Agenda item

The Committee is asked to note and approve all matters in this report.           

Mahmood Siddiqi, Advisor to the Trust, presented the report.

External Auditors

Mahmood Siddiqi noted that the report requested the Committee’s approval of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Trust’s external audit for the accounting year 2018/19, subject to final approval by the Chair upon receipt of an acceptable quote. The Committee agreed the recommendation.

Linford Christie Stadium

The Chair asked why the majority of wash basins were still out of action. Councillor Belinda Donovan said it was a health and safety issue and needed resolving ASAP. Mahmood Siddiqi said it was down to the Council’s property services team. A report had been drafted and was going through the Council’s decision-making process. The Chair asked for a written update to be circulated to the Committee.

ACTION: David Burns

Benches

Stephen Waley-Cohen noted that a bench had been removed from Chestnut Walk because it was unsafe, but it hadn’t been replaced.

OPDC Local Plan

Richard Gill noted that he had met with the Friends of Wormwood Trust to discuss the OPDC local plan approach. The planning inspector took on board the Trust’s concerns about access points. Each access point and its impact had to be considered individually.

David Burns noted that the planning inspector had set aside three dates for Car Giant’s evidence to the GLA and he would circulate dates to committee.

ACTION: David Burns

Kensington Dragons Football Club

Richard Gill reported that he had met with Kensington Dragons and resolved all outstanding issues (or put plans in place to resolve them). The Council would need to provide funding to take the proposals forward.

Chris Shirley, of Kensington Dragons, said they had an initial cost plan but needed an investigation into the condition of the grounds. They also need a specification which the Dragons were happy to fund. The budget for the works were estimated at £1.6m of which a portion would be provided by the Council due to an arrangement to maintain the surfacing.

So as not to hold up the process any longer than necessary, the Committee agreed to delegate the decision to grant a lease or license to the Council’s Assistant Director for Growth (David Burns) in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, Councillor Wesley Harcourt.

Miriam Shea asked advisors to circulate a one-page summary of the Linford Christie lease to the Committee.

ACTION: David Burns

Stamford Brook Sewer

Stephen Waley-Cohen noted that when works commenced in Spring of last year there was a large area cordoned-off for safety reasons. Advisors said they expected full safety fencing for the works in Spring 2020. The Committee requested clear notices were put up at the time.

Community Safety

The Chair asked for a breakdown of the incidents in the report to be circulated to the Committee.

ACTION: Mahmood Siddiqi

Dog Walkers

Stephen Waley-Cohen noted the Committee had previously discussed requiring professional dog walkers to obtain a license. He asked for a short report on how the Royal Parks handled the issue and how something similar could be put into place on the Scrubs.

Medical Research Council building project

Advisors noted that the Council was recommending approval of the application at the next planning committee meeting. The Committee agreed to delegate the negotiation of the final terms and granting of the license to the Council’s Assistant Director for Growth (David Burns) in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, Councillor Wesley Harcourt.

Kensington Aldridge Academy

David Burns advised that the DfE had asked for a further 3 years planning permission. Advisors were recommending a 12-month licence with a review at the end of the period.

The committee asked why the recommendation was for just 12-months. Advisors said it was to protect the Trust. The MoD asked for the recommendation in case they had any need for the land within three years.

The Committee agreed to delegate to H&F officers to negotiate the final terms and to ensure the appropriate legal agreements were in place as outlined in the report.

Financial Outturn 2017/19

Mahmood Siddiqi noted there would be a surplus this year of £232,000. The Committee asked why parking income had increased - was it due to the new cashless payment system? Mahmood said cashless payments had increased revenue across the borough. The Chair asked if the figure included the money from TfL for rapid charge points. Mahmood said he would follow this up after the meeting.

ACTION: Mahmood Siddiqi

Financial Forecast for 2019-20

Mahmood Siddiqi reported that the Trust was anticipating a surplus of £13,000 - but that excluded the income from Kensington Aldridge Academy and other payments that hadn’t been confirmed at the time of the report being written. The Committee asked for an update on these figures at the next meeting.

A member of the public felt the accounts didn’t reflect the true picture as they didn’t include the subsidy from the Council of around £250,000 per year. He had produced consolidated accounts and asked if they could circulate them to the Committee. David Burns said a report could be brought to a future meeting on this.

RESOLVED

1.    The Committee approved the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Trust’s external auditors for the accounting year 2018/19, subject to final approval by the Committee Chair upon receipt of an acceptable quote.

2.    The Committee agreed to delegate the decision to grant a lease or license for Kensington Dragon’s Football Club to the Council’s Assistant Director for Growth, David Burns, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, Councillor Wesley Harcourt.

3.    Medical Research Council building project - the Committee agreed to delegate the negotiation of the final terms and granting of the license to the Council’s Assistant Director for Growth, David Burns, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, Councillor Wesley Harcourt.

4.    Kensington Aldridge Academy - The Committee agreed to delegate to H&F officers to negotiate the final terms and to ensure the appropriate legal agreements were in place as outlined in the report.