Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bevan, Bisnauthsing, Higgs, Shorrock and Ian Stokes.

Members are asked to disclose any interests in matters for consideration at the meeting.

Councillor Wells disclosed a pecuniary interest in respect of agenda item 6: Health Sustainability Review and the big picture for healthcare in South Kesteven because he worked in the healthcare industry. Mr Kitt, the Chief Officer for the South West Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group invited Councillor Wells to stay in the meeting as the presentation was for information only and all the information contained therein was already in the public domain.

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 November 2013 were proposed and seconded as a correct record. One Councillor requested that minute number 40: Communications (including Chairman’s announcements) be amended. Members were reminded that the minutes of a meeting were not a verbatim record. The proposed amendment was not accepted and a vote was taken to agree the minutes as written. On being put to the vote the minutes were agreed as a correct record.

                                                                                                                  (Enclosure)

The Council noted the Chairman’s engagements.

Presentation by Allan Kitt and Gary Thompson.

The Chairman introduced Allan Kitt, the Chief Officer of the South West Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), who had been invited to give a presentation on the Lincolnshire Health Sustainability Review. Mr Kitt began his presentation by offering the apologies of Gary Thompson (the Chief Officer of the South Lincolnshire CCG) who had been detained at another meeting.

The presentation began with a summary of the drivers behind the review, which included the Frances and Keogh reports that challenged quality, the ageing population, improving technology, the emerging health and care gap, opportunities to improve outcomes and use of resources, and integration with social care.

Key work-streams of the review were: proactive care, urgent care, planned care and women and children’s care. The key message coming from the review recognised that improving proactive care was the main solution. Emphasis was placed on opportunities to provide services close to home and creating a system where health and care were easy to get with reduced duplication. The review also identified benefits in providing more specialist care at fewer places but making it easier to access and integrating commissioning and provision.

Mr Kitt explained the input from the south of the county. Both south and south-west CCGs were part of the programme board and had put forward the case for patients and the population in south Lincolnshire. Members were informed that GPs and medical staff had been involved in setting the vision for the programme, as had the local health watch. The south-west CCG also brought forward its experiences from the Shaping Health for Mid-Kesteven project, which, Members were informed, complemented the sustainability review. Mr Kitt added that GPs in the south and south-west supported the plans that had emerged from the review.

A number of anticipated outcomes for the county were identified including improvements in quality, clinically sustainable services, long-term financial stability, becoming a leader in development, reshaping commissioning and service provision and significantly increasing value while significantly reducing cost.

A summary of the integration of Lincolnshire councils with health services in Lincolnshire was provided. There was strong engagement between councils and the health and well-being board while a strong partnership was growing with the CCG. A joint commissioning framework had been developed and joint teams and projects were emerging. Reference was made to single assessment systems, shared by health and social care with one outcome being the use of personalised budgets. It was hoped that a Pooled Better Care Fund covering £53m by 2017 would prove to be a key driver for joined-up local services.

Phase two of the project would take place from February to September 2014, when detailed service design would be undertaken together with public consultation, the development of relevant specifications and procurement. Phase three was the implementation of the model, which was likely to begin in the late winter and spring with a number of pilot projects and non-consultation actions. Further work on the project would review which services were delivered at all sites, what could  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

Report number LDS111 by the Chairman of the Welland Independent Remuneration Panel.                                                                                                                  (Enclosure)

Decision:

1.    That the Council accepts the recommendations made by the Welland Independent Remuneration Panel made in its report attached as appendix 1 to report number LDS111

2.    That Members’ allowances should continue to be index-linked to local authority pay awards

3.    That the Constitution be amended to incorporate the approved Scheme of Remuneration

John Cade, the Chairman of the Welland Independent Remuneration Panel was welcomed to the meeting. Mr Cade explained the process undergone by the panel and summarised its recommendations. Members were informed that the panel used information collected during a workshop session, a timesheet exercise and an evidence-gathering session as the basis for its considerations. He explained that there was no evidence that suggested the basic allowance needed changing. Members’ attention was drawn to the proposals relating to special responsibility allowances, which he summarised. These were based on a percentage of the basic allowance that was calculated using evidence of the level of responsibility that was attached to a particular role. When developing its recommendations the panel was mindful of the financial pressures under which councils were operating. The proposals would see a small saving for the Council.

