Agenda item

To consider reports from Cabinet Members.

(Councillor Biederman declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in this matter by virtue of being an employee of the Post Office and withdrew from the meeting during its consideration).

The Council received reports from the relevant Cabinet Members on specific issues upon which they had been asked to comment and report, as set out below:

(a)        Highways Management

Councillor Hughes commented, as requested by Councillor Biederman, on the risk management process for diversion routes (when a road had to be closed) including responsibility for checking all was in place, was safe and had the appropriate signage.

The Cabinet Member for Highways Management highlighted that when applying for any road closures, a works promoter must provide adequate information and plans including signing to be employed and any diversion route.  It was also their responsibility to consider risks and mitigate these before submitting their proposal. Any diversion route used had to be of a standard equal to or exceeding the road being closed and only in exceptional circumstances was this not applied.  Once approval was given, the responsibility rested with the works promoter regarding implementation and the Council would perform proportionate checks, signing and diversion route as necessary, or if issues arose.  The Cabinet Member highlighted that the Council could not be held responsible for any unreasonable actions of the motoring public and evidence of non-adherence to traffic signs, signals, inconsiderate driving, use of pavements etc as this was a matter for the appropriate enforcing organisation.

The Cabinet Member responded to questions on pedestrian symbol reinstatement in Exeter, representations to the Secretary of State for Transport on highways maintenance funding and planned work at Penn Inn roundabout in Newton Abbot.

(b)        Economy and Skills

Councillor Gilbert circulated a Report, as requested by Councillor Hannaford, on the potential for a new economic powerhouse for the UK encompassing Newport, Cardiff and Bristol. The recently published report on the matter called for a number of measures to support businesses and made the case for a cross-border stretch along the M4 corridor from Swindon and across the Welsh border to Cardiff and Swansea, and in the North from Gloucester and Cheltenham to Bath and Bristol.

The Cabinet Member highlighted how the Council was working with other local authorities in the Heart of the South West area to deliver economic development goals, through the Heart of the South West Joint Committee, to champion the economic needs of this area with a united voice.  The Joint Committee was recognised and welcomed by Government who had assigned senior civil servants to work with the partnership.

He referred to the agreed Productivity Strategy in place, which identified priorities and goals to improve productivity and develop the economy in the area and also that the Joint Committee was contributing to work on the Local Industrial Strategy (LIS) for the area (led by the HotSW LEP with Government).

The Cabinet Member advised that the Great Western Powerhouse Report appeared ambitious and also seemed to have support from within the area covered, however, it did not overlap with or detract from the strategies and priorities for Devon or the wider Great South West area.

He further reported, as requested by Councillor Hannaford on protecting farming, fishing and food production in Devon on the advent of a no deal Brexit and responded to both Councillors Connett and Shaw on the arrangements being made by the Council to support and assist residents and communities to prepare both for Brexit and post Brexit, following the UK’s departure from the European Union and the consequences of no deal Brexit for Devon. In particular, he highlighted that the Council was working closely with all local partners to prepare for Brexit and help everyone in Devon deal with the situation, whatever the final outcome was.

He advised the Council that the Chief Executive was the South West Regional Communication lead reporting directly into Government in relation to EU Exit implications and he also chaired the Devon and Somerset Brexit Resilience and Opportunities Group (BROG), established following the EU Referendum which also provided evidence and research to Whitehall.  This group had undertaken a great deal of work with local farming, fish and food and drink industries, including solution focused practical proposals such as re-purposing business support and advice; strengthening regulatory services to provide assistance in terms of labelling, export and imports; lobbying for EU funding and improving ports and harbour capacity.

Whilst it was difficult for the Council to predict and plan, it was determined to play a lead role in assisting communities and businesses in whatever scenario occurred, for example being a Member of the Local Resilience Forum in response to a major incident (which was likely in the event of a No Deal Brexit).

The Cabinet Member reported on all the work being undertaken such as Business Continuity Planning, supplying information to Local Resilience Forums, working through professional associations and pressing Government for impact assessments and assumptions to inform planning.

The Chief Executive had been invited by the Secretary of State for MHCLG to be one of 9 Regional Chief Executive Communication links, representing the South West and working with 41 Councils and 5 Local Resilience Forums across the South-West to feed Brexit issues, identified by local authorities and partners, directly to Government.

The Cabinet Member also responded to questions from the floor on the event in Taunton to help SME’s, the potential for a newsletter and the importance of supporting vulnerable people as well as businesses.

(c)        Children’s Services and Schools

Councillor McInnes circulated a Report, as requested by Councillor Hannaford on progress being made to ensure that support was implemented at the earliest opportunity (including academies, faith schools and other organisational models) regarding access to free sanitary products in England’s primary schools from early 2020, following the Government’s commitment in April 2019. He highlighted that the DfE was working with key stakeholders in both public and private sector to roll-out the programme. Within Devon, the current understanding was that all secondary schools and the majority of primary schools were providing access to free sanitary products when needed. In many cases, this was delivered through the Red box Project.

He reported back to Councillor Connett on the arrangements of the Council to ensure children had one proper meal per day during the school holidays. The Cabinet Member said Government had recognised the issue of ‘Holiday Hunger’ and £9.1 million had been allocated to help tackle the problem, but there was currently no allocation for the County Council footprint. The Cabinet Member supplied graphs within his Report on the number of children eligible for and claiming free school meals with comparisons to England, regional and statistical neighbour numbers, but stated the statistics masked some areas of high deprivation as outlined in the National State of the Nation report. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662744/State_of_the_Nation_2017_-_Social_Mobility_in_Great_Britain.pdf.

