Agenda and minutes

15.1     The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on the 19 July 2022 were agreed as a correct record.

16.1     Copies of the reports referred to below are included in the minute book.

Report by Chief Executive

17.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Chief Executive.

17.2     It was RESOLVED to:

            1) note the latest monitoring position for the Council;

2) note the addition of the proposed new ‘Schools and ISEND’ risk to the Strategic Risk register; note the deletion of the previous ‘Schools’ risk from the register; and

3) approve additional capital investment of £0.307m for the development of disabled children's accommodation at Sorrel Drive.

Reason
17.3     The report sets out the Council’s position and year-end projections for the Council Plan targets, Revenue Budget, Capital Programme, and Savings Plan, together with Risks at the end of June 2022.

Report by Chief Executive

18.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Chief Executive.

18.2     It was RESOLVED to:

1)        note the updated policy and demographic context as set out in paragraph 2 of the report;

2)        note the updated Medium Term Financial Plan as set out in paragraph 3 and appendix 1 of the report;

3)         approve the allocation of £270,000 from the £5.175m Services Grant funding to support staff recruitment and retention as set out in paragraph 4.5 of the report, and to hold the remainder of the funding in the Priority and Transformation Reserve;

4)         note the capital programme update as set out in paragraph 5 and appendix 2 of the report;

5)         agree to continue lobbying for sustainable funding to meet the needs of the residents of East Sussex.

Reason
18.3     In June Cabinet considered the State of the County report, a key milestone in the Council’s Reconciling Policy, Performance and Resources (RPPR) process, its integrated business and financial planning cycle. The report set out the updated demographic, economic and service evidence base; the national and local policy context; and updates on our medium term financial planning position and capital programme. The report illustrated the high levels of uncertainty and change that continue to dominate the environment within which we are working and planning.

18.4     Since June the instability in our planning context has persisted, with significant further national economic and political developments. A new Prime Minister took office on 6 September and although the new Government’s policy agenda and priorities are beginning to emerge, there remains uncertainty over whether, or how, national policy proposals brought forward by the previous administration will be progressed.

18.5     The RPPR process, which brings together our policy, business and financial planning and risk management, continues to provide the robust mechanism to help us navigate this uncertain environment, supporting planning for 2023/24 and beyond and maintaining focus on our four priority outcomes.

18.6     With our firm foundation of careful management of resources over many years, and with the assistance of Government Covid support during the pandemic, we have been able to maintain stability in service provision in recent years and we are managing current, in-year pressures within our current plans and contingency arrangements. However, the financial outlook in the medium term is increasingly challenging and uncertain with national economic conditions impacting on our projected future position, alongside pre-existing pressures and uncertainties. This report provides our latest assessment of the position.

18.7     This report provides Members with an update on the rapidly evolving context that will continue to inform our planning for 2023/24.

Report by the Chief Operating Officer and the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

19.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport and Chief Operating Officer.

19.1     It was RESOLVED to note the progress report.

Reason
19.2     The Council has recognised the severity of the climate crisis by declaring a climate emergency, setting a clear science-based target and committing an additional £9.9m of funding to cutting corporate carbon emissions. The scale of the Council’s functions and the diversity of providers the Council works with makes this a complex and substantial task. Significant work has already been undertaken to reduce emissions and will continue to be undertaken. This progress report sets out what has been achieved to date.

Report by Director of Adult Social Care and Health

20.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Adult Social Care and Health.

20.2     The Cabinet RESOLVED to:

            1)         note the initial report ‘Vision for Community Hubs in East Sussex’ from Collaborate; and

2)         agree the draft high level action plan, and the suggested governance arrangements to take forward the recommendations and subsequent work programme, in line with the cross-cutting nature of the Council’s work in relation to communities.

Reason

20.3     The Vision for Community Hubs in East Sussex report accurately reflects the extent of the wide-ranging engagement and research undertaken during the nine months of the commissioned work, and presents a robust shared platform upon which to progress the next steps for implementing Community Hubs.

20.4     The cost of living crisis, in addition to the ongoing need to respond to other needs in our current context, presents a compelling argument for a sustainable and joined up approach that targets support in communities where it is most needed. This has strong alignment with health and care reform agendas for children and adults of all ages, and the Council’s priority of helping people help themselves.

20.5     There is also considerable expectation from the Council’s partners about the response to Collaborate’s report, and a clear focus for this work making use of existing revenue budget is recommended. This will ensure that hubs are implemented effectively and connections can be made across the shared priorities that community hubs will help deliver, so that relationships continue to strengthen at the local level for the benefit of our residents.

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

21.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

21.2     The Cabinet RESOLVED to approve the County Council’s draft proposed response to the Transport for the South East consultation on their draft Strategic Investment Plan as set out in paragraphs 2.11 – 2.28 of the report.

Reason

21.3     The transport and global policy interventions identified in the TfSE Strategic Investment Plan will deliver significant change in the county and support our key priorities specifically the levelling up of our communities who are most at need and importantly accelerate the delivery of the decarbonisation of transport. This will support greater strategic connectivity and resilience of our networks across the county and unlock opportunities for localised transport measures for public transport and active travel to support greater social inclusion, health, and wellbeing. As outlined in paragraph 2.13, the TfSE Strategy and SIP will also support policy development and the identification of strategic transport interventions as part of the current review of our Local Transport Plan, which will be undertaken during the next eighteen months.

22.1     It was agreed that items 5 and 7 should be reported to the County Council.

[Note: The items being reported to the County Council refer to minute numbers 17 and 18]

Report by Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

23.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport together with exempt information contained in a later agenda item.

23.2     The Cabinet RESOLVED to note the process and outcomes from the procurement stage of the Highways Services Re-procurement Project and agree to award the Highways Infrastructure Service Contract to the preferred bidder, tenderer (A).

Reason

23.3     The tender received from Tenderer A meets the requirements of the tender process and the proposals for managing and delivering the service set out in the contract. The Project Team have assessed their prices and validated the full build up and determined that they are accurate and sustainable (subject to funding availability). The Project Team have also satisfied themselves that Tenderer A’s organisational approach, experience and market ability meet the requirements to organise, manage and deliver our future highway services to support the Council’s ambitions for the network and enable the delivery of the project outcomes.

23.4     The recommended tender increases current pressure in the MTFP by £1.794m and, in addition, under the terms of the new contract, the Contractor is entitled to an annual inflationary uplift applied to the Core Activities (lumps sums) over the life of the contract. Notwithstanding this pressure, when completing the tender evaluation, the recommended Tenderer A is the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) offering the Council the lowest contract price and the highest contract quality.

24.1     The Cabinet agreed to exclude the public and press from the meeting for the remaining agenda items on the grounds that if the public and press were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as specified in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Report by Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

25.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport regarding the highway services re-procurement project which provided exempt information in support of an earlier item on the agenda.

25.2     The Cabinet RESOLVED to note the report

Reason

25.3     The report contained exempt information in support of an earlier agenda item.