LGA Governance


Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Westminster Room, 8th Floor, 18 Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HZ. View directions

Contact: Alexander Saul  0207 664 3232 / Email: alexander.saul@local.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Declarations of interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

 

Apologies were received from Cllr Shabir Pandor (Lab).

 

The Chairman welcomed Cllr David Beaman (Ind) attending as an observer.

2.

Memorandum of Understanding for Care and Health Improvement Programme

Minutes:

Simon Williams, Director of Adult Social Care for the Care and Health Improvement Programme, introduced the report detailing main achievements of the Care And Health Improvement Programme (CHIP) between April and December 2019, and sets out the main proposed priorities for 2020/21 and beyond.

 

A confidential discussion followed.

3.

Local Government's role in supporting children and young people's mental health

Minutes:

Abigail Gallop, Senior Adviser, introduced the report setting out the key findings and recommendations from the Isos Partnership’s report into the role of local government in children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.

 

A confidential discussion followed.

 

4.

The Lives We Want To Lead - next steps on the LGA green paper for social care and wellbeing

Minutes:

Sally Burlington, Head of Policy (People), introduced the paper drawing attention to the context of the LGA’s previous work; the LGA’s green paper on the future of care and wellbeing published in July 2018; and the follow-up report in November 2018 and the publication launched in July 2019 to mark the one year anniversary of the LGA’s green paper. Sally explained the LGA was aiming to build on that work, in particular through a further report which seeking to set out the LGA’s thinking on what the future of social care should look like and what some of the solutions are for realising that vision. Sally brought members’ attention to the draft report that had been circulated to the Board. Sally also asked within the context of the government ruling out paying for social care through national tax whether the LGA should suggest a mandatory insurance scheme.

 

In the discussion that followed, the following points were raised;

 

·         The LGA was involved in discussions with ministers and the department on the future of social care and the government was interested in hearing what a cross-party vision for adult social care going forward looked like.

·         Views were expressed that the draft foreword was good, but the LGA should not rule out taxation as a source of funding for adult social care.

·         It was pointed out there was a considerable amount of money in the system as a whole but it was spent in silos, and could therefore be spent better.

·         A concern was raised that there was no evidence Members could see that a mandatory insurance scheme was the best option, and a vital consideration would be to ensure it worked for the less well off. One 

·         A concern was raised that there wasn’t enough public awareness around the costs of funding social care, and that more needs to be done to bring attention to the role of social care and the difficulty in affording the cost.

·         It was raised that there were international models, as in the Netherlands, that the LGA could draw on.

·         Views were expressed against an insurance scheme being voluntary, and that payment options needed to be simple for the public to understand. National Insurance was a model that could be considered. The insurance industry would also want to limit their liabilities, so paying for care for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia would be an issue.

·         Views were expressed that the need for a full public consultation from central government on the options for funding social care needs to be emphasised in future work.

·         The LGA’s view needed to be framed in the context of what the government was trying to address, which was pressure on A&E departments and the role that adult social care had in helping the NHS. The Dilnot report had been comprehensive and there was much to draw from there, including the importance of fairness.

·         Sally raised that of the options presented in the LGA paper to the Board and the LGA’s adult  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

New Government - Queen's Speech and priorities pdf icon PDF 193 KB

Minutes:

Mark Norris, Principal Policy Adviser, introduced the report setting out an overview of the Bills and announcements contained within The Queen’s Speech on Thursday 19 December 2019 which will be of specific interest to the Community Wellbeing Board.

 

Regarding concerns raised around recruitment and retention for adult social care once the United Kingdom has left the European Union, the Chairman emphasised that this issue was raised at the LGA Executive and that the LGA would continue to push for clarity on this issue from central government. It was also pointed out that there was a disconnect between national strategy and local delivery, with pharmacies having a key role in the future of the NHS, but 200 were being closed in the high streets.

 

Decision

 

The Community Wellbeing Board noted the Bills and announcements in the Queen’s Speech of interest to the Board.

 

6.

LGA Business Plan 2019-22 DOTX 126 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Mark Norris, Principal Policy Adviser, introduced the report on the new LGA Business Plan.

 

Decision

 

The Community Wellbeing Board noted the new Business Plan and reflected on how the Community Wellbeing Board work programmes link to it.

 

7.

Update on Other Board Business pdf icon PDF 139 KB

Minutes:

Paul Ogden, Senior Adviser, gave an update regarding the outbreak of Covid-19. He informed Members that Public Health England would continue to give daily updates and that there were no cases confirmed in the United Kingdom so far. He assured Members that clinical protocols were being put into place and all flights would be monitored. Paul emphasised that Public Health England remained the authority on this and that where Members were asked about action against Covid-19 they should refer to Public Health England.

 

Regarding a query as to whether the LGA would be included in COBR meetings it was confirmed that the LGA were informed of where issues are discussed that ties in to Council services.

 

Vanessa Lucas, Adviser, gave an update regarding the vaccination strategy and emphasised to Members that the LGA had continued to push for central government to publish it. She also raised that the LGA was looking for case studies of local government good practice already in place on vaccination.

 

Members raised that 2020 is Florence Nightingale's bicentennial year, designated by World Health Organisation as the first ever global Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and that local authorities could light their buildings up blue to raise awareness of this year and its importance.

 

8.

Note of last meeting pdf icon PDF 189 KB

Minutes:

The note of the last meeting was agreed as a correct record.