Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors P M Dilks, R J Kendrick and N H Pepper.

Apologies for absence were also noted from Andrew Crookham, Executive Director – Resources.

It was noted that the Chief Executive, having received notice under Regulation 13 of the Local Government (Committee and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, had appointed Councillor Mrs M J Overton MBE to replace Councillor P M Dilks, for this meeting only.

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

RESOLVED:

          That minutes of the meeting held on 30 June 2022 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. 

The Chairman announced that he had attended the last meeting of the executive on 5 July 2022 and presented the Boards comments on the Integrated Care Partnership, procurement of LCC telephony system, review of financial performance for 2021/22, and the Corporate Plan Success Framework for 2021/22 Quarter 4.

In relation to the Board’s comments on the financial performance and the suggestion about using the ring-fenced funding for civil parking enforcement to recruit additional parking attendants, it was highlighted at the Executive that this was a difficult role to recruit to and the important factor was to ensure that enforcement officers were deployed to the right areas.  It was also highlighted that there would be some changes coming to civil parking enforcement, including civil parking officers being able to enforce more, such as yellow boxes and obstructions.

With regards to the Board’s comments on the LCC telephony system procurement and the concerns raised about the use of AI bots, it was highlighted at the Executive that there was a concern about not using AI bots to the detriment of the service.  The Council provided a range of services, some of which were transactional and could be supported by AI, such as renewing library books.  AI could also be used to assist in providing information to the call handlers.  However, it was acknowledged that fir some areas of work, such as Adults or Children’s Services, there would still be a need to speak to someone in person.

No call-ins had been received.

No Councillor Calls for Action had been received.

(To receive a report by Andrew McLean: Assistant Director - Corporate Transformation, Programmes & Performance, which invites the Board to consider a report on the Corporate Plan Success Framework 2022/23 - Quarter 1 prior to consideration by the Executive on 6 September 2022)

Consideration was given to a report by the Assistant Director – Corporate Transformation, programmes and Performance, which invited the Board to consider a report on the Corporate Plan Success Framework 2021/22 – Quarter 1, which was due to be reported to the Executive on 6 September 2022.

It was reported that all of the four ambitions were progressing as planned, based on both the key activities and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s).  the full range of performance information could be found on the Council’s website.

It was noted that, of the 39 activities with milestones due to be reported in quarter 1, 100% were rated as either Progress within agreed limits or Progressing as planned.

In relation to Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) reported for quarter 1, it was reported that four had exceeded the ambition, 10 had achieved the ambition and six had not achieved the ambition.  It was also noted that there was a delay in the release of ONS data which meant that two performance indicators could not be reported in this quarter, although updates were provided in the report.

During discussion of the report, the following points were noted:

·       Staff absences - this indicator was above target, however, it was commented that due to the disruption which had taken place over the past two years, the performance was not too bad.

·       There were concerns about the long-term effects of isolation on mental health issues, and tit was thought that some of the damage caused was just starting to emerge.  It was queried what the Council could do to help its staff more.

·       It was noted that there was a lot of sickness in terms of colds and flu, but the days lost did focus more on mental health.  A number of initiatives had been launched to support staff including mental health first aiders, the Wellbeing Service, and a fitness challenge with One You Lincolnshire. 

·       In relation to benchmarking for sickness absence, Lincolnshire was performing well, and for Q4 was one of the best performing authorities in the area.

·       It was noted that there were still mental health challenges related to Covid-19 and lockdown, as well the recruitment challenges as more demands were being placed on existing staff.  Workplaces were also seeing more over 50’s retiring early, as an unintended consequence of the pandemic as people reassessed their work-life balance.

·       It was noted that the position in relation to staff turnover was starting to stabilise.

·       A query was raised regarding the measure relating to “Percentage of adults where source of risk was provider” which had been removed from the previous corporate plan.  Officers advised that this was something which had been discussed by the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and largely related to the number of contacts that were received where the outcome was “no further action” as they related to quality issues rather than safeguarding issues.

