The Cabinet meeting on 27 March 2024 saw the approval of increased fixed penalty notices for environmental crimes, a positive update on the council's budget monitoring for the third quarter, and a review of the strategic delivery and performance report. Key decisions included raising fines for littering, graffiti, fly-tipping, and waste duty of care breaches, noting a projected underspend in the General Fund budget, and acknowledging progress on the strategic plan with most performance measures in a green status.

Increased Fixed Penalty Notices for Environmental Crime

The Cabinet agreed to adopt new, higher levels for fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for environmental offences, including littering, graffiti, fly-posting, fly-tipping, and breaches of household waste duty of care. These increases, which came into effect nationally on 31 July 2023, aim to act as a stronger deterrent against these crimes. The proposed FPN for depositing litter will rise from £80 to £500, with a discounted rate of £250 if paid within ten days. Graffiti and fly-posting fines will also increase to £500 (£250 discounted). For household waste duty of care offences, the FPN will be £600 (£300 discounted), and for fly-tipping, it will be £1,000 (£500 discounted).

Councillor Kabir Hussain, Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency, introduced the report, stating that residents are fed up with the borough being dirty for a long time and that these increased penalties are a tool to reduce the incidence of those two environmental crimes. He also highlighted the inclusion of a 50% discount for early payment to encourage prompt payment and acknowledge local economic circumstances.

Several councillors spoke in favour of the increase, emphasizing the need for enforcement alongside education and community engagement. Councillor Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, stressed that enforcement is a tool but that engagement with the community is also important. Concerns were raised about the potential impact on low-income residents, with a request for wide communication of the changes. The council generated £141,855 from FPNs in 2022/23. Discussions also touched upon the proportionality of litter bins and the possibility of diversionary programmes as an alternative to FPNs. The decision to increase the FPNs was approved, with a planned implementation date of 1 May 2024 to allow for a communication campaign.

Budget Monitoring 23/24 Quarter 3

The council's budget monitoring for the third quarter of the 2023-24 financial year indicated a projected underspend of £0.1 million in the General Fund. This represents a significant favourable movement of £4.3 million compared to the Quarter 2 forecast, which had predicted a £4.2 million overspend. This positive position has been achieved after the directorates requested the use of £19.4 million in earmarked reserves.

Councillor Saied Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Resources and the Cost of Living, presented the report, noting that this is a good forecast position performance for the council despite nationally recognised pressures. These pressures include significant overspends totalling £10.3 million due to demand in homelessness (£3.9 million), adult social care (£3.2 million), and special educational needs (SEN) (£3.2 million).

The report detailed that the total savings target for 2023-24 is £15.5 million, with £12.3 million identified as on track for delivery. However, £2.1 million is forecast to slip into future years due to timing issues, and £1.1 million has been deemed unachievable.

Regarding capital expenditure, the General Fund forecast outturn is £84.8 million (95% of the revised budget), resulting in a £4.1 million variance. The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) capital expenditure forecast is £65.1 million (90% of the revised budget), with a £7.1 million variance.

Several councillors commented on the budget position, with Councillor Abdul Wahid, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Skills and Growth, highlighting the fiscal prudence of the council. Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, noted the significant pressures in homelessness, adult social care, and SEN, but stated that the council is nowhere near those risk levels or indicators of bankruptcy seen in other authorities. The report was noted, and a recommendation in point five regarding capital programme variances was approved.

Strategic Delivery and Performance Report Year 2 Quarter 3

The Strategic Delivery and Performance Report for Year 2, Quarter 3, presented a generally positive picture of the council's progress against its ambitious four-year strategic plan. Of the 51 performance measures reported, 24 were rated green (meeting or exceeding targets), an increase from 22 in the previous quarter. Four measures remained amber (between target and minimum), and seven were rated red (below target).

Mayor Lutfur Rahman, who presented the report, expressed pleasure that the number of green measures had increased but sadness that the number of red measures had risen from six to seven. He acknowledged that some red indicators were due to counting practices rather than performance issues, but emphasized the importance of mitigation strategies.

Key achievements highlighted included the approval of the 2024-25 budget, with a focus on frontline public services, cost of living support, and extended support for young people and older residents. A significant new investment of £5 million was allocated to tackle waste problems, including litter and fly-tipping.

The seven red measures requiring close monitoring and improvement were:

• KPI-004: Number of homeless people supported into sustainable accommodation.
• KPI-21: Percentage of Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessments completed within 20 weeks.
• KPI-35: Permanent admissions to residential and nursing care for those aged 65+ per 100,000 people.
• KPI-38: Percentage of service users who report an overall positive experience of council services.
• KPI-44: Adults with substance misuse needs successfully engaging in community-based structured treatment following release from prison.
• KPI-46: Level of household recycling.
• KPI-48: Children engaged in school cycle schemes.

Discussions delved into specific red areas. Councillor Karen Swift provided a detailed update on homelessness, explaining the pressures of temporary accommodation costs and the lack of suitable move-on properties. She highlighted efforts to increase prevention rates and secure more private rented sector accommodation. Steve Reddy discussed the challenges in completing EHC assessments within 20 weeks, attributing delays to input from various agencies, but noted an improvement in January and February. Denise Radley addressed the admissions to residential and nursing care for older people, stating that while an ambitious target was not met, the council benchmarks well, and the home care indicator had moved from amber to red but was showing signs of recovery. Anne, from the public gallery, and Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury discussed the substance misuse treatment indicator, noting issues with data matching and the complexity of working with prisons. Ashraf Ali and Fiona Heyland provided an update on recycling efforts, including plans to introduce 300 new recycling bins and ongoing engagement with schools and faith communities. Councillor Maium Talukdar, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Lifelong Learning, addressed the school cycle training indicator, explaining industry-wide instructor shortages post-pandemic as a reason for not meeting targets, but expressed confidence in achieving them in the next financial year. The report was noted, and the recommendation to agree the report was approved.