Agenda and minutes

Councillor Cooper for Councillor Laurenson, Councillor Lawrance for Councillor Murray.

To receive any declarations of interest.

Councillor Cockeram declared an interest in items 23 (Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB) Update) and 24 (Presentation – Warmth on Prescription) as a General Practitioner working in Worcester.

Up to a total of fifteen minutes can be allowed, each speaker being allocated a maximum of five minutes, for members of the public to present a petition, ask a question, or comment on any matter on the Agenda or within the remit of the Committee.

Rob Collier, Secretary of Bike Worcester, spoke regarding the proposed Bike Share Scheme (Minute 27). In summary, he expressed support for the scheme and stated that Bike Worcester are willing to offer advice and support to the Council. He raised the issue of cycling routes, some of which are difficult for inexperienced cyclists and may therefore present a barrier to uptake of the scheme. He asked the Committee what assurances have been given by the County Council that new routes will be established to support the adoption of trips by bike?

The Chair also read out a written submission from a local resident, John Grove, who had contacted the Council regarding the Bike Share Scheme. His main concerns were:

•       the bikes are so quiet that pedestrians and other road users cannot hear them;

•       people cannot be trusted to use the bikes responsibly, in the manner in which the scheme is intended;

•       he has seen reports of electric bikes catching fire, even when they are not in use.

·          he has witnessed a similar scheme in Redditch and had seen bikes abandoned randomly across the town.

Mr Grove says he is not against the idea of the scheme in principle, but feels that it is open to abuse and he does have concerns about the safety of the bikes themselves.

Of the meeting held on 17^th July 2023 to be approved and signed.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 17^th July 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

That Committee receives and notes the briefing provided by officers representing the Herefordshire & Worcestershire ICB.

The Committee received a briefing and presentation from senior officers representing the NHS Herefordshire & Worcestershire Integrated Care Board. In attendance were David Mehaffey, Executive Director of Strategy and Integration; Lynda Dando, Director of Primary Care; Sue Harris, Director of Strategy and Partnerships; and David McDowell, Operations Manager for Worcester City Primary Care Network.

Topics covered in the presentation included:

·        Integrated care system update

·        Positives and negatives

·        Primary care

·        Improved access to GP practices by telephone

·        Local projects including smoking cessation, overflow hub, menopause cafe

·        Approach to mental health and wellbeing services

·        Primary care access recovery plan.

The speakers responded to questions from Committee Members on a range of issues.

The Chair concluded by thanking all the speakers for their attendance and for the information provided.

To receive a presentation from David McDowell, Operations Manager for Worcester City Primary Care Network.

David McDowell gave a presentation on this project, which is operated in partnership with the NHS.

In summary, the funding is derived from the Household Support Fund, which is allocated to County Council. Eligible patients who are referred into the scheme are visited at home by Energy Advocates, who carry out an assessment to determine the level of support that can be provided. Financial support is then be paid directly to the patient’s energy supplier. There is an allocation of around £45k, which will fund roughly 45 households. A small portion will be kept in reserve.

The Corporate Director – Operations, Homes and Communities advised that progress can be reported back to this Committee via the Worcester City District Collaborative half-yearly update reports. In addition, information on grants available to households to help with energy efficiency can be circulated via the Members’ weekly information bulletin.

David McDowell responded to questions and comments from Committee Members. The Chair thanked his for his presentation.

That the Committee considers the priorities for the Council and recommends any change of emphasis for the services’ income and expenditure allocations.

The Committee considered a report on the Budget for Health and Wellbeing Committee for 2024/25 and the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP). The Corporate Director – Finance and Resources presented the report and explained that Members were asked to consider whether the current projects are still appropriate and whether there are any further needs that require addressing. This should include phasing the projects across the full 5 year term of the MTFP based on the need and importance of each one. Given that the Council faces a reduction in its future funding, recommendations should be prioritised to ensure the limited resources are allocated most effectively.

It was highlighted that the Council had received a grant of £353k from the County Council for the Household Support Fund. Similar funding for 2024/25 had not yet been confirmed.

There were no questions on the report from Committee Members. There were no recommendations to change emphasis for the services’ income and expenditure allocations.

RESOLVED: That the Committee agree to note the report.

That the Health and Wellbeing Committee notes the Council’s quarter 2 performance for 2023/24.

The Committee considered the quarter 2 performance report for Health and Wellbeing Committee. The Corporate Director – Operations, Homes and Communities presented the report and highlighted the main points. There were no questions from Committee Members.

RESOLVED: That the Committee agree to note the Council’s quarter 2 performance for 2023/24.

1.     That the Committee approves the award of contract to contractor A as described in the confidential Appendices A and B to this report; and

2.     That the Committee delegates authority to agree the final details of the contract to the Deputy Director, Corporate Policy and Strategy in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of this Committee.

The Committee considered a report on the award of a contract for a Bikeshare Scheme. The Deputy Director – Policy and Strategy presented the report and explained the background to the scheme. The business case for an Active Travel project was approved by Policy & Resources Committee in March 2022. This included an allocation for a Bike Share scheme.

Four potential bidders had expressed an interest prior to the invitation to tender stage. One bidder had submitted a proposal in response to the invitation to tender. Following completion of the procurement, a preferred bidder had been identified - Contractor A – and the Deputy Director summarised the main features of their proposal. The preferred bidder has extensive experience in delivering similar schemes in other areas. The procurement specified a fixed price of £600k, which the preferred bidder had met, as part of a comprehensive proposal that meets the Council’s requirements for a sustainable scheme.

The proposed contract length was 4 years, with provision to extend by a further 3 years.

Additional details of the scheme were set out in confidential Appendix A. Further details of the preferred bidder’s submission were contained in confidential Appendix B. The preferred bidder had made a presentation to the Council’s Major Programmes Member Reference Group on 9^th October and the slides from that presentation were set out at confidential Appendix C.

The Deputy Director responded to questions and comments. He advised that there will be engagement with Members to consider locations for parking bays in their Wards.

Committee Members expressed unanimous support for the award of a contract to Contractor A, in accordance with the scheme as described in confidential Appendix B.

RESOLVED: That the Committee agree to:

1.    approve the award of contract to contractor A as described in the confidential Appendices A and B to this report; and

2.    delegate authority to agree the final details of the contract to the Deputy Director, Corporate Policy and Strategy in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of this Committee.

Which in the opinion of the Chair is of sufficient urgency as to warrant consideration.

None.

The Committee is invited to pass the following resolution:-

That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of information as defined in Schedule 12A of the said Act.

The Chair highlighted that there were three confidential Appendices to the report considered under minute 27. The Appendices contained details of the preferred bidder and were commercially sensitive. They were not for publication because the information relates to the financial or business affairs of any particular person including the authority holding that information. This is exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972. 

As a decision had already been taken on this item the Appendices were for noting only and there was no requirement to exclude the press and public from the meeting.