·       It was clarified that the drop in the graph relating to PI 60 – “percentage of people who were asked what  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

(To receive a report from Tony Kavanagh, Assistant Director – HR and Organisational Support which provides an update on the HR Management Information and on corporate People Strategy projects for Quarter 1)

Consideration was given to a report which updated the Board on the HR Management Information (HRMI) and on corporate People Strategy projects for Quarter 1.

The report highlighted information from a number of key areas within the HR directorate, including that quarter 4 had seen the highest staff turnover, however, the Board was assured that this would not be case for quarter 1 as turnover was stabilising (it was noted that that there was a time lag on the reporting of this information).  It was also highlighted that the Attraction and Retention framework had been introduced earlier this year.

Some of the pressure points in relation to recruitment were in legal roles, IMT and social work.  To address this, a retention payment had been introduced in legal services, and Commercial team were also looking to introduce this.  so far this was having a positive impact.

The Council was also introducing and investing in a “grow our own” model, which was having success in training social workers in Children’s Services.  There was also an increase in the number of apprentices on roll.

It was highlighted that a new annual report was being developed which would cover the Council’s statutory public sector equality duty.

During discussion of the report, the following points were noted:

·       The “grow our model” was fully supported by members.

·       As people re-evaluated their work-life balance, it was believed that this would have a major impact on employers around the country, and it was commented it could also have further consequences for the economy as a whole.  Officers advised that it was estimated that there were at least 500,000 people that were no longer available in the job market due to the pandemic, and it would have an impact across the whole country.

·       A query was raised regarding whether the council had considered having a policy allowing refugees applying for jobs with the council to be able to reach the interview stage.  It was noted that working with social care providers, the first Ukrainian refugee had been employed in Lincolnshire.  However, it was noted that one of the biggest issues had been obtaining references, but the DWP were now agreeing to provide references.

·       In terms of equality and diversity, it was commented that more focus on equality of access would like to be seen.

·       Members were pleased to see that an Equality and Inclusion lead had been recruited.

·       It was expected that the Equality and Diversity Annual report would be available in November 2022 and would form part of the next People Management update.

RESOLVED

1.    That assurance be provided on the HR Management Information

2.    That the progress made on the 2021-2024 People Strategy projects be noted.

(To receive a report by Michelle Grady, Assistant Director - Finance, which invites the Board to consider a report on the Revenue Budget Monitoring 2022/23 – Quarter 1, prior to consideration by the Executive on 6 September 2022)

Consideration was given to a report by the Assistant Director – Finance, which invited the Board to consider a report on the Review of Financial Performance 2022/23 – Quarter 1 which would be presented to the Executive on 6 September 2022.

It was highlighted that there was a forecasted overspend of £0.705m, which was a minor variance of 0.13% of the net revenue budget.

It was noted that further work had been carried out since 30 June on the impacts of inflationary increases on the Council.  The report also included an early warning that inflationary impacts were likely to be significant.

During discussion of the report, the following points were noted:

·       It was confirmed that the staff pay offer was over and above what the Council had budgeted for.  There had been an assumption when the budget was set that there would be a 2% pay increase.  However, the offer which had been made was for a fixed amount which is an approximate 6% increase.  It was confirmed that this offer would have an increased benefit for those staff on lower wages.

·       There would be an ongoing impact based on the offer that had been made, and the Council was working with the Society of County Treasurers, as there would be variances across the board, for example construction inflation was very high, and the impact of the national living wage

·       It was noted that the staff budget was around £183m, and contracts made up a high proportion of that, including those contracts impacted by inflation, and different contracts would be impacted differently.

·       A forecast for the rest of the year would be provided in the quarter 2 report.

·       The Leader of the Council advised that local government leaders had been lobbying government on the financial issues facing councils, and there had been a suggestion that the cap on council tax and the adult social care levy may be increased.

·       The contingency budget had been increased to cover pay increases and utilities, and the Leader of the Council advised that he had asked the Chief Executive and treasurer to look at how this could be mitigated.  It was confirmed that the Council did have a healthy level of reserves.  Work was ongoing as part of the budget setting exercise, and plans would come forward later in the year.

·       The Board was reassured that the executive directors were working on in year and longer term strategies.

