The Cabinet of Tower Hamlets Council met on Wednesday 26 July 2023 to discuss a range of important issues, including the adoption of a new policy to make care experience a protected characteristic, the approval of a corporate parenting strategy, and the review of the annual strategic delivery and performance report. The meeting also addressed the council's budget monitoring, contracts forward plan, safeguarding children's partnership, and the SEND improvement board.

Making Care Experience a Protected Characteristic

The council has formally adopted a policy to make care experience a protected characteristic, a move championed by Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Lifelong Learning, Councillor Maium Talukdar. This decision aims to address the significant challenges and disadvantages faced by individuals who have been in care, ensuring they are not discriminated against and have equal opportunities. The policy was influenced by recommendations from the Independent Review to Children and Social Care led by Josh McAllister, and follows the lead of over 40 other local authorities.

During the meeting, three care-experienced young people, Nihal, Jade, and Claire, shared their personal stories and the impact of their experiences. Nihal, who is studying finance and accounting at university, spoke about the difficulties of fitting in at school and the resilience required to overcome challenges. Jade, a creative technologist, highlighted the disruption to her education and the shame she felt about her care experience, which impacted her ability to build relationships and access mental health support. Claire, who was in foster care from the age of 11, described the abrupt loss of support at 18 and the ongoing struggles with mental and physical well-being. Their testimonies underscored the need for greater understanding, support, and equal chances for care-experienced individuals.

Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury expressed his emotional response to the young people's stories, stating, You matter and you're not a burden. Councillor Abdul Wahid echoed this sentiment, calling the young people role models and pledging the council's support. The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Maium Talukdar, expressed pride in the council's role as a corporate parent and assured that the new policy would ensure those under the council's care are treated with respect and love. Councillor Saied Ahmed welcomed the recommendations, particularly the inclusion of care experience in equality impact assessments and the exploration of guaranteed positions in the council's recruitment process.

Corporate Parenting Strategy 2023-2028

The Cabinet also approved the Corporate Parenting Strategy for 2023-2028, which outlines a vision and roadmap for how the council will work with partners and young people to be the best corporate parent. The strategy is built around five key priorities: a safe and stable home, trusted and strong relationships, education and aspirations, health and emotional well-being, and parenting and co-production. The strategy was developed through extensive co-production with children, young people, and stakeholders, incorporating their feedback from events, surveys, videos, and workshops.

Key messages from children and young people highlighted in the strategy include the desire for council staff to be loving, kind, and caring, to listen to them, help them stay connected to their families, feel a sense of belonging, prepare for the future and independence, be involved in decisions affecting them, and be treated the same as other young people. James Thomas, representing the council, emphasised the ambition of the strategy, stating, It's an ambitious strategy because we want to be ambitious for our children. Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury expressed his passion for this area, particularly for young people and those with special needs, and highlighted the council's commitment to providing targeted resources.

Susannah Beasley-Murray provided further detail on the support mechanisms in place, including the virtual school which supports children in care regardless of their geographical location, and the expansion of post-16 support. She also highlighted the council's apprenticeship programmes for young people with SEND.

Annual Strategic Delivery and Performance Report 2022-2023

The council reviewed its Annual Strategic Delivery and Performance Report for 2022-23, which provides a look back at the year's performance and outlines plans for the year ahead. The report includes performance indicators rated as red, amber, or green, along with narrative updates on milestones and mitigation plans for areas where targets were not met.

Mayor Lutfur Rahman expressed disappointment regarding the number of red indicators, particularly in housing and house building, stating, The number of reds in the house building area, it's a disappointment. He reiterated the administration's commitment to delivering at least 4,000 homes for rent over the next four years and to reducing overcrowding, noting that this was a significant issue inherited from the previous administration. He also highlighted the importance of increasing the delivery of family-sized homes.

Councillor Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, noted that all indicators within his portfolio, including uniformed patrols by the Safe Neighbourhood team, were green, indicating a positive performance in empowering communities and fighting crime. He also highlighted that the council's continuity of care figures were the highest in London.

Regarding recycling, the report identified challenges including new statutory regulations, high levels of contamination, low participation in food waste recycling, and a lack of adequate bin provision for residents in flats. The council plans to address these issues through increased outreach work, education in schools, and investment in a flats recycling scheme.

