Agenda and decisions

A webcast of the meeting can be viewed here

a)    That the comments of the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee be noted;

b)    That the Leicestershire and Rutland Safeguarding Children Partnership Yearly Report for 2024-25 be welcomed.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

Leicestershire County Council is one of the statutory Safeguarding Partners which have a shared and equal statutory duty with the local Integrated Care Board, Leicestershire Police and Rutland Council to agree and make arrangements to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children in Leicestershire and Rutland.

It is a statutory requirement, as set out in Working Together 2023, that the Safeguarding Partners publish a report at least once every twelve months on the arrangements and their effectiveness.

In Leicestershire and Rutland, the Yearly Report has traditionally been presented to the Cabinet and the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Presenting the Yearly Report enables the Cabinet to comment on the content of this document and consider whether it identifies matters that it wishes to address in relation to the effectiveness of safeguarding within the work of the Authority.

a)    That the comments of the Adults and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee be noted;

b)    That the Leicestershire and Rutland Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report for 2024-2025 be welcomed.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The LRSAB is a statutory body, and the Local Authority is the host organisation for the SAB and also has a duty to ensure that the Board is enabled to operate effectively. 

It is a requirement of the Care Act 2014 that the LRSAB Annual Report be reported to the Leader of the Council together with the Chief Executive of the Local Authority, the Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and local Healthwatch.

In Leicestershire and Rutland, the Annual Report has traditionally, as a way of discharging these responsibilities, also been presented to the Cabinet and the Adults and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

a)    That the comments of the Scrutiny Commission be noted;

b)    That the significant financial challenges faced by the County Council be noted;

c)    That the Period 4 monitoring position from the current financial year be noted;

d)    That the proposed approach outlined in the report to updating the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), be approved;

e)    That the revised Capital Programme for 2025/26 to 2028/29 as set out in Appendix C to the report be approved;

f)      That additional investment in bank risk sharing product (capital release funds) in line with the Council’s approved Treasury Management Strategy, up to a maximum investment of £20m at any one time, be approved;

g)    That the membership of the Investing in Leicestershire Programme Board be extended to include all members of the Cabinet.

(KEY DECISION)

REASONS FOR DECISION:

To inform the Cabinet of the revenue monitoring position for the current year, as at Period 4.

The revised capital programme for 2025-29 requires amendment as a result of the latest forecast financial position.

To seek approval for the intended approach to the development of plans to update the MTFS for 2026-30.

To approve additional treasury management investments in a bank risk sharing product (capital release funds), up to a maximum of £20m at any one time, in line with the Council’s approved Treasury Management Strategy. An investment of £12m is currently held which is returning capital.

The Cabinet has previously agreed the Terms of Reference of the Investing in Leicestershire Programme Board.

a)    That the contents of the report be noted; the uncertainty about the progress of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill following the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister and the sacking of the Minister of State; and the expectation nevertheless that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will receive more final submissions in November than the number of interim plans submitted in March;

b)    That the Cabinet anticipates an assessment by MHCLG after November of whether all reorganisation and devolution proposals can proceed to the Government’s timetable of completion in the life of this Parliament;

c)    That the Cabinet acknowledges the decision of the County Council at its meeting on 30^th July not to support any expansion of Leicester City Council’s boundaries and the public unpopularity of the boundary changes proposed by the Mayor of Leicester, but also recognises the need to provide evidence of the financial, service and other impacts of those changes on the County, its residents and taxpayers;

d)    That the modelling exercise currently underway looking at six different options for reorganisation into a unitary structure for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) be supported; and

e)    The outcomes of the modelling be considered as soon as possible and the Cabinet will welcome the views of the Scrutiny Commission and all members before a final submission on a unitary structure for LLR is made by the Cabinet.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

To note the next steps to be taken by the County Council with regard to local government reorganisation and to inform decision-making on a final submission to Government on a unitary structure for LLR.

a)    That the procurement of contracts for the provision of services in respect of home care, continuing health care, and Live in Care/24-hour care under an open Framework, for the period 2026 to 2034, be approved;

b)    That the Director of Adults and Communities be authorised to enter into any contractual arrangements necessary to bring into effect the provision of services in respect of home care, continuing health care, and Live in Care/24-hour care with effect from 1 September 2026.

(KEY DECISION)

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to undertake an assessment of any person who appears to be in need of care and support, and to provide services to meet any unmet care and support needs identified through that assessment. The authority must develop a wide range of sustainable high-quality care and support services, that will be available to their communities. A wide range of high-quality services will give people more control and help them to make more effective and personalised choices over their care.

The existing HCL Framework expires in October 2025 with a potential one year extension until October 2026, there are no options remaining to extend the current arrangements beyond that. With the introduction of the Procurement Act 2023 in February 2025, it is timely to re-commission the service under current legislation. The Procurement Act 2023 introduces open frameworks which are a scheme of successive frameworks on substantially the same terms, with a combined term of eight years. Procuring services under an open framework will reinforce sustainability in the Leicestershire market. The open framework mandates re-opening to allow new providers on to the Framework. The Framework is planned to re-open at the end of year one and in year five of the eight-year term.

