Venue: Civic Hall, Leeds, LS1 1UR. View directions
Contact: Rob Clayton (0113 37 88790) Email: robert.clayton@leeds.gov.uk
Link: to View Meeting Recording
No. | Item |
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CO-OPTED MEMBERS (VOTING)
Mr A Graham Mr T Britten Mr A Khitou
Co-Opted Members (Non-Voting)
Ms S Gul Ms M Adams Ms H Bellamy Mr N Tones |
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Appeals Against Refusal of Inspection of Documents To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 25* of the Access to Information Procedure Rules (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded).
(* In accordance with Procedure Rule 25, notice of an appeal must be received in writing by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting). Minutes: There were no appeals. |
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Exempt Information - Possible Exclusion of the Press and Public 1. To highlight reports or appendices which officers have identified as containing exempt information, and where officers consider that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons outlined in the report.
2. To consider whether or not to accept the officers recommendation in respect of the above information.
3. If so, to formally pass the following resolution:-
RESOLVED – That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following parts of the agenda designated as containing exempt information on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information, as follows:
No exempt items have been identified. Minutes: There was no exempt information. |
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Late Items To identify items which have been admitted to the agenda by the Chair for consideration.
(The special circumstances shall be specified in the minutes.) Minutes: There were no late items.
However, member’s attention was drawn to the supplementary information on Item 8 Bereavement Support Services, this was Appendix 1 to that report circulated as supplementary information on the 28 January 2025. |
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Declaration of Interests To disclose or draw attention to any interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’. Minutes: Cllr Cohen declared an interest in relation to item 7 on Further Education in Leeds, Cllr Cohen’s daughter attends Leeds City College. The College is involved in today’s meeting through attendance and planned contribution under that item. |
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Apologies for Absence and Notification of Substitutes To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes. Minutes: Apologies were received from:
Cllr Lisa Martin, with Cllr Craig Timmins attending as substitute Kate Blacker |
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Minutes - 11 November 2024 To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 2024. Minutes: RESOLVED – That the minutes of the previous meetings held on 11 November 2024 be approved as an accurate record.
These were unanimously approved, proposed by Cllr Stephenson and seconded by Cllr Flint. |
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Further Education in Leeds To consider a report from the Director of Children and Families which responds to a board member request for an update on further education in the city covering issues such as place sufficiency generally, sufficiency at Entry, Level 1 and Level 2, demographic challenges, funding and building capacity. Additional documents: Minutes: The Board considered a report from the Director of Children and Families which responded to a board member request for an update on further education in the city covering issues such as place sufficiency generally, sufficiency at Entry, Level 1 and Level 2, demographic challenges, funding and building capacity.
In attendance for this item were:
· Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Children and Families · Julie Longworth, Director of Children & Families · Dan Barton, Deputy Director – Learning · Andrea Cowans, Luminate/LCC Strategic Lead for NEET (works for both) · Nikki Davis, Principal/CEO Leeds College of Building · Colin Booth, CEO Luminate · Kelly Townend, Operational Lead Yorkshire Learning Providers · Louise Quinn, Executive Principal North East SILC
To introduce the report the Executive Member for Children and Families highlighted the importance of the Further Education (FE) sector in Leeds and the challenges that it is facing due to demographic pressures. The current bulge in 16-17 year olds in the city is expected to increase from just over 18,000 in 2023 to nearly 20,000 by 2028. The Local Authority has a statutory responsibility for place sufficiency in the FE sector and as such the Council has been working on these issues for a number of years with a gap analysis carried out in 2023 and the Post 16 Forum has been re-established to enhance partnership working in the city, this has seen 900 new post 16 places targeted at the areas of greatest need in the city. The Executive Member added her thanks or this work across the sector and in partnership with the DfE and FE providers.
The Executive Member has recently met with Baroness Smith, Minister of State for Schools, to advocate strongly for Leeds and to lobby for additional funding and capacity in the city to meet the demand pressures.
The Director of Children and Families highlighted the Child Friendly Leeds commitment to put children and young people at the heart of delivering inclusive growth to enable them to go on and live fulfilling lives. In addition, the work done in the city to review and assess the current position in FE in Leeds, working in partnership, was set out to board members.
