The Call-In Sub-Committee met to discuss a call-in request regarding the Cabinet's decision on the acquisition of 208 affordable homes as part of the Dollis Valley Estate Regeneration Scheme. Due to the Greater London Authority (GLA) withdrawing its grant funding offer, the original decision was no longer viable, leading the committee to take no further action on the unimplemented aspects of the decision. However, they made recommendations for future considerations should the matter return to Cabinet.

Dollis Valley Estate Regeneration Scheme Acquisition

The primary focus of the meeting was the call-in request concerning the Cabinet's decision on 21 July 2026 to approve the full business case and the Council's acquisition of 208 affordable homes as part of Phases 4 and 5 of the Dollis Valley Estate Regeneration Scheme.

The call-in was initiated by councillors who argued that the decision was contrary to the council's policy framework, specifically regarding financial responsibility and sustainability. Concerns were raised about the timeliness of information provided to Cabinet, the financial viability of the partner Vistry, and discrepancies in financial reporting. Councillor Peter Zinkin, a non-executive cabinet observer, highlighted issues with late addenda to reports, the financial strain on Vistry, and the lack of a parent company guarantee. He also pointed to inconsistencies in cost assurance figures and the presentation of financial data over a 50-year period without clear disclosure.

However, a significant development occurred after the call-in request was lodged: the GLA withdrew its grant funding offer for the scheme. This was attributed to delays caused by the call-in process, which had made the project's delivery timetable too high-risk for the GLA. As a result, the Council could no longer proceed with the acquisition as originally planned.

Given this development, the committee noted that the Cabinet's decision to approve the acquisition was no longer implementable. Consequently, the committee resolved to take no further action on the unimplemented aspects of the decision.

Despite this, the committee put forward three recommendations for Cabinet to consider should the matter be revisited:

1. The minutes of this meeting should form part of the Cabinet papers.
2. The Cabinet papers should be referred to the relevant scrutiny or scrutiny subcommittee with sufficient time for any subsequent recommendations to be fully considered by Cabinet.
3. A comprehensive financial assessment of all options being considered should be included in the relevant papers.

These recommendations aim to ensure that any future decisions regarding the Dollis Valley Estate Regeneration Scheme are made with greater transparency, thorough consideration, and in the best interests of residents. The committee acknowledged that the original decision was no longer viable due to the withdrawal of GLA funding, and their recommendations were intended to improve the process for any future proposals.