Agenda and minutes

Cabinet - Tuesday 7 February 2017 4.00 pm

Venue: Ground Floor Meeting Room GO2A, 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH

Contact: Paula Thornton  Phone: 020 7525 4395 Email:  paula.thornton@southwark.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

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    To receive any apologies for absence.

    Minutes:

    There were apologies from Councillor Maisie Anderson who was on maternity leave.

2.

Notification of any items of Business which the Chair Deems Urgent

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    In special circumstances, an item of business may be added to an agenda within five clear working days of the meeting.

    Minutes:

    The chair gave notice of the following late items:

     

    ·  Item 13. Policy and Resources Strategy: 2017-18 – 2019-20

     

    ·  Item 14. Housing Revenue Account: Proposed increases in garage charges for 2017-18.

     

    Reasons for urgency and lateness will be specified in the relevant minutes.

3.

Notice of Intention to conduct business in a closed meeting, and any representations received

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    There are no closed items scheduled for consideration at this meeting.

    Minutes:

    There were no items of closed business and no representations were received.

4.

Disclosure of Interests and Dispensations

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    Members to declare any interests and dispensations in respect of any item of business to be considered at this meeting.

    Minutes:

    Councillor Mark Williams declared a non-pecuniary interest in relation to item 10, as he is the chair of the Creation Trust and on the board of Mountview.

5.

Public Question Time (15 Minutes)

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    To receive any questions from members of the public which have been submitted in advance of the meeting in accordance with the cabinet procedure rules. The deadline for the receipt of public questions is midnight Wednesday 1 February 2017.

    Minutes:

    Public Question from Maurizio Piga

     

    Paragraph 4.2.3.13 of Appendix 7 of the council's regeneration agreement for the Aylesbury estate says: "In order to provide the resident leaseholders residing [in phase 1b/c] with more choice, the developer will assist five resident leaseholders to purchase a street property".  Can the leader explain why these haven’t been provided?

     

    Response

     

    The offer of Notting Hill assisting resident leaseholders from phase 1b/1c of the Aylesbury regeneration to purchase street properties, is part of a wider package of rehousing assistance that is offered to resident leaseholders through the Council’s Development Partnership Agreement (DPA) with Notting Hill Housing.  This included the offer for up to 15 resident leaseholders to purchase a new build property on a nearby Notting Hill development at Camberwell Fields under shared equity terms.  This was previously offered to all resident leaseholders in Phase 1b/1c and Phase 2 and a total of 5 resident leaseholders from the Aylesbury have been rehoused there under shared equity terms.  Furthermore the DPA states that Notting Hill will be making shared equity terms available to resident leaseholders on a range of other new build developments within the borough as they come forward over the next few years.

     

    The offer on street properties is specific to resident leaseholders in Phase 1b/1c and to date Notting Hill has assisted one resident leaseholder to move to a street property on shared equity terms.  Offers to investigate street purchases have been made to other resident leaseholders on phase 1b/1c on an individual basis but these offers have either been declined, or the leaseholders are seeking to secure alternative accommodation through other rehousing routes.  The option to explore street purchases for resident leaseholders on phase 1b/1c is still available through Notting Hill and the council will facilitate those discussions where appropriate.

     

    Mr Piga did not attend the cabinet meeting and did not ask a supplemental question. Cabinet members asked officers to email a copy of the response to Mr Piga. 

6.

Minutes

7.

Deputation Requests

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    To consider any deputation requests. The deadline for the receipt of deputations is midnight Wednesday 1 February 2017.

    Minutes:

    There were none.

8.

Achieving 500 New Affordable Business and Creative Spaces by 2018

    To approve a strategy for achieving 500 new affordable business and creative units by 2018.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    Councillor Mark Williams confirmed that this was a joint report with Councillor Johnson Situ, cabinet member for business, culture and social regeneration.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    1.  That the strategy for achieving 500 new affordable business and creative units by 2018, as summarised in paragraph 10 of the report be approved.

     

    2.  That it be agreed that the council’s primary role in this respect shall be to proactively enable and facilitate this provision, by stimulating engagement between private, third sector and development community interests, rather than as a direct provider or manager of new space.

     

    3.  That it be acknowledged that it will be necessary to strike a balance between several priorities competing for the same resources (affordable housing, new homes, Voluntary and Community Sector need for premises, rental and capital revenue generation).

     

    4.  That the director of regeneration be instructed to continue to ensure that opportunities for creative and affordable business space provision are explored in future regeneration-led schemes, in relation to operational premises deemed surplus to operations and to investigate further the nature of demand for such accommodation in the borough.

     

    Cabinet members noted that this process would tie in with the review of council garages outlined in item 14. 

9.

ICT Shared Service with Brent and Lewisham

    To  note the outcome of the original procurement process and to approve in principle the delegation of the delivery of the information and communications technology (ICT) service.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED:

     

    1.  That the outcome of the original procurement process and the work undertaken to consider alternative options be noted.