The LCC Strategic Lead for NEET added additional detail and in particular reflected the national demand challenges being faced in the sector by all core cities. In addition, the issues linked to sufficient places at the right level was set out in detail reflecting the shortage of places at Entry, Level 1 and Level 2. A Level provision is sufficient, so the capacity challenges are being faced by those with lower levels of attainment where there is approximately a 10% shortfall in places. In geographical terms there is an issue with shortage of places impacting those from disadvantage communities in inner city areas.
The CEO of Luminate highlighted the positive partnership work that has been done in the city and that the DfE has asked Leeds to share the approach it has taken with other core cities as a model of ... view the full minutes text for item 76. |
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Bereavement Support Services To consider a report from the Director of Children and Families on Bereavement Support Services in Leeds. Additional documents: Minutes: (Procedural Vote – Before moving onto agenda item 8, the Chair highlighted discussion in the Board’s pre-meeting on a private engagement that the Chair has to attend at 12.15. The Chair proposed that Cllr Stephenson would assume the chairing of the meeting after that time, and this was approved by the Board by a majority vote.)
The Board considered a report from the Director of Children and Families on Bereavement Support Services in Leeds. The Chair noted that this was intended as a short item to determine if any further work is needed on the issue in the future.
In attendance for this item were:
· Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Children and Families · Julie Longworth, Director of Children & Families · Farrah Khan, Deputy Director – Social Care · Phil Evans, Chief Officer Resources, Transformation & Partnerships · Jayne Bathgate-Roche, Strategic Commissioning Programme Lead · Liz Jarmin, Head of Locality Partnerships · James McCarthy, Youth Services Manager
To introduce the item the Executive Board Member noted that the proposal to cease the Child Bereavement Support Services contract was part of the 2024/25 budget and was part of a wider review of commissioned services undertaken by the directorate. The Executive Member noted that the proposals were not a reflection on the quality of the services provided, which are excellent, but were driven by the need to deliver savings to balance the Council’s budget. The tabled paper therefore set out the decision not to renew the Child Bereavement Support contract.
Child bereavement support will continue to be provided in the city by organisations such as Child Bereavement UK (who will still deliver services in the city including face to face support), MindMate, CAMHs crisis call line, Kooth and wider SEMH third sector offers. Both children and families and public health services are committed to reviewing and refreshing bereavement pathways to ensure they meet current needs.
Despite the significant budget challenges, the Executive Board Member reiterated the commitment to Leeds being a trauma informed city and acknowledged the trauma that can be caused to children and young people by bereavement. There will continue to be a partnership focussed commitment to providing support services for children and families impacted by bereavement in the city.
In response to comments and questions from board members the following issues were covered:
· Board members sought clarity on the savings to be delivered by the ceasing of the Child Bereavement Support contract and in which years the savings would be generated. In response the Board heard that the plan for the 2024/25 financial year was to seek early termination for the contract to deliver possible savings of £133K but, following consultation feedback it was determined that the contract would be allowed to expire under its original terms as opposed to seeking an early termination. Therefore, savings in 2024/25 associated with this contract would be nil with full year savings on the contract delivered in the forthcoming 2025/26 financial year. · A board member asked if this meant that the proposals should have again been ... view the full minutes text for item 77. |
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To consider a report from the Head of Democratic Services that introduces the Council’s proposed budget for 2025/26 and provisional budgets for 2026/27 and 2027/28 for consideration, review and comment on matters and proposals that fall within the Scrutiny Board’s remit.
Also provided is the latest financial health monitoring report for 2024/25 considered by Executive Board in December 2024. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Board considered a report from the Head of Democratic Services that introduced the Council’s proposed budget for 2025/26 and provisional budgets for 2026/27 and 2027/28 for consideration, review and comment on matters and proposals that fall within the Scrutiny Board’s remit. Als considered as part of this item was the latest financial health monitoring report for 2024/25 considered by Executive Board in December 2024.
