Decisions

A public procurement process to secure a single delivery partner to develop out the Horsham Enterprise Park scheme was authorised by the County Council Cabinet (Key Decision report CAB13 19/20).

 

The purpose of this report is to seek approval to award the contract for a single delivery partner to develop the Horsham Enterprise Park. The procurement procedure was conducted under the Concessions Contracts Regulations 2016 and commenced 3 July 2020 (OJEU Contract Notice 2020/S 129-317995). Muse Developments Limited has been selected as the most economically advantageous tenderer capable of delivering the project.

 

 

The Executive Director for Place Services has agreed that the award for the Horsham Enterprise Park delivery partner contract be made to Muse Developments Limited.

The County Council has a statutory duty to provide a range of services to assist parents and carers of children and young people with disabilities and complex needs in ensuring appropriate and effective provision for the child or young person in their care. Where these needs impact significantly on daily life, it can be necessary to commission specialist support and care provision.  These services are currently commissioned through the Supported Living and Family Support Services Framework (SLFSSF), which ends on 31st July 2021.

 

In order to ensure the continuation of services on conclusion of the existing Framework this report seeks approval to commence a procurement for the provision of Family and Community Support Services for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

 

This will be achieved through the establishment of a new Framework Agreement for Family and Community Support (FACS) for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. The projected maximum cost of the Framework over its maximum length (8 years) is £4.3 million (based on the current spend with an estimated annual uplift of 2%).

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People has approved:-

 

(1)The commencement of a procurement for a Framework Agreement for Family and Community Support for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities for a duration of 4 years commencing in September 2021 with the option to extend for a further 4 years.

(2)The transfer of any current contracted business commissioned through the Supported Living and Family Support Services Framework for children and young people to the new Framework.

(3)The delegation of authority to the Executive Director Children, Young People and Learning to implement the Framework Agreement for the initial 4 year period and further extension periods as necessary.

The County Council’s Early Help service is part of its Children, Young People and Learning Directorate.  It identifies and works with children and families in need of support, to help to promote the safe and healthy development of children and young people within stable families, and prevent social care intervention in the future. 

 

Proposals for a redesign of the service are being prepared, with the intention of creating an improved, targeted early help offer directed to those most at need, while continuing to provide the existing statutory functions of the service.  The overall objectives will be to create a service model that is more focused on supporting the needs of the most vulnerable children and families, for the Early Help service to be enabled to work more closely with the Children’s Social Care service and its other delivery partners, and the strengthening of work with schools. 

 

The proposed changes would mean service delivery being focused in areas of greatest need, and a review of the network of service outlets around the county will ensure that resources are deployed with the greatest efficiency and maximum benefit to vulnerable children and families.

 

Cabinet will be asked to agree the launch of a public consultation on the proposed changes to the Early Help service.  This will enable all customers and stakeholders of the service, together with local communities to study and comment on the detailed proposals before any final decision on the future service is taken.

Following consideration of the report, Cabinet resolved to:

 

Approve the plans for consultation from early March 2021 on the proposals for the Early Help service, the outcome of which will return to Cabinet in July 2021 for further consideration of the proposals for the service.

 

The call-in deadline is 4 March 2021.

The Budget report details the County Council’s revenue budget, the level of council tax proposed for 2021/22, the nature of its expenditure, income and savings for a balanced budget.  It will also outline the County Council’s Capital Programme to cover the period 2021/22 to 2025/26 which will update the programme previously agreed by County Council.

 

Cabinet will be asked to endorse the Revenue Budget and Capital Programme for approval at County Council on 12 February 2021.

 

80.1     The Cabinet Member for Finance moved the report on the Revenue Budget 2021/22, Capital Programme 2021/22 to 2025/26 and Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2021/22 (budget pack pages 1 to 176).

