Gloucestershire County Council’s Cabinet met on the 4th of December and agreed a number of proposals, including the adoption of next year's budget, a new policy on charges for Adult Social Care, and the award of a contract for waste management services. It also made changes to the shift patterns of whole time firefighters in the county.

Changes to Whole Time Firefighter Shift Patterns

The Cabinet approved changes to the working hours of whole-time firefighters. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service currently uses a system of 9-hour day shifts and 15-hour night shifts, but will move to an 11-hour day shift, 13-hour night shift system. The Fire Brigades Union and members of the public wrote to the Council to express concern about the new shift patterns, with many people concerned about the impact the change would have on firefighters with caring responsibilities or mental health issues.

The points raised through the correspondence, particularly in relation to the possible impact on those with caring responsibilities or who were managing mental health issues were articulated within the Equality Impact Assessments.

The Cabinet also approved plans to establish a new day crew system at Cinderford Fire Station, which will require the recruitment of 14 new firefighters.

Gloucestershire County Council Budget 2025/26

The Cabinet approved the draft budget for 2025/26 and the capital budget for the following 3 years. The total revenue budget will increase by £32.7 million to £649.5 million. Gloucestershire County Council will increase council tax by 4.99% - a 2.99% increase in general council tax and a 2% increase in the Adult Social Care Precept. This means that Band D Council Tax will increase by £79.83 to £1679.65.

The proposed budget would result in a Band D Council Tax of £1,679.65 in 2025/26 compared to £1,599.82 in 2024/25 – an increase of £79.83 per annum or £1.54 per week.

The budget includes funding for a number of projects, including a new waste management contract, a new digital strategy, and continued investment in children's services.

The council is still awaiting the final Local Government Settlement from central government, and the final budget may change to take account of this.

Adult Social Care Fairer Contribution Policy

The Cabinet approved a new Adult Social Care Fairer Contributions Policy, after a public consultation earlier in the year. The new policy is designed to make the way the council charges people for their care fairer.

One of the key changes in the new policy is an increase in the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) for people who receive support from Adult Social Care. The MIG is the minimum amount of money that people are expected to have left over each week after paying for their care. The council proposed an increase in the MIG by £5, and this was approved by the Cabinet.

81% of survey respondents echoed the pre-engagement findings that the Minimum Income Guarantee did not feel sufficient for their daily living expenses.

The new policy will also ensure that when the council is calculating how much someone should pay towards the cost of their care, the difference between the standard and higher rates of Personal Independence Payments will be ignored. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit for people aged 16 to 64 who have a long-term illness or disability, and who need help with the extra costs they face as a result of their condition. The higher rate is paid to people who need help with managing both their daily living and their mobility needs, while the standard rate is paid to people who only need help with one of these.

Another change will see the council introduce an administration fee for people who ask the council to arrange their care if their capital - savings, investments and property - is above the upper capital threshold set out in the Care Act 2014. The Care Act 2014 is a law that sets out how local councils should assess people's needs for care and support, and how they should provide or arrange for this care to be delivered. The upper capital threshold is the amount of money someone can have in capital before they have to pay the full cost of their care. In 2024/25, this was £23,250.

The new policy will be implemented from April 2025, subject to funding being agreed as part of the budget setting process.

Civic Pride Motion

Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, who represents the North Cotswolds at Gloucestershire County Council, submitted a motion on Civic Pride to the last meeting of Full Council on the 6th of November. A motion is a proposal for debate and decision at a council meeting. Full Council is Gloucestershire County Council's ultimate decision making body. It usually meets six times a year.

Councillor Hodgkinson called on the Cabinet to set new and high standards of civic pride, explaining that road signs were often damaged and unreadable, and that grass verges and footways were frequently overgrown. He said that the use of cheaper methods for road repairs had led to town centres and villages looking neglected. He also raised the issue of abandoned contractor signs.

Across the county, road signs are often looking tatty and unreadable and grassverges and footways are overgrown. Cost cutting County Council repairs has 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.

Cllr Stephen Davies, the Leader of the Council, explained that the Cabinet welcomed many of the sentiments expressed in the motion, but put forward an amendment that he felt better reflected the way forward.

The amended motion, which was passed by the Cabinet, recognised that Gloucestershire is a beautiful county, but acknowledged that budget cuts over the last 10 years have meant that civic pride projects had to be axed.

The Cabinet resolved to set new, high standards of civic pride, starting with making sure that Gloucestershire is cleaner, and to investigate the potential for a county-wide competition to identify the cleanest street, park and playground.

Digital Strategy 2024-27

The Cabinet approved a new Digital Strategy that will run from 2024 - 2027. The strategy sets out how the council will use digital technology to improve its services and make them more efficient.

The Gloucestershire County Council Digital Strategy 2025-2028 outlined the council’s commitment to leveraging the digital capabilities to enhance performance, create efficiencies, and improve services for residents and local businesses.

The strategy has four key aims:

• Digital by design - making sure that digital is the default option for delivering services.
• Data driven - using data to improve decision making and make services more efficient.
• Cyber secure - making sure that the council's systems and data are secure.
• Skilled and adaptable - making sure that the council's staff have the skills and knowledge they need to use digital technology effectively.

Contract for the Bulking and Haulage of Residual Waste

Gloucestershire County Council is the statutory Waste Disposal Authority, which means that it is responsible for the disposal of all household waste collected in the county. Javelin Park, near Gloucester, is Gloucestershire's Energy from Waste facility, burning waste and using the heat to generate electricity.

An Energy from Waste (EfW) plant burns waste that cannot be recycled to produce energy.

Because of the size of Gloucestershire, a network of Waste Transfer Stations operate across the county. Waste is taken from the districts to a Waste Transfer Station where it is compacted, or ‘bulked’, to reduce its volume, before being taken on to Javelin Park.

The Cabinet agreed a new procurement strategy to cover the bulking and transfer of residual waste - waste that cannot be recycled or reused - from the districts to Javelin Park.

Procurement is the process of finding and agreeing terms with a supplier for the purchase of goods and services.

Three separate contracts will be offered, covering the waste collected by:

1. Cheltenham Borough Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council
2. Forest of Dean District Council
3. Cotswold District Council.

The contracts will run for an initial period of seven years, with an option to extend for a further three years.

Adults & Children’s IT Social Care Systems Contract Consolidation

The Council currently uses a number of IT systems provided by Liquidlogic, a company that builds software for social care providers, to manage its Adult and Children's Social Care work. The Cabinet agreed to consolidate all of these systems into a single contract with Liquidlogic. The initial contract will run for 5 years, with the option to extend it for a further two, one-year periods.

Traffic Signal Maintenance and Capital Funded Improvements

Gloucestershire County Council is responsible for the upkeep of 392 traffic signals, at 181 junctions and 211 pedestrian crossings across the county. The Cabinet agreed to procure a new 5-year contract to cover the maintenance of these signals. The contract will include an option to extend for a further two years.