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* Verbal report
Executive Board Meeting
Friday 21st September 2012, 10.00am
Conference Room, Phoenix House, Nottingham Road, Melton Mowbray
AGENDA
1. Apologies 2. Declarations of Interest 3. Minutes of the Executive Board Meeting 22nd June 2012 1 4. Government Reshuffle 9 5. The Future of Adult Social Care Funding 12 6. Future Strategic Infrastructure Priorities 35 7. An Update Housing & Regeneration, including presentation by the Smith Institute 42 8. Sub-national Economic Performance and Governance 49 9. Local Enterprise Partnerships* 10. Climate East Midlands 54 11. EMC and Proposed Collaborative Working with Police
and Crime Commissioners 58
12. Update on Health and Wellbeing Chairs’ Network 63 13. Reports
a) Regional Employers Board 69 b) Strategic Migration Board 74 c) East Midlands Improvement & Efficiency Partnership Board 78
14. Report of the EMC Management Group 81
Item 3
1
EAST MIDLANDS COUNCILS EXECUTIVE BOARD
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 22ND JUNE 2012
AT NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Present: Cllr David Parsons CBE (Chair) – Leicestershire County Council
Cllr Neil Clarke (Vice Chair) – Rushcliffe Borough Council
Cllr Ernie White – Blaby District Council
Cllr Chris Millar – Daventry District Council
Cllr Martin Hill OBE – Lincolnshire County Council
Cllr Kay Cutts – Nottinghamshire County Council
Cllr Linda Neal – South Kesteven District Council
Cllr John Harrison – Derbyshire County Council
Cllr Chris Corbett – Erewash Borough Council
Cllr Robert Parker- EMC Labour Group
Cllr Fiona Martin – EMC Liberal Democrat Group
Cllr Geoff Stevens – Derbyshire Dales District Council
Cllr Ian Fleetwood – Lincolnshire County Council
Rowena Limb – BIS Local
Mark Edgell – LGG Principal Adviser
Steve Atkinson – Chief Executive, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council
Clare Richmond – Nottingham City Council
Harry Honnor – LGA
David Walker – NHS East Midlands
Stuart Young – East Midlands Councils
Jan Sensier – East Midlands Councils
Andrew Pritchard – East Midlands Councils
Sam Maher – East Midlands Councils
Lisa Hopkins – East Midlands Councils (Minutes)
Apologies Cllr Jon Collins (Vice-Chair) – Nottingham City Council
Cllr Jim Harker - Northamptonshire County Council
Cllr Andrew Lewer – Derbyshire County Council
Cllr Rory Palmer – Leicester City Council
Cllr Lewis Rose OBE – Derbyshire Dales District Council
Cllr Roger Begy OBE – Rutland County Council
Cllr Paul Bayliss – Derby City Council
Tony Favell – Peak District National Park
Mayor Tony Egginton – EMC Independent Group
John Sinnott – Chief Executive, Leicestershire County Council
Jane Todd – Chief Executive, Nottingham City Council
Item 3
2
ACTION
1. Apologies and Introductions
1.1
1.2
Cllr David Parsons CBE welcomed Members to the meeting.
Apologies were received as noted above.
2. Declarations of Interest
2.1
None.
3. Minutes of Executive Board Meeting held on 23rd March 2012 & Matters
Arising
3.1
3.2
The minutes were agreed as a true and accurate record.
Stuart Young confirmed that all matters arising are picked up in the agenda. He
informed Members that EMC representatives have met with Johnson Media Group
Ltd and are currently in the process of arranging a meeting with another. Stuart
Young will report back to the next meeting.
4. National Pay Reform Presentation
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
Harry Honnor, Principal Negotiating Officer LGA, gave Members a presentation on
the National Pay Reform.
He informed Members that there has been no national pay award since April 2009.
There is a need for engagement with unions.
If a new draft agreement is developed, this will need to go out to formal
consultation with Local Authorities and then trade unions.
If agreement cannot be reached, a potential outcome could be a dismantling of
national bargaining arrangements.
Sam Maher reiterated that what is proposed could have significant impact for Local
Authorities, for example moving to local negotiation, and therefore full engagement
is needed at senior levels.
Cllr Martin Hill stated that we need to be in a situation where councils stand
together on this issue.
Harry Honnor informed members that there is a meeting with trades unions
representatives on 31st July 2012 and the sector needs clarity by late-August as to
Item 3
3
ACTION
4.8
the way forward.
Resolution
� Members noted the report and action taken.
� Members considered the issues highlighted in the presentation.
� Members agreed representatives (Cllr Ian Fleetwood, Cllr Jon Collins, Steve
Atkinson, Sam Maher plus a Chief Executive from an Upper Tier Authority)
to attend national meeting on 16th July 2012 for participation in wider
debate and to ensure the view of local partners are fully reflected in the
development of national proposals.
SM
5. Public Health Reform
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
5.10
David Walker, Cluster Director of Public Health Midlands and East, gave members a
verbal update on recent developments.
PCTs and SHAs will cease to exist by April 2013.
Duncan Selby has been named as the new Chief Executive of Public Health England.
Senior posts will be appointed to in the next 4-6 weeks. It is envisaged that they
will be fully staffed by Christmas 2012.
Directors of Public Health will formally transfer to Local Authorities in April 2013.
Some HR policies have been published and there are more still to be published.
Each Local Authority will decide the structure for where the Director of Public Health
reports to – in the majority of cases this will be the Chief Executive.
Stuart Young confirmed that East Midlands Councils is leading on the Health and
Wellbeing Chairs network which is Chaired by Cllr Martin Suthers.
Questions/Comments
Cllr Ernie White raised the question on how could we get a better deal for public
health.
Cllr Robert Parker enquired whether there is any history in Directors of Public Health
being appointed which are not medically trained.
David Walker stated that if a Director of Public Health is not medically trained there
is a need for them to have access to professional medical advisory support.
Item 3
4
ACTION
5.11 Resolution
� Political groups to nominate a lead Member for Health.
6. Welfare Reform
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
Stuart Young, Executive Director East Midlands Councils, introduced this report.
He drew Members attention to two recent high-profile events which have taken
place for raising awareness of the issues facing local authorities as a result of
welfare reform. The first event was aimed at Leaders, senior Councillors, chief
executives and senior officers with a follow up event for officers responsible for
implementation, such as Heads of Revenues and Benefits, Finance, Procurement
and IT. There is also support for further work.
Questions/Comments
Cllr Neil Clarke stated the need for a common scheme and agreed that regional
collaboration is needed.
Resolution
� Members noted this report
� Members endorsed the approach being taken, including the planned task
and finish group.
7. European Programme Report
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
7.5
7.6
Stuart Young, Executive Director East Midlands Councils, presented this report.
He highlighted the issue of broadband and the potential use of ERDF match funding
to support this.
Questions/Comments
Cllr Robert Parker enquired whether there is an opportunity for LEPs to be
supportive in this.
Cllr Chris Millar expressed the need to be cautious in relation to claw-back.
Cllr Martin Hill stated that if funding is nearer the end of the programme there is a
need to ensure that it is spent.
Item 3
5
ACTION
7.7 Resolution
� Members noted this report and any actions taken.
8. BIS Report
8.1
8.2
8.3
Rowena Limb, Area Director, BIS, East Midlands and South East Midlands, gave
Members an update on the work of BIS.
Members were also updated on progress in establishing a strategid framework for
UK Structural Funds 2014-20, with the potential to align all 4 streams into
substantial investments (ERDF, ESF, EAFRD, EMFF).
EMC and BIS should continue collaborative work in relation to Structural Funds, LEPs
and wider issues.
SY/RL
9. Rail Investment (MML/HS2)
9.1
9.2
9.3
9.4
Andrew Pritchard, Director of Policy and Infrastructure East Midlands Councils,
introduced this report.
He drew members attention to the meeting on 2nd July with the Secretary of State
BIS where Cllr Kay Cutts and a number of MPs will discuss investment in the Midland
Main Line. A decision is expected from the Secretary of State for Transport on this
before 17th July 2012.
There is a meeting with Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, on 25th
June to discuss HS2. Formal proposals are likely to be announced in Autumn 2012.
Resolution
� Members endorsed efforts to secure the upgrade and electrification of the
Midland Mainline set out under section 2 of the report.
� Members agreed to use any remaining opportunities to reinforce the case
for MML investment with Ministers.
10. Housing Investment
10.1
10.2
Andrew Pritchard, Director of Policy and Infrastructure East Midlands Councils,
introduced this report.
There remains concern relating to housing investment, in particular affordable
housing. The level of investment available is only a quarter of what has been
Item 3
6
ACTION
10.3
10.4
received in previous years.
The task and finish group has been established and the first meeting is scheduled
for 13th July 2012.
Resolution
� Members noted the report and action taken.
� Members endorsed the appointment of Cllr Lewis Rose as Chair of the
Affordable Housing Task and Finish Group.
� Cllr Lewis Rose, Chair of this Group, will report back to the next meeting of
the Executive Board.
11. Education Funding Reform: Proposals for Change
11.1
11.2
11.3
11.4
Stuart Young, Executive Director East Midlands Councils and Anthony May, Director
of Children’s Services Nottinghamshire County Council, introduced this report.
Anthony May stated that the Government review of schools funding is happening in
two phases.
It is the responsibility of the Local Authority to have the revised funding formula by
October 2012.
Resolution
� Members noted the issues highlighted in the report.
� Members considered how East Midlands Councils should support member
authorities in responding to any challenges posed by the Department for
Education’s reforms.
SY
12. Board Reports
12a. EM Improvement and Efficiency Partnership Board Report
Item 3
7
ACTION
12a.1
12a.2
12a.3
Cllr Martin Hill OBE introduced the EM IEP Board Report.
He drew Members attention to the Regional Learning events.
Resolution
� Members noted the report and progress of projects and programmes.
� Members to propose any suggestions for future regional learning events
that reflect priorities for local government.
12b. EMC Strategic Migration Partnership Board Report
13b.1
13b.2
Cllr Geoff Stevens, Vice Chair Strategic Migration Partnership Board, introduced this
report.
Resolution:
� Members noted the contents of this report.
12c. EMC Regional Employers’ Board Report
12c.1
12c.2
12c.3
Cllr Ian Fleetwood, Chair, Regional Employers Board, introduced this report.
He highlighted to Councillor Development opportunities available.
Resolution
� Members of the Executive Board noted this report.
12d. Regional Heath Platform
12d.1
12d.2
Cllr David Parsons, Chair East Midlands Platform for Health and Wellbeing,
introduced this report.
Resolution
� Members noted this report and action taken.
� Members noted the potential for their organisation to join the Platform.
13. Report of EMC Management Group
Item 3
8
ACTION
13.1
13.2
13.3
13.4
13.5
Stuart Young, Executive Director East Midlands Councils, introduced this report.
The constitution document still needs further clarity before endorsement at the
AGM.
Stuart Young confirmed that he has met with the Chief Executive of Wellingborough.
A review of the role of the accountable body will be undertaken and advice provided
on future arrangements.
Resolution
� Members considered the report of the Management Group and the action
taken.
� Members approved the transfer of £54,000 from reserves to fund one off
expenditure on redundancy and the outright purchase of office equipment
as recommended by the Management Group.
� Members agreed that in conjunction with the Executive Director, they will
work with the council out of membership, and those councils that have
submitted notice to leave, in informing them of the benefits of membership.
� Members recommended to the Annual General Meeting the revised
governance arrangements for East Midlands Councils that specifically relate
to:
a) The roles and responsibilities of EMC Management Group
b) The roles and responsibilities of EMC Executive Board
c) Any consequent changes required to EMC constitution
SY
14. Any Other Business (previously notified to the Chair)
14.1
None.
15. Date of Next Meeting
15.1 Friday 21st September 2012, 10.00am, East Midlands Councils Offices, Phoenix
House, Melton Mowbray.
Item 4
9
Executive Board
21st September 2012
Government Reshuffle - September 2012
Summary
This paper sets out the key Government appointments of most relevance to local
government in the Prime Minister’s reshuffle of September 2012.
It also notes the position within Government of Members of Parliament (and Members of
the House of Lords) from constituencies within the East Midlands (along with some
adjoining constituencies).
Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to note this report.
Item 4
10
1. Government Reshuffle
1.1 On 4th September 2012 the Prime Minister David Cameron undertook his first
major reshuffle. Changes of particular note include Grant Shapps’ appointment as
Chairman of the Conservative Party, replaced as Housing Minister by Mark Prisk;
and the appointment of (former Westminster councillor) Nick Boles as planning
minister, while Greg Clark moves to the Treasury. Norman Lamb has replaced
Paul Burstow as care minister at the Department of Health.
1.2 Two tables are presented below. The first notes the key September 2012
Government appointments that are likely to be of most interest to local
government. The second table presents a list of MPs with constituencies within
and adjoining the region who currently hold a position within Government.
1.3 A full list of Government appointments is available on the number 10
(http://www.number10.gov.uk/the-coalition/the-government/) website.
2. Government Appointments of particular relevance to Local Government
Department Position Name Constituency
Department for
Communities and
Local Government
Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State
(Planning)
Nicholas Boles MP Grantham and
Stamford
Department for
Communities and
Local Government
Minister of State
(Housing and Local
Government)
Mark Prisk MP Hertford and
Stortford
Department of Health Secretary of State Rt Hon Jeremy
Hunt MP
South West
Surrey
Department of Health Minister of State
(Care Services)
Norman Lamb MP North Norfolk
Department of Health Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State
Anna Soubry MP Broxtowe
Department of
Energy and Climate
Change
Minister of State John Hayes MP South Holland &
The Deepings
Department of
Energy and Climate
Change
Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State
Baroness Verma Leicester
Department for
Transport
Secretary of State Rt Hon Patrick
McLoughlin MP
Derbyshire Dales
Department for
Transport
Minister of State Rt Hon Simon
Burns MP
Chelmsford
Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs
Secretary of State Rt Hon
Owen
Patterson MP
North Shropshire
Item 4
11
3. List of Members of Parliament and Members of the House of Lords in
(and adjoining) the East Midlands holding Government Positions
Department Position Name Constituency
Foreign &
Commonwealth
Office
Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State
Mark Simmonds
MP
Boston &
Skegness
Home Office Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State
Lord Taylor of
Holbeach CBE
South Holland,
Lincolnshire
Ministry of Defence Minister of State Rt Hon Andrew
Robathan MP
South
Leicestershire
Department for
Communities and
Local Government
Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State
(Planning)
Nicholas Boles MP See table above
Department of Health Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State
Anna Soubry MP See table above
Department for
International
Development
Minister of State Rt Hon Alan
Duncan MP
Rutland and
Melton
Department of
Energy and Climate
Change
Minister of State John Hayes MP See table above
Department of
Energy and Climate
Change
Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State
Baroness Verma See table above
Department for
Transport
Secretary of State Rt Hon Patrick
McLoughlin MP
See table above
Cabinet Office Minister without
Portfolio
Rt Hon Kenneth
Clarke QC MP
Rushcliffe
Government Whip Mark Lancaster MP Milton Keynes
Assistant Government Whip Nicky Morgan MP Loughborough
4. Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to note this report.