 

80.1     An amendment was moved by Cllr Walshand seconded by Cllr Lord as set out below.

 

Proposed changes to the Revenue Budget

 

Growth

 

Ongoing changes to the revenue budget	2021/22	2022/23
Transitional Funding to enable the Children and Family Centres, Youth and Find It Out centres to remain open to support families and young people coming out of the pandemic	0.550	0.400
Transitional Funding to enable the Shaw day services to remain open for current users post pandemic until such time as satisfactory alternative provision has been put in place for the service users	0.375	0.000
Resource 2 additional posts within the highways team to facilitate work in more walking and cycling within communities, one post in the cycling team and the other in the Rights of Way team	0.080	0.000
Formally ring-fence the £300k in the highways budget allocated to Rights of Way maintenance and supplement this sum with a further £100k	0.100	0.000
Funding to deliver additional mental health support provision for children and young people by funding an additional mental health support team for two academic years and increasing the number of emotional literacy support assistants to ensure there is one in every school	0.429	-0.034
Total	1.534	0.366

 

Reduction

 

Ongoing changes to the revenue budget	2021/22	2022/23
Increased discretionary fees and charges by 3%	0.600	0.000
40% reduction to the Communications budget spread over two years	0.300	0.200
Intelligence & Performance (6% reduction to budget)	0.080	0.000
HR & Organisational change (3% reduction to budget spread over two years)	0.080	0.080
Policy Team (21% reduction to budget)	0.060	0.000
Executive PAs (24% reduction spread over two years)	0.100	0.050
Finance (3% reduction to budget)	0.160	0.000
Customer experience (8% reduction to budget spread over two years)	0.080	0.040
Apply a 25% reduction to the Special Responsibility allowances for members	0.088	0.000
Total	1.548	0.370
Budget Surplus	0.014	0.004

 

80.1     The amendment was put to a recorded vote under Standing Order 3.36.

 

(a)         For the amendment – 13

 

Cllr Buckland, Cllr N Dennis, Cllr M Jones, Cllr Lord, Cllr Millson, Cllr O’Kelly, Cllr Oppler, Cllr Oxlade, Cllr Purchese, Cllr Quinn, Cllr Smytherman, Cllr Sudan and Cllr Walsh.

 

(b)         Against the amendment - 45

 

Cllr Acraman, Cllr Atkins, Cllr Baldwin, Cllr Barling, Cllr Barrett-Miles, Cllr Bennett, Cllr Boram, Cllr Bradbury, Cllr Bradford, Cllr Burgess, Cllr Burrett, Cllr Catchpole, Cllr Cloake, Cllr Crow, Cllr J Dennis, Cllr Duncton, Cllr Edwards, Cllr Elkins, Cllr Hall, Cllr High, Cllr Hillier, Cllr Hunt, Cllr A Jones, Cllr A Jupp, Cllr N Jupp, Cllr Kennard, Cllr Kitchen, Cllr Lanzer, Cllr Markwell, Cllr Marshall, Cllr McDonald, Cllr Mitchell, Cllr Montyn, Cllr R Oakley, Cllr S Oakley, Cllr Patel, Cllr Pendleton, Cllr Purnell, Cllr Russell, Cllr Sparkes, Cllr Turner, Cllr Urquhart, Cllr Waight, Cllr Whittington and Cllr Wickremaratchi.

 

(c)         Abstentions – 4

 

Cllr Arculus, Cllr Brunsdon, Cllr Lea and Cllr Magill.

 

80.2     The amendment was lost.

 

80.3     An amendment was moved by Cllr M Jones and seconded by Cllr Oxlade as set out below.

 

Revenue - Changes to Revenue Budget

 

Growth

 

Growth:	2021/22 £m	2022/23 £m	2023/24 £m
Reverse the proposed closures of children and family centres, youth and find it out centres	0.550	0.400	0.000
Reverse the Public Health Grant savings	0.370	0.088	0.000
Reverse the CIF grant budget cut and officer resource	0.175	0.000	0.000
Reverse proposed increased top slice of the Early Years DSG	0.225	0.225	0.000
Total Growth	1.320	0.713	0.000

 

Reduction

 

