Agenda and minutes

Councillor Hart declared a personal interest in item 8 as a member of the Erewash Localities Partnership, one of the recipients of the grant funding outlined in the report.

Apologies for absence were submitted for Councillor B Lewis and T King.

RESOLVED:

To approve, as a correct record, the minutes of the meetings held on 10 and 15 February 2022

Minority Group Leaders in attendance at the meeting are able to ask questions on agenda items. Any questions should be provided in writing no later than 12 noon on the day before the meeting.

None received.

Councillor S Spencer introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, seeking agreement of the authority’s Council Plan Refresh 2022-23 for recommendation to Council for approval.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Agree the refreshed Council Plan 2022-23 and recommend it to Council for approval; and

2)    Note the Council Delivery Plan 2022-23.

Councillor S Spencer introduced a report which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, seeking agreement of the authority’s Service Plans for 2022-23 for recommendation to Full Council for approval.

RESOLVED to:

Agree the refreshed Service Plans for 2022-23 and recommend them to Council for approval.

Consideration was given to a report of the Managing Director which set out the Executive’s draft Forward Plan for the next four-month period.

RESOLVED:

To note the contents of the Forward Plan, attached at Appendix 2 to the report.

Councillor C Hart introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, seeking agreement for the delivery of the Public Health Localities Programme from 1 April 2022.

RESOLVED to approve:

1)    The continuation of the Public Health Localities Programme and approach across the County for two years from 1 April 2022 costing £1.780m (£0.890m per annum), funded through the Public Health Grant and delivered by Borough and District based Health and Wellbeing Partnerships and distributed to organisations as set out in the financial considerations section of the report;

2)    The recommissioning of the countywide Raising Aspirations Programme, coordinated through the Public Health Localities Team, for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years costing £0.231m funded through the Public Health Grant and commissioned on Derbyshire County Council’s behalf by the Bolsover Partnership;

3)    The establishment of a discretionary budget of up to £0.500m to enable the Localities Programme to support core priorities including Covid-19 recovery, integrated place-based working with Integrated Care System partners and deeper alignment with the Thriving Communities Approach. This is to be funded from a mix of core Public Health Grant and/or Covid-19 related funding as appropriate;

4)    That authority is delegated to the Director of Public Health to approve the distribution of funds via agreed local fundholders to local partners as required up to the value of £0.100m to enable the Localities Programme to be a mechanism for the delivery of Public Health priorities at a local level; and

5)    That a review of the Localities Programme commences in April 2023 to inform the next phase of the programme post March 2024, with a report to Cabinet in Quarter 4 of 2023-24.

Councillor C Hart introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, seeking approval to adopt the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2025.

RESOLVED to:

Approve the Equality and Diversity Strategy 2022 – 2025.

Councillor C Hart introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, seeking approval to allocate funding for two Arts, physical activity and Wellbeing projects.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Award Derbyshire Mind funding of £203,500 for delivery of a physical activity and wellbeing project;

2)    Award Arts Derbyshire funding of £203,500 for delivery of an arts and wellbeing project; and

3)    Note that funding for both projects is from the Public Health Grant and Covid related grant funding from central Government

Councillor K Athwal introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, to progress arrangements to access Bus Service Improvement Plan Funding.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Approve the “Making” of the Enhanced Partnership, under Section 138G of the Transport Act 2000 (as amended);

2)    Confirm that the Enhanced Partnership shall come into effect from 31 March 2022, and authorise the Notice required under Section 138G(5) be issued within 14 days of this meeting;

3)    Grant the Executive Director – Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Highways Assets and Transport, delegated powers to:

a)    Agree the final wording of the Enhanced Partnership Plan and Scheme, having considered any comments made through the Stakeholder Consultation.

b)    Accept any Bus Service Improvement Plan funding awarded by the Department for Transport in pursuant of the Enhanced Partnership objectives.

Councillor K Athwal introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, seeking approval for a 12-month trial of Speed Indicator Devices in Derbyshire.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Approve the delivery and evaluation of a countywide, 12-months Speed Indicator Device trial in Derbyshire on the basis set out in the report;

2)    Provide District, Borough, Parish and Town Councils with the ability to obtain a limited number of signs, of a type and specification to be agreed by the County Council at approved locations;

3)    Consider the results of the trial on the speed of vehicles, with the Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership;

4)    Grant, subject to successful applications under Section 115e of the Highways Act 1980 from a District, Borough, Parish or Town Council, licence agreements for the erection of signs on street lighting or other agreed street furniture. The erection of signs on lighting columns will also be subject any necessary electrical and structural testing at the applicant’s own expense; and

5)    Approve the potential future review and alteration of the Speed Management Plan and its associated technical annexes, contained within the Highway Network Management Plan, should the trial prove to be a success.

Councillor C Renwick introduced a report which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, updating members on the Restoring Your Railway Programme in Derbyshire and the potential for accessing Staveley Town Deal funding to support delivery of key elements of the related infrastructure.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Note the Strategic Outline Business Cases which have been submitted for the Barrow Hill, Ivanhoe and Maid Marian lines Restoring Your Railway proposals and the further work carried out since on the Barrow Hill line to better understand the practical issues involved in the project;

2)    Note the continued uncertainty about what the Department for Transport will decide in terms of the future of the Restoring Your Railway Programme, the central Government funding which will be made available to pay for it and the level of any local contribution that may be expected from partners, including the County Council;

3)    Agree to move to the Outline Business Case/Final Business Case stage on the Barrow Hill Line project in partnership with Chesterfield Borough Council, North East Derbyshire District Council and Sheffield City Region, subject to sufficient funding being made available by the Department for Transport to pay for this work to be carried out; and

4)    Note the actions taken to date to secure the provisional grant offer of £934,000 from the Staveley Town Deal Board and, subject to securing a satisfactory agreement on future funding from the Restoring Railway Fund Programme for this project, agrees to accept the grant towards the costs of introducing additional measures around the proposed Barrow Hill station, which will not be funded by the Restoring Your Railway process.

