The meeting will include discussions on a variety of financial topics, including the second quarterly budget monitoring report for 2024/25, the Housing Revenue Account, and the Dedicated Schools Grant. Councillors will also consider a report from the Cabinet Member for Finance on the 2025/26 budget consultation.

Victoria Infant and Nursery School

The Cabinet will consider a report from the Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education and Skills, on a proposal to extend the age range of Victoria Infant and Nursery School, Barrow-in-Furness from 3 to 7 years of age, to 2 to 7 years of age.

The report pack states that following a period of pre-statutory consultation and a four-week statutory representation period, no responses were received from the public. The report states that, The Local Authority and the Governing Body of Victoria Infants and Nursery consider that the proposal will deliver a number of benefits for the school, pupils and parents . The report proposes implementing the changes from 7 January 2025.

2025/26 Budget Consultation

A report from the Cabinet Member for Finance will be considered that proposes the launch of the 2025/26 budget consultation.

The consultation will propose a 4.99% increase to council tax overall, made up of a 2.99% general increase and a 2% increase to fund Adult Social Care. The report states that, Council Tax accounts for over half of the net income for the Council and is therefore the main source of income . It highlights that the 4.99% increase is consistent with the Council Tax Referendum threshold set by the Government.

The report describes the Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme and the Discretionary Housing Fund, which will continue into 2025/26. It also explains that the Council resolved to introduce a 100% second homes premium from 1st of April 2025. The report says, The second homes premium is estimated to provide £10.6m additional revenue per annum from 2025/26 .

Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report to 30 September 2024

A report will be provided to the Cabinet from the Cabinet Member for Finance on the revenue and capital budget monitoring to 30 September 2024.

The report pack says that the quarter 2 forecast is a net overspend of £0.724m against a net budget of £272.501m.

It says the forecast underspend in Treasury is predominantly from additional income from interest rates remaining higher than budgeted and reduced interest payable due to no external borrowing yet in 2024/25 .

The report discusses the Housing Revenue Account, which aims to provide a comprehensive offer to its tenants to ensure they feel supported to sustain their tenancies, live in safe and strong communities, and in good quality homes that meet their needs , and explains that at Q2 the 2024/25 forecast is to remain balanced with no significant variances against budget to report .

The report provides information on the Dedicated Schools Grant, stating that at Q2 there is an in-year pressure forecast of £8.536m . The report pack also notes that the Council has received a grant of £1m over two years to be used to support improvement plans and identify mitigations that in the short term will manage the High Needs spend in-year, and in the longer term will reduce the High Needs deficit.

The report details the collection fund, confirming that Westmorland & Furness Council is the billing authority for the area, collecting all Council Tax and Business Rates .

The report pack proposes new fees and charges to cover the costs of the monitoring requirements introduced by the Environment Act 2021, including Nutrient Neutrality and Biodiversity Net Gain. The report pack says these fees, are proposed to be implemented from 1 January 2025 .

The document also includes proposed fees and charges for Adult Social Care - Shared Lives services.

The report pack details the Capital Programme, noting that the Council approved a Capital Programme for 2024-2029 of £424.293m in total . It also describes a number of projects which are funded by Government grants, such as the Town Deal and the Levelling Up Fund.

The report proposes a £6m increase to the budget for the Levelling Up Fund - Barrow Market scheme to support asbestos removal and other works. The report says this can be funded from already approved prudential borrowing .

School Funding Formula 2025/26

The Cabinet will receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills, on the School Funding Formula for 2025/26.

The report pack notes that at the time of writing the indicative Dedicated Schools Grant allocations for 2025/26 had not been published by the ESFA, and that therefore it was not possible to model the impact of the proposed changes to the formula. It does say that the report pack, includes the proposal to allocate the school budget shares using the National Funding Formula and if any surplus balance remains after allocating on this basis to transfer it to the High Needs block up to a maximum of 0.5% in order to assist with ongoing pressures. The report pack recommends that if the National Funding Formula is unaffordable the basic per pupil factors should be reduced.

Quarter 2 Strategic Risk Report

The Cabinet Member for Finance will present a report on Strategic Risks.

The report pack details a number of risks that the Council is managing.

