Agenda and minutes

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interest they may have in any matter which is to be considered at this meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

Agreed.

Received a report from the Chief Executive in respect of proposed additions to the Approved Street Names list, subject to the final approval of statutory consultees.

Agreed, to accord with the Council’s statutory responsibilities and to help deliver the Community Priority of “Fair and Respectful”, to:

(i)  The revised list of Street Names attached at Appendix 1 to the report;

(ii)  To delegate authority to the Chief Executive to add to the Approved List:

(a)  the names of further residents of the Borough who died in active service abroad that are not currently included; and

(b)  the names of those commemorated by the award of the Elizabeth Cross, subject to obtaining families’ approval before a formal proposal is made to use a name.

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Adult and Community Services on the preparations for a possible flu pandemic in the Borough. 

A joint Plan has been developed by the Council, NHS Barking and Dagenham, the Police, Fire Service and voluntary agencies and further extensive work has been undertaken to ensure that the Council is in the best possible position to deliver critical services to the local community.

During the discussions it was noted that:

• The second wave of the virus is expected to reach a peak during mid October, with predictions suggesting that up to 30% of the population may be affected;
• There are a lack of robust arrangements within the Health Service to deal with cases of critically ill children;
• Whilst there are longstanding principles in place in relation to local authorities being reimbursed for costs incurred in dealing with extreme events, the precise arrangements for an imminent flu pandemic have not been settled;
• The provision of critical and non-critical services will be considered in the light of the effects of increase in demand for certain services and reduced staffing levels due to staff contracting the virus.

Agreed, in order to ensure the ongoing delivery of critical services in the event of a flu pandemic:

(i)  The Critical Services list as set out in section 2.1 of the report, and those service areas where services may be curtailed in the short term if additional resources are required to support Critical Services as shown in section 2.3; and

(ii)  That all Members of the Council be advised as soon as practicable in the event that anti-viral medication is being distributed in the Borough.

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Adult and Community Services and a presentation from the Personalisation Programme Director on the plans to transform adult social care provision in the Borough as part of the ‘Putting People First’ national agenda.

The Personalisation Programme will give people more choice and control over the services they receive and how they pay for them and will maximise independence, while at the same time reducing the involvement of the local authority in their day-to-day lives.  Barking and Dagenham was one of thirteen local authorities to have taken part in the successful National Individual Budget Pilot Scheme that ended in December 2007 and, as a result, has already established a solid platform for many of the aspects of Personalisation, including the Resource Allocation System.

During the discussions it was noted that:

• The long-term impact of Personalisation is expected to be cost neutral, with efficiencies likely to be realised over time;
• External service providers will be quality assessed.  In this respect, it was suggested that service providers should be required to meet the same level of service provision standards that are required of local authorities, possibly through mandatory accreditation, to ensure that customers are receiving value for money and that all agencies are competing on a level playing field;
• The IT systems that support Personalisation prescribe to national requirements and are in line with the Council’s One B&D IT Strategy;
• The standards for service user assessments are being developed and will be finalised in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adults and Public Health;
• A further report to the Executive on 3 November 2009 in relation to the Council’s proposed response to the Government’s Green Paper on the funding of adult social care will cover the point raised by the Chief Executive in respect of demographic changes.

Agreed, to ensure the ongoing development and delivery of the Personalisation agenda for adult social care in the Borough, to the outline service delivery model as detailed in section 2 of the report and illustrated in Appendix A.

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Adult and Community Services on proposals to remodel residential care services for people with learning disabilities.

Under the proposals, services would be provided through personalised routes providing greater choice, security of tenure and opportunity for independence.  Noted that in order for the remodelling to be completed it may be necessary for the current contracts to be extended to the Autumn 2010.

Agreed, to assist the Council in achieving national targets set out in PSA 16 (both housing and employment) and the Community Priorities of “Healthy” and “Prosperous”, to:

(i)  An extension of up to 31 August 2010 for the contract with Outlook Care, whilst individual reviews, consultation and implementation of changes takes place;

(ii)  An extension of up to three months to 31 August 2010 for the contract with Avenues Trust, to be used only if required in order to complete procurement and implementation processes effectively; and

(iii)  Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Adult and Community Services, in consultation with the Divisional Director of Corporate Finance and the Legal Partner, to carry out a procurement exercise based on the proposal outlined in section 5 of the report and award the contract(s).

Received a report from the Corporate Director of Resources on the proposed procurement of a new framework agreement for professional construction services to the Council.  Noted that the packaging of the new contract has been specifically designed to encourage small and medium size companies to submit tenders.

Agreed, in order to accord with statutory obligations and enable the Council to commission value for money services, to:

(i)  The procurement of a new four-year framework agreement for Professional Construction Services on the terms set out in the report; and

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Resources, in consultation with the Divisional Director of Corporate Finance and the Legal Partner, to award the contract following the procurement process.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Human Resources advised that both the District Line and c2c rail services that pass through the Borough and also the Gospel Oak line into Barking station are suspended this weekend due to maintenance work, effectively forcing the very many local residents who do not have access to a car to abandon any plans to journey outside of the Borough.

Agreed that the Chief Executive write to the relevant authorities expressing our dismay at the lack of co-ordinated planning by the rail service providers and requesting that steps are taken to ensure that this scenario is not repeated in the future.

(* The Chair agreed that this issue could be considered at the meeting under the provisions of section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.)