Stuart Young
Executive Director
Item 5
12
Executive Board
21st September 2012
The Future of Adult Social Care Funding
Summary
This report updates members on the Social Care White Paper, ‘Caring for our future:
reforming care and support’ and the draft Care and Support Bill as well as the
Government’s response to the Dilnot Commission.
It proposes that in order to reach a position on adult social care funding and make
representation to government, EMC should outline the impact of care funding on local
government in the region and the consequences of not addressing the funding issue.
It is suggested that this is undertaken with a view to submitting proposals to the
government on funding solutions for consideration in the next Comprehensive Spending
Review.
Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
� Consider and agree the establishment of a working group, chaired by a Leader,
with the objectives of:
a) Reaching a position on adult social care funding and make representation to
government.
b) Outlining the impact of care funding on local government in the region and the
consequences of not addressing the funding issue.
c) Submitting proposals to the government on funding solutions for consideration in
the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
� Consider wider membership of any working group established and direct the
Executive Director, in consultation with the Chairman (of the working group) and
Directors of Adult Social Care, to report progress to subsequent meetings of the
Executive Board.
Item 5
13
1. Purpose of the Report
1.1 This report follows a recent presentation by Stephen Dorrell MP, Chairman of the
Health Select Committee, to East Midlands Councils. The background is the
publication of the Social Care White Paper, ‘Caring for our future: reforming care
and support’ and the draft Care and Support Bill as well as the Government’s
response to the Dilnot Commission, ‘Caring for our future: progress report on
funding reform’. For information, a detailed report on the provisions of the social
care White Paper and issues arising has been attached as Appendix 5(a).
2. Information and Advice
2.1 The White Paper includes a wide range of initiatives for the future of adult social
care and is essentially an extension of the principles promoted by the current
and previous administrations nationally, which have formed the direction of
travel for services in the region.
2.2 The White Paper is based on the core principles of promotion of people’s
independence and wellbeing to prevent, postpone and minimise the need for
formal care and support; and that people should be in control of their own care
and support and should receive services that respond to what they want.
2.3 The key themes are:
� A focus on people’s wellbeing and supporting them to stay independent for
as long as possible.
� Introduction of greater national consistency in access to care and support
� Provision of better information to help people make choices about their
care.1
� Giving people more control and responsibility over their care.
� Greater recognition of and support for carers.
� Quality care and support delivered by a caring, skilled and valued
workforce.
� Improved integration of health, housing and social care services.
2.4 The Paper includes some investment announcements, including £100m in
2013/14 and £200m in 2014/15 from the health service to local authorities to
support service integration; £200m over 5 years (from 2013/14) for a care and
support housing fund to support new accommodation options for older and
disabled people and £32.5m (from 2014/15) to develop local online information
services.
1 Appendix 5(b) provides a report on the progress Nottinghamshire County Council has made to support people who self fund.
Item 5
14
2.5 Published alongside the White Paper is the Government’s progress report on
funding reform. Within this report the recommendations of last year’s Dilnot
Commission are accepted in principle, but the report refers to a number of
important questions that still need to be considered about how the principles
could be applied to any reformed system. These questions include the level of
the cap, who benefits and who should pay for the cost of reform. The
Government states it will come to a final view on the options for a reformed
funding system in the next Spending Review, which is likely to be 2013/14.
2.6 The main proposals of the Dilnot Commission were:
� The threshold for contributing to the full cost of care should be increased
from £23,250 to £100,000.
� The maximum charge to an individual for care in their lifetime would be
capped at £35,000.
� Individuals would pay between £7k and £10k annually for general living
costs, eg. food and accommodation.
� People who need care before they are 18 years old or who start needing care
under 40 years old will get all their care for free.
2.7 The Commission also recommended that there should be universal access to
deferred payments for people in residential care. The Government is introducing
a universal system from April 2015 and the draft Care and Support Bill includes
the necessary powers to implement this policy. This means that no-one will be
forced to sell their house in their lifetime to pay for their care.
2.8 The Commission’s work included an assessment of the impact of demographic
changes which are that national expenditure will need to increase from £14.5bn
to £22.8bn by 2025. In addition, the further cost of the Commission’s proposals
will be an initial cost of £1.7bn rising to £3.6bn by 2025. The percentage of each
council’s expenditure on Adult Social Care will rise significantly without a clear
path for dealing with this question on a national basis.
3. Recommendations
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
3.1 Consider and agree the establishment of a working group, chaired by a Leader,
with the objectives of:
a) Reaching a position on adult social care funding and make representation
to the government.
b) Outlining the impact of care funding on local government in the region
and the consequences of not addressing the funding issue.
Item 5
15
c) Submitting proposals to the government on funding solutions for
consideration in the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
3.2 Consider wider membership of any Group established and direct the Executive
Director, in consultation with the Chairman (of the working group) and Directors
of Adult Social Care, to report progress to subsequent meetings of the Executive
Board.
Cllr Mrs Kay Cutts
Leader
Nottinghamshire County Council
Item 5, Appendix 1
16
REPORT OF CORPORATE DIRECTOR, ADULT SOCIAL CARE, HEALTH AND PUBLIC PROTECTION CARING FOR OUR FUTURE: REFORMING CARE AND SUPPORT – SUMMARY OF THE WHITE PAPER, PROGRESS REPORT ON FUNDING AND REFORMING THE LAW FOR ADULT CARE AND SUPPORT
Purpose of the Report 1. The report will provide a summary of the main issues in the White Paper on care and
support, the progress report on funding and the Draft Care and Support Bill. It also highlights the responsibilities passing to local authorities as a result of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and changes to the Independent Living Fund.
Information and Advice 2. The White Paper, Caring for our future: reforming care and support, was published on
11th July 2012. It starts by laying out the case for change through identifying problems with the current system, which include:
• too often the system only reacts to a crisis
• society is not making the most of the skills and talents in communities
• people do not have access to good information and advice
• access to care varies across the country and is confusing
• carers have no clear entitlements to support
• not all care is good – quality of care is variable and inconsistent
• people often feel ‘bounced around’ and have to fight the system to have the joined-up health, care and support they need
• our growing and ageing population is only going to increase the pressures on the current system
3. Within the Paper the Government sets out its vision for care and support: Our vision is one that promotes people’s independence and wellbeing by enabling them to prevent or postpone the need for care and support. We will also transform the system to put people’s needs, goals and aspirations at the centre of care and support, supporting people to make their own decisions, to realise their potential, and to pursue life opportunities. 4. Local authorities will be required to play a leading role in how care and support will work in
the future, and in securing the wellbeing of everyone in their area. Promoting independence and wellbeing, instead of waiting for people to reach crisis point, is a core part of the vision.
Item 5, Appendix 1
17
People will be given better information to help them to plan for the future, and more options to help them remain independent for as long as possible. People will have better control over their care and will have access to high quality services that respond to what they want.
5. Each chapter in the White Paper is based on the principles of the reformed system and what
it is intended to achieve. The key issues are summarised in the following paragraphs and further details can be found in Appendix 1.
6. I am supported to maintain my independence for as long as possible – local authorities
and care commissioners will be expected to work much more closely with local communities in order to keep people well and independent, and to promote a shift to a more preventive approach to care and support. There will be a focus on maximising the potential of spaces and buildings within a community, and particularly improving the connection between care homes and their local community. The government will look to stimulate the development of time sharing schemes, where people share their time, talent and skills with others in the community and will develop a number of trailblazer areas to look at new ways of investing in services that help to keep people independent, such as Social Impact Bonds.
7. I understand how care and support works, and what my entitlements and
responsibilities are – the government will establish a new national information website to provide a reliable source of information on care and support, and local authorities will be required to provide their own comprehensive online information and advice service with funding available from 2014 to support this. To ensure people know what they are entitled to, a national minimum eligibility threshold will be introduced from 2015 and it will be made easier for people to move between local authorities without worrying about losing their care and support, as local authorities will have a duty to continue to meet the assessed needs of people who move into their area, until a new assessment can be completed.
8. I am happy with the quality of my care and support – the government wants to set out
what good quality care and support looks like and what people should expect. There will be information about the quality of all residential and home care providers on the NHS and social care information website (www.nhs.uk). The provider quality profile will be developed and from April 2013 comments from high quality feedback websites will be brought together and added to the provider profiles. In addition, the government is expanding the role of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) into adults’ care and NICE will develop a library of quality standards and guidance to improve the quality of social care. This will start with development of a quality standard for home care in April 2013.
9. The government intends to work with commissioners, care providers and people who use
services to bring to an end ‘contracting by the minute’ which can undermine dignity and choice for those who use care and support. They are also undertaking consultation on future oversight of the social care market to ensure continuity of care for service users should a care provider go out of business.
10. I know that the person giving me care and support will treat me with dignity and
respect - a new code of conduct and national minimum training standards for care workers will be published by September 2012, with a focus on dignity and respect. To drive up quality and bring new people into the profession, the government aims to double the number of care apprenticeships to 100,000 by 2017. To provide a leadership role for the social work
Item 5, Appendix 1
18
profession and to drive forward social work reform, a Chief Social Worker will be appointed by the end of 2012.
11. I am in control of my care and support – to put people in control of their care, there will be
a legal entitlement to a personal budget for everyone by 2013. In order to support more people to have direct payments there will be improved access to independent advice and support to make it easier for people to make choices, plan and arrange services. The government will also be inviting expressions of interest from local authorities to be involved in the development of direct payments for people in residential care. There will be financial investment and a duty in the draft Bill to promote the integration of services with health and housing, wherever this delivers better care and promotes people’s wellbeing.
12. Draft Care and Support Bill - underpinning many of the proposals in the White Paper is a
complete overhaul and modernisation of care and support legislation. Based on the Law Commission’s recommendations, following a review of adult social care law in 2011, the draft Care and Support Bill will create a single, modern statute for social care and support which embeds the promotion of individual wellbeing as the driving force underpinning the provision of care and support.
13. Local Authorities will have a duty to provide information and advice, prevention services and
shape the market for care and support services. These will be supported by duties to promote co-operation and integration to improve the way organisations work together, with a particular emphasis on working with health and housing. The Bill will legislate to give people an entitlement to a personal budget as part of their care and support plan and it sets out a duty for local authorities to inform people about which of their needs could be met through a direct payment.
14. The Bill will put safeguarding adults from abuse and neglect on a statutory footing, with clear
duties on local authorities, the police and the NHS to work together to keep people safe. In addition to this, for the first time carers will have a right to an assessment and an entitlement to support for them to maintain their health and wellbeing.
15. Making it happen - alongside the passage of the draft Care and Support Bill, the
government is creating two new leadership groups to progress the vision and actions in the White Paper:
• Care and Support Transformation Group – a forum for challenge and peer support made up of local authorities, care providers, voluntary sector, service users and carers
• Care and Support Implementation Board – this will have ownership of the implementation plan and will bring together organisations that have lead responsibility for key outputs from the White Paper. It will work with the Think Local, Act Personal partnership and the Towards Excellence in Adult Social Care programme.
Appendix 2 shows the timetable of actions outlined in the White Paper. 16. Summary of financial announcements
• £100m in 2013/14 and £200m in 2014/15 to be transferred from the NHS to councils to support better integration of services
• £200m over 5 years from 2013/14 in new care and support housing fund, to encourage new accommodation options for older and disabled people
Item 5, Appendix 1
19
• Start up funding of £32.5m from 2014/15 to develop local online information services
• Investment by NHS in end of life care pilots to be doubled from £1.8m to £3.6m
• Start up funding through the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund to support development of locally owned and sustainable ‘giving’ schemes
• Change charging system for residential care from April 2013 so income people earn in employment is exempt from residential care charges
• From October 2012, Guaranteed Income Payments made under Armed Forces Compensation Scheme will not be used to pay for social care arranged by public sector
17. Progress on funding reform - in July 2011 the Commission on Funding of Care and
Support, chaired by Andrew Dilnot, published a report and recommendations on how to share the cost of adult social care between the state and the individual. The Commission had considered how to manage the overall cost of adult social care in the face of demographic changes; and who should pay for care and how, in view of the fact that many people spend a high proportion of their assets on the care they need at the end of their life.
18. The progress report on funding reform accompanies the White Paper. It identifies the two
key proposals made by the Commission for reforming the way people pay for their care and support:
• capping the lifetime care costs that people face and raising the threshold at which people lose means-tested support; and
• universal access to deferred payments for people in residential care 19.The Government confirmed in the progress report that the principles of the Commission’s model are the right basis for any new funding model – financial protection through capped costs and an extended means test. The Office for National Statistics estimates that by 2030 the number of people aged over 85 will have doubled. The number of people who need care and support is therefore growing. We currently spend around 1.1% of our GDP on publicly funded adult care and support. If the system remains unchanged, we would expect this to rise as a result of demographic change: by 2025/26 we would need to spend around 1.25% of our GDP on adult care and support to maintain current levels of access and quality. 20. Around a quarter of people will have to spend very little on care, while one in ten will have costs of over £100,000. It is not possible for people to predict what their lifetime care costs will be and this leaves people facing a significant financial risk. Figure 2, reproduced from the Commission’s report, shows the distribution of care costs that people currently aged 65 can expect over their lifetimes.
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21. The Government will set up an expert working group with financial services and the care sector to ensure that the right information is available to help people plan ahead for later life, and to clarify the tax treatment of disability-linked annuities. Currently the options for someone wishing to protect themselves against the risk of high care and support costs are very limited. The financial services sector believes the introduction of a cap could create the right environment for new types of pensions, insurance and equity release products to emerge to help people manage this risk better. 22. However, they feel there are a number of questions remaining about how the principles could be applied to a reformed system. In addition the current economic situation means the Government will not commit to a new system at this stage and will come to a final view on funding reform in the next Spending Review (likely to be 2013/14). The diagram below, produced by Andrew Dilnot, demonstrates the proportion of spending on adult social care and the cost of the Commission’s proposed reforms, in relation to spending on public services as a whole.
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23. Around 40,000 people sell their homes to pay for care each year. The Government has accepted the recommendation to introduce a universal system of deferred payments for residential care, which means that no-one will be forced to sell their house in their lifetime to pay for care. The draft Care and Support Bill includes the necessary powers to implement the policy, which will be introduced from April 2015. These powers include allowing local authorities to apply interest or charges on deferred payments so they can recover their costs. The Government will fund local authorities for the new requirement. Currently Nottinghamshire County Council supports 40 people through a deferred payment agreement. In total, £1.1million is secured by a deferred payment agreement. 24. In summary, although the White Paper does not deal fully with the issue of adult social care funding, it is wide ranging in its recommendations and provides a good platform for reform of the care system. Other related social care changes: 25. Welfare Reform Act - As part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 local authorities will be required to take over responsibility from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for supporting people who would previously have been eligible for assistance from the current Discretionary Social Fund, through provision of Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans. The Act replaces Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans with a non-ring fenced grant which will
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be paid to local authorities in England. The budget allocation will be based on 2012-13 expenditure and local authorities will pick up this responsibility from April 2013. 26. Under existing powers in the Local Government Act 2000, local authorities will then be expected to provide assistance and emergency provision for the vulnerable which is tailored to local circumstances. This could involve payment in kind, for example through second-hand furniture or white goods, or in cash. Crisis Loans currently provide one-off emergency payments for incidents such as flood, fire or major storm damage. Community Care Grants are used to help people move out of residential care or prevent them from entering it. They also cover situations where families are under exceptional pressure. Eligibility is determined by claiming certain means-tested benefits. 27. Nottinghamshire County Council will be liaising with the DWP and local District Councils to decide how this future responsibility can best be managed. 28. Independent Living Fund - The Independent Living Fund was created in 1988 to mitigate the impact of the end of domestic assistance allowances when Supplementary Benefit was replaced with Income Support which included flat rate disability premiums. Following discussions with disability groups, the Government established the ILF as a charitable trust to make payments to people on low incomes who had to pay for personal care. The fund was originally established for a maximum of 5 years and was expected to support around 300 people.
