Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of personal interest.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Executive Board held on the18th December 2017 be signed as a correct record.

The Chair advised that no questions on notice had been submitted by members.

The Chair advised that no public questions on Notice had been received.

The Executive Board considered the revenue budget monitoring report which provided an update on the latest budgetary position as at the 31^st October, 2017.

Overall, the report forecast an end of year overspend of £685k on the Authority’s net revenue budget, with an overspend at departmental level of £2,263k. The Housing Revenue account was predicting a break-even position at year-end.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED:

The Executive Board considered a report providing an update on the capital programme spend against the budget for 2017/18 as at the 31^st October, 2017.

The in-year slippage of £-4,095k would be incorporated into future years of the programme.

The Executive Board considered a report setting out the reasoning behind, and practicalities of, establishing a wholly owned Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) for Careline known as ‘Llesiant Delta Wellbeing Ltd’ which would have the ability to access far wider markets and income streams than the current Careline service was able to do. The recommendation in the report would be subject to Council approval.

In response to a question it was agreed that the report be amended prior to submission to Council in order to provide greater clarity on the issue of the proposed company being Teckal Compliant.

In accordance with CPR 11.1, Councillor D.M. Cundy asked whether the opportunity could be taken, in creating this new company,  to change the way that  Adult Care was addressed by giving the Social Care Sector Operatives a career structure based on a mix of experience, on-going educational training, examinations and expertise gained through “on the job experiences” so that young people, and the more mature,  could have a valid, worthwhile, well paid and progressive career in the Adult Care Sector whether it was in the Authority’s Care Homes, Home Care or linked to NHS provision with its further opportunities?.

Councillor J. Tremlett, Executive Board Member for Social Care and Health, responded as follows:

‘Thank you, Cllr Cundy, for your question. The short answer is, of course, yes.  There is a reform of qualifications in health and social care in Wales following a review. Up to 20 new qualifications will replace existing ones. The new qualifications will be taught from September 2019, with the first certificates awarded in 2020. The awarding body is a consortium of City & Guilds and Welsh Joint Education Committee, WJEC who will work with Qualifications Wales, Social Care Wales, NHS Wales, teachers, trainers and assessors to design and deliver these new qualifications. The sector includes many different careers for carers, not just in residential homes for adults, but in hospitals, child care, home care, mental ill health and physical disabilities. These qualifications will be taught to learners aged 14 and upwards across Wales from Level 1 to 5.  They will feature in apprentice frameworks as well. The development and support of our social care workforce is essential and is the focus of significant activity in the department to enable us to respond to a national challenge of less people than we need going into this area of work and increasing numbers choosing to leave as pay in competing, possibly less demanding roles such as retail, catches up.  At present we do better than most to recruit and retain this crucial workforce but there is still much to be done. Firstly, we intend to build a better and more clearly identifiable career structure for carers where it becomes a career of choice with advancement opportunities and clear progression steps.  Much of this is in place but needs publicising and selling to people with an interest.  Over the next year we intend to deliver a publicity campaign to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

THE REPORTS RELATING TO THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE NOT FOR PUBLICATION AS THEY CONTAIN EXEMPT INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH 14 OF PART 4 OF SCHEDULE 12A TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 AS AMENDED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ACCESS TO INFORMATION) (VARIATION) (WALES) ORDER 2007. IF, FOLLOWING THE APPLICATION OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST TEST, THE BOARD RESOLVES PURSUANT TO THE ACT TO CONSIDER THESE ITEMS IN PRIVATE, THE PUBLIC WILL BE EXCLUDED FROM THE MEETING DURING SUCH CONSIDERATION.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, pursuant to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information)(Variation) (Wales) Order 2007, that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following item as the report contained exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

Following the application of the public interest test it was UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED, pursuant to the Act referred to in Minute 9 above, to consider this matter in private, with the public excluded from the meeting as it would involve the disclosure of exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the Authority holding that information).

The Executive Board considered a report which summarised the findings of the business case to create a Teckal* for the delivery of future waste treatment and disposal arrangements in the County, and detailed the next steps for the establishment of the company.

[*Teckal’ is a piece of European Union law allowing Councils to deliver services through externally managed entities without having to follow competitive tendering rules and procedures.]

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED 

10.1  that the business case for establishing a new Teckal compliant company for future waste treatment and disposal services (currently managed by CWM) be approved;

10.2    to delegate authority to the Director of Environment and Director of Corporate Services to establish the new company arrangements and finalise the governance structures, ensuring appropriate external legal, financial and technical advice as necessary (in consultation with Executive Board Members for the Environment and Resources);

10.3    to delegate authority to the Director of Environment and Director of Corporate Services to develop a detailed business plan for the Council’s proposed Shareholder Board.