The meeting included reports on a variety of topics, including the procurement of consultants for cycling infrastructure, the continuation of support for refugees in Hounslow, the progress of the Council's simpler recycling reforms, the approval of budgets for the recently adopted Parking and Kerbside strategies, the extension of a licence to occupy for Hounslow Community Foodbox, the Council's road safety education and active travel programme for the coming year, the establishment of new posts to support the Housing department's use of the NEC Housing system, the migration of the finance system to the cloud, the implementation of priority working near The Blue School, the use of grant funding to support the rollout of electric vehicle charging points, the implementation of a new module of the Homelessness system and the setting of rents and service charges for new council homes in Brentford.

Boston Manor House Regeneration project 2023/24 to 2025/26

This report seeks approval for additional capital and revenue budget allocations for the Boston Manor House Regeneration Project.

The Council has a longstanding agreement with the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to regenerate Boston Manor House, which is a Grade I listed building. The Council received a grant from the NLHF in 2018 to deliver the project but due to the Covid pandemic and other difficulties the project has been delayed and additional funding is now required. The report seeks approval for additional capital budgets of £146,000 for 2023/24 and £14,000 for 2024/25 and revenue budgets of £268,266 for 2023/24, £474,420 for 2024/25 and £69,121 for 2025/26. The report seeks approval for these budgets to be financed through a combination of existing lottery grant funding, a reallocation of existing lottery grant funding and financing from Council reserves. The report notes that failure to fulfil the agreement with the lottery could result in them claiming back their investment.

Baber Bridge Cycle and Pedestrian Bridges - Procurement of Consultant for Outline Design

This report seeks approval for the direct award of a contract to Pell Frischmann to produce outline designs for the Baber Bridge Cycle and Pedestrian Bridges scheme.

As part of the Council's wider plans to improve cycling facilities along the A315 Staines Road between Hounslow and Bedfont, the Council intends to build new bridges over the Duke of Northumberland's River at Baber Bridge and Baber Auxiliary Bridge. The existing structures are too narrow to accommodate both motor vehicles and cyclists safely, and the existing footways are also substandard. The report notes that the Council has a duty to consider the needs of cyclists when managing its road network. The report proposes to procure outline designs for the scheme from the same consultants, Pell Frischmann, who completed the feasibility study for the scheme in April 2024. The report argues that because they are already familiar with the project Pell Frischmann will be able to complete the outline designs faster and at a lower cost than a different consultant would. Councillor Katherine Dunne, the portfolio holder for Climate, Environment and Transport, has declared that she is a member of the London Cycling Campaign. The report clarifies that this is not a disclosable pecuniary interest, and she has therefore been able to contribute to the decision.

Burlington Close Rents and Service Charges

This report seeks approval for the rents and service charges to be applied to the 61 flats at Burlington Close, Feltham from the date of their occupation to the end of the 2024/25 rent year.

The report notes that the Burlington Close development was approved in 2019 and is expected to be completed in April 2024. The report seeks approval to apply the rents and service charges that were approved by the Council's Cabinet in January 2024 to the new dwellings at Burlington Close, arguing that this is consistent with the rents and service charges applied to other Council tenants. The report notes that 6 of the dwellings at Burlington Close will be maisonettes with their own front doors at street level. These dwellings will therefore not be charged for caretaking and cleaning services but will be charged for estate maintenance services.

Electric Vehicle Phase 1b Funding

This report seeks approval to accept a grant of £76,000 from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicle’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Capability Fund and to allocate a budget of £150,000 from the Parking Reserve Account to enable the Council to continue the rollout of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points.

The Council published its first EV Charging Strategy in November 2022. This strategy set out the Council’s ambition to deliver over 2,000 new charging points by spring 2026. To achieve this target, the Council has been applying for grants from Central Government. This report requests approval to accept a Capability Fund grant of £76,000, which will fund additional resources to deliver the project. The report also seeks approval to allocate £150,000 to cover the costs of installing signage and undertaking maintenance on existing charging points. The report notes that this work is necessary because “the council’s EV Strategy states that all existing and new chargepoints will have a dedicated parking bay adjacent to them to improve accessibility to the charging points”. Councillor Katherine Dunne, the Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, has declared that she is a member of the London Cycling Campaign. The report clarifies that this is not a disclosable pecuniary interest, and she has therefore been able to contribute to the decision.

