Here is a summary of the scheduled discussions for the Worcestershire Council Cabinet meeting on 20 November 2025. The agenda included discussion of the Adult Safeguarding Board annual report, the Adult Social Care local account, and a proposal for local government reorganisation in Worcestershire. The Cabinet was also scheduled to consider a resources report and a treasury management update.

Local Government Reorganisation

The Cabinet were to consider a report on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and the One Worcestershire proposal, prior to its submission to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) by the deadline of 28 November 2025. The report pack included the One Worcestershire proposal as Appendix 1.

The proposal detailed the establishment of a single unitary council for Worcestershire, with a target vesting day of 1 April 2028. The report noted that the English Devolution White Paper published on 16 December 2024, had signalled a move towards significant change to improve local services and change how they are funded to ensure sustainability, and that the white paper provided two routes to the consolidation of governance:

• Reorganisation through the creation of new unitary authorities
• Devolution through the creation of Strategic Authorities

The report pack stated that the One Worcestershire Interim Plan submitted in March 2025, had demonstrated that a single council is more sustainable, effective, and efficient compared to dividing the county into multiple councils. It also noted that MHCLG feedback received on 3 June 2025, had requested more robust evidence and justification for the proposal, particularly regarding:

• Population size
• Service impact and disaggregation
• Collaboration and data
• Devolution and boundaries
• Transition costs

The report pack included a summary of progress on the business case that had been discussed at the Overview and Scrutiny Performance Board (OSPB) on 16 October, and stated that comments agreed at that meeting had been incorporated into the final One Worcestershire business case. The draft published minutes of the OSPB meeting were included in the report pack as Appendix 4.

The report pack stated that since January 2025, a Delivery Group comprising officers from the County Council, Wyre Forest District Council, and PwC had convened weekly to develop the One Worcestershire business case, and that the document set out the strategic and financial rationale for creating a single unitary authority, outlining its vision, core principles, governance framework, leadership model, and plans to ensure operational resilience.

The report pack stated that the One Worcestershire business case proposed the delivery of a single unitary authority retaining the footprint of the current and long-established ceremonial county boundary, and supports the continuation of cooperation with statutory, private sector and voluntary partners. It also stated that the proposal was focused on providing the best possible outcomes and value for money for residents and business, by creating simpler and more efficient access to services, a community-focused delivery model, and strategic leadership that has a local focus along with a regional and national voice.

The report pack stated that a single elected council and leadership team can provide a simpler decision-making approach with direct representation of residents by a single tier of councillors, with the size of the new council increased to ensure the public can access the support of members, and that the proposal seeks to strengthen community empowerment through the establishment of a network of local neighbourhood committees (LNCs) made up of representatives of towns and parishes, the unitary authority, local voluntary sector groups and partners from healthcare and the Police.

The report pack stated that local government in Worcestershire faces significant financial challenges in both the short and medium term, and that with a clear focus on financial sustainability, the One Worcestershire proposal is based on a clear and deliverable financial plan which uses the support provided by government, and is expected to be delivering financial sustainability by 2030/31.

The report pack also stated that aside from the service-specific benefits of a single unitary authority, there are significant risks in dividing the current county footprint into two smaller unitary authorities, and that Worcestershire's population of approximately 620,000 provides the scale, opportunity and links with key regional and local partners required to deliver sustainability and change.

The report pack included the Districts LGR Proposal that was published late on 7 November 2025 as Appendix 6.

The report pack also included a LGR Joint Impact Assessment as Appendix 7.

Resources Report – Budget Monitoring

The Cabinet were to consider the Resources Report - Budget Monitoring - Month 6 (30 September) 2025/26. The report pack included the forecast year end position as at 30 September 2025, current progress regarding savings plans, the year end forecast overspend on the Dedicated Schools Grant, the outstanding debt position, the use of reserves and movement in reserves, and the variations to the Capital Programme.