The Council was informed that the indicative figures in the Panel’s report, attached as an appendix to report number LDS111, were based on the allowances paid before the 1% increase was applied in line with the staff pay award. The Panel felt that index linking should continue. Finally Mr Cade expressed the thanks of the Panel to the officers who had supported the review.

Members of the Council expressed their thanks to Mr Cade and the Panel members and it was proposed and seconded that:

1.    The Council accepts the recommendations made by the Welland Remuneration Panel made in its report attached as appendix 1 to report number LDS111

2.    Members’ allowances should continue to be index-linked to local authority pay awards

3.    The Constitution be amended to incorporate the approved Scheme of Remuneration

In response to questions, Mr Cade explained that the basic allowance was for time spent by Councillors in carrying out their basic duties and could be equated to an hourly rate. Special responsibilities allowances included acknowledgement of additional time spent on duties but particularly accounted for additional responsibilities placed on individuals. He added that indexing with staff pay awards rather than the retail or consumer price index was more straightforward to calculate and being increasingly adopted as good practice by local authorities.

The proposals were put to the vote and carried.

Report number LDS116 of the Chief Executive.                             (Enclosure)

Decision:

That the Council approves the alternative arrangement of holding the vacancy following the resignation of Councillor Debbie Wren until the vacancy has been filled.

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services gave a brief explanation of report number LDS116. The resignation of Councillor Debbie Wren had led to changes in the political balance of the Council. The report proposed two options: the Council could choose to carry the vacancy and make no changes to the membership of committees or it could adjust the membership of its committees to reflect the political balance of the Council. Members were reminded that further revisions would need to be made following a by-election.

Recommendation 1.1 of report number LDS116, which would hold the vacancy, was proposed and seconded.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.4, a request was made for a recorded vote; this was supported by more than ten Councillors.

(Councillor Jock Kerr was not in the Council Chamber when the recorded vote was taken).

With all Councillors voting in support, the proposal to hold the vacancy was carried.

Report number LDS117 by the Chairman of the Constitution Committee.   (Enclosure)

Decision:

1.       Authorisation of PCSOs to issue fixed penalty notices

1.1   That the Scheme of Delegation to officers at page 102 of the Constitution is amended to include the authorisation to delegate to Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to serve fixed penalty notices.

2.       Members Remuneration

2.1   That the Council approves at page 293 paragraph 4 of the Constitution the addition of the words “Co-habiting members shall only be entitled to make one claim per household for broadband allowance.”

2.2   That the recommendations listed at 1.2(2) and 1.2(3) of report number LDS117 be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee for further clarification

3.       Public speaking at Development Control Committee

 3.1   That the recommendation listed at 1.3 of report number LDS117 be referred for further consideration by the Constitution Committee following consultation with the Development Control Committee

The Chairman of the Constitution Committee presented report number LDS117 which proposed a number of changes to the Constitution. In presenting the report he moved recommendations 1.1 (authorisation of PCSOs to issue fixed penalty notices for dog fouling, littering and graffiti) and 1.2(1) (clarifying that co-habiting members would only be entitled to make one claim per household) as written. He further proposed that recommendations 1.2(2) and 1.2(3) relating to members’ allowances be referred to the Governance and Audit Committee for further clarification and recommendation 1.3, (which related to the period of notice required to request to speak at Development Control Committee) be referred for further consideration by the Constitution Committee following consultation with the Development Control Committee. These propositions were seconded.

Several Members spoke in support of the proposals, particularly in relation to authorising Police Community Support Officers to issue fixed penalty notices. Members also welcomed the opportunity for the Development Control Committee to be consulted   on the issue relating to public speaking at the Committee.

A separate vote was taken for each proposition.

Recommendation 1.1 was put to the vote and carried. Recommendation 1.2(1) was put to the vote and carried. The referral of recommendations 1.2(2) and 1.2(3) to the Governance and Audit Committee were put to the vote and carried unanimously. The referral of recommendation 1.3 for consultation with the Development Control Committee and further consideration by the Constitution Committee was put to the vote and carried unanimously.

The meeting was closed at 15:50.