Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet approved the budget for 2025-26. The cabinet also approved the Adult Social Care Fairer Contributions Policy, subject to funding being made available as part of the budget setting process. The cabinet also discussed a number of other matters, including a referral from full council on civic pride, the finance, performance and risk monitoring report, and the Digital Strategy 2024-2027.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service Changes

The cabinet approved changes to Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, including the introduction of a new day shift staff model at Cinderford community fire station and changes to the working hours of wholetime firefighters at community fire stations across the county.

The day shift staff model at Cinderford will see the service establishment increase by 14 new full-time posts. The new shift pattern for wholetime firefighters will involve 11-hour days and 13-hour nights, replacing the current 9-hour days and 15-hour nights.

The cabinet received a letter from the Gloucestershire branch of the Fire Brigades Union, as well as a number of letters from members of the public, expressing concern about the proposed changes. Concerns were particularly raised regarding the potential impact on firefighters with caring responsibilities and those managing mental health difficulties. However, the cabinet decided that the risks posed by the changes were outweighed by the benefits, but agreed to review their impact, particularly for those with protected characteristics.

That the Chief Fire Officer, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Fire, Community Safety and Libraries, shall review the impact of the change in whole-time shift patterns within 6 months of its implementation in order to understand the impact, particularly on those who share a protected characteristic and if necessary make reasonable adjustments. Printed minutes Wednesday 04-Dec-2024 10.00 Cabinet

The changes to the fire service follow a number of other fire authorities making similar changes nationally, with just 16 out of 44 fire and rescue services still utilising the 9 and 15-hour shift system.

Council Budget 2025-26

The cabinet approved Gloucestershire County Council's draft revenue and capital budget and the Dedicated Schools Grant budget for 2025/26 - 2028/29. The draft budget will now be subject to scrutiny and consultation with residents, staff, businesses, partners, trade unions and schools.

The total revenue budget has increased to a proposed £649.589 million for 2025/26, a net increase of £32.718 million from 2024/25.

The draft general fund revenue budget for 2025/26 was calculated on the basis of an overall council tax increase of 4.99% (including a 2.99% general council tax increase plus a 2% Adult Social Care Precept increase). This would result in a Band D Council Tax of £1,679.65 in 2025/26, an increase of £79.83 per annum.

The budget includes investments in a range of services, including children’s services, SEND and schools. It was noted that, due to an increase to national insurance, over £300,000 of additional savings will have to be made in order to offset the increase.

Cabinet members welcomed the collegiate approach taken by officers in producing the budget and praised their work in ensuring the council's financial stability. However, concerns were raised regarding the economic situation in relation to plans and initiatives from central government. The cabinet noted that the budget proposals had not, at this stage, been adjusted to reflect the government's Autumn Budget Statement, which was announced on 30 October 2024.

it should be noted that the budget proposals had not at this stage been adjusted to reflect those announcements. The Cabinet Member stated that questions were posed in relation to central government. These included, did the funding increase cover the impact of demographic growth? Would Government fully fund the new payroll tax including the supply change? And would it close the funding gap? The Cabinet Member stated that lobbying was needed on those key areas. Printed minutes Wednesday 04-Dec-2024 10.00 Cabinet

A public consultation on the draft budget will run for five weeks, from 5 December 2024 to 10 January 2025.

Adult Social Care Fairer Contribution Policy

The cabinet approved an amended version of the Adult Social Care Fairer Contributions Policy, subject to funding being made available as part of the budget setting process. The policy sets out how people are charged for their care and support needs in Gloucestershire.

Amendments to the policy had been drafted following a public consultation. The key changes were:

• An increase to the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) by £5 for all people in Gloucestershire in receipt of care and support.
• Disregarding the difference between the higher rate and standard rate of Personal Independence Payments when assessing how much someone with care and support needs should pay towards their care.
• The inclusion of a provision for an administration fee for people with care and support needs who ask the council to arrange at-home care and support services if their capital is over the upper capital threshold as defined in the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014.

The council anticipates that the changes would reduce chargeable income by circa £3.72 million (in year one).

