Transcript

Thank you very much. Okay, good evening. Welcome to this meeting of the cabinet. I'm Kanthar Shatirajawat, leader of the council and chair of this committee. Welcome to those in the audience and those watching at home. Hopefully you get something out of this meeting. Join around the table with colleagues on the cabinet who are part of the decision making process. I'll introduce themselves as they speak this evening. We've also got officers around the table who do not take part in the decision making but are here to offer support as required. Start with apologies for absence. I've got apologies from Councillor Sampson, Councillor Sidhu and Councillor Choudry for lateness. Councillor Thompson and Councillor Rasa as leader of the opposition, chair of review and scrutiny have a standing invitation and don't take part in the decision making but they have also sent their apologies so that's not as important this time. Can I ask members, are there any declarations of interest for the agenda? No. Any communications to any members? No. Can I draw members' attention to the monitoring officer's note on interests as well? Then move on to the first item of the agenda which is the minutes of the meeting held on 3rd September. I'll take them page by page for both accuracy and matters arising. Page 7. Page 8. Page 9. Page 10. Page 11. And finally page 12. Members are you happy for me to sign those minutes? Agreed. Thank you very much. Right. We now move to the first item of the agenda which is item 3, that's Disposal of Surplus Assets at Denman House. Councillor Rees. Thank you very much. Yes, the report this evening asks cabinet to agree the disposal of six surplus assets referred to in paragraph 3.1 further down the report. There are six households in Denman House, two of which are currently in the HRA and two are in as part of the general fund. This is not a usual type of report that comes to cabinets. I don't remember ever having to bring or ever hearing this sort of thing previously. I'm sure it has happened but it is quite unusual. We don't take disposal of our assets lightly and we do make sure and the report outlines why the decision was taken in this case and moving council assets on does mean that obviously we don't have those assets anymore. So it's important that we recognise that the money raised from the potential disposal here will be ring fenced either within a capital programme or within the HRA to further outcomes within those two budgets and to protect the money that has been that has been raised in the sale here. Essentially the sale, we're asking about the sale of these and the disposal of these assets because they don't work as part of our housing programme. The service charge and general maintenance here just doesn't work and not being able to charge it to tenants there makes more sense to have these assets out in private ownership and within the private market sector rather than within the council sector and we can make best use of the money elsewhere and ensure that we can get best value for this. So lots of options have been looked at. Ways of keeping this within the council portfolio were considered but it is seen best that actually disposing of these and using the money in a different way for the betterment of our tenants, our future tenants in this case is exactly what we should be doing. So there are four recommendations here. Disposal of the surplus asset, proving the principle to reinvest the sale of two of the six into the HRA account and four of the six into the general fund and delegate authority to the executive director to sell these on the council behalf and look at ways and mechanisms of doing this. So I'm very happy to move the report. Do you want to introduce yourself? I'm Councillor Tom Bruce and I'm a cabinet member for assets regeneration and development. Apologies, leader. Thank you very much. I'll formally second it and reserve my right to speak. In fact, remiss me I should have declared the property that used to be on this land was a property of the Labour Party and I was an officer of the Labour Party when this was disposed just for transparency. So it's been moved and seconded as open for discussion and debate. Anybody wish to say anything on this? I can't see anyone indicating so the recommendations on this report are on page 13 over on 14, one to four. Can I see all those in favour? That is agreed. Thank you very much. We then move to item four on the agenda. Really ambitious transport strategy. Councillor Dunn, over to you. Thank you very much, leader. I'm Councillor Catherine Dunn, cabinet member for climate, environment and transport. And this paper I'm bringing to cabinet this evening is the result of a period of engagement that we've been undertaking over the summer with the transport team really getting out and about in the borough, talking to residents about what updates and new things or perhaps retention of old things people would like to see in our transport strategy as a borough. So our transport strategy is due a refresh. And many things have changed since we last put in place our transport strategy. We've had the pandemic for one thing. We've had big changes to how funding works in local government and particularly for transport projects. And there's been changes to the way that rail services are run, changes to bus routes in the borough. And we've embarked on a big programme of introducing active travel measures in the borough. So there's so many things that have changed. And so it is really a good time for us to reflect on some of those changes and decide what it is that we want to prioritise going forward. And so that as I said that initial period of engagement has taken place. And as a result of that a draft transport strategy has