Agenda and minutes

44.1     The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on the 23 January 2024 were agreed as a correct record.

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

Report by the Chief Executive.

46.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Chief Executive.

46.2     It was RESOLVED to:

            1) Note the latest monitoring position for the Council; and

                 2) Approve the proposed deletion of the performance measure set out in paragraph 2.1 of the report.

Reason

46.3     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 December 2023.

Report by the Director of Children’s Services.

47.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Children’s Services.

47.2     It was RESOLVED to:

1) Welcome the findings of the inspection of the work of ESCC for children and young people which was published on 6 February 2024; and

2) Note the action plan which is being developed to address the areas for improvement.

Reason

47.3     The Council’s Children’s Services has been judged to be good overall and outstanding for the experiences and progress of children in care. This is a good outcome for the service and for the Council which has made keeping vulnerable people safe, a priority outcome. It is a very welcome recognition of all the hard, determined, and high-quality work we have done since our last inspection, through a time of pandemic, its continuing effects, and cost of living pressures.

47.4     East Sussex has maintained a focus on the key priority outcome of keeping vulnerable people safe and responded well to the impact of the pandemic, increased demand and the challenging financial context for both families and the council.

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

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

48.2     It was RESOLVED to:

1) Note that the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) will be drawn to a close on 31 March 2024;

2) Agree that Team East Sussex continues to operate after 31 March 2024 in an advisory capacity as the recognised business-led strategic economic growth board for East Sussex;

3) Approve the final SELEP Integration Plan, set out in Appendix 1 of the report; and

4) Approve the final East Sussex Integration Plan set out in Appendix 2 of the report.

Reason

48.3     The government’s decision to allocate non statutory LEP responsibilities to Upper Tier Local Authorities by 31 March 2024 will provide a range of opportunities for the County Council and its stakeholder partners across East Sussex to have more freedom in setting strategic priorities and accelerating programmes of activity to support local economic growth.

48.4     The County Council is ideally placed to take on former LEP responsibilities with our very successful track record in developing, delivering and evaluating impactful economic growth initiatives in the county and with a proven ability to convene partners and stakeholders to work together for the benefit of local businesses and residents. The LEP transition will give the council the opportunity to build on the existing management and oversight of the capital programme, through which it has successfully met ongoing financial, legal and reporting requirements since SELEP was formed, whilst enabling a more localised oversight and decision-making process through the introduction and maintenance of additional governance and programme management functions.

49.1    It was agreed that items 5 and 6 should be reported to the County Council.

[Note: the item being reported to the County Council refers to minute numbers 46 and 47.]