Extend License to Occupy relating to Rose Community Centre, Hawthorne Road, Brentford TW8 8NT

This report seeks approval to extend the Licence to Occupy for the Rose Community Centre on Hawthorne Road in Brentford.

The Rose Community Centre is owned by the Council and is part of its Housing Revenue Account (HRA) community hall portfolio. Since February 2022 the building has been occupied by Hounslow Community Foodbox, which provides a food bank service. This report seeks approval to extend the licence for a further 18 months, from 1 August 2023 to 31 January 2025, at a rent of £458.33 per month. The report notes that the Council has chosen to grant a Licence to Occupy to Hounslow Community Foodbox rather than a lease because it gives the Council more flexibility to redevelop the site in future.

Finance System Migration

This report seeks approval to allocate a budget of £427,000 to migrate the Council's Finance System to the cloud.

The report explains that the Council has a policy of migrating its computer systems to the cloud. This has a number of advantages, including reducing the Council's dependence on costly and specialist equipment and making its systems more resilient. The report seeks approval for a budget of £427,000 to migrate the Council's core finance system to the cloud. The migration is particularly urgent because the supplier of the system will cease to provide support for the current system from December 2024. The report seeks approval to fund the migration from the IT Fund Improvement Plan earmarked reserve.

Homelessness system replacement - additional budget allocation

This report seeks approval to allocate a budget of £40,000 to implement an additional module of the Council's homelessness system.

The Council is required to provide regular reports to central government on homelessness in the Borough. The Council procured a new homelessness reporting system in 2023, which is now being used successfully. However, this system is not currently used to record enquiries from residents about homelessness. The report seeks approval to allocate a budget of £40,000 to implement an additional module of the system, enabling residents and referring organisations to submit homelessness enquiries online, and to enable referring organisations to make online referrals to the Council's homelessness team. This will bring a number of benefits, including making it easier for residents with disabilities to contact the Council about homelessness and reducing the amount of time staff spend responding to enquiries that do not contain all the necessary information. The report notes that there are no additional licensing costs associated with implementing the new module.

Housing System Support Resources

This report seeks approval to establish two new permanent posts to support the Housing Department’s use of the NEC Housing system.

The Council's Housing department recently implemented a new Housing system, NEC Housing. The system is still being rolled out but the team that implemented it will soon be disbanded. The report seeks approval to establish two new permanent posts of Digital Product Owner to support the Housing department in using and optimising the new system. The report proposes to recruit the two new posts via an agency for an initial interim period, to be replaced by permanent members of staff once recruitment is complete. The report notes that “the do-nothing option was considered but rejected due to the need to ensure that the digital systems are a key tool in providing the Housing Service and must be adequately resourced”.

Resources for management of Homes for Ukraine and Asylum Seeker provision

This report seeks approval to create a number of new posts and budgets to manage the Council's response to the Homes for Ukraine and asylum seeker schemes.

The report notes that there are currently 870 refugees in Hounslow who have arrived under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and 1,639 asylum seekers. The report seeks approval to create a number of new posts to manage the Council’s response to these two schemes, noting that existing staff “are at capacity”. In particular the report proposes to create a new Partnerships and Integration Lead post to manage the Council’s existing integration work, which includes a £100,000 budget to be distributed to voluntary sector organisations, and to create two Integration Safety Officer posts, who will deliver training to refugees and asylum seekers. The report notes that the aim of this new investment is to “strengthen community cohesion” and to support the safeguarding of refugees and asylum seekers.

Setting of HRA rent & service charges for the Council’s 96 residential properties in 1 – 37 Hamlet House, 1 – 33 Tintern House & 1 – 26 Sonnet House (Brentford High Street Block D Development)

This report seeks approval to set the rents and service charges for the 96 new Council homes at the Brentford High Street Block D development.

The development, which is expected to be completed in July or August 2024, will provide 96 new council homes and 12 retail units. The report seeks approval to set the rents for the new homes in accordance with the rents that were agreed by the Council in January 2024, noting that “this is to ensure consistency and comparability of rents across the Hounslow stock”. The report also seeks approval to set site-specific service charges for the development to cover the costs of caretaking, cleaning, grounds maintenance, communal electricity and TV aerial provision. The report argues that this is necessary because “due to the layout of Block D, the caretaking and cleaning costs for Block D are significantly higher than typical general needs housing blocks”. The report notes that the rents for some of the properties will be capped because they will be occupied by tenants moving from Charlton House, Osier Court and Albany House under the Council’s priority rehousing scheme.