By redesigning parts of the Framework (for example the zone boundaries) the Council will be able to demonstrate a more efficient commissioning model.

a)    That the comments of the Scrutiny Commission be noted;

b)    That the Corporate Complaints and Compliments Annual Report 2024-2025 be noted.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

Leicestershire County Council’s Corporate Complaints Procedure requires the production of an annual report pertaining to cases managed under the Corporate Complaints Procedure (paragraph 6.1 ‘Publishing complaints data’). Annual reports are available on the Council’s website.

Additionally, statutory complaints processes set out requirements for reporting annual performance and this is mirrored in recommended reporting arrangements set out in the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Complaints Handling Code, ‘Organisations should produce an annual complaints performance and service improvement report for scrutiny and challenge’ (paragraph 8.1 of the Complaint Handling Code).

a)    That the comments of the Highways and Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee be noted;

b)    That the outcome of the trial be noted;

c)    That the dimming of County streetlights to 30% intensity from 20:00 hours until 07:00 hours be approved;

d)    That the Director of Environment and Transport be authorised to make alterations to the dimming of streetlights following feedback from Leicestershire Police and other key stakeholders in accordance with the approved risk assessment.

(KEY DECISION)

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2023/24-2026/27 identified potential savings by reducing the street lighting service. The following savings have been achieved through the trial:

a) Reduced street lighting energy costs by £539,759;

b) Reduced street lighting energy consumption by 1,442,770 kWh;

c) Reduced carbon emissions by 319.3 tonne.

The trial had a positive impact on reducing costs associated with the street lighting service while leaving lighting in place, albeit at reduced lighting levels.

Dimming of streetlights would result in future savings in the form of reduced future energy costs due to reduced energy consumption. However, if the price per unit of energy increases, associated electricity costs will also increase.

Delegation to the Director will enable a prompt response for any future issues that may arise.

Dimming of streetlights to 30% from 20:00 hours until 07:00 hours across the County is considered a “departure from standards” and does not meet criteria for lighting classes within the British Standard for roadway lighting BS5489. It therefore requires the Cabinet’s approval before it is implemented as a permanent measure.

a)    That the key factors that have led to the development of this scheme, as set out in paragraphs 21 to 23 of the report be noted;

b)    That the work undertaken to date to address the issues and constraints that exist along the A5 corridor in respect to transport, economic development and road safety that pose a potential barrier to sustainable development in the future and to develop a potential mitigation measure be noted;

c)    That the Director of Environment and Transport be authorised to:

                        i.         undertake, following consultation with the Cabinet Lead Member, necessary engagement activities with stakeholders, landowners and Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council to support work on the Hinckley and Bosworth Local Plan and to address other policy, technical and procedural matters necessary to progress the A5 Concept Link scheme;

                       ii.         continue to develop the proposed scheme, noting that further reports will be made to the Cabinet as necessary.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The A5 is on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and is managed by National Highways (NH). There are existing issues and constraints at the Longshoot-Dodwells junction (two junctions between the A5 and the A47 to the west of Hinckley) that cause problems of congestion, road safety and re-routeing of vehicle trips on to the local road network that the County Council is responsible for, as the Local Transport Authority.

Uncertainty regarding the programme of improvements to be implemented by NH and the possibility of new land use developments nearby has led the Council’s officers to develop a potential scheme to address the existing and future issues in this location.

It is understood that a further draft of the next Hinckley and Bosworth Local Plan is being prepared for consultation in autumn 2025. The A5 Concept Link will be a key transport measure that will help to enable the substantial amount of proposed growth in the Local Plan to be delivered in a sustainable manner in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework.

Engagement with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council (HBBC) will enable the A5 Concept Link to be used to support the progress of the Hinckley and Bosworth Local Plan and assist in discussions with the developers of the nearby sites.

a)    That the delivery of the works on the Bardon Link Road, which comprise setting out of the drainage pond and the construction of a short section of haul road, as illustrated on the drawing appended to the report, ahead of the scheme securing Full Business Case approval from the Department for Transport (DfT) be approved;

b)    That the latest position with regards to costs and timescales for the scheme be noted.

(KEY DECISION)

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The planning permission for the Bardon Link Road will lapse on 16 January 2026, unless construction works commence on site before this date. It was originally anticipated that the construction would commence in spring 2025 but the Early Contractor Involvement process, whilst providing significant benefits for the smooth delivery of the scheme, has delayed the start.

It would be necessary to submit a new, full planning application for the Bardon Link Road if the deadline to commence works was not met. This would incur significant additional cost and it would delay the overall programme by approximately one year while the new consent was sought, putting DfT funding at risk of being withdrawn.

The Cabinet’s approval is sought as these initial works would be delivered ahead of the Government formally confirming its commitment to fund the A511 Major Road Network (MRN) improvements (which is subject to the approval of a Full Business Case due to be submitted in February 2026). In a letter issued to Leaders of Local Authorities dated 8 July 2025, the Government reconfirmed its ‘in principle’ support of the project.

That the County Council becomes a signatory to the ‘Harborough Local Plan Duty to Cooperate Statement of Common Ground with Leicestershire County Council’.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

The Duty to Cooperate (DtC) is a legal duty for local planning authorities, county councils and relevant bodies to ‘engage constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis in any process’ including the preparation of development plan documents. This Statement of Common Ground (SoCG) has been jointly produced by Harborough District Council and the County Council to confirm that the parties have effectively and regularly cooperated to consider strategic and cross boundary matters associated with the production of the Harborough Local Plan.