Decision:
RESOLVED:
Children’s Centres
1. The remodelling of the remaining Children’s Centres to create Family Centres as part of a wider Family Service to support families with children aged 0-11 that are the most vulnerable was endorsed.
2. That the number of Children’s Centres in Surrey be reduced from 58 centres to 21 centres and satellite sites, to be located in areas where children are most likely to experience poor outcomes. At least one main centre in each district and borough supported by the use of satellites, outreach workers and community venues.
3. That the number of mobile Family Centres in Surrey be reduced from two to one in order to reach areas where there are small numbers of vulnerable children and families.
Reasons for decision
Moving to a new model of Family Centre services will help develop a more effective way of supporting families that need help earlier to improve their outcomes. By reorganising Children’s Centres into more targeted models of provision, we believe this will support more children and young people to avoid becoming subject to child protection or public care.
The Family Centre model will enable us to help more families and children to become more resilient who would otherwise be more likely to experience poor outcomes without support.
Retention of a mobile Family Centre means we can maintain outreach support to children and families across the county who may struggle to access a main centre or community venue.
By prioritising the location of Family Centres in areas of high deprivation, or where children are likely to be living in households that have low incomes or unemployment, this will enable us to prioritise resources for children who need services most. Deprived areas have been identified using the 2015 Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index, which shows the proportion of children under the age of 16 living in low-income households in different neighbourhoods.
Recognising that some needs cross the boundaries of deprivation, such as domestic abuse and parental mental health, funding allocations are also being based on the total population of children within communities.
The composition of the families the Centres support have children across a range of different ages, which fall outside the current service offer for 0-5 year olds. Centres are already supporting families with children who fall outside of this age bracket. We therefore propose to expand the age range of children supported to 0-11 years as part of the service offer going forward.
RESOLVED:
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities
4. That the broad support from consultation respondents for the proposed principles for transformation of SEND services was noted, namely:
· Children with special educational needs are identified earlier and supported in a timely and effective way in order to improve their outcomes and wellbeing.
· There is an increased focus on earlier intervention and prevention to offer help and meet needs at the earliest opportunity, reducing the demand on high cost, high need interventions.
· Children and young people are helped to become resilient and independent so that they can lead independent and fulfilling lives in their own communities.
· The voices of our children, young people and families are heard so they can shape and inform how we work together to get the best results.
· Surrey’s early years settings, schools, colleges and other providers are able to support children to live and grown up locally and achieve their full potential.
5. That the broad support from consultation respondents for the areas of transformation for SEND services was noted, namely:
· Early identification and support
· Developing local services and managing the market
· Partnership working
· Improving policy and practice.
6. That further engagement and co-design activity will be undertaken with families, health partners, education and other partners to explore the feedback, ideas and concerns shared through the consultation and develop the council’s draft SEND strategy into a jointly owned Surrey special educational needs and disabilities strategy and long term action plan was noted.
7. That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for All Age Learning, to approve the final joint strategy and the long-term action plan, once completed subject to paragraph 77 of the submitted report and further Cabinet decision as necessary.
8. That in the event that any of the co-design activity work, strategy identification and/or action plan gives rise to a change in the delivery of services that necessitates consultation and public engagement that will be undertaken alongside consideration to our Public Sector Equality and Section 11 Children Act 2004 duties.
Reasons for decision
Agreeing the recommendations for the draft SEND strategy will enable the council to carry out further co-design of those services for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the county so they are able to access the high quality services they need.
RESOLVED:
Libraries & Culture
9. That the refinements, in italics, to the five strategic principles of the proposed Libraries and Cultural Services Strategy, reflecting consultation feedback was noted. These are:
· Libraries and cultural services provide and enable opportunities for everyone to learn, access information, acquire new skills, literacy and be involved in their communities.
· There will be a focus on the wellbeing and strengthening of communities, particularly the most vulnerable, to enable them to be resilient, providing touch points and safe spaces.
· Libraries and cultural services are most effective and efficient when they work in partnership with the public, voluntary, community and private sectors, including through the creation of shared spaces creating a model of financial sustainability.
· New technologies, including digital, enable libraries and cultural services to reach new audiences, and existing audiences in new ways, and offer 24/7 access.
· Volunteers are crucial community advocates and assets in libraries and cultural services, who also gain valuable skills and relationships through the work they do.
10. That the Executive Director for Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture will prepare detailed proposals with partners, including district and borough councils, for a proposed future model for library and cultural services in Surrey based on the five newly adopted strategic principles was noted.
11. That a second public consultation be carried out setting out the detailed proposals referred to in Resolution 9 above.
Reasons for decision
The council can proceed to develop a financially sustainable future model of libraries and cultural services in Surrey, subject to consultation and the Equality Impact Assessment, that reflects modern expectations, is fit for purpose and provides and enables opportunities for everyone to learn, access information, acquire new skills, increase literacy and be involved in their communities.
RESOLVED:
Community Recycling Centres
12. That the community recycling centres (CRCs) located at Farnham and Lyne (Chertsey) be retained, based on the current and projected use of these sites.
13. That the current prices for materials in the charging waste scheme be maintained.
14. That a charge for construction wood and roofing felt from Monday 1 April 2019 or as soon as practically possible after this be introduced.
15. That an annual application fee for van, trailer and pick-up permits from 1 May 2019 be introduced, when all permits are due for renewal.
a. That the CRCs located at Bagshot, Cranleigh, Dorking and Warlingham be retained until 30 September 2019, but restrict their use to accepting recycling materials only.
b. During this period assess whether different models for operating and funding these four CRCs could achieve the same saving as closing them. If that service cannot be achieved then proceed with their closure on 1 October 2019.
c. In the event that the four CRCs close, extend the opening hours of Camberley, Caterham and Leatherhead CRCs from six days per week to seven days per week.
17. That the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste establish a task group to work with officers to develop a new waste strategy for Surrey County Council by September 2020, considering the implications of the Government’s Resource and Waste Strategy and to ensure the waste service is affordable within the current financial strategy.
Reason for decision
Recognising both the value many residents place on Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) and the need to make savings, we propose to limit closure of CRCs to the minimum number possible to achieve savings. Bagshot, Cranleigh, Dorking and Warlingham are recommended for closure as they handle the least waste and have the lowest number of visitors, however this will be delayed so that alternative options to achieve the savings through alternative operational and funding models can be fully explored. Further CRC usage information can be found in Annex 4bto the submitted report.
As the nearest alternative CRCs within the network, extending the opening hours of Camberley, Caterham and Leatherhead CRCs should help to mitigate the impact of the CRC closures if this goes ahead.
In addition, introducing charges for construction wood and roofing felt and launching permits for vans, trailers and pickups will assist in delivery of the savings target for 2019/20. While the option to increase charges on the existing charging waste scheme has been explored, it would have a negligible impact on savings delivery and charges are currently towards the upper end of charges relative to similar councils.
RESOLVED:
Concessionary Bus Travel
18. That the non-statutory additional travel concession for disabled pass holders and offer the national statutory English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) in Surrey from 1 April 2019 be withdrawn. Disabled pass holders will be able to travel for free between 09.30 and 23.00 on weekdays, all day at weekends and on bank holidays
19. That companion passes be retained, so from 1 April 2019 entitled pass holders and a companion can travel for free between 9:30am and 11:00pm on weekdays, all day at weekends and bank holidays.
20. That officers would continue discussions with bus operators on a commercial offer of a reduced fare or flat fare scheme in the county was noted.
Reason for decision
By agreeing these recommendations, this will help the council to achieve savings of £400,000 to contribute towards its overall savings requirement in 2019/20.
In addition, impact on travel is likely to be minimal. Analysis shows that only 2% of all journeys made using the disabled pass take place before 9:30am and after 11:00pm on weekdays.
Having considered the consultation feedback, and the impact removal of the companion pass will have on disabled pass holders and their companions, we are proposing to retain companion passes, but bring the terms of companion pass usage in line with those of disabled passes. This means companion pass holders will be able to travel on the bus network for free from 9:30am to 11:00pm on weekdays, and free all day for weekends and bank holidays.
[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Corporate Overview Select Committee]
Minutes:
The Leader reported an error in the report: In Annex 4, Table 5, the total estimated saving figure for 2020/21 was incorrect. It currently read as £1,060,000 when is should read £1,110,000.
Mr Chris Botten addressed the Cabinet and expressed concern about the possible lack of children support for the Tandridge area and south of the M25. He highlighted many of the current services that he said needed a building to provide a means of safety and security. He requested that Cabinet reconsider the possibility of a satellite centre in this location as without details of what the proposed outreach service would provide then he was not reassured.
Mr Stephen Cooksey addressed the Cabinet and spoke about the Dorking Children’s Centre which had an outstanding rating by Ofsted and provided good services to some of the most deprived in Surrey. The current budget proposals meant that only a shadow of the current services could be provided. He requested that Cabinet rethink its proposals. He also spoke of the Dorking Community Recycling Centre and was glad to see the revised recommendations to keep it open whilst a review was undertaken but again requested that Cabinet find a way to keep this centre open permanently.
Mr John O’Reilly addressed the Cabinet and thanked both the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families as well as the Executive Director for Children, Families and Learning for the engagement undertaken. He spoke of confidence in the two to take forward the transformation of children’s services. He stated that as a realist he understood the need for change but asked Cabinet to exercise flexibility and discretion going forward.
Mr Will Forster also addressed the Cabinet and spoke against the proposed closure of five of the seven children’s centres in Woking which was the second most deprived borough in Surrey. He also expressed concern about the budget cuts for the remaining centres where one in particular would have a 40% budget cut. He questioned the use of 2015 data which he said was not reliable and gave details of the numbers of new social properties built since then.
Mr Jonathan Essex spoke of the need for the two children’s centres proposed for closure in his area. He spoke of the high cost of living in Surrey and the subsequent areas of deprivation. He understood the need for change and for improving children’s services but did not understand the reasoning given for the closures. He requested that Cabinet put the proposals on hold for six months, as they are proposing for the community recycling centres, and press for a comprehensive funding settlement.
The Leader thanked the speakers and stated that all 81 councillors wanted to see improved outcomes. The Cabinet would work with boroughs and district councils going forward. However, there was no intention of changing the recommendations on children’s centres today.
Children’s Centres
The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families thanked the petitioners, speakers and questioners for their interest in the wellbeing of children and highlighted the Vision of the Council where no one is left behind. She went on to explain the need for change and reported that Ofsted had said outcomes for ‘children in need of care and protection’ were inadequate. She painted a picture of the children and their families that need the support but do not currently access services until a crisis point. She explained that the new service model would focus on outreach taking support into people’s homes, making families more resilient.
She went on to explain that the Council would work with borough and district councils to facilitate the provision of non-statutory services such as baby weigh-ins and stay & play. She explained each recommendation and spoke of the evidence that this was the right approach and highlighted evidence from a National Audit Office report on the closure of Children’s Centres where it was shown that there was no increase in child protection cases with a targeted service.
The Deputy Cabinet Member for All-Age Learning stated that she had two children’s centres closing in her area and spoke of generational problems and lack of parenting skills as well as other issues and that there was a need to look at the whole family rather than just children.
RESOLVED:
1. The remodelling of the remaining Children’s Centres to create Family Centres as part of a wider Family Service to support families with children aged 0-11 that are the most vulnerable was endorsed.
2. That the number of Children’s Centres in Surrey be reduced from 58 centres to 21 centres and satellite sites, to be located in areas where children are most likely to experience poor outcomes. At least one main centre in each district and borough supported by the use of satellites, outreach workers and community venues.
3. That the number of mobile Family Centres in Surrey be reduced from two to one in order to reach areas where there are small numbers of vulnerable children and families.
The vote was unanimous.
Reasons for decision
Moving to a new model of Family Centre services will help develop a more effective way of supporting families that need help earlier to improve their outcomes. By reorganising Children’s Centres into more targeted models of provision, we believe this will support more children and young people to avoid becoming subject to child protection or public care.
The Family Centre model will enable us to help more families and children to become more resilient who would otherwise be more likely to experience poor outcomes without support.
Retention of a mobile Family Centre means we can maintain outreach support to children and families across the county who may struggle to access a main centre or community venue.
By prioritising the location of Family Centres in areas of high deprivation, or where children are likely to be living in households that have low incomes or unemployment, this will enable us to prioritise resources for children who need services most. Deprived areas have been identified using the 2015 Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index, which shows the proportion of children under the age of 16 living in low-income households in different neighbourhoods.
Recognising that some needs cross the boundaries of deprivation, such as domestic abuse and parental mental health, funding allocations are also being based on the total population of children within communities.
The composition of the families the Centres support have children across a range of different ages, which fall outside the current service offer for 0-5 year olds. Centres are already supporting families with children who fall outside of this age bracket. We therefore propose to expand the age range of children supported to 0-11 years as part of the service offer going forward.
Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)
The Cabinet Member for All-Age Learning presented this part of the report and explained why the Council were undertaking the path presented. She spoke of the need for earlier identification of needs as well as upskilling of staff to provide the support needed. She also spoke of a question submitted by Family Voice and explained that she would be sharing details with them through the consultation phase.
RESOLVED:
4. That the broad support from consultation respondents for the proposed principles for transformation of SEND services was noted, namely:
· Children with special educational needs are identified earlier and supported in a timely and effective way in order to improve their outcomes and wellbeing.
· There is an increased focus on earlier intervention and prevention to offer help and meet needs at the earliest opportunity, reducing the demand on high cost, high need interventions.
· Children and young people are helped to become resilient and independent so that they can lead independent and fulfilling lives in their own communities.
· The voices of our children, young people and families are heard so they can shape and inform how we work together to get the best results.
· Surrey’s early years settings, schools, colleges and other providers are able to support children to live and grown up locally and achieve their full potential.
5. That the broad support from consultation respondents for the areas of transformation for SEND services was noted, namely:
· Early identification and support
· Developing local services and managing the market
· Partnership working
· Improving policy and practice.
6. That further engagement and co-design activity will be undertaken with families, health partners, education and other partners to explore the feedback, ideas and concerns shared through the consultation and develop the council’s draft SEND strategy into a jointly owned Surrey special educational needs and disabilities strategy and long term action plan was noted.
7. That authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for All Age Learning, to approve the final joint strategy and the long-term action plan, once completed subject to paragraph 77 of the submitted report and further Cabinet decision as necessary.
8. That in the event that any of the co-design activity work, strategy identification and/or action plan gives rise to a change in the delivery of services that necessitates consultation and public engagement that will be undertaken alongside consideration to our Public Sector Equality and Section 11 Children Act 2004 duties.
The vote was unanimous.
Reasons for decision
Agreeing the recommendations for the draft SEND strategy will enable the council to carry out further co-design of those services for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the county so they are able to access the high quality services they need.
Libraries & Culture
The Cabinet Member for All-Age Learning also introduced this part of the report and spoke of the need for financially stable spaces needed for community use. She also spoke of the consultation undertaken and highlighted that there had been a lack of representation of those under 18 years of age and that this would be picked up in the next stages. In response to a Member question she confirmed that consultation was undertaken with Surrey County Council maintained schools through their bulletin and that an email link had been sent to independent schools.
RESOLVED:
9. That the refinements, in italics, to the five strategic principles of the proposed Libraries and Cultural Services Strategy, reflecting consultation feedback was noted. These are:
· Libraries and cultural services provide and enable opportunities for everyone to learn, access information, acquire new skills, literacy and be involved in their communities.
· There will be a focus on the wellbeing and strengthening of communities, particularly the most vulnerable, to enable them to be resilient, providing touch points and safe spaces.
· Libraries and cultural services are most effective and efficient when they work in partnership with the public, voluntary, community and private sectors, including through the creation of shared spaces creating a model of financial sustainability.
· New technologies, including digital, enable libraries and cultural services to reach new audiences, and existing audiences in new ways, and offer 24/7 access.
· Volunteers are crucial community advocates and assets in libraries and cultural services, who also gain valuable skills and relationships through the work they do.
10. That the Executive Director for Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture will prepare detailed proposals with partners, including district and borough councils, for a proposed future model for library and cultural services in Surrey based on the five newly adopted strategic principles was noted.
11. That a second public consultation be carried out setting out the detailed proposals referred to in Resolution 9 above.
The vote was unanimous.
Reasons for decision
The council can proceed to develop a financially sustainable future model of libraries and cultural services in Surrey, subject to consultation and the Equality Impact Assessment, that reflects modern expectations, is fit for purpose and provides and enables opportunities for everyone to learn, access information, acquire new skills, increase literacy and be involved in their communities.
Community Recycling Centres
Amended recommendations were tabled at the meeting.
The Cabinet Member for Environment & Waste spoke of the new recommendations and thanked organisations and residents that had made their views known. He highlighted that the community recycling centres (CRC) would deal with recycling only and no non-recyclables. He went on to explain the new task group to be set up to review the service. It would be a cross-party task group taking evidence from Suez, borough and district councils, residents, Members of Parliament, officers, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Surrey Waste Partnership so would be wide reaching. The task group would look at keeping the CRCs open whilst still having a balance budget. A report was expected to be brought to Cabinet in June 2019.
The Deputy Leader stated that fly-tipping was a national issue and would urge all residents to check for licenses and get receipts for their waste disposal. He also extended thanks to the Leadership and to officers for the work undertaken.
RESOLVED:
12. That the community recycling centres (CRCs) located at Farnham and Lyne (Chertsey) be retained, based on the current and projected use of these sites.
13. That the current prices for materials in the charging waste scheme be maintained.
14. That a charge for construction wood and roofing felt from Monday 1 April 2019 or as soon as practically possible after this be introduced.
15. That an annual application fee for van, trailer and pick-up permits from 1 May 2019 be introduced, when all permits are due for renewal.
a. That the CRCs located at Bagshot, Cranleigh, Dorking and Warlingham be retained until 30 September 2019, but restrict their use to accepting recycling materials only.
b. During this period assess whether different models for operating and funding these four CRCs could achieve the same saving as closing them. If that service cannot be achieved then proceed with their closure on 1 October 2019.
c. In the event that the four CRCs close, extend the opening hours of Camberley, Caterham and Leatherhead CRCs from six days per week to seven days per week.
17. That the Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste establish a task group to work with officers to develop a new waste strategy for Surrey County Council by September 2020, considering the implications of the Government’s Resource and Waste Strategy and to ensure the waste service is affordable within the current financial strategy.
The vote was unanimous.
Reason for decision
Recognising both the value many residents place on Community Recycling Centres (CRCs) and the need to make savings, we propose to limit closure of CRCs to the minimum number possible to achieve savings. Bagshot, Cranleigh, Dorking and Warlingham are recommended for closure as they handle the least waste and have the lowest number of visitors, however this will be delayed so that alternative options to achieve the savings through alternative operational and funding models can be fully explored. Further CRC usage information can be found in Annex 4bto the submitted report.
As the nearest alternative CRCs within the network, extending the opening hours of Camberley, Caterham and Leatherhead CRCs should help to mitigate the impact of the CRC closures if this goes ahead.
In addition, introducing charges for construction wood and roofing felt and launching permits for vans, trailers and pickups will assist in delivery of the savings target for 2019/20. While the option to increase charges on the existing charging waste scheme has been explored, it would have a negligible impact on savings delivery and charges are currently towards the upper end of charges relative to similar councils.
Concessionary Bus Travel
The Cabinet Member for Environment & Waste presented this part of the report that sought to bring the Council offer on non-statutory concessionary bus travel in line with other councils. He explained that details of the responses to the consultation was available on the Council’s website.
He pointed out that paragraph 41 of the report speaks of companion passes being for a trial period. This was an earlier option considered and should be removed from the report.
RESOLVED:
18. That the non-statutory additional travel concession for disabled pass holders and offer the national statutory English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) in Surrey from 1 April 2019 be withdrawn. Disabled pass holders will be able to travel for free between 09.30 and 23.00 on weekdays, all day at weekends and on bank holidays
19. That companion passes be retained, so from 1 April 2019 entitled pass holders and a companion can travel for free between 9:30am and 11:00pm on weekdays, all day at weekends and bank holidays.
20. That officers would continue discussions with bus operators on a commercial offer of a reduced fare or flat fare scheme in the county was noted.
Reason for decision
By agreeing these recommendations, this will help the council to achieve savings of £400,000 to contribute towards its overall savings requirement in 2019/20.
In addition, impact on travel is likely to be minimal. Analysis shows that only 2% of all journeys made using the disabled pass take place before 9:30am and after 11:00pm on weekdays.
Having considered the consultation feedback, and the impact removal of the companion pass will have on disabled pass holders and their companions, we are proposing to retain companion passes, but bring the terms of companion pass usage in line with those of disabled passes. This means companion pass holders will be able to travel on the bus network for free from 9:30am to 11:00pm on weekdays, and free all day for weekends and bank holidays.
[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Corporate Overview Select Committee]