Agenda, decisions and minutes

1.1  Apologies were received from Cllr Moema, and Cllr Fajana-Thomas confirmed she would join the meeting late.

Members are invited to consider the guidance which accompanies this agenda, having particular regard to the restrictions on voting for Members with council tax arrears and make declarations of interests as appropriate.

2.1  In relation to agenda item 15, CED S294 Hackney a Place for Everyone – Voluntary and Community Sector Grants Programme 2024/25, Deputy Mayor Bramble confirmed they were a trustee of Hackney Playbus; Cllr Coban confirmed they were a member of the BADU advisory board; Cllr Kennedy confirmed they were a member of the London Community Credit Union and Hackney Foodbank; Cllr Fajana-Thomas also confirmed their membership of the London Community Credit Union; and, Cllr Williams confirmed they were a trustee of Shoreditch Trust.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Unrestricted Business which will be considered under the agenda item where they appear.

3.1  There was no urgent business for consideration.

On occasions part of the Cabinet meeting will be held in private and will not be open to the public if an item is being considered that is likely to lead to the disclosure of exempt or confidential information. In accordance with the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 (the “Regulations”), members of the public can make representations about why that part of the meeting should be open to the public.

This agenda contains exempt items as set out at the Exclusion of the Press and Public agenda item.  No representations with regard to these have been received.

This is the formal 5 clear day notice under the Regulations to confirm that this Cabinet meeting will be partly held in private for the reasons set out in this Agenda.

4.1  No representations were received.

At the  time of the agenda publication, no questions or deputations have been received.

5.1  No questions were received.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting of Cabinet held on 11 December 2023 as a correct record.

RESOLVED: To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting of Cabinet held on 11 December 2023 as a correct record.

To note the minutes of the Cabinet Procurement and Insourcing Committee (CPIC) held on 4 December 2023.

RESOLVED: To note the minutes of the Cabinet Procurement and Insourcing Committee (CPIC) held on 4 December 2023.

The finalisation of this report was delayed to allow the inclusion of additional information.

RESOLVED:

1.  To approve the savings set out at paragraph 2.9 of this report.

2.  To note the overall financial position of the Council as at November 2023 as set out in this report.

REASONS FOR DECISION

To facilitate financial management and control of the Council's finances and to approve the savings schemes.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

This budget monitoring report is primarily an update on the Council’s financial position.

8.1  Mayor Caroline Woodley provided context for the report and highlighted that the Government had again failed to provide assistance to Local Authorities, but that both herself and Cllr Robert Chapman, Cabinet Member for Finance, Insourcing and Customer Service, had recently written to Ministers lobbying for changes to the Local Government Finance Settlement.

8.2  Introducing the report, Cllr Chapman highlighted that the overspend in the current year had increased to £11.3m, with the recent increase due to additional pressures in Adult Social Care.  Cllr Chapman confirmed that there would be difficult decisions that would need to be made as a result of the lack of support from the Government, which had seen a real term decrease of £150m per year since 2010.  However, as long as the Council was able to continue to address these issues they would avoid having to make emergency recommendations like other Local Authorities were having to do.

Cllr Williams joined the meeting after the start of this agenda item so was unable to vote on the recommendations.

RESOLVED:

1.  To approve the savings set out at paragraph 2.9 of this report.

2.  To note the overall financial position of the Council as at November 2023 as set out in this report.

REASONS FOR DECISION

To facilitate financial management and control of the Council's finances and to approve the savings schemes.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

This budget monitoring report is primarily an update on the Council’s financial position.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the scheme for Finance and Corporate Resources Directorate as set out in section 11 be given approval as follows:

Mosaic ICT System Development Strategy: Resource and spend approval of £1,257k (£571k in 2024/25, £481k in 2025/26 and £205k in 2026/27) is requested to enable Council Officers to progress with the transformation development work on the Mosaic ICT System. 

2.  That the s106 & CIL Capital funded scheme summarised below and set out in section 11 be approved:

3.  That the CIL Revenue summarised below and set out in section 11 be approved:

REASONS FOR DECISION

The decisions required are necessary in order that the schemes within the Council’s approved Capital programme can be delivered and to approve the property proposals as set out in this report.

In most cases, resources have already been allocated to the schemes as part of the budget setting exercise but spending approval is required in order for the scheme to proceed. Where, however, resources have not previously been allocated, resource approval is requested in this report.

To facilitate financial management and control of the Council's finances.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

None.

9.1  Mayor Woodley noted that despite financial pressures the Council was still able to invest into the Borough, and welcomed the proposed funding for Hackney Central Library, the Carnival, Discover Young Hackney, Hackney Circle, the Windrush programme, Hackney Pride 365, the Black History season, and the upgrading of IT systems.

9.2  Cllr Chapman spoke of the investment into the Mosaic IT system, which was a vital part of the Council’s management of both adult and children’s social care, and that the investment into Hackney Central Library would facilitate better use by the community and by partners.

9.3  Cllr Christopher Kennedy, Cabinet Member for Health, Adult Social Care, Voluntary Sector and Culture, welcomed the confirmation that Hackney Carnival would happen for the first time in four years.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the scheme for Finance and Corporate Resources Directorate as set out in section 11 be given approval as follows:

Mosaic ICT System Development Strategy: Resource and spend approval of £1,257k (£571k in 2024/25, £481k in 2025/26 and £205k in 2026/27) is requested to enable Council Officers to progress with the transformation development work on the Mosaic ICT System. 

2.  That the s106 & CIL Capital funded scheme summarised below and set out in section 11 be approved:

3.  That the CIL Revenue summarised below and set out in section 11 be approved:

REASONS FOR DECISION

The reasons for the decision were included in the printed decisions, published on the 23 January 2024, and can be found here.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

None.

After the Government’s recent introduction of changes to the Business Rates system, additional time was required to process information for inclusion in the report.

This report is covered by s.106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. This provides that if a Member owes two or more months’ arrears of Council Tax, they are obliged to disclose this fact to the meeting and not vote on the matter. Failure to comply is a criminal offence punishable by a fine.

RESOLVED:

1.  Recommend to Council that, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Hackney Council as its Council Tax Base for 2024/25 shall be 77,766.9 Band D equivalent properties adjusted for non-collection. This represents an estimated collection rate of 93.5%.

2.  Recommend to Council that in accordance with The Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention) Regulations 2013 Hackney’s non-domestic rating income for 2024/25 is £179,559,273 subject to verification by the Academy (our Revenues Software supplier) software release. This comprises three elements.

·  £66,209,106 which is payable in agreed instalments to the Greater London Authority

·  £54,298,802 which is retained by Hackney Council and included as part of its resources when calculating the 2024/24 Council Tax requirement.

·  £59,051,365 which is payable in agreed instalments to Central Government

3.  To note that changes to the current CTRS scheme in 2024/25 were agreed by Cabinet in December 2023.

4.  Recommend to Council that it approves a proposal to levy a council tax premium equal to a 100% of the Council tax charge in 2024/25 on any liable property which is unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a continuous period of at least one year.

5.  Recommend to Council that we signal our intent prior to 1st April 2024 that we will levy second homes premium from 1st April 2025.

REASONS FOR DECISION

Council Tax Base

The rules for calculating the Council Tax Base are set out in the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012. The calculation is based on the valuation list and other information available on 13th December.

Firstly, the authority must estimate the number of properties in each band after allowing for exempt properties. These figures are also adjusted to allow for discounts (e.g. single person discount and Council Tax Reduction Scheme), exemptions and the impact of applying regulations which allow the Council to charge additional Council Tax to the owners of empty homes and second homes. A formula is then used to calculate the total number of Band D equivalent properties. This gives a higher weighting to properties in Bands above Band D and a lower weighting to properties in bands below Band D. This can therefore be thought of as the average number of properties liable to pay Council Tax. The calculation is set out at Appendix 1.

The Authority then must estimate what percentage of the total Council Tax due for the year it will be able to collect. This is usually referred to as the collection rate. This percentage is then applied to the total number of Band D equivalent properties to give the tax base to be used for setting the Council Tax. Another way of considering the tax base is that it represents the amount of Council Tax income that will be received from setting a Band D Council Tax of £1.

There are a number of factors to be considered when assessing the likely collection rate for 2024/25. Collection rates since 2020/21 have been  ...  view the full decision text for item 10.

10.1  Mayor Woodley thanked Officers for their work in preparing this report, which would provide the framework to the Council’s budget and Council Tax in the next financial year

10.3  Introducing the report, Cllr Chapman confirmed that the report laid out what the Council expected to collect in relation to both Council Tax and Business Rates in the next year, and noted that there had been a small, but steady, improvement in collection rates.  Cllr Chapman also highlighted that the report was seeking to amend the policy on empty homes, to move the point when the empty homes premium becomes payable from 2 years to 1 year, and was also giving notice that the Council intended to apply a premium on second homes from 2025/26.

10.3   Following the results of a recorded vote, as set out below, the recommendations were agreed.

For: (8 Members) Deputy Mayor Bramble, Cllr Chapman, Cllr Coban, Cllr Kennedy, Cllr McKenzie, Cllr Nicholson, Cllr Williams, and Mayor Woodley.

Against: 0

Abstentions: 0

Cllr Fajana-Thomas joined the meeting after the start of this agenda item so was unable to vote on the recommendations.

RESOLVED:

1.  Recommend to Council that, in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by Hackney Council as its Council Tax Base for 2024/25 shall be 77,766.9 Band D equivalent properties adjusted for non-collection. This represents an estimated collection rate of 93.5%.

2.  Recommend to Council that in accordance with The Non-Domestic Rating (Rates Retention) Regulations 2013 Hackney’s non-domestic rating income for 2024/25 is £179,559,273 subject to verification by the Academy (our Revenues Software supplier) software release. This comprises three elements.

·  £66,209,106 which is payable in agreed instalments to the Greater London Authority

·  £54,298,802 which is retained by Hackney Council and included as part of its resources when calculating the 2024/24 Council Tax requirement.

·  £59,051,365 which is payable in agreed instalments to Central Government

3.  To note that changes to the current CTRS scheme in 2024/25 were agreed by Cabinet in December 2023.

4.  Recommend to Council that it approves a proposal to levy a council tax premium equal to a 100% of the Council tax charge in 2024/25 on any liable property which is unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for a continuous period of at least one year.

5.  Recommend to Council that we signal our intent prior to 1st April 2024 that we will levy second homes premium from 1st April 2025.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The reasons for the decision were included in the printed decisions, published on the 23 January 2024, and can be found here.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

The requirement to calculate the Council Tax base and business rates has been laid down by Statute. As such, there are no alternatives to be considered.

Publication of this report was delayed until after the conclusion of the Cazenove Ward By-election, held on Thursday, 18 January 2024.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to agree that:

1.  A 12 week statutory consultation and engagement period on the restructuring of early education and childcare provision delivered by the children’s centres funded by the Council to deliver subsidised childcare, as a means to achieving greater efficiency.  The consultation is scheduled to commence on 31 January to 24 April 2024.

2.  Following the conclusion of the consultation, to consider the results of the consultation and recommendations on the restructuring of early education and childcare provision.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The Childcare Act 2006 at s5(d) imposes a legal duty on a Local Authority to consult before making any significant change in the services provided through a children’s centre and before anything is done that would result in a children’s centre being closed.

The purpose of the consultation is to propose changes to the way children’s centres deliver early education and childcare in the future.  The reason for the proposed change is to improve the sustainability of the centres.  If we do not make changes, the current deficit of £1.07m across the children’s centres is likely to continue to increase. If we do not make decisions now, it may mean more far-reaching proposals at a later date. Making unpopular decisions now is intended to reset the way early education and childcare is delivered in order to achieve greater efficiency, and maximise opportunities to increase occupancy to maintain viability. 

The consultation is intended to give service users, staff and anybody impacted by the remodelling of the service, an opportunity to shape the proposals. 

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

The option to significantly increase fees to recover a greater portion of expenditure if implemented, may discourage families from accessing the children’s centre provision, and therefore have a negative impact on occupancy. The provision may also become affordable to higher income families at the exclusion of lower income families.  We have seen a reduction in higher income families since introducing the new fee bands and post Covid. For this reason this option is not being acted on as suggested. Instead, annual increases to nursery fees will continue to be subject to inflation and in doing so will continue to significantly taper the subsidy to higher fee bands. 

Opportunities identified during the review in collaboration with a stakeholder reference group to test and refine 3 levers to reduce expenditure, increase income and refine the model are set out in the executive summary of the E&Y Report: Appendix 1, attached to the exempt appendices section of this report. 