29. The changes in the wider care and support system have called into question the efficacy of a separate funding steam operating in parallel to, but outside of, the mainstream care and support system administered by local authorities. Furthermore, while the ILF has applied national eligibility criteria in a consistent way, there is considerable geographical variation in ILF take-up rates. These were the conclusions of an independent review of the fund in 2007. The Government believes that the care and support needs of existing ILF users should met within one cohesive social care system. Their preferred approach is that from 2015 ILF funding is devolved to local government.
30. The ILF has been permanently closed to new applicants since December 2010. However, there are currently 19,370 people with complex and high support needs receiving funding across the UK. The ILF distributed £336m to its users in 2011-12.
31. A consultation was launched on 12th July to seek views on the Government’s proposal as to how the existing users of the ILF should have their care and support needs met from 2015. The consultation closes on 10th October 2012. Figures from the quarter ending in March 2012 show that there were 213 ILF users in Nottinghamshire receiving a total of £945,000 in ILF funding. 32. RECOMMENDATION/S 1) It is recommended that the contents of the report are noted. David Pearson Corporate Director, Adult Social Care, Health and Public Protection For any enquiries about this report please contact:
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Jennie Kennington, Senior Executive Officer Email: [email protected] Background Papers Except for previously published documents, which will be available elsewhere, the documents listed here will be available for inspection in accordance with Section 100D of the Local Government Act 1972. a. Caring for our future: reforming care and support, White Paper, July 2012 b. Caring for our future: progress report on funding reform c. Reforming the law for adult care and support – The Government’s response to Law Commission report 326 on adult social care d. Draft Care and Support Bill e. All Party Parliamentary Local Government Group – Care now and for the future: an inquiry into adult social care Appendix 1 – Summary of chapters in White Paper Chapter 3: “I am supported to maintain my independence for as long as possible” We will: • create shared measures of wellbeing across the 2013/14 editions of both the Public Health and Adult Social Care Outcomes Frameworks, with a particular focus on developing suitable measures of social isolation The Outcome Frameworks will be published this autumn and will set out how the government will measure the wellbeing of each local area. This will include establishment of measures of loneliness that help to identify isolation. • legislate to introduce a clear duty on local authorities to incorporate preventive practice and early intervention into care commissioning and planning As part of the shift to a more preventive approach to care and support, the Government will include a duty on local authorities to commission and provide preventive services in the draft Care and Support Bill. This means working more closely with local communities to keep people well and independent. • involve communities in decisions around health and care services, through local Healthwatch and health and wellbeing boards Local health and care commissioners will be expected to ensure that communities are much more involved in decisions about services. It is hoped this will mean that care and support draws on community networks where possible, rather than segregating people in formal services. • support social workers to connect people at risk of isolation to community groups and networks, using evidence from the Social Work Practice Pilots The government is piloting new ways of working in social care and social work, including the Practice Pilots; which aim to liberate social workers from case management and allow them to focus on promoting active and inclusive communities, and empowering people to make their own decisions about their care.
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• support My Home Life and national care provider organisations to work with their members to develop ‘open care homes’ that build links with their local community Local Authorities, together with local communities, will be expected to maximize the potential for spaces and buildings within a community to act as meeting places or centres for activity. There is a particular emphasis on improving the connection between care homes and their local community. • stimulate the development of time banks, time credits and other approaches that help people share their time, talents and skills with others in their community The government will support the growth and development of initiatives that help people to give their time and skills. As part of this the Department of Health will provide start-up funding through the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund to support the development of locally owned and sustainable ‘giving’ schemes. • develop, in a number of trailblazer areas, new ways of investing in supporting people to stay active and independent, such as Social Impact Bonds Social Impact Bonds are a way of attracting up-front funding for the development of new and innovative services. The Bonds ensure that taxpayer funding is used only if services are successful. Further details on the process for establishing trailblazer areas to be published in the autumn. • establish a care and support evidence library to act as a bank of best practice in prevention and early intervention A national single bank of evidence for preventive interventions in care and support will be launched in 2013 so commissioners of services can take decisions on the basis of high quality evidence. • establish a new care and support housing fund, worth £200 million over five years, to support the development of specialised housing for older and disabled people The draft Care and Support Bill will set out new duties on local authorities to ensure that adult social care and housing departments work together. The intention is to support adaptations and home repair services to join up better with people’s care and support. The new care and support housing fund will start from 2013/14 to encourage providers to develop new accommodation options for older and disabled people. • work with Home Improvement Agencies to extend their services to more people who fund their own adaptations and ensure that people obtain timely support and advice In addition to this the Government is taking forward the Three Million Lives campaign, launched in December 2011, which will accelerate the roll-out of telehealth and telecare in the NHS and social care during a 5 year programme to develop the market. The incentives and support for widespread adoption of assistive technology will be set out later this year. Chapter 4: “I understand how care and support works, and what my entitlements and responsibilities are” We will: • establish a new national information website to provide a clear and reliable source of information on care and support
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From April 2013, the Government will provide a new single portal for health and care. It will include an explanation of how the care and support system works, who might be eligible for financial support from the state and how much care costs. There will also be a comprehensive, national directory of care providers on the website; this will include information on quality through the new provider quality profile. • support local authorities to develop new online services that provide people with more consistent and more easily accessible information about their local care and support options, with start-up funding of £32.5 million The Government will legislate to ensure that local authorities provide a comprehensive information and advice service. The funding to support this will be provided over 2 years from 2014/15. • introduce greater national consistency in access to care and support, through a national minimum eligibility threshold This will be introduced from 2015. The Government expects that there should be no need for local authorities to tighten current eligibility thresholds given the commitment to a national threshold. To support this move there will be work undertaken to develop and test options for a new assessment and eligibility framework, with a focus on the skills, talents and goals of people seeking to access support. • remove the barriers that keep people from moving to a new home in a different local authority area, by ensuring no-one’s care and support is interrupted The Government will legislate to require local authorities to continue to meet the assessed needs of people who have moved into their area, until a new assessment can be undertaken. There will also be a duty to provide a written explanation if the result of the new assessment is different from that of the previous local authority. • require NHS organisations to work with their local authority partners and local carers organisations to agree plans and budgets for identifying and supporting carers The Government expects the NHS to work with its local authority partners and local carers organisations to agree plans for identifying and supporting carers, and to publish them by 30th September 2012. From April 2013, the NHS Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups will be responsible for working with local partners to ensure that carers are identified and supported. • work with the Employers for Carers Forum to produce and publish a road map setting out action to support carers to remain in the workforce The Government and Employers for Carers hosted a summit in June 2012 to explore how carers can be best supported in the workplace, and a road map setting out action on this will be published in due course. • transform support for carers by extending the right to an assessment, and introduce a new entitlement to support for them to maintain their health and wellbeing For the first time carers will have a right to an assessment. In addition there will be a national minimum eligibility threshold for support for carers, as there will be for people who use services, and the government will develop options for a new eligibility framework to determine whether a carer has eligible needs. Chapter 5: “I am happy with the quality of my care and support” We will:
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• set out clearly what good-quality care looks like and what people should expect when using care and support The Paper states that a high quality care and support service must consist of the following core components:
• Effectiveness – good services make me feel better and more independent
• Experience - good services treat me well
• Safety – good services help to keep me safe The Government wants to secure high profile leadership for quality in the sector, and has asked the Think Local, Act Personal partnership to develop this work. • ban age discrimination in health, care and support from October 2012 There will be a ban on age discrimination in NHS and social care services, with no areas of exemption. • give people access, from today, to clear information about the quality of individual care providers Every registered residential or home care provider will have a provider quality profile on the NHS and social care information website (www.nhs.uk). This will be developed and added to over the coming months. • work with a range of organisations to develop comparison websites that make it easy for people who use services, their families and carers to give feedback and compare the quality of care providers From April 2013, the Government will pool comments from high quality feedback websites onto a feedback area of the provider quality profile, bringing online feedback together in one place. There will also be training for new Healthwatch organisations which will include ensuring a good understanding of human rights for people in care homes, as their duties will include visiting local care services and reporting back concerns. • refer home care to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence as the topic for a quality standard, as part of a library of care and support quality standards to be developed from April 2013 To develop better evidence of what high quality care look like, the government is expanding the role of NICE into adults’ and children’s social care. NICE and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will work together to ensure that related standards are complementary. NICE will develop a library of quality standards and guidance to improve the quality of social care. Work to scope and develop a social care quality standard for home care will commence in April 2013. • pilot a new care audit in 2013 to highlight how well residential care providers are delivering dementia care, encouraging them all to improve their care This will allow residential care providers to test the quality of their care practice against the nationally agreed NICE standard for the care of people with dementia. If successful, there will be a roll-out of audits on different aspects of social care. • put action to protect people from abuse and neglect on a statutory footing, with clear duties on local authorities, the police and the NHS to work together to keep people safe
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Local Authorities, as the lead organisations, will have a responsibility for convening a statutory Safeguarding Adults Board, with core membership from police and the NHS. The Government is also consulting on whether a new power should be created for local authorities to access and see a person who may be at risk of abuse or neglect. • rule out crude ‘contracting by the minute’, which can undermine dignity and choice for those who use care and support The Government supports a diverse range of care providers and will strengthen this by introducing a duty upon local authorities to promote diversity and quality in the provision of services. The government also intends to work with commissioners, care providers and people who use services to ensure that local authorities bring an end to prescriptive commissioning practices that undermine people’s dignity and choice, eg. tasks that cannot realistically be carried out appropriately in a 10-15 minute appointment. • consult on further steps to ensure service continuity for people using care and support should a provider go out of business The government is currently developing and testing options for future oversight of the social care market. In autumn 2012 it will publish its consultation on this issue, which will cover the following areas: strengthening and clarifying the responsibilities of local authorities in this area, collection of better market and provider intelligence and to what extent further, targeted action to address provider distress and failure is necessary. Chapter 6: “I know that the person giving me care and support will treat me with dignity and respect” We will: • place dignity and respect at the heart of a new code of conduct and national minimum training standards for care workers These will be published by September 2012. By April 2013 the Government will also publish information on staff training as part of the provider quality profiles. • offer personal assistants (PAs), and their employers, greater support and training to improve recruitment, retention and the quality of the care and support they deliver For the first time, the Government will target PAs, and their employers, through the Workforce Development Fund. It will also explore the development of a PA index to facilitate a clear and transparent comparison of PA services that are available. • focus the role of social workers on interpersonal support, to promote choice and control, and to better meet people’s needs and goals The learning from the Social Work Practice Pilots – already mentioned in this report – will be widely shared over the next 18 months. Full evaluation of the social work practice model will be completed in 2013. • appoint a Chief Social Worker by the end of 2012, to provide a leadership role for the social work profession and to drive forward social work reform The Chief Social Worker will be an adviser to the Government on adults’ and children’s social work issues. The Munro Review of child protection recommended the appointment of Principal Social Workers for Children’s Services in each local authority. The Government supports this and an equivalent role in
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adult services to quality assure the safety of practice and facilitate feedback between frontline staff, management and the Chief Social Worker. • train more care workers to deliver high-quality care, including an ambition to double the number of care apprenticeships to 100,000 by 2017 This will be achieved by encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises to create apprenticeship opportunities for the first time; establishing an Apprenticeships Strategy Board; driving up the quality of the apprenticeship offer, and creating progression routes to Higher Level Apprenticeships. • expand the Care Ambassadors scheme to promote a positive image of the sector, making links with schools, colleges, and careers and job services In addition the Government will commission the development of an online tool to support recruitment and provide information about working in care and support for job seekers, as well as offering links to paid and voluntary opportunities available. This will link to the National Careers Service website. • establish a new Leadership Forum, to develop the leadership skills and abilities of people at every level of care and support This will bring together expertise from inspirational leaders in the private, public and voluntary sectors to develop the transformational leadership required. It will be accountable to the Government for its delivery and will be launched by March 2013. • strengthen the status of registered managers as critical leaders and advocates for quality care. Through the Forum and the National Skills Academy for Social Care there will be an emphasis on ensuring that registered managers of frontline services get the support, mentoring and supervision they need. Chapter 7: “I am in control of my care and support” We will: • legislate to give people an entitlement to a personal budget as part of their care and support plan, and will strengthen our ambitions on direct payments The draft Care and Support Bill sets out a duty on local authorities to inform people about which of their needs could be met through a direct payment, and an individual’s right to a direct payment to meet some or all of their needs. This gives people the flexibility to start with a small direct payment if they are unsure whether it will work for them. • improve access to independent advice and support to help people who are eligible for support from their local authority to develop their care and support plan and to choose how their needs could be met Evidence shows that access to independent advice and support means that people are much more likely to take their care and support funding through a direct payment. The government also wants local authorities to help people who are funding their own care and support to make choices, plan and arrange services. The draft Bill sets out plans to enable everyone to request this assistance. It would be subject to a reasonable charge for those who can afford it. • develop, in a small number of areas, the introduction of direct payments for people who have chosen to live in residential care, in order to test the costs and benefits
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The government will be inviting expressions of interest from local authorities to participate in this initiative, which will begin in 2013, to help understand better how direct payments in residential care might work in practice. • change the charging system for residential care from April 2013, so that the income that people earn in employment is exempt from residential care charges This is intended to encourage those in residential care to pursue employment opportunities if they are able to do so. Earned income is taken away from people under the current charging rules. • invest a further £100 million in 2013/14 and £200 million in 2014/15 through joint funding between the NHS and social care to support better integrated health and care services The Government expects the new funding to cover the costs to local authorities in 2013/14 and 2014/15 of the reforms included in the White Paper. • place a duty on local authorities to join up care and support with health and housing where this delivers better care and promotes people’s wellbeing The draft Care and Support Bill sets out a duty on the local authority to promote the integration of services, along similar lines to the duty on the local NHS already enacted by the 2012 Act. As personal health budgets are extended beyond the pilot sites, subject to current evaluation, the government is committed to making it straightforward for people to combine them with personal social care budgets. • develop plans to ensure that everyone who has a care plan has a named professional with an overview of their case and responsibility for answering any questions they might have The intention is that this becomes standard practice, supporting joined up care across hospital, community and social care. • work with partners to remove barriers and promote the widespread adoption of integrated care Later this year the Government will publish a framework, co-produced with partners across the new health and social care system, that will support the removal of barriers to making evidence based integrated care and support the norm over the next 5 years. This will include developing proposals on sharing the tools and innovations that promote integrated care and aligning incentives (ie. payment mechanisms that promote better integrated care). • develop models of coordinated care for older people Older people are identified as a group that would particularly benefit from an integrated approach to commissioning and delivering services. The government plans to pursue development of contracts covering all health and social care needs for older people. • improve the access that people living in care homes have to a full range of primary and community health services From April 2013, local Clinical Commissioning Groups will have a duty to support the NHS Commissioning Board in improving the quality of primary care. It is hoped that this will support a more consistent approach and more equitable access for care home residents to primary care services.
