Meeting documents

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Derek Beer, Ray Bryan, Andy Canning, Toni Coombs, Lesley Dedman, Mike Parkes and David Walsh.

Councillors are required to comply with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 regarding disclosable pecuniary interests.

§     Check if there is an item of business on this agenda in which the member or other relevant person has a disclosable pecuniary interest.

§     Check that the interest has been notified to the Monitoring Officer (in writing) and entered in the Register (if not this must be done on the form available from the clerk within 28 days).

§     Disclose the interest at the meeting (in accordance with the County Council’s Code of Conduct) and in the absence of a dispensation to speak and/or vote, withdraw from any consideration of the item.

The Register of Interests is available on Dorsetforyou.com and the list of disclosable pecuniary interests is set out on the reverse of the form.

There were no declarations by members of disclosable pecuniary interests under the Code of Conduct.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2018.

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 July 2018 were confirmed and signed.

(a)          Public Speaking

(b)          Petitions

(a) Public Speaking

A question was asked by Mr Mark White, resident of Gillingham, to the Cabinet member for Adult Social Care, in accordance with Standing Order 21(1), in relation to the proposed demolition of St. Martin’s House, Gillingham.  The question and answer are attached to these minutes as an annexure. 

A statement was received from Mr Peter Sibthorp, Chairman of the Ridge Moors Action Group, in accordance with Standing Order 21(2), in relation to the Moors at Arne.  The statement is attached to these minutes as an annexure.

(b) Petitions

There were no petitions received at the meeting in accordance with the County Council’s Petition Scheme.

(a) Deaths of Former Members of the Council

The Chairman reported on the following deaths of former members of the Council:

·         Mr Steven Lugg on 20 July 2018 who served on the County Council from 2016 to 2018 representing the Ferndown division.

·         Mr Michael Green on 7 August 2018 who served on the County Council from 1973 to 1985 representing the Bournemouth Boscombe East division.

Members paid tribute to the dedication and commitment of the former members to Dorset and within their divisions.  The County Council then stood in silent tribute.

(b) Chairman’s Announcements

The Chairman reported that she had attended a range of events including:

·         Official opening of the Blackdown Nature reserve and parking area

·         Reception at the Shire Hall

·         Annual Legal Service with the High Sheriff

·         Opening a Concert of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

It was also announced that a Children in Care fundraising range of Christmas Cards were available for purchase with proceeds being raised for charity.

In addition to the items detailed above, a tribute was made to Debbie Ward, Chief Executive, at the end of the meeting as her last meeting of the County Council.

To consider the following motion submitted.  In accordance with Standing Order 17, motions which if adopted would constitute the exercise of an executive function, shall be presented to the Council by the proposer and be referred automatically to the appropriate Committee without debate by the Council.  The motion will be placed on the next appropriate agenda.  The appropriate Committee will then consider how the motion will be dealt with. At the discretion of the Chairman, debate and decision may take place in relation to strategically important issues raised within motions.

Unless determined otherwise by the Chairman the maximum time to be allowed to present each motion shall be 10 minutes.

Andrew Cattaway (County Councillor for Gillingham): Safe Passage "Our Turn" lone child refugee campaign

The motion is seconded by: Cllr David Jones (County Councillor for Burton Grange)

Cllr Cattaway will provide an introduction celebrating the successful work already being achieved by Children’s Services officers with looked-after children, and the recent introduction of the Safe Passage "Our Turn" lone child refugee campaign.  He will then move the following motion:

‘That DCC should continue to give the strongest possible support to joint working with Safe Passage (Dorset) towards pursuing the aims of the national Safe Passage campaign next April/May when the new Dorset (Unitary) Council comes into being.’

A deputation will also be presented by Safe Passage as part of the motion submission on the ‘Our Turn’ campaign.

In accordance with Standing Order 17, Cllr Andrew Cattaway, moved a motion which was designed to provide support for an organisation - Safe Passage UK - in arranging the safe passage of child refugees fleeing from those countries experiencing conflict, unrest, oppression and turmoil in seeking asylum in the United Kingdom and how those children could be accommodated within Dorset; the motion being:-

‘That DCC should continue to give the strongest possible support to joint working with Safe Passage (Dorset) towards pursuing the aims of the national Safe Passage campaign next April/May when the new Dorset (Unitary) Council comes into being.’

The motion was seconded by Cllr David Jones.