Councillor J Patten introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, asking members to note an urgent decision taken by the Executive Director for Childrens’ Services in relation to the procurement of the Holiday Activities and Food Programme for 2022/25.

RESOLVED to:

Note the decisions made under urgent delegated powers.

Councillor A Dale introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, asking Members to note the decisions of the Schools Forum regarding the allocation of Central School Services Block and Pupil Growth Funds for 2022-23.

RESOLVED to:

Note the Central School Services Block and Pupil Growth Fund settlements and the budget decisions approved by the Schools Forum.

Councillor A Dale introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, informing Members of the High Needs Block settlement of the Dedicated Schools Grant and the approval to its allocation for 2022-23.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Note the high needs settlement for 2022-23;

2)    Note the prospective percentage increases for 2023-24 and beyond;

3)    Approve the places commissioned at Appendix 3 to the report;

4)    Approve the increases to top ups as set out in section 4.2 and the special school, PRU and ER Element 3 profiles at Appendix 4 to the report;

5)    Approve the central high needs budgets at Appendix 5 to the report; and;

6)    Agree to accept the Forum’s request to de-delegate funds for the functions listed in section 4.6 of the report.

Councillor A Dale introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, informing Members of the Early Years settlement of the Dedicated Schools Grant and the related decisions of the Schools Forum, as well as to seek approval for the Early Years funding formula for 2022-23.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Note the national early years funding rates for 2022-23;

2)    Note the additional £24 per pupil to be paid to school-based early years providers in 2022-23;

3)    Approve the changes to the Early Years Single Funding Formula allocations for 2022-23 as set out in section 4.2 of the report; and

4)    Note the central early years budgets approved by the Schools Forum.

Councillor N Hoy introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, seeking approval to set Homecare fees for the 2022/23 year.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Make an inflationary increase of 6.0% for independent sector home care provision from 1 April 2022;

2)    Increase travel/visit rates by an average of 6.0% from 1 April 2022;

3)    Increase the fee rate for in-house home care and extra care provision from 1 April 2022 by 6.0%; and

4)    Make an inflationary increase of up to 6.0% for specialist home care placements where evidence is provided of inflationary pressures.

Councillor N Hoy introduced a report, which had bene circulated in advance of the meeting, seeking approval of Care Home and Day Care fees for 2022/23.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Increase the rate paid to independent sector residential care homes for the financial year 2022-23 by 6.1% per week;

2)    Increase the rate paid to independent sector nursing homes for the financial year 2022-23  by 6.1% per week;

3)    Make an inflationary payment of up to 6.1% for specialist care home placements where evidence is provided of inflationary pressures;

4)    Approve an updated fee rate of £45.38 per day (from £42.78 per day) for a day care placement in a care home;

5)    Increase the rates for in-house day care and residential care by 6.1%;

6)    Approve an updated dementia rate of £50.75 per week (from £47.81); and

7)    Approve an inflationary payment of up to 3% for well-performing block contracts in specific circumstances.

Councillor N Hoy introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, seeking approval to undertake a public consultation, including consultation with the current Learning Disability day service users, on two options concerning the future delivery of day opportunities for people with a learning disability and/or who are autistic.

RESOLVED to:

1)   Approve the programme of formal public consultation for a period of 12 weeks on the two options concerning the future of Day Opportunities for people with a learning disability and / or who are autistic; and

2)    Request a further report following the conclusion of the consultation process, including a full Equality Impact Analysis and Staffing Report.

Councillor N Hoy introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, to seek agreement to undertake a 12-week consultation on the future provision of the Derbyshire County Council funded Older People’s Independent Living Services and Falls Recovery Service.

Councillor Hoy pointed out an error in the report that referred to a 10 week period of consultation. This should have read “12 weeks” as per the recommendations.

RESOLVED to:

1)    Approve a programme of formal consultation for a 12-week period on the future provision of the Derbyshire County Council funded Older People’s Independent Living Services and Falls Recovery Service;

2)    Notes and supports the system-wide review of the Falls Recovery Service; and

3)    Request a further report following the conclusion of the consultation process, including a full Equality Impact Analysis.

To move “That under Regulation 4 (2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England)  Regulations 2012, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that in view of the nature of the items of business, that if members of the public were present, exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 would be disclosed to them.”

RESOLVED:

That under Regulation 4(2)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that in view of the nature of the items of business, that if members of the public were present, exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 would be disclosed to them.

RESOLVED:

To approve, as a correct record, the exempt minutes of the meeting held on 10 February 2022.

Councillor C Hart introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, proposing the approval of a Sexual Health Service for Derbyshire within a section 75 agreement.

RESOLVED:

To approve the recommendations in the not for publication report.

Councillor C Renwick introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, informing Cabinet of an urgent decision taken by the Executive Director for Place in connection with the Highways draining contract.

RESOLVED:

To note the information in the not for publication report.

Councillor K Athwal introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, informing Cabinet of an urgent decision taken by the Executive Director for Place in connection the waste disposal contract.

RESOLVED:

To note the information in the not for publication report.

Councillor C Renwick introduced a not for publication report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, updating Members on the current and anticipated programme of regeneration projects as well as seeking approval for critical requirements on three projects.

RESOLVED:

To approve the recommendations in the not for publication report.