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Appendix 2 Timetable of actions
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Report to the East Midlands Council
REPORT OF THE LEADER FOR NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL CARE HOME MONITORING SYSTEM
Purpose of the Report 1. This report provides an update on the Nottinghamshire County Council’s work with
supporting people who self-fund in Care Homes and the progress with the care home monitoring system (BEDs for short).
Information and Advice 2. Under the National Assistance Act 1948, local authorities may decide to arrange for the
provision of residential accommodation to those who meet assessed needs. An authority is then required to pay for this care for those whose assets fall below a nationally defined level; currently £23,250.
3. If people have more than £23,250 in capital (savings and investments) they self-fund the
cost of their care home placement until their capital falls below £23,250. When this happens the responsibility for the funding is then picked up, by the local authority, on a tapering basis. This will result in the person having fewer savings and assets to leave on their death.
4. In Nottinghamshire, based on data provided by Care Homes, over 1,000 people are
currently self-funding. From the Council’s own data approximately 150 people each year will approach the Council to pick up the cost of their placement when their capital falls below the national limit.
5. Research suggests that only 10% of self-funders seek appropriate care fees planning
advice in order to maximise the use of their assets, which can better enable them to fund their care for the entire duration of the placement.
6. In their evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Local Government1, Partnership
Assurance estimated that poor decisions about care funding resulted in one in four self-funders falling back on state-funded care at an annual cost of up to £1 billion.
7. Nottinghamshire County Council offers all people who self-fund a Community Care
Assessment. A Community Care Assessment determines people’s social care needs and
1 All-Party Parliamentary Local Government Group: “Care now and for the future” – an inquiry into Adult Social
Care – July 2012.
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what support is available to meet them. People who self-fund seldom take-up the opportunity of having an assessment. As a result people only approach the authority for support when their funds are almost exhausted.
8. The Department of Health reinforced the need for Councils to promote advice services to
self-funders to ensure people are better informed, both as a benefit to themselves and to reduce the pressures of self-funders running out of money and then falling on Councils for financial support.
9. The All-Party Parliamentary Group commented that “There was broad agreement that local
government will need to build on existing good practice in ensuring that the resources for self-funders, who make up an increasing proportion of recipients of care, are supported to make the most effective use of their resources.”
Paying for Care 10. In order to provide self-funders with appropriate care fees advice, one way
Nottinghamshire County Council sign-posts the public is to advice on the Paying for Care website.
11. Paying for Care is an advice website developed by Partnership Assurance2 that was
launched in 2011. The website is designed to help individuals make more informed decisions about the arrangements and funding for their long-term care.
12. Paying for Care is a not-for-profit organisation. It is unique in the market place as it
provides holistic information and advice on all matters relating to long-term care plus detailed guidance on funding eligibility criteria. This allows customers to directly engage with independent Later Life Accredited Care Fees Specialists if they wish to seek specialist care fees planning advice (financial advice).
13. Paying for Care provides balanced, up-to-date advice on the complex subject of long-term
care, specifically payment for care, through careful, continuous research and collaboration with independent care experts and respected support organisations. As part of this, people can engage directly with an independent care fees adviser via a multitude of mediums including an innovative real-time online chat facility.
14. In order that the public receives appropriate care fees advice, Nottinghamshire County
Council sign-posts people who need care fees advice to Paying for Care through the Customer Service Centre, the Council’s website, information sheets and through the local media.
Finding a Care Home Solution 15. To support self-funders to make the most effective use of their resources, we awarded a
contract to Capita IB to develop a software solution that identifies self-funders and will monitor and record the occupancy and vacancies of beds within care homes in Nottinghamshire. The system is called “BEDs”.
2 Partnership Assurance is the longest established UK insurer specialising in the design and manufacture of
financial products (regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority).
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16. Nottinghamshire County Council implemented the care home bed monitoring system from
March 2012 for care homes for older people with a planned full roll-out to care homes for younger adults by January 2013.
17. The system is a web-based system, and enables the public to search for care homes in
Nottinghamshire and find out how many vacancies are available at any moment in time. 18. The website contains information about paying for care and enables the public to have a
‘live chat’ with a specialist fees planning adviser. 19. Through this software Nottinghamshire County Council will receive details when a self-
funder has entered a care home and the system also automatically reminds care homes of the importance of self-funders obtaining advice.
20. The software will also send a notification to Paying for Care notifying them that an
unnamed self-funder has entered the care home. Paying for Care will then arrange for an independent Care Fees Adviser to contact the care home seeking permission to meet with the new self-funders.
21. The BEDs system was acknowledged as an area of good practice in the ‘Care Now and for
the Future’ and has won two national awards. Those awards were:
i. Capital IB Solutions award for The Innovation in the Public Sector. This Award acknowledged the authority and individuals who provided the ideas and support to deliver an effective business solution; The BEDs system.
ii. Partnership Assurance awarded the Best Use of Technology in Care 2012. This
was in recognition of the work carried out within the authority and with Partnership Assurance in using technology to benefit the citizens of Nottinghamshire and beyond in developing a cutting edge technical solution to improve services for self-funders and simplifying pathways for care funding advice.
Marketing the Software 22. The intellectual property rights of the use of the software is owned by Nottinghamshire
County Council. 23. Nottinghamshire County Council is working with Capita IB to offer the care home bed
monitoring system to Health and other local authorities. The initial interest has been very positive a number of other Councils are in the process of purchasing the software.
Benefits 24. All self-funders will have access to information and advice regarding their care needs and
options for care, plus independent care fees planning advice. This will assist them in making informed arrangements for their long-term care, where appropriate, with the aim of being able to self-fund their care for the entire duration of the placement. This will reduce the need for people to approach the Council for the funding of their placement when they reach the £23,250 threshold.
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25. It is difficult to predict how many people will be able, or want to benefit from care fees
advice. It is expected that Nottinghamshire County Council would be able to reduce future financial expenditure by making fewer placements for people previously placed on a self-funded basis. The objective is to increase the numbers of self-funders who receive care fees planning advice in line with Government expectations.
RECOMMENDATION/S It is recommended that the East Midlands Council:
1) Note the contents of this report.
COUNCILLOR MRS KAY CUTTS Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council For any enquiries about this report please contact: Paul McKay, Service Director, Promoting Independence and Public Protection Tel: 01159773909
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Executive Board
21st September 2012
Future Strategic Infrastructure Priorities
Summary
This report summarises key aspects of the Government’s approach to infrastructure
investment as it affects the East Midlands, highlights some of the main lessons from the
recent Midland Main Line experience, and sets out a proposed mechanism for identifying
future strategic infrastructure investment priorities for the East Midlands.
Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
� Endorse the proposals for Strategic Infrastructure Task and Finish Group set out
under paras 5.3 and 5.4 of this report.
� Note the rest of this report.
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1. Background
1.1 In recent years EMRA/EMC, working with member authorities, has been successful
in securing a number of major infrastructure schemes of regional significance,
including the A46 (Newark-Widmerpool) improvement, A453 (M1 to Nottingham)
improvement, A14 Kettering bypass and latterly a Government commitment to
invest up to £800 million to upgrade and electrify the Midland Main Line between
Bedford and Sheffield.
1.2 Discussion at the EMC AGM indicated a continuing appetite to influence major
infrastructure investment decisions that will promote local economic growth.
Infrastructure work to date as been transport focussed and based largely on the
former Regional Funding Allocation (RFA) process. Moving forward, there is a
recognition that other forms of strategic infrastructure will also be required (such
as super-fast broadband) if the region is to fulfil its economic potential.
1.3 The expected announcement by the Government later this autumn of proposed
high speed rail route and station serving the East Midlands will also present a
particular set of challenges and opportunities for councils, LEPs and business
leaders.
2. National Policy Context
2.1 The Treasury and Infrastructure UK has published two iterations of the National
Infrastructure Plan (NIP) available here This sets out national priorities for
investment across a range of issues, including transport, energy, communications,
water, waste and flooding, and proposals for alternative funding models including
the use of pension scheme investment funds and Tax Increment Financing (TIF).
The 2011 version of the NIP confirmed support for a number of transport schemes
in he East Midlands, drawn largely from the former RFA process:
� Lincoln Eastern Bypass
� A43 Corby Link Road
� Hucknall Town Centre Improvement Scheme
� London Road Bridge (Derby)
� Widening the A453 between Nottingham, the M1 and Nottingham East
Midlands Airport
� M1/M6 Junction 19 major road improvements
� Development consent granted for a scheme to improve the A1 at Elkesley
� Widening the A14 Kettering Bypass between junctions 7 and 9
2.2 The Localism Act 2011 merged the Infrastructure Planning Commission with the
Planning Inspectorate and made the Secretary of State directly accountable for
decisions on nationally significant infrastructure. However, the main basis of the
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37
national infrastructure planning regime introduced by the Planning Act 2008
remains intact. After a slow start, a number of such schemes are starting to
progress through the system, including:
� Extension to the Daventry International Freight Terminal (Daventry). Details
available here
� East Midlands Gateway Freight Interchange (NW Leicestershire). Details
available here
� East Northamptonshire Resource Management Facility (East
Northamptonshire). Details available here
� M1 J28-31 Managed Motorway Improvement (Derbyshire). Details available
here
� Tritton Knoll Of-Shore Wind Farm (off the Lincolnshire Coast). Details available
here
� Whitwell Rail Tunnel Diversion (Bolsover/Retford). Details available here
� Willington Gas Pipeline (South Derbyshire). Details available here
2.3 In an effort to speed up the delivery of national significant infrastructure, the
Government has appointed the Chief Executive of LOCOG Paul Deighton as a
Treasury minister with responsibility for economic delivery and strategic
infrastructure from January 2013. In addition the recently announced
Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Bill proposes to guarantee up to £40 billion on
major infrastructure projects.
2.4 DCLG and the Department for Transport has made resources available to Local
Enterprise Partnerships to support local infrastructure improvements required to
deliver growth through the ‘Growing Places Fund’ (GPF). The GPF is designed to
act as a ‘revolving fund’, with financial support given to individual projects being
repaid once development has taken place. The following allocations have been
made to LEPs covering parts of the East Midlands.
LEP Growing Places Allocation
Leicester & Leicestershire LEP £13,405,370
Lincolnshire LEP £9,801,076
D2N2 LEP £26,344,104
South East Midlands LEP (includes parts of
Northamptonshire)
£18,759,514
Northamptonshire EP £5,910,558
Greater Cambridgeshire & Greater Peterborough
LEP (includes Rutland)
£16,118,213
Sheffield City Region LEP (includes parts of
Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire)
£18,574,935
Item 6
38
2.5 The Department of Culture Media and Sport is charged with supporting the roll out
of broadband infrastructure through BDUK, particularly in areas where the private
sector cannot deliver alone. BDUK have made the following financial allocations to
implement Local Broadband Plans in the East Midlands.
Area BDUK Allocation
Rutland £820,000
Northamptonshire £4,080,000
Nottingham & Nottinghamshire £4,250,000
Derby & Derbyshire £7,390,000
Leicester & Leicestershire £3,170,000
Lincolnshire £14,310,000
2.6 The Department for Transport launched a consultation last year on a successor
approach to the former RFA process for allocating resources to local authority
Major Transport Schemes (generally costing over £5 million). A formal response is
expected shortly, but it seems clear the Government is committed to devolving
funding to ‘local transport bodies’ based on LEP geography.
2.7 The East Midlands have the highest proportion of land area in flood risk area of
any region in England. Maintaining and improving flood defences and ensuring
that homeowners and businesses have adequate access to flood insurance are
crucial to maintaining economic viability in many localities. Defra have reduced the
amount of resources available for flood defence over the current CSR period, and
is increasingly looking to contributions to capital funding from third parties.
Finally, water companies are currently in the process of identifying water supply
and treatment infrastructure priorities for the period 2015-2020 in consultation
with councils and other stakeholders, for agreement by OFWAT.
3. Initiatives from professional bodies
3.1 The importance of infrastructure investment to delivering economic growth has
also been recognised by a number of professional bodies.
� Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) have published a series of studies and
reports on the importance of maintaining and improving the nation’s
infrastructure. ICE held an inaugural breakfast discussion on the state of
infrastructure at the East Midlands Airport on the 13 September, which Cllr
Martin Hill and Andrew Pritchard attended.
� Association of Directors of Economy, Environment, Planning &
Transport (ADEPT) have developed a number of initiatives aimed at unlocking
growth, including the funding and delivery of strategic infrastructure.
Item 6
39
� The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has launched its ‘Map for
England Initiative 'Map for England Initiative' which aims to achieve a better
understanding of the spatial implications of Government investment decisions
in order to improve collective outcomes. EMC will host discussion event for
councils and stakeholders on the 2 October on the Map for England, and RTPI
Chief Executive Trudi Elliot will meet county and unitary chief executives in the
East Midlands later that month.
4. Learning from the Midland Main Line Experience
4.1 Experience from the Midland Main Line campaign has highlighted a number of
lessons that will remain relevant to future work aimed at securing infrastructure
investment.
� Developing a robust business case: The technical work undertaken by
Arup was crucial in being able to identify the key costs and benefits of the
proposed MML investment, not just on the transport system, but also the wider
economic and environmental benefits. Although the cost was modest (around
£20,000 in total) the work provided a sound basis for the making the case
directly to Ministers and key civil servants, and Ministers repeatedly referred to
it in statements and debates.
� Emphasise the potential for unlocking economic growth: The focus of
this Government is clearly upon securing economic growth. Investment (or
other) proposals put to Government are more likely to be supported if they
clearly articulate how they will promote economic growth, and how this growth
would unlikely be realised without this investment.
� Securing cross boundary and cross sector support: The joint working
with South Yorkshire PTE significantly expanded the technical and
organisational expertise available to the campaign and broadened the level of
political support. The endorsement of the revised business case by the 4
relevant LEPs was also vital, particularly in making the wider economic case to
the Treasury and BIS.