been produced, it's published with the cabinet papers. I would encourage everyone to look at that. But what I'm asking for tonight from cabinet is to actually go out to formal consultation on that draft strategy. So we think we've got it in a good place from what we've heard so far. But we'd like to have some further confirmation of that from residents, from the people who are likely to benefit from our strategy. And it incorporates some other plans such as a cycling action plan, a walking and wheeling action plan as well. The document, as I said, is there for everyone to see. It's structured around what we call in our four moves. So it's to help us move forward, get moving, and find the best way to do that. It supports all our objectives in our corporate plan as a borough. So we want a healthier borough. We want a thriving prosperous borough. And there is a lot that transport can do to support our borough economically. But we also want a greener and more pleasant borough. And transport can feed into all of these things and an important part of it. And one thing that we will be probably making more changes to reflect or just to cement a bit further is about tackling inequalities in the borough. As you know, we've done a lot of work on that through our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, identified our areas of the borough that need more work on in that sense. And so they'll be brought into the strategy as well to make sure it really is addressing those key issues. So I recommend the report. Once it's been out to consultation and we've made any further changes, then the full final strategy will come to full council as is required by the constitution. Thank you very much, Councillor Dunne. I will formally second it. Yeah, and to that point, it's a brilliant document. It's really, really comprehensive. And it talks across the council to the many different ambitions and priorities that we have in terms of being healthier. So I really do commend both you and the team for bringing it forward. It's now open for discussion and debate. Anybody like to contribute or say anything to this? No, can't see anyone indicating. So the recommendations are on page 21 over on to 221262. Councillor Choudry, you're very welcome. But as you arrived in the middle of the debate, you can't vote on this one. Can I see all those in favour? That is carried. Thank you very much. Right. We now moved on to another very exciting report. The Business Case for Growth. Councillor Bruce. Sorry, sorry. My sorry. Brentford Ledge. Brentford Ledge. Let's go to that one. It's still me, though. It's still you. Yeah, it's still me. Yes, this is also very exciting, very exciting. Um, after a, let's call it a soft launch in the last cabinet agenda where this was knowledge mistakenly put on the agenda, and it shouldn't have been, people got to see a preview of what we're talking about here unfinished, but a preview nonetheless. I'm glad to be able to bring this formally in front of people and put this out in its fullest sense. And to let everybody know exactly what our plans are, and why we're considering this. I think anybody who has been to Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre in the last few years would probably agree that it is coming to the end of its life. I remember going there as a child and enjoying it greatly. And I know lots of people go there and still enjoy lots about it still. But it is time to move on and to move forward. And that's what this report is looking at. It is an expensive building, it is a building not fit for purpose anymore. But it is something a leisure centre and a swimming pool included in that leisure area that we want to retain. But we have to find a different way of doing it. So what we're asking here for is to formally ask, formally start some community engagement on what the future of a leisure centre in the Brentford area would look like. What a replacement centre and what the area around the leisure centre could be going forward. We're incredibly proud of all our leisure facilities in the borough. And we want to make sure that they are the best that they can be. And we want to ask people in this case, exactly what they want. And that will be particularly pertinent to the people of Brentford. But I lived in Heston when I was young and still visited there. So we're looking further afield as well. And we want the whole borough to contribute to this, whether they've been to the leisure centre recently or even at all. What is it that they would like to see going forward? We need to allocate a budget towards this. So there's money attached to this in order to make sure that we make sure we communicate with people, make sure we start working up feasibility on what the future of this will be. We also need to allocate a budget that's in the report in order to keep the leisure centre going for the next few months. Because although we have intent to close at some point, we do want to keep it going while we go out and talk to people. And that is costing more money than we would like. But we do want to make sure that we keep it going as long as possible. So, in short, I'm asking for, or we're asking for, this is a joint report with Councillor Shaheen, I'm sure he'll speak in a moment to sort of more leisure side of this. But going out to consult and engage with people on some community engagement on what they would like to see there. Allocating some money towards feasibility study and some money towards keeping the leisure centre going in the short to medium term. I move the report later. Thank you, that's Rufus, Councillor Shaheen. Salman Shaheen, Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Public Spaces. I'm very happy to second this report and I will speak on it. I think