Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jackie Borland, Andrew Jones (Cabinet Member for the Economy) and Zarar Qayyum (Cabinet member for Enterprise and Skills). Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Adam Peter Lang.

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 previous meeting and note any outstanding actions.

The minutes of the Economy, Arts, Sports and Public Realm Policy and Accountability Committee meeting held on 18 November 2024 were agreed.

This report presents to the Committee an update on the development of the next phase of the Council’s pioneering Industrial Strategy: Upstream London, launched in late November at an event at the new WEST Youth Zone in White City. The goal is to make the borough a global hub of innovation and inclusive growth.

Councillor Stephen Cowan (Leader of the Council) introduced the item and provided a comprehensive update on the development of the next phase of the Council’s pioneering Industrial Strategy: Upstream London. This was launched in late November 2024, at an event at the new WEST Youth Zone in White City. Building on the first phase of the Strategy, the Committee noted the aim was to make the borough a global hub of innovation and inclusive growth.

Councillor Stephen Cowan provided details on how the strategy had initially developed, following the establishment of a partnership with world-leading Imperial College London in 2017 to establish a cluster of science, technology, engineering, maths, medicines and media (STEM) businesses around Imperial’s existing research and development, to create a world-leading economic ecosystem in future industries.

Councillor Stephen Cowan explained the Council had developed a clear strategy to grow a localised economic ecosystem, with a focus on the sectors that were set to grow and that were deemed right for the local area. He highlighted the importance of creating the conditions for serendipity to occur and the innovation which stemmed from this. It was noted that since the inception of the Industrial Strategy, the Council had helped to generate £6billion of high-growth business investment, creating over 13,000 jobs. This had led to increased opportunities in the community through working closely with partners including anchor institutions, businesses and investors.

At the same event and as a central part of Upstream London, the Council also launched the Upstream Pathway Bond. Councillor Stephen Cowan explained this was a groundbreaking initiative giving people a clearer pathway into new careers and more opportunities to develop new skills. The Committee were informed that utilising relationships with businesses and with the international partnerships the Council had developed, young people would have significantly more opportunities. 

Councillor Ashok Patel congratulated Councillor Stephen Cowan on Upstream London / the Industrial Strategy. He noted the innovation districts which had been set up in Europe and Australia and asked if there were any plans for these to be developed in the Far East, particularly Singapore and India. Councillor Ashok Patel also commented on the work of the Sands End, Arts and Community Centre and the events which had been taking place there. In response, Councillor Stephen Cowan explained that next year, the Council would be launching the Innovation District Convention, and the council was currently in the process of speaking to all its partners and stakeholders in Hammersmith and Fulham about this, which would be open to people from around the world.

He explained that the Council was keen to extend the number of innovation districts in the democratic world as this was the best way to share learning and ensure the Council made the right decisions. He explained that the Council had met with the Leaders of Kanataka about linking with them in India and the Council was particularly keen to develop its Life Science connections. It was noted the Council had signed a letter of intent  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

This report provides an update on the overall preparation and proposals for the 2025/26 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.

Corporate Budget

Councillor Rowan Ree, Cabinet Member for Finance and Reform, introduced the item that provided details on the proposals for the 2025/26 revenue budget – including the risks, financial resilience, and impact of those proposals. 

He explained this had been achieved through ruthless financial efficiency and reforming how services were delivered. The following points were noted:

• The Net General Fund Revenue Budget was £221m.  

• The financial environment, including reduced revenue funding, changing demographics and a sluggish national economy. 

• The key objectives of the financial plan: Ensuring the safety of residents, businesses and visitors, protecting the statutory services and other Council services valued by residents. Promoting prosperity, running an efficient council, and preserving low council tax rates. 

• The budget headlines for 2025/26 included: Investing £3.5m in community safety and crime prevention, relieving pressure on statutory services, investing in the Upstream Industrial Strategy, tackling climate change and investing in sports facilities. 

Councillor Rowan Ree noted that the Revenue Budget would be presented to the Cabinet and Budget Council in February 2025 and thanked cabinet members and officers for their work in realising a balanced budget over the past year. 

