Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed.

Members were asked to disclose any pecuniary or other interests they may have in the business on the agenda.

Councillor Westley declared an interest in agenda items to be discussed that family members were council tenants.

Councillor Halford declared an interest in agenda items to be discussed that family members were council tenants.

Councillor Joshi declared an interest in the agenda items to be discussed that his wife worked for the Reablement Team, Leicester City Council.

Councillor Thalukdar declared an interest in agenda items to be discussed that a family member was a council tenant.

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, the interests were not considered so significant that they were likely to prejudice the Councillors’ judgement of the public interest. The Members were not, therefore, required to withdraw from the meeting.

There were no chairs announcements.

The minutes of the meeting of the Overview Select Committee held on 16^th December 2021 are attached and Members are asked to confirm them as a correct record.

AGREED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 16December 2021 be confirmed as a correct record.

To note progress on actions agreed at the previous meeting and not reported elsewhere on the agenda (if any).

Members received a full set of updates, appended to the minutes for information.

The Chair noted the information on the actions arising.

It was reported under Minute 64, Call-In of Executive Decision that information was still awaited on the number of student tenants in the property portfolio. The information would be made available to Members when available.

The Monitoring Officer to report on the receipt of any questions, representations and statements of case submitted in accordance with the Council’s procedures.

The Monitoring Officer reported that no questions, representations or statement of case had been received in accordance with Council procedures.

The Monitoring Officer to report on any petitions received.

The Monitoring Officer reported that no petitions had been received.

The Monitoring Officer submits a report that updates Members on the monitoring of outstanding petitions. The Committee is asked to note the current outstanding petitions and agree to remove those petitions marked ‘Petitions Process Complete’ from the report.

The Monitoring Officer submitted a report which provided an update on the status of outstanding petitions against the Council’s target of providing a formal response within three months of being referred to the Divisional Director.

The Democratic Support Officer circulated an update on two petitions that had been completed since the publication of the report.

AGREED:

That the status of the outstanding petitions be noted, and to remove those petitions marked “Petition Complete” Ref: 21/04/03, 21/06/01, 21/09/03, 21/10/02 and 21/11/01 from the report.

The Director of Public Health and the City Mayor will provide a general update.

The City Mayor delivered a presentation which contained data on the delivery of Covid-19 vaccinations in Leicester (attached to the minutes for information).

The City Mayor, prior to his delivery of the presentation, acknowledged the effort, energy and expertise that had been used by the NHS both locally and nationally, in order to deliver vaccinations at a time when they were under enormous pressures as a result of Covid-19 and enormous backlogs as well. He added he wanted to make it clear that what he was going to present was not a reflection or any sort of criticism on the efforts that had been made. locally.  Referring to the integrated care system, he added that he had enormous sympathy with the task that lay ahead to integrate the care system with the NHS into a single entity. He added that if there was any criticism to be had it was of the system within which they have been seeking to make vaccine delivery work.

During the presentation the following points were made:

·                  When comparing the delivery of vaccinations in Leicester with the delivery of vaccinations across the whole of England, there was a significant gap in those that were 12 years plus.

·                  There were significant geographic inequalities in uptake across the city, and the NHS had been asked to focus on the where the geographic inequalities were and seek to promote the take up in those areas in the city where it was known there were significant number of people who hadn’t had a vaccination.

·                  There had been considerable improvements over the last few weeks, but there was very slow delivery of the vaccine in care homes.  There had also been a very significant lag in the delivery of vaccines in schools.

·                  Vaccine delivery in the run-up to Christmas showed mainly booster vaccinations were being given. The period after Christmas showed that vaccinations one, two and booster numbers had dropped significantly. A graph showed doses one, two and the booster vaccinations for 16years plus over time. The Office for National Statistic target was one for which the city should be aiming, and was significantly higher than Leicester figures.

·                  It was noted that by August 2021, the delivery of the vaccinations one and two had flattened off.

·                  It was noted on the booster delivery for 16years plus, figures plateaued in the middle of December 2021, and was a long way off delivering even 80% of the population.

·                  A graph outlining vaccination numbers in Leicester and England showed the percentage variances in different age bands and showed how far Leicester was behind nationally.

·                  The 12years plus chart was highlighted as an example for the whole of the eligible population in the city. The figures showed the city was 7.5% behind for first dose, 8.9% second dose, and 13.7% for the booster. When breaking the lower age range figures down further to 12-15years, the gap was even greater at 10.7% behind for first dose.

·                  A chart for doses one administered to 12-15 year  ...  view the full minutes text for item 80.

The Director of Housing submits a report setting out the proposed Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget (including Capital Programme) for 2022/23, which will be considered by Council on 23 February 2022. An extract from the meeting of the Housing Scrutiny Commission on 10 January 2022 is attached.

