The Cabinet made a number of decisions. The most significant of these was to proceed with the planned closure of the Markhouse Centre in Walthamstow. This was despite extensive opposition to the closure from service users, their families and trades unions, including through a petition to keep the centre open. The Cabinet also agreed to the continuation of the ‘All East’ integrated sexual health service in a joint arrangement with Newham, Tower Hamlets and Redbridge, and voted to adopt a new scheme for the Local Council Tax Support Scheme from 2025/26.

Learning Disabilities Day Opportunities Review

The Cabinet voted to proceed with the proposed closure of the Markhouse Centre, a building-based day opportunities service for people with learning disabilities and/or autism. The Council owned building is in Walthamstow. The recommendation to close the facility had previously been made in June 2024 and was subject to public consultation which resulted in the publication of a consultation report.

The Council’s rationale for closure was based on the service model, the quality of the building and the need for the Council to make more efficient use of its budgets.

The Council’s vision for person-centred day opportunities provision, ensuring access to modern community based provision, and that the Markhouse Centre provided a more limited building based provision.

The Council is committed to a person-centred approach to care, as set out in Mission Waltham Forest. The Council also believes that:

alternative provision would offer better value for money for the Council to meet the needs and outcomes of residents, supporting the Council’s wider mission to ensure a firm financial footing.

The Council also stated that the building was in poor condition and not fit for purpose, requiring in excess of £1.2m of capital investment to make it safe to continue to deliver services from it.

the building is in poor condition and needs £1.2m investment to ensure it was more fit for purpose, but that this investment would not deal with the general obsolescence of the building.

The decision was opposed by residents who use the facility, their families and the trade unions who represent the staff that work there. A number of residents and former Councillor James O’Rourke and resident David Pask spoke at the meeting to set out their reasons for opposing the closure, these included:

• The consultation process was flawed. • A lack of trust in the Council. • That alternative day opportunities providers would not be able to meet the needs of residents. • That the building would be sold off for development. • That the reported cost of the investment was inaccurate. • That the building has been poorly maintained. • That staff would lose their jobs.

Kevin Parslow, Secretary of Waltham Forest Trades Council, argued that the Council should use its reserves to avoid making cuts to services, and should instead work with other local authorities to lobby central government for more funding. Councillor Richard Sweden, Vice Chair of the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee, argued that the Committee had not been able to fully consider the potential impact of the closure on staff, as the staff consultation process was still ongoing when the report was presented to it. He also argued that a full and detailed assessment of the costs of alternative provision should be done and shared with service users before the final decision was made, and questioned whether the council had done enough to ensure that residents would be able to access alternative day opportunities which could meet their needs. Councillor Afzal Akram, on behalf of the Conservative group, questioned the validity of the building survey that had determined the £1.2m investment, on the grounds that the survey had been done by a company for which a Cabinet Member and a council officer were both board members.

The Cabinet defended the decision, arguing that it had followed due process and that all views from the consultation had been fully considered. Councillor Mitchell, who presented the report, highlighted that the cost of inflation had risen significantly and was making the cost of maintaining buildings such as the Markhouse Centre, unaffordable. She also highlighted that there was a significant funding gap of between £18m and £24m in the council’s budget for the next three years, and that if this was not addressed through measures such as the closure of the Markhouse Centre, then the council would be at risk of bankruptcy.

Councillor Kizzy Gardiner, Portfolio Lead Member for Children and Young People, said that she was confident that alternative day opportunity provision could be found for residents and argued that commissioners met regularly with providers in Waltham Forest and neighbouring boroughs to ensure that the Council was fully aware of the capacity of the day opportunity market.

Councillor Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader for Housing and Regeneration, added that the Council had learned lessons from the closure of the Trumpington Road care home and that there was now robust governance in place to ensure that similar closures would be managed effectively. He argued that the decision had been taken by the Council in response to a building survey by a reputable company and that the suggestion that the company had inflated costs was not accurate. The Leader of the Council, Councillor Grace Williams, said that it was a difficult decision to make and that it would not have been taken if there had been another viable option, arguing that the only alternative was for the Council to face bankruptcy. She added that she was confident that the Council was aware that the experience of service users at the Markhouse Centre had been positive, and that this would be taken into account going forward.

Integrated Sexual Health Recommissioning

The Cabinet agreed to extend the ‘All East’ integrated sexual health service for a further five years. The service is delivered by Barts Health NHS Trust and is currently commissioned jointly by Waltham Forest, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Redbridge.

Councillor Louise Mitchell, the Cabinet Member responsible for adult social care and public health, said that the current service was working well. She thanked Matilda Allen, Locum Public Health Consultant, for her contribution to the service, and wished her well for the future.

Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2025/26

The Cabinet approved a new scheme for the Local Council Tax Support Scheme from 2025/26. The current scheme is based on providing support to residents in accordance with the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2012. The Council published a consultation document before the meeting, and also provided details on the proposed income banded scheme.

