Agenda and minutes

The Leader welcomed everyone to the third virtual Cabinet meeting held by the Council and asked all Cabinet Members to introduce themselves in turn.

The Leader stated that following the relaxation of the lockdown measures over the weekend, people across the country were able to visit pubs, shops and other facilities, not available since the start of the lockdown. However, as a consequence, the police had to deal with a hefty number of anti-social behaviour.

The Leader added that on Friday hundreds of people came from across London to the White City Estate to hold an illegal party. Local residents and council wardens quickly contacted the police for help dispersing it. Several police officers got injured as they were attacked by a violent crowd. 

The Leader thanked council officers, the police, other services and the administration, who were involved in helping to deal with this serious issue. He added that the Council would be increasing considerably the spend in policing, law enforcement and the police presence on streets.

Both the Leader and the Deputy Leader strongly condemned such unauthorised parties in the middle of a pandemic, as they were dangerous and wholly unacceptable. Council officers would work with residents and the police to identify the organisers of this party and take the strongest possible action.

The Cabinet Member for Housing welcomed the tremendous effort made by staff from the housing department to communicate effectively with local residents and to help the police on Friday and Saturday.

The Leader thanked council officers for the effective way they had been working to maintain service continuity since the beginning of the pandemic and for supporting so many residents. He also thanked the borough’s residents, community groups, volunteers, charities, and local businesses for coming together to support others across the borough.

That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 1 June 2020 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

There were no apologies for absence.

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

At meetings where members of the public are allowed to be in attendance and speak, any Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest or other significant interest may also make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter.  The Councillor must then withdraw immediately from the meeting before the matter is discussed and any vote taken.

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Standards Committee.

This report has appendices which contain information exempt within the meaning of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 and is not for publication. The appendices have therefore been circulated to Cabinet Members only.

Any discussions on the contents of an exempt appendix will require Cabinet to pass the proposed resolution identified at the end of the agenda to exclude members of the public and the press from the proceedings for that discussion.

Councillor Culhane introduced the report and stated that it was seeking approval for additional budget to support spend for Children’s Services early help, children’s centre and youth services budget for financial year 2020/21. This would ensure continued levels of provision whilst work was untaken to redesign and re-procure these services.

The Leader put the recommendations to the vote.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY CABINET:

1.    That appendices 1, 2, and 3 are exempt from disclosure on the ground they contain information relating to the financial or business affairs of a particular person (including the authority holding that information) under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

2.    That Cabinet approve additional time limited funds of up to £750,000 from the Council’s general fund reserves to ensure the continued provision of early help, children’s centre and youth services.

3.    That Cabinet delegates authority to the Director of Children’s Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children and Education to approve a new commissioning strategy for the delivery of Early Help, Children’s Centres and Youth provision within budget for 2021/22.

4.    That Cabinet note the reasons for the current overspend and the requirement to redesign and recommission all contracts and provision relating to early help, children's centres and youth provision to mitigate future overspend so that no additional investment is required from 2021/22 onwards.

This report has an appendix which contains information exempt within the meaning of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 and is not for publication. The appendix has therefore been circulated to Cabinet Members only.

Any discussions on the contents of an exempt appendix will require Cabinet to pass the proposed resolution identified at the end of the agenda to exclude members of the public and the press from the proceedings for that discussion.

Councillor Jones introduced the report and stated that it was seeking approval to enter into the main construction contract to enable the project to proceed and for the new Town Hall to open in Spring 2022.

The Leader put the recommendations to the vote.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY CABINET:

1.            To approve that Appendix 1 be exempt from disclosure on the ground it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of a particular person (including the authority holding that information) under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

2.            That Cabinet approves £860,841 additional capital budget for the fit out of the Town Hall (including the extension) which reflects an equivalent revenue saving within the approved project budget and is in line with the Council’s strategy to protect reserves.

3.        That the Council enters into a contract with Ardmore Construction Limited for the refurbishment of the existing Grade 2 Listed Building plus the fit out of the Town Hall (including Cat B fit out of the glass box vertical extension) and that the contract value shall not exceed the approved capital budget.

4.        To delegate authority to the Strategic Director for the Economy, in consultation with the Head of Law, Director for Finance and the Cabinet Member for the Economy to finalise and complete negotiations with Ardmore Construction Limited to give effect to the decision in 3.

5.        That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director for the Economy, in consultation with the Director of Finance, the Cabinet Member for the Economy and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Commercial Services, to agree an additional 5% variation of the approved capital budget to accommodate any potential increase in contract costs or approved specification changes following approval of this report, to be funded from borrowing.

This report has an appendix which contains information exempt within the meaning of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 and is not for publication. The appendix has therefore been circulated to Cabinet Members only.

Any discussions on the contents of an exempt appendix will require Cabinet to pass the proposed resolution identified at the end of the agenda to exclude members of the public and the press from the proceedings for that discussion.

