Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Mrs W Bowkett, Executive Councillor for Adult Care, Public Health and Procurement.

An apology for absence was also received from Councillor R B Parker, Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.

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

Debbie Barnes OBE, Chief Executive

The Chief Executive provided an update on the two schemes which were available for Ukrainian refugees to enter the UK – the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and the Family and Friends scheme.

It was highlighted that the Council was not officially made aware of anyone who had come into the County through the Family and Friends scheme, however the authority was aware of one family who had come to Lincolnshire through this scheme, as the school had made officers aware.

The Council had been notified by government that around 170 people in Lincolnshire had signed up to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.  The authority was working with the district councils, the police, and health colleagues on the best way to work with and support those families and individuals.  The authority was also working with the district councils in relation to carrying out the housing checks and the County Council would be working to undertake the safeguarding checks, and it was expected that a number of people would be starting to arrive from the Ukraine in the coming weeks.  Work was also underway with schools to ensure that any children and young people arriving would be able to be offered a school place.

Councillor R G Davies, Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT

The Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT advised that, building on the success of the work to secure funding for the A16 corridor from Boston to South Holland, feasibility studies were continuing around Boston, Skegness and the coastal areas on how those areas of the economy could be linked.

It was also noted that Lincolnshire was likely to be successful in the next round of levelling up funding.  The Executive Councillor advised that he would keep colleagues updated on progress with this.

Councillor Mrs P A Bradwell OBE, Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, Community Safety and Procurement

The Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, Community Safety and Procurement reported that a focused Ofsted visit had recently taken place in relation to social care and SEN services, officers were currently waiting for the report, which would be shared with the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee when it was received.  Initial indications were that it would be a positive report.

Councillor C J Davie, Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment and Planning

The Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment and Planning highlighted the issues around food security and reported on the work being undertaken in the Food Enterprise Zone.

An update was provided on the Holbeach Food Enterprise Zone, and it was reported that nine out of the eleven plots available under phase one of the development were now under offer and the Hub building was progressing well, and it was expected that the handover would take place in June 2022.  It was also reported that there were negotiations on a two-acre site taking place, which could mean the major relocation of a business from south-east England.  Advanced discussions around development of phase  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.

RESOLVED

          That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 March 2022 be agreed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

(To receive a report from the Executive Director – Place which provides an update on the progress of the North Hykeham Relief Road (NHRR) project and seeks approval from the Executive to enter into a two-stage design and build contract for the purpose of delivering the NHRR)

1.    That the update on the progress of the North Hykeham Relief Road (NHRR) project be noted.

2.    That the award to Balfour Beatty, under the SCAPE Framework, of a two-stage design and build contract for the delivery of the North Hykeham Relief Road be approved.

3.    That proceeding with all stage one (pre-construction) elements of the contract activities including surveys, outline design & planning application, planning determination & discharge of conditions, support in respect of statutory orders, detailed design & full business case preparation, and advanced works, be approved.

4.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT, to negotiate detailed contract terms, award and enter into the two-stage contract for the delivery of the NHRR.

5.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director of Place, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT, to authorise the progression through the phases contained with the first stage of the two-stage contract up to but not including the giving of notice to proceed to construction phase.

The Executive Councillor for Highways, Transport and IT introduced a report which provided and update to the Executive on the progress of the North Hykeham Relief Road (NHRR) project and sought approval to enter into a two-stage design and build contract for the purpose of delivering the NHRR.  It was highlighted that this proposal was a slightly different process for procurement than had been used before and reflected changes in the market and operated within the SCAPE framework.  It was acknowledged that there would still be challenges and a lot of management would be required.

The Head of Highways Infrastructure guided the Executive through the report, and advised that a number of successful projects had been delivered by the County Council in recent years, however, it was very clear that greater certainty around cost would be required for this project, and the design and build methodology would provide that.

Costs to deliver the scheme were now estimated at between £179m to £212m, which was an up to 25% increase in cost from the estimate when the Outline Business Case was submitted.  This increase was a direct result of activity within the market and the increases in inflation.  It was highlighted that there were various points within the project where the Council could exit the contract if the costs became untenable.

The Vice-Chairman of the Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee presented the comments of the Scrutiny Committee following its consideration of this item at its meeting on 7 March 2022.  The Executive was advised that the Committee did unanimously support the recommendations, however it did express concerns about the high inflation rates and how this would impact on future costs.  The Committee was pleased to see that the NHRR would be a dual carriageway road and would include a cycle lane.  Assurance was also sought that there would be a robust communications strategy to ensure that residents were kept updated.  In terms of the potential for delays due to archaeological finds, the Committee was satisfied that the early indications demonstrated that there would be finds, the scheme would not be impacted to the same extent as the Lincoln Eastern Bypass.

