Cabinet - Wednesday 29 July 2026, 3:00pm - Tower Hamlets Council webcasts

Cabinet
Wednesday, 29th July 2026 at 3:00pm

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Thank you. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to our cabinet meeting.

I'm grateful to you for the usual rules regarding fire alarms and filming the meeting applies.

I understand there are no public questions.

Any apologies from members, all members are here.

Shumil Banerjee is here for Georgia, in place for Georgia.

Everyone else is here. David Joyce is on leave.

We've got Karen.

Darren, welcome, Interim Corporate Director for Communities.

Please welcome to your first cabinet meeting and wish you all the best.

Thank you.

Any I think you have a declaration of interest on the contract forward plan.

Go on.

Yeah, Mr Mayor, I have got a DPI on the substance misuse treatment and recovery service tender

document on the contracts forward plan.

We'll take the contract forward plan right at the end, so you can be here during the other parts of the meeting and you can leave on that paper.

You can draw yourself. Is that okay? Because you work for the service in another borough. Okay, good.

Anyone else? Any declarations? May you say anything for food you want to declare?

Nothing, nothing, no?

Okay, okay, no one, Shafi, no declarations?

Okay, good.

Minutes of the 15th of July, are you okay with it?

Yes.

Yep, thank you, great.

Steve, please.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, just three brief items today.

First of all, just to reflect with Cabinet that since our last meeting on July the 15th,

We have the all staff conference at the XL where 3200 members of staff heard from the

mayor in relation to the vision for the council moving forward.

I gave a presentation as well.

I think one of the most successful parts of the day with the feedback we've had so far

was the actual awards themselves.

They're really important to staff and the feedback's been particularly positive.

Also last month as you're aware, Tohannes along with Hackney and Lewisham issued a JR

to the GLA on its decision to reduce affordable housing targets across London from 35 to 20%.

As a result of the challenge, a new proposal from the Mayor of London came forward which

potentially exempts Tower Hamlets and several other boroughs from the proposed reduction

in affordable housing from 2028.

And finally, our summer programme of activities across the borough, we've launched it, which

offers hundreds of free activities for families over the summer in our parks and last year

over 50 ,000 people took part in those activities and we hope to surpass that this year. Thank you

Thank you. I have no announcements to make

There's been no

Callings or I don't believe we've had any

Pre -scrutiny questions, but the chair of the LNS is here. Thank you. You're welcome

You have time to make your statement, please. Thank you

Thank You. Mr. Mayor. I am reporting on the overview and scrutiny commission

consideration of three items from last night and on the work programme development session

that followed.

Members will know that our committee meeting was scheduled for Monday.

Unfortunately, I was unwell and our vice chair was also unavailable.

Rather than lose either the committee business or our work programme workshop, the two were

brought together into a single extended session on Tuesday evening.

I want to thank the scrutiny team for organising that at very short notice and cabinet colleagues

and corporate directors for moving their diaries to make it work.

It ran for three hours and we completed both pieces of business.

We looked at the performance and budget reports.

We took all three reports together as one item.

Jonathan Lloyd and Councillor Chaudry introduced them with corporate directors on hand to answer

for their areas. On performance, members welcome the out -turned position of 54 measures. 34

are green and 4 moved up from red or amber over the quarter. That is real progress. Two

areas took most of our time. The first was overcrowding, which is still red and has moved

the wrong way. Officers said this is mainly about supply and made the point that moving

families out of temporary accommodation reduces what is available for overcrowded households

on the waiting list.

We accept that.

What we want to see is how the balance between those two groups is being managed, rather

than the two being treated separately.

The second was retrofit and decent homes.

Members asked why the scale of insulation work needed before the gas phase -out does

not appear as a top -level measure.

Officers said it is tracked at a lower level and agreed it is a strong candidate for the

new set of measures.

That brings me to the most useful thing to come out of the item.

Scrutiny was invited to help shape the new set of performance measures being developed

over the coming months.

We want to take that up and I would ask Cabinet to note this.

Measures that residents recognise that capture the real risks are worth getting right and

scrutiny can help test them before they are fixed.

On to the budget.

We focused on two things, the level of reserves and whether the savings are deliverable.

On reserves we accept the drawdown was planned and that this Council compares well with others.

We noted that Tower Hamlets has not had to ask for exceptional financial support when

more than 30 councils have.

That matters and it should not be taken for granted.

But reserves cannot keep absorbing recurring pressure.

On savings, most of the programmes delivered are on track.

We noted what is flagged at risk and the period 2 overspend.

And we will keep watching whether the mitigations close the gap.

We also questioned the pressures in adult social care, children's social care and SEND.

We heard about the campaign to recruit more in -house foster carers

where the cost difference against independent and residential placements is large,

and about supporting mainstream schools so fewer children need independent -sent places.

On housing options, transformation, funding is in place and the service is on track.

Our overall position is this.

Performance is heading the right way and the finances are being managed.

What we will keep coming back to is whether demand itself is falling

or whether the position is being held by mitigations and reserves.

That is where our questions will focus this year.

On to our work programme.

The second half of Tuesday was our work programme workshop.

It is important that we develop a focused work programme

and engage the executive in the process as early as possible.

We want this to be a collaborative process where, of course, scrutiny leads,

but the executive has opportunity to set out how we can add real value and best support the work of the Council and make the biggest impact.

Nine portfolios presented last night, five minutes each, and again I want to thank cabinet members for their input.

I ask colleagues not to tell us what is going well, but to tell us where a decision is coming, where the pressure sits, and where our input early would help.

They did, and it was the most useful hour of the evening.

We were pointed towards the drivers of spending adult social care, homelessness and SEND,

the leisure transition, policing through the Community Safety Partnership, waste and recycling,

inclusive growth and the Resident Experience Programme.

Several directors offered site visits and time with frontline teams rather than committee room sessions,

which members were keen on.

Members then build a long list of topics and prioritise them against agreed criteria.

The scrutiny team will turn that into a draught programme mapped against the forward plan.

It goes to CMT and MAB in August for a cheque on timing and availability.

An over -in -scrutiny committee agrees the final version in September.

Members decide what goes in it, but I want the Executive to have seen it and have the

chance to comment first.

I look forward to leading the committee to deliver this programme and working with you

all.

I just want to bring something else to your attention, that you have an urgent report

on the agenda on Beechford State School.

As Chair of ONS, I have agreed the urgency for you to consider it, including the exempt

papers, and that it is to be exempted from calling.

I will be speaking to officers seeking more information while we have got to this position.

Finally, our September meeting moves from the 21st of September to the 22nd, so the

Mayor can attend for a spotlight session and the Chief Executive has committed to coming

to over -inscruiting the Committee regularly, which we welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

You should call every day.

Call him every day.

Thank you.

Thanks for your contribution, grateful to you, and thank you to you and your colleagues for the role you play.

One, to keep us accountable, but also contributing to the work that we do as an executive. So grateful to you, Steve.

Thank you. I just wanted to pass comment. I attended the session, the development session last night, we spoke briefly,

and I wasn't there for the committee, but for part of the development session.

And I just wanted to make a couple of points.

The first was congratulations,

because I thought you chaired it really, really well.

They are difficult, that's just a personal thought,

they're difficult meetings to chair anyway.

You are part of the majority group,

and yet you're holding the executive to account,

and that's a challenging role,

and I thought you did it exceptionally well.

It's the first point.

The second point is, you made the point in your presentation

about being involved in shaping the performance framework

and shaping how the strategic, and that's just something I wanted to emphasise.

The Mayor has emphasised to me consistently that overview and scrutiny isn't just about

scrutiny, it's about overview, it's about being involved in an early stage.

And you'll hear from John Lloyd shortly, Mayor, around the Quarter 4 performance, how we performed

the last quarter of the last financial year, and we will get much better at involving scrutiny

early in establishing the new strategic framework, which is scheduled to come before you in the

So I just wanted to make those points and to thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

You can stay if you want to or you can leave us up to you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Shall we move on to the agendas, please?

6 .1 is the first paper.

I think it's John joining us.

strategic delivery and performance report, year 4, quote unquote 4.

Thank you Mayor, I'll kick off while colleagues take a seat.

At the end of year 4, Q4 of the four year strategic plan, the overall picture for us remains positive.

The Council continues to deliver on our ambitions across the borough whilst facing unique challenges.

Of the 54 strategic performance measures with targets being reported this quarter, as the

Chair of ONS has already mentioned, 34 are green, which is an increase of five since

quarter three.

Two that were previously red have improved to green, and those two are percentage of

tenants satisfied with the overall service and percentage of tenants satisfied that their

home is safe.

And two that were previously amber have improved to green, which are percentage of idea store

for learners who pass a Skills for Life course and the level of public realm cleanliness.

So, overall at the end of Q4, 60 performance measures are reported in seven different categories.

We do obviously face challenges and there are five red measures in this report and six amber measures.

Without me listing it here, I take it as red, Mr Mayor. That's pretty much it.

John, please.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor and thank you, Councillor Cagliati, for the briefing.

The only thing we wanted to add was just to echo what Steve said about the development

of the next set of KPIs which will measure the performance and impact of the Council.

council, just two factors to let you know about and to think about whilst we develop

that and of course kind of bring it to you to help refine it and define it.

The first is there is a new local government outcomes framework that the government has

set, which is really described as place -based, but it's a whole range of measures of which

the government is going to really measure the performance and impact of councils within

within their boroughs. So of course we're understanding and looking at the

measures which government has identified, many of which were already in the KPIs

by the way, but some that aren't we'll look at and of course want to

suggest that we embed within our next KPI because they do reflect

the strategic plan also. And of course the second is the strategic plan itself,

so many of the new ambitions which reflect the kind of manifesto commitments

to the administration, we need to make sure that there are no gaps in the performance

measures which will identify for the next few years.

And then the last thing is really emphasising the improvement journey within the KPIs, which

there is elements of that within the current list, but perhaps we want to strengthen that

and thinking about the organisational health and impact as well.

So that works underway.

I wanted to spend just a little bit of time explaining what's shaping it.

We're really looking forward to conversations down the line after we focus on this basket

and how we've done here.

Thank you, John.

Steve.

I'll just briefly add to that, Mayor, and we've discussed this.

I'm interested in one particular performance indicators.

I know the mayor will want to go through the reds, but it's an operational one.

The other point I'd like to make is in the new approach to strategic performance management,

it's important that we are able to track performance,

not just in terms of red, anders and greens,

but in terms of perhaps as a learning organisation

using systems like deep dives,

having members involved in really focused work

with departments as to why some of these

just constantly keep coming back as red.

So it either suggests performance isn't included

or we've got the wrong target,

because constantly repeating the same message

around these six is frustrating

and we don't see any improvement in performance.

The one that I am really interested in, and I suppose it's part of my history a little bit,

from all of the effort that's gone on...

Is that you? I saw...

From all of the effort that's gone on, recycling performance has got worse this year.

So, despite setting a target, despite improvement, our performance has worsened over the last 12 months.

And I've really, given all the interest that you've shown, the cabinet discussions that we've had,

and trajectory was looking to be above 20%,

we should get this off the bottom of the UK ladder,

we've fallen below it.

So it would really be helpful, that's the specific,

and I know it's in the ambers, but we shouldn't ignore those.

Thank you.

I agree, thank you.

Before I bring in lead members and corporate directors,

I know Darren, your, it's your first meeting,

so we don't expect you to know everything by now about us,

but you'll get to pick up very quickly.

So, other than that, other corporate directors or even

Shuman, if it concerns him or Karen,

should be able to answer some of the points that I may raise.

So, I am grateful that the two reds have become green.

Really grateful to the corporate directors and lead members.

However, I am concerned with the consistent reds in certain areas.

And Steve has mentioned one green, two greens become in ambers, one in particular cycling, which I'm going to come on to in a minute.

Can I just touch on the reds, okay?

because let's do the first one KP I 10 let's to a record the household I know

could we are currently member you come in said we house building is a top priority

for us acquisition of large the top right to us yet for the last three

quarters, this has remained red.

And we've invested a lot of money in house building.

We've invested a lot of money in our forgotten households.

Money in knock fruits, et cetera, et cetera.

This continues to be red.

It gives me cause for concern.

Given the number of families.

That the number of families who are

living in overcrowded households and the pain and the anguish and the difficulties that comes with it.

And the target isn't a very stretched target, you know.

And any suggestion to remove this, I'm not in favour of it.

