Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 18 September 2023 having been circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the chair.

Report of the Director: Outcomes

The Director: Outcomes submitted a report providing members with an update  on the Council’s in-year financial position in 2023/24 as at quarter two. The report requested Cabinet to note the latest revenue budget, approve the revised capital programme, set out the Council’s updated medium term financial planning position, and note the treasury management position against the Prudential Code Indicators as at quarter two.

The Director in her report explained that in February 2023, Council approved plans to invest £191.5m of revenue resource in 2023-24 and £126.0m of capital resource over a three-year period to support delivery of the Council plan, achieve its strategic objectives and legal duties for the benefit of residents and businesses.  Revenue investment had subsequently increased to £191.6m following confirmation of the Public Health Grant for 2023/24 and the Capital programme to £139.2m following outturn 2022/23, in-year re-phasing and additional external funding.

In line with good financial management practices, the Council’s use of resources was closely monitored and reported regularly to senior leadership and Cabinet.  This report was the second formal report to Cabinet in 2023/24 providing information on the current in-year financial position at quarter two (up to 30th September 2023).  It also provided an update on the next stages of financial planning for 2024/25 onwards, identifying risks and opportunities to the current Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) as a detailed refresh of the MTFP is underway. A summary explanation with supporting appendices were provided under the following headings –

·                Revenue Position Quarter 2

·                Capital Position Quarter 2

·                Financial Resilience Context

·                Medium Term Financial Plan and

·                Budget Policy Framework

Councillor Marper, Cabinet Member Investment, Outcomes and Governance thanked the Director for the report, associated work carried out by officers especially enabling the council’s ‘one family approach’ and highlighted, summarised and commented upon key aspects of its content.

Resolved – (a) That the 2023/2024 financial position set out in the report be noted; (b) that the budget adjustments approved under delegated powers and the revised budget position for 2022/23 be noted; (c) that the revised capital programme 2023/2026 be approved, and (d) that the progress against the approved Treasury Management Strategy and prudential code indicators be noted.

Report of the Director: Children and Families.

The Director: Children and Families submitted a report requesting Cabinet to note the publication of the Annual Report of Local Arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people 2022/23, and to consider the review in relation to planning, commissioning and budget setting.  The Annual Report attached as an appendix to the Director’s report demonstrated that the Children’s Multi Agency Resilience and Safeguarding (MARS) Board: 

·                effectively met its statutory obligations.

·                benefitted from strong and consistent leadership.

·                had made good progress against its ‘shine a light’ areas of focus.

·               listened to and took account of the voices of children, young people and families.

The Director in her report explained that as per ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018’, there was a statutory requirement to publish an annual report, which set out what had been done as a result of the Local Arrangements and how effective these arrangements have been in practice.  The Annual Report of Local Arrangements to safeguarding and promote the welfare of children and young people 2022/23 had been endorsed by the Children’s MARS Board on behalf of the three safeguarding partners from North Lincolnshire Council, North Lincolnshire Health and Care Partnership and Humberside Police.  The Annual Report was then required to be distributed through relevant governance routes across the three safeguarding partner organisations and relevant partnership arrangements, to be considered in relation to planning, commissioning and budget setting.

In 2022/23, the council had continued to fulfil all functions across our Local Arrangements, and had responded to the needs of individuals and diverse communities, prioritising the most in need, to help and protect children, young people and families, while supporting and developing its workforce. It had also built on outstanding partnerships and practice to ensure that everyone was able to recognise and fulfil their responsibilities. Through the ‘One Family Approach’, which aimed to create a system that worked for all children, young people and families, the council had contributed to achieving its ambition for children to thrive in their families, achieve in their schools and flourish in their communities. 

The Annual Report provided a review of activity and impacts in respect of the Children’s MARS functions, including funding, performance, voice and stakeholder engagement, training, scrutiny and assurance (including independent scrutiny) and child safeguarding practice reviews. The five ‘shine a light’ areas of focus for 2022/23 were also summarised in the report.

