Agenda and minutes

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests in any item on the agenda

No interests were declared.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to the work of the meeting. Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers. Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility. However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide three clear working days’ notice, in writing, in order for an informed answer to be given.

There were no members of the public present.

To consider a proposal to consult on options for achieving savings within the Adult Services transport budget.

The Cabinet Member considered a proposal to consult on options for achieving savings within the Adult Services transport budget.

The Adult Services transport budget was £1.6m (2010/11), delivering transport to 520 adults to and from their day care provision through Integrated Transport shared service fleet vehicles (43 mini-buses) or hired transport. Adult Services had an efficiency challenge to save £1.3m from the transport budget for 2011/12. In order to provide a range of options to meet that challenge, a formal public consultation was required. 

RESOLVED

That

(1)  Adult Services commence public consultation to explore a range of options to meet required savings to the Adult Services transport budget; and

(2)  a report on the outcome of the consultation be submitted to the Cabinet.

To consider proposals to consult on the Budget Setting Consultation process to explore all options available to increase income to enable reinvestment in front line services.

The Cabinet Member considered proposals to consult on the Budget Setting Consultation process to explore all options available to increase income to enable reinvestment in front line services.

Adult Services anticipated severe budget pressure following the Comprehensive Spending Review announcements, in addition to the £450k additional income required by Cabinet over the next 3 years 2010/11 to 2012/13 (phased £100k/£150k/£200k). These targets were part of the existing 2010/11 Medium Term Financial Strategy that had been rolled forward.

The wider reductions to the Adults service net budget needed to be considered; in the first 4 full years of operation of Cheshire East Council from 2009/10 to 2012/13 reductions of almost £10m were anticipated. The Comprehensive Spending Review announcement would further exacerbate this position.  

A major strand of achieving these targets would be moving from commissioned care packages to personal budgets for new and existing service users, as consulted on in 2008/09 "The Personalisation of Services".

In order to provide a range of options to meet the challenge, a formal public consultation was required in respect of changes to the Non-Residential Charging Policy and the Scheme of Delegated Charges. 

RESOLVED

That

(1)   Adult Services commence public consultation within the Business Planning Process to explore a range of options to raise additional income through changes to the Charging Policy and Scheme of Delegated Charges; and

(2)   a report on the outcome of the consultation be submitted to the Cabinet.