Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Adults and Health along with the Corporate Director Adult Social Services and Health submitted a joint report seeking approval to establish “the Health and Care sub-Committee” of Cabinet to form part of the new Health and Care Board for Swindon. The Board would progress joint commissioning arrangements between Swindon Borough Council and Swindon Clinical Commissioning Group and its successor.

Councillor Ford explained that the Board would be necessary to ensure decisions about health spending is Swindon would be taken locally once three Clinical Commissioning Groups, including the Swindon CCG, had merged.  Board decisions would be taken by two separate sub-committees – one from the Council, one from the CCG – meeting at the same time and both would have to agree in order to proceed.

Councillor Wright asked how the proposal would ensure that councillors had the ability to challenge any decisions by the Board before they were implemented.  Councillor Dale Heenan, Cabinet Member for the Town Centre, used the analogy that the Council’s process would be similar to that used by the Cabinet Panel on School Organisation. The Leader of the Council, Councillor Ford, and Councillor Oliver Donachie, the Cabinet Member for Economy and Growth responded at the meeting.

Resolved –

1)   That  the establishment of a new Health and Care Sub-Committee, with the Leader of the Council as the Chair of the sub-Committee and with delegated decision-making powers, in accordance with Article 7.01 of the Constitution be agreed.

2)   That the Terms of Reference for the Sub-Committee as set out in Appendix 1 to the main report be agreed and that the Leader’s scheme of delegation to the Cabinet sub-Committee in accordance with Article 7.06 of the Constitution, as set out in Appendix 2 to the main report be noted.

3)   That the Cabinet Member for Adults and Health and the Corporate Director Adult Social Services and Health be requested to bring a report to Cabinet setting out the principles of a new Section 75 Agreement and any risk share issues to commence on the expiry of the existing agreement in March 2020.

4)   That the Chief Legal Officer be authorised, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, the Director of Finance, and the Corporate Director Adult Social Services and Health to:

a)    Review the existing Section 75 Agreement and determine terms for a new s75 agreement and

b)    Subject to recommendation 3 above, be authorised to enter into a new section 75 at the expiry of the existing Agreement in light of the emerging changes.

The reasons for the decision and alternative options are as set out in the report to the meeting.