Agenda item

PRE-DECISION SCRUTINY OF EXECUTIVE REPORTS

Members of the Committee are requested to bring their copy of the agenda for the Executive meeting on 20th November 2013.

 

Minutes:

Report RES13197

 

The Committee considered the following reports on the public agenda for the meeting of the Executive on 20th November 2013.

 

(5)  Budget Monitoring

  Report RES13193

 

Members considered the third budget monitoring position for 2013/14 (based on expenditure and activity levels to September 2013).

 

Referring to Education and reductions in central government grants, the Chairman highlighted commentary that statutory functions were not appearing to decline in proportion to the number of schools maintained by the Local Authority. He encouraged members to lobby local MPs on the need for more grant if the level of statutory functions was to continue. Change was necessary either through a reduction in statutory functions or provision of adequate grant. Supporting this approach, the Leader referred to a meeting he was due to have with local MPs on 18th November.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations be supported.

 

(6)  Update on the Council’s Financial Strategy 2014/15 to 2017/18

  Report RES13208

 

Issues that would continue to shape the medium term strategy, updated to reflect latest projections to 2017/18, were outlined (the 2014/15 Local Government Financial Settlement and details such as updated information on the Council’s business rate share and Council Tax base would not be available until December). A broad indication was provided of cost pressures along with an on-going need to identify savings for 2014/15 and future years.

 

Councillor Bennett asked that officers email the current position on reserves.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations be supported.

 

(7)  Capital Programme Monitoring – 2nd Quarter 2013/14

  Report RES13207

 

The current position on capital expenditure and receipts was outlined following the 2nd quarter of 2013/14. Executive approval was sought to a revised Capital Programme.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations be supported.

 

(8)  Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation Budget

Pressures: Homelessness (Impact of Recession/Welfare

Reform) Contingency Provision Draw-down

  Report CS13038

 

In view of current homelessness pressures, Executive approval was sought for the release of £1m set aside in central contingency against anticipated risks resulting from the impact of welfare reform and the current economic and housing climate. From a largely cost neutral budget the position had changed to one where the majority of temporary accommodation placements could now only be secured on a nightly paid basis at a net cost to the Council. Details were also provided of initiatives being pursued to reduce the rising budget pressures wherever possible.

 

Aware that young people could comprise a significant proportion of single clients, the Chairman linked this report to the employment benefits that could potentially be obtained from the Bromley Youth Employment project were it to be successful (minute 404a). 

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations be supported.

 

(9)  Approval to Draw-down the Social Housing Fraud Initiative Grant

  Report CS13039

 

Approval was sought to draw-down ring fenced Government funding of £200k over a two year period (two instalments of £100K)to help identify and tackle incidents of social housing fraud.Draw-down of £100k was required to meet the expenditure requirement in 2013/14.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations be supported.

 

(10)  Public Health Procurement Framework

  Report CS13047

 

Public Health Category A standard contracts covering the five key Public Health Improvement Programmes would end in March 2014. Retendering was now necessary. Details of the programmes were outlined along with their positive impact on service users. The report explained how Public Health intended to retender the services under a framework agreement allowing significant flexibility.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations be supported.

 

(11)  Adult Social Care – Impact of the Care Bill and

Future NHS Funding

  Report CS13049

 

Further information was provided on the potential impact of changes to adult social care proposed in the Care Bill, published in May 2013. The report also considered changes made necessary by the Government’s proposals to further integrate health and adult social care.

 

To assess the impact on adult social care and address challenges arising from the Care Bill, proposals were set out for a programme of detailed modelling for which it was recommended that £216k be spent from the NHS social care funds in 2013/14 and 2014/15. Proposals from the Department of Health related to the Integration Transformation Fund were also considered in the report – the report offering a way forward to allow L B Bromley to be best placed to exploit opportunities presented by further integration with the NHS in coming years.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations be supported.

 

(12)  Children's Social Care Recruitment and Retention Strategy

  Report CS13037

 

With the current strategy for the recruitment and retention of children’s social workers in its final year of operation, comparative salaries data indicated that it was necessary for L B Bromley to continue having an enhanced employment package for qualified social workers.

 

The Executive was asked to agree that the current scheme be extended for the 2014/15 financial year using residual funding from the agreed recruitment and retention package and that the current scheme is extended to include the Children with Disabilities Service at an additional £7,374 per annum. The report also recommended that consideration be given to the future funding of competitive social work salaries beyond 2014/15.

 

In comparison with private sector practice, Councillor Lymer suggested that the Finders Fee at £250 could be regarded by staff as an insufficient incentive to market L B Bromley for qualified social work positions.

 

Comments were made in support of the recommendations. Councillor Tunnicliffe referred to the importance of having high quality social workers, cautioning against the authority falling back to vacancy levels experienced some three years previously. On future funding, the Chairman suggested a re-arrangement of some priorities in order to reward good performers. The Leader referred to incentivising and being market leaders. He highlighted the importance of support for the authority’s young social workers.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations be supported.

 

(13)  Financial Implications of changes to the Youth Remand Framework

  Report CS13030

 

The report outlined changes to the youth remand framework introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. It described the indicative costs arising from changes to the youth remand framework and sought approval for the Ministry of Justice youth remand grant allocation of £73,734 to be released from central contingency.

 

Approval was also sought to draw-down £500k set aside in central contingency to fund the anticipated volume of remand placements arising from changes to the youth remand framework.

 

RESOLVED that the recommendations be supported.

Supporting documents: