To seek the views of the Scrutiny Management Board on the budget proposals for 2024/25.

The board agreed unanimously to scrutinise the directorate delivery plans in the sequence in which they were ordered within the appendices of the report. It was requested that a record of any actions arising would be forwarded to relevant officers ahead of the scheduled meeting on 16 January and any draft recommendations would be recorded for finalisation in that same meeting. 

Community Wellbeing Directorate Delivery Plan 2024/25

The Corporate Director for Community Wellbeing took the slides as read and gave an overview of the report. It was pointed out that the main point of focus in the budget for next year was the ongoing and increasing demand and complexity in adult social care. This was largely attributed to an ageing population and an increase in the number of individuals falling below the income threshold, who were unable to fund their own care.

The Corporate Director for Community Wellbeing specifically outlined a number of areas leading to increased demand pressure in adult social care, including: an ageing population in Herefordshire, inflation/spiralling cost of living, increased complexity of need, market availability and impact of the county hospital.

The Corporate Director for Community Wellbeing pointed out and gave an overview of the mitigations that had been put in place and how they were backed up by a series of robustly tested savings. This included the extension of the ‘shared lives scheme’ which would offer more opportunities for people to remain in a home environment for care where possible.

The Scrutiny Management Board debated the Community Wellbeing Directorate Delivery Plan 2024/25. The principal points of the discussion are summarised below.

1.     The board agreed there was a need to reinstate the local account as a means of communicating to the public how money was being spent on adult social care services, this would also provide details of performance and future plans for the service.

2.     The board highlighted the need for greater promotion and understanding of funding arrangements for adult social care. This would include improved dialogue and engagement with self-funders - especially those opting for high cost residential spaces - explaining how care was funded and what happens when individuals drop below the threshold and fall into the responsibility of the service.

3.     The board raised concerns about a proposed 10% reduction in library opening hours and suggested exploring the voluntary sector as part of the council’s library strategy. The importance of libraries as a safe space facility and point of internet access for young people and families was noted and the need to publicise and raise awareness of the temporary and proposed new location of the city library was highlighted.

4.     The board heard that it was not solely the council that was responsible for supporting the community, and that the service worked with a range of partner organisations, in particular the Integrated Care Board, which itself was looking for more support from the voluntary sector. It was noted that by collectively pooling together funding within partnerships it would be possible to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40