To approve as a correct record the minutes of Cabinet held on 9 March 2022 and 23 March 2022.

The Leader and Deputy Leader thanked outgoing Cabinet Members for their hard work within their Portfolios and welcomed new Cabinet Members to their first meeting.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 9 March 2022 and 23 March 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 felt it had been good to see Thurrock come together to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee weekend, including community events across the borough such as street parties and five beacon lighting ceremonies, including one at Tilbury Fort. He stated that Thurrock had also been represented in the Thank-You Dance at the Mall on Sunday 5 June with fifty Thurrock volunteers included. He thanked residents for leading and participating in a variety of community events and felt that this proved the excellent and close-knit communities across the boroughs. He added that he had also attended the opening of the Little Thurrock Community Park in Delafields. He stated that the project had turned a stretch of scrubland that had been little used for decades into an outstanding park. He stated that the work had been undertaken by community volunteers and financed through donors and local businesses in either money or materials, alongside a small input from the Council. He felt that the outcome was a brilliant new open space in Thurrock and provided an excellent example of a community-led project.

The Leader stated that last week planning permission had been granted for a new government funded primary school and nursery in Aveley. He stated that Harrier Primary School was due to be built on land adjacent to the A13 and Love Lane in Aveley, and would provide space for up to 420 prospective primary students and 52 nursery places. He commented that the school was targeted to open in September 2023. The Leader moved on and explained that in the last week Thurrock has seen how important resident reports were in directing action and helping the Council and its partners target resources effectively to deal with the issues affecting them. He stated that an operation involving Environmental Enforcement Officers, the Trading Standards team and Essex Police took place in Aveley, during which officers found stolen motorbikes and three containers of potentially unsafe goods, which were now being investigated by trading standards. He explained that the owners of the site had been issued a Fixed Penalty Notice and a notice to produce documents to prove the correct disposal of waste. The Leader stated that this operation, as well as the criminality it uncovered, proved how important it was that residents report their suspicions to the Council and the police. He explained that this could be done via Thurrock’s website; through Essex Police’s Digital 101 online service; by calling 101; through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111; or 999 in an emergency.

The Leader moved on and stated that following continued protests across Thurrock, the Council had been successful in extending the injunction that prevented fuel protestors from blocking public roads in the borough. He mentioned that their activities caused widespread disruption and more than £1,000,000 to emergency services, which took away vital services from where they were needed across the borough. He stated that the 222 people named in the injunction had been ordered to pay 50% of the costs  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

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.

Councillor Huelin introduced the report and stated that the report included in the agenda did not contain the Chair’s forward, so she requested that an updated version be sent to Cabinet and uploaded onto the website. She explained how the new strategy would form stronger alliances between the NHS and the Council, and would allow the Health and Wellbeing Board to hold bodies such as the NHS accountable. She commented that the Health and Wellbeing Board had a statutory duty to write a Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which the NHS had to take due regard of, and would be one of two high level strategic documents. She explained that the report in the agenda provided a high-level overview and was supported by a 140-page document, which went into more detail regarding areas such as health inequalities. Councillor Huelin added that the strategy sought to undertake a holistic approach to health and wellbeing as it considered other areas such as communities, housing, and the environment, which were outlined in the six domains. She thanked the volunteering sector for their hard work during the consultation phase of the strategy and felt their input had been invaluable. She also thanked the Public Health team and other officers for their hard work in putting the report together. She summarised and invited Cabinet Members to make comment and review the document.

Councillor Johnson welcomed the report and felt it was detailed and would promote joint working across different areas of the Council. He stated that 26% of the population in Thurrock was under the age of 18 and queried how the strategy would include Thurrock’s Local Safeguarding Children Partnership, as a report would be going to Children’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee later in the week on this issue. He felt that safeguarding children should be included in the strategy as vulnerable families were not isolated and multi-agency working was needed to ensure the health and wellbeing of vulnerable children. Councillor Huelin replied that the strategy in the agenda provided an overarching, broad picture and was supported by a variety of documents which went into the finer detail of the strategy. She stated that many directorates had worked on the strategy including Children’s, and they had particularly focussed on how vulnerable children transitioned to adulthood. Councillor Huelin added that a report would be brought forward to Cabinet that would outline the holistic approach being taken to support young people and their familial relationships. She stated that she would take the feedback to officers to ensure that vulnerable children were re-emphasised in the strategy.