The Blue School - Proposed Priority Working on North Street (between Manor House Way and Swan Street)

This report seeks approval to introduce priority working on North Street, Isleworth.

Following the rejection of proposals to implement a School Street outside The Blue School in April 2024, the Council consulted on new proposals to introduce priority working on North Street between Manor House Way and Swan Street. The report notes that “consultation responses indicated that the scheme was not supported by residents”. 50% of the 11 responses to the consultation supported the proposals, with 8% supporting them subject to amendments. The report proposes to approve the scheme and to review parking on Upper Square in Isleworth “to develop any alterations considered necessary to improve traffic flow”. The report notes that any changes to parking on Upper Square will be subject to statutory consultation. Councillor Katherine Dunne, the portfolio holder for Climate, Environment and Transport, and Councillor John Stroud-Turp, one of the ward councillors for Isleworth, have both declared that they are members of the London Cycling Campaign. The report clarifies that this is not a disclosable pecuniary interest, and they have therefore been able to contribute to the decision.

Waste and Recycling Projects Team Contract Extension and Service Review

This report seeks approval to extend two existing fixed-term contracts in the Council's Waste and Recycling department for 12 months and to commission an independent review of the existing Waste and Recycling service.

In response to new government legislation, known as “Simpler Recycling”, the Council is implementing a number of changes to its Waste and Recycling service. These changes include introducing new recycling collections, expanding food waste recycling to high-rise flats and improving infrastructure on Council estates. This report seeks approval to extend the contracts for two existing fixed term members of staff for 12 months to deliver the new programme of work. The report also seeks approval for a budget of £90,000 to commission an independent review of the existing waste and recycling service. The report notes that the review will consider whether the Council is on track to meet its statutory obligations, which include increasing recycling rates and reducing residual waste tonnages, and will produce recommendations for how to ensure the service is delivered in a way that is “efficient, cost effective and offers a best in class service to Hounslow residents, communities and non-household properties such as schools etc.”

Allocation of funding from the Parking Reserve Account to Transport Planning & Road Safety

This report seeks approval to allocate a total of £319,935.40 from the Parking Reserve Account to deliver the Council’s road safety education and active travel programme in 2024/25.

The report notes that the programme will include a range of activities, such as delivering cycle training sessions for adults and children, promoting road safety in schools, delivering the Council’s School Crossing Patrol service, managing the Council’s car club scheme and promoting walking and wheeling. The report seeks approval to allocate £159,000 from the Parking Reserve Account to deliver the programme, supplementing £160,935.40 of funding that was previously approved for the 2023/24 programme but not spent. Councillor Katherine Dunne, the Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, has declared that she is a member of the London Cycling Campaign. The report clarifies that this is not a disclosable pecuniary interest, and she has therefore been able to contribute to the decision.

Approval of budget for Parking Strategy and Kerbside Strategy (2024/25)

This report seeks approval to allocate a budget of £360,000 from the Parking Revenue Account to deliver the Council's Parking and Kerbside strategies.

Following the adoption of the new Parking and Kerbside strategies in July 2024, the report seeks approval for budgets to deliver a number of new projects. The projects for which funding is requested include: a review of disabled parking provision, the introduction of new parking permit types, the introduction of emissions-based parking charges across the majority of permit types and pay and display parking, the introduction of a cap on the number of resident permits allowed per household, a review of the Council’s existing Controlled Parking Zone process and the installation of improved pedestrian and vehicular wayfinding signage with associated sensor technology. In relation to the Kerbside Strategy, the report seeks approval for budgets to deliver the first phase of a car club expansion scheme, the first phase of a “Green Streets Initiative”, a feasibility study into the introduction of Mobility Hubs, a review of existing loading bay management, a review of the use of taxi ranks and a programme of promotional activities “to support greater uptake of parklets, micro-mobility schemes, car clubs, cargo cycle loan scheme and alternative delivery methods”. Councillor Katherine Dunne, the Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport, has declared that she is a member of the London Cycling Campaign. The report clarifies that this is not a disclosable pecuniary interest, and she has therefore been able to contribute to the decision.