Reduction:	2021/22 £m	2022/23 £m	2023/24 £m
Reduce the Special Responsibility Allowances payable to members who hold specific roles by 25%	0.088	ongoing	ongoing
50% reduction in the Communications budget	0.660	ongoing	ongoing
50% reduction in the Lieutenancy budget	0.031	ongoing	ongoing
50% reduction in the Policy budget	0.141	ongoing	ongoing
10% across the board senior management post reduction (Executive Directors/Directors/Heads of Service)	0.400	ongoing	ongoing
Reduction Support Services budget	0	0.193	ongoing
Revenue impact from not borrowing to fund the construction of the proposed Retail Park on the Broadbridge Heath depot site	0	0.150	-0.227
Savings on capital borrowing as a result of selling the Broadbridge Heath depot site and using the capital receipts to finance the capital programme	0	0.080	0.080
Revenue benefits from re-purposing some of the Chichester estate (Northleigh/the Grange) to deliver housing using permitted development rights	0.000	0.090	0.090
Savings on capital borrowing as a result of selling existing council assets and using capital receipts to finance the capital programme	0.000	0.200	0.120
Total Reduction	1.320	0.713	0.063
Total ongoing changes to the revenue budget	0.000	0.000	0.063

 

Capital:

 

Reduction in Capital Programme:	2021/22 £m	2022/23 £m	2023/24 £m
Cancellation of the proposed Broadbridge Heath Retail Park	0.740	7.500	7.605
Total	0.740	7.500	7.605

 

Estimated Changes to Capital Receipts	2021/22 £m	2022/23 £m	2023/24 £m
Sell of surplus assets	0.000	5.000	3.000
Capital receipts as a result of cancelling the development of the proposed retail park and the sale of the Broadbridge Heath depot site	4.000	0.000	0.000
Capital receipts as a result of re-purposing some of the Chichester estate (Northleigh/ the Grange) to deliver housing using permitted development rights	0.000	4.500	0.000
Total	4.000	9.500	3.000

 

80.4     The amendment was put to a recorded vote under Standing Order 3.36.

 

(a)         For the amendment – 15

 

Cllr Brunsdon, Cllr Buckland, Cllr N Dennis, Cllr M Jones, Cllr Lea, Cllr Lord, Cllr Millson, Cllr O’Kelly, Cllr Oppler, Cllr Oxlade, Cllr Purchese, Cllr Quinn, Cllr Smytherman, Cllr Sudan and Cllr Walsh.

 

(b)         Against the amendment – 46

 

Cllr Acraman, Cllr Atkins, Cllr Baldwin, Cllr Barling, Cllr Barrett-Miles, Cllr Bennett, Cllr Boram, Cllr Bradbury, Cllr Bradford, Cllr Burgess, Cllr Burrett, Cllr Catchpole, Cllr Cloake, Cllr Crow, Cllr J Dennis, Cllr Duncton, Cllr Edwards, Cllr Elkins, Cllr Hall, Cllr High, Cllr Hillier, Cllr Hunt, Cllr A Jones, Cllr A Jupp, Cllr N Jupp, Cllr Kennard, Cllr Kitchen, Cllr Lanzer, Cllr Magill, Cllr Markwell, Cllr Marshall, Cllr McDonald, Cllr Mitchell, Cllr Montyn, Cllr R Oakley, Cllr S Oakley, Cllr Patel, Cllr Pendleton, Cllr Purnell, Cllr Russell, Cllr Sparkes, Cllr Turner, Cllr Urquhart, Cllr Waight, Cllr Whittington and Cllr Wickremaratchi.

 

(c)         Abstentions – 1

 

Cllr Arculus.

 

80.5     The amendment was lost.

 

80.6     The recommendations were put to a recorded vote under Standing Order 3.36.

 

(a)         For the recommendations – 48

 

Cllr Acraman, Cllr Arculus, Cllr Atkins, Cllr Baldwin, Cllr Barling, Cllr Barrett-Miles, Cllr Bennett, Cllr Boram, Cllr Bradbury, Cllr Bradford, Cllr Burgess, Cllr Burrett, Cllr Catchpole, Cllr Cloake, Cllr Crow, Cllr J Dennis, Cllr Duncton, Cllr Edwards, Cllr Elkins, Cllr Hall, Cllr High, Cllr Hillier, Cllr Hunt, Cllr A Jones, Cllr A Jupp, Cllr N Jupp, Cllr Kennard, Cllr Kitchen, Cllr Lanzer, Cllr Lea, Cllr Magill, Cllr Markwell, Cllr Marshall, Cllr McDonald, Cllr Mitchell, Cllr Montyn, Cllr R Oakley, Cllr S Oakley, Cllr Patel, Cllr Pendleton, Cllr Purnell, Cllr Russell, Cllr Sparkes, Cllr Turner, Cllr Urquhart, Cllr Waight, Cllr Whittington and Cllr Wickremaratchi.

