Cabinet

Cabinet Members’ Reports

The following reports from Cabinet Members cover the period from 22nd July 2011.

Leader - Ms Louise Goldsmith

1 The Leader gave a welcome speech to the Dementia Showcase Event on 15th September hosted by Community NHS Trust. The aim of the event was to provide social care and health professionals with new and different ways of supporting people with dementia and hearing about good practice. It was an opportunity for the Leader to talk about the work which the County Council has been involved in and to explain more about Age with Confidence. This is the title for the integrated approach that it is hoped will be used by all partners in the county: to help people plan for and experience old age with dignity and respect, to be able to continue to make a positive contribution and to remain healthy and independent for as long as possible.

2 The Leader has obtained support from the Select Committee Chairmen for Adults’ Services and Children and Young People’s Services for the appointment of lead members from each Select Committee to act as Safeguarding Guardians. The purpose of the role is to act as a member champion, to build stronger, visible links between the members of the Council and all County Council staff and facilitate a more informed focus on safeguarding through the Select Committees’ work. Further details on the role and expectations will be considered by each of the two Select Committees to enable them to make appointments at their formal meetings in November 2011. The appointments will also be communicated to all members via the Members’ Information Service at that point.

3 The Leader attended a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference as a representative of the Local Government Association and the County Councils Network Health and Wellbeing group. The event explored the future of social care services in and was hosted by the Chairman of the national All-Party Group on Ageing and Older People. The debate was an opportunity for the Leader, alongside other local authority councillors, to contribute to Whitehall thinking around the local responses needed to the Dilnot Commission’s findings and recommendations. There was a particular focus on the implications of an ageing population, which is a key issue for .

Deputy Leader and portfolio for Communities, Environment and Enterprise - Mr Lionel Barnard

4 The Deputy Leader attended an event, organised by Active Sussex, to announce the opening of nominations for the Sussex Sports Awards 2011 at the new Amex Stadium in Brighton on 2nd September. Fifteen awards covering all aspects of sport in Sussex were announced including University of Young Sports Personality of the Year, Sussex FA Volunteer of the Year and the BBC Sussex Unsung Hero Award. The Sussex Sports

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Awards highlight some of the county’s most deserving athletes, coaches and volunteers. A number of the Sussex 2012 Olympic hopefuls attended the event together with businesses, local authorities and past winners to celebrate the opening of nominations. One of the aims of the launch was for athletes to meet local businesses so they can support their efforts and help them to fulfil their ambitions for the London 2012 Olympics.

5 The County Council will be monitoring the progress of two pilot schemes in the New Forest and Peak District National Parks as part of the Government’s review of governance arrangements for National Parks. The Government is looking for ways to improve governance arrangements by increasing local accountability. One of the proposals is for members to be directly elected to National Park Authorities (NPAs) and the pilots will provide two different contexts on which to assess the impact of directly-elected members. In addition, the Government aims to permit variety between NPAs that would allow governance to better reflect their individual characteristics in line with the coalition Government’s commitment to localism.

6 The Deputy Leader attended the re-opening of Horsham Library on 3rd October. The library was closed for three weeks for the installation of self-service terminals that allow customers to borrow and return their books themselves. The new service, already in place at Crawley and , also allows better management of the books and a more flexible use of staff. Staff took the opportunity to improve the general layout and signage in the library to provide a better service for customers. Self-service terminals will also be put into Chichester, Haywards Heath, Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor libraries.

Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services - Mr Peter Catchpole

7 The Cabinet Member welcomes a new website, www.westsussexwellbeing. org.uk, which contains countywide and local information on topics such as being active, staying healthy and social support to help people remain independent and well in their own homes. There is a directory of local services, details of local events and advice for people, with seven sections of the website dedicated to the district and borough areas. In addition, people can telephone a local number to speak to a member of their local Wellbeing Service to get information and advice over the phone or arrange to meet an adviser. The website builds on the success of the wellbeing services already in place in Crawley, Chichester and Arun and launches new services in Mid Sussex, Horsham, Worthing and Adur. These new wellbeing hubs, websites and services are the result of extensive partnership working between the County Council, borough and district councils and NHS Sussex.

8 The Cabinet Member was pleased to support National Community Meals Week, which takes place between 3rd and 9th October. West Sussex is one of the few local authorities to continue providing a Meals on Wheels Service which, as well as providing nutritionally balanced meals, also checks on those who use the service to ensure they are safe and well. This can provide vital reassurance for friends and relatives. An open day on 6th October in Chichester provided an opportunity to taste the range of 152 County Council Report 14th October 2011 Cabinet

meals offered. There were also a number of displays, advice on specific dietary requirements, and details on how to become a volunteer. Meals on Wheels in West Sussex is run by the WRVS and includes over 900 volunteers. To apply for Meals on Wheels, people can contact the service directly and contact information can be found on the County Council’s website.

