Decisions

Following investigations and formal public consultation it is proposed to make a Traffic Regulation Order to address anomalies in parking restrictions and to clarify, simplify and tidy up a number of discrepancies that have been identified in the Preston and Wyre districts. In addition, new restrictions are proposed in the districts of Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Pendle, Preston, Rossendale, South Ribble and Wyre. These restrictions will improve safety on the highway for all users and also provide some amenity parking.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

A report on Public Health and Health Care Services.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Condition led programme for schools. This report sets out the proposals for the allocation of schools capital funding to address a further phase of high priority building condition repairs on Community, Voluntary Controlled and Maintained Schools in Lancashire.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

In May 2015, the government announced changes to the delivery of adoption services which required that, by April 2020, all adoption services would need to be delivered on a regional basis through Regional Adoption Agencies. The aim of this delivery model is to increase the number of children adopted, reduce the length of time children wait to be adopted and to improve post adoption support services to families who have adopted.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

In line with the county council's procurement rules this report sets out a recommendation to approve the commencement of the following procurement exercises:

(i)  Energy Purchasing Strategy 2020-24

(ii)  Extra Care Services

(iii)  Safer Roads Fund Programme

(iv)  Highway Repairs and Maintenance Service based on daywork rates

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Lancashire County Council reviews the Home to School Transport policy on an annual basis.  As there have been significant changes to the Home to School Transport Policy in recent years, the amendments to the policy for the academic year 2021/2022 are minimal. There are no changes in respect of parents' entitlement to receive home to school transport assistance. Some minor changes have been made to the wording of the mainstream policy to provide clarification for parents.  Additionally, an annex has been added with suggested Home to School Transport arrangements for pupils attending secondary Pupil Referral Units.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Lancashire County Council supports approximately 35,000 carers and adults in community and residential based settings, at an annual net cost of approximately £341 million per year.

This report sets out the county council's proposed fee uplifts for adult social care providers for 2020/21. However, it should be noted that the county council is currently using structural reserve funding and faces continued financial pressures.  Notwithstanding these pressures, the county council continues to increase fees to support Lancashire providers.

The uplifts proposed in this report are a weighted average of national living wage, pension auto-enrolment and other inflationary factors, and are subtly different across services and fee levels due to their differing cost bases.

In response to a successful legal challenge by Mencap in relation to payments for sleep-in services for adults with learning disabilities, changes to night support rates were published in June 2019 and do not form part of this report.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

It is proposed to install traffic calming measures consisting of 19 pairs of road humps (speed cushions) and to reduce the existing speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph. This is proposed along the length of Hoyles Lane and a short section of Sandy Lane.

A public consultation on both proposals was undertaken with a number of supporting responses and objections received.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

To determine the admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled primary and secondary schools and sixth forms schools for the school year 2021/2022.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report concerns the determination of the statutory scheme and the mandatory timetable for co-ordinating admissions for Lancashire's primary and secondary schools and academies for 2021/22. 

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report requests approval to allocate funding in the Transport Capital Programme to the Transforming Cities Programme.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Lancashire County Council has a statutory duty to ensure that a primary or secondary school place is available for every child of statutory school age living in Lancashire who requests one. In August 2019, Cabinet agreed to provide additional places at both Unity College and Shuttleworth College to address this need, through an increase of 30 places to their Published Admission Number, providing a total of 150 additional permanent places at each school.

This report outlines a change to this proposal, due to issues that have arisen with the provision of these places at the Shuttleworth site within the agreed timescale The provision of all the required permanent places will now be at Unity College. 

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report is on Extra Care in Lancashire.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report sets out the reasons for and costs required for the immediate replacement of essential existing hardware/software due to some equipment nearing end of life. The equipment supports business as usual within Document Handling Service. 