And any suggestion to conflate this with the fact that this may disadvantage those who are on band one,

I think it's a bit unfair. Those who are on band one, primarily they are an over -carted household.

They need larger families, will fall within this target anyway.

But other than that, it's people who are, they need one or two bedroom homes and smaller properties.

So I am disappointed this is still red. Now I need to know why this is continuing to be red.

and we cannot remove this target because overcrowding is a serious issue in

time. We don't want to be able to rehouse everyone who's on the overcrowding

list but we've got to keep up the pressure, our commitment to reduce

overcrowding in the borough. That's one. The next one, you know, it does disappoint

me Steve, given the money that we've invested, given the number of people that

we put additional resources we put in the surface, this KPI 11, privately rented properties inspected.

Red.

Officers in the report have been suggested that this is red because 27 vacancy rate

that existed across most of 2526 as part of the transition for agency,

to other staff. And the posts have now been filled.

So, quarter one, we should see an improvement to green now.

I want to know what the case is. If we continue to be red,

despite the investment, despite you filled all your vacancies,

then there's a problem with the service, a serious problem.

I need to understand where we are in this culture with this.

The next one is KPI 25. This is good news by the way.

I know last quarter was red.

I know I've had a lot of moans and outgoing lead member,

David, you may have done fantastic work,

you know, one flagship work amongst many.

It's gone green now.

This quarter it's gone green.

So well done to Children's Services

and well done to the officers and the lead member.

Thank you.

So I think I will...

So we've got to make sure it remains, please, green.

It doesn't become amber and move to red straight away.

This also, I know Dharan is your first meeting, this does disappoint me.

The next one.

KPI 42, number of hours of informed petrols delivered by Tios.

You know, why did we invest in Tios?

We invested in tears. So they act as a deterrence.

Not only enforce, not much of enforcement.

They are not issuing any tickets. They are not acting as a deterrence.

This is red. This is contrary to what we set out in that cabinet paper Steve, when we came in.

What we set out in our manifesto and what we set out in our vision for

to safety and security in our borough.

And despite what 72, 73 tiers,

despite investment in cameras,

these stupid cameras,

there's millions of money has gone into the service.

We are red, they are, they're not issuing tickets.

Well how are they enforcing in the service, Corby?

I know you've just come in.

No, now you've come in.

So this is truly a disappointment.

Either the managers, the directors not enforcing, not doing a good job performance management,

or the theory of someone doing a good job.

And there's a clear synergy between what our aspiration is for this borough,

and what the officers' aspiration is.

Okay, so that's the one I'm going to ask obviously leading members and Steve and the corporate director if you can,

if you understand or come back to us after this, is red.

The next one I know is out of our control, I know it's red.

Again, is it a copy? The one KPI 043, I know previously I had a go at

the officers, it's about outsource service, solace, the work they do

and how the satisfaction afterwards about their service rather than us, I can understand.

The two greens which have become ambers, the house recycling one is very worrying, John,

very worrying, given the investment that we put in. It should be on the up, not on the

down, it's gone down by 1%. I understand from officers this culture will see improvement,

That shouldn't have gone down last quarter in any event.

So Darren, please, yeah.

So this is the KPI 046.

You need to please take an interest in this.

The next one also very much worries me.

It's about criminal safety and security.

Yeah, it's KPI 064.

Yeah.

Again, it's the money that we put in.

Number of anti -social behavioural warnings, community protection warnings,

and community protection notices issued by Tios.

It's gone green to amber, and it's more or less, it's a Tios again.

It's how are they enforcing?

This light touch business, although I'm in favour of it, that's not why we invested money.

We invested money in order to see the borough is performing when it comes to safety, security, when it comes to disturbances, ASBs,

and by them not issuing tickets, we've kept that in because we're going to track performance.

And I'm worried this is on the wrong trajectory.

Where's our investment?

Where is it paying dividends if people in the borough can't live in safety and security?

So that's number one.

The court gives me concern.

I'm just going to leave it there for now.

If Steve want to come in, I'll bring the...

I've touched on the red ones if the lead members want to come in the corporate directors piece.

Yes, please.

Thank you, Mayor.

John, it would be really helpful to have confirmation around the recycling target because when you

read the text behind it, it says out of the area is 20 .12, whereas in the summary sheet

it says it's falling below 20%, so that would just be helpful to understand.

But in any event, we're still below the 23 % target, and I know, Darren, it will be difficult

for you to answer that.

The one that I find really frustrating more than anything, I suppose, is the enforcement,

particularly in relation to the theories.

and the point I would make there,

and it's something I know we discussed very briefly,

but we need to pick up,

is this time when we set the budget,

the MTFS for last year,

we had a conversation about the role

and profile of the Theos.

So when the Theos were originally created,

and this is many years ago,

there was an element of community engagement.

But we changed the emphasis some 18 months ago

because there was a degree of enforcement

that wasn't happening,

and that has serious financial impacts

for the council as well.

But it's clear that that hasn't been adopted.

And I think it would be really helpful to understand

what the financial implications are of this non -performance

moving forward.

Particularly, I think it would be

helpful to do that at a mayor's advisory board

in the near future.

To add on to that, that's very important.

We have aspirations.

We have targets where we're forming short because of that.

But we invest in tears because they act, they are visible.

They're round throughout the borough.

I know, I mean the report says only below, that's KP42, only 8 % below target.

That's not the point.

The point is they are below target.

That means they're less visible.

So we've got to make sure they are visible, they're available, they're doing their job.

and we are performing, managing them.

It's very important to us.

Darren, it's your second day, so I'll expect you to...

There is also an issue.

The mayor has invested a considerable amount of money in Theos.

We have nearly 80 of them.

But we also spend two and a half million pounds a year on buying police officers.

And the return that we've had from them in terms of enforcement, in my estimation, having

had discussions with the Borough Commander, we're not getting a return on investment.

So there is a question to be asked, and perhaps you could come back when you've had a chance

to think about it.

Our overall enforcement regime isn't right.

It's not quite right.

And we need to think about whether we're getting value for money for that, and where else the

might be more comfortable spending some of the considerable funds we currently expend.

Thank you.

Remodelling and improving the partnership with the police, you know, remodelling that

money and the work the uniformed police officers that we have here and the much more controlled

COVID. Then I'll bring Darren in.

I'll go through each of them.

So KPI 064.

Mayor, I don't accept the explanations given on that.

We have a larger sized team.

We've got 70 plus Theos.

Although we do do preventative work, we still do see a wide range of ASB issues and antisocial

behaviour orders and a whole range of other interventions should be implemented within

that.

So the explanations given, I don't accept that.

And it is a discussion, ongoing discussion with the Director of Community Safety and

how we design and reshape and what good looks like and how we achieve good.

With the next KPI, within the community safety portfolio, again, it's an operational...

Sorry, we set the targets as a council, we set the philosophy and the policies.

It's not for the TOs or the officers to decide what else they're going to do.

If they should not be making a conscious decision not to tick it,

we have put this tracker in for a reason, want to act as a deterrence.

Of course, there are some instances TLC is sufficient,

but it's also about deterrence, isn't it?

And it's also about balancing our books as a council.

So we need a note, Darren, that we need to move away from this and who make that conscious decision.

It's not in the gift of the CEOs or the managers or the director to make that decision.

It's in the gift of the executive and the council as a whole to make that decision.

And this is a target, this is 064, it's in there and it's going to remain in there.

It's about us performance managing that team.

I will not move away from that.

So to intervene.

Again, on KPI 042, Mr. Mayor.

And once again, I mean, we've got a much larger

Theo service than any local authority in London,

as I understand.

So for us not to be able to operationally manage

a combination of training and patrols

is another, as I said, an operational issue,

and I have raised issues around that with the director,

and we are again looking into how we optimise

and put more time into sort of direct patrolling.

With, and you've, Mr. Mayor, with KPI 043,

you've already highlighted that this is a third sector

organisation, and as you are aware,

we're going through a process of looking at that service and how we

Look at insourcing that service

Thank you Darren, I'll bring you in I think see if any lead members got any comments on those

KPIs in one is it on this one?

Was it this one? Sorry? It's it's not on come to safety. Is it something else? Okay, don't worry down sir

Thank you.

As you and the Chief Executive said, this is my second day or second and a half day

in the role.

So I don't think there's anything sensible I can add because I've had time to read this

report and see the issues and see the problems.

I don't think, you know, me reading out the explanations that are in the report in front

of me, I don't think adds any value at this stage.

But I do understand the points that you've made and we've had some conversations I've

To understand that I need to go away and take that take that take that on board

Thank you. That's a sign of fair

please

Thank You mr. Mayor and not sort of adding anything in terms of excuse or explanation

But I'd share the civil contingencies board and we've seen a large rise in incidents

Recently and I know that ward councillors and all yourselves always come out whether there's an incident to support the community

be it a fire or a flood or

in hot weather when young people are jumping into water they shouldn't.

But I just wanted to mention that the Theos have been responding to those incidents

and every time I ask questions about how we've dealt with those incidents

people always talk positive about the Theos but obviously that doesn't detract from what their targets are.

But I just wanted to say in terms of responding to emergencies and incidents alongside yourselves

they've been really good recently because we've had quite a few. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Housing.

Thank you, Mr Mayor.

I think I'll touch on KPI 10 first, let's do overcrowded households.

I think it is a very important measure and it is one that we shouldn't look at removing.

It's more about how we report it going forward, this is what we should look at and what sort

of input with what sort of data is giving,

makes sense to us as a tool of measurement.

One important point that is missing here though,

which isn't taken into effect is the less to TA.

So if we consider the numbers of proper household,

overcrowded households have been provided

with suitable accommodation,

that percentage would be much higher.

So I think the way we're looking at this,

That's why I'm saying the measurement isn't exactly giving us a full picture.

It's just looking at the social register.

But if we have to also provide housing to TA, where does it leave us?

And I think that will cross into a green measure if we consider that as well.

And another piece that I will say is really important is the fact that looking into a policy and how we sort of look at overcrowding itself.

So one piece, Mr. Mayor, I think the first thing I spoke about with Jennifer and the team is how we improve our overcrowded allocations.

Looking at it from an equalities point of view, someone overcrowded in a two bedroom with five people isn't the same as someone overcrowded with, I don't know, let's say four.

Exactly, yeah. So that lens is thought to be reviewed.

I'll bring Karen in, she's got a little bit more detail around how we have performed during

the previous months.

Thank you.

I think what's missing from here as well is that in terms of the number of people housed,

270 families had their overcrowding relieved as a result of the allocation scheme.

Last year we allocated 1 ,200 properties, this year it was 900.

So the overall number of lets was actually down this year.

We're not housing all of these people in our stock, so register providers do a lot of heavy

lifting in terms of the register.

This year, and it's mentioned here, Jennifer's mentioned here, there was a significant time

lag with a number of large register providers in terms of when they were getting those void

properties through to us.

And that has resulted in the number of properties let this year being less than the number of

properties that's past year.

Now Jennifer's onto that, she's met with all the registered

providers to talk about void turnaround time

so that they're coming to us in a timely way.

And they will come to us, but they're not being reported

to in this year.

What I would just point out as well is you're right

to point out that we're purchasing 237 properties

that they should be coming through.

We've made a case for the larger properties,

three and two beds.

They will be coming through, but obviously there's a process

by which they go through from acquisition to landing

in somebody being allocated them.

But what I would just point out that those properties

we're starting to see those larger properties come through.

And if you look at the very bottom of page 53,

in March alone, five out of the six four beds that were let

were let to overcrowded households

and 14 out of the 23 beds in March

were let to overcrowded households.

So we are seeing some of those larger properties

coming through and people in overcrowded situations being allocated them.

In the allocations strategy and policy there is a target of 35 % of allocations to homeless

households. That's always been there. In previous years that hasn't been met but it has been

met this year and you'll understand the drivers for sort of like meeting that. That will obviously

have an impact in terms of other people not getting those lets but that again is something

that we've talked to the lead member about just in terms of striking the balance between

the two competing groups for accommodation.

I would just mention as well that there's a piece of targeted support that's happening

around under -occupied, so we've revised the leaflet, we've got a targeted comms campaign

with registered providers and we've brought through the acquisitions programme Byron Street,

which was a market -led scheme of over 50 properties, one and two beds,

and we are going to be targeting those to begin with to underoccupying households across the council, across the borough.