     

    2.  That the delegation of the delivery of the information and communications technology (ICT) service to London Borough of Brent Council as the primary host authority in a Shared ICT Service with London Borough of Lewisham be approved in principle, and that it be noted that a further report will be brought to cabinet to approve delegation in its final terms.

     

    3.  That the ongoing due diligence process and the development of inter-authority agreements for delegation of the ICT service delivery which will cover the 3 boroughs’ obligations, liabilities, insurance arrangements and use of assets in relation to the Shared ICT Service, be noted.

     

    4.  That the entering into a memorandum of understanding with the London Borough of Brent and London Borough of Lewisham (as outlined in Appendix A of the report) be approved, and that the funding of preparatory and transition work at an estimated cost of £3m and entering into an interim inter-authority agreement which will cover the 3 boroughs’ obligations with regard to the preparatory and transition activities and as further detailed in paragraph 93b of the report also be approved, and that authority be delegated to the strategic director of housing and modernisation to agree the final terms of the interim inter-authority agreement(s).

     

    5.  That it be noted that Brent and Lewisham officers are presenting reports to their respective cabinets in relation to this delegation and future Shared ICT Service.

     

    6.  That it be noted that officers will undertake discussions with Capita regarding a further extension of the existing ITMS contract to allow the preparatory and transition activities to be completed.

10.

Month 8 Capital Monitoring for 2016-17 and Capital Programme Refresh for 2016-17 to 2025-26

11.

Month 8 Revenue Monitoring Report and Treasury Management 2016-17

    To note the general fund outturn forecast for 2016-17 and associated issues.

     

    To approve general fund budget movements that exceed £250,000 and note those that are less than £250,000.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED:

     

    1.  That the following be noted:

     

    ·  the general fund outturn forecast for 2016-17 of £9.6m after the utilisation of £9.704m reserves (table 1, paragraph 9 of the report)

    ·  the continuing pressures on the children’s and adults’ social care including public health (paragraphs 10 - 22 of the report)

    ·  the increasing budget pressures No Recourse to Public Funds budgets andinformation and communications technology (ICT) and corporate facilities management (CFM) (paragraphs 28 - 30)

    ·  the utilisation of the £4m contingency and £5m one-off windfall resulting from the early delivery of the minimum revenue provision saving to mitigate the full effect of cost pressures (paragraph 35 -36 of the report)

    ·  the housing revenue account forecast outturn for 2016-17 (table 2, paragraph 39 - 45 of the report)

    ·  the treasury management activity in 2016-17 (paragraph 51 - 61 of the report).

     

    2.  That the general fund budget movements that exceed £250k, as shown in Appendix A of the report, be approved.

     

    3.  That the general fund budget movements that are less than £250k, as shown in Appendix A of the report, be noted.

12.

Motions referred from Council Assembly

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    To consider motions on the following:

     

    ·  Transport

    ·  Stand up for local pharmacies

    ·  Tackling flytipping in Southwark

    ·  Make fair transitional state pension arrangements for 1950’s women.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED:

     

    TRANSPORT

     

    That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below be agreed:

     

    1.  Southwark Labour is committed to making the borough a cleaner, greener, healthier and more pleasant place to live for our residents.

     

    2.  Council assembly recognises that high quality, accessible and well maintained transport is essential to improve the public realm, expand economic growth and to enable residents to travel and access services as freely and easily as possible.

     

    3.  Council assembly also recognises that transport has a significant environmental impact, particularly on air quality, and this administration’s priority is to deliver a sustainable transport system, which promotes and encourages walking, cycling and improving public transport access and links.

     

    4.  Council assembly welcomes the steps this administration has taken improve transport and make Southwark a more pleasant borough to live, including:

     

    o  investing over £30m in cycling over 5 years and launching the Southwark Cycling Strategy to make it easier and safer for people in the borough to travel by bike,

    o  delivering the new north-south cycle route, the Southwark Spine, to complement Quietway cycling routes and link to the new north-south Cycle Superhighway on Blackfriars Road;

    o  increasing the number of Play Streets, closing roads to make it easier and safer for children to play outdoors;

    o  making Southwark an Age Friendly Borough, enabling older people to access a broad range of affordable and accessible transport options to get around the borough easily;

    o  doubling investment in roads and making Southwark a 20mph borough;

    o  successfully campaigning for improvements to bus services, such as extending the 42 and 136 bus routes, and improving the C10.

     

    Regeneration

     

    1.  Council assembly recognises that effective transport infrastructure is necessary for regeneration, to both unlock new developments and meet existing demand, for example on the Old Kent Road, where the Bakerloo Line Extension will help deliver growth in homes and jobs.

     

    2.  Council assembly welcomes the steps that the administration has taken to use infrastructure in new developments to make it safer for people to walk and cycle, for example at Elephant Park;

     

    3.  Council assembly calls on the cabinet to continue working with Transport for London (TfL) to extend the Santander Cycle Hire scheme through Bermondsey and Rotherhithe, and bring the scheme to Camberwell, Peckham and Walworth.

     

    Air Quality

     

    4.  Council assembly recognises the significant impact transport has on air quality; the most polluted areas in the borough, where national standards for air quality are frequently exceeded, correspond to the major road network.