The Overview Select Committee is recommended to make any comments on the report, in particular the proposal for delivering a balanced budget and the proposed rent increase.

The Director of Housing submitted a report which set out the proposed Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget (including Capital Programme) for 2022/23, which would be considered by Council on 23 February 2022. An extract from the meeting of the Housing Scrutiny Commission on 10 January 2022 was also considered.

The Overview Select Committee was recommended to make any comments on the report, in particular the proposal for delivering a balanced budget and the proposed rent increase.

The Director of Housing delivered a presentation (attached for information) which picked out highlights from the report and additional pertinent information:

·         The Housing Revenue Account Budget was made up of income from council tenant rents and service charges. The money was used to provide the repairs service, fund the work of the Income Management Team, the Housing Officers and the STAR service. It was also used to invest in stock through the Capital Programme and to make improvements to the environment of the Council’s estates.

·         The investment made into properties, and that planned for the future, ensured all council homes were of high quality, compared with other tenure types in the city, and the wide range of services provided demonstrated the Council was one of the best landlords in the city.

·         The HRA had faced financial challenges, with reducing income levels over time. It was reported that since 1981 the Council had lost in the region of 17,000 properties through Right to Buy (RtB). If those properties were still held in the Housing Revenue Account, then there would be an additional £63m of income each year.

·         Additional financial pressures were felt between 2016 and 2020 by the government requirement that rents be reduced by 1% each year. Whilst tenants benefited from a reduction in their weekly rent during this period it led to an overall loss of income to the Housing Revenue Account of £3.1m per year.

·         The continuing financial pressures, such as a rise in employee costs, were taken into account when drawing up proposals for the HRA budget for 2022/23, and difficult decisions had been made to ensure there was money to continue to provide services that were a priority for tenants.

·         The Council would do everything it could to protect tenants and had therefore chosen not to charge rents which exceeded Local Housing Allowance rates and meant that tenants would never be charged more than the benefits they received for housing, for those on full Housing Benefit or those who had all their housing costs covered by Universal Credit (UC).

·         There was a proposed 4.1% increase in core rents, with on average tenants paying just over £3 more rent a week. It was known that about 50% of tenants were on full housing benefit or had their full housing costs covered by UC. For these households the increased rent would be covered by their benefit entitlement in full.

·         The Council had a long history of providing support to tenants who faced financial difficulties, much more than was in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

The Director of Finance submits the Draft Revenue Budget 2022/23 which will be considered by Council on 23 February 2022.

The draft minute extracts detailing the respective Scrutiny Commissions’ discussion on the draft Revenue Budget report are attached:

Adult Social Care – 13 January 2022 (Appendix D1)

Children, Young People and Education – 18 January 2022 (Appendix D2)

Economic Development, Transport and Climate Emergency – 19 January 2022 (Appendix D3)

Health and Wellbeing – 25 January 2022 (Appendix D4)

Heritage, Culture, Leisure and Tourism – 20 January 2022 (Appendix D5)

Neighbourhood Services – 27 January 2022 (Appendix D6)

The Overview Select Committee is recommended to consider the draft budget and the comments made by the Scrutiny Commissions, and to pass its comments on these to the meeting of Council for consideration.

The Deputy Director of Finance submitted the Draft Revenue Budget 2022/23 which would be considered by Council on 23 February 2022. The draft minute extracts detailing the respective Scrutiny Commissions’ discussion on the draft Revenue Budget report were included with the report.

The Overview Select Committee was recommended to consider the draft budget and the comments made by the Scrutiny Commissions, and to pass its comments on those to the meeting of Council for consideration.

The City Mayor presented the report and confirmed the report had been considered by all Scrutiny Commissions, with overall broad support for what was proposed. He noted that any comments could be taken to Full Council.

As the report had been discussed extensively elsewhere, the Chair asked Members to present their questions:

·         Councillor Porter asked for clarification on the Adult Social Care precept on Council Tax and asked what percentage it was. He also referred to the report at 4.11 (a) 3% and 5% increase and asked what the figures were. He added this his understanding was as a result of the pandemic there was a dramatic fall in people going into care homes, which might have been through people not wanting to move into care homes because of Covid-19, or perhaps people passing away due to the virus, and noted was a large number of care homes that had closed or were struggling to survive because the customer base had reduced. He asked that with regards to the ASC precept which was reported at approximately £8million per year, and it had been reported there was a surplus of £6million in the budget, were people being misled that the ASC precept needed to be added and he asked for more clarity on the figures. Finally, he noted the government had announced that all Council Tax payers within bands A-D would receive money and how it would be paid.