The Report also referred to a Plymouth project https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2018-08-02/help-for-plymouth-families-facing-holiday-hunger/ and also the challenge for Devon in terms of geography. The Public Health Team had collated information on where families could get free or low-cost food onto a searchable webpage which had been widely circulated to schools, all Children’s Centres and the Public Health Nursing Service. http://www.devonhealthandwellbeing.org.uk/library/schools/food-poverty-and-schools/free-or-low-cost-food-during-summer-holidays-2019/

He further reported in response to Councillor Dewhirst on the provision of Free School Meals (FSM) in Devon in the light of the report by Citizens UK that up to £65 million of funding was being diverted away from the provision of Free School Meals. The Cabinet Member highlighted that individual schools (academies or maintained) were responsible for securing the provision of Free School Meals within their establishments, therefore a wide range of delivery systems were used. This meant there wasn’t just one single answer and it was a matter for schools to ensure the way school meals were purchased represented best value and adhered to funding regulations set out by the DfE.

Devon Norse were the largest provider of primary school meals. Contracts were run on a cost-plus basis, therefore, if a child eligible for a free primary school meal didn’t take the meal the caterer didn’t directly benefit. In the two secondary schools where Norse was the supplier, they operated an online payment system and cash payment system.  Students eligible for free school meals received a credit of £2.20 and if this was not used / partly used then remaining credit balance was lost. The following day a new £2.20 credit was available.

The Cabinet Member lastly responded to Councillor Aves on the current and ongoing situation at the South Dartmoor Community College and the South Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust, the role of the Regional Schools Commissioner and improving communication and transparency. He outlined that the Trust had recently appointed experienced interim executive leaders to drive strategic direction, ensure stability and sound financial management. He reported on the outcome of the consultation on the proposed restructure and that the Trust had been working closely with the Education and Skills Funding Agency to address the areas outlined in the Financial Notice to Improve. An action plan was also being implemented. He advised there had been a meeting with parents on the 18th June, the previous Principal of SDCC had stepped down, the appointment of an interim principal (Mr Dyke) and the work of the Trust with the Office of the Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) for the South West to help find a suitable partner within South Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust. 

The Local Authority was in communication with the RSC about a variety of schools and emphasised the importance of regular open and transparent communication with parents and other stakeholders.  From the Autumn, regular face to face meetings had been arranged to ensure close join up regarding both existing and new schools.

The Cabinet Member also responded to questions from the floor on working with foodbanks and the how the £9.1 million funding was allocated. 

(d)        Community, Public Health, Transportation and Environment

Councillor Croad reported, as requested by Councillor Hannaford on the HPV vaccination programme, in particular the expansion of the programme to cover boys from September 2019.

The Cabinet Member highlighted that immunisation was the responsibility of NHS England and the screening and immunisation team commissioned the delivery of the HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccination programme, which was being delivered in Devon by Virgin Care Ltd. The programme would be offered to boys aged 12-13 and there were 6839 eligible boys this year. The rollout mirrored that of the girls’ programme.

The service was receiving good numbers of consents and queries but there was no available data yet. However, the extension of the programme would strengthen protection by increasing ‘herd’ immunity and would prevent more cases of HPV-related cancers.

He also reported on how post office closures would affect Devon, in particular, rural communities, as requested by Councillor Atkinson, pointing out that the Council had been actively engaged in putting forward its views on the future of Post Offices. In April 2019 the Council had responded to the call for evidence from the Parliamentary Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee’s Inquiry into the Postal Network. The Cabinet Member outlined the Executive Summary of the evidence submitted, including the potential for increasing the role Post Offices played in providing basic banking services and also the recommendations that were submitted to the Inquiry. These included opportunities for further commercial support for rural, coastal and other ‘community’ critical post office locations and the potential for Government to better utilise and work with the post office network on wider service delivery.

The Cabinet Member also responded to questions from the floor on Post Offices and transport links and the mapping of this information, publicising information for Parish Councils who might be interested in establishing a Post Office Counter in their area and good news initiatives that had been happening around the County.

(e)        Infrastructure Development and Waste

Councillor Davis circulated a Report, as requested by Councillor Connett, on progress with Marsh Barton Rail station, highlighting that delivery of the station was a long-standing aspiration for the County as part of its Devon Metro strategy. There had been a number of issues that had caused costs to escalate and therefore delayed construction. The delay had given the opportunity to re-think the design and produce an alternative solution, which provided additional benefits to pedestrians and cyclists, whilst still delivering the new Station. The Cabinet Member outlined the several challenges ahead to ensure the scheme was delivered such as planning, rail technical approvals, maximising efficiencies through rail possessions and managing works when they got to site.

Funding had been secured which covered the project estimate cost, but progress was dependent on Network Rail responding promptly to the various technical approvals, which could be time consuming and complicated. As DfT provided additional support with Newcourt on the New Stations Fund scheme, the Council had contacted DfT again to assist in encouraging a collaborative effort on the project.

(e)        Adult Social Care and Health Services

Councillor Leadbetter commented, as requested by Councillor Connett on discussions between the Council about the future of or future uses of community hospitals in the County.

The Cabinet Member said he would respond further in writing to all Members.

He also responded to questions from the floor on NHS property services and other partnership work across the County.