In addition it also sets out a request for the service to develop longer term initiatives to support the delivery of the Digital First agenda and Service Challenge 1 and 2.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Following investigations and formal public consultation it is proposed to make a Traffic Regulation Order to introduce restrictions to manage on-street facilities for electric vehicles where charging facilities are installed. The restrictions are designed to create a turnover of vehicles ensuring that the facilities are available for a number of drivers. Along with the provision of electric vehicle charging bays it has been necessary to make alterations and clarifications to adjacent parking restrictions, including simplifying and tidying up a number of discrepancies that have been identified.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report sets out the main sources of capital funding available to Lancashire County Council, through which to commission building works to school premises and proposes a set of principles to be taken into consideration in the development of new programmes of works.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report provides an update on the current viability of Maintained Nursery Schools in Lancashire, any areas of concern and the recommended actions.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report highlights objections to the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order for the recent Bacup town centre improvement works, where the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order can now be considered for making permanent.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report set out a series of proposals that will enable the county council to fulfil its responsibilities for ensuring the sufficiency of provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities over the next five years. It builds on an earlier report to Cabinet on 8 August 2019, setting out the current position with respect to the number and placement of children and young people in Lancashire with special educational needs and disabilities. The current proposals are consistent with the principles underpinning the approach to the development of special educational needs provision that were agreed at the August Cabinet meeting.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report sets out the position in relation to the future of Wennington Hall School.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report seeks approval for an extension to the duration of the existing home care framework.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report requests approval to submit an Expression of Interest to the Department for Transport's Local Pinch Point Fund for funding to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of St Mary's Way including the gyratory in Rawtenstall. The report also requests approval of a local contribution, which is anticipated to be between £1.5m and £2m, depending on the final design, should the submission be successful.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The Transport Asset Management Plan was approved by the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport in June 2014 and identified the key strategic priorities of the county council, as the highway authority for Lancashire, during the 15 year period 2015/16 to 2029/30.

The draft 2019/20 Transport Asset Management Plan Refresh provides updated condition data as at March 2019. Phase 1 of the Transport Asset Management Plan runs until March 2020. This review is therefore the penultimate refresh for this phase and provides indicative information as to likely outturn performance at the end of 2019/20.

Phase 2 of the Transport Asset Management Plan starts in April 2020 and runs until March 2025. It is proposed to review the original Transport Asset Management Plan assumptions using the latest asset condition data and lifecycle modelling to produce a Transport Asset Management Plan Phase 2 Review document which will set out the proposals for the period 2020/21 to 2024/25.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Between 9 September and 18 October 2019, the local authority consulted on a proposal to close Hendon Brook Short Stay School, Nelson, with implementation commencing from 31 August 2020. Under the standard process, the authority is now required to consider the responses to the stage 1 consultation and decide whether to publish a Public Notice on the proposal.

The purpose of this report is to provide the information necessary for that decision to be considered.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

In line with the county council's procurement rules this report sets out a recommendation to approve the commencement of the following procurement exercises:

(i)  Provision of a Direct Payments Support Service

(ii)  Integrated Home Response and Falls Lifting Service

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The Lancashire Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education was first established in 1997. The Constitution and Terms of Reference for the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education have been in existence since then without amendment. This report proposes to update the Constitution and Terms of Reference to reflect the current state of the Lancashire Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education. 

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

Lancashire County Council received a letter dated 15 October 2019 from the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Rt. Hon. Robert Jenrick MP), encouraging council leaders in England, to formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism.

The Community Security Trust is the leading organisation monitoring and supporting victims of antisemitism. Community Security Trust figures reflect the Home Office official statistics from October 2019, which show that 18% of religiously motivated hatred is targeted at Jewish people - up from 12% in 2018 - and that, per capita, Jewish people were most likely to report experiencing hatred.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

In July 2019, the governing body of Thomas Whitham Sixth Form asked Lancashire County Council to consult on the future viability of the school. Therefore, between 16 September and 1 November 2019, the local authority consulted on the future viability of Thomas Whitham Sixth Form, Burnley. Under the statutory process, the authority is now required to consider the responses to the stage 1 consultation and decide whether to publish a Statutory Notice on a proposal to close the school from 31 August 2020.

The purpose of this report is to provide the information necessary for that decision to be considered.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report is for the Procurement of Core Systems Consultancy Support

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report sets out proposals to introduce parking restrictions on ten streets in the Fulwood area of Preston. There is significant daytime parking on these roads due to staff, patients and visitors to the Royal Preston Hospital using the surrounding residential roads for parking.

Excessive and obstructive on street parking is creating issues with traffic flow and parking. The proposed restrictions will remove the obstructive parking and assist with the expeditious movement of traffic along the roads and at their junctions with other roads, whilst also improving road safety for all highway users.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The 2020/21 Cycle Safety Capital Programme includes funding for two parallel crossings as part of the Guild Wheel cycle route in Preston.

