Agenda and minutes

Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on. 

By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred Members present to agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda in respect of filming at this meeting, and Members noted the information contained therein’.

Apologies for absence were received from Ali Amasyali. Cllr Sheila Peacock gave apologies that she was not able to attend in person, though she did join the full meeting online.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business (late items will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items will be dealt with as noted below).

Cllr Pippa Connor reported that the Cabinet’s response to the recommendations of the Adult & Health Scrutiny Panel’s Review on Sheltered Housing and Access to Health and Social Care Services had been discussed at the Cabinet meeting on 6th December 2022. She noted that the recommendations of the Panel had been broadly accepted and that an update report would be received by the Panel next year which would include input from various partners as they were directly relevant to the recommendations.

A Member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest

becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Members’ Register of Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interest are

defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Cllr Pippa Connor declared an interest by virtue of her membership of the Royal College of Nursing.

Cllr Pippa Connor declared an interest by virtue of her sister working as a GP in Tottenham.

Cllr Thayahlan Iyngkaran declared an interest by virtue of his membership of the Royal College of Radiologists.

Cllr Thayahlan Iyngkaran declared an interest by virtue of his wife working for Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health Trust.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, Paragraph 29 of the Council’s Constitution.

None.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as an accurate record.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 17^th November 2022 be approved as an accurate record.

To scrutinise the revenue and capital proposals relating to the 2023/24 Draft Budget and the Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2023/24 to 2027/28.

Josephine Lyseight, Head of Finance (People), introduced the report on the Draft Budget for 2023/24 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) for 2023/24 to 2027/28, noting that the suite of documents included details about new revenue savings proposals, revenue growth proposals and capital proposals as well as existing revenue savings and the proposed capital programme as a whole across the MTFS period. She explained that the additional new growth for the General Fund was £14.8m, of which £6m was being allocated to Adult Services. The Council was approximately £3m short of achieving a balanced position but this did not factor in any potential additional money arising from the Government’s recent Autumn Statement. This included the flexibility for local authorities to increase the Adult Social Care precept from 1% to 2% as well as additional government funding to support hospital discharge. The final figures for grants would not be known until the Local Government Finance Settlement had been announced. However, the expectation was for a balanced budget position to be achieved by February 2023 when the Budget would be set.

Josephine Lyseight and colleagues then responded to questions from the Panel:

• Asked by Cllr Brennan how much difference a rise in the adult social care precept could make to the Budget, Josephine Lyseight estimated that this would raise approximately £1m per year which would be ringfenced for Adult Social Care services.
• Asked by Cllr Iyngkaran when the details of the adult social care grants would be known, Josephine Lyseight said that this was expected within the next couple of weeks but that it had been assumed that the grants would continue at a flat rate adjusted for inflation. 
• Cllr Iyngkaran queried how much additional funding would be raised by a 1% increase in Council Tax. Josephine Lyseight noted that there would be the flexibility to do this from next year, as announced in the Government’s Autumn Statement, but would need to provide a written response on the estimated amount that this could raise. (ACTION)
• Asked by Cllr Iyngkaran what the means for balancing the budget last year had been, Josephine Lyseight said that this involved a mix of Council Tax, general and specific grants from the Government as well as various fees and charges and maximising income from partners that the Council worked with on the delivery of services.
• Helena Kania queried the assumptions in place around inflation in the Budget. Josephine Lyseight clarified that a figure of 5% had been used for the care purchasing budget which had been seen as a reasonable assumption at the time that the budget proposals had been assembled. However, she acknowledged that the inflation rate could eventually turn out to be higher.
• Cllr Connor asked about the source of the additional £6m for Adult Services and whether this could potentially be raised again in future. Josephine Lyseight explained that the MTFS was reviewed each year and that services articulated the likely growth needs that were required. The ability to provide growth depended on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

To consider any additions or amendments to the Panel’s current work programme.

Dominic O’Brien, Scrutiny Officer, noted that there had been a few minor updates to the Panel’s Work Programme, including the scheduling of an update on dementia services in approximately nine months. A joint meeting with the Children & Young People’s Scrutiny Panel was scheduled in February following by the next regular meeting of the Panel in March which would include an update on actions taken following the Panel’s previous recommendations on aids & adaptations as well as an update on integrated working and co-production.

Cllr Connor added that a report would be coming back to the Panel next year on sheltered housing and access to health and social services following the recent Cabinet response to the Panel’s Scrutiny Review on this subject and that this would include input from relevant partners.

Cllr Connor also informed the Panel that evidence sessions for the next Scrutiny Review on access to social care services would be commencing in the New Year and that Panel Members should suggest any carers groups or community groups that the Panel could speak to as part of this work.

·         13^th March 2023 (6:30pm)

• 9^th Feb 2022 (7:00pm) (Joint meeting with CYP Scrutiny Panel)
• 13^th Mar 2022 (6:30pm)