These include risks to service delivery due to the potential for inadequate workforce engagement, capacity and skills. The report pack states that the issue of workforce capacity remains a critical factor across many of the strategic risks, with concerns regarding demand, workload pressures and in some cases behaviours not reflecting the values of Westmorland and Furness Council .

The document also details risks to Children's Services. It says, this risk indicates an overall lack of local SEND provision to meet children with increasingly complex needs .

The report pack highlights a risk that the Council falls short of its duty to ensure adequate arrangements for the assessment and authorisation of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) for all who are eligible , and notes that this is related to a lack of workforce capacity.

The report also describes a risk to the Council related to Information Security Incidents, stating that cybercrime remains a very probable threat to all Councils .

There is also a risk that despite significant investment and innovative actions being taken at a local, national and international level, the demand on adult social care resources cannot be met within current operational capacity, leaving customers with unmet assessed care needs . This risk is attributed to the potential for an increase in demand for adult social care services, the associated increase in workload across the sector, a lack of staffing capacity, and the potential for a lack of support from central Government.

The report pack describes a risk to the effective management of significant contracts that is related to the fact that Westmorland and Furness Council is still reliant on legacy contracts from Cumbria County Council.

The report also identifies a risk that the Council’s revenue & capital budget is insufficient to stabilise, integrate, improve and ultimately transform services as well as deliver existing and new capital schemes of work . The report attributes this to a number of factors, including slippage and non-delivery of existing savings and uncertainty over additional financial support from Government .

The document describes the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis as a strategic risk, stating that it will disproportionately impact low-income households and is both an ongoing financial and welfare risk to the effective delivery of Council Services .

The report pack also details risks to Safeguarding of Children, stating that there is a risk that there may be a serious failure in protecting children at risk of abuse or neglect .

The document describes a risk that, the Council fails to develop an effective governance culture and embrace the new Westmorland and Furness approach to good governance . It says this risk has increased in risk score due to a lack of clarity over roles and responsibilities and an increase in challenge and recognition of all professional advice .

The report pack also highlights the Change Programme as a strategic risk, noting that the Council is in the early stages of the programme.

There is a risk that, the Council is unable to directly reduce its scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions to net zero by 2037 . This is attributed to the potential for a lack of investment to deliver the necessary decarbonisation programmes, and to insufficient staffing capacity to deliver the decarbonisation plans.

The document describes a risk that, the Council is unable to effectively influence partners and communities to achieve carbon net zero by 2037 , and explains that this is related to the possibility of ineffective partnership working and a lack of clarity on the required measures.

The report identifies a risk that the Council does not maximise the outcomes from all of the separate funding streams , which is attributed to the piece meal nature of government grants and their complexity .

There is a risk that financial pressures across the healthcare sector may affect the level of investment in the statutory service and assessment provision for SEND . The report pack attributes this to severe financial challenges across the healthcare sector and a lack of decision making authority at local level.

The report pack identifies a final risk that the Council is unable to deliver services required to meet the needs of a rising number and proportion of the population in older age and those experiencing poor health . This is attributed to a number of factors, including demographic change , declining health of the population and a lack of affordable 'life-time' housing .

Locality Board Review

The Cabinet will consider a report on a review of its Locality Boards.

The report pack describes how the Council is working to embed community power and place communities at the heart of what it does. It notes that a delivery action for this year is also to ‘Work with our councillors on our three Locality Boards to support them to implement their Locality Plans, bringing together the public, private and voluntary sectors to work in partnership, maximise their potential to make a difference locally and contribute to our community power agenda.’

The report pack provides a summary of the role and remit of Locality Boards, stating that they are established as an ‘area committee’ under section 9E of the Local Government Act 2000 and may be given substantial powers and responsibilities by the Leader and Cabinet .

The report provides a number of recommendations. The first recommends that directors review services within their directorates with a view to exploring opportunities for Locality Boards to have greater influence on service policies and strategies in localities, and where appropriate opportunities for further delegations . In particular it suggests that this should focus on very local community services and assets , such as parks, play areas and community grants.

The report recommends introducing a section in corporate report templates that details engagement that has been carried out with Locality Boards and Ward Members.