The new scheme is based on a banded system, with different levels of support available depending on a person’s income. The maximum level of support available for most working age residents will be 57%, with higher levels available for residents who have limited capability to work and households with children aged 5 and under. Residents who receive full support under the current system will see their maximum level of support reduced to 85%.

The proposed scheme reduces the level of support provided to ‘non-dependants’, by between £8 and £20 per week, and was approved despite concerns from the GLA. The GLA recommended that the changes should only be implemented after a detailed analysis of the potential impact on households’ ability to pay. The Council responded that they already conduct detailed analysis of households’ ability to pay.

recommended to Full Council that the Council conducts a more detailed analysis of households' ability to meet these liabilities based on the administrative data the Council has access to using platforms and methodologies for reliable analysis. This recommendation is welcome and reflects existing practice, and whether the proposed changes are accepted or not the authority will use its tools such as Pathways, Destin Solutions, and LIFT to identify the ability of households to meet liabilities and address this through the existing hardship fund and income maximisation.

The changes to the scheme mean that its projected cost will be £2.3 million less than if the current scheme was continued, taking the cost of the scheme to £18.31 million per year. The Leader of the Council said that:

the current scheme had become unaffordable and pointed out that should the scheme detailed in the report not be adopted, then cuts would have to be made in other areas such as adults and children services. She added that the Council was keen to ensure that the Discretionary Hardship Fund was used in the best way to benefit residents.

Financial Monitoring - 2024/25 Month 6

The Cabinet approved a series of budget changes, including a virement of £0.956 million to fund additional resource in the Housing Prevention and Assessment Team. This investment aims to reduce pressure on the Housing General Fund by increasing opportunities to prevent homelessness.

The revenue outturn position was reported as a forecast overspend of £16.257 million against budget. This represents an increase of £2.219 million since the Month 3 Monitor was reported, with most of the increase related to higher cost pressures in Adult and Children’s social care.

noted the potential funding gap of £18.058 million for the 3-year period 2025/26 to 2027/28 with £11.201 million in 2025/26, assuming all service-related pressures are resolved. (The final position will not be known until the provisional local government finance settlement and final settlement are released. The provision settlement is expected in late December);

The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is forecast to overspend by £1.397 million. This is mainly due to a higher projected expenditure on legal disrepair costs within the repairs and maintenance budget, and a £0.750 million increase in the cost of ‘waking watch’ services for residential blocks.

Budget Review - Fees and Charges 2025/26

The Cabinet approved a schedule of fees and charges for 2025/26. Councillor Loakes argued that,

it was important to identify opportunities to bring income streams into the Council to help balance cost pressures. He went on to say that the report followed an appropriate governance process and endorsed the established governance route.

Councillor Afzal Akram argued that the report should first be considered by the Budget and Performance Scrutiny Committee before being presented to Cabinet, and requested that the report should be deferred until January 2025 to enable the scrutiny committee to have their say. This was opposed by the Leader of the Council, who argued that it was necessary for the report to be considered by all relevant bodies in a timely way.

Developing Stronger Communities through Culture and Creativity: A Cultural Action Plan for Waltham Forest: 2024-2030

The Cabinet adopted a new cultural action plan: ‘Developing Stronger Communities through Culture and Creativity: A Cultural Action Plan for Waltham Forest: 2024-2030’.

Councillor Rosalind Doré, Portfolio Lead Member for Libraries, Culture and Sports & Leisure, introduced the report, thanking Cabinet colleagues and officers for their contribution. She also thanked Lorna Lee, Assistant Director of Culture & Heritage Services.

Case Analysis of Housing Ombudsman's Determination Findings

The Cabinet noted a report which provided a summary of the recent Housing Ombudsman determination findings.

noted the contents of the report.

Councillor Ahsan Khan, the Cabinet Member responsible for housing, said that it was important that lessons were learned. The Leader of the Council added that it was important to continue to look at progress and to ensure that the council continued to improve its housing services.

Infrastructure Delivery Plan and Infrastructure Funding Statement 2023/2024

The Cabinet approved the revised Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP), the Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS), and the Infrastructure List.

Councillor Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader for Housing and Regeneration, introduced the report, drawing attention to improvements that have been made in the borough, including Priory Court, a new scheme providing 100% affordable housing, and enhancements to Sutherland Road, which now has one of the largest ‘SuDS’¹ schemes on a residential street in the country.

Councillor Clyde Loakes, Deputy Leader for Climate and Air Quality, referred to a number of schemes that had been implemented across the borough that he argued had transformed residents’ lives and pointed out that the schemes also created new employment opportunities.

Expansion of Burnside Secondary onto Additional Site

The Cabinet approved the proposed expansion of Burnside Secondary Pupil Referral Unit (PRU). The expansion, which had previously been subject to public consultation, is to provide an additional 20 places at a new satellite site at North Birkbeck Road.

Councillor Kizzy Gardiner, the Cabinet Member responsible for children’s services, thanked officers and partner organisations for their contribution. Councillor Ahsan Khan also thanked officers.