The report pack stated that despite addressing the net recurrent pressures of £15.1 million from 2024/25 in the 2025/26 budget, this financial year continues to be a challenging time for local government, and the County Council is no exception, and that in financial terms, demand for services and placement availability has an ongoing impact which is driving up costs and is affecting the council's ability to manage our overall budgetary position.

The report pack stated that the latest budget monitoring of the financial statements for P6 (September) 2025/26 indicates a breakeven position following the use of reserves and reduction in forecast spend on the corporate contingency. It also stated that services are overspending by £12 million offset by savings on corporate items including a reduction in borrowing and Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) and a reduction in expected utilisation of the corporate contingency.

The report pack stated that the majority of the overspend forecast related to services is based on demand being faced within Adults and Children's social care, and that the directorate is working on several demand management opportunities to reduce the forecast overspend and are also reviewing the unit costs of all high-cost placements to ensure value for money whilst ensuring the clients Care Act 2014 needs are met.

The report pack stated that the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) budget forecasts an overspend of £95.4 million against a total budget allocation of £291.8 million which is largely contained within the High Needs block of the DSG, and that the accumulated deficit position for the DSG reserves at 1 April 2025 was a deficit balance of £98.2 million, built up from previous years overspends, and is expected to increase to £193.7 million at year-end.

The report pack stated that the 2025/26 savings target required to be delivered is £12.5 million, with 88% currently rated green (£11.1 million) of which 81% (£10.1 million) has been achieved to date, 9% amber (£1.1 million) and 2% red (£0.3 million).

The report pack stated that total council's revenue debt for Period 6 stands at £41 million, and that the Capital Programme being requested to be approved by Full Council for all years stands at £495.8 million, including £159 million for 2025/26.

The report pack included a forecast outturn per service as Appendix 1, details of savings as Appendix 2, details of reserves as Appendix 3, and the Capital Programme as Appendix 4.

Adult Social Care Local Account

The Cabinet were to consider the Adult Social Care Local Account. The report pack included the Adult Social Care Local Account 2024-2025 as an appendix.

The report pack stated that Adult Social Care is required to publish an annual Local Account, which is a summary of activity, setting out priorities, showing how the council has improved, where it needs to do better and most importantly, includes feedback from people who use the council's services.

The report pack stated that the report covers the last financial year, states how the council has performed as a provider and commissioner, and includes future developments within the wider Adults and Communities Directorate, setting out the priorities that promote independence and supports positive outcomes for users of adult social care.

The report pack stated that Adult Social Care is a significant area of spend and managing future growing demand will be achieved through developing the Adult Front Door, focusing on prevention opportunities such as Assistive Technology, supported housing options, and reablement to promote independence, and that the council continues to work with partners to provide system solutions for health and social care, aligning to the health and wellbeing priority within the Corporate Plan and meeting the statutory duties set out in the Care Act 2014 and other relevant legislation in readiness for the up-and-coming Care Quality Commission assessment regime.

The Local Account itself included the following priorities for Adult Social Care:

• Providing the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
• Working in partnership with local people.
• Being Future-Focused.

The Local Account included information on:

• Who Adult Social Care provides services to
• How Adult Social Care meets people's needs
• The challenges facing Adult Social Care in Worcestershire
• Budget
• Activity Data
• Demographics
• Workforce
• Key achievements
• Case studies
• Partnership Working and Integrated Care System
• Quality assurance
• Key areas of improvement for Adult Social Care

The Local Account also included a glossary of terms.

Worcestershire Adults Safeguarding Board Annual Report

The Cabinet were to consider the Worcestershire Adults Safeguarding Board Annual Report 2024 -2025. The report pack included the Worcestershire Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report 2024/25 as an appendix.

The report pack stated that the Worcestershire Safeguarding Adults Board (WSAB) is an independent board which seeks to promote wellbeing and reduce the risk of harm for people with care and support needs, and that statutory partners include the County Council, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, National Health Services and West Mercia Police.