 

(b)         Against the recommendations – 10

 

Cllr Buckland, Cllr N Dennis, Cllr Lord, Cllr Millson, Cllr O’Kelly, Cllr Oppler, Cllr Purchese, Cllr Smytherman, Cllr Sudan and Cllr Walsh.

 

(c)         Abstentions – 4

 

Cllr Brunsdon, Cllr M Jones, Cllr Oxlade and Cllr Quinn.

 

80.1     The recommendations were carried.

 

80.2     Resolved –

 

That, taking account of the priorities contained in the West Sussex Reset Plan, the Medium Term Financial Strategy and the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement and noting the Director of Finance and Support Services’ assessment of the robustness of estimates and adequacy of reserves (Section 6), the following items be approved:

 

(1)        Net revenue expenditure in 2021/22 of £624.833m (as set out in paragraph 4.1 of the report and Appendix 1);

 

(2)        An increase in council tax in 2021/22 of 4.99% comprising 3.00% for Adults’ Social Care and 1.99% to support other General Fund services;

 

(3)        The following amounts be approved for the financial year 2021/22 in accordance with Section 42A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

 

(a)         That the council tax requirement for 2021/22 is £509.476m.

 

(b)         The council tax base for the year 2021/22 is the aggregate amount calculated of Band D equivalents by the billing authorities to which the County Council issues precepts totalling 337,276.40.

 

(c)         The amount of council tax being the council tax requirement at 3(a) above divided by the council tax base at 3(b) above, shall be £1,510.56 to the nearest penny for Band D.

 

(d)         The amount of council tax payable for dwellings listed in a particular valuation band, calculated in accordance with the proportion set out in Section 5(1) of the Act, shall be as follows:

 

Band	Amount	Band	Amount
A	£1,007.04	E	£1,846.24
B	£1,174.88	F	£2,181.92
C	£1,342.72	G	£2,517.60
D	£1,510.56	H	£3,021.12

 

(e)         That the district and borough councils be requested to make payments totalling £509.476m to West Sussex County Council of sums due under precepts calculated in proportion to their council tax Band D equivalents as set out in section 7 of the report.

 

(4)        The delegation to the Director of Finance and Support Services of authority to make changes to the report on net revenue expenditure or to the precepts required:

 

·        as a result of a change in the council tax base notified by the district and borough councils;

·        arising from updated information from the district and borough councils to the council tax collection funds and business rates forecast and collection funds; or

·        arising from any funding announcements from central government.

All such changes of funding (positive or negative) to be applied through the appropriate reserve.

 

(5)        The following further provisions:

 

(a)         The Capital Strategy for the period 2021/22 to 2025/26, as set out in Annex 2(a) to the report.

 

(b)         The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts Strategy as set out within the Capital Strategy, Annex 2(a), section 8 of the report.

 

(c)         The Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2021/22, as set out in Annex 2(b) to the report.

 

(d)         The Prudential Indicators, as set out in Annex 2(c) to the report.

In November 2020, Cabinet recommended the approval of the first draft of the new West Sussex Plan to County Council in December 2020. The Plan will reset the County Council’s priorities and outcomes for the year from April 2021. Cabinet will be asked to recommend the approval of the final version of the Plan to County Council in February 2021.

 

The Plan will build on the framework approved by the County Council in July 2020 which identified the main priorities around which the plan will be built and the principles which will drive its development. It will capture existing activities of the County Council and those delivered with its partners as well as identifying those ambitions and outcomes which will be new. It will map the timetable for delivering these activities and describe the measures on which to judge the County Council’s performance in achieving them.  It will show how the activities are to be funded and managed within budgetary requirements whilst striving to deliver outcomes that are ambitious, realistic and achievable, particularly within the context of continued uncertainty, challenges and pressures associated with the local and national impact of the global pandemic.