It was noted that a lot of preparatory work had been carried out, but clarity was sought around how decisions would be made to fill the funding gap.  The Executive was advised that the Capital Programme had been approved and included £48m allocated to this project.  The decision was currently to progress to the design stage, and as the project progressed, a more suitable capital programme would need to be determined.  This was a desperately needed road and would remain a high priority.

In terms of whether officers were confident that the final cost of this scheme would come in near the budget, taking into account any further inflation rises, the Executive was advised that there was still a lot of uncertainty. 

RESOLVED

1.    That the update on the progress of the North Hykeham Relief Road (NHRR) project be noted.

2.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

(To receive a report from the Executive Director – Children’s Services which invites the Executive to establish a new single Section 75 agreement for Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services)

1.    That the entering into of a new s75 Agreement with NHS Lincolnshire CCG/ICB from 1 September 2022 for up to five years be approved:

·       To pool all Council and CCG/ICB funding in relation to CYP mental health services; and

·       For the Council to act as lead commissioner for all Lincolnshire CYP mental health services (CAMHS, MHST’s and HML).

2.    That the entering into of a new single s75 Agreement with LPFT from 1 September 2022 for up to five years to deliver the functions delegated to the Council in relation to Lincolnshire CYP mental health services be approved.

3.    That the continuation of investment recurrently in CYP mental health services to the amount of £1,724,589 per annum, be approved, as follows:

·       £1m from the Public Health Grant towards continuation of HML to deliver whole population CYP mental health promotion, prevention and training and early intervention; and

·       £724,589 into CAMHS for specialist CYP mental health support in relation to the Council’s statutory duties, ensuring the emotional wellbeing and mental health of CYP, particularly those in care.

4.    That working jointly with the CCG/ICB and LPFT to review early intervention support provided by HML and MHSTs and agree a hybrid approach that allows the tapering of £1m p/a Council funding from the DSG alongside the increasing investment and coverage of NHS funded MHSTs in Lincolnshire be approved.

5.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director – Children’s Services, in consultation with the Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, Community Safety and Procurement and working with the Lincolnshire CCG/ICB, to approve the final form of any agreements, the profile of funding diversion, the hybrid model of HML/MHSTs and to allow them to make future decisions about the future model and future use of funding over the five years of the new s75 agreement.

The Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, Community Safety and Procurement introduced a report which sought approval from the Executive to establish a new single Section 75 Agreement for Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services and council funding.

The Chairman of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee presented the comments of the Scrutiny Committee following its consideration of this item at its meeting on 4 March 2022.  The Executive was advised that the Committee unanimously supported the recommendations, and highlighted that children’s mental health was an important issues, particularly now due to the impact of the pandemic.  The Committee was satisfied that LPFT had delivered these services well previously, and there was a good degree of innovation taking place.  The Committee had requested that a progress report be brought back to a future meeting in relation to the transition arrangements between children’s and adults services.

During discussion by the Executive, the following points were noted:

·       It was noted that it was very important for this work to continue, particularly in light of the effects of the pandemic.

·       it made sense for the arrangements to be consolidated, but it was queried how success would be measured.  The Executive was advised that in terms of early intervention, it could be demonstrated that those children who received these services were less likely to need specialised CAMHS services in future.

·       The Executive was pleased to hear that Lincolnshire was one of the top performing counties in the country in this area.  However, there was concern that schemes such as this were set up on an interim basis, and it was queried whether there was a better model.  Officers advised that pooled budgets were a good long term solution, and it was the mental health support teams in schools which was the more interim element as this was a new nationally prescribed model of emotional wellbeing and mental health support in schools.  This had been designed around a more urban centric model, and so did not work as well in areas like Lincolnshire.  Therefore, the Council had worked with the CCG’s to develop the Healthy Minds Lincolnshire service (HML).

·       It was confirmed that this service was available to all children in Lincolnshire schools (including academies).

RESOLVED

1.    That the entering into of a new s75 Agreement with NHS Lincolnshire CCG/ICB from 1 September 2022 for up to five years be approved:

·       To pool all Council and CCG/ICB funding in relation to CYP mental health services; and

·       For the Council to act as lead commissioner for all Lincolnshire CYP mental health services (CAMHS, MHST’s and HML).

2.    That the entering into of a new single s75 Agreement with LPFT from 1 September 2022 for up to five years to deliver the functions delegated to the Council in relation to Lincolnshire CYP mental health services be approved.

3.    That the continuation of investment recurrently in CYP mental health services to the amount of £1,724,589 per annum, be approved, as follows:

·       £1m from the Public Health Grant  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79.