Decisions

On 1st March 2022 the Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) published details of the ADULT SOCIAL CARE OMICRON SUPPORT FUND.  This was the final specific ASC Covid funding stream.

Surrey County Council (SCC) has received £1m of Omicron Support Fund monies.  Funding was provided so that “Local authorities have discretion to use the funding as needed locally, to support the adult social care sector, including relevant local authority staff, in its COVID-19 response, and in particular increased challenges posed by the Omicron variant”.

The funding was unringfenced and did not have to be spent within a set period.  When the funding was received, the Council was paying out the final allocations of the Infection Control and Testing Fund 3 and Recruitment & Retention Fund round 2 funding streams to ASC providers.  It was agreed therefore that Omicron Support Fund monies would be retained on the balance sheet so they could be utilised to support ASC providers in the early part of the 2022/23 financial year.

As with all previous Covid grant funding streams, the Council consulted with the Surrey Care Association to seek views on the best way to dispense the limited grant funds across Surrey’s broad ASC provider base.  Following this consultation the Adults Leadership Team determined that given this funding stream is unringfenced it would be most appropriate to invite all ASC providers to bid for funds against a set of criteria.  Providers were invited to submit applications for a funding allocation towards:

•The cost of staff sickness in April 2022.

•Hardship payments to pass onto staff members who have suffered loss of earnings due to sickness and/or the need to self-isolate.

•The cost of facilitating safe visiting in April 2022, with the option to submit a claim for the period May-June 2022 as well if funds could accommodate.

•Other cost pressures caused by the pandemic in April 2022, with the option to submit a claim for the period May-June 2022 as well if funds could accommodate.

Due to the limited value of grant funds, a decision was taken to prioritise funding for providers who provide services to residents whose care is funded by the Council.  This was made clear on the application form.

An online form was prepared to gather applications and this form was sent to providers on 20th May 2022 inviting them to apply with a deadline of 10th June 2022.

Applications were received from 165 providers, totalling £3.1m.

Decision made:

It was AGREED that:

The following allocations would be made from the COVID Winter Support Grant extension:

1.    As part of the national lockdown announced by the Prime Minister on 4 January 2021, the Government advised all Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) people to shield until 31 March 2021.

2.    To enable councils to support CEV individuals during this period, and for Tier 4 areas during the local restrictions from 20 December 2020 to 4 January 2021, funding was made available to councils. MHCLG committed to provide councils with funding equivalent to £14.60 per CEV individual on the Shielded Patient List (SPL) per four weeks, pro rata. Funding is calculated per CEV individual on the SPL within the local authority boundaries, irrespective of whether they require support.

3.    The dates covered and the funding allocated  to Surrey County Council are as follows:

20 Dec - 4 Jan         £321,753

5      – 31 Jan             £575,309

1 – 28 Feb*              £723,938

                                £1,621,000

* The SPL containing QCovid additions was updated in two tranches, on the 16 and 23 February 2021 respectively. Tranche 1 was under 70s and tranche 2 was over 70s.

The funding for December and January was received in the last week of March and we have been informed that the February allocations will be paid in April.   We have not received any communication relating to March funding as yet.

4.    MHCLG expect councils to use the funding to deliver the activities and outcomes outlined in the Shielding Framework. This includes the overheads of setting up and managing the local system, contacting CEV individuals within the area of intervention, assessing the food and basic support needs of CEV individuals and facilitating the delivery of that support where necessary, and reporting on the level of support provided. As outlined in the Framework, the funding accounts for the direct provision of food on an exception only basis.

5.    MHCLG also state that it is essential that upper tier authorities provide sufficient resources to lower tier authorities to carry out any responsibilities that they are asked to undertake to support CEV individuals.

6.    This paper seeks approval for the allocation of the funding for CEV support of £1,621m.

Proposals:

In line with previously approved allocations, it is proposed that this funding is allocated based on the Shielded Patient List (SPL), which provides a breakdown of CEV residents by district and borough, including an allocations to CEV residents known to social care that are supported by Surrey County Council.  The amounts retained by SCC are proposed to be used to cover costs within Customer services for the ongoing support to CEV residents through the community helpline.

Decision made:

It was AGREED that:

The following allocations would be made, in  line with the proposals set out above:

The Adult Social Care’s Accommodation with Care and Support Strategy (AwCS) was approved by Cabinet in July 2019, the strategy sets out the Council’s ambition to develop 725 affordable units of Extra Care Housing in Surrey by 2030. 