it's very clear to all of us how important our leisure services are, both to our borough as a whole and its objectives of forging a healthier borough in terms of people's physical health and their mental health as well, and also in terms of our residents as well. Because, you know, with all the expensive leisure facilities out there, we maintain a provision that is accessible to all, that is open to all, that's affordable to all. And I think that's very important to have those council leisure facilities that serve the interests of our people. And for that reason, Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre has formed a key part of our community for so many years. But it is very clear to me as a Brentford resident and also as a cabinet member for leisure, that it is no longer fit for purpose. And, you know, you look around all our other leisure centres in the borough, you look at the shining facilities in so many of them, and you look at Brentford and you go, it's not quite that anymore, is it? Now, it is time to move on from Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre as it exists. But this is a fantastic opportunity to forge a new leisure centre. And I think that is a very important thing to stress, that this is a commitment to build a new leisure centre. This isn't us disclosing the doors of Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre. This is us putting our leisure facilities front and centre of this. And this is the start of a journey in which we want people to come with us. And we want to consult residents, we want to consult schools, we want to consult leisure centre users and community groups, and find out what you need from your leisure services. And this is a really open conversation. We want to hear from you, we want to know what facilities you want so that we can build a better leisure centre which will suit everyone's needs going forward for many years into the future. Thank you, Councillor Sheehan. I could have taken the words out of my mouth, both of you. Right, it's been moved and seconded, it's now open for discussion and debate. Anybody like to say anything on this report? I think it's a really positive report, actually. No, can't see anyone. Good. So the recommendations are on page 149, over on 250, 128. Can I see all those in favour? That is carried. Thank you very much. Now we move on to the Business Case for Growth. Councillor Bruce, over to you. Now we move on to the Business Case for Growth. Yes, a tremendously exciting borough-wide report. Growth is at the heart of the new government's agenda and it has been at the heart of our agenda for some years. Plenty of historic and background reports that all talk to economic growth and economic prosperity in the borough, not least the Prosperity in Place report that former leader, Councillor Curran bought to this cabinet in 2022, I believe. We've had some great successes in this borough with growth and economic advancement, but what we know still at the moment is despite that, that growth is not shared equally. It's not shared equally by the people of the borough. It's not shared equally by industry or by sector and it's not shared equally by the places in the borough, across the borough. This Business Case for Growth talks to continuing the improvement but also talks to that fairer share of that economic growth, whether that's by, whether that's people, whether that's place, whether that's industry or sector and that's a really important cornerstone of what we're trying to do here. We have some, as I've said, some really key economic drivers in this borough. We have some areas where we do a really good job but they need to change and that's talked about adapting those and we talked to some that, some sectors and some industries where actually London is doing very well but Hounslow as a place isn't doing as well in those areas and so we need to talk to all of those. We need to continue the good work, adapt when we need to but also introduce things for those sectors and for those industries and for people in those sectors where they're going to be able to move on. So our Business Case for Growth, it outlines what we will see as a borough by 2050 and that will be that strong and inclusive economic growth. Local people being able to progress into good quality jobs or education or training. Sustainable economic growth, talking about the sustainability of the growth but also about industry that is sustainable and that green economy, talking to the climate impact of our borough, of our nation and of the world. That we have generally affordable homes to live in, that our town centres and neighbourhoods are thriving and improving and well connected. That community engagement continues to improve and we get, continue to get that quality feedback from people and we know where we're doing a good job and we know where we need to improve and we know how we can do that and we respond to those things in those various ways. Financial social climate resilience being core to our economy and partnerships being absolutely key to that. Part of this growth agenda is we know we cannot do that alone, we know we need partners, whether that's public sector partners such as the NHS or whether that's private sector partners with big business or the raft of SMEs that we have as a borough driving the way and driving our economic prosperity. Lastly I would say that this really connects with, as I started I think actually, this really connects with what the government's agenda is and I think this is what's going to be on the agenda of lots of councils and on lots of people's forward thinking in the next few years and I am delighted that we are at the forefront of it. It's been something that we've had a focus for a number of