Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Adult Care & Health.

The report provides an update upon the Cabinet’s proposed approach to responding to the opportunities, challenges and uncertainty outlined within the review of the medium-term financial plan presented at the Cabinet meeting on the 21st September 2021.

Our focus remains on progressing our collective ambitions for Stockport by delivering impactful and outcomes-focussed transformational change for communities and businesses across Stockport. However, we have long recognised that a resilient budget is key to this by enabling us to face and respond to the unprecedented uncertainty ahead.

This report builds on previous updates to scrutiny and cabinet providing the latest considerations on how we intend to address financial and demand challenges, enable longer term transformation and shared ambitions.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Peter Owston on 0161 474 3014 or email: peter.owston@stockport.gov.uk

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care & Health submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which provided an update upon the Cabinet’s proposed approach to responding to the opportunities, challenges and uncertainty outlined within the review of the medium-term financial plan presented at the Cabinet meeting on the 21st September 2021.

The focus remained on progressing the collective ambitions for Stockport by delivering impactful and outcomes-focussed transformational change for communities and businesses across Stockport. However, the council had long recognised that a resilient budget is key to this by enabling services to face and respond to the unprecedented uncertainty ahead.

The report built on previous updates to scrutiny and cabinet and provided the latest considerations on how the council intended to address financial and demand challenges, enable longer term transformation and shared ambitions.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health (Councillor Jude Wells) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.  

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Recognised the challenges and uncertainty that the council were facing in relation to the Adult Social Care budget.

·         In response to concerns relating to levels of Government funding for future years and communications received to date, it was stated that the main announcement was the raising of National Insurance which fundamentally was aimed at recovering the NHS position. It had been announced that £4b had been promised to go some way to fund Adult Social Care over the next four years, however other future funding arrangements were uncertain.

·         Clarification was sought regarding the £4.9m gap and future financing within Adult Social Care and whether this was a worst-case scenario figure. In response, Members were informed that initial shortfall in council budget was £23m, following savings and the use of the reserves the proposed contribution in 2022/23 was £10m in savings from transformation and robust corporate governance from across the organisation. Of the total £10m, £4.9m related specifically to savings in relation to Adult Social Care.

·         Concerns were raised in relation to digital services and those who lacked the skill, equipment or confidence in accessing services digitally. In response, it was stated that a programme was rolled out to promote and enable digital access.

·         Importance of delegated budgets to Members and local communities.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) requested information including access figures relating to the digital

     access programme be shared with Members once available.