Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Andrew Jones (Cabinet Member for the Economy).

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.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2023.

The Open and Exempt minutes of the Economy, Arts, Sports and Public Realm Policy and Accountability Committee meeting held on 20 November 2023 were agreed.

This report provides an update on the overall preparation and proposals for the 2024/25 revenue budget, risks, financial resilience, and the impact of those proposals. It also sets out the budget proposals for the services covered by this Policy and Accountability Committee (PAC). An update is also provided on any proposed changes in fees and charges in the budget.

Councillor Rowan Ree, Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform, introduced the item that provided details on the proposals for the 2024/25 revenue budget – including the risks, financial resilience, and impact of those proposals. 

Councillor Ree noted that it had been a challenging time for local government, with central government grant reductions and high inflation, but despite the conditions, the Council had delivered a balanced budget that protected core services and continued funding for the areas that were unique to borough such as free home care, universal free school breakfasts, and the Law Enforcement Team. He explained this had been achieved through ruthless financial efficiency and reforming how services were delivered.

James Newman (Assistant Director of Finance) gave a presentation on the corporate budget, highlighting the following:

• The difficulties of the operating environment including inflation, pressures on household budgets, new legislative burdens, and uncertainty around local government funding.
• The key objectives of the financial plan were to protect statutory services, deliver services valued by residents, ensure people’s safety, and be a modern and innovative Council with strong financial governance and resilience.
• That council tax would increase by 2.99% (with a 2% Social Care uplift.), but a significant number of households in the borough would not pay the full amount due to discounts and exemptions. 

Bram Kainth (Strategic Director of Environment) gave a presentation of the budget for the Environment Directorate. The following points were noted:

Key budget changes that were highlighted included:

·       Additional investment for inflationary increases on both major contracts (minimum 4%) and council staff pay (3%)

·       Plus additional investment in services of £488k:

1.    new waste collection service (£278k) for garden waste

2.    continuation of the community and cultural events programme (£150k)

3.    ongoing contribution to the new H&F Black History Cultural Centre (£60k)

·       Savings of £1.55m for the whole Environment department

·       £1.35m savings relevant to EASP PAC:

1.   Thorough review of fees and charges (£200k).

2.   Service transformation and commissioning savings (£250k)

3.   Garden waste collection subscription service (£650k)

4.   Further efficiencies through roll out of wheeled bins (£250k)

Daniel Rochford (Head of Finance) gave a presentation of the budget for the Economy Directorate highlighting the following:

·       A Net Budget of £0.6m, balanced over last 4 years

·       £0.8m savings completed for 2022/2023

·       Officers had negotiated £98m Section 106 monies and there was excellent planning performance, including Planning consent for 134 homes

·       A Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for small business workspace

·       Co-produced housing with carbon down a significant 80%

·       Officers working in partnership had leveraged £85m for affordable housing

·       The Industrial Strategy had created 8,100 jobs and £6.1bn investment

·       The Authority continued to provide excellence in adult-learning

Councillor Adam Peter Lang asked if he was correct in assuming that Hammersmith and Fulham had a relatively young population compared to other London Boroughs. And he commented on how this shaped priorities. He asked what demographic change if any there was. In response, Councillor Rowan Ree, Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform confirmed that the Borough  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

This report provides the Committee details of the proposed terms of reference for this new strategic partnership for culture (the Cultural Compact), including its proposed membership structure.

Mark Raisbeck, Director of Public Realm, gave a presentation which provided the Committee details of the proposed terms of reference for the new strategic partnership for culture (the Cultural Compact), including its proposed membership structure.

The presentation covered the following points:

·        

·       The outcomes of the Cultural Strategy and background to the Cultural  Compact (Compact).

·       What the Cultural Compact was.

·       The scope and purpose of the Cultural Compact.

·       The proposed membership of the Cultural Compact.

·       Role of the Cultural Compact should the London Borough of Culture Bid be successful.

Councillor Ashok Patel noted that the London Borough of Culture Bid interviews were taking place on 7^th February 2024 and asked how the Council would be responding to the “making an impact” category. In response, Jon Pickstone confirmed the Council’s position was well thought through, and in terms of finance, governance and deliverability, expert advice had been sought and the bid was well tailored to Hammersmith and Fulham and reflected the Council’s assets, goals and communities.

Councillor Adam Peter Lang confirmed that he had attended the London Borough of Culture Bid event and this had gone well. He asked about the membership structure of the Culture Compact and whether the template had been borrowed from The Arts Federation. He stated that in his view, the number of proposed members of the Compact was about right and he was pleased that this included representatives for young people. In response, Mark Raisbeck confirmed that a loose framework, geared towards Hammersmith and Fulham had been used, and 16 members was probably about the maximum number to achieve the desire breadth of experience for the Compact. Mark Raisbeck also confirmed there would be a Cultural Forum so that those groups that were not members of the Compact would have a vehicle for their views.

Councillor Jackie Borland commented on the importance of culture to residents living in the  borough and asked about the relationship between the Cultural Strategy and the Compact. In response, Mark Raisbeck confirmed the Compact would oversee the delivery and governance of the Cultural Strategy. Val Birchall, Artistic Director and Civic Campus Curator, added that the difference between the Compact and the Arts Commission was that the Compact was intended to be more of a strategic partnership looking at how the outcomes of the health, economy or private sector could be met, to draw in additional resources and how the Council might then jointly resource the delivery of the Cultural Strategy. Whereas the Arts Commission was the mechanism for consulting and developing the themes for the Cultural Strategy work. Val confirmed that in terms of the models, nationally, there were over 20 places with cultural compacts which were very specific to particular places.

Councillor Jackie Borland asked for details to be provided about how the Compact would work and whether there were any set timeframes in mind, and what steps were being taken to ensure the Compact / Forum was inclusive and representative. In response, Mark Raisbeck confirmed that further to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.