Approval to procure the Pond Meadow Extra Care Housing Provision via the Design Build Finance Operate (DBFO) supply model on the site of the former Pond Meadow school was granted by Cabinet in October 2019. 

Subsequently, upon the conclusion of the tender process a 125 year contract will be awarded to Funding Affordable Homes Housing Association Limited (FAH).

Decision made:

It was agreed that, the council shall proceed to award a 125 year contract to Funding Affordable Homes Housing Association Limited (FAH) for the purposes of developing an Extra Care Housing scheme on the Pond Meadow site.

This contract covers all the Council’s printing requirements from publicity and promotional material to corporate stationery and printed forms where required by the business. Apart from the corporate stationery and forms all the print requirements are bespoke material, one-offs and hugely varied in their requirements. Over the life of the previous contract the Council's print spend has being driven down through a combination of better buying through the contract and a move to digital communications, but there is still a need for printed material to communicate with residents.

The new contract is for an initial period of three (3) years and has two (2) optional two (2) year extensions.

A full OJEU procurement has been carried out and following the evaluation of the seven (7) responses received, the response from Corporate Document Services Ltd, scoring highest for both quality and price, has been identified as the most economically advantageous tender.

Decision made:

It was agreed that a contract be awarded to Sight for Surrey at an annual value of £1,524,000. The total value across the life of the contract is £9,144,000.

The contract will be in place for three years with an option to extend for up to a further 36 months (1+1+1).

RESOLVED:

See Minute 72/21

Reason for Decision:

See Minute 72/21

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Resources and Performance Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1.    That approval is given to Procure the 2021/22 projects listed in Annex 1; specifically the Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP2), Schools Basic Needs (SBN) and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in accordance with Surrey County Council’s (the Council) Procurement and Contract Standing Orders.

2.    That within the +/-5% budgetary tolerance level, the Executive Director of Resources and Director of Land and Property are authorised to award such contracts, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member.

Reason for decision:

By approving this recommendation Surrey County Council will avoid the need to submit multiple individual requests for Approval to Procure the school projects, as well as individual contract award approvals for work taking place in 2021/22.

Enable the delivery of the Capital schools programme approved in the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Resources & Performance Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1. That the prioritisation process so a final programme of schemes can be determined and can proceed to construction be agreed; 

2. That approval of the final programme as well as authorisation to advertise and consider any relevant Traffic Regulation Orders be delegated to the Director of Highways & Transport in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways and the relevant Divisional Member, once agreed by the Capital Programme Panel;

3.    That local and joint committees are provided regular updates of progress of  the relevant schemes within their areas.

Reason for decision:

Increasing residents’ choices on travel and accessibility of travel is important for our residents and as such is reflected in our ambitions and community vision. Active travel has also been a key area of government policy with the publication of the Department for Transport’s Gear Change plan which set out the ambition for the UK to become a walking and cycling nation.

SCC want to ensure that the active travel schemes being delivered for residents align with our own ambitions and objectives as well as ensuring that the grant is directed to the priority schemes in the time required and with the right local engagement

On this basis, consideration has been given to the prioritisation process required to achieve this aim. It is anticipated this will include the following aspects;

• Consultation outcomes
• Contribution to sustainable travel choices for commuting and leisure
• Contribution to a reduction in carbon emission
• Improvement in air quality through reduction in congestion
• Links to health, education, and jobs

We are taking a consultation approach that provides robust evidence. This consultative approach is not only important in helping us to prioritise but also in meeting the Government’s expectations in the second round of schemes.

It is imperative that the consultation is representative of the communities that live around the proposed active travel schemes as well as the wider population across Surrey. The work will extend beyond the groups that typically participate in consultation exercises to reach those who, for whatever reason, do not typically engage in traditional consultation exercises but are nonetheless affected by the proposed changes.

Once the consultation has concluded, the schemes will be prioritised based on the results of the consultation and the factors explained later in this report.  Those schemes that are unsuccessful in being prioritised for delivery will remain on list for future funding opportunities and review through the Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIP) programme.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1. That the Council’s forecast revenue and capital budget positions for the year be noted.

