The Mayor and Cabinet of Lewisham Council met on Wednesday 7 October 2026 to discuss a range of financial, operational, and strategic matters. Key decisions included approving an extension to the council's insurance contracts, noting the financial monitoring position for 2026/27 and approving the write-off of certain debts, and approving the procurement and award of building security services. The meeting also saw decisions made regarding investment in a new domestic violence women's service, the adoption of a housing major works procurement strategy, and an update on the Lewisham Council Housing Performance Overview. Further decisions were made on extending the Alphatrack contract for building systems, developing a community-led housing partnership strategy, and approving programme and budget updates for the Lewisham Town Centre Improvement Programme.

Approval to Extend the Council's Insurances

Mayor and Cabinet approved the extension of the Council's insurance contracts for a further two years, from 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2028, with a maximum value of £5.8 million. This decision was made after noting the satisfactory performance of existing arrangements and the challenging conditions within the insurance market. Authority was delegated to the Executive Director for Corporate Resources, in consultation with relevant directors and managers, to finalise the contract extension terms.

Financial Monitoring 2026/27 – Period 4 Monitoring

The Mayor and Cabinet noted the forecast financial position for the year ending 31 March 2027. The General Fund is forecasting an overspend of £7 million, an increase from the previous monitoring period, primarily driven by increased costs in children's social care, adult social care demand, and parking contracts. The Dedicated Schools Grant has a forecast overspend of £10 million, and the Housing Revenue Account anticipates a £2.3 million overspend. The meeting also approved the write-off of £350,300 in Business Rates arrears and £60,700 in Short Breaks debt within Children and Young People's Services (CYPS).

Permission to Procure and Award Building Security and Related Services

Approval was given to procure a specialist building security and related service provider for a period of three years, with an option to extend for a further two years, via the ESPO Site Security Services Framework. The maximum contract value is to be set out in Part 2 of the report. Authority was delegated to the Executive Director of Corporate Resources, in consultation with the Director of Law and Corporate Governance and the Head of Facilities Management, to award the contract, provided the values remain within the financial parameters set out in Part 2.

Investment in New Domestic Violence Women's Service

Mayor and Cabinet approved additional borrowing of £668,162 to fund capital works on a Lewisham-owned property designated for a high-needs domestic violence women's service. This decision follows a previous approval in February 2026 for the establishment of the service, but requires a change in capital investment due to clarifications from the Greater London Authority (GLA) regarding grant eligibility. The Council's capital investment is necessary to secure the grant funding. The report recommended that full Council approve these changes, as per the council's Budget and Policy Framework Rules.

Housing Major Works Procurement Strategy

Mayor and Cabinet noted the strategic direction, objectives, and procurement principles set out in the Housing Major Works Procurement Strategy. This strategy, approved by the Executive Management Team, aims to diversify the council's contractor base for major works to its housing stock. It was noted that this approval does not authorise any specific procurement or contract award, with each substantive procurement to be brought forward for separate authority. The strategy also acknowledges that, given the current performance and capacity of the Council's Direct Labour Organisation (DLO), in-house delivery of major works is unlikely in the foreseeable future, remaining a longer-term option for defined simple works only.

Lewisham Council Housing Performance Overview 2025-26

The Mayor and Cabinet noted the report outlining the council's performance as a landlord of social housing for the financial year 2025-26. The report detailed performance against Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), highlighted progress on the housing directorate's improvement journey, and assessed compliance with the Consumer Standards for Social Housing. While strong performance was noted in safety compliance and emergency repairs, areas for improvement were identified in non-emergency repairs, complaints handling, and overall tenant satisfaction with landlord engagement. The report also detailed progress made in addressing non-decent homes, reducing works in progress (WIP) in repairs, and managing overdue fire remedial actions.

Extension of Alphatrack Contract for Door Entry, Warden Call, CCTV and Access Systems

Approval was given to extend the contract with Alphatrack Systems for door entry systems, warden call systems, CCTV, and working at height systems for a period of two years. The value of this extension is £3,406,323. This decision was made to ensure the continuity of critical safety and security services for residents and to maintain compliance with statutory responsibilities while future procurement options are considered.

Developing a Community-Led Housing Partnership Strategy

Mayor and Cabinet noted that officers are developing a Community-Led Housing (CLH) and Small Registered Providers housing delivery strategy. This initiative aims to establish a forum to foster collaboration between CLH organisations, housing co-operatives, small Registered Providers, and Council officers. The strategy will focus on co-producing an enabling framework to support the delivery of community-led and small RP housing projects in Lewisham, addressing barriers such as access to land, finance, and technical capacity.

Lewisham Town Centre Improvement Programme – Programme and Budget Update

Mayor and Cabinet noted the overarching progress on the Lewisham Town Centre Improvement Programme. They approved the award of the Lewisham Library Operator concession contract to Blue Garage Ltd for a period of five years, with an option to extend for a further five years, at a value of £10,704,000 over the full contract period. Authority was delegated to the Executive Director for Place to enter into the contract and lease documentation. Additionally, approval was given for variations to contracts with Rooff Construction Ltd and Architecture 00 to address additional works, risk pricing, and programme prolongation costs associated with the Lewisham Library refurbishment. Contingency provisions were also approved for these works.

Exclusion of Press and Public

As no members indicated a wish to discuss information in the confidential reports for items 7 and 13, this item was not required.

Permission to Procure and Award Building Security and Related Services PART 2

This item was part of the confidential discussion related to Item 7.

Lewisham Town Centre Improvement Programme – Programme and Budget Update PART 2

This item was part of the confidential discussion related to Item 13.