Agenda and minutes

To confirm as a true record the Minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2022.

RESOLVED:

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 11 January 2022 be confirmed.

To invite Members to declare any interest they might have in the matters on the agenda.

Cllr Michael Lilley declared an interest in any matters relating to young people as a trustee of the Isle of Wight Youth Trust.

Cllr Chris Jarman declared an interest in any matters relating to adult social care as a family member was a beneficiary of Wightcare system.

Cllr Karen Lucioni declared an interest in any matters relating to adult social care as a self-employed Personal Assistant.

Members of the public are invited to make representations to the Committee regarding its workplan. Questions may be asked without notice, but to guarantee a full reply at the meeting a question must be put (including the name and address of the questioner) in writing or by electronic mail to Democratic Services at democratic.services@iow.gov.uk, no later than two clear working days before the start of the meeting. Normally, the Committee is held on a Tuesday and therefore the deadline for written questions will be Thursday 3 February 2022.

No public questions were received.

The chairman to give an update on the progress on the outcomes and recommendations arising from previous meetings.

The chairman presented the report which provided an overview of the progress against outcomes and recommendations from previous meetings. No comments or questions were raised at this stage.

RESOLVED:

THAT the progress report be noted.

To consider a verbal update on the progress being made with the delivery of the new Council website.

The Director of Corporate Services provided a verbal update on the progress being made with the delivery of the Council’s new website. Discussion took place regarding the complexity of the project, particularly following a period of underinvestment in the current ICT infrastructure which had resulted in significant technical rebuilds and coding needed to deliver a modern and accessible website. It was confirmed that the beta site for the first six service areas was on track to be launched on 31 March 2022, and prior to this date there would be an opportunity for councillors to test and familiarise themselves with the new website.

Reference was made to a series of written questions and responses which had been provided ahead of the meeting (attached). Further queries were raised in relation to device compatibility and risk management. It was confirmed that the design of the new website would ensure its compatibility with devices such as tablets and mobile phones, and the committee were reassured that a risk register for the project was monitored on a weekly basis.

It was agreed that the progress with the Council’s new website would be included in the workplan for future review.

RESOLVED:

THAT the update be noted.

To consider the proposed budget for 2022-23.

Consideration was given to the proposed budget for 2022-23 and reference was made to a series of written questions and responses which had been provided ahead of the meeting (attached).

Concerns were raised in relation to the proposed change in Wightcare fees, particularly that the increase could discourage use (consequently have a knock-on effect to other adult social care services) and that this increase was not consistent with supporting people living at home. The Interim Director of Adult Social Care reassured that behind any funding change a detailed piece of work and risk assessment was undertaken and Wightcare remained considerably cheaper and more cost effective than supported living, residential or nursing care. It was noted that for many years the service has had an annual deficit of about £380,000 and there was a need to ensure that adult social care funds were utilised to discharge its statutory duties.

Questions were raised regarding the use of the £2.5m allocated to the Council’s housing company. The Director of Finance and Section 151 Officer advised that this would give the housing company the best possible start to be set up properly, and considerations were underway to develop the business case and business plan which were legally required before the company could start trading.

Questions were raised regarding the plans for the £40,000 allocated to facilitate support for town and parish councils. The Cabinet Member advised that the Council planned to work with the towns and parish councils to identify how this money would be utilised.

Questions were raised regarding the proposed planning enforcement pilot project for Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council and whether this would be extended to other local councils. The Cabinet Member advised that the aim of the project was to create a model where the Council’s enforcement team could be enhanced to support town and parish councils.

It was noted that the previous budget had allocated funds to purchase mobile average speed cameras however this was no longer the case. The Cabinet Member explained that funding was instead allocated to speed reduction schemes as speed cameras were not available to purchase.

Discussion took place regarding the levelling-up fund, the island deal and progress with the fair funding review.

RESOLVED:

THAT the budget proposals for 2022-23 be noted.

To review items due to be considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 10 February 2022, and where appropriate, make comments or recommendations that the Committee believe should be considered prior to Cabinet making a decision. The items shown on the latest version of the forward plan at the time of publication of this agenda are:

This item was not considered as it had been deferred by the Cabinet.

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval of the 2023/2024 school admissions arrangements. No comments or questions were raised at this stage.

RESOLVED:

THAT the proposed recommendations be noted.

Consideration was given to the report which outlined the consultation outcomes and sought the Cabinet’s approval to publish a public notice to combine Godshill Primary School and Chillerton and Rookley Primary School with effect from the 31 August 2022.

The views of Chillerton and Gatcombe Parish Council were shared, and questions were raised regarding whether the decision could be delayed further to enable potential applications from other academies. The Cabinet Member advised that the decision had already been delayed by a year, no applications had been forthcoming, and it was time to give certainty to the children, parents, and staff.

It was agreed that the Cabinet Member and Director of Children’s Services would meet with Cllr Spink to discuss the matter prior to the meeting of the Cabinet on 10 February 2022.

RESOLVED:

THAT the proposed recommendation be noted.

Consideration was given to the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval of the Councils performance and financial position for the quarter ended 31 December 2021.

Discussion took place regarding the reduction in staff sickness absences compared to previous years, and benchmarking against other local authorities. Questions were raised in relation to measuring response times to FOI requests.

Questions were raised in relation to child protection, safeguarding, and the local response to the Government identifying the Island as an education “cold spot” as part of its levelling-up agenda. The Cabinet Member advised that this would be analysed thoroughly, and it was agreed that this would be a matter for the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Children’s Services, Education and Skills.

RESOLVED:

THAT the proposed recommendation be noted.

This item had been previously discussed and no further comments were made.

To identify any items contained within the published forward plan that would benefit from early consideration within the workplan for this committee or one of the policy and scrutiny committees. The forward plan can be viewed online here: https://iow.moderngov.co.uk/mgListPlans.aspx?RPId=145&RD=0&bcr=1

The committee were invited to identify any item contained within the published forward plan that would benefit from early consideration within the committee’s own workplan or that of one of the policy and scrutiny committees. No comments or questions were raised that this stage and it was agreed that the committee would meet informally to discuss the forward plan and workplan.

RESOLVED:

THAT arrangements be made for the Committee to meet informally to discuss the Forward Plan and the development of its future workplan.

To identify any amendments required to the committee’s future workplan.

Consideration was given to the current workplan for 2021-22, and the corresponding timelines indicated within the Corporate Plan.

Discussion took place regarding the additional meeting scheduled for April 2022 to consider the draft Island Plan, ahead of its adoption by the Cabinet and Full Council. It was confirmed that the document would be made available five clear working days before the meeting on 12 April 2022.

Comments were made with regards to the Isle of Wight Dementia Strategy which was due for approval by the Cabinet in March 2022, prior to the next scheduled meeting of the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Health and Social Care. It was suggested that the chairmen would liaise to discuss the approach to scrutinising the matter.

RESOLVED:

THAT the chairman would liaise with the chairman of the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Health and Social Care to discuss the approach to scrutinising the Isle of Wight Dementia Strategy.

A question may be asked at the meeting without prior notice but in these circumstances there is no guarantee that a full reply will be given at the meeting. To guarantee a reply, a question  must be submitted in writing or by electronic mail to democratic.services@iow.gov.uk no later than 5pm on Friday 4 February 2022.

No written questions were received.