Reason for Decision:

This report is to comply with the agreed policy of providing a monthly budget monitoring report to Cabinet for approval of any necessary actions.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Resources and Performance Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1. That the New Rail Strategy for Surrey is adopted and the strategic aims, strategic responses and the future priorities identified are welcomed;

2. That the New Rail Strategy for Surrey is used as a framework to support local economic and spatial development decisions and as an advocacy document to lobby Government, the rail industry and others to assist in delivering the strategic aims;
   
   
3. That the development of a future work programme that will set out the council’s involvement in the interventions identified in New Rail Strategy for Surrey, led by the Cabinet Member for Highways, the objective being to create an implementation plan that is integrated with the emerging Surrey Local Transport Plan 4 and the Surrey Infrastructure Plan is agreed.

Reason for decision:

Good rail services with supporting infrastructure are vital for maintaining and growing Surrey's economy. They provide efficient and sustainable links to jobs, education and leisure, they reduce the number of car journeys on our roads and they support our climate change agenda. The rail network is also a key factor in the decisions made by business and residents choosing to live and work in the county. Although uncertainties around the long-term economic impacts of Covid19 remain, particularly in terms of how businesses will respond and how commuting patterns will adapt, the importance of rail in Surrey will remain high.

Therefore, whilst the council has no statutory role in planning or delivering rail services or projects, we must continue to actively engage with the rail industry and Government to ensure that our priorities are reflected in rail service delivery, infrastructure investment and in planning for the future.

To ensure we succeed in doing so, it is crucial that the council has a relevant and coherent rail strategy, which can be used as an advocacy document and to support partnership work and future investment with the rail industry. The New Rail Strategy for Surrey encompasses a clear set of strategic aims, strategic responses and the future priorities. It will provide a platform to deliver our ambitions in rail. Moreover, our New Rail Strategy for Surrey will enable the council to take advantage of other opportunities as they arise to support our 2030 Community Vision and our 2050 Place Ambition.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1. That the vision and principles of the Alternative Provision strategy are endorsed,
   
   
2. That the developments in the previously agreed capital works to upgrade the county’s Pupil Referral Units are noted,

3. That delegated authority to agree individual projects and resources is given to the Cabinet Member for All Age Learning and Cabinet Member for Resources and Corporate Support, subject to a detailed business case for each scheme passing through Property Panel and Capital Programme Panel is approved,

4. That an amount of £0.5m is transferred from the current pipeline budget to begin the development of more detailed plans for individual sites.

Reason for decision:

The proposed strategy will provide a shared ambition for children, vision, and a set of principles to develop a consistent high-quality countywide AP offer. The implementation of these proposals will provide an integrated system of alternative provision focussed on supporting children and young people at an earlier stage and enabling them to remain more often in their local school provision with their friends and siblings. The systemic approach will drive improvements in outcomes for children and young people accessing alternative provision, returning them more quickly and successfully to full time education. The investment proposals will ensure that all facilities meet the minimum standards required and go further to provide environments that ensure children feel valued, support children with a broad curriculum and ensure that their emotional health and wellbeing is a priority. 

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1. That the HGV Weight Restriction Enforcement Policy in the form of the ‘Surrey HGV watch’ is adopted;
   
   
2. That agreement of the detailed operational policy is delegated to the Director for Highways and Transport in consultation with Surrey Police and the Cabinet Member for Highways;

3. That twice yearly progress reports are provided to the Cabinet Member for Highways;

4. That support for a change in Government policy to allow councils outside London to enforce moving traffic offences by camera to help improve road safety, reduce congestion and protect the environment is endorsed.

Reason for decision:

The recommendations above will enable the council to help achieve some of its Community Vision 2030 objectives, including that:

• Residents live in clean, safe and green communities, where people and organisations embrace their environmental responsibilities; and

• Journeys across the county are easier, more predictable and safer.

In addition, as part of our organisational strategy, Surrey County Council wants to work in partnership with residents, businesses, partners and communities to collectively meet challenges and grasp opportunities. A new HGV Watch policy that helps enforce HGV weight restrictions could encourage residents to be proactive in their local areas in working with the council and the police in tackling the environmental impacts that inappropriate HGV movements have on our communities.

