This meeting of the Cabinet will likely include a report on the first quarter performance of the council against the delivery of the Lambeth 2030 Outcomes Framework, a review of the capital programme, and a Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) Report. The agenda also includes the minutes from the previous meeting on 22 July 2024. Please note that it is not possible to know for certain whether any of these items will be discussed, or whether any decisions will be made.

Lambeth 2030 Outcomes Framework

The report pack includes the Quarterly Performance and Budget Report: Q1 2023/24 for discussion¹. The report contains a review of the progress made against the ambitions and supporting outcomes of the Lambeth 2030 Outcomes Framework. Overall, 69% of indicators achieved their targets for the quarter. The report notes that several indicators relating to Children’s Social Care are exceeding their targets after prolonged periods in which targets were not achieved. For example, the report says:

The percentage of children aged 16 or above with a pathway plan in Q1 stood at 96.53%. This is both in excess of our target and an increase of 20% from the same period last year.

The report highlights concerns that the building retrofit project is behind schedule. The report also states that the council is forecasting a £34.3m in-year overspend.

Capital Programme 2024 to 2028

The agenda includes a Capital Programme 2024 to 2028 report² for the Cabinet's consideration. The report sets out a number of proposed additions to the council's capital programme, that if approved will provide an additional £89,485,000 of investment in the borough. The report proposes new investment across a range of areas, including schools, leisure facilities, facilities management, and ICT infrastructure. The report proposes £6,120,000 of investment in the School Capital Maintenance Programme, to be fully funded by grants from the Department for Education. The report proposes an investment of £2,400,000 to fund new equipment for two adventure playgrounds a year. The report proposes an investment of £1,000,000 to upgrade or replace a total of 20 Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs)³ on estates in the borough. An investment of £250,000 is proposed for the refurbishment of the skate bowl in Kennington Park. The report also proposes £1,550,000 of investment in Housing Adaptations to help with aids and adaptions for vulnerable residents. The report proposes that £730,000 be spent on the Estate Maintenance and Energy Efficiency Programme. The report proposes an investment of £2,150,000 to fund the Digital Platform and Infrastructure Replacement programme. The report says that this would fund the replacement of end-of-life operating systems, hardware and equipment. An investment of £20,200,000 is proposed for the Highways Improvement Programme, to be part funded by £8,000,000 of other funding sources. The report says that £4,478,000 should be spent on the Waste and Cleansing Electric Vehicles Replacement programme. £1,296,000 is proposed to fund Increased Recycling and Fortnightly Residual Collections. The report proposes that £7,871,000 be invested in the New Homes Programme to deliver new and affordable housing on Council owned land. The report proposes that £2,500,000 be invested in a tree planting programme, to support the manifesto commitment to plant 5,000 net new trees in the borough. £7,000,000 of investment is proposed to decarbonise and improve the energy efficiency of the council's non-residential buildings, moving schools and public buildings away from fossil fuel heating systems. £13,800,000 is proposed to fund a range of traffic reduction and air quality improvement schemes. The report proposes that £5,000,000 be invested in the Transforming Vauxhall Funding Agreement to supplement the council's established £12.8m commitment to the [Vauxhall Gyratory](https://www.google.com/maps/search/Vauxhall+Gyratory+Lambeth/) and town centre redevelopment. The report proposes a £1,000,000 investment in community facilities in the borough. £2,000,000 of investment is proposed for investment in empty commercial properties. The report says:

Investment to empty properties to address compliance, energy performance or necessary repairs prior to lettings.

Medium Term Financial Strategy Report 2025-2029

The agenda includes the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) Report⁴ for discussion. The report highlights that in July of this year, Lambeth Council reported a budget gap of £69 million predicted for the next four-year period, particularly in 2025/26 where an estimated shortfall of £29 million was projected. The report says that in response to the challenging financial outlook facing the council, bold action and difficult decisions will need to be taken. The report suggests that a new financial settlement from central government is urgently needed. The report says:

A new settlement between national and local government is urgently needed to halt the growing risk to the financial sustainability of councils. Central government must act immediately to provide urgent support to address the demand crisis confronting Lambeth and fix the local government funding system to provide fairer funding based on need.