Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Debbie Barnes (Executive Director for Children's Services) and Richard Wills (Executive Director for Environment and Economy).

There were no declarations of interest at this point in the meeting.

The Leader advised that the County Council's Fairer Funding Campaign was proceeding and there had been a good sign up from all partners.  West Lindsey District Council had agreed in principle to support the campaign as well as several parish councils.  It was reported that a meeting with the district councils was due to take place on 22 September 2017.  It was hoped that the campaign would lead to changes to the funding formula to make it fairer for Lincolnshire.

The Executive Councillor for Community Safety and People Management reported that Billinghay Parish Council had received a letter from Skegness Town Council encouraging it to support the campaign.  It was considered positive that there was this early engagement.

RESOLVED

            That the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 4 July 2017 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(To receive a report from the Executive Director responsible for People Management, which seeks the Executive approval for the recognition of the Royal College of Nursing as a Lincolnshire County Council recognised Trade Union)

1.    That the recognition of the Royal College of nursing as a LCC recognised Trade Union be approved

2.    That the facilities time allocation for the RCN representatives be agreed by the Director responsible for People Management in consultation with the relevant portfolio holder.

Consideration was given to a report by Debbie Barnes, Executive Director responsible for People Management which outlined the decision made in November 2016 to in-source the children's health service 0 – 19 (25 SEND) and for it to be provided by the Council's Children's Services Department, and the request for Trade Union Recognition by LCC of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which is one of the two main Trade Unions (the other being Unison) who support this staff group.

Fiona Thompson, Head of People Management, guided the Executive through the report and made reference to the following:

·         240 employees were due to transfer into Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) on 1 October 2017.

·         There was a need for any Trade Union seeking recognition by the County Council to meet the criteria as set out in the Council's policy on Trade Union recognition.  It was confirmed that the RCN met all three of the criteria.

·         It was not anticipated that there would be any additional budget implications from this proposal as members paid their own membership fees.

The Executive were advised that the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board had considered the report concerning the Trade Union Recognition of the Royal College of Nursing at its meeting on 27 July 2017.  The Board had unanimously supported the recommendations contained in the report.

Additional comments made by the Board included:

·         It was suggested that unions should look into having learning representatives as these would be beneficial to staff and to the employer.  There was a vast array of courses available to help staff which could be promoted through learning representatives.

·         It was queried what the relationship was like between Unison and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and whether the Council had negotiated with them before.  It was confirmed that the Council had not negotiated with the RCN before, but engagement meetings had been taking place between the RCN and Unison in the NHS and the Executive Director of Children's Services.  The Council's Unison officers were now being engaged in preparation for the forthcoming consultation.

Clarification was sought regarding learning representatives and the Executive was advised that they were a Trade Union officer who had responsibility within the union for encouraging the development of staff.  It had worked well in Unison and it was thought that it should be extended to the RCN.

Officers advised that the Council currently recognised 14 unions on its approved list.

A discussion took place regarding the entitlement of the various trade unions to facilities time for accredited representatives to undertake representation and attend relevant meetings.  It was noted that the Council's policy was currently for a total of 18 half days, or nine whole days in any 12 month period.  Any additional time would need to be agreed with the Executive Director.  It was reported that the duties which would be included within this facilities time would be things such as attending grievance and disciplinary hearings as well as relevant meetings.   It was noted that GMB  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

(To receive a report from the Chief Executive, which presents an overview of performance for Q1 against the Council Business Plan)

1.    That the 2017/2018 Quarter 1 performance be noted.

2.    That the proposed changes to reporting as set out in the report be approved.

3.    That the comments of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board on 28 September 2017 be reported to the Leader of the Council.

Consideration was given to a report from Tony McArdle, Chief Executive, which presented an overview of performance for Quarter 1 against the Council Business Plan.

The Performance and Equalities Manager guided the Executive through the report and highlighted the following:

·         A number of changes had been made to the infographics to improve understanding and viewing when printed in greyscale.

·         Of the 14 commissioning strategies reported in Quarter 1, 10 had performed really well with four having mixed performance.

·         Those commissioning strategies with mixed performance (where some measures were achieved and some were not) were:

Ø  Carers

Ø  Protecting the public

Ø  Protecting and sustaining the environment

Ø  Wellbeing

Summaries of the measures which had not achieved target were set out in more detail in Appendix B to the report.  A number of proposed changes to reporting performance against the Council Business Plan 2017/18 were also highlighted to the Executive.

Comments made by the Executive in response to the performance information presented included the following:

Carers

·         There had been changes to eligibility criteria following the Care Act and so there was now a more targeted support service, with those carers in greatest need receiving the most support.  This had had an impact on the number of 'Carers who receive a direct payment'

·         The target for 'Carers supported to delay the care and support for the person they care for' had not been met, but it was moving in the right direction.  It was noted that this measure had been affected by changing practice and legislation.  It was too early to be making comparisons with other councils, but it was noted that the same effect was being seen across the country.

·         The council was seeing increasing numbers of carers and providing a better level of support.

Protecting the Public

·         It was suggested that the increase in 'Alcohol related anti-social behaviour incidents' could have been due to the warmer weather.  It was also noted that the way the bank holidays had fallen could have affected the number of incidents reported this quarter.  Officers commented they would like to see data for 2 or 3 more quarters before drawing any conclusions.

·         The Executive was advised that the Council worked with the district and police colleagues on a number of initiatives.  There was also close working with the Community Safety Board to reduce the use of drugs and alcohol.

·         Work was ongoing on a more coherent domestic abuse strategy in terms of joint commissioning with Children's Services and Adult Services.  However, it was noted that the Police held most of the budget around victim support.

·         Lincolnshire performance around 'satisfaction with response to crime and anti-social behaviour' had improved and it was also noted that Lincolnshire's performance was higher than the rest of the East Midlands.

·         In relation to 'Primary fires' it was noted that in domestic dwellings they were mostly due to white goods, and this could be an issue for Trading Standards to investigate in relation to unsafe/fake goods as well as fires caused  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.