So that's 50 potentially larger properties that might be released if any of the underoccupiers were interested in this new build,

and state -of -the -art kitchens, walk -in showers for under -occupiers who might be interested in those.

Councillor Zaid has pushed us hard on overcrowding.

We've talked about, he's mentioned maybe distinction between people who are down three bedrooms

rather than people who are down one bedrooms and whether we can try to prioritise

and make some distinction between the severity of overcrowding.

We've also talked about families bidding for one bedroom less,

because any extra room is better than what they're in now.

So that's another policy consideration.

So we've got a paper coming to the lead member next week,

which is setting out what some of these proposals could look like,

and what a sort of workshop with members could look like,

in terms of working out what the trade -offs are,

and where the balances are that we need to strike.

So once we've had the meeting of the lead member next week

about what that would look like, what are the issues on the table,

how do we get members into the detail, we'll be able to bring that back to Mal.

Thank you. Anyone want to make any comment on the housing? I've got some comments to make, please.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. It's just on the paper 1 -0. I think under the occupation work that we're doing,

I think we're too soft on it all.

I think the approach needs to change.

We did discuss that map, I think,

and we did say, ask for some options or some papers,

how we can, because there are many, many properties

within Tahemelech that are underoccupied.

And we really need to, I think we need to change the tone

and we need to be more, I think,

we'll need to target ourselves maybe.

And so I'm sure we can do a lot on that.

That's just my comment.

Please.

Thank you Mayor. So like yourself, it is concerned to see the number of privately rented properties inspected remains still below.

We know what overcrowding and damp mould, you know how it directly leads to ill health.

So we know that recruitment is important, but how can we reassure or get assurance that

the properties are getting prioritised, the highest risk ones, and once they are vacant,

also if we can have a clear recovery timetable?

Yeah, so I think in Quarter 1 we are on target.

I've already seen the quarter one statistics and I'm just getting robbed to confirm that but in quarter one we are on target

So it was that time lag. I mean we inherited a service that was one with agency staff

So what we've done is we put them onto permanent contracts because the funding is there because this is licence fees. It's really important

38 % of residents in the borough live in private rented homes. So we know this is about a stable workforce

So that piece of work that planned it was a planned transition from agency to fixed term and permanent

and we've now got those people in and in quarter one for next year, this year, it's actually the inspections have increased.

I mean what I would say is that inspections are just one suite of enforcement measures.

I think there's a number of other enforcement measures that we can put in there. I think

most of our inspections often lead to

properties being acknowledged as being compliant, but there are other

deterrence to landlords other than an inspection and that's often through

through improvement notices but but we are back on track in quarter in quarter

one good good news thank you anyone else on these on these two the housing

targets in one okay I'm gonna make some comments thank you say then and and

Karen, pace, pace, pace. One thing I don't sometimes I get a bit frustrated, David

notes this Karen, is that with pace in certain areas I just don't believe that

we're working at the pace that we should be working in improving the council in

deliveries, service deliveries, especially when it comes to housing and generally.

And I believe if we work a bit more quicker, we can do a bit more, much more for our residents.

A good example is Noctilu's, Karen.

I gave suggested nocturne for my surgery about one year ago a

Family who's about seven people living in two bedroom

Severely overcrowded the next door has become available

Been year -plus now

We haven't progressed that not to do does it take?

More than a year to do a knock -through. That's one example. I can give you other examples. I don't want to do that here

We've got to look at the knock -throughs. We need an audit from all the knock -throughs.

How many knock -throughs are outstanding? How long it's been on the table, Syed?

And what is the average time? We've allocated the money. We've got a policy about knock -throughs.

These are people. These are people's lives here. But also it helps with the statistics.

It's alleviating or immediately overcrowding.

If it takes an hour, a year plus to do a knock through,

it's not like building houses here, a knock through.

It's worrying. So I need a paper on knock throughs,

I want a list of all the properties that is in the horizon for knock throughs,

how long it's been, what stage it's at in our developmentally awaited.

We need that discussion and how we can expedite the knock -throughs.

We're doing that with the mayor's accelerated housing.

We're well on track. We have squeezed, condensed some of the timelines when people said, obviously said it can't be done.

It can be done.

When you go out to procurement, I've seen it again and again today, you've seen it, we've both done it.

You can condense the procurement process within a legal framework, and you can procure services far quicker than sometimes been suggested to us.

So on every kind of procurement, on every kind of delivery, we've got to look at the timeline.

So knock throughs timelines. We need to challenge that, Said.

Just don't take and accept what officers say, a lot of respect.

On acquisition, Karen, whether it's legal, whether it's Davis team,

acquisition is quite monotonous and slow.

I was a convencer, I did residential and commercial convencing.

It doesn't take six, seven months or one year, two years to do commercial convincing.

You can turn it around within what, six months? Five, six months?

Please, if you disagree, let me know.

But I see some of the acquisition is taking an awfully long time.

Whether it's negotiating COVID, you were the lead member, and come to a deal.

Once a deal has been reached, turning that around and bringing it to ownership and making the properties available for people to occupy them,

it's awfully long time. Not always, but substantially long time. We've got to look at the acquisition.

And most of the properties we're buying, they are three or four bedrooms. That can help with reducing overcrowding in the borough.

Downsizing, again Karen, I know, sorry you're here today, downsizing, I don't think we are doing a good job of downsizing.

I don't even know who's doing it, to be honest. You pass it on to, I've had people come to my surgery, who's living in four bedrooms,

I had two cases of living in five bedrooms, they want to downsize. They want to downsize to a two or three bedroom.

They don't need such a large property. I know someone from 4 bedrooms want to go to a free bedroom.

You give it to the officers, it's lost in the system. Then people come back and say, no I'm not bothering anymore.

I'm moving on. We've lost a large property or large properties. We need leadership on that Steve.

There's a serious lack of leadership. I know the Deputy Mayor has raised it. I know I have at the moment.

but this is people languishing in overcrowded households.

Someone who's living in large homes, they're paying bedroom tax,

they're saying, give us a small property, we're willing to move to a smaller property, but help us.

You give it to the system and it gets lost, no one comes back to you.

And how can I, as the Mayor, keep track of it?

It's not my job to keep track of it.

Trust it to the officers, they should get on with it.

It's only when those people come back to you saying,

look, it's been six, seven months, Mr. Mayor.

No one's got back.

Well, someone just gave me a courtesy call six,

seven months ago, and no one's bothered to come back to us,

tell us what's happening.

I'm sure, League members, you've experienced that.

I know Thala's nodding your head.

So we've given you suggestions how we can reduce overcrowding.

It's not just about building homes.

There's other things we can do.

I know building homes, we're dependent on the market,

and I hope the new government and new Prime Minister will not just talk,

there will be some real money, a real opportunity to build more homes.

We're developing 42 of our own sites,

but we can do with help from central government,

we can do with help, financial help from GLA.

Those, between those 42 sites, we can as a council deliver

three and a half thousand homes.

So when it comes to house building, we are leading edge.

but other stuff we can do as a local authority where we can reduce overcrowding, but I don't think we're good at it.

Yeah, it's lost in the system, and I do want a paper on that Steve. Yeah, okay, please yeah, that's all I'm going to say.

Thank you.

That's housing gone.

What else?

Steve, thank you for

first time entrance in the youth justice system. Let's keep that going.

I think we've dealt with it, haven't we?

We've dealt with it.

Anyone else on any other areas?

You want to make any comments before I bring Steve in?

Shafiq, go on.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

And KPI 46, which you highlighted earlier on,

and I think it's important that we recognise the importance of household recycling.

And we had an initial target of 20 % within the borough.

That's why I think Steve was alluding to the 20%.

So we had a target, the pan London target is 23%,

but from last quarter to this quarter we wanted to hit the 20%.

So the last two quarters we have been hit in amber,

which is from where we have come to where we are,

it's a huge investment that yourselves declared waste emergency

and there was a mayor's recycling improvement plan which we adopted through MAB and cabinet

and we are trying to make sure that we continue on that path in educating our residents,

in making sure that there is a lot of comms going out.

Those things have gone out comms bilingually as well as all aspects of the contamination issue

is an issue which we all recognise the misuse of household bins and commercial waste are

being mixed up and this is what we have to work on and I think I've been I've been told

next quarter the quarter one this year we'll be looking at significant improvements in

that. Thank you.

One note on the positive side, Mr Mayor, just KP1058 is the public ground cleaning, which

was Amber has now gone to green.

Good.

Thank you.

That's good.

But we've been here, we've been here, it's our fifth year now, and we've invested money

has been two years at least.

Within two years, we shouldn't be going back by 1%.

will be going up by 1 % yeah please yeah so I don't be there's no need to be

defensive please yeah we've got to yeah we need to go make improvements yeah

please yeah thank you tell I'll bring you in that Steve coming yet please yeah

thank you I just want to touch on one of the amber measures which is really

important for us collecting council tax so we're currently sitting at 92 .08 %

1 % behind the target.

Just to draw context, last year we increased

our collection rate by 18 million pounds

compared to the year before.

So we collected 191 million last year

compared to 173 million the year before.

And there's a number of things that we're doing,

whether it's being involved in a government pilot

and some internal sort of things that our head of service

has proposed to increase that collection rate.

So the idea is we're on a positive trajectory and we want that to increase and be one of the best in the country when it comes to collecting council tax.

Good. Every 1 % we lose one and a half million pound. That's serious money.

So 4 or 5%, our competitors out there, the collection rate is 96, 97 % to us.

So we're losing a year, some 5, 6 million pound. That's not sustainable.

Okay? And Richard and the team, Dwayne Brown, they understand that and we're working on it. So thank you. Steve.

So thank you. I just wanted to make some comments at the end, if that's okay, just around process

moving forward. So the mayor's been talking to me for a number of weeks now about how

we report performance, and John, we've had some conversations, but there is a role here

for members to be more involved. And so what we've agreed would be a helpful way forward

is as part of developing the new strategic plan

and the new performance management framework

to formally create, and John, you can have a think

about how this might work, if you like,

a task and finish group or particular group

to be chaired by a cabinet member that the mayor will select

to be populated by junior cabinet members

that have read performance indicators

once they've been developed,

and to meet throughout the year.

So we're no longer relying on officers to focus on those performance indicators

and report here on a quarterly basis.

There is a much more focused approach for two reasons.

First of all, because obviously the mayor is keen to engage junior cabinet members,

there's a learning opportunity and what have you.

But secondly, as a learning organisation, we are going through a process at the moment of deep dives

and there is some good learning to come out of those.

We need to adopt good learning when there is the opportunity to do so.

This is a good place to do it.

I think the mayor, we have agreed it will be helpful, John, if we can bring something back

when you bring back the strategic plan that refers to that.

Is that OK?

Yes, that's great.

I think we can bring that back with the KPIs and the process of how we might do that as well.

Please, can we pick this up at the next MAB, please?

With a colour path ahead of how we might do that.

I think it is a great idea.

You need to come in.

Go on.

The percentage of

care -livers in education,

employment or training

remains amber.

I was just thinking,

should we ensure that

the performance monitoring

actually captures

not whether a young person

enters education

or employment

but actually

if the placement

is suitable

and sustained?

Thank you Councillor, it's a really important issue.

I think the first thing to say is we set a really stretched target.

So you'll see in the notes the national performance on this is 56 %

which is not good clearly is it? So we've set a target of 75 %

which we've throughout the year just been under on AMBA and

I should say as well colleagues in council departments have provided opportunities

for our care leavers and increasingly some of our partners do

as well. But I think it's really important, I was speaking to some young people the other

day about offering them a choice and giving them a choice of placements and making sure

it's stuff they're interested in and myself and lead member are also talking about how

we engage more businesses with our young people and provide more opportunities. The thing

I will say though which is positive, there's a measure around suitable accommodation and

we've performed really well on that as well.

Thank you.

Thanks, Steve.

You're okay, Srinivaya?

Okay.

Thanks for this agenda.

Can we note the recommendations and hopefully a paper will come to us with a review of the

indicators and the task of finishing the proposal.

Is that okay?

Okay.

Thank you, John.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you very much.

That's noted.

Can we move on to 6 .2, an extremely important paper like the previous one, budget monitoring,

25, 26, provisional outrun.

Where's Kim gone?

Oh, he's gone.

Okay.

Sorry.

Sayid.

Okay.

Please, yeah.

Oh, sorry.