Following an extensive pre-consultation review, a consultation was launched in January 2024 to ask for the public’s views on the proposed changes to the policy.

Key findings of the consultation were:

• 81% of survey respondents agreed with the pre-engagement findings that the Minimum Income Guarantee did not feel sufficient for their daily living expenses.
• The majority of focus groups favoured disregarding the difference between the enhanced rate and standard rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payments.
• The majority of survey respondents indicated that they felt the current way in which respite care is charged is fair, and changes to respite care provision was the least popular aspect of the consultation.
• 55% of respondents felt that the implementation of a self-funding administration fee was fair.

Subject to budgetary approval, it is anticipated that changes 1 and 2 will be implemented from April 2025 (in line with the annual uplift of state benefits). The implementation of change 3 has been deferred.

Civic Pride

Councillor Paul Hodgkinson, who proposed a motion on civic pride that was referred to the cabinet from the meeting of full council on 6 November 2024, attended the meeting to outline the discussions that had taken place.

Councillor Hodgkinson explained that road signs across the county are often in a state of disrepair, grass verges and footways are overgrown and that cost-cutting by the county council on road repairs has made the county’s towns and villages look neglected, with high streets covered in messy looking repairs. He called on the cabinet to set new and high standards of civic pride, highlighting that improving the appearance of the county's communities could improve the morale of residents, attract tourists, improve the economy and give people a sense of pride in their local area.

The cabinet amended the motion and resolved that:

Cabinet notes that:

• Across the county, road signs are often looking tatty and unreadable and grassverges and footways are overgrown.
• Cost-cutting County Council repairs have made our town centres and villages look neglected, with our high streets covered in messy-looking repairs
• Abandoned contractor signage is often left for weeks after work is completed.

Cabinet believes that:

• Gloucestershire is a beautiful county.
• Residents are expected to keep their communities clean and attractive, the County Council does have the same aims.
• The squeeze on council budgets by central government has led to civic pride projects being axed over the past 10 years.
• County, district, town and parish councils being under financial pressure has led to the challenges with civic pride projects”
• Improving the appearance of a community can improve the morale of residents, attract tourists, improve the economy and give people a sense of pride in their local
• area.

Cabinet will:

• Set new and high standards of civic pride in everything that Highways does, making sure that Gloucestershire is made cleaner
• Investigate the potential for a regular county competition to identify the cleanest street, park and playground in Gloucestershire.

Digital Strategy 2024-27

The cabinet approved the council’s new Digital Strategy 2024-27, which aims to support the delivery of the council’s overarching strategy.

The strategy outlines the council’s commitment to improving its digital capabilities in order to enhance performance, create efficiencies, and improve services for residents and local businesses. It sets out how the council will address the evolving needs of staff, communities, and businesses by modernising infrastructure, adopting new technologies, and fostering a culture of data and innovation.

Procurement and Award of Contracts for the Bulking and Haulage of Residual Waste

The cabinet approved a proposed strategy for procuring and awarding contracts for the provision of bulking and haulage services for residual waste (household waste that is not recycled or reused) collected by Cheltenham Borough Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council, Forest of Dean District Council and Cotswold District Council.

As the statutory Waste Disposal Authority, Gloucestershire County Council is responsible for the treatment and disposal of household waste within the county. The council uses a network of ‘satellite’ Waste Transfer Stations for the bulking and onward haulage of waste to the Javelin Park Energy from Waste (EfW) facility, outside Gloucester. This ensures that waste haulage is undertaken in a way that maximises load efficiencies and minimises journey numbers, emissions, driver hours and overall costs.

It was agreed that contracts would be procured in three geographical lots:

• Residual waste collected in Tewkesbury and Cheltenham Boroughs (Lot 1)
• Residual waste collected in Forest of Dean District (Lot 2)
• Residual waste collected in Cotswold District (Lot 3)

Other Matters

The cabinet also approved the following:

• Finance, Performance and Risk Monitoring Report - Quarter 2 2024/25
• Procurement and Award of a Contract for Traffic Signal Maintenance and Capital funded Improvements
• Adults & Children’s IT Social Care Systems Contract Consolidation