Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bora Kwon and Andrew Jones.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Stephen Cowan (Leader of the Council) who entered the room at 7.11pm. Councillor Alex Sanderson (Deputy Leader) took the Chair at the start of the meeting.

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.

Councillor Wesley Harcourt asked that a summary of his comments on Item 6. Adopting the H&F Council Housing Retrofit Strategy be included in the minutes:

“Councillor Wesley Harcourt (Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Ecology) addressed the meeting and said retrofitting housing was a major aspect of the Council’s net zero by 2030 target. He noted the item took a ‘fabric first’ approach in the first stage, insulating buildings to improve energy efficiency, then introducing low carbon heating in the second stage. This meant better quality housing and lower bills for residents.”

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 16 June 2025, with the amendment above, were agreed as an accurate record.

Councillor Alex Sanderson (Deputy Leader) invited Mr Tom Holloway to address Cabinet.

Mr Holloway addressed the meeting and made the following points:

• The parking permit charges presented barriers to work and impacted local businesses and the welfare of residents.
• The option of buying an Electric Vehicle was out of reach for many people.
• The consultation was not widely publicised enough, asked leading questions, and didn’t go into enough detail of the options.
• The e-petition system had some useability issues and the 5000-signature threshold to reach Full Council was unrealistic.
• He suggested the Council reconsider the charges and proposed discounts for lower income households and other measures to reduce the impact.

Councillor Stephen Cowan (Leader of the Council) entered the room at 7.11pm, during Mr Holloway’s speech, and took the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.

The Leader thanked Mr Holloway for his comments and asked what he thought the Council could do differently. Mr Holloway suggested all permit holders should have been contacted directly and informed about the consultation to give a more balanced view. He suggested the Council review the charges for lower income families, elderly and vulnerable people, and essential work vehicles. He also felt more should be done to reduce the costs of on street Electric Vehicle charging.

The Leader then welcomed Councillor Jose Afonso as the new Leader of the Opposition and invited him to make comments. Councillor Afonso said he supported the petition and suggested an additional recommendation to only increase parking charges in line with inflation, and not above. He reiterated the impact on people starting businesses, families, and elderly and vulnerable people.

The Leader said the Council had made a mistake in the past by freezing charges for so long. In retrospect, he felt they should have gone up in line with inflation because traffic continued to increase and cars increased in size over that period. Regarding on-street charging, the Leader noted the borough had more Electric Vehicle charging points than anywhere else in the Country and officers were looking at how to bring on-street charging costs down. He said he would consider the petition and Mr Holloway’s comments and discuss them with Cabinet colleagues.

The Leader thanked Mr Holloway and the petitioners for their time and representations.

RESOLVED

1. To note the petition.

2. To apply lessons from this consultation to future parking consultations.

Councillor Rowan Ree (Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform) introduced the item on the findings of the LGA Finance Peer Challenge conducted of

the Council in April 2025. He noted that an experienced, independent peer review team had spent a week with the Council, going through budget papers and interviewing staff, councillors, and partners. The review had been very positive, noting that the Council had a “highly visible and effective political and officer leadership team” and commended the Council’s track record on value for money and ruthless financial efficiency. The review also highlighted the Council’s sector leading Industrial Strategy.

Councillor Adronie Alford said she found the scrutiny at Cabinet and scrutiny of the Housing Revenue Account to be helpful and positive, but she had concerns about the strength of the Policy and Accountability Committees. She felt there was not enough time given to the Opposition to scrutinise items in depth. Councillor Jose Afonso also shared concerns about scrutiny, saying some meetings were not well attended.

Councillor Rowan Ree thanked all of the officers and councillors who contributed to the review. He added that he had never been to a scrutiny meeting where the Opposition had been stopped from asking questions.

The Leader explained that when the current Administration first came into office there were four scrutiny Select Committees. The new Administration wanted to democratise the process and engage residents, which led to the current system of seven scrutiny committees included Policy and Oversight Board and Policy and Accountability Committees (PACs). The new committees held public hearings on key topics to influence policy, and many areas had benefitted from this approach. At the same time, the Council also set up resident commissions to look at specific areas of policy in more details, then report back to the PACs for feedback and review. That system had produced some major successes such as the Disabled People’s Commission which had been recognised nationally.

The Leader said the Council welcomed challenge, ideas, and insights from the Opposition, but did not agree that scrutiny was weak. He then paid tribute to Councillor Ree and the culture of the Council, which had built ruthless financial efficiency into its work to ensure residents were getting value for money.

Councillor Frances Umeh (Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness) said comments from the Opposition were always welcome, but disagreed that time for scrutiny was limited. She said the Chairs allowed members to ask questions to Cabinet Members and officers and many meetings had overrun their allotted time due to challenge from members and residents.

RESOLVED

1. To note the overview presentation and final report at Appendices 1 and 2 of the Local Government Association Finance Peer Challenge of H&F.

2. To note monitoring the implementation of actions against the recommendations has been referred to the Policy and Oversight Board.

This item includes appendices that contain exempt information. Discussion of the appendices will require passing the proposed resolution at the end of the agenda to exclude members of the public and press.

