Councillor Joan Millbank
Email: joan.millbank@lewisham.gov.uk
Council: Lewisham
Council Profile: View on council website
Committees:
Activity Timeline
Meetings Attended Note this may include planned future meetings.
30 meetings · Page 1 of 6
Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 16th December, 2025 7.00 pm
Council - Wednesday, 26th November, 2025 7.30 pm
The Council of Lewisham was scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, to discuss the statement of accounts for 2024-25, consider several motions, and address questions from both the public and council members.
Public Accounts Select Committee - Thursday, 20th November, 2025 7.30 pm
The Public Accounts Select Committee met to discuss the council's financial performance, income collection strategies, and risk management. Councillors reviewed the period six monthly monitoring report, focusing on areas of overspend and potential risks, and they also discussed strategies for improving income collection and managing corporate resources risks. The committee agreed to note the reports presented, and decided against making a recommendation to Mayor and Cabinet regarding the council tax collection rate target, pending further review.
Council - Wednesday, 24th September, 2025 7.30 pm
Lewisham Council met to discuss a range of issues, including increasing councillor allowances, the use of substitutes on committees, and motions on childcare and public ownership of Thames Water[^2]. Councillors agreed to increase their basic allowance by 3.2% to £13,201 per year, and approved the use of substitutes on certain committees to ensure meetings can proceed even if some members are absent. A motion supporting the Labour government's plan for 30 hours of free childcare was passed, as was an amended motion calling for Thames Water to be brought back into public ownership.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 23rd September, 2025 7.30 pm
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the 'No Wrong Front Door' (NWFD) programme, which aims to make Lewisham the most accessible council in London. Councillors reviewed the programme's progress, challenges, and future plans, and agreed to note the report and its appendices. The committee made recommendations for a resident outcomes framework, digital inclusion for residents for whom English is not a first language, a dependency map, and a resourcing and investment plan for phase two.
Decisions from Meetings
64 decisions · Page 2 of 13
Select Committee work programme
From: Public Accounts Select Committee - Thursday, 20th November, 2025 7.30 pm - November 20, 2025
...to note the Select Committee work programme, remove the standalone item on the Medium-Term Financial Strategy/local government funding reform from the agenda, note the revised date for the next meeting, and retain a placeholder item for emerging issues on the agenda for the meeting on 10 March 2026.
Recommendations Approved
Period 6 Monthly Monitoring
From: Public Accounts Select Committee - Thursday, 20th November, 2025 7.30 pm - November 20, 2025
...to note the Period 6 Financial Monitoring report for 2025/26, request more detail on temporary accommodation cost-avoidance in the Period 8 report, and revisit the council tax collection target during the 2026/27 budget process.
Recommendations Approved
Income Collection
From: Public Accounts Select Committee - Thursday, 20th November, 2025 7.30 pm - November 20, 2025
...to note the Income Collection update.
Recommendations Approved
Motions
From: Council - Wednesday, 24th September, 2025 7.30 pm - September 24, 2025
...to support Labour's 30 Hours of Free Childcare and to bring Thames Water back into public ownership.
Recommendations Approved
Dispensation under Section 85 Local Government Act 1972
From: Council - Wednesday, 24th September, 2025 7.30 pm - September 24, 2025
...to grant Councillor Coral Howard a dispensation from the meeting attendance requirements of Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 until May 7th, 2026, due to illness.
Recommendations Approved
Summary
Meetings Attended: 30
Average per Month: 1.5
Decisions Recorded: 64