Items including a new adult education plan and a new approach for commissioning housing and care homes for vulnerable residents are on the agenda when Cornwall Council’s Cabinet committee meet today.
The meeting, which will take place at County Hall in Truro at 10am, will also discuss the Provisional Outturn Report for 2023/24, which suggests a much-improved financial position for the authority compared to six months ago.
The report details the financial position for the council at the end of the last financial year, and reports an overspend of £3.145 million, down from a predicted £14.9 million at the end of quarter two. A further report proposes adjustments to the 2024/25 Budget to mitigate the risk of overspends continuing in high demand, high-cost services.
Also before the cabinet will be the Annual Report for 2023/24, which highlights the achievements of the previous year, and looks forward to 2024/25.
You can watch proceedings via our webcast service, or follow our live blog below:
9.30am: Today's meeting will begin at 10am
10am: Today's meeting is now underway.
10.01am: We begin with apologies for absence and declarations of interest, and the approval of the minutes of the last meeting.
10.02am: Cllr Linda Taylor tells the meeting: "I would like to begin by highlighting today’s busy agenda, and recognising how it demonstrates just how we are delivering our priorities as an administration. Last year’s annual report in particular shows clearly the scale of our ambition in what has been achieved so far.
"When we were elected three years ago, we set ourselves the target of building a Cornwall where everyone can start well, live well and age well, and all aspects of that overarching statement are directly tackled by initiatives we will be discussing today.
"There will obviously be time to go through each one in detail as we work through the papers, but it is gratifying to see how the herculean efforts of my cabinet colleagues and our officers to work for the benefit of our residents are bearing fruit."
10.04am: There are no public questions, so we move onto the first item on today's agenda, the council's Annual Report. Cllr Taylor tells the meeting it highlights many achievements, and that one highlight for her was the national Armed Forces Day celebrations in Falmouth last summer.
10.05am: Cllr Taylor also highlights last year's level two devolution deal, and the collaboration agreement with the Welsh Government as further highlights. She asks her cabinet colleagues to speak on their own highlights for the past 12 months.
10.07am: Cllr Carol Mould says the new waste collection service roll out has been her own highlight, and says there are already encouraging figures showing increased recycling rates as a result of the changes.
10.10am: Cllr Andy Virr is next to speak, and says that he is proud of the business as usual work of his portfolio; adult social care and health. He also highlights the work to ensure people can continue living in their own homes in the future through care at home initiatives.
10.12am: Cllr Olly Monk says he is proud of the Community Infrastructure Levy funding that is making a real difference with community projects throughout Cornwall. He also highlights the success in schemes across Cornwall, including work to reduce the number of people in temporary and emergency accommodation, saying they have halved the number of people in such housing in the past 12 months.
10.15am: Cllr Connor Donnithorne is next to speak, highlighting the work his team has done to ensure all residents can easily access the council's services, especially the work of the Digital Champions team.
10.17am: Cllr Richard Williams-Pears highlights getting the green light for the Mid Cornwall Metro project, which will link the north and south coast of Cornwall with an hourly train service. He also highlights the large growth in the use of buses in Cornwall, with 33% more passengers last year compared to the previous 12 months. He also mentions the increased installation of electric vehicle charging points, and the change to LED street lighting with its green benefits.
10.21am: Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek speaks next, thanking the whole team in Together for Families for their hard work. She says the Annual Conversation held last month was her personal highlight, and says she was so impressed by seeing how the children who first joined the Youth Council three years ago have developed into fantastic young people, and are inspiring their peers. She also talks about the recent elections held for the Youth Council, and how it is engaging young people in the democratic process.
10.25am: Cllr David Harris is next to speak, and says he acknowledges the difficult financial position, but that Cornwall Council is continually striving to deliver value for money for its residents, and that external scrutiny has shown this is the case. He highlights the fact that in the residents survey, people's trust in the council to deliver value for money is growing, bucking the national trend.
10.27am: Cllr Linda Taylor concludes by thanking the officers at the council for their hard work in delivering for its residents. She asks her colleagues to approve the report, and is seconded by Cllr Williams-Pears.
10.31am: The report is approved unanimously. We now move onto the provisional outrun report for 2023-24.
10.32am: Cllr David Harris, deputy leader and portfolio holder for resources, introduces the report, which details the financial position for the council at the end of the last financial year, and reports an overspend of £3.145 million, down from a predicted £14.9 million at the end of quarter two.
He says that wile it is pleasing to see the numbers lower than expected, it is still an overspend, and the financial pressures, which are not unique to Cornwall Council, continue to be a challenge and will require further mitigations.
He also highlights lower than expected performance figures from both Treveth Holdings and Corserve.
10.37am: Cllr Williams-Pears seconds the report, and says that the shortfall in Corserve's expected dividend will be subject to further analysis and come back to cabinet in the near future.