RESOLVED

1.    That the Board supports the recommendation to the Executive as set out in the report.

2.    That a summary of the comments made be passed on to the Executive as part of its consideration of this item.

(To receive a report by Michelle Grady, Assistant Director - Finance, which invites the Board to consider a report on the Capital Budget Monitoring 2022/23 - Quarter 1, prior to consideration by the Executive on 6 September 2022)

Consideration was given to a report by the Assistant Director – Finance, which invited the Board to consider a report on Capital Budget Monitoring, which was due to be presented to the executive as part of its consideration of this item.

The Capital Budget Monitoring Report compared the Council’s projected expenditure with the approved Capital Programme and highlighted any forecast over or under spending.

It was reported that the current 2022/23 position forecasted position was a net underspend of £1.001m (Block Schemes £0.756m, Project Schemes £0.245m).  It was also noted that there were small variances in social care programmes.  A lot of work was taking place around programme inflation.

During discussion of the report, the following points were noted:

·       In terms of impacts of inflation, the Board was advised that all programmes had an element of contingency set within them, and there was also the corporate contingency fund.  In terms of school builds, the grants were reflecting these impacts as well.  There would be a need to work through each project.  It was acknowledged that highways projects would be a challenge.

·       In terms of whether the contingency for each project would be sufficient, officers advised that some activities could be re-phased.  This meant that some schemes may need to be pushed back.

·       The main priority would be to finish those schemes that had already commenced, such as the Grantham Relief road, North Hykeham Relief Road, as DfT funding had been received for this, and the SEND schools.

·       It was suggested whether the prioritisation process could involve the scrutiny committees.

·       It was confirmed that all those projects that were ongoing at this time would be delivered, as they will be part of the budget setting process going forward.

RESOLVED

1.    That the recommendation to the Executive be supported by the Board.

2.    That a summary of the comments made be passed on to the Executive as part of its consideration of this item.

(To receive a report which sets out the work programmes of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and the Health Scrutiny Committee in accordance with the Board's agreed programme)

Consideration was given to a report by the Chairman of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee, which provided an update on recent work and planned work programme of the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee.

Two items of previous work – the Recruitment and Retention of Adult Social Care staff and Budget Monitoring and Financial Outturn 2021/22 - were highlighted to the Board, as well as future work in relation to All Age Obesity and Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care.

In relation to All Age Obesity, it was queried how children’s services were involved with this, as data suggested that 80% of overweight adults were overweight as children. It was noted that the Committee would try to work with the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee on this, and it was commented that there was more that could be done around raising awareness, increasing activity levels and also time management.

Consideration was then given to a report by the Chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire which provided an update on recent work and planned work programme for the Committee.

It was highlighted to the Board, that since the last report, there had been some changes to NHS organisation.  Clinical Commissioning Groups were abolished on 30 June 2022, and from 1 July 2022 the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board was established.

Previous work which was highlighted to the Board included GP services, Reconfiguration of Four Services (orthopaedics; urgent and emergency care in Grantham; acute medicine also in Grantham; and stroke services) and dental services.  Future work included items on Consultation on Mental Health Rehabilitation Service and Consultation on Spalding GP Service, which were both scheduled to be considered at the meeting on 14 September 2022.

Members commented that they were pleased to see that there would be an emphasis on dental services, due to the impact dental pain can have on people.  However, it was noted that this was a separate issue as the advice to residents was to ring 111 as there was still emergency access to dentists.

It was also commented that there was a need for a conversation about GP appointments, as it was becoming very difficult to get a doctor’s appointment, and it was usually only possible to book one for that day, there was then pressure on A&E services as people could not access their GP.  The Chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee for Lincolnshire advised that one of the biggest complaints was in relation to GP appointments and stated that he would ask to see what could be done to improve the service.

As both Children’s and Adult’s social services could potentially be impacted by access to NHS services, it was queried whether this could increase demand on Adult Social Care and Children’s Services.

One member highlighted that access to GP’s could be subjective, as not every surgery was the same.

RESOLVED

1.    That the Board was satisfied with the activity undertaken since 24 March 2022 by:

a.    The Adults  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

(To receive a report which enables the Board to note the content of its work programme for the coming year)

This item was for information only.