The City Mayor noted the Council had been permitted to raise additional funds locally to contribute to the growing costs of adult social care. He reported the amount raised locally to meet rising costs fell a long way short each year to meet the rising costs, and in consequence the costs of care put a further squeeze on the diminishing budget and services beyond children’s and adult social care across the council, with increased numbers and the costs of care packages falling many short of many millions of pounds and growing. The costs were significantly greater than the income. It was agreed that some years Adult Social Care managed to spend less than was budgeted for, however this was because the Council took a prudent approach to budgeting for ASC each year and added significant growth to provide for the likely costs.  Whilst the authority was having to budget for an increase in ASC spend every year, it was not allowed to raise the funds necessary to fill that gap. The Government had increased National Insurance from April 2022, for which the funds raised would go in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 82.

The Director of Finance submits the draft Capital Programme for 2022/23, which will be considered at the meeting of Council on 23 February 2022.

The draft minute extracts detailing the respective Scrutiny Commissions’ discussion on the draft Capital Programme report are included under the Draft Revenue Budget agenda item:

Adult Social Care – 13 January 2022 (Appendix D1)

Children, Young People and Education – 18 January 2022 (Appendix D2)

Economic Development, Transport and Climate Emergency – 19 January 2022 (Appendix D3)

Health and Wellbeing – 25 January 2022 (Appendix D4)

Heritage, Culture, Leisure and Tourism – 20 January 2022 (Appendix D5)

Neighbourhood Services – 27 January 2022 (Appendix D6)

The Overview Select Committee is recommended to consider the report and pass its comments on to the meeting of Council for consideration.

The Deputy Director of Finance submitted the draft Capital Programme for 2022/23, which would be considered at the meeting of Council on 23 February 2022. The draft minute extracts detailing the respective Scrutiny Commissions’ discussion on the draft Capital Programme report were included.

The Overview Select Committee was recommended to consider the draft report and the comments made by the Scrutiny Commissions, and to pass its comments on those to the meeting of Council for consideration.

The City Mayor introduced the report, and noted that it was in sharp contrast to the Revenue Budget which had been cut significantly and affected the services that could be provided to people. He added heavy emphasis had been placed on the Capital Programme which looked at things that would make a difference to individuals, to households and to neighbourhoods, hence the strong commitment to invest in schools, roads, and neighbourhoods, and to ensure the Council was doing all it could to use the budget constructively for the benefits of the community across the city.

The Chair noted the position to report to Full Council and endorsed the recommendations in the report. He thanked the City Mayor and Officers for preparing the programme, which was still progressive in spite of recent times. This was seconded by Councillor Westley, and agreed by Members of the Overview Select Committee. Councillor Porter asked his is decision against the proposed recommendations be noted.

AGREED:

1.    That the report and comments from Members of the Overview Select Committee, and comments from Scrutiny Commissions and be noted and passed to the meeting of Council on 23 February 2022.

The Chief Operating Officer submits a report that proposes a strategy for managing the Council’s borrowing and cash balances during 2022/23 and for the remainder of 2021/22 (Treasury Management Strategy). Members of the Overview Select Committee are recommended to note the report and make any comments to the Chief Operating Officer that they wish, prior to Council consideration.

The Chief Operating Officer submitted a report that proposed a strategy for managing the Council’s borrowing and cash balances during 2022/23 and for the remainder of 2021/22 (Treasury Management Strategy). Members of the Overview Select Committee were recommended to note the report and make any comments to the Chief Operating Officer that they wished, prior to Council consideration.

The Head of Finance presented the report and it was noted the strategy set out how the Council would manage its cash balances and borrowing throughout the year. It was reported there were no significant changes to the report.

The Chair noted the report.

AGREED:

1.    That the report be noted.

The Chief Operating Officer submits a report which defines the Council’s approach to making and holding investments, other than those made for normal treasure management purposes. The latter are described in the annual treasury management strategy. Members of the Overview Select Committee are recommended to note the report and make any comments to the Chief Operating Officer as wished, prior to Council consideration.

The Chief Operating Officer submits a report which defined the Council’s approach to making and holding investments, other than those made for normal treasury management. The latter were described in the annual treasury management strategy. Members of the Overview Select Committee were recommended to note the report and make any comments to the Chief Operating Officer as wished, prior to Council consideration.

The Head of Finance presented the report. It was noted the Strategy focussed on the borrowing that may be undertaken during the year where a return was expected on the monies. It was reported there were no significant changes to the report.

The Chair noted the report.

AGREED:

1.    That the report be noted.

The City Mayor will answer questions raised by members of the Overview Select Committee on issues not covered elsewhere on the agenda.

The agenda order was changed.

1. Question from the Chair, Councillor Cassidy:

`We recently learnt that more than 30,000 households in Leicester are struggling to pay fuel bills and we know that prices are to rise sharply again this year. We also know that certain areas of the city are amongst the worst-hit in the country. What are we doing as a local authority and what more can be done to support those households who are experiencing or are in danger of experiencing fuel poverty?’