I'm looking at him saying Said. I should be saying Tala.

No worries.

Apologies.

This 2025 -26 Provision Out -Turn Report sets out the year -end financial position for the Council.

It also outlines the Council's ongoing response, including a strengthened programme of transformation designed to secure long -term resilience and reliability.

There was a £19 .4 million net general fund overspent.

The position is after agreed management actions and the planned appropriate allocation of

£26 million through funding substitutions and £18 million net drawdown of EMR reserves.

There have been additional pressures since Q3 from demand -led services across children's

social care and some slippages in cost reduction savings related to homelessness.

These pressures have been anticipated in financial planning, with provision made through in -year

contingency budgets, but the scale of demand materialising across London and nationally

is greater than originally forecast.

There is a £15 .1 million dedicated schools grant overspent.

Further details can be found in paragraph 9 .96 and 9 .102 of the report.

There is a 3 .5 million pound HRA underspend against revised budgets which

can be found in section 10 of the report. Of the 30 .2 million pound in -year

savings last year, 27 .5 million pound was achieved and the rest require

reprofiling. Further details can be found in Appendix 4. The General Fund capital

out -term for the year is 51 .5 million pound which represents nearly 87 % of the

revised budget, resulting in net variance of 7 .8 million pound at year end.

And finally, the housing revenue account capital out -turn for the year is 130 .1 million pounds,

which represents 70 .2 % of the revised budget.

And details can be found in section 12 of the report.

Thank you.

Great.

Thank you.

Richard, please.

Yeah.

the Council has very similar challenges to many other parts of the country, particularly

in adults' care, children's care, temporary accommodation, but again, it maintains its

position of being in control of its own destiny.

It hasn't applied for exceptional financial support.

As the chair of overview and scrutiny made the point, and we must continue that to be

in control of our own destiny.

We do not want to be an authority like many others that are out there, north of 30 and

8 in London, who are having to borrow money today, over 20 years, to pay for today's expenditure,

and that is not a place that's sustainable, as many are finding out.

So we must ensure that we maintain a robust position,

both in the out -term report and also,

as my cabinet member will talk about,

in the forecast position that we continue to keep

the pressure on to do so,

but I'll say more about that in the second report.

Thank you, Steve.

You want to say anything?

No, I'm okay, I'm okay.

I'm gonna be a little bit different.

I think in the circumstances that we face,

I just really want to emphasise the work that was done last year.

This is a robust financial position.

As the chair of scrutiny has said and as the corporate director has said, this was planned.

There's no reactive panic or heaven to what's happened here.

And even when we have a few bumps in the road, as every local authority does, we have good

systems, we have good processes and we have good people working really hard.

But I think it's really important to emphasise the learning from last year was that the mayor

held regular weekly sessions, they were called something different last year, and the sustainability

forum.

This year we've moved up another level.

Now we have mayor budget challenge sessions, we have the sustainability forum, so we're

constantly learning and the reason we're able to control our own destiny is because we do

that stuff really well.

So I think we should be proud of the out turn and we should take the learning forward to

the new financial year.

Great, thank you.

I'll come in at the end.

Members, Saeed.

Thank you, Mr Mayor.

I think let me thank the current lead member and the officers and I know the amount of work that goes into this and yourself

Mr. Mayor when we go through all the budget sessions and make sure that we land in a position with that

We saw a forecast and we gage. I mean, I just want to grab everyone's attention to the figure we're talking about

I mean we've got an 18 .6 million pound overspend

Obviously after substitution and everything out of a budget of for half a billion that comes to something like 3 %

I mean to land somewhere near 3 % is a very good number.

And at Q1, if I recall, I think we had something like £15 million projected overspend and

we're landing on 18.

I think with the numbers we're talking about, it's very good compared to other local authorities

where people are requesting exceptional funding.

I think for us going forward is about matching, controlling the overspends going forward.

So, the upturn is somewhat we knew what we were going to get to, is what we got in our

hand and what we can work on at the moment.

And I think from housing, from my housing point of view, I'm confident the numbers are

looking good going forward and I'm confident that other departments will follow suit in

looking at innovative ways and identifying savings and income generation as we've focused

a lot on.

But I think looking at the gift that we have with 106 and the NSEALS and the CIL is a very

unique borough and that's something we should celebrate about and we should utilise the

funding where available to make sure that what's required for our residents is delivered

accordingly.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Any other lead members, corporate directors?

Bring Minera in then I'll bring you COVID.

Minera please.

I just want to say a positive comment.

Despite the very significant pressures basically of the government, it is reassuring to know that 91 % of planned savings have been delivered.

And that stronger financial governance arrangements are now in place.

but I would like to know of the major overspends, which areas are now showing evidence that management actions are beginning to reduce financial pressure, particularly in homelessness and other social care and consent?

Thank you. I'll ask Richard and Tala to note that and come answer your question after. Thank you for that contribution. Great. Can I take a call with them and I'll take the Deputy Mayor.

I just wanted to sort of bring to your attention that as this is quarter one reporting, just

wanted to pick up on around public protection and integrated enforcement, it's showing a

variance of zero.

However, we are running programmes for commercialisation and income generation, so we're hoping for

a positive outcome on that.

Good, thank you, I'll pick up on that

generally afterwards, yeah, thank you.

David Dimmé.

Thank you, Mr. Mee.

My question was around PRB board,

which is part of it, and I get the governance

and overall, you know, what we're trying to do.

But I mean, my question is around male talent sessions.

I mean we get directly like we you know we get savings and so on and we identify savings

and we can you know directly impact. I just want to understand about the PRB board. I

get that it's about control and measures and so on. Are we getting any direct benefits

from it?

I'm going to go to Richard.

Very quickly on the PRB.

The PRB was introduced for two reasons.

First of all, we had experience of very challenging spend on agency spend.

We had 600 members of agency staff not against posts just here and recruited, which has cost

us nearly £48 million in the previous financial year.

That has to stop.

And secondly, during a period of restructure, which the mayor is currently engaged in, we

We want to make sure that we offer opportunities to existing staff and we're not filling posts that may not be part of the long -term future of the Council.

And we wanted to slow down expenditure, but we tried to do it in a sensitive way as possible.

If it would be helpful, we could bring a summary report that identifies what savings have been created as a result.

Richard Thaller, that will help.

So in our

The appropriate forum if you can bring a a monthly note for us

Richard just telling us where what improves we're making and what areas please say be helpful. Okay. Thank you

We change it to come back

Just just to emphasise and at Steve's point on the PRP it is it is a useful control mechanism we do have

have urgency procedures as well.

So the bit where if things are really critical, we do have an urgency procedure to get things

through fast where appropriate.

That doesn't mean we want everyone of them being urgent, because that would take away

from the need for the board, really.

Just to come back on the expenditure sides on adults, you'll see from the next report

where there's some investment from the transformation money,

you'll see adults and social care has been allocated

1 .215 million pounds, primarily to do two things really,

to drive down the cost of some of,

looking at some of the costs of the cases

and are there ways that we can get better value

from the money that we're spending.

That's still implementing the policy of free home care,

but looking at ways we can do that in a more efficient way.

We're also looking at some of the more expensive cases as well,

again, to look for and see if we can get better value for money.

That sort of short -term resource, it's roughly half of that money,

the 1 .2 I talked about is for that.

The other pit is to get a more medium -term view around

through an organisation that will come in and give us some advice around,

here are four or five things that you could do much better.

so they'll analyse all our data, do a lot of data analytics work,

and they'll say to us, here are the things that we think you are,

you could do better.

Maybe things were doing well already, we could do better.

It may be things are off benchmark and we could get to a better place

through learning from others in respect of adults.

In respect of homelessness and temporary accommodation,

I think the directorate have done pushed incredibly hard

to deal with a really difficult area.

I think they've had some good successes.

You will see in the, they've really driven down

some of those pressures to get to a much more

manageable number going forward.

It is still a labour spending at the moment,

but don't forget we've got a good period of time

before we get to year end, and they're looking at

both the bill programme that the mayor sponsors

to deal with some of that, but we're also doing

lots of acquisitions of properties as well which is particularly helpful in the current

market, the buyer's market at the moment, so it's a good time for us to be doing so.

And then of course touch on some of the other things we can do to just outside of build

and acquisitions to actually just get better value and better service to our residents

as well.

The SEND side, we have got Steve here, you will see that we were at circa 30 million

in excess spend over above the high needs block and the SEND side of it.

I have to say that is below the national average as a problem.

and there are many London boroughs that are north of 60, 70 million, so ours at 30 was

a lesser problem. The government has come in and said that it will give 90 % of that

spend back. Our submission has gone into government. We haven't heard back from them as yet, but

Steve will update me if I'm wrong. September, we will hear back. If our plan is accepted,

They will fund 90 % of that and we will get still have a 3 million issue to deal with.

To be fair to the government, the previous government hadn't, we're just leaving it as

a negative reserve, which is a concept I don't understand personally, because how can you

keep having negative reserves sitting on your balance sheet.

The next, sorry, I was going to go into a little detail on this.

There are two years where the government haven't been.

The next two years, again, we would expect to be funded to the 90%, but government have

not made that statement yet, and that would leave us a gap.

Three years from now, government has said that the SEND issue and high needs will be

a national issue and that local authorities won't be expected to fund it, but that's three

years away.

And in the current government, one doesn't know who's going to be in charge in three

Steve, you want to say anything now or shall I just come in to anyone else?

I know we've got a linked budget paper afterwards which is the budget monitoring 26 -27 period

Both are linked but we can, let's conclude this and we'll move, quickly move on to the

other one.

Is that okay?

And I'll make my comments afterwards in the other paper.

It's okay, it's both linked.

So are we...

If there's no one else, can we...

So we've got the recommendation on page 131.

So recommendation 1 is to note, recommendation 2 is to approve.

Yep, we approve.

I've got some questions on CIL and Section 106, I'll make it later on.

It's okay.

We note recommendation 3, we note provision of turn 18 .6 and we approve the general fund

agenda item 5 and we approve the proposed growth for council existence with general

fund and we approve the housing revenue account.

Is that okay?

Yeah.

Good.

We've done that.

Okay.

Can we now move on to the next paper, please?

6 .3, which is a linked paper.

Thank You mayor and I did want to start by thanking officers for both reports. I forgot to mention that at the previous

Opening and I think especially publishing our statement of accounts on time, which many councils hadn't done

There's a lot of good work that officers done. I just wanted to be recognised

So this budget monitoring 26 27 period to report provides a year -end forecast at period 2 of this financial

year against budget, it covers the general fund revenue but also the housing revenue

account and in -year savings tracker. The Council has made good progress on a number of its

savings proposals but continues to have to deal with pressures that all councils are

experiencing. The Council has had to create a number of additional savings and cost reductions

in order to mitigate these pressures and is currently forecasting a £19 .2 million overspend.

In addition, the Council has utilised £8 .9 million of the risk reserve and £10 million of the revenue contingency.

That leaves £16 million in the risk reserve.

The Council holds additional reserves to the risk reserve and the full list can be found in Appendix 3.

Progress made against the 26 -27 savings target of nearly £70 million are set out in Section 15 and Appendix 4.

The vast majority of the savings are either achieved or fully on track to be achieved

by the year end.

And the savings that require corrective actions are being deployed to put them back on track.

Six percent of savings is forecasted as unlikely to be delivered and will require reprofiling

and substitutions, but much challenge before we do that.

So we'll challenge as much as possible to make sure that they are achievable.

The Council and finally the Council has not required exceptional financial support from government

unlike many other councils, 30 plus with eight of them being in London.

As such I think it's important to note that we maintain control of our financial position

and to ensure that it continues it must deliver on this year's budget

and over the autumn strengthen the robustness of our MTFS as part of the usual financial cycle.

And before concluding, I just want to, it all relates to both papers, last year and this year.

We introduced a number of forums, whether it's the spending review panels, the control panels, the expenditure panels.

And I'm not so sure that many other councils have that level of robustness in how we manage expenditure in the council.

I sit on panels, other lead members and colleagues of Saturday's panels,

where we're approving things from headsets for staff

to all the way that really expensive expenditure.

And that level of engagement between officers and members

to control spend, I don't think exists anywhere else.

And it's for that reason that we've managed to control

projected overspends last year,

but also the ones that we're looking at this year.

So I think those things that were introduced last year

and we're sort of enhancing through budget challenge

and quite a few different forums we've introduced this year,

will only further add to that level of robustness

and that control that we have in the Council.

