Agenda item

(a)  That the progress made by the Council since the previous report in addressing the Directions of the Secretary of State be noted;

(b)  That the next steps to deliver improvement as set out in the action plans and other workstreams that have been developed to address the Directions be agreed.

The Leader of the Council introduced a report that provided the quarterly update to Cabinet on progress being made against the Secretary of State Directions issued in December 2021 and the overall Council recovery plan.

Progress had been made in a number of areas including recruitment to key posts following the agreement of the senior management restructure by Council in November 2023; indications that the improvement of SEND services was moving in the right direction following the most recent review by the Department for Education; and a report from the Department for Health & Social Care that found the quality of the Council’s data was excellent.

The Commissioners 4^th report on the progress the Council was making was due.  The Executive Director, Strategy & Transformation stated that there had been discussions with Commissioners at the Improvement & Recovery Board on a potential revised model of intervention and the style of reporting.  The Cabinet and Council would continue to receive regular updates and the Corporate Improvement Scrutiny Committee had been asked to provide views on the type of reporting that would be helpful.

The Cabinet noted that update and agreed the importance of continuing to deliver the improvement plans at pace.

Resolved –

(a)  That the progress made by the Council since the previous report in addressing the Directions of the Secretary of State be noted;

(b)  That the next steps to deliver improvement as set out in the action plans and other workstreams that had been developed to address the Directions be agreed.