As part of the SEND Strategy 2022-25, and the Early Years Strategy 2021-26, one centre in the north of the borough is in scope to reprovision by 2025 into an Additional Resource Provision (ARP) to support children with complex needs.  Respondents to the recent 2023 Children and Family Hubs consultation commented on SEND provision and support needed for children and their families.  The intention is to align the ARP with best SEND practice in accordance with the  ...  view the full decision text for item 11.

11.1  Mayor Woodley introduced the report by thanking colleagues across the Council for their work progressing this work, which included broadening 4 children’s centres into Children and Family Hubs, and undertaking a Commission into affordable childcare to best understand how the children’s centre network operated and how best to make it sustainable.  There was a commitment to maintaining as much of the network as possible. 

11.2  The Mayor also noted that the independent financial review had raised some difficult questions, especially in the context of increasingly challenging financial considerations across the Council.  The sustainability of early years provision continued to be threatened by the rising childcare delivery costs, as well as the challenges of finding sufficient staff, all while Local Authorities continued to struggle with insufficient central funding.  The Mayor confirmed that universal services for babies in the first 1001 days would remain a focus of the Hubs, and  support would be put in place for families with children aged 0-19 as part of an integrated system of support.

11.3  Cllr Carole Williams, Cabinet Member for Employment, Human Resources and Equalities, asked about the timing of the publication of the papers and the Mayor confirmed that the delay of publication, as a result of the Cazenove By-election, had been publicised and that the proposed report had been on the Forward Plan since November 2023.  Delaying publication by a month might have threatened the amount of time that the Council could dedicate to the consultation from the 12 weeks that were proposed.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to agree that:

1.  A 12 week statutory consultation and engagement period on the restructuring of early education and childcare provision delivered by the children’s centres funded by the Council to deliver subsidised childcare, as a means to achieving greater efficiency.  The consultation is scheduled to commence on 31 January to 24 April 2024.

2.  Following the conclusion of the consultation, to consider the results of the consultation and recommendations on the restructuring of early education and childcare provision.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The reasons for the decision were included in the printed decisions, published on the 23 January 2024, and can be found here.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

The option to significantly increase fees to recover a greater portion of expenditure if implemented, may discourage families from accessing the children’s centre provision, and therefore have a negative impact on occupancy. The provision may also become affordable to higher income families at the exclusion of lower income families.  We have seen a reduction in higher income families since introducing the new fee bands and post Covid. For this reason this option is not being acted on as suggested. Instead, annual increases to nursery fees will continue to be subject to inflation and in doing so will continue to significantly taper the subsidy to higher fee bands. 

Opportunities identified during the review in collaboration with a stakeholder reference group to test and refine 3 levers to reduce expenditure, increase income and refine the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

RESOLVED:

It is recommended that Cabinet approve a consultation on a new home to school travel policy for Hackney during the spring term of 2024.

REASONS FOR DECISION

Local authorities must publish their home to school policy for children of compulsory school age on their website and in paper form. Local authorities should keep their school travel policy under regular review to make sure it continues to meet local needs and that it complies with statutory requirements.

The proposed consultation is on an updated home to school policy that takes account of recently published statutory guidance on travel for children of compulsory school age (5-16 years). It also reflects current guidance on travel support for young people aged over 16 years.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

No other options were considered.

12.1  Introducing the report, The Mayor confirmed that Hackney’s SEND Strategy for 2022-2025 set out the Council’s vision to provide an excellent, inclusive and equitable local experience for all Hackney children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and that all young people and children should be able to access the right support at the right time and be able to travel easily to an inclusive local school.  No child should be prevented from accessing education because they could not get to school.  The proposed consultation would help the Council find out about current travel arrangements and develop an overall home to school travel policy for Hackney that is clear, and which promotes sustainable and independent forms of travel.

12.2  Deputy Mayor Anntoinette Bramble, Cabinet Member for Education, Young People and Children’s Social Care, welcomed the proposed policy which she believed would help meet the aspirations of the Council to facilitate the independence of children and young people.

RESOLVED:

It is recommended that Cabinet approve a consultation on a new home to school travel policy for Hackney during the spring term of 2024.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The reasons for the decision were included in the printed decisions, published on the 23 January 2024, and can be found here.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

No other options were considered.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.  To approve the HRA budget proposals as set out in Section 6 and Appendix 1.