10.39am: Cllr Jayne Kirkham asks whether Cornwall Airport has affected the Corserve figures. Cllr Williams-Pears confirms it has not been affected.
The outturn report is approved unanimously.
10.41am: The next item on the agenda is the budget for 2024/25. Cllr Harris tells the meeting that since the turn of the year the council has continued to see pressure on its budgets as demand for services increases and costs continue to rise. He explains that ways of finding savings have had to be found to stop any reliance on using reserves to balance the books.
10.46am: Cllr Harris refers to the proposals to devolve some of the council's land assets moving forwards. He tells the meeting that it is not a fire-sale, it is a plan to hand control of assets to whoever is best placed to manage them, including community groups. He says he wants to be clear on the point to correct some 'poor reporting' seen on the issue.
10.48am: Cllr Taylor highlights the sale of land at Pendennis Head in Falmouth to the local town council for £1 as an example of how land assets could be devolved.
10.49am: Cllr Olly Monk seconds the report.
10.52am: Cllr Connor Donnithorne speaks on the report, and highlights the work the council is doing to become more efficient through reducing duplication work, lowering costs and improving services for residents.
10.54am: Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek acknowledges the cost pressures on her portfolio, Together for Families, and highlights the work being undertaken to reduce costs in all areas, including school transport.
10.58am: Cllr Taylor asks how the call for more foster carers is going, and is told that appeals are currently underway for people to come forward.
11.01am: Cllr Jayne Kirkham asks for more details on the potential disposal of land assets. Cllr Harris reiterates that it is not a fire-sale, that it is a softly-softly approach on a case-by-case basis. He says that the council does have a duty to get best value for land, but that may well mean devolving for a nominal cost to community groups.
11.08am: Cllr John Conway asks a question regarding school transport, and says he would like the changes within the document discussed in detail. He highlights a recommendation for a change in constitution and governance, and wants to ensure it is discussed in public at a future date. Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek says she will look at the item raised, but says it has already been before scrutiny, and advises Cllr Conway that he can watch the meeting back.
11.12am: Phil Mason, strategic director for strategic growth, advises Cllr Conway that the report in question is recommendations from a review, and not proposed changes.
11.14am: The next item on the agenda is the Adult Education Strategic Skills Plan. Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek introduces the report, and explains it builds on the decision to devolve powers over the budget to Cornwall Council as part of last year's level two devolution deal.
She tells the meeting it is vital for delivering the skills needed by the evolving Cornish economy.
11.18am: The plan is seconded by Cllr Andy Virr, who says it is a real help for residents wanting to improve themselves and their life chances.
11.20am: The plan is approved unanimously.
11.21am: The next item on the agenda is the Future commissioning approach for Extra Care Housing and Care Homes - Business Cases.
The item is introduced by Cllr Andy Virr, who explains how the plan will help people with health and social care needs access good quality accommodation with the right types of care and support, in the right place, at the right time in accordance with the Council’s Supported and Specialist Housing Strategy.
It recommends a new commissioning and contracting approach to enable the development of modern, fit for purpose extra care housing and care homes that enable older people to live well, ensuring individuals are supported to maximise their independence and to achieve their personalised outcomes.
11.23am: The item is seconded by Cllr Olly Monk.
11.24am: Cllr Taylor welcomes the plan, saying it will deliver the 'right type of care at the right time' and says she is proud of the work being done in the area.
11.38am: The plan is approved unanimously. We now move onto the last item, the Local Authority Declaration on Tobacco Control.
Cllr Andy Virr introduces it, and explains that smoking remains a key driver for health inequalities, and that in Cornwall, an estimated 50,000 adults continue to smoke.
He tells the meeting that this declaration will leave a legacy for future generations.
11.41am: The item is seconded by Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek, who tells how when she began smoking, it was seen as a good thing to do, but that she is delighted attitudes have changes, and that it is no longer the case. She adds that she is pleased to see vaping is also included in the plan.
11.44am: Cllr David Harris explains that, as a smoker, he will be abstaining from the vote, and raises a concern that encouraging people to switch from cigarettes to vapes may prove a mistake as vaping may prove as harmful as smoking.
Cllr Andy Virr responds by stating that, if cigarettes were a new invention, they would never be allowed. He tells Cllr Harris that the harm from cigarettes clearly outweighs the damage caused by vaping. He explains he wants to see a generation of people who do not smoke or vape moving forwards.
11.47am: Cllr Peter Guest tells the meeting he is a smoker, but that he welcomes the plan, and the proposed ban on disposable vapes. He also asks if the flavouring of vapes, which he suggests appears aimed at young people, will also be targeted.
Cllr Virr says work is underway on the issue.
11.49am: The plan is approved, and that concludes today's meeting.
