Cabinet - Tuesday, 12 November 2024 7:00 pm

November 12, 2024 View on council website  Watch video of meeting  Watch video of meeting or read trancript
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Summary

The meeting approved the adoption of a new Healthier Food Advertising Policy1, a revised Scheme for Financing Schools, changes to rents for some Housing Revenue Account (HRA) properties that are used to provide temporary accommodation (TA), an increase to fees charged for Lampton Leisure’s Swim School from 1 January 2025 and the transfer of the council’s finance system to a cloud-based system.

Brentford Police Station and Albany Riverside Redevelopment

Cabinet noted a report describing the work to date on plans to redevelop the Brentford Police Station site and the Watermans Arts Centre and Albany Riverside sites. The plans aim to deliver a mixed development consisting of 300 new homes, an arts centre and a cafe. The arts centre element of the development is required to be delivered before works can commence on the residential elements, as part of a Section 106 Agreement. A preferred delivery partner has been identified for the Brentford Police Station site, and work to agree Heads of Terms is in progress. Delays to the project have meant that the designs no longer meet current building safety requirements2.

Cabinet approved a request to fund the cost of amending the designs to ensure they meet requirements. Cabinet also approved a request to fund the cost of securing the Watermans Arts Centre site, which is in poor condition and unoccupied, until it is sold.

Cranford Meadowbank Community Hub

Cabinet approved plans to relocate Cranford Library to the Meadowbank Adult Education Centre. The move is to be funded from the General Fund Capital Programme.

The plan is to create a Community Hub that combines the Library and Adult Education, including space for a children’s library, IT suites, and other rooms suitable for a range of activities. The current Cranford Library building requires an investment of £460,000 to keep it in usable condition and has low levels of usage, compared to the council's other libraries. A consultation exercise was carried out to gather the views of residents about what services they wanted to see at the Community Hub. Suggestions included advice and support on financial matters, employment, and housing, alongside activities for children and young people and health and well-being services. Cabinet agreed that a full options appraisal should be carried out to decide what to do with the current Cranford Library building, once it is vacated.

Delivery Plan Monitoring

Cabinet noted a report that described the progress made in delivering the council’s Delivery Plan during the second quarter of the financial year. The Delivery Plan describes the work that the Council is carrying out to deliver the priorities within its four-year Corporate Plan. The report groups this work into four portfolios: People, Place, Capital and Digital Strategy.

“All programmes are progressing well with RAG ratings at either Green or Amber – 2 Programmes at Green and 8 at Amber. 3 are closed. No programmes are red.”

Significant activities that are expected to be carried out in the next quarter include:

  • Seeking approval to continue with the Adult Social Care System Reform Programme.
  • Agreement to continue with plans to create a new Children's Home.
  • Roll out of new services and processes to the council’s Enforcement, Community Safety, Environmental Enforcement, Highways and Parks teams, as part of the Transforming Community Experience Programme.

Cabinet noted that work to migrate all capital project reporting to a project management tool called Verto is underway. The migration is due to be complete by December.

Financial Monitoring

Cabinet noted a report that describes the financial performance of the council during the second quarter of the financial year, to the end of September 2024. A net overspend of £18.1m is forecast for the General Fund, with the forecast overspend for Children and Adult Services at £27.1m and for Regeneration, Housing & Environmental Services at £7.7m.

The forecast overspend position for the General Fund, if not mitigated, is likely to result in a deficit position on the General Balances reserve which would require an immediate top-up from other earmarked reserves.

The most significant pressure is the cost of Adult Social Care placements. More placements are being made than had been planned in the budget, and many existing placements have been increased in price.

At the end of Quarter 2, a net pressure of £3.5m is forecast against placement budgets due to external provision of care for a higher number of clients (85) than was budgeted.

The forecast cost of providing temporary accommodation has also increased, due to the high unit costs charged for self-contained accommodation. There has also been an increase in costs for waste disposal.

The cost of bed and breakfast accommodation has been reviewed and is forecast to be £2.0m over budget. A number of households were put into TANA (self-contained properties) to ensure accommodation was obtained in-line with the Council's obligations. A number of these have a high daily cost.

The report highlights the potential risk of the council exceeding its Operational Boundary if mitigations to address the overspend are not successful. It is anticipated that a review of earmarked reserves will need to be carried out to offset the shortfall.

Hounslow Healthier Food Advertising Policy

Cabinet noted a report proposing the adoption of a Healthier Food Advertising Policy.

“The main aim of implementing a healthier food advertising policy is to reduce the exposure to advertisements for HFSS foods and drinks that we know increases the prevalence and associated costs of food related ill health in Hounslow.”

The policy aims to:

  • Reduce the prevalence of obesity, heart disease and tooth decay
  • Protect breastfeeding
  • Improve child health
  • Reduce the negative environmental impact of some food and drink products.

The policy was developed in response to high levels of diet-related ill health in the borough and the projected increase in advertising for unhealthy food and drink. The policy would apply to all advertising on Council-owned property and will also apply to advertising contained within planning applications considered by the council. The restrictions will be implemented in phases as existing contracts expire, with the first new contracts being subject to the policy from November 2024.

“Implementation will be phased, with implementation of the policy occurring when contracts are renewed. In the interim, Public Health Officers will discuss voluntary introduction of the policy with existing contract providers for an earlier adoption.”

Cabinet approved the adoption of the policy.

Treasury Management Mid-Year Report

Cabinet noted a report that summarises the treasury management activities of the Council during the first half of the financial year, in line with statutory guidance.

The Council is currently maintaining an under-borrowed position. This means that the capital borrowing need, (the Capital Financing Requirement), has not been fully funded with loan debt as cash supporting the Council’s reserves, balances and cash flow have been used as an alternative funding measure.

The Council is planning to borrow more money from the market to support its capital investment programme in the future, and to ensure there is sufficient liquidity to fund Council activities.

Cabinet approved amendments to the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy which facilitate the use of Community Municipal Investments3 which would allow residents to directly invest in green infrastructure projects.

As part of the Council’s ongoing efforts to support sustainable finance and engage local communities in our climate action, we are exploring the potential to launch a Community Municipal Investment (CMI), following the successful examples set by Councils including Westminster and Lewisham, in partnership with Abundance and the Green Finance Institute. A CMI would allow residents to directly invest in local green infrastructure projects, such as renewable energy initiatives or energy-efficient public buildings, offering both financial returns and environmental benefits.


  1. A Healthier Food Advertising Policy restricts advertising for food and drink products which are deemed to be high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS). 

  2. The Building Safety Act 2022 introduces new fire safety rules for high rise buildings, including the mandatory inclusion of a second staircase. 

  3. Community Municipal Investments allow local residents to directly invest in Council projects. 

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