Councillor Jones stated that this report was seeking approval to appropriate two sites in order to deliver up to 1,800 homes and much needed genuinely affordable housing. It also set out funding for the redevelopment of Edith Summerskill House, in Fulham, to offer genuinely affordable housing.

Councillor Coleman praised the scheme and welcomed the policy at Edith Summerskill House offering local residents first refusal to let an affordable home. This policy was highly supported by the local community.

Councillor Homan stated that the police to offer local residents the first option applied to all new affordable housing being developed across the borough, which would be very helpful to local residents.

The Leader put the recommendations to the vote.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY CABINET:

1.    To agree that Appendix 1 is not for publication on the basis that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) as set out in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

2.    To approve a capital budget of £4,504,070 in the General Fund (GF) to facilitate the redevelopment of the Farm Lane Site and the Mund Street Site to the planning and procurement stages.

3.    To delegate authority to the Strategic Director for the Economy in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Economy authority to approve any drawdowns of the approved capital budget above £2.5 million.

4.    To approve the virement of S106 funding of £3.5m from the redevelopment of Edith Summerskill House to the fund the initial allocation of the above budget.

5.    To note that the remaining budget of £2.004m will be funded from a combination of capital receipts and borrowing and delegate final confirmation of funding to the Director of Finance in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Finance and Commercial Services.

6.    That Cabinet resolves that the areas of land shown edged red on the plans at Appendix 2 of the report are no longer required for the purpose for which they are currently held (General Fund purposes).

7.    To approve the appropriation of the two areas of land and assets shown edged red on the plans at Appendix 2 from the General Fund to the Housing Revenue Account subject to securing external valuations and approval of the Head of Asset Strategy and Portfolio (Borough Valuer).

8.    To delegate authority to the Director of Finance in consultation with the Head of Asset Strategy and Portfolio (Borough Valuer) and the Cabinet Member of Finance and Commercial Services to take the necessary steps, including securing external valuation of the sites in order to facilitate the decision in 6 and consequently, re-assign the development budget and spend to the HRA from the General Fund.

Councillor Harcourt stated that this report was setting out new transport policies, traffic control measures and initiatives that would support the Council to be one of the greenest Councils in the UK and carbon neutral by 2030. He added that since the start of the pandemic, there had been major improvements to carbon emissions. The traffic measures proposed on this report would not only enable responding to the climate emergency but also would give greater agility in responding to the current Covid-19. Each option would be fully consulted on at appropriate stages.

Sharon Lea, the Strategic Director for the Environment, stated that since writing this report and in light of the pandemic, officers would like to update recommendation 7 on the report, first bullet point, and replace “Option 3” with “Option 4” of the Pay and Display Emission Based Parking Controls, as set out in Table 1 of Appendix 1 of the report. The main reason for this change was that the considerable rise in vehicle usage for commuting was adding pressure on to the recent increased demand for road space to provide for active travel, local businesses and social distancing. People were looking for alternative ways of transport, putting pressure on traffic and the limited parking spaces available in the borough. Commuters from other areas were parking in this borough for 8 hours and continue their journey into other parts of London. The Council wanted to improve the air quality to residents, so measures needed to be taken to discourage this practice.

The Leader stated that the borough’s low cost on parking meant that there was a risk of losing a significant number of parking spaces available to local residents.

The Leader put the recommendations to the vote.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY CABINET:

That Cabinet approves:

1.    The use of transport controls for the reduction in carbon emissions, the improvement of air quality and the improvement of public safety through low traffic neighbourhoods.

2.    The development of a programme of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and to delegate authority to the Chief Officer for Public Realm, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Environment, to approve the programme.

3.    The development of a programme of healthier streets in conjunction with the schools and to delegate authority to the Chief Officer for Public Realm, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Environment, to approve the programme.

4.    That CCTV enforcement cameras be replaced, where appropriate, with new intelligent cameras.

5.    That Controlled Parking Zones be reviewed, and that authority be delegated to the Chief Officer for Public Realm, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Environment, to finalise the terms of the consultation and to decide upon, and implement, the most appropriate option once the consultation is concluded.

6.    The preparation of the business case for Work Place Parking Levy.

7.    A consultation on the introduction of Emission Based Parking Controls based on the DVLA model and diesel surcharging:

·           Option 4 of the Pay and Display Emission Based Parking Controls  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Councillor Jones stated that this report was seeking approval for the 2019/20 spend of monies received from S106 obligations and CIL for projects which had been delivered in 2019/20.

The Leader put the recommendations to the vote.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY CABINET:

That Cabinet approves the 2019/20 drawdown of Section 106 and CIL monies as set out in section 4 of this report, to fund expenditure of £15,948,457, including £254,754 of monitoring and administration costs.

The Key Decision List was noted.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 - ACCESS TO INFORMATION

Proposed resolution:

Under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, that the public and press be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following items of business, on the grounds that they contain the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the said Act, and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption currently outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.       

The Leader closed the meeting by wishing everybody to stay safe and stressing the need to keep the 2 meters social distancing and to wear a mask in enclosed spaces, to help stop spread of the virus.