And I'm quite confident we'll chip away at this £19 .2 million over the year

and hopefully beat Said's record from last year.

Thank you for that. And I would just add two things I suppose.

The first thing is to say that one of the things the Mayor has requested

and I think is absolutely appropriate, is that we engage overview and scrutiny much

more proactively this year. So a dedicated subcommittee of overview and scrutiny will

exist from November time, I think it is, through to you, the Council, agreeing the budget next

February. And the other thing I wanted to say is really encourage members to consider

the budget holistically. So this is about revenue funding, but it also encapsulates

capital. And I know the Mayor's going to refer to Section 106 and still at the moment, but

We set our budget by looking holistically.

So we've got all of those detailed arrangements in place

that Councillor just referred to,

that Talia just referred to,

but we also are very careful about the way we allocate

section 106 and still the substitution process we go through

how we take a look holistically at grants that we receive

and income that's generated

and we hold corporate directors to account

and we do that very well.

And the final thing I would say is,

yes, we are projecting a 19 .2 million pounds

they were spent currently, but corporate directors are fully engaged and understand fully that

they have to operate within their resources.

It's a change of culture and I think so far it's working well.

Great, thank you Steve.

Anyone?

Any comments from anyone?

Please, Said.

Yeah, thank you Mr Mayor.

I think where we ended last year is a similar trajectory going forward, but I think what

What is very important is the table one.

Table one is showing us net overspends in certain areas.

Corporately, there is a buffer that we have, which is really helping the council, but I

think we have time.

We still have another two more periods in hand, and we can work in ways collaboratively

to work out how we can control our spend going forward.

For housing regeneration, we have a net overspend of 6 .2 forecasted.

That is definitely something that I will work closely with my corporate director and my directors to make sure that that number is reduced and we can bring it in line to the budget.

I will say there are other areas within health and adult social care and within children services that are significantly higher.

and I'm sure some of the meetings, budget challenge sessions,

and there are some innovative ideas coming forward.

I will say is we need to, what the mayor said before,

is put some pace in those ideas

and really turn them around as quick as we can,

because that 19 .2, although it's manageable now,

you know, it's all demand -led and things can change

and that could shift easily.

So we've got all the control panels in place, we've got all the ideas working, it's about putting all the trains in action and controlling that number as soon as possible, because we've still got two more periods.

Thank you. Anyone else?

You're not taking interest in finance?

I've already done a bit, but communities, I mean as I said there is growth area in our

communities directorate and particularly around community safety and it's about one having

strategies in place but also implementing. Once then it's deliverables, same with the

commercialisation side of our waste collection and our leisure service.

Just to let everybody know, yes, I enlisted for the membership in Be Well,

only £21 .40 or £60 a month and that will add to the income of the council as well.

We are with you and Sabina.

We have a lot of money and say we will more than have to go.

Where is Sabina? He will be more than happy to go.

Good, good, okay.

Okay, let's see.

It's an interesting point just to build upon that and it goes back to the way in which we manage our budgets.

Lots of local authorities and you can name them whether we're welcome for it.

Whoever those local authorities are that are financially struggling, we don't just look at reductions, we look at being proactive.

So we had a conversation with Steve today about fostering, we have a conversation about generating income in leisure,

we have discussions around sponsorship of the highway, we're creative and that is also something that we do

that other local authorities don't tend to do as robustly.

A few comments to make.

Councillor Shafi, are you okay?

And Deputy Mayor, is he happy enough or is he upset from Sunday?

Go on.

Is there anything you want to add?

You need to go out for lunch I think.

Okay, thank you.

Okay, okay, I've got, thank you. They are good papers, Richard, and the team, you've done good work.

I've got, I mean, general comments, I think people have touched on it, Tala in particular has touched on it.

I mean, as Stephen Sentala said, Richard, we've, it's a, we have a vigorous, you know, budgeting process.

It's a year -long process, Said, what you were here last four years and Tala is experiencing it now.

because we don't take any chances. We want to make sure we spend within our means

and that we don't have, we are a financially sustainable council

and we don't have to go to government for help when it comes to our finances.

And I'm grateful to the officers and council for the work that you do.

But put in those hours every week, two days a week, put in those hours and the time

and the questions and scrutiny and the oversight that we have

and the input from the corporate actors, it does make a difference.

But at the same time, there are London -wide national pressures in certain areas,

especially in London, whether it's in homelessness, temporary accommodation,

whether it's in adult social care, the children's social care.

I hope the government comes forward with the reform that the current Prime Minister is saying.

I hope it's now rather than ten years to underline in social care.

But overspend, we have to absorb it. The same areas, we have to absorb it.

And it puts us in a great deal of pressure as a result.

I know some departments are doing very well, other departments are working with us to come

to a position.

But the overspend is because of that.

Is because of that.

Despite all our endeavours, there is so much demand in those three areas.

As a result, we have to spend more.

The risk reserve and the contingencies are because of that.

Despite the best efforts of the departments, there is an overspend, there is more demand,

and we set aside money in our successive budgets to cater for these eventualities.

And I think it's a good call we made, Steve, together, and it's helping us on a rainy day.

We've got a continuous budget challenge processes, and I'm sure we will find more efficiencies,

new way of working, technology going forward.

going forward and I hope the financial pressure will be able to be accommodated going forward.

However, I do want to ask, and I'm glad you're here, on the section 106s and the sill,

So we're relying on house building, we're relying on development in order to help us in our budgetary processes going forward.

Are you able to tell us what the pot is now when it comes to Channel 6 and the sill, mainly what the pot is?

If you can't, can you bring a paper for us, please, at the next map, which is next week, please?

Thereafter Steve we want a monthly report to map please, monthly report giving us an

update what the pot is, it's so important we get to know one so we know what circumstances

and how we spend that money but also that look going forward.

Can you just let us know please.

Sure, Mayor. So we can take that action away and provide that monthly update.

So we do have substantial amounts, a couple of aspects to that.

So there are commitments against the capital programme that we need to take into consideration,

as well as the planned substitution of funding across the MTFS.

So there's two key areas to this.

We can certainly pull the tracker together on a monthly basis for CIL,

N -CIL as well, which is a key element of the substitution of funding

in the Section 106 funds to take into account what we've got,

commitments against the capital programme, the existing capital programme,

and the substitution of fundings,

as well as then it will effectively leave you with what's left over.

The other key element is forecasting as well.

So we'll work quite closely with our planning colleagues

to ensure that we can factor in those forecasts,

to ensure that we future -proof the use of those resources,

and we can plan for all eventualities.

Just on that please, I'm grateful for that.

Can you, in that map paper, if you can just set out in whether Section 106 or CIL, in

what areas that money has been allocated to or for.

So if it's earmarked, we need to know what it's earmarked for, yeah, and what the flexibility

is is important.

Yes, we can certainly include conditions that come with those income monies,

seal section 106, which would largely go around the heads of terms,

so we can certainly do that and pick it up,

pick it up at the spot of the tracking paper.

So, we just don't want a pot, we want to know where that pot is going to

and how much of it has come through and what is outstanding to come.

That's important.

Second, I want to report, how do we, how, it's for new members, how do we collate all

the seal and Section 106 money each year, how do we collate it and who's collating that?

So if it's apprenticeships, how do we know it's been delivered? If it's work and skill,

how do we know it's been delivered? If it's employment, how do we know it's been delivered?

But who's doing that monitoring?

We need that.

In that monthly paper, we need that.

How many of it?

So the collection, the collation, the deliveries, we need to know that, please.

And who is the lead person on that?

Which corporate director?

And in that monthly report, we need that, please.

So I worry sometimes, and each, I see the SGC reports, I see the planning development

reports.

I worry sometimes, are we delivering and are we collating all that's been promised to us

through those agreements?

So we need that please on a monthly basis rather than yearly basis.

So okay, I'll bring Stephen in a minute.

So Steve, Reddy, you know the STC, the dedicated school grant, I know the shortfall, if you

can you explain for the new members what that is? I know the government has agreed to pay

off 90 % of it, a £10 million shortfall, what's going to happen to that? Who will see that

off, if anyone can just explain that for the new members please, yeah? Please, thank you.

So the schools budget is dedicated, the school grant is around £330 million, part of that

is something called the High Needs Block and that is money specifically spent on children with additional needs

and as you are all aware, nationally, locally we have had a massive rise in the number of children who have been diagnosed

and need additional support. So what we have seen in our Education, Health and Care plans have doubled in the last three years

we're now 5000 Education and Health and Care Plans.

So all the support for those children on plans

and those who have SCN support,

that all needs to be paid for.

Some of that falls on the council

in terms of what our SCN team is doing

plus our SCN transport,

but a significant demand falls on the high needs block.

So our current forecast is around about 32 million.

and the government have agreed that for all councils and as Richard was saying there are some councils with hundreds of millions overspend some of the larger councils.

The government said if you write a send reform plan and submit it at the end of June, if your plan is a quality plan and they sign it off, they will give us 90 % of the 30 odd million overspend on the high needs block.

So that is great, yeah, that's really welcome isn't it, the government's recognised that, but it still leaves us the 10 % issue.

What we also now are doing is mobilising the plan, so it's no good paying off 90 % of 30 million, and that's wiped off if next year we just start generating a whole new level of overspend.

so the SEND reform plan has to actually impact and we'll be implementing that really soon.

We've just had some of the grant allocated for the roles that we'll be working on that.

I guess one of the strategies there fundamentally is spending less money on specialist placements

and supporting our mainstream schools to be even more inclusive than they already are.

but we obviously have that 10 % of that 30 odd million pressure

and we've got to stop that amount of over -send building up again

and we can bring a briefing on the SEND reform plan

and how that's going to be implemented.

We'll be sharing it with Children's Scrutiny as well

and can bring further updates around how that SEND reform plan

should reduce the cost over time.

I should also mention on send transport be working with Darren's team in communities the transport team there to

implement some changes and bring down the

SCN transport overspend

I was just looking at some London figures and our borders around us are looking at sort of around about

Seven eight hundred children on SCN transport. We're at

1300

Thanks

Thank you. I've got one or two other matters, if no one else has any comments to make.

It's the transformation, Richard, where I know we set aside 3 million, 5 million, that's what I thought, it's 5 million.

HR is 3 million. Is that 3 million on top of 5 million or within the 5 million?

The HR is on top of the 5. The HR is 3 million out of the risk.

So can you please, there's a lot of money on transformation and Steve, and it's an end game to this, we want a certain outcome.

So how much of the transformation money has been used up so far?

What's the correlation with the transformation work?

When will it finish?

And how are we going to measure that money has been used successfully?

8 million pounds. How do we know the outcome that we're going to get is worth more than the 8 million pounds we would have spent on transformation?

So I had a meeting with John to go through the entire transformation programme, asking

exactly the same questions. That was last week, mid -last week, so we'll be watching

this space quite closely. And this morning I had a similar conversation with Ellen around

the HR transformation, so I've requested similar kind of data and it's something that will

will be quite keen, all of us, to explore that return on investment, if you can call it that.

So I would simply add to that that not all transformation funds generate financial savings.

So for example, you have been very keen to transform the HR function, which has been lacking.

I mean, we don't need to go into history. It had nearly £10 million taken out of it before, under the previous administration.

So where we are filling posts to do things more effectively by having an effective HR function

So we don't come across problems like we've been experienced for example in the leisure centres

There's an investment for others. There are there is obviously a financial return and the financial return has to be bigger than the investment

I mean, that's the point

And so when we Commission for example in our social care an organisation like Newton's they require funding up front

but they will regenerate a return on investment,

which you will have to agree before the money is spent.

I'm more than happy to bring a detailed breakdown

of the budget and what we're doing with it

and what we expect the return to be.

Thank you.

I think you've touched on it, Steve.

So John, if we can have that kind of report,

our regular interviews to MAB and Cabinet for transparency,

so we know what the investment is.

You're right, all return, not necessarily all investment

will have a financial return, will have a performance return

that return one way or another way, but we do need a digital paper, what money is going

in and what the result is, and the timelines for it please, yeah?

Yeah absolutely Mr Mayor, just to clarify, at the moment the total return on investment

of transportation, the $1 .2 million investment that we spent on it is about $28 million,

of which is kind of measured and tracked through benefit realisation, and we do have a transformation

and highlight reports that track it,

that go through the system and our plans to come to MAB.

