Decisions

Key decision report AS02 21/22  sets out the plans over winter 21/22 for the council to commission services to support hospital discharge and additional pressures in health and social care, commencing with an initial term up to 31 March 22 (along with key decision for approval to award contracts in the report: OKD27 (21/22). Initiatives included a mixture of care to be provided within a person’s own home as well as short stay beds within residential and nursing care settings. Subsequently in March 2022 the report OKD61(21/22) was published confirming plans to extend the majority of these arrangements until 30 June 2022.

Since the last report, the Integrated Care System (ICS) partners have been working together to develop a plan for hospital discharge arrangements.  In the interim partners have identified funding for the second quarter of the financial year 22/23 and a transition plan to support the delivery of services whilst the longer term arrangements are developed.  In order to support this transition plan, the proposal is to extend home first care services and commission additional provision where available whilst the council’s commissioned block provision for seasonal pressures in residential services scales down and comes to an end for the current time. 

The Director of Adults and Health has approved;

(1)   the extension of 11 home first contracts from 1 July 2022 until 31 March 2023 in line with the terms within the contract  (or a shorter period as funding is committed and allows) for a maximum projected cumulative cost of circa £740k;

(2)   the procurement of additional home first care contracts where available, from 1 July 2022 until 31 March 2023 (or a shorter period as funding is committed and allows) for a maximum projected cost of £2.2m;

(3)   the variation of core hospital discharge care contracts in Southern and Western areas from 1 July 2022 until 31 March 2023 to extend the hours delivered under the block (or a shorter period as funding is committed and allows) for a maximum projected cost of £205k; and

(4)   the extension of residential beds block contracts where extension is an option under the contract terms and conditions until 31 March 2023 whilst scaling down to zero the number of beds, keeping the contract live as a contingency measure. Maximum cost if all beds were used throughout the period of £1.3m.

The proposed Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) Amendments are prepared as part of the Western Gateway and Station Improvements scheme being delivered as part of the Burgess Hill Place and Connectivity Programme (PCP), which comprises a major element of the wider Burgess Hill Growth Programme.  The Western Gateway and Stations Detailed Design were completed in November 2021 with the subsequent tender of a delivery contractor approved in January 2022.

The scheme requires amends to existing TROs on Station Road, Queens Crescent (Burgess Hill Town Centre) and Leylands Road, Gladstone Road (Wivelsfield Station) to ensure delivery of the planned pedestrian and cycle improvements.

The scheme proposals have been the subject of public engagement and ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders through the Burgess Hill Growth Board and the Burgess Hill Member Steering Group.  Local Members were notified of the proposed TRO in 2021 and formal consultation was held in February 2022.

During the formal consultation stage, a total of 24 objections (14 regarding Burgess Hill Station elements, 5 regarding Wivelsfield Station elements and 5 regarding both locations together) and one individual letter of support were received.

The Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, having considered the overall balance of on-street parking provision and the resulting benefits to the community of the wider Burgess Hill Place and Connectivity project outweigh the objections raised, has authorised the Director of Law & Assurance to make the Order as advertised with a minor revision to the proposals for Leylands Road (as set out in section 2 of the report).

Outside bodies are external organisations, including formal or informal partnerships to which the County Council is a party and to which the Council expects to make appointments or which have requested that the County Council appoint an elected member or a representative to them.

The Leader has agreed the appointment of Cllr James Walsh as the second West Sussex County Council representative on the Sussex Police and Crime Panel for a term of 1 year.

The County Council has a statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for all children who need a place.

There is a need to reduce the number of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) moving from maintained schools and academies into costly education provision in the Independent and Non-Maintained Special School sector, often at schools not situated in West Sussex.  Increasing provision for children and young people with SEND through the creation of additional places in County Council Special Schools will assist with the aim of enabling children to attend school locally.

St Anthony’s in Chichester caters for a wide range of Special Educational Needs, for children aged between 4 and 16. Following a review of current numbers on roll, projected needs and the existing accommodation the need to expand the school has been identified, to enable 12 additional young people to be accommodated in temporary accommodation in September 2022 whilst opportunities for further permanent expansion are explored further.

This report proposes an increase in accommodation at the school in order to provide sufficient capacity for these additional 12 places, including all associated fees, ICT and furniture and equipment. The report also seeks approval to award the contract for the project to be delivered, due to the time constraints involved and the need to meet the deadline for places to be available for September 2022.

The Leader, on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills, has approved:

(1)The procurement process for the design and hire of two additional classrooms with ancillary accommodation for two years to enable an increase of 12 additional places at St Anthony’s School in Chichester;

(2)The submission of a planning application for full planning permission and statutory consents;

(3)The award of the contract for the construction and hire of a double modular classroom with ancillary accommodation for a two-year period to Portakabin in the sum of £515,089, inclusive of £98,335 for contingencies and risk items, to be funded from the High Needs Block.

93.1     The Council approved appointments as set out below.