9 The Cabinet Member has approved the start of procurement for a countywide Carers Support Service. A carer spends a significant proportion of their life providing unpaid support to a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems. West Sussex has in the region of 74,000 carers and it is estimated that the cost of replicating their work across West Sussex is £950m per annum. Services to support carers can take many forms and are provided both directly and indirectly. For example providing information, advice, emotional support, sitting services, carers’ one-off direct payments or indirect support as part of a package of care. The procurement will focus on the development of preventative direct access, where carers can refer themselves for health and wellbeing support, and is separate from services purchased by a social worker following an assessment of need. These are universal services, available to all residents of West Sussex who need them.

10 The Cabinet Member has welcomed the start of new contracts for day activities in the Pulborough/Chanctonbury and Shoreham/Lancing areas which began on 1st September. The contracts were let to Age Concern (Horsham) and Age UK (West Sussex) respectively and, in the period since they began, there has been a lot of activity to understand local needs, liaise with local voluntary and community organisations and to plan and start some of the new services. In both cases it is intended to offer services at a number of locations rather than all at one venue, reflecting the new model for the provision of day activities. In the Rother Valley area a community association has formed (Rother Valley Voluntary Community Care Association) to co-ordinate and commission community-based day activities for the area. Age UK (West Sussex) were successful in their bid to work as the delivery partner of ‘Rother Valley Together’ and the new services will start on 1st November.

Cabinet Member for Children and Families (Lead Member for Children’s Services) - Mr Peter Evans

11 The Cabinet Member has welcomed the results of an unannounced Ofsted Inspection into the contact, referral and assessment arrangements of Children’s Services. The inspection report shows that good progress has been made since the last full inspection in 2010. The report has used terms such as ‘significant improvements’, ‘effective communication and collaboration’, and said ‘child protection policies and procedures are up to date and used appropriately to provide clarity in safeguarding work’. They have also stated that the establishment of the Children’s Access Point is improving ‘the consistency of contacts and referrals to children’s social care and the responsiveness of services to vulnerable children and young people’. The Cabinet Member is aware that there can never be any room for complacency and there are areas for development listed in the report, and County Council Report 153 14th October 2011 Cabinet

these will be addressed with our partner agencies. The aim now is to ensure continued improvement through to the next full inspection and beyond. The Cabinet Member is grateful to all members for their continued support and encouragement as ‘Corporate Parents’.

12 Following a public consultation, the Cabinet Member will soon make a decision about the Future Delivery of Youth Services in West Sussex. The changes to the Youth Support & Development Services continue the work already underway to focus resources on targeted services for the most vulnerable young people. This includes those at risk of offending or re- offending and those not in education, employment or training. They are set against a background of changes to the law where responsibility for giving careers advice and guidance changes from the County Council to schools and colleges. A review of youth services has so far saved £2m. Now a further £2m must be saved over the next three years, as part of the County Council’s commitment to reduce spending by £79m. The current consultation, which closes on 14th October, invites comments on a number of issues including the proposal to maintain County Council-run youth centres only in those communities that are identified as being in greatest need. The Cabinet Member hopes to encourage communities, other organisations and young people themselves to get involved with youth projects.

13 On 23rd September, the Cabinet Member and the Leader visited, the Children’s Access Point (CAP) in Horsham. Tim Loughton MP was also in attendance. The CAP opened for business as planned on 25th July and allows anyone with concerns about a child’s welfare to contact a single countywide phone number (01403 229900). Members will recall this was one of the key proposals for delivering lasting improvement in Children’s Services. So far all the indications around the CAP have been very positive with the Ofsted Inspection signalling it out as a particular strength.

14 The Cabinet Member and the Cabinet Member for Education and Schools are pleased to welcome the recently published annual report from the Director of Public Health which has been sent to all members. The report makes recommendations to the County Council for action within the Child Poverty Framework. Tackling child poverty is a key strand of the ‘Think Family’ approach developed by the West Sussex Co-operative and the Children’s Trust and set out in the Children and Young People’s Plan. The Framework requires the County Council and its partners to look at areas including how many children in West Sussex are living in poverty, risk factors and drivers for child poverty and its impact. The Cabinet Member will be preparing a response to the detailed recommendations for action to be taken to tackle the complex and inter-related problems associated with child poverty and to reduce the numbers of children living in poverty and mitigate the impact poverty has on children in West Sussex.

15 The Cabinet Member led the Corporate Parenting Seminar which took place on 23rd September. This was the third in a series of seminars intended to inform and further engage members in their role as Corporate Parents. On this occasion the Senior Management Group (SMG) were also invited to widen the corporate parenting commitment. This particular session comprised a drama workshop by West Sussex Youth Theatre who played out 154 County Council Report 14th October 2011 Cabinet

the experiences of children looked after by the County Council and how it is different compared to children who live with their own families. The actors had prepared by interviewing West Sussex children so, although anonymised, the story line was based on real experiences. As a result of the seminar individual members and SMG were asked to consider what particular actions they could take to improve the circumstances of these children and young people. The Cabinet Member encourages any member who was unable to attend to contact the Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Panel for a discussion as to how they can also assist.

