Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet met today (15 February 2024) to discuss issues that included social care funding, mental health services for children and young people, school admissions po...
Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet met today (15 February 2024) to discuss issues that included social care funding, mental health services for children and young people, school admissions policy, and plans for active travel infrastructure.
Cabinet approved the list of schemes to be funded from the Improved Better Care Fund. WCC contributes c.£15.1m per annum into the c.£76m fund that seeks to join up health and care services so that residents can manage their own health and wellbeing, leave hospital sooner and live independently for as long as possible, thereby reducing pressure on the NHS and giving additional support to the provider care market.
To enable Warwickshire children and young people to continue to access a range of emotional wellbeing and mental health services, Cabinet agreed the extension of the existing agreement with Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board to support the service known locally as Rise.
The service offers a wide range of interventions and specialist advice for children and young people across the county. The contract, which sees Warwickshire County Council (WCC) contribute £710,000 per annum, will be extended for a further two years to facilitate a recommissioning of the service.
The Council’s commitment to the benefits of active travel was demonstrated by the approval of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP). The plan identifies and prioritises over 300 walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure schemes for potential delivery, strengthening Warwickshire’s case for future funding from Government and developers to support active travel.
Cabinet also approved the School Admission Arrangements for the 2025/2026 academic year, which set out how children are admitted to all Community and Voluntary Controlled Schools in Warwickshire. As part of the same matter, Cabinet also approved the admissions Co-ordinated Scheme1 outlining the key dates, terminology and parameters for the delivery of the admissions function.
Finally, Cabinet also reviewed the latest Council Performance Report and approved an update to the Customer Complaints Policy. The Performance Report showed that the Council is showing a positive performance over the majority of its Key Business Measures (KBMs) against a backdrop of prolonged inflation, high interest rates and extremely high demand and market pressures, particularly in social care and education services.
Cllr Yousef Dahmash, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Transformation, who presented the performance report, said: “Today’s Cabinet highlighted the breadth of the County Council’s work and the impact we have on people’s lives.
“The performance measures that we have set are there to ensure that, despite the pressures of external factors and wide-reaching demand, that we remain focused on continuously improving our services for Warwickshire’s communities.”
Ends