     

    5.  Council assembly therefore welcomes the work the council has done to improve air quality, including working with Tower Hamlets on the Tower Bridge Anti-idling partnership to encourage drivers to turn off engines when stationary, and improving the council’s commercial fleet to reduce emissions.

     

    6.  Council assembly also welcomes Mayor of London’s commitment to improving air quality by:

     

    o  bringing forward the implementation of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) and extending it to cover more of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Policy and Resources Strategy: 2017-18 – 2019-20

    To consider recommendations relating to the policy and resources strategy 2017-18 – 2019-20.  

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The report had not been circulated five clear days in advance of the meeting. The chair agreed to accept the item as urgent, because cabinet was required to prepare a budget proposal for submission to council assembly. This meeting was the last cabinet meeting before council assembly on 22 February 2017, and the council is required to set a lawful budget by 11 March 2017.

     

    RESOLVED:

     

    1.  That the context of the budget as agreed by cabinet on 24 January 2017, where the following recommendations were agreed, be noted:

     

    “That cabinet:

     

    1.1.   Note that the provisional settlement was received on 15 December, and is reflected in the revised 2017-18 draft budget. 

     

    1.2.   Note that the key elements for the council arising from the provisional settlement included:

     

    ·  Settlement Funding Assessment (SFA), updated to include the confirmed Revenue Support Grant (£57.79m) and Business Rate Baseline Funding levels (£108.21m)

    ·  Confirmed new homes bonus for 2017-18 of £13.053m representing an overall reduction of £2.0m on 2016-17 budgeted funding levels;

    ·  Powers to bring forward the timing of the adult social care precept

    ·  A one year only Adult Social Care grant of £1.577m for 2017-18, funded by the government through a further reduction in new homes bonus

    ·  Confirmed improved better care fund in 2017-18 of £1.658m m payable directly to the council and indications of increased funding in 2018-19 and 2019-20;

    ·  Confirmed Public Health Grant for 2017-18 of £28.194m which is a reduction of £0.69m from 2016-17.

     

    1.3.   Note the risk transfer of retained business rate funding to local authorities.

     

    1.4.   Note the impact on school funding grants, specifically the cessation of the Education Support Grant.

     

    1.5.   Note the continued uncertainties especially regarding adult social care and children’s services cost and demand pressures for 2017-18 and beyond and also ongoing funding risks and uncertainties relating particularly to the new Adult Social Care Grant, New Homes Bonus, Public Health Grant and risks of retained Business Rates.

     

    1.6.   Note the current budget deficit for 2017-18 of £1.822m, reduced from £2.6m on 13 December 2016, and £8.1m presented on 1 November 2016, after the incorporation of a number of budget proposals and updated information following the provisional settlement.

     

    1.7.   Note that the general fund budget proposals for 2017-18 contained within this report include:

     

    ·  grant resources arising from the provisional settlement on 15 December (Appendix A)

    ·  Estimated resources for the Autumn Statement Grant

    ·  An assumed increase in Council Tax of 1.99%, below the cap of 2% laid down by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG);

    ·  An assumed increase in the Adult Social Care (ASC) precept of 3%, in line with the maximum laid down by DCLG

    ·  Estimated council tax revenue of £87.5m in line with the Council Tax Base report agreed by cabinet in December

    ·  Estimated retained business rates growth of £8.7m

    ·  Planned use of balances of £3.7m, subject to reserves and balances being available

    ·  Planned contingency of £4m

    ·  Provision for contractual inflation and 1% pay award

    ·  Proposals for budget changes in 2017-18:

     

    o  new  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Housing Revenue Account - Proposed Increases in Garage Charges for 2017-18

    To consider recommendations in respect of garage charges.

    Supporting documents:

    Minutes:

    The report had not been circulated five clear days in advance of the meeting. The chair agreed to accept the item as urgent, because the report could not be delayed, as it formed part of the HRA budget setting process, which requires the HRA to have a balanced budget set before the start of the financial year, and for statutory rent notifications to be issued to tenants 28 days before any variation is implemented.  

     

    RESOLVED:

    1.  That an increase in the standard and concessionary garage rents of £1 per week, to £19.62 and £14.62 respectively be approved. That an increase of £0.50 per week for small sites currently charged at £10 per week and no increase for small sites currently charged £5 per week also be approved.

    2.  That an increase in the private sector rent of £5 per week to £32.50 be approved.

    3.  That the ongoing planned maintenance programme to refurbish closed and empty garages be noted.

    4.  That a further report be provided to the cabinet member for housing during 2017-18 assessing the potential to zone private sector rents based on proximity to public transport links, with the potential to charge in excess of £32.50 for more accessible locations.

    5.  That officers carry out a borough-wide garage review to assess usage and opportunities for the garage portfolio. That the recommendations in the report titled “Achieving 500 New Affordable Business and Creative Spaces by 2018” which is on the same agenda be noted.

    6.  That the proposed budget mitigation measure to fund the revenue shortfall arising from the revised fee increase from the HRA contingency budget, as set out in the report, be approved.