Cabinet Member for Education and Schools - Mr Peter Griffiths

16 The Cabinet Member reports that the 2011/12 Capital Maintenance Programme for Schools is well underway. The programme made available £8.5m for urgent maintenance works to community and controlled schools and a list of works was recommended by a panel of headteachers and officers and approved by members. The list focuses on work required to prevent the risk of closure to part or all of a school such as roofing, heating systems including boiler replacements, cladding and windows. All schools have been advised of the projects to be undertaken this financial year and projects with the potential to disrupt the working of schools have been programmed to take place during the school holidays whenever possible. Over £5m of the capital maintenance budget has now been spent or committed with the balance to be spent during the autumn term. The programme includes some 40 projects with over 25 tenders having been let.

17 The Cabinet Member is pleased to report on the progress of conversion of West Sussex schools to academy status. The number of academies has increased by three since 11th August, with all of them completed on schedule. The county now has seven secondary academies and three primary academies. Two further schools are in the process of conversion: The Regis School, Bognor Regis, sponsored by the United Learning Trust, and Heyworth Primary, Haywards Heath, sponsored by the Warden Park Academy Trust. Both schools have an expected date of conversion of 1st January 2012. West Sussex already has one parent/community-led school - Bolnore Primary - and a Free School - the Discovery Free School in Crawley - which opened on 1st September. A submission for a further free school in Chichester is currently being considered by the Department for Education.

18 The Cabinet Member notes that, with the imminent publication of the National Music Plan for Education, there is an exciting opportunity to build on the outstanding rating and reputation of West Sussex Music Services and to deliver a service in partnership with others that meets the County Council’s policy objectives and ensures the availability of quality music education for all. It is expected that the Plan will recommend the establishment of ‘Music Education Hubs’ in broadly local authority areas. Consultation is ongoing with a range of private sector organisations and public sector bodies including other local authorities, schools, pupils and parents on the potential operating model more suited to meet the future needs of the hubs. Once the Plan is published, a proposal and a bid for funding the hubs will be made.

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Assuming a successful outcome the County Council seeks to have the hubs live by 2012/13.

19 Elective Home Education (EHE) is the term used to describe parents’ decisions to provide education for their children at home instead of sending them to school. The County Council monitors EHE provision and offers a limited range of support services. The County Council has received enquiries from a number of parents who are home educating their children regarding the availability of funding for 14- to 16-year-olds to attend courses at Colleges of Further Education. The Cabinet Member and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources have recently agreed to the payment of Further Education fees for the forthcoming academic year for such pupils subject to clear criteria. They have also agreed to make plans for budgetary provision within the Dedicated Schools Grant for such expenditure in subsequent years up to the limits of the budget made available by the Department for Education. The decision was taken with some urgency so that the pupils could enrol on courses at the start of this academic year.

Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources - Mr Michael Brown

20 On 13th September the Cabinet Member, Leader and MPs for Chichester and Worthing West met the Local Government Minister to discuss the fact that for nine consecutive years West Sussex has had the worst possible central government grant settlement. The Coalition Government has just launched a resource review to examine the system of local government grant support. The review consultation document proposes that local authorities keep the business rates in their areas up to the level of their current grant funding, but benefit from any growth in business rate proceeds. The effect of this would be to freeze government grant at its present very low level. If that were to be the basis upon which West Sussex were to enter the new rate retention regime, council taxpayers would be disadvantaged for perhaps a generation. The Minister agreed to analyse the differences between the current grant settlement to West Sussex and similar neighbouring counties and consider alternatives for making technical changes to the settlement calculations to redress the balance of previous ministerial decisions in order to provide a more equitable and fair deal for West Sussex.

21 The Cabinet Member would like to assure the County Council that treasury management and lending strategies are under constant scrutiny due to the recent volatility in financial markets, the lack of progress in resolving the sovereign debt problems of peripheral Euro-zone countries and the fear of debt contagion across the Euro-zone as a whole. Having reviewed all credit indicators in conjunction with its treasury advisors, the County Council has prudently decided to shorten the maturity periods for all new investments with UK and European Banks. Daily cash flow requirements are maintained through the use of AAA credit-rated sterling liquidity money market funds.

22 The Cabinet Member reports that the County Council continues to receive quarterly repayments arising from the ongoing administration of Heritable Bank. Against an original £12.9m investment on the date Heritable entered administration, repayments totalling £7.8m have to-date been received, 156 County Council Report 14th October 2011 Cabinet

representing 60% of the total claim. Based on current progress and predicted future performance, the administrators (Ernst & Young) have recently announced an increase in the total expected return to the County Council of between 86 to 90 pence in the pound; the next repayment is due in October 2011.

