The Cabinet agreed to adopt the Community Engagement Framework, the Children and Young People’s Plan 2024-2029, the SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2024-2029, the Royal Borough of Greenwich Air Quality Action Plan and the Community Resource Strategy. They also approved the continuation of the council's trading companies GS Plus Ltd and GSS Ltd and agreed to retain responsibility for the net assets and liabilities from GSP’s membership of the RBG Pension Fund. They adopted the Culture Strategy 2024 to 2030 in principle, with amendments to be made to a section about community consultation at a later date. They noted the draft Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024, the revenue outturn for the 2023/24 financial year, and the treasury management and capital outturn for the same period. Finally, they noted a forecasted resourcing gap of £27.3 million in 2025/26.

Draft Statement of Accounts 2023/24

The Cabinet considered the draft Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024. The accounts were prepared under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in accordance with the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the UK. A period of 30 working days has been set aside to allow members of the public to inspect the accounts, between 15 July 2024 and 23 August 2024. The draft Statement of Accounts was submitted to the Council's external auditor, Forvis Mazars, on 12 July 2024.

2023/24 Revenue Outturn

The Cabinet noted the Council’s outturn position for the 2023/24 financial year. The report outlined a balanced budget overall. However, several departments reported overspends which were offset by underspends in other departments. In particular, both Health & Adults and Children’s Services reported an overspend of £8.4 million and £8.6 million respectively.

Treasury Management and Capital Outturn 2023/24

The Cabinet noted the Treasury Management and Capital Outturn reports for 2023/24. The Treasury Management report showed that the Council had maintained an under-borrowed position throughout the year, meaning that it had borrowed less than it needed to fund its capital expenditure, and had instead used its reserves to support capital investment. The report identified that going forward, the Council would need to change its strategy and borrow more externally.

The Capital Outturn report identified that the council had invested a total of £318.43 million, up from £177 million the previous year, with the majority of this spent on housing.

The Cabinet also agreed an additional allocation of £1.3 million of contingency to the Future High Streets Fund, which will be used to help fund the regeneration of Woolwich town centre.

Medium Term Financial Strategy 2025/26+ update

The Cabinet noted an updated forecast of a £27.3 million resourcing gap in 2025/26. The report identifies that the Council continues to face a combination of increasing demands for services, inflationary pressures, and the impact of changes in demographics. The report warns that the most significant impacts on future year forecasts are likely to come from these service pressures combined with a forecast lack of funding support from central government.

Community Engagement Framework

The Cabinet adopted the Community Engagement Framework. The Framework is the Council’s first, and it aims to deliver a new approach to engagement. It comprises two documents: Our Greenwich: Community Engagement Pledge and Our Greenwich: Community Engagement Handbook. The framework was developed in collaboration with council staff, elected members, and community organisations, as well as through a consultation with residents.

Children and Young People’s Plan - 2024-2029

The Cabinet approved the new Children and Young People’s Plan 2024-2029. The new plan, which replaces one that ran out in 2024, will run for 5 years and was developed in conjunction with the Children and Young People’s Partnership Board (CYPPB), which has responsibility for overseeing its delivery. Although not a statutory requirement, Royal Greenwich has continued to produce a CYPP to show its commitment to young people in the borough. The Plan has six objectives which were developed in conjunction with young people in the borough: Our Future, Our Safety, Our Health, Our Relationships, Our Support and Our Voice.

Royal Borough of Greenwich Air Quality Action Plan

The Cabinet adopted and published the Borough's Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) 2023 to 2028. The new Plan, which replaces one that ran until October 2022, will run for 5 years and is based on legal requirements which mean that Royal Greenwich is obliged to monitor and assess air quality in the borough, and take action where air quality standards are not being met.

SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2024 - 2029

The Cabinet approved the objectives set out in the new SEND and Inclusion Strategy from 2024 to 2029. The strategy, which replaces one that was due to expire this year, sets out how Royal Greenwich and its partners, such as the NHS, will work together to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It includes five ambitions that were developed in consultation with young people with SEND, their families and professionals who work with them:

• We want to be a part of our local community and go to inclusive fun activities like everyone else does. • We want schools and nurseries to support us better and have enough places so we can go to the “right” school for us. • We want to be independent and ready for work and/or college when we leave school. • We want to be as safe and healthy as we can be. • We want ourselves, our families and friends to understand our needs and be able to support us well.

Community Resource Strategy

The Cabinet approved the Community Resource Strategy and associated Needs Analysis. The Strategy, which replaces the Voluntary and Community Sector Strategy that ran out in 2022, aims to provide a new approach to how Royal Greenwich Council works with community groups and the voluntary sector.

Cultural strategy

The Cabinet approved the Cultural Strategy 2024 to 2030, subject to the contents of a section on Community Consultation being reviewed and amended. The strategy sets out a vision for how the Royal Borough of Greenwich can support the development of a thriving cultural sector, in collaboration with local communities and the borough's creative and cultural sectors.

GS Plus Ltd and GSS Ltd – Review of Direction of Travel

The Cabinet agreed to continue operating the Council's two trading companies, GS Plus Ltd and GSS Ltd, beyond their planned closure date of 31 March 2025.

GSS was set up in 2008 to operate a Recruitment Agency. GSP was set up in 2009 to operate a range of Council services including catering, fleet management, passenger services, and facilities management. In 2019 a decision was made to wind down the companies and insource some of their activities back into the Council. This was due to the fact that GSP was running at an operational loss. However, the companies have since successfully reshaped their business, and both are now profitable.