The report pack stated that the Care Act 2014 placed safeguarding adults on a statutory footing for the first time and made safeguarding boards a legal requirement, and that the main objective of a Safeguarding Adults Board is to assure itself that local safeguarding arrangements and partners act to help and protect adults in its area who:

• have needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority is meeting any of those needs) and;
• are experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect; and
• as a result of those care and support needs are unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of abuse or neglect.

The report pack stated that during 2024-25 12 referrals were received by WSAB, and that three mandatory SARs were completed and signed off by the Board during the year.

The report pack stated that objectives for the year included:

• Implement the Learning Framework to ensure that SAR learning is embedded in practice and is underpinned by a clear communication plan which includes the sharing of good news and practice. Areas of focus included Professional Curiosity, Safeguarding Rights and Trauma Based Practice.
• Continue to build links with other partnership to support the delivery of shared objectives.
• Implement the new actions identified in the Quality Assurance Framework, and reviewing the themes identified by organisations through the regional assurance tool.

The report pack stated that the Complex Adults Risk Management Framework (CARM) was established in response to recommendations from Safeguarding Adults Reviews, and that since its launch in May 2022, up to the end of March 2025 there have been a total of 227 referrals.

The report pack stated that other activity and achievements over the year includes:

• Building on the use of Assurance Panels which include People with lived experience.
• Further development of the WSAB website, including building up our resource pages on working with different types of abuse, particularly around reoccurring themes from SARS
• Review of the CARM framework, including ensuring that it is better aligned with the Self-Neglect Policy
• Produced and published briefings and information to support the learning from Safeguarding Adults Reviews including a document on Carers Rights, and two easy read leaflets on good practice expectations for people with a learning disability
• Review and update of several WSAB policies and guidelines.
• Undertook a schedule of activity during safeguarding week.
• Taking forward the areas identified for improvements, as identified in the online Assurance Framework which was completed by statutory partners and stakeholders
• Holding our first annual safeguarding awards event to celebrate individuals and organisations who have undertaken excellent work to safeguarding adults with care and support needs

The report pack stated that there was a slight decrease in safeguarding concerns reported during this business year as well as those that went to enquiry, and that this is in part due to the work undertaken by the Adult Front Door to ensure that any adult social care referrals go to the correct place and the work undertaken to ensure that there is a robust process for deciding whether the criteria set out in S42(1) Care Act 2014 are met triggering the requirement for an enquiry.

Treasury Management Mid-Year Update

The Cabinet were to consider the Treasury Management Mid-Year Update to 30 September 2025.

The report pack stated that the mid-year report had been prepared in compliance with CIPFA's Code of Practice on Treasury Management, and covers the following:

• An economic update for the first part of the 2025/26 financial year.
• A review of the Council's investment portfolio for 2025/26.
• A review of the Council's borrowing strategy for 2025/26.
• A review of compliance with Treasury and Prudential Limits for 2025/26.

The report pack stated that the Council employs MUFG Corporate Markets as its treasury management advisor, and officers hold regular meetings with them concerning existing and future potential economic circumstances regarding both investments and short/long-term borrowing.

The report pack included an economic update, and an interest rate forecast from MUFG Corporate Markets as at the end of September.

The report pack stated that the Council held £50.9 million of investments at 30 September 2025, and the investment portfolio yield for the first 6 months of the year is 4.41% against a benchmark (Average 7-day SONIA) of 3.97%, and that gross income from treasury investments for the first 6 months of the financial year was £1.6 million).

The report pack stated that the Council's borrowing activity between 1 April and 30 September 2025, can be summarised as follows:

• £56m of new loans were taken.
• £46.8 million of debt matured.
• There was £610.18 million of debt outstanding at 30 September 2025 at an average rate of 3.849%.

The report pack stated that the Council is well within the Limits for outstanding debt and is projected to remain so for 2025/26, and that the Council remains comfortably within its limits for the Maturity Structure of Borrowing and is anticipated to remain so for the foreseeable future.