� Working closely with MPs: The initial work on the MML focussed on
bringing together council leaders and businesses across the East Midlands and
South Yorkshire around a common set of objectives. From November 2011 this
was expanded to include MPs. As a result, EMC supported Nicky Morgan MP
(Loughborough) to spearhead a very effective cross-party campaign in
Parliament, organising joint letters, leading debates, asking questions and
meeting key Ministers formally and informally on numerous occasions. This
work proved invaluable in helping Ministers understand the level of political
support and the strength of the business case. The recent establishment of an
Item 6
40
East Midlands Group of MPs presents an opportunity for more formal joint
working with EMC on key issues of common concern.
5. Moving Forward
5.1 Whilst there is no formal locus for a regional grouping of councils to determine
strategic infrastructure priorities, there remains an appetite from members to
influence strategic investment decisions taken at the national level, and a
reasonable expectation based on experience that well evidenced collective action
can achieve positive results.
5.2 As EMC lacks the scale of resources of predecessor bodies to undertake all the
necessary research and analysis, there will need to be a greater emphasis in
working in partnership with member authorities, LEPs, professional bodies and
where possible neighbouring areas. It will be important to focus on a limited list of
genuinely strategic issues that have a larger than local significance, rather than
local matters more properly addressed by individual councils or LEPs. Making more
consistent use of MPs to help influence Ministerial decisions will be a key
determinant of success.
5.3 In order to provide a focus for EMC activity on infrastructure investment, it is
proposed to establish a small task and finish group, accountable to the Executive
Board, with the following membership:
Elected Members (3)
Cllr Jim Harker OBE, Leader of Northamptonshire County Council (Chair)
Cllr Paul Baylis, Leader of Derby City Council (Vice Chair)
Mayor Tony Eggington, Mansfield District Council
Officers (3)
2 nominations from ADEPT East Midlands (1 county, 1 unitary)
1 nomination from the Planning Officers Society East Midlands (district)
External Advisers (3)
1 nomination from BIS Local
1 nomination from ICE EM
1 nomination representing EM business interests
Other specialist advisors may also be required on an ad hoc basis to address
individual projects or topics.
EMC Secretariat
Andrew Pritchard
Peter Williams
Item 6
41
5.4 The purpose of the group would be to:
� Propose a limited number (not more than five) of strategic infrastructure
priorities necessary to support economic growth over the short to medium term
in the East Midlands, for agreement by the Executive Board.
� Identify proposals for securing implementation, including engagement with MPs
and LEPs.
6. Recommendations
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
� Endorse the proposals for Strategic Infrastructure Task and Finish Group set
out under paras 5.3 and 5.4 of this report; and
� Note the rest of this report.
Andrew Pritchard
Director of Policy & Infrastructure
Item 7
42
Executive Board
21st September 2012
An Update on Housing & Regeneration
Summary
This report updates members on the latest DCLG statistics on housing delivery, recent
Government initiatives to stimulate the housing market and the work of the Affordable
Housing Task Group chaired by Cllr Lewis Rose. It also provides context for the
presentation by the Smith Institute on funding for affordable housing and regeneration
in the East Midlands.
Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
� Note the housing delivery statistics set out in section 1 of this report.
� Endorse the actions agreed by the Affordable Housing Task Group set out in
section 3 of this report.
� Highlight any additional examples of the innovative delivery of affordable housing
to the EMC Secretariat by the 26th September 2012.
� Consider the Smith Institute presentation and report recommendations.
Item 7
43
1. Housing Delivery in the East Midlands
1.1 Figures released by DCLG in August indicate that total housing completions in the
East Midlands fell for the fifth year in succession to 9,930 dwellings in 2011-12.
Total housing starts also decreased following slight increases in the previous two
years, indicating that any significant upturn in completions in 2012-13 is unlikely.
1.2 As yet there are no DCLG figures for affordable housing delivery for 2011-12.
However, HCA funded completions dropped to 2,308 with only 971 starts. As HCA
schemes comprised over 90% of total affordable housing completions in 2010-11
in the East Midlands, this suggests an overall decrease of around 50% in 2011-12,
with a further similar decrease likely in 2012/13.
Housing Supply in the East Midlands
2000-1 to 2011-12
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
2000
-1
2001
-2
2002
-3
2003
-4
2004
-5
2005
-6
2006
-7
2007
-8
2008
-9
2009
-10
2010
-11
2011
-12
Dw
elli
ngs
Total Housing Starts Total Housing Completions
All Affordable Housing Total Net Additions
Source: DCLG
Notes:
i) ‘Total Net Additions’ also includes the impact of conversions, changes of use and
demolitions on the total housing stock.
ii) ‘All Affordable Housing’ includes both new build and acquisitions for social rent,
intermediate affordable housing, intermediate rent and low-cost home ownership
2. Latest Government Initiatives
2.1 Following the publication of last years Housing Strategy, the Government
announced a further set of measures designed accelerate house building and
commercial development on the 6th September 2012. These include:
Item 7
44
� Guaranteeing up to £10 billion of investment by Housing Associations in
new affordable housing through the Infrastructure (Financial Assistance)
Bill;
� Investing up to £200 million in private rented housing schemes;
� Investing an extra £300 million in total for new affordable housing and
refurbishing empty homes;
� Extending the existing First-Buy scheme to March 2014 to help first time
buyers;
� Accelerating the release of publicly owned land by strengthening the role of
the Homes & Communities Agency outside London;
� Legislating to give the Planning Inspectorate powers to determine
applications in poor performing planning authorities;
� Consulting on measures to speed up the planning appeals process;
� Encouraging the review of Green Belt boundaries by councils;
� Introducing legislation to allow developers of existing sites which are
unviable to appeal in order to reduce the amount of affordable housing
provision;
� Proposing to increase permitted development rights for homes and
business premises in non-protected areas for a 3 year period;
� Proposing to extend the scope of the national infrastructure planning
regime to include a proportion of the business and commercial applications
currently determined by councils; and
� Allowing change of commercial to residential purposes while providing an
opportunity for councils to seek local exceptions (through Article 4
Directions) where they believe there will be an adverse economic impact.
3. EMC Affordable Housing Task & Finish Group
3.1 The EMC Affordable Housing Task and Finish Group was established following
concern by the Executive Board about the impact of the significant reduction in
HCA funding for the East Midlands for 2011-14 – in terms of both scale and
proportion of the national pot – to around 25% of previous levels. Chaired by Cllr
Lewis Rose, (full membership is set out in Appendix 7a), the group's work is a
time-limited exercise linked to the delivery of this year's EMC business plan and
in particular the following KPI:
"Secure an increase in the planned delivery of affordable housing in the East Midlands, over and above the levels that can be achieved through HCA funded contracts as of 31st March 2012."
3.2 The first meeting took place on the 13th July 2012 and included an interim
presentation on the Smith Institute’s research into funding for affordable
Item 7
45
housing and regeneration in the East Midlands (see below). Following
discussion the Group agreed three initial key actions:
� Development of a ‘best practice’ document, showcasing innovative
examples of where councils have been able to facilitate the delivery of
affordable housing with little or no HCA funding.
� Development of an ‘Affordable Housing Declaration’, demonstrating high
level political commitment by councils to a limited set of key actions
aimed at increasing the delivery of affordable housing (based on the
‘Nottingham Declaration on Climate Change’)
� Development of a ‘prospectus’ setting out the economic and social
benefits of investing in the East Midlands to both Government and
housing sectors (to be informed by analysis in the Smith Institute Report)
3.3 Progress will be reviewed at the next meeting of the Group on the 26th September
2012. The EMC Secretariat would be pleased to receive any further examples of
innovation in the delivery of affordable housing from councils prior to this date.
4. Smith Institute Report: ‘Making the most of housing and Growth in the
East Midlands’
4.1 The Smith Institute have produced an independent report into the level of funding
for affordable housing and regeneration in the East Midlands, along with
recommendations as to how the current situation can be improved in the future.
EMC officers participated in two roundtable discussions, one of which was held at
EMC’s offices in Melton Mowbray. Richard Clark from the Smith Institute made an
interim presentation at the first meeting of the Affordable Housing Task and Finish
Group on the 13th July 2012. The final report was launched at the House of
Commons on the 11th September 2012, and is available here. EMC issued a press
release with comments from the Chair and Vice Chair (contained in Appendix 7b).
4.2 The Report raises some important issues for Government, as well as for councils,
LEPs and housing associations in the East Midlands, and also has relevance to
other non-metropolitan parts of England. It concludes that despite the East
Midlands having strong potential for economic growth and relatively cheap
development land, the region has attracted less than half the investment from the
new affordable housing programme and Regional Growth Fund than might be
expected relative to other parts of England.
Item 7
46
4.3 The authors believe that this is partly due to Government not fully understanding
the potential offered by the East Midlands, but also a result of the region not
articulating clearly enough the case for investment – a consequence of its
fragmented nature and the lack of strategic capacity compared with London and
the emerging City Regions. The report makes a series of recommendations to
address this situation, summarised below:
� Councils and LEPs should work together to provide a more coherent strategic
case for investment in the East Midlands.
� There should be greater collaboration between housing associations and
house builders active in the East Midlands to improve the quality of bids from
the region.
� Central Government should better recognise the potential of the East
Midlands to meet its own policy objectives, ensure that the decision making
process for challenge funds is more transparent, and invest in enhanced
strategic capacity for LEPs in non-metropolitan areas.
4.4 The authors of the report, Richard Clark and Diana Gillespie, will make a
presentation to the Board at the meeting and will be happy to take questions and
comments.
5. Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
5.1 Note the housing delivery statistics set out in section 1 of this report.
5.2 Endorse the actions agreed by the Affordable Housing Task Group set out in
section 3 of this report.
5.3 Highlight any additional examples of innovative delivery of affordable housing to
the EMC Secretariat by 26th September 2012.
5.4 Consider the Smith Institute presentation and report recommendations.
Cllr Lewis Rose
Chair of Affordable Housing Task & Finish Group
Andrew Pritchard
Director of Policy & Infrastructure
Cathy Jones
Policy Manager (Housing and Health)
Item 7
47
Appendix a
Membership of the Affordable Housing Task & Finish Group
Cllr Lewis Rose (Derbyshire Dales DC), Conservative, Chair
Cllr Micheal Gordon (NE Derbyshire DC), Labour
Cllr John Boyce (Oadby & Wigston BC), Lib Dem
Steve Atkinson (Chief Executive, Hinckley & Bosworth BC)
Ruth Hyde (Chief Executive, Broxtowe BC)
Grant Lockett (Head of Strategic Growth, West Lindsey DC)
Rob Coggings (Head of Housing, Derbyshire Dales DC)
Sharon Wiggins (Policy Manager, Leicestershire CC)
Steve Butterworth (Northamptonshire Strategic Housing Coordinator)
External Advisors
Sandy Ward (Homes & Communities Agency)
Lindsey Williams (National Housing Federation)
Secretariat
Andrew Pritchard (East Midlands Councils)
Cathy Jones (East Midlands Councils)
Item 7
48
Appendix b
MEDIA RELEASE from East Midlands Councils Release Date: Monday 10 September 2012 Independent report highlights funding gap East Midlands Councils today welcomed the publication of an independent report into levels of investment in affordable housing and regeneration in the East Midlands compared to other parts of England. The report was prepared by an independent ‘think tank’ the Smith Institute in association with the Nottingham Business School, and will be formally launched on Tuesday 11 September 2012 at the House of Commons. The research shows that the East Midlands has ‘lost out’ to other parts of England in the battle for investment, despite having strong growth potential and relatively cheap development land. The authors believe that Government should give greater recognition to the economic opportunities that exist across the East Midlands when making funding decisions, but also that councils, local enterprise partnerships and housing interests should work more effectively together to make the case for investment. Cllr Martin Hill, Chair of East Midlands Councils said: “This report is important to everyone that has an interest in the future prosperity of the East Midlands. There is huge untapped potential here as well as un-met need. Whilst there is no desire to reinvent old regional structures, we need to work more effectively together to develop a compelling case for investment.” Cllr Jon Collins, Vice Chair of East Midlands Councils said: “The success of the Midland Main Line Campaign shows what can happen when councils, business interests and MPs all pull together around a common objective. We need to mobilise the same kind of support for investment in housing and regeneration – and the Government needs to listen.” The Smith Institute’s report will be discussed by EMCs Executive Board on the 21 September 2012, where the authors will make a presentation on the main recommendations. For more information please contact: Andrew Pritchard, Director of Policy & Infrastructure, East Midlands Councils Tel 01664 502 641. Mobile 07795 060943. E-mail: [email protected] Notes to Editors East Midlands Councils (EMC) is the consultative forum for local authorities in the Region. It provides support to councils to improve their services and is a strong voice for the East Midlands. www.emcouncils.gov.uk EMC hosted one of the two round table discussions that informed the Smith Institute’s report, and submitted evidence to the authors, Richard Clark and Diana Gilhespy. The full report entitled: ‘Making the most of housing and growth in the East Midlands, a report on removing the barriers to low public investment in the region’ For more information contact Sean Kippin at the Smith Institute on 07816498384 or by email, at [email protected]
Item 8
49
Executive Board
21st September 2012
Sub-national Economic Performance and Governance
Summary
This paper summarises evidence indicating London is continuing to strengthen its
economic dominance relative to the rest of the UK, reviews existing and emerging sub-
national economic governance arrangements across England and highlights a number of
potential threats and opportunities for the localities East Midlands.
Recommendation
Members discuss this report and agree any next steps.
Item 8
50
1. Sub-national Economic Performance
1.1 For much of the 20th century the gaps in economic performance between different
parts of the UK had been narrowing. Recent research by BIS and DCLG
('Understanding Local Growth', October 2010) identified the mid 1970’s as the
point at which ‘convergence’ turned to ‘divergence’. This process accelerated from
the mid 1990s onwards and is continuing.
Productivity per Employed Person (1993 & 2008) by Region
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
NE NW Y&H EM WM EE London SE SW
Index (
Engla
nd =
100)
1993
2008
Source: Understanding Local Growth, BIS/DCLG, October 2010
1.2 As a result, although there are significant variations in economic performance
within regions, London and the south east continue to strengthen their position
relative to the rest of England. ‘Understanding Local Growth’ suggests that the
reasons for this relate to the impact on particular economic sectors of globilisation
and the continued liberalisation of the UK and world economies, which in turn has
had differential spatial impacts across the country.
1.3 The paper concludes that ‘attempting to act against these forces is unrealistic and
unsustainable’. Whilst Government should continue to address both market and
policy failures where they arise, economic differences between places will persist.
The diversity of local economies means that locally-led policies to address market
failures are likely to be more successful than the regional policy that characterised
the previous Government (echoing the LGAs analysis in ‘Vive la Devolution!’)
Emphasis should also be given to enabling individuals to benefit from economic
growth wherever it takes place.
Item 8
51
2. Existing & Emerging Approaches to sub-National Economic Governance
2.1 The analysis and conclusions of ‘Understanding Local Growth’ have underpinned
the Governments move away from economic governance based on regions, to a
range of different institutions and arrangements designed to suit local
circumstances, based largely on the geography of Local Enterprise Partnerships
(LEPs). Although LEPs have no statutory basis or formal powers, they are seen by
Government as the primary basis for sub-national economic development for much
of England and increasingly as a conduit for the distribution of central government
resources such as the Growing Places Fund.
2.2 The governance of London remains unique in a UK context. The Mayor now has
extensive powers over transport (through Transport for London), local economic
development, housing investment, strategic planning (through the London Plan)
and policing. In addition to locally controlled investment, London has also been
able to attract additional resources for a number of major infrastructure projects
including Thameslink (£5.5 billion), Crossrail (14.8 billion) and the development of
the Olympic Park (£9.3 billion). Together these projects alone amount to a £30
billion ‘fiscal stimulus’ to an already buoyant local economy.
2.3 Outside of London and consistent with the later policies of the previous
administration, the Government has placed considerable emphasis on cities as the
‘engines of economic growth’. A cross departmental Cities Policy Unit has been
established by the Deputy Prime Minister, and Greg Clarke MP has continued as
Minister for Cities in his new role in the Treasury.
2.4 In December 2011, the Government published 'Unlocking Growth in Cities' setting
out a range of measures designed to boost economic growth in the ‘core cities’ of
Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and
Sheffield, including the establishment of ‘City Deals’. The first wave of city deals,
providing new freedoms, flexibilities and access to investment in return for
achieving agreed economic outcomes, were announced earlier this year.
Collectively, the Government estimates these will create 175,000 jobs over the
next 20 years and 37,000 new apprenticeships though a range of locally agreed
measures. The Nottingham City Deal is available here.
2.4 The city deals for Leeds, Newcastle and Sheffield also involve the proposed
establishment of city region Combined Authorities with responsibilities for
transport, economic development and regeneration covering a number of council
areas that are exercised independently to the ‘parent’ authorities. Powers to
establish combined authorities are contained in the Local Democracy, Economic
Development & Construction Act (LDEDCA) 2009. The first combined authority was
Item 8
52
established in Greater Manchester in April 2011. It comprises the Leaders of all 10
councils in the Greater Manchester area and exercises the public transport powers
previously held by the Integrated Transport Authority (see below) as well as a
range of functions covering visitor and conference promotion, housing strategy, air
quality, post 16 education and training, and development of the sustainable
community strategy agreed by all 10 councils.
2.5 The LDEDCA 2009 also gives powers to establish Economic Prosperity Boards -
combined bodies that focus on just economic matters. So far, none have been
established.
2.6 Outside of Manchester and London, Integrated Transport Authorities exist in the
former metropolitan areas of Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West
Midlands and West Yorkshire and have extensive powers over public transport
provision. ITAs (like Combined Authorities and Economic Prosperity Boards) are
‘non-precepting authorities’, which means they are largely dependant on
contributions from their constituent councils for funding. Although originally
established (as Passenger Transport Authorities) in 1968 in the major industrial
conurbations outside of London, the Local Transport Act 2008 gives powers to
designate new ITAs at the request of the constituent local transport authorities
elsewhere. Although so far no such requests have been made, there has been
ongoing debate in the Bristol area about the merits of an ITA and the issue looks
set to feature in the forthcoming mayoral election.
2.7 The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently exploring opportunities to devolve
elements of transport funding to a sub-national level, including local authority
major scheme funding to local transport bodies based on LEP boundaries. There
has also been a DfT consultation on devolving responsibilities and resources for rail
franchising to a consortium of ITAs/combined authorities covering the north of
England.
3. Threats and Opportunities for the East Midlands
3.1 Experience from the last 5-10 years under Governments of all parties suggests a
continuing trend for the devolution of powers and funding to London and the ‘city
regions’ of the north and west. Nottingham has benefited from a city deal,
although it is very much focussed on the city council area, rather than a wider city
region. The districts of Bassetlaw, Bolsover, Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire
comprise part of the Sheffield City Region and could potentially form part of the
proposed new combined authority or devolved transport spending. However the
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53
bulk of the East Midlands, like much of central and eastern England, falls outside
these models.
3.2 As a result, many parts of the region could find it increasingly difficult to ‘punch its
weight’ with Government relative to other parts of England, despite having very
significant potential for economic growth. Some consideration might therefore be
given to alternative forms of sub-national economic governance capable of
competing better with London and the emerging city regions.
3.3 This could involve a strengthening of LEP arrangements (as proposed by the Smith
Institute Report), making better use of existing statutory models, or the
development of new approaches which would require Government agreement.
Alternatively, Members may consider that working more effectively within the
existing arrangements but through strengthening collaborative arrangements will
be sufficient to address economic trends outlined at the start of this report.
4. Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to discuss this report and agree any
next steps.
Andrew Pritchard
Director of Policy & Infrastructure
Item 10
54
Executive Board
21st September 2012
An Update on Climate East Midlands
Summary
This report updates members on the regional climate change partnership hosted by
EMC, Climate East Midlands (CEM), and asks the Executive Board to endorse the
appointment of Cllr Neil Clarke as interim Chair of the CEM Executive Panel.
Recommendation
The Executive Board is invited to:
� Note the ongoing work of Climate East Midlands in continuing to provide support to
local authorities and their partners;
� Welcome the incorporation of Climate UK as a new opportunity to generate
funding for the East Midlands on climate change;
� Welcome the financial support of the Environment Agency in maintaining the
partnership; and
� Endorse the appointment of Cllr Neil Clarke as interim Chair of the Climate East
Midlands Executive Panel.
Item 10
55
1. Background
1.1 Climate East Midlands (CEM) is the regional climate change partnership for the
East Midlands. CEM is hosted by East Midlands Councils and receives core funding
from Defra via the Environment Agency. CEM is also part of Climate UK, the
umbrella body for other similar partnerships, which acts as the conduit for Defra
funding under the climate adaptation programme. Mike Peverill, EM Climate
Change Co-ordinator, is a Director of Climate UK.
1.2 In addition to Defra funding, CEM has been able to attract support from DCLGs
Climate Change Skills Programme, other Environment Agency grants and traded
income from specialist work for individual local authorities in the East Midlands.
This has enabled CEM meet its direct costs and to make a contribution to EMCs
overheads.
2. Update on Current Activity
2.1 Concluding projects from the DCLG funded £950k Climate Change Skills
Programme include a Peer Learning project, where councils are taking it in turn to
host a day to showcase their climate related achievements and enable their peers
to learn from their experiences and help to transfer good practice. This begins at
Northamptonshire County Council in October and is followed by Derby City Council
in November, with others to follow on. District councils and other local strategic
organisations are also invited to participate, as a big part of the challenge is how
to work successfully in partnership, particularly in delivering area wide carbon
reduction and improved resilience. The project is facilitated by Climate East
Midlands.
2.2 Inspiring Leaders is an ongoing project aimed at supporting elected members,
particularly Portfolio Holders, in their climate responsibilities. A number of councils
have requested pre-council briefing sessions, member development sessions and
contributions to local conferences or partnership boards to help bring their
members up to date with climate policy and current practice and performance in
the East Midlands. Members were also invited to a number of end of project events
to hear the conclusions from Decentralised Energy, Planning for Adaptation,
Schools Collaboration on Resource Efficiency, Hydropower and Community Skills
for Climate Change. Climate East Midlands has provided eleven sessions so far in
2012 and is happy to respond to further requests.
2.3 A number of communications projects are underway to help disseminate the
outputs and learning from the Skills Programme, including 5 case studies on
Decentralised Energy (Planning for Low Carbon Energy in Central Lincolnshire;
District Heating in Leicester; Biomass and Ground Source Heat Pumps in Mansfield;
Energy from Waste in Lincolnshire and Wind development in Boddington,
Item 10
56
Daventry); 9 case studies on adaptation (Our City, Our River in Derby; Managing
Extreme Winter Weather in Derbyshire; Buildings at Risk and Hamilton Sustainable
Drainage System in Leicester; Managing Flood Risk in Leicestershire; We’re
prepared for coastal flooding – are you? in Lincolnshire; Adaptation and the
Natural Environment – joint case study between Mansfield, Nottingham and
Northamptonshire; Managing Severe Weather Impacts in Bassetlaw; and the Little
Build in Rutland (incorporating adaptation into a new school building); 5 thematic
papers for planners on adaptation and a searchable online database. Climate East
Midlands launched a new digital version of The Wrapper newsletter in August to
get news stories out on a more regular basis. A review of the Skills Programme is
also underway in order to be able to present all the key outcomes in one
document.
2.4 The other main source of income for the partnership is from the Environment
Agency, which now has a national lead role in climate change adaptation on behalf
of Defra through the Climate Ready programme. This includes some core funding
from the EA nationally, provided to Climate UK, the national network of climate
change partnerships, where the objectives are to:
� Maintain and enhance sub-national partnerships (like Climate East Midlands)
This is to develop links with key sectors, including local government and
business
� Develop new areas of work to support programme delivery
This is to support national adaptation priorities
� Develop of Climate UK, programme management and reporting
This is to develop Climate UK into a viable community interest company
2.5 Climate UK and the EA are applying for EU LIFE+ funding for a 3 year UK wide
project ‘COALESCE’, that if successful will begin in September 2013, where the
East Midlands focus would be on examining and responding to climate risks to the
Agriculture and Forestry sectors. Climate UK is also looking to secure work and
income for the partnerships from a range of other sources, including Government
departments, national agencies, research bodies, grant making trusts and private
sector companies and bodies.
2.6 National EA funding is supplemented by project funding from the EA’s Midlands
Region and includes a Business Resilience Project, to help SMEs in particular
become better prepared for extreme weather events; a project with Business in
the Community to engage Local Enterprise Partnerships in adaptation; a project to
develop local adaptation indicators and further projects to tackle climate
disadvantage and support peer learning.
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2.7 The other area of income Climate East Midlands is actively working on is trading
and consultancy, following a successful commission last year in the North East
(providing training on adaptation to local authorities) and a project this year for
Leicestershire County Council to develop a local resilience plan.
3. CEM Executive Panel
3.1 In addition, to EMC and the Environment Agency, the Climate East Midlands
partnership includes a Local Government Sector Group, Business in the
Community’s East Midlands Mayday Network, the NHS East Midlands Sustainable
Development Network and East Midlands Environment Link. The Panel has most
recently been chaired by Jane Todd, Chief Executive at Nottingham City Council,
but since her unfortunate illness earlier this year has meant that the Panel has not
met for some months and, with the agreement of Nottingham City Council, a new
interim chair is now being sought from within EMC’s Executive Board.
3.2 Cllr Neil Clarke has led on climate change issues for the REIP Board for a number
of years, is a member of the EMC Executive Board and is familiar with the work of
Climate East Midlands. As a result, it is proposed that Cllr Clarke is nominated as
chair of the CEM Executive Panel, initially on an interim basis until the end of
March 2013.
4. Recommendations
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
� Note the ongoing work of Climate East Midlands in continuing to provide
support to local authorities and their partners;
� Welcome the incorporation of Climate UK as a new opportunity to generate
funding for the East Midlands on climate change;
� Welcome the financial support of the Environment Agency in maintaining the
partnership; and
� Endorse the appointment of Cllr Neil Clarke as interim Chair of the Climate East
Midlands Executive Panel.
Andrew Pritchard
Director of Policy & Infrastructure
Mike Peverill
Climate Change Co-ordinator
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Executive Board
21st September 2012
EMC and Proposed Collaborative Working with
Police and Crime Commissioners
Summary
The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 introduces new arrangements
for national policing- principal among these changes will be the election of police and
crime commissioners (PCCs) in November 2012.
Members of the Executive Board are invited to consider and shape proposals for
establishing any collaborative working relationships between EMC and PCC/PCPs.
Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
� Consider this report and proposals for establishing collaborative working
relationships with PCCs/PCPs.
� Advise on the scope and appetite for collaborative working on ‘larger than local’
issues between PCCs/PCPs and councils.
� Identify an Executive Board member to work with the Executive Director to
develop initial proposals for consideration by the Executive Board at its meeting
in December 2012.
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1. Introduction
1.1 The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 introduces new
structural arrangements for national policing, strategic police decision-
making, neighbourhood policing and policing accountability. Principal among
these changes will be the election of police and crime commissioners (PCCs),
the first of which will take place in November 2012.
1.2 Aside from their accountability to the electorate, PCCs will be held to account
by a police and crime panel (PCP), which will be composed of locally elected
councillors along with a number of lay members.
1.3 The PCC is responsible for holding the Chief Constable to account. The
Government intends that the arrangements will be developed locally but the
Home Office have produced guidance, supplemented by guidance from the
LGA and CfPS.
2. PCC Roles and Responsibilities
2.1 The PCCs’ term of office is four years, and it is the Government’s intention
that subsequent elections will be held on the date of ordinary elections in the
area. PCCs will primarily be responsible for:
� Securing an efficient and effective police force for their area.
� In consultation with the Chief Constable, establishing a five year police
and crime plan that sets the police and crime objectives for their area.
� Holding to account the Chief Constable, including the power to ‘hire and
fire’.
� Publishing information relating to crime and community safety, including
an annual report.
� Setting the annual force budget and police precept.
3. PCP Roles and Responsibilities
3.1 Composition of the PCP should take account of, as far as is practical, both
political and geographical proportionality.
3.2 The PCP is the scrutiny body – its role is to scrutinise the police and crime
commissioner, to promote openness in the transaction of police business and
also to support the PCC in the effective exercise of their functions. Other
roles and responsibilities include:
� As a statutory consultee, contributing to the development of the PCC’s
police and crime plan.
� Scrutinising the PCC and receiving evidence from the Chief Constable and
PCC secretariat.
� Reviewing the PCC’s proposed police precept.
� Reviewing the PCC’s proposed appointments of Chief Constable, Chief
Executive, Chief Finance Officer and Deputy PCC.
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� Dealing with complaints against the PCC, including the suspension of a
PCC.
4. PCC Candidates in the East Midlands
4.1 While the final list of candidates will be announced on 19th October, those
who have announced their candidacy so far are included in the table below:
County/City area Candidate name Political Party
Derby/Derbyshire Alan Charles
Rod Hutton
Rob Lane
Simon Spencer
Labour
Independent
Independent
Conservative
Leicester/Leicestershire and
Rutland
David Bowley
Sir Clive Loader
Suleman Nagdi
Sarah Russell
Independent
Conservative
Independent
Labour
Lincoln/Lincolnshire Mervyn Barrett
David Bowles
Richard Davies
Phil Dilks
Elliott Fountain
Independent
Independent
Conservative
Labour
English Democrats
Northampton/Northamptonshire Lee Baron
Jim Macarthur
John Norrie
Adam Simmonds
John Stockdale
Paul Varnsverry
Labour
UKIP
Independent
Conservatives
Independent
Liberal Democrats
Nottingham/Nottinghamshire Dr Raj Chandran
Tony Roberts
Malcolm Spencer
Paddy Tipping
Independent
Conservative
Independent
Labour
5. EMC and PCCs
5.1 PCCs will have a democratic mandate to hold their police force to account and
tackle crime in their area. To achieve their goals and respond to local
priorities and needs, PCCs will need to work with a number of partners in
their local area, in particular local councils.
5.2 Similarly, councils have a strong local democratic mandate and good record
of effective partnership working with a range of public, private and voluntary
sector bodies.