In attendance for this item were:
· Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Children and Families · Julie Longworth, Director of Children & Families · Dan Barton, Deputy Director – Learning · Farrah Khan, Deputy Director – Social Care · Phil Evans, Chief Officer Resources, Transformation & Partnerships · Lucie McAuley, Head of Finance
The Scrutiny Advisor set out the budget and policy framework requirements on consultation on the budget with Scrutiny Boards and also highlighted key points from discussion at the Working Group held on 16 December 2024.
In brief the working group considered the following: Budget Challenge: assurances were sought on the budget provision for 2025/26 and whether it will be sufficient to prevent projected overspending being reported in Quarter 1 of 2025/26; Systemic Issues: it was acknowledged that systemic issues being faced by the directorate in terms of CLA costs and SEND provision were challenging, with demand pressure and funding sufficiency key issues being faced in Leeds and impacting on service delivery; Turnaround Grant: A query around it continuing in 2025/26 (it was confirmed in the meeting that this will continue over a longer period with funding levels to be determined); Children’s Centre Review: Assurances were sought on whether the savings will be delivered in 2025/26 when they had not been fully delivered the previous year; Employer’s NI:Scrutiny members requested further clarity about the anticipated impact of increases in Employers National Insurance contributions on the cost of services provided by suppliers and the potential risk this may pose to the deliverability of directorate savings; Technology/Digital: Members welcomed plans to us technology to modernise services and reduce inefficiency where possible. Development of a digital portal to speed up EHCP services was noted and welcomed.
The Director of Children and Families highlighted the challenging nature of the budget setting process for 2025/26 and the invest to save proposals that are ambitious and seek to improve services whilst also delivering efficiencies.
Responding to comments and questions from Board Members, the following issues were covered:
· Members noted the aims and ambitions of the social care review and welcomed the focus on prevention and reuniting families. Members asked about reduced staffing across the directorate and whether it would impact on those ambitions. In response members heard that well-being of staff is a key focus and it is right to note that there are less staff who are now doing more. Invest to save is a key area exemplified by the reunification team where high cost placements are being brought back into accommodation in Leeds and with a wider aim of reuniting with their families. This can save up to £40,000 per week in some ... view the full minutes text for item 78. |
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To receive a report from the Director of Children and Families providing a summary of performance information relating to outcomes for Leeds children and young people. Minutes: (At 12.18PM Cllr Cohen left the meeting and Cllr Stephenson assumed chairing of the meeting, as had been previously agreed by the Board)
The Board received a report from the Director of Children and Families providing a summary of performance information relating to outcomes for Leeds children and young people.
In attendance for this item were:
· Councillor Helen Hayden, Executive Member for Children and Families · Julie Longworth, Director of Children & Families · Dan Barton, Deputy Director – Learning · Farrah Khan, Deputy Director – Social Care · Phil Evans, Chief Officer Resources, Transformation & Partnerships · Hannah Lamplugh, Children’s Strategy & Influence Lead · Chris Hudson, Performance Programme Manager
The Director of Children and families introduced the item highlighting that it is the second time this year that the Board has considered the performance report, it provides information and data on progress against the Children and Young People’s Plan and performance against city wide and cluster performance measure as well as an update on progress against the three obsessions, EHCPs and attainment and attendance.
Members’ attention was drawn to children looked after numbers and children subject to child protection plans. In particular the figures highlight that since May and June 2024 these figures have seen a sustained reduction having previously been on an upward trend earlier in 2024.
