topics were reported:-

Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing and Deputy Leader

The Cabinet Member reported that Seeleys House Short Breaks Centre in Beaconsfield has been awarded a rating of 'Good', following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and thanked staff for their work on improving this facility. She also reported that she had enjoyed her visit to Buckingham Library which was dementia friendly.

Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment and Deputy Leader

The Cabinet Member had been helping with the tree planting scheme. The new Wing Wood would see 132,000 trees planted on land owned by Buckinghamshire Council which was a 51-hectare site, working in partnership with Forestry England. Wing Wood would include a mix of tree species suited to the locality, five new wildlife ponds and a community orchard as well as accessible paths for walking and cycling.

The 132,000 trees would form part of the council’s pledge to plant 543,000 trees, one for every resident in Buckinghamshire by 2031, as part of its Climate Change Strategy. In addition, there was an event at Grange Farm, Hazlemere End to plant over 400 trees (totalling 12,700 trees in all), 12,300 trees were being planted across a site of 7 hectares at Bury Farm, Amersham, 250 trees were planted in Buckingham for a community tree planting event involving Buckingham Town Council and 120 students from Princes Risborough School attended an event to plant 600 trees.

Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources

The Cabinet Member reported that webchat had been rolled out and members of the public could now get an instant reply to any queries and provided a good alternative to phone and email. It was also helpful that people were paying council tax bills by direct debit.

Cabinet Member for Transport

Reference was made to pressures to fix the road network following recent poor weather, which was a national issue. The County Council Network had also reported that 85% of Councils were under pressure with their budgets. The Government has announced £200 million for highways maintenance for the financial year 2023-24. The Council had already agreed to invest an extra £5 million, on top of £100 million for the four-year period, which would make £7.3 million with the additional funding from Government for Buckinghamshire.  Work would commence on repairing the roads as quickly as possible, depending on the weather.

Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services

The Cabinet Member reported on the very successful Bucks Skills Show which was recently held in Stoke Mandeville Stadium. This was organised by Buckinghamshire Skills Hub. Over 5,000 people attended where there were more than 100 business with stalls. This included a number of high profile employers such as Pinewood Studios, Metro Bank, Amazon and Disney. The event was aimed at the under 25s. A further event would be held in Chesham in September.

Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration

The Cabinet Member referred to the call for brownfield sites which had now been plotted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

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

“Can the Cabinet Member please provide information on what is being done to improve the percentage of SEND children and young people under 25 years who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place, as improvement efforts will likely be impacted by the long waiting lists that exist for diagnoses for autism, speech therapy, attention deficit and hyperactive disorder?”

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

“Can the Cabinet Member please provide information on what is being done to improve the percentage of SEND children and young people under 25 years who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place, as improvement efforts will likely be impacted by the long waiting lists that exist for diagnoses for autism, speech therapy, attention deficit and hyperactive disorder?” 

RESPONSE from Councillor Cranmer 

The reduction of waiting times for children to see specialist nurses, paediatricians and therapists a primary focus within the Written Statement of Action work that the Local Authority is engaged in with health partners. Following a decision from the Integrated Care Board regarding increased funding for this work, activity will accelerate to transform the way these services are accessed by families in Buckinghamshire. We are working in partnership with parents and carers to improve their lived experience and that of their children. 

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 reports 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 Select Committee Work Programme 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.

Cabinet received a report on a new vision and strategy for Buckinghamshire libraries.  Libraries had transformed over recent years to offer a range of services and activities that promote wellbeing, inclusion, and community cohesion.

The vision was for a service that provided welcoming and safe spaces for everyone to access reading, culture and the information and services they need to learn, discover, imagine, and thrive. The priorities for Buckinghamshire Libraries were:

·       Encouraging Culture, Reading and Learning.

·       Building Stronger Communities.

·       Enabling Access, Information, and Inclusion.

·       Promoting Health and Wellbeing.

The guiding principles for delivery were building partnerships; developing libraries as hubs; engaging and empowering staff and volunteers; and constant service improvement.

An extensive engagement exercise had been undertaken to inform the priorities and gauge the level of support for the proposed approach. This had demonstrated that 90% of respondents agreed with the vision, with approval ranging from 84% to 92% for the four priorities.  Work had taken place to develop short to medium term objectives to deliver the new vision and priorities, along with the associated measures of success.

The service would now engage with staff, volunteers, and partners to develop a detailed action plan to deliver a modern, relevant, and sustainable library service for Buckinghamshire. The action plan would be reviewed annually with particular attention given to ensuring alignment with the Opportunity Bucks - Succeeding for All programme including future discussion with ward partnerships.

RESOLVED –

That the Buckinghamshire Libraries Strategy be APPROVED, as set out in the report and appendix.