The report also recommends that the Locality Board Priorities agreed in Locality Board Plans be used to help inform corporate decision making .

The document also recommends the introduction of a Forward Plan to enable early service engagement with Locality Boards where activity and decision making have a local impact .

The report also recommends reviewing service engagement with Locality Boards to ensure that it is as effective and efficient as possible .

Another recommendation is that the Council undertake a further, more detailed review of Locality Boards and area working, including a review of geographic boundaries in 2026/27 .

The document recommends supporting the approach of bringing virtual area based teams together around particular issues and activity .

The report also recommends supporting members by looking at opportunities to strengthen support to Members as Community Champions and leaders in place . It suggests this should be done as part of the wider Community Power approach and that it should involve member development, community development teams and, more broadly across the Council .

The final recommendation says that the role of Community Development Teams should be clearly communicated to members, internally and externally .

Community Infrastructure Levy - Funding Allocation Policy

The Cabinet Member for Sustainable Communities and Localities will present a report on a Community Infrastructure Levy - Funding Allocation Policy.

The report pack explains that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a levy on new housing and supermarket development , and that it is payable on developments in the South Lakeland area outside National Parks .

The report proposes a new decision making process to govern CIL funding. It states that the document proposes to, harmonise CIL funding decisions with the Capital Project approval process already in place and to expand the remit of the Investment Board to make recommendations on the allocation of CIL funding based on an agreed application process .

It also says the report pack will propose that the Council, develop a long list of eligible CIL projects to be consulted on with the relevant Locality Board .

Award of Contract Grounds Maintenance covering Barrow and South Lakeland

The meeting pack contains a report on a proposal to award contracts for the provision of grounds maintenance services in the Barrow and South Lakeland areas.

The report pack explains that, Barrow Borough Council and South Lakeland District Council both entered into contracts for grounds maintenance services in 2010, and that following Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Cumbria, from 01 April 2023 the two contracts novated to Westmorland and Furness Council on identical terms and conditions . It goes on to say that the Westmorland and Furness contracts are due to end on 31 March 2025.

The report proposes splitting the two existing geographically based contracts into three technical lots. The document says these will be, Lot 1 – Grounds Maintenance; Lot 2 – Cemeteries; Lot 3 – Playing Pitches . It explains that the technical lots were chosen to allow for specific machinery and skills sets to be utilised .

The report pack explains that the contracts will cover a range of sites, including parks, open spaces, cemeteries, housing estate verges and many others .

The report proposes awarding Lot 1 and Lot 2 of the Grounds Maintenance contract to idverde Limited for £1,804,312 and £338,113 per year respectively. The document says the contract will be for a period of four years. It also proposes awarding Lot 3 of the contract to Northern Plant Trading Company Limited for £53,622 per year over a four-year period.

Award of Contract for the 0-19 Healthy Child Programme

The Cabinet will consider a report on the awarding of a contract for the 0-19 Healthy Child Programme.

The report pack explains that the current programme is a legacy contract from Cumbria County Council , is hosted by Cumberland Council, and ceases 31 Mar 2025 . It says that the Westmorland and Furness contribution is £2,160,000 per year.

The report proposes awarding the contract to Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust for £2,720,000 per year. It explains that the annual cost has increased, in part, due to the addition of oral health improvement and targeted healthy lifestyles support, but also because Public Health has, invested an additional £268,000 per annum recognising that this is an important service .

The report explains that the Council's mandated responsibility for commissioning public health services for children and young people aged 0 to 19 years is set out in The Health & Care Act 2012 . It notes that the mandated elements of the programme include a number of reviews and assessments for expectant mothers, new babies and toddlers. It also mentions the National Child Measurement Programme.

The report explains that, because the new contract will require significant changes from the provider, an additional £500,000 has been allocated for transformation and innovation . The report proposes a contract term of five years, with two optional 12-month extensions.

The report pack mentions that the programme has been designed to align with the Council's Family Help Model, and will align with Family Hubs and the Team Around the Setting approach . It says the aim is to provide a seamless offer to families with clear pathways to enable those in need to access targeted support at the right time .

The report pack details how the contract was procured, noting that a total of two bids were received. It says the evaluation panel decided that Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust achieved the highest score , and recommends awarding the contract to them.