Cllr Andrew Cattaway provided an introduction in celebration of the successful work already being achieved by Children’s Services officers with looked-after children, and the recent introduction of the Safe Passage "Our Turn" lone child refugee campaign. How Safe Passage UK could complement the work already being done was explained to members.

During the course of the motion being moved, Cllr Cattaway took the opportunity to propose an amendment to it, in that any agreement to support what was being done should be only "in principle" and that the new Dorset Council should be persuaded to maintain that commitment, if at all practicable. He felt that it was the duty of the County Council to be seen to be setting an example in humanitarian terms and inclusiveness in providing a safe haven for those children and in providing the opportunity for them to be able to be resettled and make a life for themselves in Dorset, benefitting from the opportunities other children had across the County and in being able to access what Dorset had to offer.

He clarified that any agreement to this by the Council would not mean an obligation to any financial commitment from it nor its successor authority. If Safe Passage UK was unsuccessful in its bid to Government for 100% funding for a scheme, then this would not be taken any further forward.

The Council received a deputation from Safe Passage UK and heard from Mr Bernard Sullivan who explained the history behind the organisation and how it had built upon the inspirational work begun in 1938 of an organised humanitarian effort, Kindertransport, which had successfully assured the asylum in this country of Jewish children prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. He explained how Safe Passage UK operated, what it did and the means by which refugee children seeking asylum came to the UK.

Given that the current resettlement arrangements in place by the local authorities were due to cease in 2020, he made an impassioned plea that the Council did all it could to support the work the organisation was doing in trying to resettle those children and that the Council might play its part in accepting up to three child refugees, each year, for the next 10 years. He appreciated that the Council could not give any commitment from April 2019 as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

The Leader was pleased to announce a number of positive stories with which the Council had been recently involved.

The Friends of Durlston Country Park had been recognised at the Dorset Volunteer Awards for their contribution towards the interpretation of the Victorian landscape at Durlston Country Park so that it made the most of what it had to offer. She was proud that over 800 volunteers had given some 10,000+ hours of their own time in playing their part in this success.

She was proud to say that two projects and an individual had been shortlisted for the National LGC Awards 2019, these being:-

• an innovative ecological approach to highway verge management in Dorset,
• working in partnership to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the Dorset coast; and,
• that Transport Planning Team Leader, Kate Tunks, had been shortlisted for her transport planning work in the ‘Rising Star’ category.

The Leader considered that national recognition of what the County Council was doing and how it was doing it to be a clear justification and endorsement of the means by which the Authority was delivering its services. The nominations were highly prestigious and, on behalf of the Council, she wished those shortlisted every success.

How the County Council was delivering social care to its residents had been reflected in the achievement of Dorset being ranked first of all 150 local authorities in England in the national 2018 Adult Social Care Survey for the support it provided to residents using its social care services. The Leader was very proud of this success and in the recognition of the commitment made by staff of the Adult Services Directorate in this achievement.

The Council roundly endorsed all the announcements the Leader had drawn to their attention.

The Chairman of the Council, Leader of the Council, Cabinet Members, or chairmen of appropriate committees to answer questions on any business not covered on this agenda.  The closing date for the receipt of questions is 10.00am on 5 November 2018.  This item is limited to 45 minutes.

There were no questions received at the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 20.

Resolved

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 18 July 2018 be adopted.

Recommendation 101 - Approval of the Youth Justice Plan for 2018/19

Homelessness in Dorset: Review of Evidence

In relation to minute 101b, clarification was sought regarding the future of Emergency Local Assistance funding to which Cllr Jill Haynes, as the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, explained that there was a lot more work to do in this area with district council colleagues regarding targeted funding. It was noted that discussions were taking place within the Shadow Dorset Council.

Resolved

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 5 September 2018 be adopted, and the recommendation below be approved.

Recommendation 101 – Approval of the Youth Justice Plan for 2018/19

That Cabinet be asked to recommend the County Council to approve the Youth Justice Plan for 2018-19.

Reason for Recommendation

The draft Youth Justice Plan meets statutory requirements. The Plan reviewed achievements in the previous year, details the structure, governance and resources of the Youth Offending Service, and sets out the priorities for 2018-19.

Quarterly Asset Management Report

Questions were raised in respect of the future of Weymouth Registration Office within minute 110.  Cllr Tony Ferrari, as the Cabinet member for Community and Resources, clarified that the future was not certain as this depended on what arrangements would be put in place by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council in respect of the new Weymouth Town Council from 1 April 2019.