Cabinet received a report on a new vision and strategy for Buckinghamshire libraries.  Libraries had transformed over recent years to offer a range of services and activities that promote wellbeing, inclusion, and community cohesion.

The vision was for a service that provided welcoming and safe spaces for everyone to access reading, culture and the information and services they need to learn, discover, imagine, and thrive. The priorities for Buckinghamshire Libraries were:

·         Encouraging Culture, Reading and Learning.

·         Building Stronger Communities.

·         Enabling Access, Information, and Inclusion.

·         Promoting Health and Wellbeing.

The guiding principles for delivery were building partnerships; developing libraries as hubs; engaging and empowering staff and volunteers; and continuous service improvement.

An extensive engagement exercise had been undertaken to inform the priorities and gauge the level of support for the proposed approach. This had demonstrated that 90% of respondents agreed with the vision, with approval ranging from 84% to 92% for the four priorities.  Work had taken place to develop short to medium term objectives to deliver the new vision and priorities, along with the associated measures of success.

The service would now engage with staff, volunteers, and partners to develop a detailed action plan to deliver a modern, relevant, and sustainable library service for Buckinghamshire. The action plan would be reviewed annually with particular attention given to ensuring alignment with the Opportunity Bucks - Succeeding for All programme including future discussion with ward partnerships.

The Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure reported that the Library Service was evolving to meet the needs of residents and to also act as Council hubs providing IT facilities, warm spaces and local advice. Reference was made to facilities like the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre which included the library. Hubs such as these could be expanded to provide other services such as GP surgeries in the future. The Service Director for Communities – Culture Sport and Leisure reported that it was an ambitious strategy aiming to make services accessible to all. Reference was made to expansion of cultural participation, health and wellbeing including working in partnership with Public Health and support to the Opportunity Bucks Programme and to other programmes such as climate change.

The Leader welcomed the Strategy and commented on how libraries had changed over the years and evolved now into community hubs. He asked whether this pre-empted a national policy or strategy and may have to be amended in the future. The Service Director reported that a new national libraries strategy was in development; in the meantime the Buckinghamshire Libraries Strategy aligns well to existing strategies such as that of Arts Council England and the service was connected across a range of professional bodies such as Libraries Connected, CILIP and the Local Government Association to continue the right direction of travel. There would also be an Annual Review of the Strategy in the next 12 months and an opportunity to refresh it. The Leader also asked for reassurance that the main purpose of the library was to help promote reading particularly to help  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Cabinet received the Food and Health and Safety Service Business Plan that detailed how the food and health and safety enforcement services were to be delivered within Buckinghamshire Council for the period 2022/24.  The Service Plan was divided into the issues covered by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Framework Agreement and the key priorities identified by the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Strategy Document. The Service Plan and Enforcement Policies were appended to the agenda.

Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) had set out a timetable (Recovery Roadmap) to bring local authorities back on track with their inspection programmes following a cessation of the inspection programme during the pandemic.  The Council had been able to achieve the current milestones in inspecting our category A, B and non-compliant C and D businesses and was able to get a rolling start on the inspection of the compliant Cs as well as triage 927 new businesses. However, the Service had experienced a continual increase in the number of new food business registrations which, together with other work, meant that the final milestone of all compliant C businesses inspected by the end of March 2023 might not be achieved.  The FSA had identified this as an area of concern for the authority. This would continue to be the team’s focus for 2022/24.

Whilst an annual plan was expected by the FSA, on this occasion due to the above issues the first plan for Buckinghamshire Council covered a period of two years. At this point last year the Council had still been under restrictive arrangements and the focus had been heavily aimed towards the regulatory response to Covid-19.  In addition to the FSA Recovery Plan, as part of an ongoing programme of service transformation, improved and more efficient and effective ways of working and delivering the service were being explored. These would include the inspection processes, schemes of delegation and procedures for the assessment of officer competency and authorisation, streamlining the export health certificate process and the harmonisation of sampling equipment and calibration of thermometers.

The Service actively participates in the Primary Authority Partnership scheme, with seven established partnerships and two new partnerships formed in 2022. The primary authority acted as a point of contact and advice for food businesses that had a number of outlets nationally and local authorities who inspected them. This was a paid for service.  There had also been a noticeable decline in hygiene standards which had resulted in an increase in enforcement action and revisits. There had also been an increase in requests for FHRS re-inspections as businesses moved to a more online presence.

The Health and Safety Executive had set out a 10-year strategic plan ‘Protecting People and Places’ which set out its key objectives and national priorities. In 2022/24 the Council would identify projects aimed to raise health and safety awareness and improve standards in a particular sector or topic. It was likely that these would focus on workplace transport in warehouses  ...  view the full decision text for item 9.

