Agenda, decisions and minutes

That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 15 May 2023 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ben Coleman, Frances Umeh and Bora Kwon.

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.

The Cabinet received a valid petition requesting the Council to provide a letter of support for a fully funded feasibility study into the use of lightweight, electric autonomous shuttles to help people cross the Hammersmith Bridge.

The Leader invited Mr Leo Murray, the petition organiser and director of innovation at climate charity Possible, to address the Cabinet for 5 minutes to present his petition.

Mr Leo Murray stated that he had worked with local communities and expert stakeholders to develop an alternative proposal for the future of Hammersmith Bridge which could work within the existing engineering constraints on the bridge after the stabilisation works were completed. As there was still no funding agreement for the full restoration works, the Council needed to consider contingency options for meeting the mobility needs of local people.

He stated that the bridge’s closure had caused enormous problems for people in Barnes and Roehampton who lacked access to private cars or the ability to walk or cycle across the bridge. Possible had developed a plan to meet their needs which was realistic, affordable, desirable for local people, and would help to tackle the climate crisis while protecting the bridge’s unique heritage. They were proposing a shuttle service to replace some of the lost bus connectivity over the bridge with autonomous vehicles, specifically aimed at supporting mobility for those who were unable to walk or cycle over the bridge. This would be alongside protected cycle lanes and pedestrian footways.

The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (C-CAV) had outlined a potential funding opportunity for this proposal. They had announced a funding competition to support feasibility studies into the integration of autonomous vehicles into public mass transit systems which was expected to open to applications at the end of May / start of June, and close in July, with winners announced in the autumn and feasibility studies taking place during 2024. Successful bids would need a letter of support of the relevant highways authority, which in this case was LBHF. If the Council agreed to provide a letter of support for their feasibility study it would not commit them to any costs or anything beyond the study itself.

Mr Murray concluded that the Council could have three options. First, Possible could hand over their project to the Council to take forward the feasibility study to the C-CAV funding competition. Second, the Council could work with Possible to take forward the project in a partnership approach. Third, the Council could sign the letter of support enabling them to proceed with applying for funding to a full feasibility study into their proposed scheme.

The Leader thanked Mr Murray and invited questions from Cabinet Members.

Councillor Rowan Ree stressed that the Council was already in the middle of a feasibility study. A separate study would require further assessment of the bridge strength at additional costs and time. He questioned the benefit of doing a separate feasibility study.

Mr Murray replied that they were not aware of what other work was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

1.    To approve a schools capital budget of £17.941m over the five years 2023-2028 for the programme of works as set out in Appendix A.

2.    To delegate the decision to commit expenditure within the schools’ capital programme to the Operational Director of Education and SEND, in consultation with the Strategic Director of Children’s Services, the Director of Finance and with the Cabinet Member for Children and Education.

Councillor Andrew Jones introduced the report setting out a proposed programme over five years to significantly enhance the condition of school buildings, improve provision for learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities or in Alternative Provision and reduce carbon emissions.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY THE CABINET MEMBERS:

1.    To approve a schools capital budget of £17.941m over the five years 2023-2028 for the programme of works as set out in Appendix A.

2.    To delegate the decision to commit expenditure within the schools’ capital programme to the Operational Director of Education and SEND, in consultation with the Strategic Director of Children’s Services, the Director of Finance and with the Cabinet Member for Children and Education.

That Cabinet approves the publication of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Strategy attached at Appendix 1.

Councillor Alex Sanderson introduced the report setting out setting out the Council’s local area commitment to improve the educational, health and emotional wellbeing and life outcomes for all young people in the borough aged 0-25 years who have SEND while promoting inclusion.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY THE CABINET MEMBERS:

That Cabinet approves the publication of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Strategy attached at Appendix 1.

1.    The publication of the Ordinarily Available Guidance and Profile of Need attached at Appendix 1 and Appendix 2.

2.    The publication of the SEND Sufficiency Review attached at Appendix 3.

Councillor Alex Sanderson introduced the report setting out setting out the Council’s local area approach to ensure sufficient provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in the borough, as well as the wider regional area in the context of what is ordinarily available. 

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY THE CABINET MEMBERS:

1.    The publication of the Ordinarily Available Guidance and Profile of Need attached at Appendix 1 and Appendix 2.

2.    The publication of the SEND Sufficiency Review attached at Appendix 3.

Cabinet is asked to:

Agree to recognise ‘Care Experienced’ as a Protected Characteristic by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Councillor Alex Sanderson introduced the report requesting to agree that ‘Care Experienced’ be recognised as a protected characteristic by the Council. This demonstrated the Council’s commitment as a Corporate Parent to ending the disparity and inequality faced by care experienced young people by going beyond the statutory requirements and ensuring that the needs of care experienced young people were at the heart of all decision-making alongside other groups who formally share a Protected Characteristic.

Care experienced people faced significant barriers that impacted them throughout their lives, often facing discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, relationships, employment and in the criminal justice system.

The Leader added that by recognising and making allowances for this by making care experience a protected characteristic would positively impact on care experienced young people and support them to become thriving adults.

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY BY THE CABINET MEMBERS:

Cabinet is asked to:

Agree to recognise ‘Care Experienced’ as a Protected Characteristic by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

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.       

There was no discussion of exempt elements.