The Gloucestershire County Council cabinet met on 17 September 2025, and approved measures including a new councillor-led grant scheme, the 2025 Childcare Sufficiency Duty Report, and a plan to procure a body removal service for the coroner. They also discussed and approved the financial performance and risks, participation in a SEND partnership programme, and a highways construction framework.

Grassroots Neighbourhood Fund

The cabinet approved the establishment of a new two-year councillor-led grant scheme called the Grassroots Neighbourhood Fund, allocating £1.1 million from the council's general fund reserves. The scheme, set to launch in October 2025 and run until March 2027, aims to support grassroots projects that improve health and wellbeing, including tackling health inequalities. Each of the 55 county councillors will have £20,000 to invest in projects within their electoral division, with individual grants ranging from £250 to £5,000. The Director of Public Health, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities and Fire, will finalise the award criteria and approve each grant.

Annual Childcare Sufficiency Duty Report

The cabinet approved the 2025 Annual Childcare Sufficiency Duty Report and its publication, along with the implementation of its recommendations. The report assesses the supply and demand for childcare in Gloucestershire, including quality, accessibility, and affordability. It identifies gaps in provision and outlines measures to address them. The report noted that 91.9% of childminders and 92.1% of day care providers in Gloucestershire were rated as 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted. Councillor Linda Cohen, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, clarified that the council was on track to find an additional 1,100 childcare places.

Gloucestershire Coroner Service Body Removal Services Contract

The cabinet approved the procurement and award of a contract for body removal services on behalf of the Gloucestershire Coroner Service, as the current contract is due to expire in June 2026. The new contract will have a five-year term, with an option to extend for a further two years. The Chief Fire Officer, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities and Fire, will oversee the competitive procurement process and award the contract to a provider located within the Gloucestershire county boundary.

Finance, Performance and Risk Monitoring Report

Councillor Colin Hay, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets & Transformation, presented the Finance, Performance and Risk Monitoring Report, which included the Quarter 1 forecast for the 2025/26 revenue and capital budgets, as well as the council's performance and risk assessment. The report noted a forecast revenue overspend of £224,000 and a forecast use of reserves of £56.656 million, including £44.991 million for Dedicated Schools Grant¹. The cabinet approved several actions, including:

• A £300,000 draw from the Risk & Investment Reserve to fund concept design and policy development for 20 mph speed limits and road traffic speed reduction measures.
• A £1.827 million transfer to the Business Rates Retention Reserve to mitigate the potential impact of the Fair Funding Review.
• An increase of £110 million to the Capital Programme for the M5 Junction 10 Improvement Scheme subject to receipt of funding and negotiations with Homes England.
• The earmarking of up to £2 million from the Gloucestershire Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) for the M5 Junction 10 Improvement Scheme.

GCC Education Participation in the Southwest DfE SEND Change Partnership Programme

The cabinet approved Gloucestershire County Council's Education Directorate to continue as a joint lead authority with Swindon Borough Council in the Department for Education (DfE) Southwest DfE Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Change Partnership Programme. They also approved the receipt of £2.07 million in Section 31 grant funding from the DfE to support the programme. This funding will support the testing and refining of DfE proposals for reforming SEND and Alternative Provision².

Adults Improvement Partner

The cabinet approved the procurement of an external improvement partner to support Gloucestershire County Council's Adult Social Care service in delivering its Prevent, Reduce, Delay transformation workstream. The contract will be for 18 months, and the Executive Director of Adult Social Care, Wellbeing and Communities will be delegated authority to award the contract, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adults' Support and Independence, the S151 Officer³, and the Cabinet Member for Finance, Assets & Transformation.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

The cabinet approved spending up to £1,000,000 to increase capacity to manage Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications. The funding, allocated to the DoLS Service from the Improvement/Investment fund, will manage the backlog of applications and fund a proposed DoLS assessment contract. The Executive Director of Adult Social Care, Wellbeing and Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adults' Support and Independence, will conduct a competitive procurement process for a contract for the supply of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards assessments.

Forest Road Lydney Geotechnical Stabilisation Scheme

The cabinet delegated authority to the Assistant Director of Highways and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance, to procure highway services and construction phase works for the Forest Road Lydney Geotechnical Stabilisation Scheme. This includes making any necessary traffic regulation orders during the scheme's construction phase.

Highways Major Projects Construction Framework

The cabinet delegated authority to the Executive Director of Economy, Environment & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Highways, to conduct a competitive procurement process for a four-year multi-supplier Framework Agreement for highway construction services related to Highways Major Projects. The framework agreement will comprise two lots: one for Highways Schemes and the other for Structures and Geotechnical Schemes, with no more than eight preferred tenderers appointed to each lot.

Supply of temporary staff and permanent recruitment

The cabinet approved the exercise of two 1-year extension options under the council's call-off contract with Comensura Ltd for the provision of temporary agency staff and permanent recruitment for hard-to-fill roles. They also approved a modification to increase the contract's value by £31 million to address the council's higher-than-anticipated need for temporary agency staff and permanent employees in hard-to-fill roles.

Bus Shelter Advertising and Maintenance Contract

The cabinet delegated authority to the Executive Director for Economy, Environment and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport and Road Safety, to conduct a competitive procurement process for a concession contract for the supply, installation, and maintenance of bus shelters and free-standing units, as well as the cleaning and maintenance of these structures. The proposed contract will be for 20 years and include break options on its 10th and 15th anniversaries. David Redgewell asked about accessibility measures for bus stops and shelters, and Councillor Roger Whyborn, Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport and Road Safety, confirmed that these would be introduced through a variety of providers and that the issue of access and seating would be fully addressed, with public consultation on the designs.