An HGV watch scheme will help focus the resources available to the police and council for the enforcement of HGV restrictions in the most effective way and in a way that will have the greatest impact on driver awareness and potentially compliance.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1. That the latest public health situation with regard to Covid-19, nationally and in Surrey be noted;
2. That the actions being delivered through Surrey’s Local Outbreak Control Plan, including the vaccination roll out, and the ongoing support to vulnerable residents, including through the council’s Community Helpline and the Covid Winter Support Grant scheme be noted and endorsed;
3. That the latest impacts on Adult Social Care and Children’s, Families, Lifelong learning services be noted;
4. That the ongoing preparation for the local elections in May 2021 and associated risks be noted and endorsed;

5. That the work and planning going on in respect of the transition into recovery from the pandemic be noted and endorsed;

6. That the allocation of a £500,000 grant to Community Foundation for Surrey, of which a half of the funding will be placed into an endowment to create a lasting legacy for groups working on priorities for the county be endorsed.

Reason for decision:

The county and council continue to face unprecedented challenges due to the Covid-19 crisis. We are simultaneously managing response activity and work with our partners to enable recovery within the county, looking ahead to a return to day-to-day life for communities following the end of national lockdown.

The recommendations set out in this report ensure Cabinet are appraised of the most recent work going on across the council to protect, sustain and support residents and communities and the economy of Surrey.

[Where necessary a waiver for call-in will be sought from the relevant Select Committee Chairman]

RESOLVED:

1.    That the decision taken by officers since the last meeting be noted.

Reason for decision:

To inform the Cabinet of decisions taken by officers under delegated authority.

[This decision is subject to call-in by the relevant Select Committee Chairman dependent on the recommendation.]

RESOLVED:

2. That the reintroduction of services for non-recyclable wastes at Bagshot, Warlingham, Cranleigh and Dorking community recycling centres for a twelve month period be agreed and delegated authority be given to the Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change in consultation with the Leader to decide on when to reintroduce the exclusion of non- recyclable materials at these sites following the removal of COVID controls.

Reason for decision:

To mitigate issues of queuing on the highway as a result of reduced throughput at our community recycling centres caused by the introduction of controls to make the sites COVID secure. The reason for urgency is to enable changes to be put in place as soon as possible over the busy Easter period. The changes should reduce overall queuing times and provide a more convenient service for residents

RESOLVED: That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information under the relevant paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

RESOLVED:

That the delegated decisions taken since the last meeting of the Cabinet be noted.

Reason for decision:

To inform the Cabinet of decisions taken by Cabinet Members, Strategic Investment Board and the Committee in Common subcommittee under delegated authority.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the County Hall Move and Agile Programme Task Group Report be noted and recommendations agreed.

2.    That the Leader write to the Home Office urging them to expedite the processing of applications for EU citizens applying for settled status in the UK.

There were none.

One petition with 4,252 signatures had been received. It requests that Surrey County Council preserve and protects Norbury Park Sawmill and Workshop. The response to the petition was published as part of the supplementary agenda. Mr Anthony Bainbridge presented the petition.

There were no public questions.

There were three member questions. The questions and responses were published as a supplement to the agenda.

There were none.

The Minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 23 February 2021 were approved as a correct record of the meeting.

Apologies were received from Colin Kemp.

The Runnymede Joint Committee:

(i)       Noted the progress with schemes and revenue funded works for the 2020/21 financial year.

(ii)     Noted the budgetary position.

(iii)    Noted that a further Highways Update will be brought to the next meeting of this Committee.

(iv)    Agreed the proposed capital ITS works programme for 2021/22.

(v)     Agreed that authority is delegated to the Area Highways Manager to allocate the £100,000 capital maintenance budget to support the implementation of the capital maintenance programme for 2021/22.

(vi)    Authorised the Area Highways Manager to undertake all necessary actions to deliver the capital works programme, consulting with the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Divisional Members where necessary.

Reasons

The Area Highways Manager needs the authorisation of the Joint Committee in order to implement work on the 2021/22 programme.

The Local Committee (Waverley) agreed:

(i)    To note the committee approved allocations and works progressed during 2020/21

(ii)  To agree the recommendations made in this report for utilising the available highways budget for 2021/22.(Paragraph 2.1.8 - 2.1.16 refers.)

(iii)To agree to allocate the £500,000 parking surplus fund reserved for Farnham to the Farnham Board.

(iv)To delegate to the Area Highway Manager, in consultation with the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Divisional Member, the ability to resolve any problems encountered, to facilitate scheme delivery throughout the year.