Councillor Reed, Cabinet Member Children, Families and Communities thanked the Director for her report and work carried out by her officers and Highlighted, summarised and commented upon key aspects of its content.

Resolved – That the Annual Report of Local Arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people 2022/23 be received, and consider the annual report where relevant in relation to planning, commissioning and budgets setting processes. 

Report of the Director: Adults and Health.

The Director: Adults and Health submitted a report on the outcome of the recent CQC Pilot Inspection Adult Social Care services in North Lincolnshire.

The report explained that North Lincolnshire Council took part as one of five Care Quality Commission (CQC) Pilot Assessments of Local Authority Adult Social Care, between June-August 2023 (onsite fieldwork 22-24 August 2023). For each local authority in the pilot, CQC provided a report, there were four ratings that CQC gave to local authorities:- outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate. North Lincolnshire had been given an indicative rating of ‘Good’- Evidence showed a  good standard of  care  and support.    The report outlined areas of strength and key areas for development. The reports from the five pilot inspections were published at the same time on the CQC website 17th November 2023.

The Director in her report stated that this was a positive experience overall, building the confidence of the workforce in the widest sense, working with people with lived experience through the process and providers and partners had been very rewarding. It was also good to see that the report had affirmed that the council’s strategy of ‘Keeping people in their own homes, families, jobs and communities’ was the right approach and that its four priorities would be updated to reinforce the areas for development. The report laid out by how the CQC saw the council’s strengths and areas for development and the Director’s report summarised these with supporting appendices.

The CQC reinforced the areas for development that the council had identified, it acknowledged the work underway to strengthen further the council’s recovery offer for the younger adult population and that the council needed a council wide overarching strategy to pull together all the good work in understanding and supporting our communities to have equality of opportunity.

Councillor Hannigan, Cabinet Member Adults, Health, Families and Communities thanked the Director for her report and work carried out by her officers and partners, and highlighted, summarised and commented upon key aspects of its content.

Resolved – (a) That the outcome of the recent CQC Pilot Inspection of Adult Social Care services in North Lincolnshire be noted; (b) that the outcome be actively publicised the for our experts, the workforce, providers and partners to experience positivity in the overall indicative quality rating being ‘Good’- Evidence shows a good standard of care and support’, and (c) that all those involved in the inspection process and all officers working in Adult Social Care services be thanked for their hard work keeping people safe.

Report of the Director: Adults and Health.

The Director: Adults and Health submitted a report informing Cabinet about changes to the reviewed statement of purpose of Home First services and their subsequent submission to Care Quality Commission.

The report explained that the council was legally required to produce a Statement of Purpose for any registered services it provided in accordance with Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009.The above Home First services were both registered and provided by North Lincolnshire Council, and as such were required to regularly review and submit a Statement of Purpose. The Home First services were registered to provide time limited rehabilitation and reablement interventions and provide support within a residential setting and people’s own homes.

Home First staff worked with individuals, and their circle of support, developing a programme to improve mobility, health needs, daily living activities and practical tasks. This developed confidence, strength, and skills for individuals to carry out activities independently, supporting people to have the confidence to remain living at home. The council worked in partnership with other social care and health professionals to prevent early admission residential care or to avoid admission to hospital where possible and facilitate timely discharge from hospital.

The statement of purpose documents attached as appendices to the report were legally required documents that included a standard set of information about a provider’s service. Statements must describe:

·                The provider’s aims and objectives in providing the service.

·                Details of the services provided.

·                The health or care needs the service set out to meet.

·               The provider’s and any registered managers’ full name(s), business addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses.

·               Details about the legal status of the provider (for example, whether they are an individual, company, charity, or partnership).

·               Care Quality Commission must be sent the formal documents, to register the registered providers and managers.

·               Each person who works within the Home first services, both social care and health staff.

·                People provided with support and care by the Home First service, and

·               All carers or family members of people provided with support and services by the Home first services.

Councillor Hannigan, Cabinet Member Adults, Health, Families and Communities thanked the Director for her report and work carried out by her officers and partners, and highlighted, summarised and commented upon key aspects of its content.

