Issue - meetings

For the Select Committee to consider the findings of the Working Group on the Savings Programme to 2023 proposals relating to certain Adult Social Care Grant Schemes and funding for Social Inclusion services. To pre-scrutinise the proposals going forward to the Executive Member for Adult Services and Public Health.

The Committee considered the findings of the Working Group on the Savings Programme to 2023 proposals relating to certain Adult Social Care Grant Schemes and funding for Social Inclusion services and pre-scrutinised the proposals going forward to the Executive Member for Adult Services and Public Health.

Councillor Briggs, a member of the working group, presented the group’s report and outlined the process that had been undertaken through the series of meetings and discussions. The detail of the working group meetings and conclusions was included within the report presented. Councillor Taylor, a member of the working group, noted that the group were not asked to make alternative recommendations to those presented and that she had not been in agreement with them. Councillor Harrison, a member of the working group, noted that he was also not in agreement with the recommendations of the group.

The Committee agreed the following:

a)    To acknowledge that a robust Working Group process, chaired by Councillor Penman, and consisting of 7 members of HASC in total was established and worked to throughout the past 6 months.

b)    To note that Member participation was strong, regular and consistent

throughout.

c)    To note that 5 meetings took place in total including 3 prior to the public

consultation, 1 during the consultation and a final meeting in late April to discuss the outcomes of the consultation

d)    To acknowledge that Members were kept fully informed throughout the

process by officers and were given every opportunity at each of the

meetings to fully debate the issues and ask relevant questions.

e)    To note that Members were properly updated on the outcomes of the

consultation exercise including being notified of the concerns raised by

those who responded.

f)     To note that following the Working Group process, the savings

recommendations are going to be taken forward to the Executive Member in June with the report to include the main points that result from the HASC debate of the draft Executive Member report.

The Committee then moved to pre-scrutinise the proposals that would be put forward to the Executive Member at her Decision Day. The Director of Adults’ Health and Care presented the report and the background to the proposals in detail. Broadly, the Committee heard that:

·         The County Council’s Savings Programme to 2023 entailed a reduction in Council expenditure by at least £80 million by 31 March 2023 to deliver a balanced budget.

·         The County Council’s Adults’ Health and Care Department had savings targets of £40.6m by 31 March 2023. Informed by feedback from the Balancing the Budget Consultation, proposals on how these savings could be achieved were developed by the Department.

·         A 6-week public consultation on the proposals had been carried out from 7 February 2022 to 21 March 2022.

·         Making challenging yet necessary proposals to reduce funding as set out within the report and in the knowledge that service users may be impacted was a difficult process for the Council. However, officers had been scrupulous in their research and in forming  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69