The Council of Lewisham Council held its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 27 March 2024, where key appointments were made and significant decisions regarding member allowances and the council's meeting calendar were approved. The meeting saw the election of a new Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the confirmation of the Mayor's Cabinet for the upcoming municipal year, and the approval of an updated member allowance scheme.

Election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker

Councillor Jacq Paschoud was elected as the Speaker for the 2024/25 municipal year, with Councillor Laura Cunningham elected as the Deputy Speaker.

Executive Composition

Mayor Brenda Dacres announced the composition of her Cabinet for the 2024/25 municipal year. The Cabinet members and their portfolios are:

• Councillor Louise Krupski: Deputy Mayor and Environment, Transport and Climate Action
• Councillor Amanda De Ryk: Finance, Resources and Performance
• Councillor Will Cooper: Better Homes, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness
• Councillor James-J Walsh: Inclusive Regeneration and Planning
• Councillor Chris Barnham: Children and Young People
• Councillor Paul Bell: Health and Adult Social Care
• Councillor Kim Powell: Business, Jobs and Skills
• Councillor Juliet Campbell: Safer Lewisham and Equalities
• Councillor Edison Huynh: Communities and Culture

Additionally, Councillors Rosie Parry, Ese Erheriene, Oana Olaru, and Laura Cunningham were appointed as Cabinet Advisors.

Appointments to Committees and Outside Bodies

The council resolved to agree appointments to various committees for the 2024/25 municipal year. All seats on these committees were allocated to the Labour Group. Furthermore, appointments to a range of outside bodies were confirmed, including representatives for organisations such as Brent, Lewisham, Southwark IT Committee, Health & Wellbeing Board, London Councils, and the Albany 2001 Council of Management.

Council Meetings Calendar 2024/25

The council approved the calendar of meetings for the 2024/25 municipal year. Ordinary Council meetings are scheduled for specific Wednesdays throughout the year, with an Extraordinary Meeting planned for 15 May 2024 to consider aldermanic nominations. The next Annual General Meeting is set for Wednesday, 7 May 2025.

Member Allowances

A significant decision was made regarding the remuneration of councillors, following recommendations from London Councils' Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP). The council agreed to:

• Note the findings of the IRP and agree with its principles.
• Acknowledge that current Lewisham councillors' allowances are below recommended levels.
• Increase the basic allowance by 3.88% to £12,480, effective from 1 April 2023.
• Increase all existing Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) by 3.88% from April 2023.
• Create four Cabinet Advisor posts with an SRA of £7,428 each.
• Implement tiered SRAs for Cabinet Members, with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Performance and the Cabinet Member for Better Homes, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness receiving an SRA of £43,236.
• Instruct the Monitoring Officer to review basic allowances and SRAs against comparable London mayoral councils.

The report highlighted that the proposed changes would result in a retrospective uplift cost of £39,000 for 2023/24, funded from corporate resources, and an ongoing annual growth of £122,000 for 2024/25. The IRP's report, The Remuneration of Councillors in London 2023, noted that London councillors' allowances were significantly lower than those in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and that current levels were not adequately reflecting the increased workload and responsibilities of councillors. The report also suggested that the basic allowance should be £15,960 and proposed a tiered system for SRAs, with Cabinet Members falling into Band Three, receiving between 60-75% of a council leader's SRA.

Appointment of Young Mayor and Deputy

Bilvilyn Asamoah was appointed as the Young Mayor for 2024/25, and Paul Frimpong was appointed as the Deputy Young Mayor. They both signed their acceptance of office.

Mayoral Scheme of Delegation and Committee Terms of Reference

The council noted that there were no changes to the existing Mayoral Scheme of Delegation or the Committee Terms of Reference as set out in the Council's Constitution.

Council Budget 2024/25

The council approved the General Fund Revenue Budget for 2024/25, including a 4.99% increase in Lewisham's Council Tax element. This decision was made following a recorded vote, with 49 councillors voting in favour and none against. The approved budget includes various measures for budget cuts and resource allocation. The council also agreed to a 7.7% increase in dwelling rents and approved increases for service charges and garage rents. The Treasury Management Strategy and the 2024/25 to 2027/28 Capital Programme were also approved.

Scrutiny Date Changes

The council noted changes to the schedule of Select Committee and Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings.

Annual Mayoral Address

Mayor Brenda Dacres delivered her annual address to the Council.