Responding to comments and questions from the Board the following was covered:
· The Board asked about on time EHCP completion rates and whether Leeds can be compared to other core cities. It was agreed that this will be provided outside of the meeting. In addition, the board heard that a lot of work is going on in this area to improve compliance rates and it will take time for that work to come to fruition. Members also noted the FFI changes that are also adding pressure to completion rates which is in addition to already existing demand pressures. · Members asked about elective home education and the increase in children being educated in this way and monitoring of children who are educated at home. In response it was noted that for a large number of children and families the decision to home educate is an affirmative one. The legislation around this does not provide for robust monitoring of standards or quality of education. Leeds has developed a network of families to support children who are educated at home to enhance support. One of the concerns around the existing approach is that in a small minority of cases there could be safeguarding issues. At a national level change is on the way but as yet new burdens funding for this has not yet been made clear. One of the possible forthcoming changes is around children and young people involved in social care not being allowed to be home educated. In Leeds there is a system in place where the authority would be notified by schools if a child becomes home educated where in the past there has been involvement in care or where vulnerabilities have been investigated. · Members requested a briefing ... view the full minutes text for item 79. |
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Youth Vaping Update To consider an update report from the Head of Democratic Services on youth vaping setting out recent legislative developments at Government level. This follows consideration of this item at the June 2024 Board meeting and in the previous municipal year. Additional documents: Minutes: The Board considered an update report from the Head of Democratic Services on youth vaping setting out recent legislative developments at Government level. This follows consideration of this item at the June 2024 Board meeting and in the previous municipal year.
In attendance for this item were:
· Councillor Fiona Venner, Executive Member for Equality, Health and Well Being · Helen Goddard, Advanced Health Improvement Specialist · Heather Thomson, Head of Public Health
To introduce the report members were informed about the dual approach being taken to the issue at national level through DEFRA led Environmental Regulations to ban disposable vapes and restrictions on marketing, packaging and other measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which is currently going through Parliament.
In response to comments and questions from the Board the following issues were covered:
· Members asked about preparation for the likely ban on disposable vapes and what support might be needed for young people who have previously used them for example to prevent an increase in smoking and provide support where young people are quitting vaping and nicotine addiction. In response the board heard that the expected ban will be positive on the whole and information is awaited from DEFRA on disposal of current stock held by shops. Information sharing is ongoing to schools around vaping and illicit vapes, once legislation is clear firmer plans can be developed to deal with the issues that arise. · There was a commitment to further information sharing with the Board once clarity is in place through the expected legislation. · The Executive Board Member noted that vapes are still a positive in terms of moving adults off cigarettes. The indoor smoking ban halved smoking rates so there is optimism that legislation will have a positive impact on smoking and in preventing young people having access to vapes. History suggests that legislative measures help in reducing smoking and services to support withdrawal will need to be deployed on vaping addiction to support young people. · Noting comments around the influence of the tobacco industry the Board highlighted the threat of nicotine pouches that is now developing and the hope that this will be covered by the forthcoming legislation. · The meeting discussed the need for legislation but also the need for a greater understanding of young people and consideration of issues such as risk and being attracted to risk. The importance of trying to involve young people in educating other young people was highlighted. It was also noted that the stricter rules on marketing, packaging and advertising could also impact on usage rates amongst young people.
Resolved The Board:
a) Noted the update on legislative progress linked to the smokefree generation policy announcement and subsequent Tobacco and Vapes Bill and other legislation. b) Identified this issue as a possible work item for the next municipal year once the legislation is more developed to consider in more detail the response to it and any impacts in Leeds, initially through a briefing on what is being proposed following committee stage in parliament. ... view the full minutes text for item 80. |
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To consider the Scrutiny Board’s work programme for the 2024/25 municipal year. Additional documents:
Minutes: The Board considered the Scrutiny Board’s work programme for the 2024/25 municipal year.
The Principal Scrutiny Adviser introduced the report setting out the Work Programme at Appendix 1 and December Executive Board minutes at Appendix 2 for member comments.
The Board were informed that the Working Group on Youth Services will now not progress (due to potential duplication with a member development session) and will be replaced by a working group on Further Education.
It was also noted that the independent review of children’s social care (Macalister Review) – Implementation Update that was planned for March will now be considered in April 2025.
Resolved - Members noted the Board’s work programme for the 2024/25 municipal year and agreed to the forming of a working group on Further Education in this municipal year. |
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Date and Time of Next Meeting The next public meeting of the Board will take place on 19 March 2025, there will be a pre-meeting for all board members at 9.45am and a start time of 10.00AM Minutes: The next public meeting of the Board will take place on 19 March 2025, there will be a pre-meeting for all board members at 9.45am and a start time of 10.00AM |