years in Hounslow and it continues to look into that and drive it forward into the next few years. It's going to need some money to invest in this. We're not going to be able to do this without our own council investment but thinking about economic growth means that that money will come back hopefully two, three, five, tenfold even over the next five to ten years and that's what this is talking about. That the council is thriving because of this, that particularly people and industry are thriving for this and the borough benefits from our interventions doing this alongside other people. So I move the report, leader, thank you. Thank you, Councillor Bruce and I'll formally second it and I'll speak to it now and you're absolutely right to make that point. Much like the transport strategy, this isn't a strategy that sits in isolation, it works across the council and I think that's incredibly important for longevity and you're absolutely right to say we've been thinking about growth since 2010, since we won back the council but the pandemic was a real inflection point where we really started thinking about how we recover from the worst effects of the pandemic and how we make sure that wealth is shared more equally and that inequality does exist but we are absolutely focused on it and our ambition for this administration hasn't changed and you and I along with the mayor were at an event talking about the Great West Road and its centenary and what an effect that had for that part of the borough and the borough generally in terms of its place within London and London within the UK. So we mustn't ever lose sight of that ambition and that call to arms to deal with the tricky problems and next year we'll be proud to celebrate 60 years of this borough and that's a key moment in the borough's history but I think the legacy of this work, the transport strategy and other reports that we've got here tonight will outlive whatever age we put to our council which I think is incredibly important as well so I'm really proud to second this and the earlier report as well. So it is now open for discussion and debate. Anybody like to say anything on this report? Cannot see anyone indicating so the recommendations are on page 161 over onto 162, no just 161 in fact 123. Can I see all those in favour? That is carried. Thank you very much. We now move on to the next report once I find it. Gender Item 7, Adult Social Care System Reform Program. Councillor Bath. Thank you, leader. Councillor Lily Bath, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Health Integration. So the report that you have before you tonight is about the Adult Social Care Reform Program and that's a strategic business case that you have got attached. So just to remind you that the Adult Social Care Reform Program is one of the strategic programs as part of the Hounslow delivery plan and Adult Social Care services as you all know provide statutory services to some of our most vulnerable communities and like other local authorities we have huge challenges around rising demand, costs and of course depleted resources. So last year you would have had a report at Cabinet looking at how we meet those challenges the best that we possibly can and you received a report around the beginning. It was a start of the strategic business case and what I would like the Cabinet to approve today is to note the work that we have done in the very first stages which obviously carries on to stage 2 and to note some of the program, the activities that we have got planned in stage 2. I won't go over in detail but just roughly some of the projects that you have got listed on page 213 you have got detailed of the projects and activities that will take place in part 2. One of them is around the implementation of a shared lives scheme which is really about trying to recruit foster carers for those that receive Adult Social Care services and if we do this and it means that we are in a better position to provide a better service to those needing this and also it can save us a significant amount of money as well. Then we have got ambitions around, you have heard this before, around creating extra care housing which is of course another very cost effective way of providing a service and better value for money as well and then we have got a couple of other things around having a look at some of our high cost services and how we can maximise our resources in those areas and also look at how we can get adult social care contributions from those who receive package of care that have not been paid to us. So what I would like to do is ask you to note the first stage of the program and ask for your approval of the recommendations 124 which are really about noting and approving a budget allocation. Just to also mention, I know it probably stays without going but there is a significant amount of savings and better outcomes in terms of what we do here so it's a really important piece of work. Thank you. Thank you Councillor Bath, I'll formally second it and yeah this is a very big piece of work, really important piece of work for our older population, not only our biggest spend but also where we have to ensure that outcomes are always as good as they can be, so I commend you and the team for the work you've done in Tranche 1 and look forward to seeing the update on Tranche 2 as well as I second it. It's now open for discussion and debate. Councillor Dunne. Thanks, yeah I commend Councillor Bath for bringing forward this report, I think it's incredibly important. Adult social care is one of those things that is the bread and butter of councils, it's something that we deliver for our residents and in particular our elderly and more vulnerable residents. But it's something that often gets