Councillor Spillman felt pleased to see that housing had been included in the strategy and felt that linked up working between the housing and public health departments would improve outcomes for Thurrock’s residents. Councillor Huelin thanked Councillor Spillman and housing officers for their support putting together the strategy, and thanked Community Safety Partnership officers for their hard work. Councillor Coxshall highlighted page 26 of the report and felt pleased to see that approximately  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Councillor Huelin introduced the report and stated that in July 2021 the government had proposed new legislation to increase the level of joined up working between the NHS and local authorities. She explained that this had received royal assent in April 2022, and the report therefore outlined how Thurrock would implement this legislation through the introduction of both an Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) and Integrated Care Board (ICB). She mentioned that both the NHS and local authorities would be equal partners on the ICP, and would be meeting next month to finalise governance arrangements. She felt that Thurrock were already working well with the NHS and hoped that the new ICP would encourage closer working. She stated that recommendation 1.2 asked Cabinet Members to delegate authority to the Director of Public Health to act as a founding representative on the Mid and South Essex ICP, as the partnership required professional experience and knowledge. She added that the Director of Public Health also sat on the Health and Wellbeing Board, so Members would have the chance to discuss the ICP at this forum. Councillor Huelin highlighted page 59 of the report and sought confirmation that the relevant Portfolio Holders had been consulted with. The relevant Cabinet Members confirmed they had been consulted.

Councillor Coxshall felt concerned that there would be no elected Members sitting on the Mid and South Essex ICP, as he felt that partners needed to recognise the democratic nature of local authorities. He asked if the Terms of Reference could come back to Cabinet. Councillor Huelin reassured Councillor Coxshall that she had raised similar concerns with the NHS and been assured that the Health and Wellbeing Board would work with the ICP.

Councillor Johnson highlighted page 76 of the report and felt it was good to see closer partnerships and faster financial alignments to achieve better outcomes. Councillor Huelin echoed these comments and felt that Covid had affected many peoples access to primary care, which had then affected people’s health to a greater degree. She stated that the NHS were aware of this issue and were working with Thurrock on the Better Care Fund.

The Leader also felt concerned that regarding the democratic aspects of the Integrated Care Partnership and Integrated Care Board and wanted to ensure that the new boards included elected member participation. He asked that the report be brought back to Cabinet once governance arrangements had been agreed and asked for this to be included at recommendation 1.2

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. Noted the key elements of the Health and Care Act 2022 as set out in Section 2 of the report.

2. Agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Public Health to act as the Council’s founding representative to the Mid and South Essex ICP in order to establish the proposed governance arrangements with health and local authority partners. Agreed that the report be brought back to Cabinet once governance arrangements are agreed.

3. Agreed the draft Terms of Reference at Appendix 2  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Councillor Coxshall introduced the report and stated that it outlined good consultation practice and would help therefore help to increase the number of people engaging with the Local Plan, which was a critical document for the future of the borough. Councillor Hebb felt that it was important to build homes in Thurrock in the right way, and this document would help residents contribute their views. He stated that it would approve the approach of involvement and would make the consultation process easier for residents. Councillor Coxshall added that officers would be working to ensure that the Local Plan consultation was as quick and simple for residents as possible. He felt that the Local Plan would improve outcomes for local communities, as it would not just outline the future of housebuilding, but also open spaces, education, and employment opportunities in Thurrock.

Councillor Huelin felt that the Local Plan and Health and Wellbeing Strategy were intertwined and highlighted the importance of both online and in-person consultation. Councillor Abbas added that consultations should seek to reach people in communities that were typically disengaged, and needed to be in simple English to ensure that everyone could understand.

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. Approved the draft Statement of Community Involvement (Appendix A) for public consultation, and agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Public Realm, in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder to make any changes resulting from that consultation and to adopt the final version.

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

The Leader introduced the report and stated that it was a statutory duty for Cabinet to nominate Members to sit on a variety of Outside Bodies, and the report outlined Councillors who had sat on Outside Bodies last year. He stated that all Cabinet outside bodies nominations would remain the same, other than Impulse Leisure where Councillor Jefferies would be nominated; and the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust Council of Governors where Councillor Polley would be nominated. 

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1. Approved the nominations to Outside Bodies, Statutory and Other Panels, as set out in Appendix 1, to this report.