Paul from the planning team acknowledged the disappointment in housing delivery targets not being met, citing external challenges in the development industry such as build cost inflation. However, he stated that Tower Hamlets continues to deliver more housing than other London boroughs and that the council will work closely with developers to unlock stalled sites.

Government Council's Strategic Plan, Annual Delivery Plan 2023-2024

The Cabinet also considered the Government Council's Strategic Plan, Annual Delivery Plan for 2023-24. This plan maps out the council's priorities for the coming year, aligning with the administration's objectives and the medium-term financial strategy. The plan includes realistic yet ambitious targets, with progress to be monitored quarterly. A minor amendment was noted regarding the target for substance misuse and continuity of care, which has been increased to 50% based on updated end-of-year returns.

Budget Monitoring Outturn Report 2022-2023

The council's provisional outturn position for the 2022-23 financial year was presented, covering the general fund, dedicated schools budget, housing revenue account, and the capital programme. The report indicated an overspending on the council's revenue budget and the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), necessitating the drawdown of reserves and the release of underspends from the capital programme and Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) back into the general programme. Caroline Holland, presenting the report, noted a small underspend on the general fund but highlighted ongoing challenges with rising energy and insurance costs. She also mentioned the need to review the HRA business plan in light of its deficit.

Contracts Forward Plan 2023-2024

The Contracts Forward Plan for 2023-24 was discussed, with a specific focus on the St George's Leisure Centre rebuild. Councillor Kabir Ahmed requested that this item be pulled from the plan for a more detailed paper, expressing a preference for an open tender process over a framework agreement and a desire for the project to be delivered as soon as possible. He also requested further discussion on the criteria for procuring and delivering the project through an open tender. The council agreed to remove the St George's Leisure Centre rebuild from the current plan, with a commitment to revisit it with more detailed information and a clear procurement strategy.

Tower Hamlets Safeguarding Children's Partnership Report 2022-2023

The Cabinet reviewed the Tower Hamlets Safeguarding Children's Partnership report for 2022-23, which details the partnership's activities, priority subgroups, data sharing, and impact on children in the borough. The partnership, comprising the local authority, police, and integrated care board, operates in a challenging context of increased need due to the cost of living crisis. The report highlights a strong vision for supporting children within their families and a commitment to early help.

James Thomas, representing the council, noted the relatively low numbers of children in care and those subject to protection plans in the borough, attributing this to the partnership's focus on early intervention. Korkor Caesar, from the North East London Integrated Care Board, focused on the quality assurance elements and learning from statutory reviews, identifying infant safety, neglect, domestic abuse, and overcrowding as key themes. Borough Commander James Thomas Conway outlined the forward-looking priorities, including neglect, peer-on-peer harm, anti-racism, and infant safety, emphasizing the importance of the child's voice in priority setting and the establishment of a centralised delivery group with tighter oversight. The partnership also reaffirmed its commitment to multi-agency training and improving data sharing.

SEND Improvement Board Report 2022-2023

The report from the SEND Improvement Board for 2022-23 was presented, detailing progress and areas for further improvement in supporting children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). James Thomas acknowledged the unprecedented increase in levels of need and workforce pressures, but expressed pleasure that the report reflects increased momentum of improvement, partly due to council and NHS investment. He highlighted the strong strand of working together with children and parents, with introductions to the report coming from the leads of the Our Time Young People's Forum and the Parent Carer Forum.

Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury raised a question regarding post-16 support for young people with SEND, particularly those with significant needs who are physically more active. James Thomas confirmed that responsibilities extend up to age 25 and that the council is expanding provision for this age group, citing examples of work with Phoenix and New City College. Lisa Fraser, Director of Education Online, added that the council has launched eight internal apprenticeships for young people with SEND as part of the Local Supported Employment Initiative.

Neptune Wharf, Land Option

The Cabinet considered the Neptune Wharf, Land Option report, which recommended that the council not take up the option to develop the school site for a new primary school. The report indicated that there would be sufficient school places within the next three years and that a new school would create an oversupply. Concerns were also raised by neighbouring boroughs, Hackney and Newham, regarding potential oversupply. Councillor Gulam Kibria Choudhury declared his membership of the LLDC planning board for transparency. The recommendation to approve the report was agreed.