2.  To approve the increase in rent of 7.7% in line with the Social Housing Regulator’s rent ceiling and agree that rents will increase on average by £8.91 from £115.68 per week to £124.59 per week with effect from Monday 1st April 2024.

3.  To approve the increase in HRA fees and charges as set out in Appendix 2.

4.  To approve the increase in tenant service charges as set out in paragraph 6.14; and the service charges for the Concierge service as set out in paragraph 6.16.

5.  To approve the increase in Travellers charges at 7.7% as set out in paragraph 6.21.

6.  To approve the increase in Shared Ownership rent at 7.7% as set out in paragraph 6.22.

7.  To delegate to the Group Director of Finance and Corporate Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Resident Participation and Cabinet Member for Finance, Insourcing and Customer Services the setting of communal heating charges to reflect the unit costs of utilities.

8.  To agree the Housing Capital Programme budget as set out in paragraph 6.33 to be included in the overall Council Capital budget for approval as part of the Council Budget and Council Tax Setting Report to be approved at February 2024 Cabinet.

REASONS FOR DECISION

Section 76 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 requires Local Authorities with a Housing Revenue Account (HRA) to set a budget for the account that avoids a deficit, whilst using robust and valid assumptions.

Furthermore, there is a statutory requirement for the Council to prepare a 30 Year Business Plan for the HRA on an annual basis. The purpose of this exercise is to keep the long-term financial viability of the HRA under regular review.

The report also provides the approval needed to set HRA tenant rents and other charges for the financial year 2024/25. The Council is required by law to give tenants at least 28 days’ notice of any variation to the rent charged.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

The HRA covers all income and expenditure relating to the portfolio of housing stock owned by the Council. It is required by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to be ring-fenced from the Council’s General Fund. The legislation specifies that only expenditure relating to the Council’s landlord role can be charged to the HRA and, by extension, funded by the rents charged to tenants. The Council has a legal duty to ensure that the account remains solvent and to prepare a long-term business plan annually that keeps this under regular review.

Preparing the 30-year HRA Business Plan involves a long-term assessment of the funding needed to deliver landlord duties alongside wider strategic housing objectives. This involves detailed modelling of operating resource requirements, capital investment plans and external funding streams against wider environmental factors such as macroeconomic assumptions and potential legislative  ...  view the full decision text for item 13.

13.1  Mayor Woodley regretted that as a result of underfunding by the Government the Council would have to increase rent for Council tenants in order to keep delivering services that residents relied on.  In response to the challenges of the age and condition of the Council’s housing stock, more would be invested into repairs, retrofit, and advice and support for residents.

13.2  Cllr Clayeon McKenzie, Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Resident Participation, introduced the report and confirmed that the Council was still feeling the impact of inflation, and many of the Council’s residents were still feeling the impact of the continued cost of living crisis.  Despite the proposed increases in rent, Hackney’s rents would still remain amongst the lowest in London and would compare favourably with rents charged by Housing Associations.  In addition, the Council remained committed to assisting residents who faced financial hardships.

13.3  Mayor Woodley, Deputy Mayor Bramble, and Cllr Mete Coban, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, spoke in support of the report, welcoming the expansion of the DLO service, the improvement in the response to issues related to mould and damp, and Cllr McKenzie’s support with residents’ casework.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.  To approve the HRA budget proposals as set out in Section 6 and Appendix 1.

2.  To approve the increase in rent of 7.7% in line with the Social Housing Regulator’s rent ceiling and agree that rents will increase on average by £8.91 from £115.68 per week to £124.59 per week with effect from Monday 1st April 2024.

3.  To approve the increase in HRA fees and charges as set out in Appendix 2.

4.  To approve the increase in tenant service charges as set out in paragraph 6.14; and the service charges for the Concierge service as set out in paragraph 6.16.

5.  To approve the increase in Travellers charges at 7.7% as set out in paragraph 6.21.

6.  To approve the increase in Shared Ownership rent at 7.7% as set out in paragraph 6.22.

7.  To delegate to the Group Director of Finance and Corporate Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Resident Participation and Cabinet Member for Finance, Insourcing and Customer Services the setting of communal heating charges to reflect the unit costs of utilities.

