The meeting report pack covers topics including the council's performance and finances as of Q2 2024/25, and the future of housing and waste management. A new Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy is proposed for discussion that will apply to all four boroughs in the Western Riverside Waste Authority, and the report pack proposes an increase in council dwelling rents.

Western Riverside Waste Authority - Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy

The report pack contains the proposed Western Riverside Waste Authority Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy that has been developed in response to recent national and regional government policies for waste management, such as the government's Resources and Waste Strategy for England, the Circular Economy Package, and the London Environment Strategy. The new strategy will affect how waste is managed in all four boroughs of the WRWA: Hammersmith and Fulham, Lambeth, Kensington and Chelsea, and Wandsworth.

The report pack says that the strategy seeks to reduce waste arising, increase the amount of material that is reused and recycled, and process waste into heat and power using energy-from-waste treatment in preference to sending waste to landfill.

The report pack says that the four boroughs have committed to working together with residents and businesses over the fifteen year lifetime of the strategy to improve how waste is managed and that this partnership will be guided by the following vision statement:

“The Western Riverside partners will work together with our residents and businesses to prioritise waste prevention, reduce our carbon emissions and environmental impacts, and provide customer focused waste and recycling services that maximise value from the materials we manage.”

The report pack says that the strategy aims to support delivery of both national and local government policies for waste management through four key action plans:

• Transitioning to a more circular economy
• Achieving Net Zero
• Collaborating and Communicating to amplify our impact
• Delivering Best Value and preparing for the future

The report pack proposes the following minimum recycling targets for the four boroughs to achieve by 2030:

• 35% of all local authority collected waste recycled
• 30% of all household waste recycled

The report pack also suggests the following stretch targets for the four boroughs to achieve:

• 38% of all local authority collected waste recycled by 2030
• 50% of all local authority collected waste recycled by 2040
• 33% of all household waste recycled by 2030
• 45% of all household waste recycled by 2040

The report pack says that the strategy also includes actions to support the Mayor of London's target of a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030.

The report pack says that a six week long public consultation took place between Monday 2 September and Monday 14 October 2024 where residents and businesses were invited to comment on the strategy. The report pack includes a summary of the consultation responses that were received. The report pack says that the consultation revealed that there was general support for the aims and intentions of the strategy, and many respondents considered the strategy to be a positive step towards improving waste management and protecting the environment. However, the report pack also says that some felt that the targets set out in the strategy could be more ambitious.

The report pack says that The Western Riverside Partners will continue to monitor and review the strategy over its fifteen year lifetime to measure progress against objectives and ensure the actions remain relevant and effective.

HRA Budget, Rent and Service Charge Setting Report

The report pack contains the HRA Budget, Rent and Service Charge Setting Report which covers the future of the council's Housing Revenue Account.

The report pack says that Lambeth is one of the largest social housing landlords in the country, and that the Housing Revenue Account funds council services like repairs and maintenance to council homes. The report pack says that the HRA continues to face considerable pressure following previous central government decisions around rent, such as the four year rent reduction policy that started in 2016, and the 7% rent increase cap introduced in 2023. The report pack says that these decisions have combined to result in a loss of £1bn to Lambeth's HRA across the 30 year lifetime of the HRA's business plan. The report pack says that the council has raised these concerns with central government and requested a capitalisation direction¹ to help balance the budget.

The report pack proposes a 2.7% increase in dwelling rents, the maximum amount possible under the government's rent setting policy. The report pack says that this rise will bring the average rent in Lambeth to £137.10 per week, an increase of £3.60. The report pack says that 76% of the HRA's income is generated from rent, and that the increase will generate £4.2m to be reinvested into the HRA.

The report pack proposes that service charges continue to be calculated on a cost recovery basis, with costs for 2025/26 based on actual 2024/25 expenditure. The report pack says that under this scheme, common service charges will reduce by £0.76 per week and heating and hot water charges will reduce by an average of £1.04 per week, because of a reduction in the cost of energy. The report pack says that specific service charges will reduce by an average of £0.97 per week.

The report pack says that it will also discuss the enhanced management charge paid by tenants in sheltered housing, which it is proposed will increase by £10 per week, taking it to £25 per week. The report pack says that the council will continue to subsidise the provision of Careline to sheltered housing tenants, and proposes a 14p increase in the Careline service charge, taking it to £5.14.

The report pack says that the KeyRing alarm service charge for tenants with learning disabilities will remain unchanged at £28 per week.

Quarterly Finance and Performance: Q2 2024/25

The report pack contains the Quarterly Finance and Performance Report for Q2 2024/25, which summarises the council's performance against its Outcomes Framework.

The report pack says that the Outcomes Framework maps indicators² to the three ambitions set out in the council's borough plan:

1. Making Lambeth Neighbourhoods Fit for the Future
2. Making Lambeth One of the Safest Boroughs in London
3. Making Lambeth a Place We Can All Call Home

The report pack says that each ambition is supported by a number of strategic outcomes, each of which is supported by a number of supporting outcomes. For example, the supporting outcome The emotional wellbeing of parents and carers, babies, children and young people is supported is mapped to the strategic outcome By 2030, Lambeth will be a borough of sanctuary and an age and child friendly borough, the best place to grow up and age well which supports the ambition Making Lambeth a Place We Can All Call Home. The report pack says that Supporting Outcomes are informed by the commitments of the council's existing strategies and plans and represent outcomes which together need to be achieved to realise the strategic outcome they are linked with.

The report pack says that the council's overall performance against the Outcomes Framework is good as of Q2, with 74% of targets being met and a further 8% being within 5% of being met. The report pack also says that overall performance is trending in the right direction, with significantly more indicators showing positive than negative change since the previous reporting period.

The report pack summarises performance in each of the three ambitions:

• Making Lambeth Neighbourhoods Fit for the Future

  The report pack says that the council's performance in this area is generally good, noting that kerbside recycling levels are good, and pointing out successes in the council's efforts to reduce blood pressure amongst the Black and multi-ethnic population, improve care for residents with type 2 diabetes, and reduce the average time taken to complete assessments of residents requesting adult social care.

• Making Lambeth One of the Safest Boroughs in London

  The report pack says that performance in this area has seen improvements since the previous reporting period, noting reductions in both the number of children in Lambeth proven to have reoffended and the rate at which children aged 10-17 in Lambeth are sentenced to custody. The report pack says that the Gaia Centre continues to play a key role in the council's efforts to protect the victims of violence against women and girls, noting that 97% of service users reported that engaging with the centre had increased their confidence in their ability to access help and support.

• Making Lambeth a Place We Can All Call Home

  The report pack says that the council's programme of works to improve its housing stock continues to improve the condition of council homes. The report pack notes that the percentage of homes failing to meet the Decent Homes Standard has decreased since the previous reporting period. However, the report pack says that resident satisfaction with the quality of housing repairs remains below target, and despite recent improvements, the council's performance in the treatment and removal of mould remains below target.

The report pack says that the General Fund is currently forecasting an overspend of £32.296m for Q2 2024/25, a reduction of £1.991m since Q1. The report pack says that Housing Services, Adult Social Care, and Children, Families and Education are forecasting overspends of £27.694m, £7.455m and £4.567m respectively.

The report pack says that the Housing Revenue Account is forecasting an overspend of £17.821m, and that the Dedicated Schools Grant is forecasting an underspend of £2.646m.