Purpose

Report to summarise the feedback received via
the council public consultation process for the proposal to reduce
the Specialist Health Improvement Service Budget by £200K
from April 2025.

Content

The Cabinet considered
a report of the Director of Public Health and Communities, which
sought approval of the proposed spend
for the Specialist Health Improvement Service within the Public
Health and Communities Directorate.
 
The report author,
accompanied by the Assistant Director Public Health and the Head of
Work and Skills, was in attendance to
present the information and to address the questions and the
comments of the Cabinet Members.
 
Officers informed that
the report also sought approval to accept the Economic Inactivity
Trailblazer Grant 2025/26 and to allocate the funding as set out in
table 2 in the report. This grant helped mitigate some of the
impact on staff of the Specialist Health Improvement Service budget
reduction. The skills and experience of some staff members who
would otherwise be at risk of redundancy, meant Living Well
were well placed to deliver the
objectives of the grant.
 
The Cabinet Members
noted the supplementary information
which had been published and circulated, following the
publication of today’s agenda.
 
Resolved:
1.   
That the proposal to reduce the budget for the Specialist Health
Improvement Service following consultation as part of the Savings
Programme be approved;
2.   
That the £537,720 Economic Inactivity Trailblazer Grant
2025/26 be accepted; it be agreed that £171,024 of this
funding be allocated to Big Life to deliver the Economic Inactivity
Trailblazer to ensure the immediate delivery of the aims of the
grant;
3.   
That it be agreed to procure directly with Big Life via exemption
as detailed in this report to enable the delivery of services
funded via the Economic Inactivity Trailblazer Grant 2025/26;
4.   
That authority be delegated to the
Director of Economy and Place in consultation with the Director of
Public Health and Communities, the Director of Corporate Services
and the relevant Cabinet Members to allocate and spend the
remainder of the Economic Inactivity Trailblazer Grant 2025/26 in
line with the grant conditions.
 
Reason for
decision:
To support the
Council’s requirement to deliver a balanced budget for
2025/26.
The Economic
Inactivity Trailblazer Grant 2025/26 had been
provided to the Council to support people who had
significant health conditions and were economically inactive to
participate in the labour market. The recommendations in this
report enabled the grant to be allocated
appropriately and deliver the requirements at the pace required to
reduce the potential non-delivery of the requirements of the
grant.
 
Alternatives
considered and rejected:
Members could decide
not to take the proposal forward and identify alternative savings
proposals.