8.  To agree the Housing Capital Programme budget as set out in paragraph 6.33 to be included in the overall Council Capital budget for approval as part of the Council Budget and Council Tax Setting Report to be approved at February 2024 Cabinet.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The reasons for the decision were included in the printed decisions, published on the 23 January 2024, and can be found here.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

The HRA covers all income and expenditure relating to the portfolio of housing stock owned by the Council. It is required by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to be ring-fenced from the Council’s General Fund. The legislation specifies that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.  Approve the draft Future Shoreditch Area Action Plan, including the Direction of Travel document (Appendix 2), for public consultation.

2.  Delegate authority to the Group Director of Climate Homes and Economy  to make minor changes ahead of consultation.

REASONS FOR DECISION

Consultation and engagement with stakeholders and the public is integral to producing an Area Action Plan. Consultation on the draft Area Action Plan is required in line with Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 and will help inform and influence the final version of the Area Action Plan.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

Consultation on a draft Future Shoreditch Area Action Plan is required to comply with Government regulations.

The alternative was to move onto a Regulation 19 consultation. This was considered to not provide enough opportunity for communities to feedback on the plan before adoption.

14.1  The Mayor highlighted the increased popularity of Shoreditch as a cultural and economic destination, but that as a result the Council needed to ensure that its success did not damage its character for local residents and businesses.

14.2  Introducing the report, Cllr Guy Nicholson, Deputy Mayor for Delivery, Inclusive Economy and Regeneration, discussed the background to the development of the draft Area Action Plan, which reflected on the changes that had taken place in Shoreditch over the last few years, as well as looked forward to the area’s future.  The consultation would provide a further opportunity for members of the community to familiarise themselves with the daft plan and help establish a direction of travel.

14.3  Cllr Susan Fajana-Thomas, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Regulatory Services, spoke in support, discussed the Hackney Night Time Economy, and welcomed the consultation.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.  Approve the draft Future Shoreditch Area Action Plan, including the Direction of Travel document (Appendix 2), for public consultation.

2.  Delegate authority to the Group Director of Climate Homes and Economy to make minor changes ahead of consultation.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The reasons for the decision were included in the printed decisions, published on the 23 January 2024, and can be found here.

 DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

Consultation on a draft Future Shoreditch Area Action Plan is required to comply with Government regulations.

The alternative was to move onto a Regulation 19 consultation. This was considered to not provide enough opportunity for communities to feedback on the plan before adoption.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to :-

1.  Agree the timetable for the Hackney Voluntary and Community Sector Open Grants Programme for 2024/25

2.  Agree that the following funding streams can be launched through the programme:

·  Project Grants for up to £20,000 for one or two years from April 2024.

·  Community Chest grants for up to £1,000 for one year for short term projects or one-off activities from April 2024 (with four grant rounds spread throughout the year)

·  Children and Young people activity based grants of up to £20,000 over one year totalling £225,000 from April 2024.

3.  Agree the second year of funding of advice grants  as set out in Appendix  one, totalling £922,500.

4.  Note that £77,826 remains set aside to meet some of the identified gaps in provision and  provide additional capacity to the advice system.

5.  Agree one year funding for Specialist grants totalling £719,066 as set out in Appendix One.

6.  Agree in regards to Community Infrastructure grants to award a  third year of funding (of a total of three) for 20 Community Infrastructure organisations at £19,800 each per annum  and a second year of funding ( of a total of two) for four community infrastructure organisations at £19,800 each.

7.  Note the carry over of £25,000 development funding for Community Infrastructure that can be deployed to support development and capacity building to enable gaps in geography or community to be addressed.

8.  To continue to set aside £200,000 of the grant programme budget provision for financial intervention for organisations at risk of closure and delegate authority to approve grants to the Head of Policy and Strategic Delivery in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Health, adult social care, voluntary sector and leisure.

