Here is a summary of the scheduled Cabinet meeting, based on the provided agenda and report pack.

The Cabinet of Wiltshire Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday 10 June 2025 to discuss several key items, including an update on the Safety Valve agreement, the adoption of National Landscape Management Plans, and the procurement of temporary agency staffing. The meeting will be held in the Kennet Room at County Hall in Trowbridge.

Here are the topics that the cabinet are scheduled to discuss:

National Landscape Management Plans

The cabinet are scheduled to consider the adoption of the National Landscape Draft Management Plans for the Cotswolds NL and the Cranborne Chase NL. The report pack states that Wiltshire Council is required by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to prepare and publish a management plan for any Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) that fall within its area, and that these protected landscapes are now more generally referred to as National Landscapes.

The report pack also mentions that Section 245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 introduced a new duty on relevant authorities to seek to further the purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the national landscapes.

The report pack notes that the National Landscape Boards have prepared draft Management Plans, and that these plans require adoption or endorsement by the respective authorities. The cabinet will be asked to approve the endorsement of the Cotswold Management Plan and adoption of the Cranborne Chase Partnership Plan (Management Plan).

The report pack states that the successful delivery of management plans for protected landscapes can only be achieved by working collaboratively with other local authorities and key stakeholders across the whole National Landscape for each area.

Safety Valve Agreement Update

The cabinet are scheduled to receive an update on the Safety Valve agreement with the Department for Education (DfE) concerning the High Needs Block (HNB) of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). The High Needs Block primarily supports pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).

The report pack states that Wiltshire Council signed a Safety Valve agreement with the DfE on 12 March 2024, supported by a High Needs Block Sustainability Plan. The report pack also notes that the Safety Valve plan was off track, and a revised plan was submitted to the DfE in December 2024, extending the deficit reduction timeline to seven years.

The report pack states that the financial targets in the April DfE Monitoring Report are RAG rated Red, because against the original plan, Wiltshire Council is significantly off track, however against the revised plan, these conditions would have been RAG rated Green because the deficit is only growing at the forecast rate.

The report pack also notes that the Government is yet to indicate what it intends to do about the statutory override and the cumulative deficits accrued by councils in England, and that this remains a considerable risk to the council.

The cabinet will be asked to note the monitoring update provided to the DfE in April, the statement from the DfE in response to the council's request for an extension to the Safety Valve agreement, and the continued risk related to the Statutory Override, which is due to expire in April 2026.

Temporary Agency Staffing Procurement

The cabinet are scheduled to discuss the procurement of temporary agency staffing. The report pack states that the council's current contract for the supply of agency staff was awarded in 2021 for three years, with an option to extend for one year, and that the option to extend the contract was exercised to 21 September 2025.

The report pack notes that the tender for a new contract will be run in compliance with relevant UK procurement legislation, and that the requirement has been designed to assist the council in managing its temporary worker requirements as efficiently and effectively as possible, as well as mitigating any risks of fines associated with using personal services companies, commonly known as IR35¹.

The cabinet will be asked to approve that a new contract for Temporary Agency Staffing be commissioned via a competitive procurement process, to delegate authority to the Director of HR&OD to deal with all matters relating to the competition, the award of the Contract and any future extensions of the Contract, and to approve a further twelve month Contract Term with an estimated cost of £20m for a 4 year period.