This report recommends that Cabinet:

1.    Notes that Appendix 2 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.

2.    Approves the procurement strategy and recommendation to commence a competitive procurement exercise for the provision of redesigned 0-19(25) Public Health Nursing Services and a new Maternity in the Community Service for H&F, for up to seven years from 1 January 2027.

3.    Approves the delegation of contract award approval to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health.

4.    Notes that the approximate contract value is outlined in Appendix 2 and is not for publication on the basis that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any person (including the authority holding that information) as set out in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

Councillor Alex Sanderson (Deputy Leader) introduced the report that sought approval of a procurement strategy to tender for a provider to deliver high-quality 0-19(25) Public Health Nursing services and a new Maternity in the Community Service in Hammersmith & Fulham from 1 January 2027.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet:

1.    Notes that Appendix 2 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.

2.    Approves the procurement strategy and recommendation to commence a competitive procurement exercise for the provision of redesigned 0-19(25) Public Health Nursing Services and a new Maternity in the Community Service for H&F, for up to seven years from 1 January 2027.

3.    Approves the delegation of contract award approval to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health.

4.    Notes that the approximate contract value is outlined in Appendix 2 and is not for publication on the basis that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any person (including the authority holding that information) as set out in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

This item includes appendices that contain exempt information. Discussion of the appendices will require passing the proposed resolution at the end of the agenda to exclude members of the public and press.

That Cabinet:

1.    Notes that Appendix 1 and 2 of this report are not for publication on the basis that they contain 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.    Agree to Hammersmith & Fulham entering into an MOU with City of London Corporation, setting out the terms on which City of London act as lead authority in the procurement of sexual health and contraceptive e-services. The e-services contract will be for an initial period of 5 years starting 15^th August 2026, from 2026/27 to 2031/32, with the option for extension by two further periods of two years each.

3.    Delegates the decision to enter into an Inter-Authority Agreement (IAA) with City of London Corporation to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health for the provision of sexual health and contraceptive online services following City of London’s procurement of those services.

Councillor Alex Sanderson (Deputy Leader) introduced the report which sought approval for Hammersmith & Fulham Council's ongoing participation in the pan-London sexual health programme, London sexual health and contraceptive online service.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet:

1. Notes that Appendix 1 and 2 of this report are not for publication on the basis that they contain 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. Agree to Hammersmith & Fulham entering into an MOU with City of London Corporation, setting out the terms on which City of London act as lead authority in the procurement of sexual health and contraceptive e-services. The e-services contract will be for an initial period of 5 years starting 15^th August 2026, from 2026/27 to 2031/32, with the option for extension by two further periods of two years each.

3. Delegates the decision to enter into an Inter-Authority Agreement (IAA) with City of London Corporation to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health for the provision of sexual health and contraceptive online services following City of London’s procurement of those services.

That Cabinet agree the seven actions identified in this report aimed at increasing the amount of family housing available to the borough’s current and future residents.

Councillor Frances Umeh (Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness) introduced the report which set out seven actions the Council could take to increase the amount of family housing available to all people in housing need in the borough for affordable and market purposes.

Councillor Adronie Alford said it was essential the Council increased the supply of family housing but cautioned against buying up too many homes and causing house prices to rise.

Councillor Umeh said the Council needed to address the overwhelming demand for family housing, noting the national housing crisis which had been fuelled by austerity. She said the Council needed to meet demand.

Councillor Alford agreed that housing was needed, but encouraged the Council to think about ways to market sheltered housing and downsizing to free up capacity. Councillor Umeh said the Council had one of most attractive downsizing offers, but needed to be realistic and meet people where they were.

RESOLVED

1. That Cabinet agree the seven actions identified in this report aimed at increasing the amount of family housing available to the borough’s current and future residents

Councillor Rebecca Harvey (Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Community Safety) introduced the report which provided an overview of emergency planning and business continuity activities over the previous 18 months and the priorities for the remainder of 2025/26.

RESOLVED

1. That Cabinet notes the report which looks back on work undertaken over the last 18 months (running 01/10/2023 to 31/03/25) and the dynamic work plan for the remainder of 2025/26.

2. That Cabinet notes the report and the continued improvement of the Authority’s work on meeting its obligations under the CCA 2004.

To approve a Parks Improvement Programme requiring investment of £1.1 million.

Councillor Florian Chevoppe-Verdier (Cabinet Member for Public Realm) wished the borough’s French residents a happy Bastille Day. He then introduced the report which set out a range of improvements to the borough’s parks and in turn the quality of the environment for residents.

Councillor Wesley Harcourt (Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Ecology) commented on the importance of parks during heatwaves, noting that green spaces and the shade they provided were so important to residents. He welcomed the report and recommendations.

Councillor Adronie Alford asked if investment in cemeteries would be addressed in a separate report. Councillor Chevoppe-Verdier confirmed they would, and they would be considered in the same way as parks and other green spaces in the borough.

Councillor Jose Afonso also wished residents a happy Bastille Day. He said it was good to see parks getting attention which he felt was long overdue. He asked if playgrounds would be a separate item and when that would be considered. The Leader said members and officers were looking at playground improvements and wanted the best play equipment available, based on the latest ideas and research.

RESOLVED

1. To approve a Parks Improvement Programme requiring investment of £1.1m million.

The Key Decision List was noted.

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 an item of business, on the grounds that it contains 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.

No items were considered in private.