Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) introduced the item and highlighted the following points:

a)     Recommendation number one: the Section 151 Officer would undertake a comprehensive review of the Working Balances Threshold using Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) best practice guidance and comparisons to the Council’s statistical neighbours to determine if the 5% remained appropriate given the current risks. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

b)    Recommendation number two: subject to the advice of the Section 151 Office, Cabinet would prepare a detailed plan to rebuild the reserves within two years to provide an adequate buffer against financial risks whilst implementing a clear strategy to reduce the Council’s reliance upon the use of one-off resources and reserves. This recommendation was partially agreed by Cabinet, subject to the findings from recommendation number one and that the required time scale might need to be extended to cover the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) rather than the two years set out in the recommendation;

c)     Recommendation number three: Cabinet would update the comprehensive Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) when the multi-year settlements were agreed and would submit to scrutiny for consideration before the Council would take a final decision. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

d)    Recommendation number four: all significant Capital schemes would have a detailed risk assessment on the impact of further interest rate changes on scheme viability before proceeding. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

e)     Recommendation number five: Cabinet would consider a council tax discount scheme for service personnel who were deployed for more than six months, similar to single person discount. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’, however this would be subject to further consideration with information on the criteria from the Scrutiny Management Board. Any amendments would be an additional financial burden and would be subject to a public consultation;

f)      Recommendation number six: six monthly updates would be provided to the relevant scrutiny panels on the delivery of planned savings within the homelessness service, where the £724,000 additional funding had been required. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

g)     Recommendation number seven: planned works to bring together the Asset Management Plan would be considered at a future meeting of the Scrutiny Management Board and an asset register would be provided for this purpose. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

h)    Recommendation number eight: the Council should develop a comprehensive communication strategy to inform residents who were not digitally able about the face-to-face services offered, including service locations, operating hours and this should be distributed through non-digital channels, with primary distribution through the annual council tax bill.

Councillor Dann (Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Sport, Leisure and HR & OD) added to recommendation eight:

i)      Recommendation eight had been partially agreed. There was already prioritised support for residents who were not digitally able including:

i. A digital assistance telephone line;

ii. Bookable appointments at the Central Library, Plymstock Library, Plympton Library and St Budeaux Library;

j)      Work was being carried out with the digital exclusion team to work with health and well-being hubs and Community Builders;

k)     This information would not be distributed through the council tax bill as it was not a universal service which the general public could access. This was targeted support and if this was more generalised there would not be the staff resources to support those who were genuinely digitally excluded.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) continued:

l)      Recommendation number nine: Cabinet would consider what additional funding may be made available to commemorate Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan day. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’ subject to any potential financial implications;

m)   Recommendation number 10: clear communication should be in place to ensure residents were aware that direct cremations were available at the park crematorium. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

n)    Recommendation number 11: Cabinet would review the effectiveness and sustainability of demand management approaches within the adult social care given the £12 million of additional cost that had been identified. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

o)    Recommendation number 12: the relevant Cabinet Member would work with DELT Shared Services to ensure that internet connectivity was consistent across the Plymouth City Council (PCC) estate, particularly in libraries to enable residents to gain access to online services.

Councillor Dann (Cabinet Member for Customer Services, Sport, Leisure and HR & OD) added to recommendation 12:

p)    DELT Shared Services were working closely with the library service to modernise their equipment, including chip and pin being available in the library;

q)    There was a priority on offering remote services within libraries so residents could become more digital and have better access to Council services.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) continued:

r)     Recommendation number 13: the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Panel would undertake a review of the works undertaken by the Dental Task Force. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

s)     Recommendation number 14: the additional funding to process the Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) was welcomed and a regular update on progress against this backlog would be provided to the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny Panel. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

t)     Recommendation number 15: Cabinet would review the funding model for SEND transport to determine a sustainable long-term solution, including consideration of independent travel training programmes where appropriate. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’.

Councillor Cresswell (Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships) added to recommendation number 15:

u)    The recommendation was welcomed and there was already travel training in place. The work on this would continue to ensure the training was reaching as many parents and young people as possible to highlight not just the financial advantages but also the advantages of independence.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) continued:

v)     Recommendation number 16: A letter would be written to Government requesting a review of the criteria in relation to home to school transport. Such a review would consider whether receipt of mobility vehicles or higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance or personal independent payments could be included in the local authority’s assessment of transport. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

w)   Recommendation number 17: Cabinet would review the effectiveness and sustainability of demand management approaches within Children’s Services given the £19 million of additional costs identified and further accelerated the use of Council assets in the approach to reduce demand on high costs placements. The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’. This recommendation would also be referred to in the budget;

x)    Recommendation number 18: The Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships would establish a robust monitoring framework to oversee the SEND capital programme, ensuring clear accountability for project milestones. Progress with this would form regular reports to the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny Panel.The Cabinet response to this recommendation was ‘agreed’;

y)     Recommendation number 19: The Leader of the Council would write to the Government to request that notification of the Public Health Grant was received before the 31 December 2025 to enable adequate planning in the new year’s budget.

Councillor Evans OBE (Leader of the Council) added:

z)     There was an uplift in the Public Health Grant this year and thanks were given to the Minister responsible for this;

aa)  There were changes from Government whereby funding would be granted through needs basis;

bb)There would be more information about how the Grant would be distributed once the comprehensive spending review was reported.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) continued:

cc)  Thanks were given to the Scrutiny Management Board for their thorough review of the budget and the time and effort that went into producing detailed recommendations.

Cabinet agreed to the recommendations and responses.