forgotten about and if you ask people what does the council do, what do they spend your money on, it's you know, bins, libraries, building cycle lanes, but actually you know when you look at the breakdown of what we spend money on a huge proportion does go on adult social care because it is a statutory duty but it's also something that we take deeply seriously and have a moral duty to get right for our residents to make sure that we are delivering the best service that we can given whatever constraints are in place and financially we are very constrained in this area as we are in other areas. So we also have that duty to spend that money as efficiently as possible, make sure that people are getting the best value for money, make sure that we are maximising what we can do with what is available and that's why this report's so very important so I'm glad you've brought it to cabinet tonight Lily and hopefully we can all support it. Absolutely right. Okay, anyone else on this one? No, I can't see anyone indicating the recommendations as council bar said we're on page 212. Can I see all those in favour? That is agreed, thank you very much. But gender item 8 I will take in council Sidhu's absence so this is a report around the extension of the council funded police team and an update on some work that we are doing. So the recommendation in here at a top level we currently pay for one sergeant and four police constables, we're asking for that contract to be extended for a further year that gets reviewed after 12 months in conversation with the Metropolitan Police but also this is a report about some internal work that we've done with our Safe for Communities board which is a really important board because we know from the resident survey whilst Hounsow is a low crime borough the perception of crime is still high and there is work ongoing and updated within the report to address that and that's really, really important. And this work will obviously support the corporate plan but also then the Safe for Communities strategy as well as the housing strategy as well. So this is an update with an ask with some money allocated to it and I formally move it. Councilor Roy, do you want to do it? Either one, which one? Yes, I will do, thank you. I was going to bring the report but you beat me to it. That's okay, thank you. No, that's fine. Open for discussion and debate. Anyone want to say anything on this? No? Okay. The recommendations are on page 2, 4, 4, 1 and 2. Can I see all those in favour? That is carried. Right, next item is also mine. This is the quarterly performance report for quarter one so this is a report that Cabinet will be used to detailing the performance. Obviously we need to be transparent on how we're performing against the corporate plan. I'm not going to say too much, it's pretty self-explanatory in the report and I formally move it. And I will second and reserve my right to speak. Anybody like to say anything on this report? No, recommendation on this is on page 2, 5, 1, 1. All those in favour? Thank you very much. That is carried. Right, where are we next? We are on to the petition, yes. Right, so there is a petition. The petition organiser has been invited but unfortunately cannot attend so I will give it as read in the agenda pack on the petition. Councillor Sivaraj, would you like to respond? Yes, thank you, Chair. Councillor Sivaraj, very well, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Recycling and Transformation. According to the Environment Act 2021 which states that each recyclable household waste stream should be collected separately as long as it is technically and economically practical to do so when considering the Environment Act. Huntslow is therefore providing a compliant service. The London Borough of Huntslow has also commissioned an independent review by external experts in recycling to assess our current systems. If there is a business case for change, this will be considered. Until then, we believe a method of curbside sorting materials is the correct way to promote recycling in the borough and that is all I can say as far as this petition is concerned. Thank you, Councillor Carroll. Oh, do you want to speak to it? Go on, I will allow. I mean, it is really just to back up what Councillor Carroll was saying. We do have good reason for having a curbside sort. It was considered in some detail and a great deal of debate amongst Councillors before it was brought in but it is the best way of us getting good quality recycling that a) more of it gets actually recycled and b) it brings in more of an income for the Council. So there is a good reason for it. I mean, the petition mentions new laws but I think it is slightly misconstrues what those new laws are there to bring in but having said all that, I am glad to hear that we are doing a review to make sure that we are still doing things the right way and if there are any changes we can do to make things easier or better for residents in any way, then we should do so. It is really important that we continue to drive up our recycling rates and so yes, happy to look forward to seeing the results of that report and review. Thank you Councillor Dunne. Right. Cabinet, can we note the response from Councillor Carroll? Noted. Thank you very much. Right. Where are we? I have not had any referrals from any other Council committees. Neither have I had any urgent business. So that concludes the public part of the agenda. Would someone mind moving exclusion of press in public? Councillor Bath, is that seconded? Councillor Choudry. Thank you very much. Agreed. At this point then, I say goodbye to those watching online. Thank you very much for coming along and any members of the public in the audience now need to vacate. [BLANK_AUDIO]