Agenda item

(To receive a report by Steve Houchin, Head of Finance, Adult Care and Community Wellbeing, which provides the Committee with an opportunity to consider the Council's budget proposals for Adult Care and Community Wellbeing.  The report describes the basis on which proposals have been developed and their impact on services)

Consideration was given to a report which described the Council's budget proposals for Adult Care and Community Wellbeing (AC&CW).

Members were advised that the report set out a one year financial plan for revenue budgets to take the Council to the end of a four year funding deal from government.

The Committee received a presentation which provided further detail in relation to the following areas:

·         The Four Year Deal

·         Corporate Budget Strategy

·         Recent Trends

·         How 'other' expenditure has been squeezed nationally by protection for social care

·         Local Authority Over and Underspends

·         Better Care Fund (BCF) in Lincolnshire

·         Service User Contributions

·         Adult Care and Community Wellbeing – Commissioning Strategies

·         Service Changes - cost pressures and savings – Adult Safeguarding

·         Service Changes – cost pressures – Adult Frailty

·         Service Changes – savings – Adult Frailty

·         Service Changes – cost pressures – Adult Specialties

·         Service Changes – savings – Adult Specialties

·         Service Changes – cost pressures and savings – Carers

·         Service Changes – cost pressures and savings – Wellbeing

·         Capital

·         BCF in Lincolnshire

·         Next Steps and Future Budget Setting

(NOTE: Councillor T Ashton left the meeting at 11.45am)

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and presentation and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         It was queried how the budget could be reduced for 2020/2021.  Members were advised that it was expected that the BCF would carry on in some form, as to remove that funding nationally could cause social care services to collapse.   The assumption had been made that the council tax increases would return to the previous levels of 3.95%.  There would be a need to look at which services the authority wanted to carry on providing.

·         In terms of the capital investment in delivery of extra facilities, a piece of work would be undertaken to establish where these buildings and facilities needed to be and where the service demand was.

·         It was noted that extra care housing was a complicated issue and an update report would be requested for the Committee in the coming months.

·         It was commented that the Better Care Fund was a risk, in case it came to an end.  However, the BCF could also be increased, and there would be a need to consider what services to keep and it was highlighted that there would be some discretionary services that would be better to keep due to the rurality of the county.

·         Officers would be happy to provide the committee with additional updates.

·         In terms of the NHS Long Term Plan and the BCF, there was a need for the future service to be affordable for the County Council and provide the people of Lincolnshire with the services they needed.

·         It was commented that the rationale for the budget proposals was cogent and Adult Care and Community Wellbeing had done a good job in setting and balancing its budgets for the past few years.

·         One member commented that they would like to see something about what Lincolnshire provided in terms of mental health, possibly including NHS services as well.  It was noted that the Section 75 agreement between the County Council and Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) would be reviewed next year.  Work was also ongoing with LPFT in relation to rehabilitation.

RESOLVED

            That the Committee's support for the 2019/20 Adult Care and Community Wellbeing budget proposals be recorded and the  comments made in relation to the proposed Adult Care and Community Wellbeing budget be forwarded to the Executive for consideration on 5 February 2019.