The City Mayor responded to the question and made the following points:

·         It was recognised that fuel poverty was a significant challenge for the city, which would only get worse as fuel and other basic living costs continued to increase. The new National Insurance Levy to be introduced to support adult social care would place a heavier burden on citizens, and protections around debt collection and benefit reductions in place for the pandemic were to be removed and were hitting households very hard. Citizens Advice had estimated that from April, when the energy cap increased, one-third of a person’s benefits would be required for energy bills.

·         The Council has provided help earlier in the financial year from the Local Covid Support Grant, and then more recently through the Household Support Fund, though it was acknowledged that these were Government funded schemes for the current financial year only. Around 70% of the Household Support Fund was being awarded towards fuel costs. Across both schemes, £1.5m had been awarded to over 5,000 households towards fuel costs by the end of December 2021. Awards would continue to be made until the scheme closed at the end of March (or earlier, if fully spent). Citizens Advice Leicestershire had been complimentary of the Council’s approach of focussing awards on fuel, which had significantly mitigated the fuel crisis in the city to date. The awards included top-ups for pre-payment meters, direct credits to suppliers’ accounts and paying off arrears.

·         The Council also supported households in crisis through the Community Support Grant. The Holiday Activities & Food Programme (HAF Programme) had also used Government funding to provide food during the school holidays for children who were eligible for free school meals. Vulnerable households would also be supported through the Discretionary Housing Payments scheme and Council Tax Discretionary Relief scheme.

·         Help and advice with  regard to energy was available from EnergyWise based at the Community Advice and Law Service. Debt advice was available from Citizens Advice Leicestershire and included where energy costs were a primary cause of debt. The Council had also commissioned benefits advice sessions and sessions for jobseekers in libraries.

·         Other national support included cold weather payments for people on certain benefits for when the temperature dropped below zero for a week, the warm homes discount for pensioners and others on a low income, and the winter fuel payment for pensioners.

·         For council tenants, practical advice on energy saving measures was available from the Housing Division. Vulnerable tenants were supported by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 86.

The Overview Select Committee is presented with a report from the Housing Scrutiny Commission Task Group which examined the proposal to establish a team within the Housing division to deal with cases of anti-social behaviour.

The Committee is recommended to receive the report and note its contents.

The Overview Select Committee was presented with a report from the Housing Scrutiny Commission Task Group which examined the proposal to establish a team within the Housing division to deal with cases of anti-social behaviour.

The Committee was recommended to receive the report and note its contents.

The Chair of Housing Scrutiny Commission presented the report and provided the following information:

·         The final report was presented for the task group exercise that examined the proposal to establish a central housing anti-social behaviour team.

·         It was a was a fairly short review which spanned two meetings and arose from previous scrutiny on the proposal, where it was felt that much more detail was required for the Commission to be able to provide a viewpoint.

·         The Commission had made it clear what was required from officers for the task group work. Officers from Housing and from CrASBU were thanked for the information they provided and for their level of engagement in the work.

·         It was noted there had also been input from other key witnesses including tenant representatives and the police, who were also thanked for their input.

·         It was reported the review had resulted in 11 recommendations being formed, many of which related to the need for robust communication of the changes and the implications that they would have on tenants.  Others related to the need for wider staff training and for assurances that information would be adequately shared amongst all relevant agencies.

·         It was further noted the Police were limited to what information they could share with the Authority, but through working in partnership they would be able to share more sensitive information with the new team.

·         Crucially the task group wanted to see increased help for victims with full support throughout the process.

·         Moving forward, the implementation of the new team would be monitored by the Commission with regular reports.

·         The full set of recommendations were detailed under 1.2.1 of the report. As a result of the work, the Chair of Housing Scrutiny Commission and task group colleagues were confident that the proposal would be successful in addressing the needs of tenants faced with anti-social behaviour, and it was hoped the recommendations were seen as helpful and would be strongly considered when the new structure was being finalised. 

The Chair asked that the Overview Select Committee endorse the recommendations of the Housing Scrutiny Commission.

The Chair supported and endorsed the recommendations to go to the Executive for their comments.

The City Mayor welcomed the report which he stated he would give it serious consideration.

AGREED:

1.    That the recommendations contained in the Housing Scrutiny Commission task group report be endorsed for forwarding to the Executive for comment.

The current work programme for the Committee is attached.  The Committee is asked to consider this and make comments and/or amendments as it considers necessary.

The work programme for the Committee was noted.

The Scrutiny Support Manager, in consultation with the Chair, would like at the allocation of the reports for future planned meetings.

·         It was noted at the next meeting on 25^th March 2022, the Police and Crime Commissioner had confirmed his attendance.

·         A Special Meeting would be arranged if required to discuss the Local Plan.

With there being no further items or urgent business, the meeting closed at 7.57pm.