Resolved – That the submission and the publication of the Statement of Purpose for the Home First services be approved.

Report of the Director of Public Health.

The Director of Public Health submitted a report briefing Cabinet on the government’s announced plans to create a smokefree generation. This included making additional investments in stop smoking support, protecting children from vaping, and increased enforcement of new legislation concerning the supply of tobacco products. The report also sought approval for the Director of Public Health to write to local MPs asking them to support the proposed legislation, to introduce the proposed Position Statement on Vaping and Smoking on behalf of the Northern Lincolnshire Smokefree Alliance, and to outline intentions to expand the smoking cessation offer in North Lincolnshire in terms of capacity and reach, enhancing partnership and strategic links, and aligning with emerging behaviour change models and the ‘One Family Approach’.

The Director in her report explained that the Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care had written to Directors of Public Health, and to other leaders in health care, to inform them of the Government’s proposals, described as an historic plan, to create a ‘smokefree generation’ and to update on vaping proposals. The proposals were outlined by the Prime Minister in his speech to the Conservative Party Conference on 4th Oct this year and would form the basis of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, announced in the King’s Speech on 7th November and to be voted on in Parliament within the current parliamentary session. ‘Stopping The Start: the Government’s plans to create a smokefree generation. Strategic Briefing’ was summarised in an appendix to the report. The proposed new legislation meant that any child who turned 14 this year would never legally be able to buy tobacco, effectively raising the smoking age by a year each year. From an enforcement perspective, the emphasis would be on those who sell tobacco products.  People who smoke, and who obtained cigarettes in contravention of the proposed legislation would not be committing an offence.  The Government did not want to criminalise smoking. 

The report addressed Government proposals, impact in North Lincolnshire and associated funding under the following headings –

·                Helping Current Smokers to Quit.

·                One Family Approach

·                Behaviour Change Campaigns

·                Protecting Children from Vaping

·                Position Statement on Vaping and Tobacco Control

·                Swap to Stop

·                Enforcement

·                The Northern Lincolnshire Smokefree Alliance

·                The Tobacco and Vapes Bill

Councillor D Rose, Cabinet Member Environment and Strategy thanked the Director for her report and work carried out by her officers and highlighted, summarised and commented upon key aspects of its content.

Resolved – That that options set out in paragraphs 3.1 to 3.3 of the Director’s report be approved in full.

Report of the Director: Communities

The Director: Communities submitted a report seeking approval of the framework for the council’s future ‘North Lincolnshire Community Plan’.

The Director: Communities in her report stated that North Lincolnshire was made up of vibrant, connected communities who provided meaningful opportunities for volunteering, empowered a thriving voluntary and community sector to help support community needs at the right time and level. The proposed future Community Plan Framework set out in an appendix to her report proposed how the council aimed to work towards the development of a North Lincolnshire Community Plan. The framework set out the council’s offer, intent, and outcome impact sought to be developed as part of the community plan.

The report explained that understanding the council’s communities was key, using an evidence-based approach to ensure that it did not take a one-size fits all approach to communities. The council would use the framework for its ‘community evidence base to inform a ‘community specification’. The framework and plan would support the transformation of the council, ensuring that it had the right plan in place to support the sustainable and enabled communities with a workforce to support the right intervention at the right time. A full stakeholder engagement would take place through the development of community plan.

Councillor Reed, Cabinet Member Children, Families and Communities,  Councillor Hannigan, Cabinet Member Adults, Health, Families, Councillor C Sherwood, Cabinet Member Safer, Stronger Communities - Rural and Councillor J Davison, Cabinet Member Safer, Stronger Communities Ashby, Bottesford and Scunthorpe and Communities each in turn thanked the Director for her report and work carried out by her officers and highlighted, summarised and commented upon key aspects of its content in relation to their portfolios.

Resolved – That the proposed future Community Plan framework be approved  to support the development of the Community Plan.

The Leader/Chair referred to this meeting of the Cabinet being the last that Wendy would be attending before (semi) retiring, and on behalf of the Cabinet and all members thanked her for her dedicated commitment and hard work over the years, and wished her well for the future.