9.  Agree to use £65,000 of the grant program reserves  to increase  organisational capacity in order to undertake a council wide review  of our investment in the VCS

10.Agree to contribute to the London borough’s grant scheme administered by London Councils 2024/25 and note that the contribution will be in the region of £208,093

11.To delegate authority to approve the Project Grants 2024/25 including Community Chest, Physical Activity and Children and Young People’s Grants, as well as the deployment of resources to address and/or meet any gaps and capacity in Advice Services or Community Infrastructure grants, to the Head of Policy and Strategic Delivery in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Health, adult social care, voluntary sector and leisure, and the Portfolio Holder for education, young people and children’s social care

REASONS FOR DECISION

Cabinet is asked to agree the funding criteria, timetable and details of the Hackney Voluntary and Community Sector Grants programme for 2024/25  as a key decision of the Council as it affects two or more wards and is related to Council spend. The indicative timetable is set out below:

*Please note that 3 further rounds of Community Chest  ...  view the full decision text for item 15.

15.1  The Mayor celebrated the important role that voluntary and community sector organisations (VCS) played in the Borough, the achievements that could be seen throughout Hackney, and that the Council was able to continue to offer support to the VCS to help the Council do more and reach more residents.

15.1  Cllr Kennedy also welcomed the support that the proposed £2.5m grants programme, which was now in its third year, would offer Hackney’s VCS.  Cllr Kennedy provided Cabinet with details of the specific grants in the programme and highlighted the proposed use of £65k to undertake a council wide review of VCS investment, as it was unlikely that the Council could be as generous in future years.

15.3  Deputy Mayor Bramble thanked Cllr Kennedy and Officers for their work on the grants programme, especially in relation to the development of grants related to children and young people.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to :-

1.  Agree the timetable for the Hackney Voluntary and Community Sector Open Grants Programme for 2024/25

2.  Agree that the following funding streams can be launched through the programme:

·  Project Grants for up to £20,000 for one or two years from April 2024.

·  Community Chest grants for up to £1,000 for one year for short term projects or one-off activities from April 2024 (with four grant rounds spread throughout the year)

·  Children and Young people activity based grants of up to £20,000 over one year totalling £225,000 from April 2024.

3.  Agree the second year of funding of advice grants  as set out in Appendix  one, totalling £922,500.

4.  Note that £77,826 remains set aside to meet some of the identified gaps in provision and  provide additional capacity to the advice system.

5.  Agree one year funding for Specialist grants totalling £719,066 as set out in Appendix One.

6.  Agree in regards to Community Infrastructure grants to award a  third year of funding (of a total of three) for 20 Community Infrastructure organisations at £19,800 each per annum  and a second year of funding ( of a total of two) for four community infrastructure organisations at £19,800 each.

7.  Note the carry over of £25,000 development funding for Community Infrastructure that can be deployed to support development and capacity building to enable gaps in geography or community to be addressed.

8.  To continue to set aside £200,000 of the grant programme budget provision for financial intervention for organisations at risk of closure and delegate authority to approve grants to the Head of Policy and Strategic Delivery in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Health, adult social care, voluntary sector and leisure.

9.  Agree to use £65,000 of the grant program reserves  to increase  organisational capacity in order to undertake a council wide review  of our investment in the VCS

10.Agree to contribute to the London borough’s grant scheme administered by London Councils 2024/25 and note that the contribution will be in the region of £208,093

11.To delegate authority to approve the Project Grants 2024/25 including  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet and Council are invited to note the contents of this report.

REASONS FOR DECISION

While our mean gender pay gap continues to grow in favour of women, we cannot become complacent as the difference could easily be reversed.

In May of this year (2023) Hackney increased its provision for supporting equality, diversity, and inclusion for the workforce by recruiting a designated Workforce Inclusion Officer, and further investment in recruiting a Head of Organisational Development, Strategic Workforce, and Inclusion.

These additional resources will lead all equality, diversity, and inclusion initiatives aimed at supporting the workforce.

We must also work hard to continue reducing the ethnicity pay gap.

As pledged by Councillor Williams, “[Hackney Council] will continue to develop an Anti-Racism Action Plan, maintaining our stance as an anti-racist council and borough.”

As an organisation, Hackney continues to be more actively anti-racist, by inviting conversations about racism and providing specialist support for staff who have experienced racialised trauma.

In late 2021, a 10-week pilot scheme provided peer support to workers in Hackney, listening to the voices of Black and Global Majority colleagues as they shared their day-to-day lived experiences of racism.

As a result of this pilot, we launched racialised trauma peer support sessions, utilising the peer support model, to help alleviate some of the symptoms of racialised trauma.

