Our Cabinet met at County Hall on Thursday 11 April.
Considered reports included: - Household Support Fund – update on the further allocation of nearly £10m funding for the next six-months. This funding is to meet immediate needs and help those who are struggling to afford energy and water bills, food, and other related essentials. - Residential Children's Homes – approval given to establish a further 15 new in-house children's homes, for those with the most complex needs. Including four 4 bed homes, eleven 2 bed homes and two solo crisis beds in an existing home. This would deliver up to 40 additional beds for our children. - The Childcare Expansion Capital Grant - outlined our allocation of £2.5m to support the provision of places for children under 3 years old and wraparound support for primary school aged children. The funding will be made available to private, voluntary, and independent childcare providers, childminders, and schools where there is a need for additional places. - School Place Planning – Investment agreed to expand 7 existing schools, providing 168 additional mainstream primary and secondary school and specialist school places.
We support our staff to get involved in their communities and take part in democratic processes.
This includes supporting staff who stand for election, or who serve as councillors on other local authorities.
Democratic Services have pulled together a useful list of considerations for you if you are a member of staff and a councillor or you are thinking of standing as a councillor on another local authority.
Managers, please speak to your teams about this and familiarise yourself with the available guidance.
On Wednesday 10 April, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum in Rossendale welcomed Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.
Local dignitaries, including the Lord Lieutenant and the High Sheriff of Lancashire also attended.
The visit and subsequent tour were a great success and much enjoyed by Her Royal Highness.
Thank you to everyone in the museum, conservation and collection and heritage learning teams for working so hard and making the visit a complete success.