A petition was received from Witley Parish Council to “Install a speed VAS and a junction warning VAS, and to implement some improvements to signage, road markings and speed limit locations on the A283, along with some changes to the New Road junction”

This site falls between the Godalming South, Milford and Witley division and the Eastern Villages division and therefore it would be at the discretion of the divisional members to decide whether they wish to part fund any or all of the proposed works. However, both Witley and Hambledon Parish Council's may wish to fund the works themselves and the County Council would be happy to undertake the projects on their behalf subject to the funds being made available.

The local committee agreed:

That the Chair and the Divisional member write to the Cabinet Member (Highways) on this issue.

Woking Joint Committee:

(i)    Noted the applications determined by the Sub Group and its decisions to date.

(ii)   Agreed the Hook Heath CIL application for £15,000.

Reasons for decisions:

To keep the Joint Committee informed of the decisions of the Sub Group and the applications to date and to agree the one application that was above the limit of the group.

The Woking Joint Committee agreed to:

i)              Note the progress with schemes and revenue funded works for the 2020/21 financial year.

ii)             Note the budgetary position.

iii)           Note that a further Highways Update will be brought to the next meeting of this Committee.

iv)           Agree the proposed capital works programme for 2020/21, shown in Table * and as agreed at the informal meeting of the Woking Joint Committee on 10 March 2021.

v)            Agree that authority is delegated to the Area Highways Manager to allocate the £100,000 capital maintenance budget to support the implementation of the capital maintenance programme for 2021/22.

vi)           Authorise the Area Highways Manager to undertake all necessary actions to deliver the capital works programme, consulting with the Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Divisional Members where necessary.

Reasons for decisions

The decisions are made to enable progression of all highway related schemes and works.

Item 4a – petition to 'review the traffic arrangements in Goldsworth Road at the junction with Poole Road, Woking, to prevent the access to McDonald’s drive-through restaurant causing access problems to homes and businesses. and gridlock to the traffic in that area at busy times.’

SCC Officers agreed to continue to review the situation and to work with the Borough and McDonalds to try to find alternative solutions.

The Joint Committee noted that:

(i)            Meetings were held prior to the reopening of the McDonald’s Drive-thru to discuss possible measures to minimise the impact of queuing traffic.

(ii)          No options could be identified for segregating McDonald’s traffic from traffic that was either passing along Goldworth Road or trying to access Morrison’s.

(iii)        Another meeting will be held to review the situation and identify any possible alternative routes to McDonald’s. 

(iv)        The cost of any traffic management measures should not be borne by Surrey County Council

Item 4b – petition to 'trial the reduction in speed limit to 20 mph in White Rose Lane, Mount Hermon Road, York Road and roads ancillary to those roads.'

Members discussed at length the issues of the area and how to gather residents views, noting that the introduction of speed limits or mitigation measures could impact negatively on surrounding roads, and the fact that there were similar issues in other parts of the Town.

Members also discussed that, subject to agreement by the Mount Hermon Borough and County Councillors, the Joint Committee could explore the possibility of using Neighbourhood Community InfrastructureLevy funds to design, consult upon and implement, if approved by consultation, speed restrictions (including a 20 mph zone) for Park Road and White Rose Lane.   

The Joint Committee were aware that this was contrary to the SCC speed limit policy, but did discuss whether an exception could be made, on the understanding that this did not set a precedent.

The Joint Committee noted that:

(i)            It would be impractical to trial a 20mph speed limit in a road, as opposed to permanently reducing the speed limit, because the amount of work required for assessment, advertising and implementation, as well as the associated cost, is similar in both instances.

(ii)          White Rose Lane, Mount Hermon Road and York Road are all included in the Woking speed management plan.  Speed surveys previously undertaken in both roads indicate a relatively good level of compliance with the speed limit but with speeds too high to permit a 20mph speed limit in accordance with Surrey County Council’s Speed Limit Policy.

(iii)        Residents’ concerns will be discussed with officers of the Speed Management Plan review group and new speed surveys will be requested to include Park Road.

(iv)         Vehicle speeds and road safety will continue to be monitored in White Rose Lane, Mount Hermon Road and York Road, as they are for all sites on the Woking speed management plan.

(v)          Petitions have previously been received for a 20mph speed limit along White Rose Lane in 2014 and 2017 and in both instances, the Woking Joint Committee agreed to take no further action.

However, the Joint Committee also agreed to:

Delegate to Officers to agree, in consultation with the Area Highways Manager, the way forward (including CIL bids for funds) in full consultation with Members.