I just need to kind of cheque the time scales for that

and make sure it's sooner rather than later.

Thank you, grateful for that.

Richard.

And John, that's really helpful.

As the comments you made Mr. Mayor and Steve,

my cabinet member, and obviously those,

when we have tested them and they're sufficiently robust,

sufficiently strong, then we can build those

into the future budget as part of the medium term

financial strategy and that's all part

of the significant challenge work that you,

I was going to make one other point

on the high knees block.

The government has got to

hopefully

, they have taken

really positive action

in the 90%.

We need to get that cash back

because effectively

the authority has been cash flowing

that extra

30 million.

It is our cash

that we want to get in

when we get

the 27

That is cash

for the authorities.

That is cash

That's a significant point that is often missed in some of the thinking around the SCND.

Okay, and as we were talking about SCND, I think the government made some announcement,

I saw a letter Steve, where they're putting in some additional money for the young people

in the youth services etc.

Yep, if you clock that.

And how much are we going to get?

Have they made an announcement?

There has been something, we're one of the pilot sites for something called Young Futures Hubs,

we're the only London borough so far that was selected.

So one of the main areas of focus on that is around mental health and support to employment and things like that.

So it's like an enhanced youth service building on what we're already doing.

So there's ourselves and about eight other places and the government have announced

They're now going to roll that out further to other places to pilot the Young Futures

Hubs as well.

Please make sure, Poisal, Steve, that we are, because of the investment that we're putting

in, ourselves as a borough, £13 .7 million in youth services, and how young the borough

is, we want our fair share of any commitment, announcements by the government, please, yep.

And the transformation budget, the money we put aside, it's £15 million, isn't it?

Oh, three yes, okay, okay, of which £8 million is in scope now.

Explain to me.

£5 million is transformation, the extra £3 million is from the risk reserve,

it's from a reserve as opposed to the transformation pot.

So overall yes £8 million, but they come from two different pots.

But, sorry Steve, maybe I missed it.

Where did we do the work?

That HR transformation they need £3 million?

We didn't, did we see that piece of work?

I don't remember seeing it, in a way.

So forgive me, my memory isn't that good.

My arms are very good.

Well, he feels it.

Yes, before we had the mayor's budget challenge sessions, I forgot what they were called then.

We've seen it, we've seen it.

Can you just have a look at it Talad, make sure you're happy with it.

Please, thank you. Sorry Richard, another, something else I wanted to ask is about this information government's improvement work.

So you're seeking approval, so page 191, paragraph 9, 9 .2, you're seeking approval for 200K,

one of funding for additional staff to clear the backlog, and approval for another 470

for one year for the interim compliance function.

That I agree with, in a lot of respect, in term compliance.

It's not what we should have expected when we inherited this council in 2022.

And we didn't need government to tell us, or Kim to tell us, it wasn't good, but isn't good.

And I'm glad we're investing in that, to get to a state that we need to get it to.

Just explain the backlog, the 200k, and where the money is coming from.

Or Richard, yeah.

Why did the backlog accrue in the first place?

So there are backlogs for members inquiries, the backlogs for this is part of the members inquiries or FOIs, etc.

How could such a backlog accrue, that's what I want to know, in that surface and we have put another 200k in order to clear the backlog.

And what guarantees there, once cleared, is not on their crew again.

It's about looking at the service entirely, performance management, what is it?

So I'm happy to pick up that.

So the situation is that the £200 ,000 has been used to employ, I think it's up to 20 additional staff,

to clear a considerable backlog, which when you project backwards, has probably improved slightly,

but it's been in place for six or seven years.

And that is as a result of resources

that were either withdrawn, or they may have been withdrawn.

But where we are at the moment,

and in fact the improvement board will have a conversation

that we're at next week around performance in that space.

So the 200 ,000 pounds will clear the backlog.

You've hit the nail on the head.

How do we ensure that we don't have a backlog?

It's all right clearing the backlog,

but how do we make sure that we keep up with demand?

So I say two respects to that. Demand has gone through the roof. We've had more members'

inquiries, more correspondence from members of the public, we've had more corporate complaints,

more FOIs, more SARs, more MP inquiries, particularly in the run up to the local elections than

most other local authorities. So part of that money is being used to reinforce, particularly

in housing and regent, where about 80%, 85 % of these queries rest to ensure that they've

got resources moving forward. The issue will then be now whether or not we need to fund

it out of the HRA or we need to fund it out of the General Fund. And so all of that money

that currently reflects General Fund expenditure may be able to be supported by the HRA. It

is certainly, I know you're aware and you've been very challenging to me as well about

making sure this backlog is cleared up. What is particularly interesting from my perspective

is that since the election the throughput of complaints and the throughput of inquiries

has has begun to fall away. So there was definitely a peak and it was bigger than the peak that

the council experienced in 2022. It was much more much more this time around. But as again,

as always, I'm happy to pick it up with you and provide additional.

And where's that Monday come from?

So the first 200 is out of the contingency and the other 470 is shown in the, from the

five million transformation fund, if I remember correctly.

I'll add to that, shall I? Just to go back to the point that I made earlier on, and I

the tally has made as well.

Be really clear, we have some of the most robust mechanisms

in place for managing expenditure.

And as every year you set money aside

in either a risk reserve or a contingency.

And let's not forget, we've got a general fund contingency

of 25 million pounds.

Those local authorities that go into emergency funding

haven't even got that.

We've got that 25 million,

and we're not even talking about that.

That's tucked away over here and locked in a box.

This money is money you set aside as contingency

to deal with issues that may or may not come up throughout the following financial year.

So it's being used for the right things, it's not a formal earmarked reserve, it's in a general fund contingency,

and quite rightly you're reviewing it on a monthly basis at the Sustainability Forum,

and you pick up any departmental overspend at the weekly Mayor's Budget Challenge Sessions.

Is that okay? Thank you. Anyone else? I know we've had a detailed, rightfully, discussion on this. It's quite important.

Can I just look go for the recommendation one by one please go on?

Just very quickly just to close this conversation off and I know you go through the recommendations

Just remind everyone you have the seventh lowest council tanks in London. So we're doing all of this stuff

investing in the community

Containing all the pressures but not necessarily making the residents obviously are paying for it, but not extortionately

We are not going into reserve, we are going to reserves that we have allocated for this

planned reserve.

Great, thank you.

Let's go through the recommendations, it's very important we go through it systematically.

Recommendations on page 184185, recommendation 1 is to note the period 2 revenue forecasts

as at 30th of May, 2026.

We note it.

Recommendation to note the significant progress made against the 2016 -2017 savings target

of 69 .8 million as added 31st of May.

It's set out in section 15, page 4.

You okay with that?

Okay.

Note the general fund forecast net overspend of 19 .2, which includes the drawdown from

reserves and contingency and it brings it down to 18 point...

Yeah, 9 .2, yeah, okay, you got that.

Then note the dedicated schools grant which Steve explained for the new members, okay.

Then we note the housing revenue, sorry, five, note the housing revenue account forecast,

yeah, you got that, you're okay with it.

Then we approve, recommendation six, we need approval on that.

Approve the use of 1 .74 million from the section 106 carbon offset fund for the mobilisation of food waste collection.

I think it's a good thing to do. Good. You approve? Yeah?

Then approve 7, approve the ongoing transfer of 3 million from contingency to fund the improvements for the HR.

That's what we discussed along. Yeah, we approve.

Approve the one -off transfer of 670 from again the risk and contingency reserves for the

influential government service which I asked earlier on.

You approve?

Okay.

Approve the use of the 5 million pound of contingencies to offset the overspend position.

We agree, yeah?

Okay.

Then approve the use of 819 million pound contribution to the risk reserve to offset

the overspend position.

Again, we discussed it early on.

Then we approved the increase in the council tax.

This is our manifesto, by the way.

Council tax cost of living relief fund,

household income threshold from 53, 350 to 60 ,000

from 26, 27 as set out in section 10.

That's what we said, yep, that's what we promised.

Okay, we approve the extension of the school,

again a manifesto, school uniform grant from 26 -27, so that eligible households can receive

support for children's reception in primary year 3, secondary year 7 and secondary year

10, additionally the increase to the household income threshold for the scheme from 50 ,000,

350 ,000 to 60 ,000 are set out in section 11.

You approve here?

Great.

Note the delegated use of the £5 million transformation fund at South

London Section 12.

Can you please put here in consultation with the mayor and the

lead member, please, yes?

You say OK.

OK, please, yes.

Then approve the revised parking fees and charges at Appendix 5.

OK, Shafiq, you've got that.

And officers continue to work to 15 on further mitigation to keep

close the budget gap and will report back to cabinet in September 26. Again, mitigations

to close the budget gap in consultation with the mayor and the lead member. Okay, there

are a few additions to make, Steve. Yeah, yeah, thank you. Yes, okay, so what Steve

said earlier on, yes, absolutely, we have to continue to reduce the overspends, work

on the overspends, as an ongoing process 24 -7, we have to look at mitigations, continuously

we have to look at other mitigations, we need to look at how we replenish those contingencies

and the risk reserves going forward, they are one off by the way, so we have to look

at that. But at the same time, what must be said as a local authority, what we delivered

over the last four years, I mean hardly any, if at all, have delivered those kind of policies.

I know Newham trying to deliver now the free school meals in secondary school and the bursaries,

we've delivered it. We've done it for the last three years, four years, you know, the

free school meals. Some of the, despite the financial pressures, we have managed our finances

well. We've got to continue to be on top and look at, continuously look at

efficiencies, efficiencies and deliver for the people that we promised at the

last, last election on the 7th of May. The new additional stuff we said we're going

to deliver and some of the stuff has come through today in the Cabinet. I'm

very grateful to the officers for finding the time and the money to

deliver that. Is that okay? Thank you sir. Okay, thank you. So can we agree a note? Go on.

Sorry mate, it's just a kind request for Andreas. You know there's certain

achievements like you said about expanding free school meals for, sorry

not free school meals, uniform grants for year three and year ten. That is a big

thing in terms of news for us that we're announcing today, so if that can be

captured in the relevance of channels. And the household threshold increase.

So, please, Andres, I know you're here, so you can get a...

So, for next MAB, we will see a comms plan on those promises already beginning to come

through in the pipeline, please, yeah, with Georgie and with Joubert police, yeah?

It's very important.

Is that okay?

It's a very important one.

Thank you.

And lead members, respective lead members, can you please...

Can you please note them, the respective League members, and get a COMS strategy sorted with

your corporate directors and Andreas.

Thank you.

I'll just add as well Andreas and John, I know you're bringing the new strategic plan

to Cabinet in the autumn.

It needs to have alongside it a COMS strategy that promotes and makes clear and is transparent

and accessible, not just about what we're delivering but how we're delivering it.

So they will be expected to be seen at the same time.

Thank you.

So that paper is done.

Can we move on to, thank you, Hasan and Paul.

Can we move on to 6 .4, please.

Regionalization of foster recruitment assessment and support proposal and Steve.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

So this report says a proposal for the expansion of the regional partnership or community fostering

hub. Currently it's just involving the recruitment process but we want to expand that and I'll

let Steve provide further details.

Thank you. So we have benefited significantly from the partnership we're in with Walton

Forest, Bradbridge and Havering with Walton Forest as the lead local authority but it's

very much a partnership and over the last few years as a consequence of that partnership

has significant increase in number of foster carers which link back to our conversation

on the budget. Obviously we try and work really hard to keep our children with our families

but when we can't do that they need a foster placement and having in house foster placements

we feel are better, they're not only better but they're significantly cheaper.

So what this report is doing is supporting the development of this regional arrangement.

So it goes beyond the sort of marketing and promotion and recruitment activity

to the assessment and approval process which will be done as a region.

It's really important to stress that the decisions about which foster carers are approved

and which children go with which foster carers is absolutely down to our council

and we're not delegating that decision to anyone else.

We're just using the regional arrangements to have more access to more foster carers

and in terms of the assessment and approval process is done quicker and more efficiently in one place.

There is still some work to do to finalise exactly what the agreement is.

So you will see on the recommendations there around the involvement and allowing Malton Forest to be the lead.

But if you are happy with this Mr Mayor and obviously our lead member, we will include yourselves in the third recommendation there with myself and Richard as the 151.

So when we finalise the agreements we do that in consultation with yourself and the lead member.

I think that's probably all I would say at this point other than just to say that we really have benefited already.