Defining the New Relationship between the Local Authority, Schools and Academies

In relation to minute 112, Cllr Clare Sutton sought reassurance regarding the difference the Dorset School Improvement Board would make to local schools in the greatest need, especially in Weymouth, and in relation to the geographical clustering of peer support.  Cllr Andrew Parry, as the Cabinet Member for Economy, Education, Learning and Skills highlighted the faith he had in the work being done to improve schools that were struggling in Weymouth and that there were clear statements of action that were fit for purpose. He also drew attention to the inspirational teaching staff in Dorset’s schools who would benefit from peer support. £100k had already been pledged for cluster working.  It was noted that this issue would also be discussed outside of the meeting.

Motor Neurone Disease Charter Adoption

Assurance was provided in respect of minute 114 on the application of the charter following adoption, which would include a focus on the timeliness of activities and support through a whole system joint approach which was enhanced using the Council’s integrated care system.

Resolved

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 17 October 2018 be adopted.

Update on working with schools, school improvement within Weymouth and Portland

and Education Health Care Plan performance

In relation to minute 47, a request was made for further information about the increase in the number of Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) over the past three years, the impact on the completion of the plans, the cost of the plans to the Council and the cost to schools (especially those with high levels of Special Educational Needs and Disability). A further comment was received about the level of completion of EHCPs within the target timescale which stood at 87% and was expected to be above 90% by the end of November 2018.

It was confirmed that information would be shared with members outside of the meeting, and for the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board’s Inquiry Day into Children’s Services in January 2019.

Resolved

That the minutes of the People and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 10 October 2018 be adopted.

School Exclusions Update

In relation to minute 45, a question was asked about whether the removal of youth club provision was a contributory factor to an increase in crime.  It was explained by Cllr Steve Butler that he was not convinced that youth service provision contributed, but the reduction in outreach workers funded by the Dorset Police had made a difference.

A further question was asked in relation to the trends and comparison of exclusions between maintained schools and academies which were considerably higher. The increased focus of Ofsted in relation to monitoring exclusions was explained and that in Dorset there was a process of managed movement of pupils, but this was an area to closely monitor, with information being shared with members outside of the meeting. 

Resolved

That the minutes of the Safeguarding Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 11 October 2018 be adopted.

Report regarding the work of the Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee Task and Finish Group Re: Clinical Services Review

A request was made for confirmation that the submission of a referral to the Secretary of State for Health in respect of the Clinical Commissioning Group’s Clinical Services Review at minute 38 had now been made. Cllr Bill Pipe, as the Chairman of the Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee, explained that a letter, supporting evidence and documents had all been sent to the Secretary of State.

Resolved

That the minutes of the Dorset Health Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 17 October 2018 be adopted.

To consider a recommendation from the Staffing Committee in relation to Senior Staffing Arrangements and a supporting report.

Members considered a recommendation and report by the Leader of the Council in relation to the appointment of interim roles of Chief Executive and Director for Adult and Community Services until 31 March 2019 following a decision of the Staffing Committee to agree a request for voluntary redundancy by Debbie Ward as the Chief Executive of the County Council.

A question was asked in relation to the start date of the Adult Services role for Nick Jarman on 1 December 2018, which coincided with concerns regarding the financial state of Allied Healthcare and that the Council could be liable to take on commitment for service user placements with the company from the end of November 2018.  Cllr Jill Haynes, as the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, confirmed that there was one service user that could be affected, and options were being explored in relation to this issue.

Resolved (unanimous)

1. That Mr Mike Harries be appointed as Interim Chief Executive and designate him as Interim Head of Paid Service until the end of 31 March 2019.

2. That Mr Nick Jarman be designated as Interim Director of Adult Services, in addition to his role as Director for Children’s Services until the end of 31 March 2019.

Reason for Decision

To ensure the continued delivery of the County Council’s statutory responsibilities and effective management.

To consider a report by the Monitoring Officer. NOT FOR PUBLICATION (Paragraph 1)

This item was withdrawn at the meeting.

Members paid tribute to the Chief Executive and her 38 years in Local Government.  Her professionalism, leadership, approachability and commitment were lauded, and the personal help she had provided to both members and officers was recognised.  She had made a huge difference to the direction the Council had taken, had provided strong leadership for her staff, was regarded and respected by them and was at the forefront of what members and the organisation were trying to achieve.  Members wished her and her family well for the future.

In response the Chief Executive thanked members for their kind words and recognised that she would not have been able to achieve anything without the support of her staff.