Departmental Budget

Kellie Gooch - Head of Finance (Place) gave a presentation of the budget for the Place Directorate. The following key achievements were noted:

• Keeping the borough clean through waste / recycling collections and street sweeping.
• Minimising waste and increasing recycling.
• Maintaining 53 excellent parks and open spaces.
• Delivering 4 leisure centres and 1 swimming pool, at a net annual income to the Council (no cost to the Council).
• Providing a warm and safe space for 625,000 Library visitors every year.
• Keeping roads and pavements in good order and clear of obstacles.
• Rising to the challenge of the climate and ecological emergency.
• Pushing ahead with the Council’s pioneering Industrial Strategy - “Upstream London”.
• Consistently meeting learner targets, attracting full grant funding for Adult Learning & Skills (at no cost to H&F).
• Implementing the Council’s cultural strategy.

Kellie Gooch, (Head of Finance, Place) also updated members on the budget changes and future strategic budget risks. These included Hammersmith Bridge works, waste collection and meeting service costs, national inflationary pressures and challenges to secure funding for the Corporate Business Plan objectives.

In relation to waste disposal, general waste to recycling, Councillor Adam Peter Lang highlighted that he had received a considerable amount of case work on topic which had now largely gone. He took the opportunity to thank the officer teams for both improving the environment and saving costs in this area. He asked if there was a grant available to the Council in relation to household cardboard.

In response, Kellie Gooch, Head of Finance Place explained the aim of the £1.8 million funding from the government (extended producer responsibility) was to charge the producers of the waste and in doing so, incentivise them to reduce the amount of packaging. Councillor Adam Peter Lang highlighted the issue of the loss of public toilets across London, and suggested this could be looked at in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

This report provides information to the Committee on the work of the Inclusive Environment Disabled Residents Team. The report gives an overview of the Team, the work undertaken to date and planned in the future, as well as key achievements and challenges.

Annie Baker, Assistant Director Street Environment Services provided an update on the work of the Inclusive Environment Disabled Residents Team. The report was co-authored with Jane Wilmot, Inclusive Environment Disabled Residents Team Co-Chair. This update included an overview of the Team, the work undertaken to date and planned in the future, as well as key achievements and challenges.

The following points were noted:

• The Inclusive Environment Disabled Residents Team was set up in 2024. The Team now plays in co-production work across the Place directorate.

• The Inclusive Environment Disabled Residents Team is made up of council officers and disabled residents and meets monthly with 10 meetings per year.
• The remit and membership of the group.
• Successes to date included:

1. Access Audit of King Street and monitoring.
2. Site visits to understand the barriers at staggered crossings and bus stop bypasses ?on King Street and Wood Lane/South Africa Road.
3. The Development of Street-smart Guidance.
4. The implementation of Disabled Shopper Bays and issues regarding E-Bikes.

• Key challenges:

1. The provision of Inclusive technical information.
2. Working with other organisations, and recruitment.
3. The use of Resources and maximising impact:

• “Doing things with residents, not to them” – further examples from the Place Directorate.
• Information on future work streams.

The Chair, Councillor Rory Vaughan invited Kate Betteridge, local resident member of the Inclusive Environment Disabled Residents Team to provide her comments. The Committee heard that it had been an honour for the Inclusive Environment Disabled Residents Team to work with Councillors and everyone had learnt from each other. Disabled residents rightly had expectations as they wished to live independently withing the Borough. The group would continue to highlight barriers to officers, so by working together these could be overcome.

Councillor Adam Peter Lang congratulated the Group on its work to date and asked if there was anything Councillors / the Committee could do to assist them further? In response, Annie Baker confirmed that raising awareness of what the Group was doing as well as need for new members to come and work as part of the team were critical factors. Kate Betteridge commented that geographically across the borough, the Inclusive Environment Disabled Residents Team would like better representation as many of the current membership were centrally located around the Fulham / Hammersmith borders and White City. However, the Group was not represented to the East or West of the borough.

Councillor Adam Peter Lang agreed with the concerns that had been raised about E-Bikes, and in particular, where they were stored and asked if there anything else Council could do in terms of Parking bays or funding from central government to support a greater pan-London approach to E-Bikes.

In response, Mark Raisbeck, Director of Public Realm, confirmed E-bikes were a growing and important part of the transport network. However, their popularity was having consequences the Council did not want such as the parking of large numbers of bikes often in inappropriate locations. To address this, the Council was rolling out additional parking stations off the footway and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.