Agenda item

To receive the Leader’s report on the work of the Executive since the Council meeting held on 29 November 2023.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Temperton, presented the report on the work of the Executive since the Council meeting on 29 November 2023. The Executive had met once since the last Council meeting, on 12 December 2023.

The Leader highlighted the following matters that had been considered:

Finance and Business Change | Capital Programme 2024/25 – 2026/27 and Revenue Budget 2024/25

·        The Executive agreed to consult on the draft capital programme, based on £8.328m of new spending.

·        The Executive also agreed to consult on the draft revenue budget proposals for 2024/25. This totals £103.429m.

·        The Executive approved writing-off £54,150 for a commercial property debt that was no longer recoverable.

·        The draft revenue budget and capital programme will now be considered by Overview and Scrutiny. Their views will be reported back to the executive and full council in February, alongside feedback from residents, local groups and businesses. The final 2024/25 budget will be agreed in February.

Finance and Business Change | Building maintenance and repair service contract

·        The Executive approved the procurement plan for an organisation to provide 24-hour maintenance and reactive repairs for the council’s corporate buildings and ‘buy back’ schools.

·        The current contract has been in place since February 2020. The contract was based on a fixed price for three years, with the option to extend for a further two years. 

·        In February 2023, the council granted a one-year extension to the current contractor.

·        Based on the current provider’s performance, the council would extend the contact for a further year, meaning the contract would expire on 1 February, 2025.

Finance and Business Change | Procurement of neutral agency vendor/specialist providers of agency staff

·        The Executive approved the re-procurement of a neutral vendor contract to provide the council with agency staff, in accordance with the strategic procurement plan.

·        The council spends more than £7m a year on agency staff. 

·        Procurement would be split into three lots to address the current issues with recruiting specialist social care and education roles under a neutral agency vendor arrangement. 

·        This approach should reduce the overall costs to the council.

Planning and Transport | Making (adoption) of the Winkfield Neighbourhood Plan 2022-2037

·        The Executive agreed the formal ‘making’ of the Winkfield Neighbourhood Development Plan. This will form part of the statutory Bracknell Forest Development Plan.

·        The council, as the local planning authority, has a statutory duty to ‘make’ a neighbourhood development plan if more than half of those voting at a referendum, vote in favour of ‘making’ the neighbourhood development plan.

·        The referendum was held on Thursday, 23 November 2023 with a total of 1,245 votes being cast.

Children, Young People & Learning | Personal budgets policy

·        The Executive approved the revised Personal Budgets Policy and agreed to publish and implement it in December 2023.

·        In accordance with the SEND Code of Practice January 2015, local authorities must provide information on Personal Budgets as part of the Local Offer. 

Culture, delivery and public protection | Bracknell Forest Serious Violence Strategy

·        The executive endorsed the Bracknell Forest Serious Violence Strategy 2024-2027. It agreed that a more detailed action plan should be compiled, which will be reviewed and approved by the executive director and the executive member for culture, delivery and public protection.

·        The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 introduced a Serious Violence Duty on specified authorities within a local government area. 
As part of the duty, a strategy was required to be prepared, publicised and implemented.

·        The serious violence and exploitation strategic sub-group of the community safety partnership will now work within the recommendations in the strategy to develop an action plan.

Adult Services, Health and Housing | Community support winter update

·        The Executive endorsed the updated financial hardship action plan and agreed the Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF) spending plan.

·        In 2022, the council recognised a need for a strategic, sustainable, and preventative approach to supporting residents who may be at risk of, or experiencing, financial hardship.  

·        There continues to be a lasting impact from the pandemic on health and wellbeing for communities across the borough.

There being no recommendations to Council, the report of the Executive was noted.