5.3 Police Authorities in the East Midlands have a good track record of working
collaboratively on issues of mutual importance. Under the new
arrangements, it is likely that the need for collaborative working between
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partners will increase and effective joint action will be required to address
identified priorities.
5.4 An effective partnership between PCCs and individual local authorities will be
important. Similarly, there are issues where ‘larger then local’ collaborative
action may be required, for example.
� Sharing best practice in managing funding reductions.
� Shared provision of support services or technical specialists.
� Joint initiatives on issues of common concern (e.g. community safety,
anti-social behaviour, road safety and wider social issues).
5.5 East Midlands Councils is ideally placed to help PCCs connect with key local
partners and agencies and support Member Councils and PCCs to work
collaboratively on issues that ‘sit above’ the local level.
5.6 In addition, it is suggested that EMC extends our current membership offer to
Police Authorities to include bespoke support and events for PCCs and PCPs in
the East Midlands. Other services we may offer to PCCs, PCPs and
secretariat(s) include:
� HR support � Networks, e.g. scrutiny and WARP (East Midlands Government Warning,
Advice and Reporting Point network. � Learning and Development � Learning and Development events, e.g. service transformation,
organizational development, performance management. � Consultancy support � Recruitment and assessment centre design and delivery
� Event Management
6. Summary
6.1 The shared objectives and democratic mandates of both PCCs and local
authorities will necessitate effective joint working. Where this ‘sits above’
local considerations, there is a potential role for EMC, in collaboration with
PCCs, to develop working arrangements in delivering against shared priorities.
6.2 It is suggested that the EMC Executive Director works with the Chief
Executives of Police Authorities in order to develop these proposals in more
detail for the subsequent consideration of the Executive Board.
7. Recommendations
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
7.1 Consider this report and proposals for establishing collaborative working
relationships with PCCs.
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7.2 Advise on the scope and appetite for collaborative working on ‘larger than
local’ issues between PCCs and councils.
7.3 Identify an Executive Board member to work with the Executive Director to
develop initial proposals for consideration by the Executive Board at its
meeting in December 2012.
Stuart Young
Executive Director
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Executive Board
21st September 2012
Update on Health and Wellbeing Chairs Network
Summary
This report updates Members on the development of the Health and Wellbeing Board
Chairs’ Network, and summarises progress at its first meeting.
Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
� Note the establishment of the Health and Wellbeing Chairs’ Network.
� Endorse the Network’s Terms of Reference and work programme.
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1. Background
1.1 The Department of Health commissioned the Local Government Association to
design and deliver a leadership support and development ‘offer’ to equip senior
leaders of Health and Well Being Boards (H&WBs) with the skills, knowledge and
behaviours to help them operate effectively in a complex cross-organisational
environment.
1.2 Following initial consultation with Health and Well Being Board leads and co-
ordinators in the East Midlands conducted on behalf of the LGA by regional DH
colleagues, the following three elements to the LGA offer were identified as being
of most interest in the region:
� Tailored support to 2/3 Boards that requested some specific development
activity (Derbyshire, Nottingham City and Milton Keynes identified).
� A regional simulation event providing the opportunity for members of Boards
to work through various scenarios to identify how they would best deal with
these (to take place 25 September with a follow-up on 31st January 2013).
� A chairs’ network for the Board Chairs and Vice-Chairs to be established and
supported.
1.3 Given its work as the member organisation for local authorities in the region,
East Midlands Councils was well positioned to take on the co-ordination of the
chairs’ network, and has now therefore been contracted by the LGA to do so.
1.4 East Midlands Councils arranged the Health and Well Being Board Chairs’
Network’s first meeting on 31st July 2012.
2. Purpose of the Network
2.1 The chairs’ network will facilitate the following:
� Develop effective relationships
� To conduct difficult conversations
� Explore issues and address areas of common concern
� Develop skills, knowledge and capacity
� Receive support through coaching and peer mentoring
� Experiment and scenario plan approaches to decision making
2.2 Initial conversations held by EMC with the ten chairs have also identified that
chairs would welcome the opportunity to use the ‘pulling power’ of the group to
secure attendance from guests from such as Department of Health, National
Commissioning Board and Public Health England, thus providing a platform for
policy discussions including the opportunity to influence the centre.
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3. Terms of Reference
3.1 The DH/LGA funding for this work is only in place until September 2012.
However, EMC commits to sustain the network for as long as it is of use to its
members and has developed terms of reference to give a framework in which
the group can operate. These were endorsed by the Network and at its 31st July
meeting and are included as appendix 12(a) to this report.
3.2 In the initial stages of developing this group, it was identified that there should
be a chair from amongst the members of the group. Cllr Martin Suthers,
Nottinghamshire County Council, has kindly agreed to take on this role.
Members of the Network also agreed that it would be appropriate to appoint a
Vice Chair, preferably from a Unitary Authority to achieve a balanced perspective.
It is pleasing to report that Cllr Paul Bayliss (Derby City Council) has accepted
the offer of the role of Vice-Chair.
4. Membership
4.1 The Members of the Network are:
Title Initial Surname Title Authority
Cllr Paul Bayliss Leader Derby City Council
Cllr Andrew Lewer Leader Derbyshire County Council
Mayor Peter Soulsby Mayor Leicester City Council
Cllr Ernie White Leader Blaby District Council
Dr Tony Hill Director of
Public Health
NHS Lincolnshire and
Lincolnshire
County Council
Cllr Debbie Brock Cabinet Member for
Adult, Older Years
and Health
Milton Keynes Council
Cllr Robin Brown Cabinet Member for
Health and Adult
Social Services
Northamptonshire County
Council
Cllr Nicola Heaton Executive Assistant
responsible for
Health
Nottingham City Council
Cllr Martin Suthers OBE Deputy Leader of
the Council.
Nottinghamshire County Council
Cllr Chris Emmett Adult services and
Health portfolio
Rutland County Council
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4.2 The network will engage with Clinical Commissioning Group Chairs (CCG) who
will be invited to participate once CCGs are fully established and authorised. As
can be seen below, the inception and first full meeting of the network will be
limited to H&WB Chairs only.
5. Work Programme
5.1 Initial research undertaken in advance of the July meeting produced the
following proposed work programme, which was agreed:
Meeting Agenda Items
Inception meeting 31st
July 2012
(Chairs only)
� Terms of Reference
� Future Programme
� Initial sharing of experience of board
development
First full meeting –
Early October 2012
(Chairs only)
� Feedback from Simulation event 25 September
� Further sharing of experience of Board
development
� Summary of HWB strategies including sharing
process of prioritisation
� Public Health transition including issue of
medical/non-medical staff
November/December
meeting
� Relationship with National Commissioning Board
including speaker
� Developing performance measures/outcomes
� Healthwatch and relationship with scrutiny
January/February
meeting
� Relationship with Public Health England including
speaker
� Commissioning, pooled budgets and integration
March � Annual Forum with East of England/ West
Midlands
5.2 EMC will co-ordinate delivery of actions in the work programme, including the
following for the next meeting:
� Further sharing of experience of Board development.
� Summary of HWB strategies including sharing process of prioritisation.
� Further explore support for establishing a H&WB Lead Officers’ Network.
6. Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
6.1 Note the establishment of the Health and Wellbeing Chairs’ Network
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6.2 Endorse the Network’s Terms of Reference and work programme
Cathy Jones
Policy Manager (Housing and Health)
Appendix 12(a)
68
Health and Well Being Board Chairs’ Network Terms of Reference Key Purpose: To create a ‘safe space’ for Health and Well Being Board chairs (and vice-chairs) to be able to:
� Develop their thinking and their role through exchange of information, practice and ideas.
� Forge strong relationships. � Conduct difficult conversations. � Build appreciation and understanding of different organisational cultures and
ways of working. � Meet with senior policy and health leadership figures to learn of new policy
developments and be in a position to influence these.
� Develop skills, knowledge and capacity, and receive support through coaching and peer mentoring.
Membership
� The Network will consist of the 10 Health and Well Being Board Chairs in the East Midlands (Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, and Rutland).
� A chair and vice-chair for the Network will be identified from its membership. � CCG Vice-Chairs of the Board will also be invited to join the Network. � Secretariat services will be provided by East Midlands Councils.
Procedures
� Meetings will take place at a frequency determined by its agenda and the views of members, initially every 2-3 months.
� A forward programme of meetings will be developed to facilitate member attendance.
� Meetings will take place in a “safe” environment, with members able to share concerns and experience with the confidence of confidentiality.
� Primarily a learning Network, should policy or lobbying points be identified by the group, these will re reported to the EMC Executive Board.
� Actions and invitations to meet with the group will be followed up by East Midlands Councils.
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Executive Board
21st September 2012
Regional Employers’ Board Report
Summary
This paper updates Members on the work of East Midlands Councils’ Regional Employers’
Board.
Recommendations
Members of the Executive Board are invited to note this report and to provide comment
and feedback on the employment issues identified to inform EMC’s input to meetings
with national bodies.
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1. Introduction
1.1 The Regional Employers’ Board leads the development of employment issues and
on Councillor development; it forms the Employer’s side of the Regional Joint
Council. This report updates members on the progress and work of the Board to
date.
2. Background
2.1 The Terms of Reference for the Employers’ Board were agreed in February 2010.
East Midlands Councils endorsed the continuation of the Employers’ Board at its
AGM in July 2010.
2.2 At East Midlands Councils’ AGM 2012, Cllr Ian Fleetwood from Lincolnshire
County Council was elected as Chair of the Employers’ Board with Cllr Ken
Savidge from North East Derbyshire District Council as Vice-Chair.
2.3 The Board is comprised of 15 members:
� Cllr Ian Fleetwood - Lincolnshire County Council (Chair)
� Cllr Ken Savidge - North East Derbyshire DC (Vice Chair)
� Cllr David Slater - Charnwood B C
� Cllr David Sprason - Leicestershire CC
� Cllr John Clarke - Gedling B C
� Cllr Robert Parkinson - Erewash BC
� Cllr Mary Malin - Kettering BC
� Cllr Tony Roberts MBE - Newark and Sherwood DC
� Cllr Terry King - Rutland CC
� Cllr David Bill MBE - Hinckley & Bosworth BC
� Cllr Jeffrey Kaufman - Oadby & Wigston BC
� Cllr David Mellen - Nottingham City
� Cllr Ric Metcalfe - Lincoln City
� Cllr Christopher Darcel - West Lindsey DC
� Cllr Tom Beattie - Corby B C
3. Employers’ Board Meetings
3.1 Since the last report to the Executive, the Regional Employers’ Board met once,
on 3rd September 2012. At this meeting, the Board received a report from the
Director of HR & Councillor Development giving key information on developments
at European and national level in employment legislation and conditions of
service.
3.2 The Board provided views on the consultation being conducted by the
Government into its proposals to amend the legal framework for collective
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redundancies, specifically to reduce the 90-day minimum period for consultation
on large-scale redundancies to either 45 or 30 days. The Board’s response was
not unanimous; the majority view was that the consultation period should be
reduced to 30 days, although some Members were concerned not to erode the
consultation period as it can be used for meaningful engagement to enable
alternatives to redundancy to come forward. The response was fed back to the
Government through the LGA.
3.3 The Board was also given an overview of the workforce implications of the
transfer of public health responsibilities to local government and how EMC is
supporting those councils who are directly affected. Key issues concern the
protection of terms and conditions and the timescales for providing information
on which staff would transfer. The Board also received an update on the
Member Development activity that EMC offers to councillors across the region.
4. Regional Joint Council
4.1 The Joint Council is formed by the Employers’ Board and Joint Trade Unions.
The Regional Joint Council did not meet on 3rd September. This was at the
request of the trade unions, who wanted to wait until they had attended their
national conferences before meeting with the Employers’ side of the Joint
Council.
5. National Association of Regional Employers
5.1 The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Regional Employers’ Board attend the meetings
of the National Association of Regional Employers (NARE). The meetings enable
regional employers’ organisations from across the country to share practice,
information and resources and to discuss developments on employment matters,
including pay, at national and European level with relevant negotiating officers.
5.2 NARE hasn’t met since the previous Executive Board meeting. The next meeting,
which will be the Annual General Meeting, will take place on 18th October 2012.
5.3 The agenda is likely to include:
� Pay in local government
� Fairness commissions and the living wage
� Employment implications arising from Community Budgets/Community
Right to Challenge
6. European Level Employment Developments
6.1 Job-rich Economic Growth: A conference was held in Brussels on 6th/7th
September 2012 on addressing unemployment, with the President of the EU and
the President of the European Parliament as key speakers. EMC was invited to
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attend the conference which was fully funded by the EU. The main concerns of
the conference were to address the high level of unemployment, particularly in
young people and long-term unemployed, as well as the growing number of
people who are in work but also below the poverty line. The issue of developing
relevant skills for jobs was highlighted, given the high numbers of vacancies
which also exist across Europe, and of maximising the potential employment
growth areas in ICT, health/personal care and the green economy.
6.2 EU funded support for skills development project: Information from the
above conference was helpful in shaping a project being developed by EMC to
seek EU funding to support skills development/apprenticeships in the East
Midlands. Contact has been made with the health sector to work jointly on the
initiative as a potential area for job opportunities and a similar approach will be
made for opportunities to work with the green economy sector.
6.3 The Working Time Directive is being reviewed by the Social Partners. The
Directive has most impact on local authorities who operate services over 24
hours, e.g. care staff in residential settings and staff who are on-call to work.
The employers and trade unions have been granted further time to continue
negotiations. Local authorities in the region have the opportunity to inform the
negotiations through EMC’s participation at NARE and CEEP, the body which
represents the interests of public sector employers at European level.
7. Pay and Terms and Conditions
7.1 Views are being fed through to the LGA’s negotiating team from EMC and its
counterparts in other regions on pay and terms and conditions of employment in
local government. This will be informing the LGA’s approach to negotiations on
pay nationally. The tension of affordability and concern for lower paid workers,
with the narrowing gap between local government pay and the national
minimum wage, is a continuing issue. The Living Wage is being considered by a
number of authorities in different regions, including the East Midlands. It was
discussed by the Regional Employers’ Board at its most recent meeting, with
Board members keen to understand the sector’s wider perspective.
8. Restructuring and Reviewing Service Delivery Models
8.1 Local authorities are continuing to look for ways to improve efficiency and
achieve savings within the challenging financial climate. A number of councils
are identifying more opportunities for sharing resources and pooling expertise, as
well as developing skills and knowledge in service transformation and change.
EMC are providing a number of courses on delivering service transformation for
officers from authorities across the region. Some authorities are also benefitting
from advice and support on restructuring and outplacement from EMC.
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9. Employment Legislation
9.1 New rules for auto-enrolment to pension schemes are being introduced from
October. Briefing sessions on this topic for local authorities in the region are
being provided by EMC, in partnership with the LGA. As indicated earlier in the
report, the Government is reviewing legislation related to collective redundancy
consultation, which would also impact on consultation when changing terms and
conditions through the process of dismissal and re-engagement.
