The Cabinet noted an overspend of £14 million on its revenue budget, agreed to directly award the contract for drug and alcohol services to Change Grow Live (CGL), adopted a new Serious Violence Strategy and agreed to lease two sites for temporary accommodation.

Financial Monitoring - Month 3

The Cabinet noted a projected overspend of £14.038 million on its revenue budget. Councillor Paul Douglas stated that this was largely due to the legacy of the previous Conservative government's economic mismanagement and highlighted overspends in Adults and Children's Social Care and in services for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Councillor Grace Williams said that the overspends demonstrate the ongoing impact of the cost of living crisis on residents and the need for the council to take robust action.

The Cabinet approved the use of existing budget provisions to meet several forecast cost increases. £1.943 million from a contract inflation provision of £4.4 million was used to meet increased costs in the waste, grounds maintenance, street cleaning and highways contracts. £0.044 million was also allocated from a contingency budget to address a backlog in financial assessments.

The Cabinet also approved a number of additional budget requests. These included £0.170 million from the Budget Strategy Reserve (BSR) to fund the Inclusion Action Plan, £0.392 million from the BSR to fund new Business Intelligence posts, £0.015 million from the BSR to fund the Mosaic Health Check, and £0.258 million from the BSR to fund new serious violence reduction initiatives. In addition, £3.084 million was allocated from the BSR to fund a number of ongoing transformation programmes.

The Cabinet noted that the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) was forecast to break even.

Protecting Communities from Alcohol and Drug Related Harm

The Cabinet approved the direct award of a new five-year contract for drug and alcohol treatment services to the current provider, Change Grow Live (CGL). The contract will be awarded using the Provider Selection Regime Direct Award option, under the Health and Care Act 2022, and will be worth £2,259,000 per year.

The Cabinet noted the progress made by the Combating Drugs Partnership (CDP) in addressing alcohol and drug related harms in the borough and the positive feedback received from Professor Dame Carol Black on the Partnership's work. Councillor Mitchell said that the partnership has enabled the council and police to work more closely together to understand and respond to the impact of alcohol and drugs on crime and anti-social behaviour and that the work of Change Grow Live (CGL) was particularly impressive. Councillor Limbajee praised CGL's work on addressing the root causes of addiction, including by providing support to people leaving prison, and highlighted the success of the holistic support offer at CGL's main hub on Beulah Road in Walthamstow.

The new service specification for the CGL contract was developed following a comprehensive review of 'what works' for alcohol and drug treatment, including the findings from the Government's ten year drug strategy, From harm to hope: a 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives. It sets out the requirement for the service to take a preventative approach to addiction, with an emphasis on early intervention, and to work closely with partners to offer joined-up support that meets the diverse needs of residents.

Serious Violence Strategy: A partnership approach to keeping our young people safe from violence

The Cabinet agreed to adopt a new resident-facing Serious Violence Strategy. The new strategy builds on the council's statutory response to the government's Serious Violence Duty and sets out how partners will work together to reduce serious violence and exploitation among young people under the age of 25, with a particular focus on tackling knife crime.

Councillor Limbajee said that tackling knife crime among young people is a key priority for the council and for residents. He highlighted the importance of engaging with young people and with those who have experience of the criminal justice system to understand the drivers of violence and to make sure that services are focused on those who need them most. Councillor Gardiner said that it is vital to intervene as early as possible to support those most at risk and to address the factors that can lead to a person becoming involved in violence.

The Strategy uses a public health approach to violence reduction and sets out a package of initiatives designed to:

• Strengthen the resilience of communities and young people to prevent them from being drawn into violence.
• Provide early, targeted support to those most vulnerable to violence.
• Ensure those exposed to violence receive high-quality, timely support.
• Predict, prevent, deter and disrupt acts of violence.

These ambitions will be delivered through a range of new and existing initiatives, including:

• Funding for a new multi-agency expert team to work alongside the police, probation, youth services and VCS partners to address gang violence.
• Employing trained chaperones to create safer routes for children walking to and from school.
• Expanding and promoting a network of 'safe spaces' across the borough for young people who feel unsafe.
• Embedding trained mentors in police custody to engage with young people arrested for violence-related offences.

Social Impact Report 2023-2024 and Social Value Annual Statement 2024

The Cabinet approved the Social Impact Report 2023-2024 and the Social Value Annual Statement 2024. Councillor Douglas said that since its launch in December 2020, the Social Value function has delivered £40.8 million of social value benefits to the borough. He said that the new annual statement sets out the council's social value strategy going forward and has been aligned with the ambitions in Mission Waltham Forest.

Pay to Park Restrictions - Amendments to Times/Days

The Cabinet agreed to carry out a public consultation on proposed changes to Pay to Park (P2P) restrictions. The consultation will seek views from residents on plans to:

• Change Pay to Park operating times to 8:00am to 6:30pm, Monday to Sunday.
• Remove the one-hour free period that currently operates between 1pm and 2pm.
• Remove the current 15 minutes of free parking in P2P bays.

The proposals are intended to bring Waltham Forest in line with neighbouring boroughs and to create a more consistent approach to parking across the borough. They are also designed to support the council's active travel strategy by encouraging a shift away from private cars and to reduce congestion and improve air quality.

The Cabinet delegated decision making authority to the Strategic Director for Neighbourhood and Environment in consultation with Councillor Clyde Loakes to consider consultation responses and to decide whether to implement the proposals.

Securing Additional Temporary Accommodation Supply

The Cabinet agreed to lease two sites to provide additional temporary accommodation in the borough. The proposals will provide 245 new self-contained temporary accommodation units and are intended to reduce the council's reliance on commercial hotels, which are a significant cost pressure. The two sites are:

• The London Walthamstow Hotel, Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, which comprises 221 self-contained rooms.
• Waterside Lodge, Langthorne Road, Leytonstone, a former care home that comprises 24 self-contained rooms.

Councillor Williams said that the lease arrangements will provide much needed relief for families with children who are currently living in shared accommodation and that the decision will enable the council to make significant savings. She also confirmed that the council had secured planning permission to change the use of both sites from the Planning Committee.

The council has agreed to take a five-year serviced lease of the London Walthamstow Hotel, with the option to break the lease on six months' notice after 18 months. The council has also agreed a three-year lease of Waterside Lodge. The lease for Waterside Lodge includes an option to purchase the freehold at any point during the lease term for a fixed price. The cabinet delegated authority to officers to agree the final terms of the leases and to agree the purchase of Waterside Lodge if the council decides to exercise this option.