Agenda item

Report by the Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Support Services.

Each of the Scrutiny Committee Chairman will be invited to speak for up to three minutes to provide the views of their Committee on respective parts of the Quarter 2 Performance and Resources Report.

Each of the main Minority Group Leaders will be invited to speak for up to three minutes on the Quarter 2 Performance and Resources Report.

The Cabinet will then discuss the report.

Following consideration of the report the Cabinet resolved to:

1.   Note the information contained in the Quarter 2 Performance and Resources Report in Annex B,

2.   Agree the proposed updates to the Key Performance Indicator measures detailed in Annex C.

The call-in deadline is 15 December 2022.

20.1            Cabinet considered a report by the Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Support Services. The report was introduced by Cllr Jeremy Hunt, Cabinet Member for Finance and Property who outlined the Council’s position including financial risks such as inflation, cost of energy, goods and services, continued pressure in Adults and Children’s Services and the corporate challenge of recruiting and retaining staff. A reduction in Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) rated as red was noted.

20.2             Cllr Garry Wall, Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee noted the challenges in Adults Social Care with an ageing population with complex needs and the overarching financial situation. The Committee considered issues surrounding workforce challenges and the needs of staff in terms of support for their wellbeing. Extra financial support for the planned social care reforms would be welcome and the Committee noted the Local Government Finance Settlement was awaited. Changes to KPIs were supported by the Committee.

20.3            Cllr David Britton, Chairman of the Communities, Environment and Highways Scrutiny Committee welcomed the support for Ukrainian refugees in West Sussex, noted that the Household Support Fund will be extended until March 2023 and acknowledged the ongoing challenges with staff vacancy rates. The Committee awaited outcomes from Government on food waste collection schemes and welcomed the allocation of £17.4m from Government for the Bus Service Improvement Plan. The Committee noted that library footfall had not returned to pre-covid levels but were supportive of the work of the library service overall. At its meeting, the Committee requested further information on killed or seriously injured incidents (KPI 41).

20.4            Cllr Kevin Boram, Chairman of the Fire and Rescue Service Scrutiny Committee noted the effective operation of the Fire Service but that some KPIs have reduced, primarily due to hot weather and the deployment of resources to deal with this. The Committee noted the good progress in implementing the new policy on false fire alarms and they would continue to monitor the Community Risk Management Plan. The availability of retained firefighters continues to be a concern.

20.5            Cllr Pieter Montyn, Chairman of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee outlined that the Committee recognised the fast-moving national picture which has introduced uncertainty at all levels and the fact that the Local Government Finance Settlement is awaited. The Committee requested an update on the national context in relation to inflation and interest rates in the next Quarter Report. Whilst the Committee recognised the healthy level of reserves, the Dedicated Schools Grant deficit is of concern as is the risk level of the recruitment and retention of staff. Members requested further information on sickness absence and associated costs to the council.

20.6            The following points were made by Cabinet Members in discussion:

Ø  Cllr Steve Waight, Cabinet Member for Support Services and Economic Development noted the difficulty with recruitment and retention and the increased resources to help with this, and the increased risk of cyber threats and said action is being taken to manage them.

Ø  Cllr Bob Lanzer, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing outlined the system wide priorities, the importance of the establishment of the Integrated Care System, offers of vaccination and potential risk of flu. There had been an encouraging response to the Stoptober campaign with an increase of 135% in website hits.

Ø  Cllr Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults Services highlighted the financial risks in the portfolio and the cost of agency social workers. A recruitment campaign had been successful however with 12 new social workers from abroad now in post and a further campaign for care workers is about to commence. Hospital discharge to assess has been a challenge and the care market remains fragile with limited availability of placements.

Ø  Cllr Duncan Crow, Cabinet Member for Community Support, Fire and Rescue advised the Homes for Ukraine campaign would continue to be supported and the community hub remains available for residents requiring help during the cost of living challenges. Equally, the Household Support Fund has been extended. Improvement work in the Fire and Rescue service continued well with still more to do on people and culture. KPIs should see an improvement in the next Quarter.

Ø  Cllr Deborah Urquhart, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change highlighted the success of recycling hard plastics which would otherwise be found in landfill. She recognised the volatility of the global market and inflation of energy costs, however these had been offset currently by income from solar farms.

Ø  Cllr Nigel Jupp, Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills considered the DSG deficit and the increasing number of pupils requiring Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs). The Council has agreed a Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) strategy and it is hoped additional spaces for SEND pupils will be provided at schools, Special Support Centres and other facilities. Over 90% of schools in West Sussex were now rated as Ofsted good or outstanding which is a positive movement.

Ø  Cllr Jacquie Russell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People advised the final Ofsted Monitoring Visit had taken place in September, and a date is awaited for the next full inspection. The leadership team remains focussed on service improvement. Placements and recruitment and retention of staff were significant pressures, however 36 social workers from overseas are due to start in January 2023.

20.7            Cllr Hunt thanked colleagues for their comments and that more detail would be brought forward following the Local Government Finance Settlement, expected in December. In the meantime the situation would continue to be monitored.

20.8            Resolved – that Cabinet:

1.   Note the information contained in the Quarter 2 Performance and Resources Report in Annex B,

2.   Agree the proposed updates to the Key Performance Indicator measures detailed in Annex C.