9.2 Through the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, which is anticipated to
receive Royal Assent by Christmas, changes may be introduced that would affect
a number of employment issues, including ACAS conciliation processes,
whistleblowing, without prejudice conversations and compensatory awards. A
new fee system for Employment Tribunals is to be introduced from summer
2013, where claimants will be required to pay a fee when bringing a claim and
when the claim goes to a full hearing. If an employer loses a tribunal claim, it
may be ordered to pay the fees paid by the claimant.
10. Economic Development
10.1 The employment aspects of economic development are of concern for many
authorities who are seeking to support the development of relevant skills and job
opportunities within their localities. Apprenticeships and initiatives to support
young people into work and training, are being given specific attention.
11. Recommendations
11.1 Members of the Executive Board are invited to note the contents of the report.
11.2 Members of the Executive Board are invited to provide comments and feedback
on the key employment issues identified above to inform EMC’s input to future
meetings of the Employers Board and the forthcoming NARE meeting.
Cllr Ian Fleetwood
Chair of the Regional Employers’ Board
Item 13(b)
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Executive Board
22nd September 2012
East Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership Board Report
Summary
This report updates Members on the work of East Midlands Strategic Migration
Partnership Board for the period from June- September 2012.
Recommendation
� Members of the Executive Board are invited to note this report.
Item 13(b)
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1. Introduction
1.1 The East Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership provides a regional advisory,
development and consultation function for member organisations from the
statutory, voluntary, community and private sectors - for the co-ordination and
provision of advice, support and services for migrants.
1.2 East Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership is funded by the United Kingdom
Border Agency (UKBA) Enabling Grant. The East Midlands Strategic Migration
Partnership is one of eleven UK partnerships.
1.3 This report updates members on the progress and work to date of the Board.
2. Background
2.1 The East Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership has been in existence since
2007. In April 2010 it became a Board of East Midlands Councils.
2.2 The Board is comprised of 4 members:
� Councillor Paul Kenny Boston Borough Council (Chair)
� Councillor Geoff Stevens Derbyshire Dales (Vice Chair)
� Councillor Simon Galton Leicestershire County Council
� Councillor Peter Robinson Lincolnshire County Council
2.3 Our key partners at the moment represented on the EMSMP Board and standing
sub-groups are:
Local Authorities Public Health Police
EMC Jobcentre Plus ACAS
Priority Properties One East Midlands
Refugee Support TUC
Refugee Action NIACE
2.4 Others, including service users, attend our general stakeholder forum, ad-hoc
and occasional sub-groups and workshops.
3. East Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership Board
3.1 The Board last met on 16th May 2012 and will meet again on 15th September.
The main items for discussion are a presentation by Refugee Support on the
Assisted Voluntary return programme which is open to non EEA former asylum
seekers or other irregular migrants.
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3.2 The Board will also receive an update on the progress of the transition from the
previous accommodation contracts for asylum seekers which have transferred to
G4S in the East Midlands. So far G4S have been successful in property novations
and have identified a range of new properties for asylum seekers in Leicester,
Nottingham and Derby which have been approved by the respective local
authorities. There still remains some concern about the remainder of properties
in Nottingham which are Nottingham City housing stock. Discussions with G4S
are ongoing and it is envisaged that all service users will be allocated new
properties within the deadline. A further update will be given at the Board.
3.3 The UK Border Agency will also give an update on their current restructure and
the future of the strategic migration partnerships. The current funding
arrangements come to an end in March 2013. UKBA have informed the EMSMP
that further information will be available in October, however from an East
Midlands Councils perspective we have asked to be given as early an indication
as possible if funding is likely to cease or reduce.
3.4 There will also be a discussion on the work that the EMSMP is undertaking in
respect of migrants who have No Recourse to Public Funds. A researcher has
begun gathering information from Children’s and Adults Services Departments on
the numbers and cost of people who are supported who have NRPF status (this
includes some EEA migrants). A training programme is planned for later this year
for both local authority and voluntary sector employees who work with NRPF
service users. The project also aims to work with UKBA to prioritise the
conclusion of any NRPF cases which are waiting decisions from UKBA.
3.5 There will also be a discussion about the impact of Roma communities. There
have been specific issues of concern that have arisen predominantly in Derby but
also there are significant Roam communities in Nottingham and Leicester.
4. Work Programme and Key Priorities for 2012/13
4.1 As discussed above an early priority for the Board is to work with partners to
determine the future role of the migration partnership beyond 2013. The EMSMP
board will work with UKBA, local authorities, health, police and the voluntary
sector to determine future priorities and how best these should be met.
4.2 The completion of the transition of accommodation to G4S as part of the
COMPASS contract and the future role of the EMSMP Board in monitoring the
contract.
4.3 The completion of the No Recourse to Public Funds Project.
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5. Recommendation
5.1 Members of the Executive Board are invited to note the contents of the report.
Councillor Paul Kenny
Chair of East Midlands SMP Board
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Executive Board
21st September 2012
East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnership Report
Summary
This report provides an update on the work of the EM IEP Board.
Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
� Note this report and progress of projects and programmes.
� Endorses the decision of the EM IEP Board on the issue of the Invest to Save
monies from the East Midlands Property Alliance/SCAPE.
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1. Progress
1.1 The East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnership Board meets on
20th September. Given the proximity of the meeting to the Executive Board
meeting on 21st September, this report gives a brief summary of the main
items to be discussed, and a more detailed verbal update will be provided to
members at the meeting.
1.2 In keeping with its decision both to scrutinise EM IEP funded programmes
and to provide a showcase for the outcomes achieved, three presentations
are scheduled to be given to the Board on member and officer development,
on the regional e-sourcing solutions project, and on the business
transformation project undertaken by Bolsover and North East Derbyshire. In
addition, the Board will take an update on Derby City’s Healthy Housing Hub
project from the city’s Director of Public Health.
1.3 Board papers also include an analysis of progress against both regional and
sub-regional programmes. These show expenditure to date of £1,594,111
against allocations of £3,269,341, and total cashable savings so far achieved
of £4,469,826 and adults efficiencies. A full budget report will be provided
for the November EM IEP Board meeting, setting out any anticipated
underspends and options for using these as we move towards the end of the
legacy programme period in March 2013.
2. Issues
2.1 The EM IEP Board has sought to resolve concerns regarding the return of the
monies through an Invest to Save project agreed with the East Midlands
Property Alliance (EMPA)
2.2 EMPA, which has successfully implemented a number of money-saving
projects for local authorities in the East Midlands, has received a number of
funding allocations from EM IEP in the period 2008-11 under the previous
programme. Some of these monies were due to be repaid using ‘Invest to
Save’ principles – namely £163k in each of January 2012 and January 2013.
2.3 The Board was notified in November 2011 that EMPA were not in a position
to repay this money at this time due to the downturn in the property market.
As a result, the Board has been working with EMPA and its parent company,
Scape, to find a way forward. Recent negotiations have resulted in two
potential outcomes – to accept now a payment of £126k, but with no further
payments thereafter, or to accept now a payment of £81.5k with continuing
negotiations on further future repayments.
2.4 The recommendation to the EM IEP Board is that it accepts now the payment
of £126k with this money then used to support subsequent
improvement/transformation programmes. Executive Board members will be
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informed of the outcome of EM IEP Board discussions at their meeting, and
asked to endorse the EM IEP Board’s decision.
2.5 A further issue for the Board is on the current situation with the proposed bid
for European funding to support local authorities introduce carbon reduction
projects via the Elena fund. A verbal update will be given to Executive Board
members at the meeting.
2.6 This issue links to that of how EM IEP will operate beyond March 2013. A
brief report is being tabled at the EM IEP Board meeting on this issue, with a
plan to take a further paper at is November meeting.
2.7 At recent Board meetings, EM IEP Board members have been developing
their thinking on a more strategic role for the Board, in particular the
consideration of children’s and adults services improvement, with a further
presentation from Mark Edgell, LGA Principal Adviser, on the LGA peer review
and support programme planned for the November meeting.
2.8 Key outcomes from this strategic oversight role have so far included an
agreement for EMC to facilitate joint meetings of Children’s and Adults Lead
Members which is being taken forward, and a more robust stewardship of the
children’s improvement programme in the East Midlands.
3. Recommendation
Members of the Executive Board are invited to:
3.1 Note this report and progress of projects and programmes, and the strategic
role of the EM IEP Board.
3.2 Endorse the decision of the EM IEP Board on the issue of the Invest to Save
monies from the East Midlands Property Alliance/SCAPE.
Cllr Roger Begy
Chairman, EM IEP Board
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Executive Board 21st September 2012
Report of East Midlands Councils Management Group
Summary
EMC Management Group met on Wednesday 5th September 2012. The following
report summarises the key decisions of the Management Group for the
consideration by the Executive Board.
All papers are available on request to the Executive Director or Corporate
Governance Manager.
Recommendations
Members of the Executive Board are invited to note the issues considered and
associated recommendations of Management Group, specifically:
a) Financial update.
b) Accountable body. Members recommended that the accountable body remains
the same.
c) EMC Board Membership.
d) Future Sustainability. Executive Board are asked to endorse the Management
Group support for the continuation of East Midlands Councils. To provide for
future sustainability, members directed that final proposals be developed for the
Management Group meeting in November, for subsequent consideration and
endorsement of the EMC Executive Board on 7th December 2012.
e) East Midlands Jobs. Members agreed to the closure of East Midlands Jobs by
31st March 2013 and instructed officers to implement this decision.
f) Performance against the Business Plan. Members noted this report and
particularly the attendance at meetings that is not on target to be achieved.
g) Guidance for Operation of East Midlands Councils. Members noted the draft
guidance and recommended revisions for consideration by the November
Management Group meeting prior to Executive Board on 7th December 2012.
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1. Financial Update – Management Accounts (1st April 2012 to 31st July
2012)
1.2 Members considered a report that detailed the financial position as at 31st July 2012
and a forecast outturn of £128k surplus against a £24k surplus budget. The main
reason for this predicted outturn is a forecast increase in the consultancy income
particularly in relation to salary recharges and one off work. It should be noted that
this does not include all of the financial implications of the decision taken around
East Midlands Jobs.
1.3 Members were reminded about the position with regard to reserves and liabilities.
Reserves currently stand at £415k with liabilities (excluding pensions) at around
£270k. The constitution provides for any outstanding liabilities on the wind up of
EMC to be met by the 9 upper tier authorities. This pension liability is currently
approximately £3,964,000.
2. Role of the Accountable Body
2.1 As part of the review of governance and accountability of East Midlands
Councils (EMC), Members directed that a review into the role of the
accountable body should also be undertaken.
2.2 The paper presented a series of options in relation to the role of the
accountable body. These options were:
a) Continue with existing arrangements
b) Councils invited to provide the accountable body role
c) Councils invited to provide support services separate from that of the
accountable body role.
d) EMC established as a separate legal entity.
2.3 Discussion focused upon the four options with specific consideration of their
potential to deliver value for money, ensure effective service provision and any
legal and organisational costs.
2.4 Management Group endorsed Option 1 (to continue with the existing
arrangements) upon consideration of the ability to deliver value for money,
ensuring effective service provision and taking into account organisational
disruption, whilst also recognising the revised governance arrangements that
are now in place and subject to the Executive Director and Corporate
Governance Manager ensuring operational effectiveness through an agreed
Service Level Agreement (with the accountable body).
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3. EMC and Board Membership
3.1 Management Group noted this paper that detailed all members of East
Midlands Councils and associated Boards, their relevant authority, political
party and any Special Responsibility Allowances or Basic Allowance payable.
4. Future Sustainability
4.1 Management Group considered a report that reminded Members that the
financial model for East Midlands Councils is not sustainable in the medium to
long term.
4.2 The report provided further information of the organisation’s income and
expenditure for 2013/14 and advised Members of potential solutions to the
shortfall in income and the future sustainability of East Midlands Councils.
4.3 Members of the Management Group
� Noted the financial position and issues contained within the report.
� Noted the estimated levels of income for 2013/4 (a reduction of
approximately £200k) and considered proposals for reducing expenditure.
� Considered opportunities for additional income streams available to East
Midlands Councils that fit with its roles and responsibilities.
� Considered the level of subscriptions in relation to upper-tier authorities
and any associated risks.
� Considered the further integration of improvement and efficiency activity
(post-RIEP) within EMC structures, specifically:
a) Advised on the potential use of any residual RIEP budgets post-
March 2013.
b) Supported discussions between the Chairman of EMC, Chairman
of RIEP Board, lead Chief Executive and EMC Executive Director in
order to discuss and agree proposals in relation to the future use
of remaining RIEP funds.
4.4 Members supported the principle of the continuation of East Midlands Councils
and directed that final proposals be developed for the Management Group
meeting in November, for the consideration and agreement of Members, and
for subsequent endorsement of the EMC Executive Board on 7th December
2012.
5. East Midlands Jobs
5.1 Management Group were presented with a detailed paper around the current
and future position of East Midlands Jobs (EMJ) recruitment portal.
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5.2 Members will be aware that notice was given by EMC to come into effect from
the end of June 2012. However upon enquiring about withdrawing notice, a
revised pricing schedule was proposed by the provider should we wish to
continue.
5.3 The key to the success and future success of EMJ is the demand (particularly
from upper tier authorities) for portal plus. Whilst initial interest was high,
authorities have failed to commit to the system.
5.4 Following a thorough review, it is the advice of the EMC Executive Director and
Corporate Governance Manager that the portal is no longer sustainable and
that a decision was needed on whether and when to close the EMJ portal.
5.5 Management Group accepted the advice of the Executive Director and
Corporate Governance Officer to close the EMJ portal and considered options
for closure:
a) Closure at the end of the additional notice period, 30th September 2012,
which would incur a liability of at least £47,000 and leave subscribing
authorities without any access to a recruitment portal and could likely be
a breach of contract (or partner understanding) where EMC would give 6
months notice.
b) Closure at the end of the current financial year, 31st March 2013 which
would incur a financial liability of at least £60,000 (an additional £13,000
above Option 1). This additional financial liability needs to be considered
against a commitment to provide a 6 months notice period from EMC
and the reputational risk to EMC of leaving member authorities without
access to a recruitment portal after 30th September 2012.
5.6 Members considered these options and recommended that officers implement
the decision to close at the end of the current financial year - 31st March 2013,
taking into account options around potential alternatives and working with
partners to facilitate any successor arrangements.
6. Performance against Business Plan KPIs
6.1 Management Group noted this report which detailed performance of East
Midlands Councils against the business plan, with specific reference to
concerns regarding attendance at meetings of EMC and boards.
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7. Guidance for Operation of East Midlands Councils
7.1 This report detailed the draft ‘Guidance for Operation of East Midlands
Councils’ which sits underneath the constitution and is focused around
Corporate Governance and Members Code of Conduct.
7.2 Subject to clarification on issues relating to declaration of interests, members
expenses and the new standards regime, Management Group agreed the
report prior to formal endorsement at the next Management Group and
subsequent implementation and distribution to EMC membership.
Stuart Young Cllr Martin Hill OBE
Executive Director Chairman
