To approve as a correct record the minutes of reconvened September Cabinet held on 12 October 2022.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of Cabinet held on 12 October 2022.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 14 September 2022 and held on 12 October 2022 were approved as a true and correct record. The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 12 October 2022 were approved as a true and correct record.

To receive additional items that the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There were no items of urgent business.

There were no interests declared.

The Leader began his statement and explained that the Council continued to move forward with the Recovery Plan, which would be presented to group meetings to ensure that all 49 Councillors could comment before it was progressed. He added that there were also additional Local Plan Engagement Days for Members scheduled and encouraged all Councillors to attend and therefore have the opportunity to influence the Local Plan.

There were no briefings on policy, budget and other issues.

No petitions had been submitted by members of the public.

No questions had been submitted by non-Executive Members.

Other than those items already contained within the agenda, no items had been referred to the Cabinet for their consideration by an overview and scrutiny committee.

The Deputy Leader introduced the report and stated that it was seeking agreement to go to market to reprocure the supply, installation, maintenance, and repair of the telecare equipment contract. She explained that this contract provided services such as the phone dialling alarm system, which could help a vulnerable person receive support if they fell in their own home. She added that the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) which supports approximately 95% of the telecare equipment and currently in use, was due to be phased out nationally by 2025. The Deputy Leader explained that by reprocuring the contract, the Council could ensure the technology remained future-proof and ready for this change.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. Agreed with HOSC’s recommendation to go to market to reprocure the contract to supply, install, maintain, and repair telecare equipment.

Reason for decision: as outlined in the report
This decision is subject to call-in

The Deputy Leader introduced the report and stated that the contract for occupational therapy and the independent mobility assessment service was due to come to an end soon, and the report was seeking to go to market for re-procurement. She explained that the contract provided highly specialised occupational therapy support, equipment, and highly trained staff, so a quicker and better service could be provided to residents when contracted out by the Council. She explained that the team would be considering the parameters of the contract during the re-procurement phase to ensure it meets current demands post-COVID. She explained that the team would also consider the possibility of upskilling staff to be able to perform the simpler mobility assessments. Councillor Johnson commented that it was good to see Cabinet support recommendations made by the Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC).

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. Agreed with HOSC’s recommendation to go to market to reprocure the contract to provide an Occupational Therapy and Independent Mobility Assessments service.

Reason for decision: as outlined in the report
This decision is subject to call-in

The Deputy Leader introduced the report and stated that it was seeking contract extension for both the sexual health and adult substance misuse services, which equalled over £1million each. She explained that both services were funded via central government public health funds, and did not come out of the Council’s general fund. The Deputy Leader added that the report was proposing to extend both contracts for one year to allow the team to fully analyse the service, undertake due diligence, ensure that residents received good quality care, and guarantee that the contract aligned with the recently agreed Health and Wellbeing Strategy. She added that if Cabinet did not agree to extend the life of the contract, then the Public Health team would not be able to confirm the full cost and quality of the service.

The Leader thanked the Public Health team for their hard work, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and for their ongoing services. He felt that public health teams across Essex and Thurrock worked hard to spread messages regarding their services and public health announcements.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. Approved a one-year extension of the Adult Substance Misuse Service at the current contract value.

2. Approved a one-year extension of the Sexual Health Services contract at the current contract value.

Reason for decision: as outlined in the report
This decision is subject to call-in