And it doesn't preclude us from reviewing our own offer to foster carers.

and it doesn't preclude us doing a significant promotion campaign,

which I know the Mayor and the lead member are very keen to do very quickly.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Any comments from anyone?

Please, please, Milana.

I just want to say anything that helps us to recruit and retain more foster carers is very welcoming.

I do have a question. How will success be measured and what are the benefits should timeless children and foster carers expect to see from the expanded regional approach? Thank you.

Thank you Councillor. One of the initial benefits is that, and as part of being part of a regional approach, is there's access to DFE government grants.

So the arrangement itself will be funded, so we'll benefit from that financially because of that grant.

There will also be some further grants in the future which local authorities can only benefit from if they're part of a regional arrangement like that.

The other benefit is that we have seen over the last few years in terms of foster care recruitment, so 24, 25 we only had one, 25, 26 we've had seven,

and this year we're looking at around about 10 or 11.

So recruiting those number of foster carers is really important to us,

not least because it means we can find a home for children in our care.

But the financial benefit, going back to the budget conversation,

an in -house foster carer is around about, can be anywhere between 500 and 1000 pounds a week,

depending on the needs of the child and etc.

The independent sector for foster carers is at least double that.

So the fostering agencies are charging local authorities at least double that.

And for us that is a lot because we've got around about 200 children foster placements,

only half of those are in in -house, half are in independent sector, so it's costing us a lot of money.

So as well as the DFE grant financial benefit and the benefit of finding foster placements

will also find foster placements which will be cheaper.

Thank you for that question.

COVID please.

Thank you Mayor.

Just wanted to explore and understand around, so a few years back,

sort of London wide, there was a London wide launch of Capital Letters

which was there to support local authorities in acquiring properties,

particularly for the TA market. And again there was a collective approach to it and

like that this seems to be another collective approach to foster care. How do we ensure

that we will get positive results from this? And secondly if we don't, so with capital

letters initially it was working well but then sort of local authorities felt that it

was a meeting their needs so that then local authorities like us and Red Bridge and others

started opting out of it. So like that, what are the exit clauses if it's not beneficial

for us or it doesn't meet the needs that we require?

Yeah, thank you, thank you, Councillor, really, really important question. And there have

been similar examples of this sort of collective approach and councils group trying to group

purchase residential placements which in some cases haven't worked and then councils have had to get out of them.

At this stage in the development there is absolutely no clause in this that says if we over the next few months or even years

see we are not getting the benefit and it's not delivering foster carers in a way that we expect.

Or indeed if there is a mismatch so there is four councils involved what if one of the other councils seems to be

getting access to the most foster carers at the expense of others, then we can step away from the agreement.

At this stage there's nothing written that says that we have to be part of it.

Importantly, senior officers...

Sorry, I just... So you're saying there's nothing written in the contract?

At this stage...

We can exit, but we can insist on that, can't we?

Yeah, at this stage there's nothing that says that we are bought in for the next year, five years, whatever that is not in.

That's going to come as part of the development, so which is why we will continue to consult with yourselves.

But we don't want to be part of something, like the capital works, as you said, part of something is not bringing,

which is unfair, favouring one local authority over another, it's got to be proportionate contribution, proportionate benefit,

but at the same time you're not just inbuilt into it forever, you don't have an exit strategy if you wish to do so.

Exactly that. And we have obviously senior officers on the sort of governance group for the collective programme

and we will be getting regular data on the number of enquiries, the number of foster carers we have brought through for the assessment process,

how many have completed and then in which boroughs they're working with. So we'll have that data and so far as I said before we have benefited significantly

and at the moment there's not an imbalance, there's no council that's benefiting massively at the expense of anyone else.

But we'll be regularly monitoring that on a monthly basis, tracking the data to make sure that our Bora is benefiting.

Thank you. Said.

Thank you Steve, that was very good.

I think because this paper has savings tied into it Mr Mayor,

I will suggest that we explore this and actually put a number onto it because that should ultimately help our

financial position when it comes to the pressure you're facing

There's loads of good news on this paper and not three point three eight three point two one

There's so much stuff that I see that gives us financial benefit

But I don't see the that bit translated into our numbers

So then you could sort of project an X amount of savings if we do go ahead with this

Thank you, that is a fair point and as we said on the other budget paper between now and this, the current year's financial end,

that we should be seeing that the saving is that difference between the in -house and the independent sector.

So for every week we've got an in -house foster carer, we're saving £1000, possibly more,

that we would be spending on independence, so we can factor that in to reduce our overspend.

And then we're going to set a target as well going into next year of how many additional foster carers

that this scheme should deliver.

And obviously if we find a foster carer instead of a residential, then that's even bigger savings

because at the minute we've got 30 plus children in residential settings

and the average is six and a half thousand a week,

so we're working hard to try and reduce that spend as well.

I'm glad you picked this up.

I'm so glad Steve and I, we were in another forum earlier on

before we came here and we picked it up later on, same thing.

Steve, yesterday we were discussing this and costs

in children's social care, etc. and fostering, etc.

But I don't think, and we gave some indications to even I what we're expecting,

and that paper didn't capture the benefit that will come if we're to do this in reducing the costs of fostering

and the benefits that we'll get. That paper didn't.

In view of the discussion that we had today, earlier on, and discussion we have now, and what Said has said, we need to capture that please.

Given what was said to us, if we're saying through this process, we're going to this year's and be 13 new foster carers, that's serious benefit.

Then your independent foster carers, that financial benefit, we're going to see, and Steve and I gave some ideas what we're expecting.

So it should go a long way towards that.

Yes, he'd want to comment.

So I think what the Mayor is suggesting Steve, if that's okay, there's an additional recommendation that suggests that the corporate director of Children's Services,

in consultation with the lead cabinet member and the executive mayor, ensure termination clauses are included in any construction relationship,

and that he is readily advised of potential financial savings associated with the contract.

Thank you and just for the record, so we got from the government 56 ,000 pounds?

Is that one off?

So the fee, the initial fee to be part of the pilot, our contribution was that.

We now don't have to contribute that because there's 1 .2 million being given to the collective for councils.

So we now don't have to put that in anymore.

And that's part of the financial benefit upfront that we get that grant.

And if you're not part of that, the government have been really clear,

if you're not part of this sort of regional arrangement, you get no access to that sort of funding anymore.

We don't physically get that money, it goes to that body.

Okay, that's fine for the running costs.

We put in five offices towards this regional body, Steve.

I just want to understand, who performs managers of these offices? Is it us or is it that regional body?

So the cost of those offices are the offices that currently do the activity that will be centralised.

The grant will cover the cost of those offices initially.

So they cover that initially.

but then over time the grant will go away.

There will be some recruitment and some of our officers might apply for those roles as well,

so there's an opportunity there as well to offset that cost longer term.

We need to pick up, thanks to Frank, I didn't understand it in these papers,

what our financial contribution will be.

So it's 56 ,000, it was, then five officers,

what I was told in a different forum,

five officers will be dedicated to work

within the regional body to deliver this work

and the benefit that will come to us.

But if where it's been suggested

that the cost will be paid by the grant,

then we should make savings for five officers.

But I don't want to lose control of performance managing these five offices yet. That's a very important point

Yeah, just again the performance management. It's although often forests are there the lead authority the funds management is

Reported to a board which is made up of all councils sitting on that

They believe a couple of years now and they've agreed to carry on but obviously we'll review it

So you see the contract, there's a possibility others to become leaders too, please.

I mean, interesting, they haven't benefited the most.

I have no problem with that, I just want to see.

It's about gravitas, it's about prestige, isn't it?

It's about you becoming a leader, Steve, in London.

In London, yeah? Okay.

You want to say something?

Okay, can I just say... go on, go on.

The other point I would make, Steve, and I know you know this because we discussed it,

and it's sort of covered generally,

but when we're considering the MTFS,

there will be savings that are made as a result of this.

So when we talk about grant funding

that's coming to the tune of however many million it is,

and the government have committed

to 10 ,000 additional foster carers,

and all that sort of stuff,

that will mean that we will benefit

from more foster carers.

We need to make sure that the savings associated with that

are reflected in the MTFS,

and I think the process that we're going through

at the moment needs to make sure that we capture that.

All I'm going to say is that partnership is important.

I think it's good to work in partnership with others, learn from someone else's experience,

best practise, also share our best practise, but I do get worried about quangos, which

doesn't have elected members, just led by officers.

So we've got to have regular reporting, Steve, to MAB and Cabinet, I would say twice a year,

How we're, what was the lead member will have to see on a regular basis, how we're doing

well with the recruitment assessment, etc.

But we would like a twice yearly reporting to us to see how that regional body is performing

and how the local, for local authorities are doing in terms of foster care recruitment,

who's getting what numbers.

It's very important and the cost associated with it.

I would very much thank you for adding in recommendation 3, in consultation with the

mayor and the lead member, so I would like to see the developments, the agreement, and

it's got a proper exit strategy, a performance monitoring clauses to see how we measure success

and how we, if we want to leave, that we do have the power to leave and the financial

implications are very important to us.

Okay, Mr. Mayor, I could just say we have the quarterly corporate parenting board which the lead member sits on and that

Receives a regular update on fostering and a whole range of issues. We have the annual corporate parenting board as well that comes into

council and

Yeah, it goes to full council as well

So we'll make sure they're updating that but we can give you the between those the regular monitoring data as well

That will update on that

I should also say there are elected members on the fostering panel.

Yeah, I know, but on this there's no elected members.

Okay, great. Can we approve the recommendations with the slight amendment in recommendation 3?

Okay, great, thank you. Let's move on quickly to the contract.

We're doing 7 .1 first before then.

It's the Bistri State School expansion paper.

Who's doing that?

Steve, you're doing that?

Faisal, comment on it.

Alex, is it Alex?

So this report is essentially asking for Mr. Mayor, your and cabinet's approval to award

the contracts or construction can begin for the Beatrice Tate school expansion.

Beatrice Tate is a specialist school for children with severe learning difficulties.

There's a growing demand for send places in to our hamlets and nationally of course.

We do have a pink paper attached to it, so please don't discuss money.

If you do have money, don't discuss it.

As for an exempt item, if you want an exempt private session, closed sessions, private

sessions, closed session, there's nothing private with Kim.

So we can always do so with Kim present.

But generally, so don't refer to the money.

What if you do?

Please yeah, okay straightforward anyway. Thank you. No, of course

So there is a growing demand for send place entire harmless and this with this expansion

This will go some way towards meeting that need

providing an additional 60 spaces

New spaces and potentially around six million pounds in savings every year

Thank you.

Just to confirm while we're here, we did obviously have, as it says in the report, an original

contract amount that we went to cabinet with and got agreement for with the named provider

AJC.

And this, because of the issues with some of the things they discovered when they did

has increased in terms of the cost overall which I spoke with the Mayor about in terms of the justification for that

and agreed that higher investment to complete the project.

So this report is just coming in to confirm the increased price and to agree that it's that provider that's going to finish the piece of work.

should also flag where the location of Beatrice Tate is as well as obviously the investment is great for the school and for the young people

and that are going to benefit from that. Completion of the site also supports the housing scheme which is being built around there

so it's great in two ways. It finishes the school, increases the size of it but also allows us to offer additional housing in that part of the borough as well

So that's really positive.

I think Alex is here.

Is there any detailed questions?

I'll do the best though.

Quite straightforward.

Can I say, I mean, we've, thank you.

Thank you for the paper.

We obviously, we want to support our schools,

support our kids, having decent classrooms,

not being taught out of sheds.

sheds, but the Southern Grove site is an air map site for housing.

I was the one who was the mayor previously when we placed, reprovisioned or expanded

British State into the Southern Grove site then, but it was always meant to be a temporary

use so we can get up and running and rebuild and expand housing on the Southern Grove site.

We are there now, part of the 3042 housing scheme, council housing scheme, Southern Grove has been earmarked as one of the sites.

So we need to vacate that school from that site as soon as possible.

They're going back home to Bittery State where their natural home is and we need to support that.

So we have a better facility at Bittery State to accommodate those children.

At the same time we've got more homes in, as well as council homes in Southern Grove.

So it's a win -win for education and for housing.

Is that okay?

Anyone in the comments?

No?

You're happy with it?

Yeah?

Good, good, good.

Can I?

And it's a send provision, which we'll always welcome.

Okay.

