Agenda and minutes

None received.

Members are asked to consider any Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests they may have to disclose to the meeting in relation to matters under consideration on the Agenda.

None declared.

To be confirmed, and signed by the Chair.

Resolved: - That the minutes of the meeting held on 10 October 2013 be confirmed and signed by the Chair.

County Councillor Bill Winlow, Chair of the Executive Scrutiny Committee, confirmed that the recommendations set out in the reports for consideration by Cabinet had been confirmed without modification or amendment at the meeting of the Executive Scrutiny Committee held on 5 November 2013.

In relation to forthcoming individual Key Decisions to be considered by Cabinet Members, County Councillor Bill Winlow reported that, in relation to the report on Affordable Warmth to be considered by the Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, the Cabinet Member had indicated that he would be taking the decision to allocate £30,000 to each District (in place of the £40,000 recommended in the report) and that the balance be used to establish a fund of £120,000 which would be available for bids to be submitted.

Resolved: - That the report of the Chair of the Executive Scrutiny Committee, now presented, be noted.

The Leader of the County Council presented a report setting out proposals for Lancashire County Council to become a "Living Wage" employer through a phased introduction of a Living Wage, currently set at £7.45 an hour.

All centrally employed employees would be subject to the change affecting 3,638 staff from 1 April. Negotiations were ongoing with schools through the Lancashire Schools Forum to encourage the adoption of the Living Wage by individual school governing bodies.

Resolved: - That:

(i)  The proposals for a phased introduction of the Living Wage as set out in the report, now presented, be agreed;

(ii)  Full Council be recommended to approve the proposals for the adoption by the County Council of the Living Wage as set out in the report, now presented, on the basis of the proposed phasing arrangements.

County Councillor David Borrow presented a report setting out details of the County Council's financial position for 2013/14 as at 30 September 2013.

Reference was made to the particular pressures faced by the Directorate for Children and Young People in relation to continuing demand in children's social care, and that there had been no change in the £5m overspend in relation to the Strategic Partnership. Overall, the potential overspend for the revenue budget had reduced from £6.4m to £4.3m since the previous report to Cabinet which was an improved position. The Capital Investment Programme was on track to deliver 87.6% of spending in 2013/14 with estimated slippage into future years of £22.3m. In terms of reserves, a further £4.35m in earmarked reserves and provisions had been identified as available for release in 2013/14, and which would be used to fund the in year costs of the Living Wage, if approved by Full Council.

Resolved: - That:

(i)  The forecast position for the 2013/14 revenue budget and capital investment programme, as set out in the report now presented, be noted;

(ii)  The forecast position on the County Council's reserves, as set out in the report now presented, be noted;

(iii)  The setting aside of £173,000 to fund the cost of the Living Wage in 2013/14 (subject to Full Council approval) and the transfer of additional one-off resources available of £4.177m to the County Council's downsizing reserve, as set out in the report now presented, be approved;

(iv)  The forecast position on the County Council's Voluntary Severance reserve, as set out in the report now presented, be noted.

County Councillor David Borrow presented a report setting out details of the work undertaken to date by Cabinet and Management Team to develop budget proposals for 2014/15 to 2017/18. The report set out details of the savings required and the additional costs which would be incurred by the County Council going forward. The overall impact was that the County Council would be required to reduce its budget by £300m by 2017/18.

The report set out the outcome of the work to deliver savings through:

·  The Review of cost pressures

·  The 10% Challenge

·  Reducing the cost of being in business

Details of the review of cost pressures which had been undertaken to ensure that the forecast is neither under forecast (and placing the County Council at risk of overspending) or over forecast (and at risk of reducing spend in services unnecessarily) was set out. The outcome of the review was to reduce costs by £17.430m by 2017/18.

In addition, the report also set out details of the work undertaken by staff across the County Council of the 10% challenge, i.e. to save 10% of costs by reducing costs and increasing efficiency. The outcome of the 10% challenge will be to deliver savings of £19.081m by 2015/16.

In relation to reducing the cost of being in business, it was reported that, in 2014/15 alone, £6.523m was expected to be saved by reducing areas of cost with no impact on the level, or quality, of services provided, rising to £17.366m by 2017/18.

In summary, it was reported that savings of £53.9m had been identified, with no impact on services, over the next four year financial period and that, of the remaining £246.1m gap, £46.9m fell in 2014/15.

In order to meet this gap, details of Cabinet's initial proposals to reshape the way services are delivered, including policy options identified by each Directorate, were then tabled at the meeting. It was recognised that the downsizing of the County Council would have a significant impact on staff, and a voluntary redundancy offer is to be developed for all staff. At this point, clarification was given that the offer for all staff to take voluntary redundancy be made available to those staff seconded from the County Council to other organisations.

In preparing policy options for consideration officers have been reminded of the Council's duty under s.149 of the Equality Act 2010 to have due regard to the need to:

·  eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation or other unlawful conduct under the Act;

·  advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it; and

·  foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.

Having due regard means analysing at each step of formulating, deciding upon and implementing policy, what the effect of that policy is, or may be, upon groups who share protected characteristics defined by the Act. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, race, sex, religion or belief,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

County Councillor Darren Clifford, Champion for Armed Forces Veterans, attended and presented a report setting out proposals for an Armed Forces Community Covenant between the County Council, representatives of the municipal, public, private, charitable and voluntary sectors of Lancashire, the civilian community and the armed forces community.

County Councillor Clifford paid tribute to the work of former County Councillor Mike France, his predecessor as Champion for Armed Forces Veterans, and to officers for the work undertaken to date to support the armed forces community in Lancashire.

Approval to the Community Covenant would open up a number of opportunities including access to the Community Covenant Grant Scheme, a £30m fund to provide financial support to local projects which strengthen ties between the Armed Forces and the wider community.

Subject to Cabinet approval, an official signing ceremony would take place on 29 November 2013 at County Hall with representatives attending to sign the Covenant on behalf of their respective local authorities and organisations.

County Councillor Keith Iddon expressed thanks on behalf of former County Councillor Mike France for the work done to bring a Lancashire County Council Armed Forces Covenant to fruition and County Councillor David Borrow referred to the support the County Council had given to Preston City Council in respect of support for the Armed Forces Community.

Resolved: - That:

(i)  The development of Community Covenants in Lancashire, as set out in the report now presented, be noted and the work done by the Champion for Armed Forces Veterans, the County Council and its partners to support the Armed Forces community be welcomed;

(ii)  The Community Covenant, set out at Appendix 'A' to the report now presented, be approved.

Resolved: - That the report, now presented, on Key Decisions taken by the Deputy Leader of the County Council, the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools, the Cabinet Member for Public Protection and Waste, the Cabinet Member for Environment, Planning and Cultural Services and the Interim Executive Director for Environment, respectively, be noted.

An item of urgent business may only be considered under this heading where, by reason of special circumstances to be recorded in the Minutes, the Chair of the meeting is of the opinion that the item should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency.  Wherever possible, the Chief Executive should be given advance warning of any Member’s intention to raise a matter under this heading.

There was no urgent business to be considered.

The next meeting of the Cabinet will be held on Thursday 5 December 2013 at 2.00 pm at County Hall, Preston.

The Cabinet noted that the next meeting would be held on Thursday 5 December 2013 at 2.00pm at County Hall, Preston.