In 2023 we ran several peer support sessions specifically to support staff regarding the case of Child Q. We allocated 60 spaces, had 41 sign-ups, and 23 people attended. We also commissioned one-to-one counselling for 15 members of staff who requested support.

We are now undertaking an evaluation of the feedback from these provisions and will use this to inform future services and support in this area.

In October 2023, the Council held its second Anti-Racism Summit, which was open across the whole Council for the first time.

The Summit started with a live day-long event that welcomed 550 employees in person, with 2,700 employees joining live online and many more watching the recording. It was the most highly attended staff event in Council history, with a total equivalent to over half of our workforce in attendance either in person or online.

After the initial launch event, each Council directorate delivered events that were designed for their areas but were open to all staff. In total, there were around 30 directorate-specific events. Evaluation of the events resulted in an average satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5.

One of these specific events focused on the breakdown of Black and Global Majority staff across the different salary scale points, working in groups to identify problems and barriers, and collectively identifying ideas for action.

The Summit closed on 21 November and following feedback and an evaluation of the programme, there will be a targeted focus on actions that we will all take to further the work of the council and continue to be actively anti-racist as employees and as an organisation.

We understand the key role our line managers hold in building an  ...  view the full decision text for item 16.

16.1  Confirming Hackney’s commitment to being an anti-racist Council, the Mayor also confirmed the commitment to lead on transparency which is why, as well as the statutory gender pay gap report, the Council also published an ethnicity pay gap report.  It was hoped that this would set an example to other employers.

16.2  Cllr Williams provided detail on the legislative framework underpinning the report and the calculation methodology.  The snapshot of pay was taken on 31 March 2023 and the gender pay gap in Hackney remained in favour of women, with the median hourly rate for women at £20.74, and £19.65 for men.  The ethnicity pay gap had marginally decreased, in part because of the insourcing of staff in Parking and Markets.  Work was underway to continue to reduce the ethnicity pay gap and improve the mean ethnicity pay gap by at least 1% over the following two years, and to better understand the intersectional impact of pay on gender in conjunction with other protected characteristics.

16.3  Mayor Woodley welcomed the report, particularly the work on intersectionality, and Cllr Williams thanked Officers for their work.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet and Council are invited to note the contents of this report.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The reasons for the decision were included in the printed decisions, published on the 23 January 2024, and can be found here.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.  Agree the proposed approach as set out in paragraphs 4.1 to 4.25 of this report for setting up Hackney’s branded residential solar project to supply locally generated solar energy to residents in the Borough.

2.  Delegate authority to the Group Director of Finance in consultation with the Hackney Light and Power Delivery Board; and, with the Cabinet Member for Energy, Sustainability and Transport to:

·  proceed with plans set out in the Hackney Light and Power Residential Solar Business Case (Appendix 1)

·  agree the final lists of sites and buildings to be included in the pilot

·  enter into contracts and create all other necessary or ancillary agreements with suppliers in accordance with the strategies set out in the report and relevant business case.

3.  Spend approval of up to £1.96m is requested of capital investment by the council to enable design, installation and operation of a solar powered system as outlined in this paper.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The Council has declared a Climate emergency and set a target to achieve Net Zero emissions across its full range of functions by 2040. Against these objectives, a Climate Action Plan (CAP) has been produced, which recognises the decarbonisation of energy supply as a key delivery pathway for achieving the target.

In line with the CAP strategy, the Council plans to install six megawatts of solar capacity on Council-owned housing estates by 2030. This equates to one megawatt per year starting in 2024. Deploying solar in excess of this target will make achieving other aspects of the strategy easier and align with Hackney's broader ambitions.

Hackney Council’s Mayoral 2022 to 2026 manifesto committed to developing a plan to expand solar panels across all Council estates. Part of the Council’s strategy is to develop a plan to utilise solar on up to fifty per cent of the residential roof space owned by the Council. This would mean solar being installed on around 1,400 residential buildings.

Hackney Council has also committed to establishing a municipal energy company focused on the deployment of solar PV and other renewable projects that will aid the Council’s decarbonisation ambitions and plans. The Residential Solar project sets a route in action to deliver on this manifesto commitment. This is subject to a future Cabinet decision.

Government figures on fuel poverty estimated that 9,700 households in Hackney suffer from fuel poverty. