Agenda item

To consider any reports from Select Committees, Task Groups and any other Committees of the Council.

For Cabinet to consider the following reports:

A.    Children not in school (Children, Families, Lifelong Learning And Culture Select Committee). A response from Cabinet is attached.

B.    Interim Recommendations From Select Committees Following Budget Deep Dives And Budget Briefing Sessions. A response from Cabinet is attached.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Children not in school report and Interim budget Recommendations from Select Committees be noted.

2.    In respect of the call-in report on the London Road Guildford Active Travel Scheme - the Cabinet confirmed that the following decision taken on 29 October 2024 still stands.

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Decision from 29 October Cabinet Meeting:

It is recommended that Cabinet:

1.      Notes the contents of the independent technical review of section 1 and its conclusions concerning whether the scheme complies with current design guidance.

2.      Proceeds with the construction of Section 1 –based on the strength of support from the local community, alongside the conclusions of the independent technical review.

There were THREE votes FOR and SIX votes AGAINST. The decision was therefore not carried.

Reasons for Decisions

The Cabinet agreed that no new evidence had been provided by the Select Committee and all the key issues raised by the Select Committee had already been considered by the Cabinet.

The Chairman of the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select Committee introduced the Children not in school (CNIS) report explaining that in 2023/24, 7165 children between the ages of 5-16 were not in full time education for a variety of reasons. The Select Committee welcomed the appointment of a children not in school service manager who has oversight of this cohort and works in partnership with other professionals both inside and outside the Council, to ensure these children and young people have access to suitable education as quickly as possible. The Select Committee was concerned about the consequences and life choice chances of those children and young people who were severely absent from school especially given the high proportion of these children who have an EHCP or require SEND support. Concerns were also raised around the number of alternative provision hours being offered to children and young people not in mainstream schooling and the safeguarding implications of children not being in school. The Chairman asked that the Cabinet Member share the CNIS policy, destination data of severely absent children and more information regarding the encouraging schools attendance forum.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning shared the same concerns as the Select Committee and recognised the very significant safeguarding implications of children not being in school. The Cabinet Member spoke about the consequences of children not being in school including impacts on friendships and life chances. The Cabinet Member also stated concerns around the hours of provision that are provided for children who have packages of alternative provision. The Cabinet Member was happy to share details requested by the committee and the steps that are being taken with schools to encourage attendance.

With regards to the interim budget recommendations, the Chairman of the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select Committee explained that further work was being done on the budget and no comments would be made at the moment. The Chairman of the Adults and Health Select Committee presented the interim recommendations from his Select Committee. A key area of concern was needs assessment, which was graded as needing improvement by the CQC. This was particularly important in the budget as demand management for improvements to the needs assessment process would be a challenging area for budget savings. Managing demand in general would require careful attention. The transformation programmes would also be a key enabler to achieving a balanced budget. The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care welcomed the hard work and focus the Select Committee had put into budget review process.

The Leader explained that the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee had debated the London Road Guildford Active Travel Scheme and referred the decision back to Cabinet for re-consideration with a number of comments. A report from the committee had been included in a supplementary agenda. The Leader explained that at its October Cabinet meeting there had been a lengthy discussion on the scheme. The discussion could be viewed on the webcast of the meeting. The Leader stated that there was nothing that the Select Committee raised at their 19 November meeting that wasn't already accounted for by the Cabinet. No new evidence had been put forward by the Select Committee. There had been many meetings with stakeholders and interested parties about the three stages of the scheme. At its meeting the Cabinet had the benefit of the ARUP report and from hearing from a number of witnesses Various correspondence had been sent to the Cabinet from residents about the scheme. The Cabinet did not believe there was any new information that changed their original decision made on 29 October 2024.  The decision therefore stands and this part of the scheme would not be progressed. The Leader thanked the Select Committee for their input.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Children not in school report and Interim budget Recommendations from Select Committees be noted.

2.    In respect of the call-in report on the London Road Guildford Active Travel Scheme - the Cabinet confirmed that the following decision taken on 29 October 2024 still stands.

­­­­

Decision from 29 October Cabinet Meeting:

It is recommended that Cabinet:

1.      Notes the contents of the independent technical review of section 1 and its conclusions concerning whether the scheme complies with current design guidance.

2.      Proceeds with the construction of Section 1 –based on the strength of support from the local community, alongside the conclusions of the independent technical review.

There were THREE votes FOR and SIX votes AGAINST. The decision was therefore not carried.

Reasons for Decisions

The Cabinet agreed that no new evidence had been provided by the Select Committee and all the key issues raised by the Select Committee had already been considered by the Cabinet.