Agenda item

To hear from and ask questions to Councillor Kieron Williams, Leader of the Council, on the various aspects of his portfolio (circulated with the agenda).

In introducing the item the Chair informed the committee of the areas the Leader of the Council had been asked to cover as part of his initial presentation which were as follows:

·  a year end overview of Council’s services,

·  a projection going forward,

·  a paper with a roll up summary of the Council themes and performance over the last 4 years, including information on where the Council has exceeded and where it has fallen short, along with lessons learned.

The chair reported that the Leader had provided the committee with a copy of the Borough Plan interim performance report which set out much of the detail requested.  The Borough Plan interim performance report was due to be considered by the cabinet on 8 March 2022.

Councillor Kieron Williams provided the committee with a brief overview of council achievements over the past few years.

In his introduction, Councillor Williams expressed that in looking back over the last 4 years, that it had been a difficult period due to government funding cuts and the pandemic.  He thanked council staff and partner organisations, the voluntary sector, and councillors for the work done during that period and support to residents.

Councillor Williams made reference to the Borough Plan interim performance report which set out a lot of detail of what the council had been doing and encouraged the committee members to read it.  Councillor Williams indicated that an incredible amount had been achieved, and in addition, the council’s response to the Covid pandemic.

Councillor Williams highlighted some of the initiatives undertaken relating to the council’s response to the Covid pandemic, the building of council homes, the apprenticeship scheme, improvement of social care, the agreement of the ethical care charter for residential care that would drive up care, the 95% achievement of schools rated good or outstanding, and the working with schools to help pupils catch up [in light of pandemic], the rolling out of mental health support for children, improvements on the environment [school streets, low traffic neighbourhoods, cycle lanes, road crossings, installation of heat pumps on housing estates mentioned]. 

Councillor Williams expressed a heartfelt thank you to everyone who had helped with the delivery of those council initiatives and council services throughout the pandemic.

The Leaders presentation was followed up by questions from committee members.

Questions and discussion were held around the following:

·  How the council can deliver transport infrastructure needed, with the funds that the council has available to it [context – challenging relationship with Government and GLA currently, due to unaligned priorities]

·  Other opportunities for the council where it can directly deliver, where it was felt the government is letting residents down.

·  Residents accessibility to council services, and how this is being measured

·  Areas focus that the council will now need to think differently about in light of pandemic

·  Areas not delivered on that the Leader would have liked to have achieved

·  Increase in people sleeping on the streets

·  LGBTQ cultural space in Bankside – extension of tenancy, and marketing of permanent space in Bankside Yard

·  Climate Strategy and Housing Strategy - Meeting zero carbon target whilst needing to continue building new council homes in the borough

·  Consideration of converting any empty office space into council homes

·  Growing ethnic pay gap

·  Projections for funding package from government over the coming year

·  Recent decisions relating to Ivydale School [Proposed closure of Inverton Road site and reversal of decision].