Meeting documents
Social Care, Health and Inclusion Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Tuesday, 23rd October 2007
Present
Chair
A Bridson
Councillors
IO Coates, SR Mountney, DE Roberts, GCJ Watt
Deputy
WW Smith (for Cllr PA Smith)
CM Teggin (for Cllr PTC Reisdorf)
Index to Minutes
Minute 28 - DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Minute Text :
Members were asked to consider -
(a) whether they had a personal or prejudicial interest in any matters to be considered at the meeting and, if so, to declare them and state what they were;
(b) to declare, pursuant to paragraph 18 of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, whether they were subject to a party whip in connection with any matter to be considered and, if so, to disclose the nature of the whipping arrangement.
No declarations were made.
Minute 29 - BUDGET 2008-09
Minute Text :
Following the Cabinet meeting of 4 October, 2007 (minute 225 refers) which had recommended to Council for approval a number of budget savings, the following items had been referred to this overview and scrutiny committee for discussion:
(a) Reduction in Management and Support costs - £425,000
(b) Reduction in staffing within Human Resources - £250,000
(c) Reduction in admin due to SWIFT - £150,000
(d) Joint Working with Wirral PCT - £100,000
(e) Developing Extra Care facilities - £250,000
(f) Increased income from Fairer Charging - £1,324,000
The Director of Adult Social Services submitted a report which gave details of how each of these savings could be achieved. In respect of the fairer charging proposals, the Cabinet report was submitted as an appendix. This detailed how a phased implementation of increased charges for non-residential care would take place as follows:
(a) increase the unit price for full cost payers on 1st January 2008 from £9.50 to £10.50, and to £11.50 on 1st April 2008, and £12.70 on 1st April 2009.
(b) increase the % Charge against disposable income for assessed charge payers on 1st January 2008 from 40% to 50%, and to 60% on 1st April 2008 and 75% on 1st April 2009.
These changes would bring income from charges for non-residential care up to the average in the North West by April 2009 and the report detailed how they would affect the 3000 people who used the services. In order to achieve the initial stepped increase in January 2008, approximately 3,000 financial reassessments would need to be undertaken in November and communicated to people in December 2007. Consultation on charges had been ongoing in 2007 and would now include communication about these new rates and how and when they would be applied.
The total value of savings agreed to date was £3.2 million, with a further £0.75 million target for Service Re-engineering and £0.4 million deferred savings from the Capital Strategy agreed in 2007-08. The total budget reduction was therefore £4.75 million representing 6.12% of the Department’s net budget. Implementing these changes would demand an extension of the discipline of project management being developed within the Department.
In response to questions from Members the Director and Heads of Service made the following comments:
- Discussions were taking place about the introduction of charges for those people only in receipt of day care service who were currently not assessed to pay for their care. This conflicted with the national Fairer Charging guidance.
- The six savings proposed were for the 2008/09 budget but if there were any areas where these savings could be delivered earlier then advantage would be taken of that.
- In respect of saving (a), the Director explained the role of Service Managers, front line middle managers of operational services and the challenges of accommodating the costs associated with the reduction of staff.
- In respect of saving (e), the Director remarked upon the need to fundamentally change the way in which care was provided. There was an oversupply of residential beds in Wirral. Attitudes were changing as people wanted to be supported to live at home rather than in residential care.
- In respect of saving (f) the Director explained the definition of disposable income and that allowances were made for disability expenditure etc. and what was left became the figure for disposable income.
- Letters were to be sent out to the 3000 people affected by the proposed changes to charges as part of the consultation process and this would be undertaken once the scrutiny process had been completed.
Councillor Mountney expressed concern over some of the proposed savings and the pace of change. He suggested that there were significant risks in saving (a), reducing management costs at a time when the transformational change agenda needed to be properly managed. Saving (e), extra care facilities, any new project could not be ready for 2008/09 and he queried whether this should even be in the report. With regard to saving (f), he stated that without the full results of consultation no decision should be taken on increasing charges.
The Director designate responded that there was a need to look at the structure of the Department and he would come forward with proposals in the future. There were options to explore in terms of extra care and existing provision not just new build.
The Chair stated that the Department had a duty to manage its budget responsibly within the resources made available by the Council and that the Comprehensive Spending Review had been hugely disappointing.
On a motion by the Chair, seconded by Councillor Roberts, it was -
Minute Decision :
Resolved (5:2) - That the proposed budget saving be endorsed by this Committee.
(Minutes Published: 25 October 2007)