23 The Cabinet Member is pleased to report that the County Council’s outsourcing plans are progressing well. The IT contract with Capita, which commenced in November 2010, has performed well over the past year with savings of £1.1m per annum achieved and a noticeable improvement in service performance. Capita has also now been awarded the contract for the remaining in-house IT services (application management and IT project management), which will commence in November 2011 and produce a further saving of £1.2m per annum. The IT contract with Capita is for a period of seven years with an option to extend for a further three years if appropriate. An additional 65 staff will transfer to Capita in November 2011, which brings the combined total of transfers under the contract to 127 staff. The procurement to outsource a number of the County Council’s support services is also progressing well and is on plan to see the preferred bidder selected in June 2012 and services transferring in November 2012. The savings achieved from IT outsourcing combined with the support services outsourcing will deliver the overall target of £5.8m.

Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport - Mr Pieter Montyn

24 The Cabinet Member is continuing the initiative by the Deputy Leader to strengthen the relationship between the authority and local businesses to boost the county’s economy. The Cabinet Member has visited two business parks recently, the Manor Royal Business Park, Crawley and the Lancing Business Park, to be informed directly about their concerns in relation to highway matters. Businesses located in business parks require highways that are ‘fit for purpose’ as their logistics chains are highly dependent on an efficient road network. Business parks are keen to ensure that their highway needs receive proper consideration by the County Council. The Cabinet Member therefore welcomes the request by the Deputy Leader to County Local Committee (CLC) Chairmen to invite local business parks to make representations to the CLCs in relation to the condition of their roads, as the channel through which to pursue their concerns.

Cabinet Member for Public Protection - Mr Pete Bradbury

25 The Cabinet Member reports that he has agreed proposals to combine West Sussex fire service control and mobilising resources with those of Fire Authority to create a single centre serving Sussex. Combining control centres will deliver significant cost savings and improvements in operational resilience and efficiency. Both fire and rescue services are currently developing a joint bid of £3.6m for a central government grant, which has been made available following the cancellation of the national fire control project. Notification of whether the bid has been successful is expected at the end of January 2012. This work to combine control services County Council Report 157 14th October 2011 Cabinet

is not dependant on the wider fire service merger proposals which have recently been consulted upon.

26 The Cabinet Member has recently visited the Governor of HM Prison Ford and has agreed to the development of a Protocol for Working Together between the County Council and the prison. HMP Ford accommodates prisoners from East and West Sussex and London who are of low risk to the public, within two years of completion of their sentence and actively preparing to return to their communities when they complete their sentence. The protocol will set out general principles for a working relationship supported by a number of service-specific protocols on issues including fire safety, child protection and adults’ safeguarding.

27 On 11th September the Cabinet Member joined the County Fire Officer in representing the County Council at a Service of Remembrance for the victims of the 9/11 tragedy at St Paul’s Cathedral. The service was very well attended with fire services from all of the UK represented as well as US military personnel. Speakers included the US Ambassador and the Fire Minister, as well as individuals who were in the World Trade Centre at the time of the attack. This was followed by a short service at the firefighters memorial adjacent to St Paul’s, which is an annual event remembering all those fire and rescue service personnel who have lost their lives in service.

28 To maintain an up-to-date understanding of current resilience capabilities the Cabinet Member recently attended the sixth annual Multi-Agency Resilience Display at Hawley Lake in Camberley, Surrey. The event was developed primarily for all fire and rescue service officers and fire authority members to raise awareness of the national resilience assets and capabilities for civil emergency through a presentation followed by tours and demonstrations. These included mass decontamination, detection, identification & monitoring, urban search & rescue and high volume pumping. Attendance by all agencies at this year’s event was particularly pertinent with so many agencies developing and testing contingency planning for the 2012 Olympics.

29 The Cabinet Member hosted a Sussex Summit on 30th September which brought together the community safety portfolio holders from all local authorities across Sussex along with colleagues from the Authority. The theme of the day was preparation for the forthcoming election of the Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) due in November 2012. The Community Safety Partnerships Adviser for the National Police Improvement Agency facilitated the day, providing technical detail on the functions of the PCC role, its impact on current structures, funding streams and delivery mechanisms. The workshop provided an opportunity for participants to develop closer partnership working as they considered good practice from other agencies. Participants then considered actions required to ensure that Sussex Community Safety Partnerships were fully prepared for the arrival of the PCC. Nick Herbert MP joined the event for the final session and provided a ministerial update and question and answer session on the vision and benefits of the new arrangements.

Contact: Robin Davison, 01243 752724

Background Papers - None 158 County Council Report 14th October 2011