We've got the recommendations on page five of the supplementary paper.

As a reason for urgency set out in this paper.

We agree the reasons for urgency and we agree on the recommendations.

We don't want any slippages either in timelines or in money.

I'm saying on record.

It's on your neck and David's neck.

Thank you.

That's done.

We agree with this now.

We're on agenda item 6 .5.

I think, Coby, you need to leave, won't you?

The contract forward plan.

There are a number of them.

Go on.

There are a number of them so you can leave for the last one.

Yeah, last one. Okay, thank you.

No, no, let him stay.

No, no, you stay here. I'd rather have you talk, yeah?

I'd rather have you talk.

Okay, thank you. Thank you, Bridgette. Welcome, Andy.

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay, just to be clear before we begin this today, Andy, I know you know this, but just

to remind members, the mayor has requested that this will be the last time you'll get

this report in this format, and given the effectiveness of the Universal Forward Plan,

and Steve, Director of Children's Services chairs a group that looks after that, from

now on, every single report will have its own dedicated cabinet report.

No more grouping them together and dealing with them in this way.

There's a whole host of reasons for that which I know you're sure about,

but not least of which, officers can be held accountable and it's more transparent.

I know you know that Andy and you're working on it, and that's for the next cabinet meeting.

OK, fine, I'd already got the next cabinet in train for September, so withdraw all those.

As I just said, it's for the next cabinet meeting.

Andy, we don't think you've got enough work, so a bit more work for you, yeah?

I'm grateful, Mr Mayor.

Well done, I'm a good friend.

Thank you. Now it's much easier for us when we sit in a proper cabinet paper than some of the questions that we ask.

We don't have to ask those questions. We can ask in a different forum rather than when they're grouped together.

Okay, Tala, you okay? Let's go do it the way we do it.

So page 287 Andy, the first one is property tourism and casualty liability insurance.

It's five years.

What's the total value?

That's why we need it in other format, we get the total value.

I know it's saying above 1 million.

We haven't got the yellow, so we just...

Yeah, no.

I can first look at the value of this before I get to the yellow.

Okay.

Yeah, I've got it here.

I mean, I know it's not, but next time...

For us, keep the yellow, we're going to have a different format.

So that should come in.

What's the value per year, what's the total,

as you normally do in the yellow bit.

Okay, anyway, so the cost per year is 1 .6 million,

so five years is about seven, eight million.

I'm not good at maths, I'm just guessing.

Is that okay?

For the firm of that being charged to HRA

and insurance funds, okay?

Okay, we have to do this,

and we've got our usual 10 % community benefits.

We've got to make sure that happens, please,

that it's collated, it's important.

Are people happy with it?

First one?

Go on.

Overall, you know, we're doing the contracts efficiencies and all of that stuff.

So that's all factored into these new contracts.

Are we getting any more?

Good, I'm glad you're awake.

Tala, you're not awake today, you're sleeping.

So on that point, and I know Tala's aware of this and Rich is aware of this and he's clearly aware of it,

There are three elements to this.

We originally let a contract with a company called Lumensol

who would achieve 1 % savings on all gross contract value

of all contracts that were being procured

over the two year period of their contract.

That's number one.

Number two, we don't believe 1 % is enough.

And we want to talk, and we are talking to Lumensol

and Andy's here representing Lumensol

about how we extend that.

And thirdly, as members will be aware,

we spend about 400 million pounds a year on contracts

and the top 10, 15 contracts are worth about £270 million and even a 5 % saving in that

space over the period of procurement of the contract will generate a saving of somewhere

around £15 million in the base.

So the Mayor has requested that a dedicated report comes back for those three things at

a future MAB and Andy's working on that.

So absolutely, Mr. Mayor, I've taken the brief direction from Steve last week to drill down

through where we may find these savings, particularly focusing obviously the revenue savings.

Next one is done.

Common recommendations may need to amend a bit in a minute.

Unit 4 SaaS contract.

Just want to explain that, please.

From my understanding, it's our finance system.

I think Richard is probably better brief, but this is our aggressive finance system,

the pay -as -well -lame invoices and et cetera.

Yes, our Unifor Aggresso system.

It's the Unifor Aggresso system, so it's a system we use to do all of our accounting,

our creditors, payments and so on that we do.

So it's our fundamental system.

What I want to do, so I think two years ago there was meant to be a project kicking off

to then do, to re -let the contract again.

That didn't happen because of other priorities that took place at the time.

This time round we will start that project to go through a procurement process.

That doesn't mean that Unifor and Aggreso won't win again, but we will get a more up -to -date

system than the one we've got.

Thanks Richard, but it's a direct award isn't it?

It's an extension in essence because we have little choice in reality at this stage

and the contract is running out and the process should have started two years ago

didn't for whatever reason and therefore we've had to go for that direct extension again.

But thanks Richard, but my concern is,

I mean it was 293 pound per year, 93 ,000 per year,

it's doubled now more or less,

it's gone to 416 ,000 per year,

so increase of 157 ,000 per year.

I think the key point this picks up really

is about our negotiating strength

and where we are put in a position

as an organisational, members are put in a position

and organisation and agreeing sums of money are negotiating strength when we effectively

have limited options or in this case no option other than the incumbent gives us a difficult

position to do.

We don't put ourselves in a strong negotiating position in order to be good in that negotiation

space.

In some areas, in others we are, but in this particular one we haven't, we don't have any

other option at the moment.

So how are we going to improve ourselves Andy? Because we're losing money.

So Mr Mayor we have increased our grip on the procurement pipeline.

We are more engaged with the businesses than we've ever been before, looking to make sure we know when contracts are coming up.

We are actively working with the new compliance team to make sure we have enough time to do all the work and get to market and procure the new service in due time.

So that's all the work that's going on at the moment.

On the aggressor one we have actually secured three extra complementary packages that support our contract management in this as well

So that is a slight bonus

Thank you, sorry Richard, and I probably should have raised this when it came to CMT

I just want to understand this is the three -year contract primarily

I assume there's a value for money element and with a comfort, but you're suggesting it's going to take three years to repurcure

Is that a basis for the extension so it takes a year to design it a year to run it and a year to mobilise it

Really?

According I mean, that's all the research that we've done and the business has assured that they can't do it any quicker. I trust me

Steve we have pushed back on this several times

What it is what it is, but I do think

Okay, would it be helpful and I'm sure you have and I'm not suggesting I'm not doubting anybody

You are making a good contribution, aren't you?

You want to hold your back.

But would it be possible, Andy, to try and go back and squeeze that

and make this a two plus one so that if we can squeeze it,

we have the opportunity to terminate earlier and procure quicker?

Is that a credible way for you?

Andy, we welcome the Chief Executive's challenge and we will go away and see if we can do it.

Excellent, yeah, for the sponsor.

If we can get an agreement to that, absolutely.

How are we going to do this?

So in terms of now, decision making, what are we deciding?

So we will set up a project team to now start, outside of the procurement side, or the contractor side,

we will now set up a project team that will actually be that real team.

Now I have seen authorities try and do it in 18 months and 2 years,

and authorities that have had clean, unqualified accounts

go to really difficult places.

So we have to do it.

It's got to be done thoroughly and properly first and timed second.

But I do welcome the challenge from State.

OK, so we're on this one.

We're agreeing two plus one.

And later on we're going to say in any extension

in consultation with the Mayor and the lead member.

OK? Is that OK?

Please, you want to come in.

Thank you, Mayor. The approach recommended here is to direct award the contract and that

normally comes with certain risks, legal and procurement risks. And I would normally expect

to see such advice given to members on the risks involved, even though it could be in

an exempt appendix. I appreciate the current format of the, these forward plan reports

doesn't really lend itself to that. So I think what Steve said is individual reports would

help going forward in this regard because I think members should see the risks involved

in direct award.

And also I would expect to see options set out rather than just going for a contract,

recommended contract.

There should be other options set out as well.

So again individual reports would help give members all the different alternative options.

Thank you.

And your latter point is absolutely valid.

That's why we've asked for individual reports where in the map paper, proper detailed cabinet

papers, mad papers, they will have options.

And I just want to, for the record,

we as elected members, we don't do direct awards.

We only do direct award on an extremely exceptional basis.

Exceptional basis, because I believe

in a competitive process.

I believe in an open process.

It's public money.

Anyone out there should have a right

to bid in for public money and public services rather than a provider being preferred over

another provider or anyone else.

Richard, thank you for those comments.

I agree the individual reports will just get more thorough information so I think that

will help.

The second point I was going to make was on the, Steve's made a very good point about

time scan, can we do it any faster and that's a fair challenge.

Obviously we'll be cognisant of any price impact that that might have in negotiations.

Perhaps if we can do that in consultation with the Mayor and Chief Executive, once we've

had those further conversations, that would be helpful in the recommendation as well,

please.

Thank you.

So we agree this is subject to that comment, amendment, okay?

So 2 plus 1, subject to consultation with the man, the need member.

Thank you. We move on to the road learning disability directors.

Again, it's extremely important. Thank you for accommodating my comments in the briefing.

Twelve months is very helpful. Is there anything anyone else want to add?

This is a good thing. Is that okay? Yeah, you're okay?

Okay.

Good.

Okay.

Then we move on to e -service provision for sexual health.

Okay.

I just want to draw your attention, Mr Mayor, under summary.

of our savings will be achieved a new condition to agree in the 500 ,000 savings against MTFS

is now in there as requested previously.

The summary of achievements received last sentence.

Where was it?

The summary of how achievements will be achieved.

Oh, yeah, it is.

Last sentence.

Excellent.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Great.

Thank you.

I think it's good.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Any comments?

Anyone?

No.

Said, COVID tablets?

No.

You're okay?

Okay.

So you're okay, Shafi?

Someone?

Yeah.

Okay.

Good.

So can we agree this?

Thank you for the amendment.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Great.

I think it's your one.

No, it's not your one yet.

So, integrated information advice and advocate service, again, a very necessary service.

You're giving us savings on that.

Where is it?

How much does it cost?

Okay, three plus one.

Okay, anyone?

Any comments on this one?

Okay, good.

Can we agree it?

Yeah, good.

Thank you.

Okay, wait for him to go.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

The Substance Measures Treatment and Recovery Services, again a very important service and

I'm grateful to Suman and the team for the work that the team have done on this.

And the tender phases are there.

Okay, please.

Thank you, Mayor. Just one question.

What is the contracting approach?

Because it says it will bring together existing services, but I'm not quite clear.

Is it an open tender or negotiated procedure?

What are you exactly recommending?

Suman, thank you.

Yeah, it's an open tender. It's an open competitive tender.

Is that what you're looking for? Yeah.

Thank you. It just doesn't say that in the contracting approach. Thank you.

It's an open tender. We know and I've had a briefness of this. Thank you and grateful and the mayor's office too.

Any comments from anyone?

No, you're okay with this? Yep. We're okay. I just want to come on the recommendations, please. Yeah.

So recommendations is set out in page 261.

So consider the contract 1, number 1, consider the contract summary of appendix 1 and identify

those contracts about with specific reports relating to contract award should be brought

before cabinet prior to contract award by programme, corporate director for the service

area.

Okay.

So it's coming back to cabinet again, is it?

If you approve these recommendations there to move forward with in conduction consultation with you at various different stages mr.

Matt, okay, so can we put this in please yet? It says to come back to the cabinet again

That's if there are any the other appendix which there aren't mr. Matt, okay, so that's okay we can agree that yeah

to authorise

Appropriate corporate direct and constrain the mayor you got that award contacts and and a leader member, please

Is that okay, Talan?

Leave member and number two, number three.

Yeah, that's fine.

That's straightforward.

Okay.

Okay, good.

So with that slight amendment in two, Sayid, go on.

Within contracting approach, we've got the contract model

with the internal criminal justice service.

Are we going to include our treatment referral team, or is that separate?

No, that's separate.

Separate, yeah?

That's separate, that's separate.

Okay?

Is that okay?

Is that clear?

You understood?

Yes, sir.

Okay.

I don't think you understood anything.

Okay.

Can we agree?

We agree.

Okay, with those amendments.

Thank you.

Greatful.

Done.

I think that's come to an end.

For the last time, thank you.

Go on.

In that case, for the last time, thank you.

Thank you.

You'll be here.

Thank you for your time.

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CabinetWednesday, 29th July 2026 at 3:00pm

Cabinet
Wednesday, 29th July 2026 at 3:00pm