Cabinet received the Food and Health and Safety Service Business Plan that detailed how the food and health and safety enforcement services were to be delivered within Buckinghamshire Council for the period 2022/24.  The Service Plan was divided into the issues covered by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Framework Agreement and the key priorities identified by the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Strategy Document. The Service Plan and Enforcement Policies were appended to the agenda.

Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) had set out a timetable (Recovery Roadmap) to bring local authorities back on track with their inspection programmes following a cessation of the inspection programme during the pandemic.  The Council had been able to achieve the current milestones in inspecting our category A, B and non-compliant C and D businesses and was able to get a rolling start on the inspection of the compliant Cs as well as triage 927 new businesses. However, the Service had experienced a continual increase in the number of new food business registrations which, together with other work, meant that the final milestone of all compliant C businesses inspected by the end of March 2023 might not be achieved.  The FSA had identified this as an area of concern for the authority. This would continue to be the team’s focus for 2022/24.

Whilst an annual plan was expected by the FSA, on this occasion due to the above issues the first plan for Buckinghamshire Council covered a period of two years. At this point last year the Council had still been under restrictive arrangements and the focus had been heavily aimed towards the regulatory response to Covid-19.  In addition to the FSA Recovery Plan, as part of an ongoing programme of service transformation, improved and more efficient and effective ways of working and delivering the service were being explored. These would include the inspection processes, schemes of delegation and procedures for the assessment of officer competency and authorisation, streamlining the export health certificate process and the harmonisation of sampling equipment and calibration of thermometers.

The Service actively participates in the Primary Authority Partnership scheme, with seven established partnerships and two new partnerships formed in 2022. The primary authority acted as a point of contact and advice for food businesses that had a number of outlets nationally and local authorities who inspected them. This was a paid for service.  There had also been a noticeable decline in hygiene standards which had resulted in an increase in enforcement action and revisits. There had also been an increase in requests for FHRS re-inspections as businesses moved to a more online presence.

The Health and Safety Executive had set out a 10-year strategic plan ‘Protecting People and Places’ which set out its key objectives and national priorities. In 2022/24 the Council would identify projects aimed to raise health and safety awareness and improve standards in a particular sector or topic. It was likely that these would focus on workplace transport in warehouses  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Cabinet received a report which set out the Revenue and Capital outturn position for Buckinghamshire Council for the financial year 2022/23 as at Quarter 3. The Council was continuing to experience significant financial pressures due to the current economic situation and the high levels of inflation.  Although the rate of inflation had reduced recently and was forecast to reduce further by the end of the 2023 calendar year, the Council’s budgets were continuing to experience ongoing pressures from inflation and energy prices, and also particularly in Adults and Children’s social care due to increased demand and complexity of demand. In addition, in Children’s Services the market had become sub?optimal with a lack of suitable placements driving up unit costs.

The Revenue outturn position as of Quarter 3 was a forecast balanced position, which was an improvement from the adverse variance of £1.8m reported at Quarter 2.  Appendix 1 provided detailed information for each Portfolio and relating to the forecast revenue budget outturn and information about performance relating to overdue debts and late payments of commercial debt.

The Revenue outturn position as of Quarter 3 was a balanced position, which was an improvement from the adverse variance of £1.8m reported at Quarter 2.  The key areas of movement in the forecast variance from the Quarter 2 position were detailed at paragraph 1.8 of the Cabinet report, and related to:

Cabinet received a report which set out the Revenue and Capital outturn position for Buckinghamshire Council for the financial year 2022/23 as at Quarter 3. The Council was continuing to experience significant financial pressures due to the current economic situation and the high levels of inflation.  Although the rate of inflation had reduced recently and was forecast to reduce further by the end of the 2023 calendar year, the Council’s budgets were continuing to experience ongoing pressures from inflation and energy prices, and also particularly in Adults and Children’s social care due to increased demand and complexity of demand. In addition, in Children’s Services the market had become sub?optimal with a lack of suitable placements driving up unit costs.

The Revenue outturn position as of Quarter 3 was a forecast balanced position, which was an improvement from the adverse variance of £1.8m reported at Quarter 2.  Appendix 1 provided detailed information for each Portfolio and relating to the forecast revenue budget outturn and information about performance relating to overdue debts and late payments of commercial debt.

The Revenue outturn position as of Quarter 3 was a balanced position, which was an improvement from the adverse variance of £1.8m reported at Quarter 2.  The key areas of movement in the forecast variance from the Quarter 2 position were detailed at paragraph 1.8 of the Cabinet report, and related to:

11 April 2023 – 10.00am

Tuesday 11 April 2023 at 10am