Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence (if any)

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Athwal, M Foster, King, Ramsey and Siddle.

To receive declarations of interest (if any)

None received.

To consider public questions (if any)

Question from David Ingham to Councillor S Spencer, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Budget

“Further to my question being presented at Full Council this afternoon I’m now aware that despite action taken there’s still a projected overspend of £32.947m.  I can therefore understand why there’s  been a request for this Extraordinary meeting especially given my own attendance at other meetings and what I’ve heard myself.  Given my personal interest, I note in ASCH there’s still a projected overspend of £5.721m even after using earmarked reserves – overspend on purchased services being a significant factor.

I expect on the basis of reduced cost/easier transition back home that all DCC establishments and bed spaces are being fully utilised and are full if this can be confirmed, and if not why not and whether it’s now considered that action should have been taken much earlier to head off the overall financial situation as a whole the council is now revealing in parallel with some other authorities?”

Councillor Spencer advised Mr Ingham that as the question covered numerous portfolios of responsibility, a written answer would be forwarded.  The response was as follows:

“As with other areas of the Council, the spend pressures in Adult Social Care have been significantly impacted by inflation and increases in the cost of living. There has also been a continued growth in demand for Adult Social Care services and support, both in terms of the number of people requiring support and the level of support provided due to increased acuity.

Adult Social Care is responsible for supporting all local residents with eligible need as defined by the Care Act 2014. Whilst residential care home services play an important role for those that need them, the majority of both the long term and short-term support provided by the Council to the people of Derbyshire, whether directly or through an alternative provider, is to people living within their own homes and not within residential or nursing home settings.

Most local residents prefer the option of community support. This support ranges from homecare, extra care, supported living , direct payments and day care. 

Vacancies exist not only within in our homes (Derbyshire County Council) but also across the wider Private, Independent and Voluntary sector and it is important to note that local residents requiring 24 hour support and their families have choice about which establishment they want to live within.

Whilst the vast majority of the residential care home beds across the County, both directly operated and within the market, deliver long term care support rather than short term reablement, the Council does directly operate a number of Community Support Beds (80) which provide short term reablement and rehabilitation to support people to either leave hospital or avoid an admission into hospital. These beds operate efficiently with people being admitted and discharge daily and deliver positive outcomes with 78% of people returning to their own home.

In terms of the overall financial position of the Council, the Council has introduced expenditure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84/23

In pursuance of paragraph 3 of Schedule 12 to the Local Government Act 1972, Councillors J Dixon, D Greenhalgh, J Bryan, C Dale and R George have signed a requisition to the Chairman of the County Council to call an Extraordinary Meeting as follows:

“We, the undersigned members of Derbyshire County Council being five by number, hereby requisition an extraordinary meeting of the said council in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 12 Local Government Act 1972.

This is in light of the recent report to Cabinet (21 September 2023) Agenda Item 5. Performance Monitoring and Budget Monitoring/Forecast Outturn 2023-24 as at Quarter 1 that identified a potential £46 million overspend in this year’s budget and the urgent need to make urgent savings as a consequence. Given that there is less than 6 months in which to make these in year savings in order to mitigate this shortfall, and the unforeseen nature of this  predicted overspend, it is right that as a matter of urgency all elected members are informed in person of the Council’s finances, together with the implications for services of those in year savings, and have the opportunity to address this issue at a meeting of the Council.

The business proposed to be transacted at the extraordinary meeting shall be:

a)   For Council to receive a written report from the section 151 officer on the current budgetary position of the authority including the need for the authority to make £46 million of in-year savings and the measures planned to achieve those savings,

b)   To allow members to ask technical questions of the section 151 officers regarding the council’s finances arising out of his report to Council,

c)    For Council to receive an oral update from the Leader of the Council on the current budgetary position of the authority, including the need for the authority to make £46m of in-year savings together with details of the measures he plans to achieve those savings, and the likely impact of those measures on services,

d)   To allow members to ask questions of the Leader regarding the Council’s finances or arising out of his or the section 151 officer’s report to Council, and

e)   To allow Council to have the opportunity to make recommendations to the Cabinet to inform any decisions it may make to achieve the £46m in savings.

The Chairman reported that in pursuance of paragraph 3 of Schedule 12 to the Local Government Act 1972 Councillors J Dixon, D Greenhalgh, J Bryan, C Dale and R George had signed a requisition to the Chairman of the County Council to call an Extraordinary Meeting as follows:

“We, the undersigned members of Derbyshire County Council being five by number, hereby requisition an extraordinary meeting of the said Council in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 12 to the Local Government Act 1972.

This is in light of the recent report to Cabinet (21 September 2023) Agenda Item 5, Performance Monitoring and Budget Monitoring/Forecast Outturn 2023-24 as at Quarter 1 that identified a potential £46m overspend in this year’s budget and the urgent need to make urgent savings as a consequence. 

Given that there is less than 6 months in which to make these in-year savings in order to mitigate this shortfall, and the unforeseen nature of this predicted overspend, it is right that as a matter of urgency all elected members are informed in person of the Council’s finances, together with the implications for services of those in-year savings, and have the opportunity to address this issue at a meeting of the Council.”

The Chairman then advised that the order of business would be as follows:

1)  For Council to receive a written report from the section 151 officer on the current budgetary position of the Authority, including the need for the Authority to make £46m of in-year savings and the measures planned to achieve those savings;

2)  To allow members to ask technical questions of the section 151 officers regarding the Council’s finances arising out of his report to Council;

3)  For Council to receive an oral update from the Leader of the Council on the current budgetary position of the Authority, including the need for the Authority to make £46m of in-year savings, together with details of the measures he plans to achieve those savings and the likely impact of those measures on services;

4)  To allow members to ask questions of the Leader regarding the Council’s finances or arising out of his or the section 151 officer’s report to Council, and 

5)  To allow Council to have the opportunity to make recommendations to the Cabinet to inform any decisions it may make to achieve the £46m in savings.

The Director of Finance and ICT (Section 151 Officer) introduced a report, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, that detailed the current budgetary position of the Council for the financial year 2023/24 and which responded to the request for an extraordinary meeting of the Council.

After debate, Councillor Dixon proposed a motion, duly seconded in the following terms:

That Council notes the information reported to it today by the Leader and by the section 151 officer.

Council instructs the section 151 officer to bring similar update reports to every future full Council meeting until he is able to report to this Council that he is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 85/23