The crossings on Oliver's Place and Pittman Way will improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists using the Guild Wheel.

This report summarises the results of the formal advertisement of the proposed parallel crossings to which one objection has been received.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

The Public Transport team has identified a need for two new permanent bus stops and bus stop clearways replacing the existing temporary two-way bus stop on Broadfield Drive, Leyland.

This report summarises the results of the formal advertising of the proposed bus stop clearways to which one objection has been received.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

In accordance with the Government's school funding Regulations and Guidance, the Authority is required to submit a final Schools Block budget pro-forma for 2020/21 to the Education and Skills Funding Agency by 21 January 2020. This report seeks the authorisation of the Cabinet to submit the Schools Block budget pro-forma and requests approval for the Early Years, High Needs and Central Schools Services Block budgets for 2020/21.

This is deemed to be a Key Decision and the provisions of Standing Order C19 have been complied with.

This decision should be implemented immediately for the purposes of Standing Order C29 as any delay could adversely affect the execution of the county council's responsibilities. The reason for this is to ensure that the necessary pro-forma can be submitted to the Education and Skills Funding Agency by the required deadline of 21 January 2020.

This report presents proposals relating to fees and charges in the Libraries, Museums, Culture and Archives service following an annual review to ensure that they support service objectives, efficiency and effectiveness.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report.

This report provides an update to Cabinet on the county council's 2019/20 revenue and capital financial position as at the end of September 2019 and an updated medium term financial strategy (MTFS) covering the period 2020/21 to 2023/24. 

There is currently an unprecedented amount of uncertainty relating to future funding across local government. Accordingly significant assumptions are required to underpin our forecasts. While these can be made with reasonable confidence in the current year, over the medium term, with limited information, we rely heavily on advice from national bodies and discussion with peers. A number of funding scenarios were assessed and the most likely scenario selected as the basis for this forecast.

The provisional local government finance settlement for 2020/21 announced on the 20^th December, was largely in line with the technical consultation that was published in October. It announced the continuation of the revenue support grant and significant additional funding for adult social care. As a result a balanced financial position without recourse to reserves is expected in 2020/21.

The settlement is for one year only and the figures are expected to be confirmed in late January 2020 (within the final settlement announcement). The 2020/21 announcement is the first and only year of the Spending Round 2019, with future years’ announcements dependent on a number of factors, including: spending review 2020, the outcome of the fair funding review, the business rates retention reset, the move to 75% business rates retention and any reform of the new homes bonus scheme. 

Given the uncertainty regarding the future funding for local government, we have modelled a number of scenarios to reflect a range of possible funding measures. Whilst we expect to deliver a balanced budget in 2020/21 without recourse to reserves and after a contribution of £800,000 from revenue to organisational development work, commencing in January 2020. Forecasting based on the most likely funding scenario indicates a significantly reduced future funding gap of £28.438m by 2023/24. This compares favourably with the funding gap reported at Q1 of £64.755m. This is due primarily to increased pay costs and service demand pressures. Work continues to build on last years' service challenge work to deliver further efficiencies and close the funding gap. Further reports will follow as firm costed proposals become available.

In summary:

(i)  The 2019/20 revenue forecast outturn is £790.140m, representing a projected underspend of £12.135m (1.51%) of the agreed budget.

(ii)  The MTFS has been updated and revised and the forecast position has improved significantly in the light of our expectations of future funding levels. At Q1 the MTFS showed a deficit £64.755m to 2022/23 and our most likely scenario now indicates a financial deficit of £28.438m in 2023/24.

(iii)The Council is forecast to hold a General Reserve against unforeseen issues of £23.437m representing circa 3% of net budget, which is unchanged from the previously reported position. 

(iv)The Council is forecast to hold £150.358m of uncommitted transitional reserve which is sufficient to meet the forecast gap beyond the end of the current MTFS period.

The Cabinet approved the recommendation(s) as set out in the report and included the following additional recommendation:

vi.  Thanked the Chief Executive and Director of Resources; the Director of Finance and his staff; and all staff for their hard work in achieving the improvement in the county council's financial position and the forecast reduced future funding gap.