 

79.1     The Council considered the West Sussex County Council Reset Plan 2021/22 to 2024/25, in the light of a report by the Leader (pages 37 to 68).

 

79.2     Resolved –

 

That the WSCC Reset Plan (2021/22 to 2024/25), as set out at Appendix 1 to the report, be approved.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) has a contract with Essex Cares Limited (ECL) for the provision of Community Reablement Services. Reablement is the term to describe services, to support residents following a change in ability, most likely due to a medical condition or episode. A Community Reablement Service (CRS) is essential to prevent people requiring longer term support, enabling people to retain/regain independence and remain at home.

 

The Service was re-procured in 2017 for an initial term of 3+2 years. With the full two-year extension period now being utilised the contract will run until 30 November 2022.

 

An independent diagnostic assessment in summer/autumn 2019 asserted that increasing the capacity of the WSCC Reablement service could deliver marked benefits in terms of outcomes for residents and financial benefits.

 

The Executive Director Adults and Health has approved a modification to the current Community Reablement Service contract to increase the service capacity at a cost of £2.223m, effective from 1 April 2021 to 30 November 2022.

 

On 16 January 2021, the Government announced a specific support fund of £120m nationally to support workforce pressures within Adult Social Care.

 

The specified purpose of this funding is to enable local authorities to deliver measures to supplement and strengthen adult social care staff capacity to ensure that safe and continuous care is achieved across the market.

 

The West Sussex allocation of the Workforce Capacity Fund (WCF) is £1.652m.

 

The first instalment of the grant, 70% of the total allocation was received on 3rd February 2021. The second instalment will only be made if the authority has written to the Department by 12 February 2021 confirming their plan for spending the grant, including a breakdown of their expected activity and estimated costs. The second instalment is contingent on the Department being satisfied that the first instalment is being used in accordance with the conditions of the grant. The second instalment will be received in March 2021 and must be spent on activity that takes place between 16 January 2021 and 31 March 2021.

 

As with previous grants for infection control and lateral flow testing the Council is required to comply with a number of conditions set out in the grant circular distributed by the Government through associated guidance.

 

The Director of Law and Assurance in consultation with the Executive Director of Adults and Health and the Chairman of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee has approved that the £1.652m funding be distributed in line with the proposals set out in section 2 of this report and in line with Government guidance, subject to Government grant conditions and the providers’ acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Council’s grant agreement.

 

 

West Sussex County Council is required, under national funding regulations, to consult schools and the Schools Forum on proposed changes to funding arrangements affecting school budgets. The School Funding Review 2021/22 consultation document was published on 21st October 2020. Responses to the consultation and feedback from Schools Forum have been taken into account in the development of the local funding formula for mainstream schools in 2021/22.

 

To help alleviate pressures on the High Needs budget a proposal to transfer £2.5m of funding from the Schools block to the High Needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) was also included as part of the schools funding consultation. Under the funding regulations, any transfer between blocks is a decision that is taken by Schools Forum, although the County Council can seek to overturn this by applying to the Secretary of State for Education through a disapplication request. The Schools Forum declined to approve the proposed transfer and the County Council’s application to the Secretary of State was rejected and so no transfer to the High Needs block is included.

(1)The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills has agreed the proposals in relation to the local funding formula for mainstream schools as set out in section two of the report and specifically at paragraph 2.26 to:

Ø  Continue to protect the primary lump sum at a rate of £130,000, by continuing to scale back the primary unit values for Low Prior Attainment (LPA) from the National Funding Formula (NFF) primary unit value,

Ø  Continue to use 50% of the Sparsity funding that the County Council receives through the NFF to fund the payment of an additional transitional sparsity lump sum to those primary schools with less than 150 pupils.

Ø  Set the Minimum Funding Guarantee level at 2% to ensure that all mainstream schools benefit by this increase in their pupil-led funding.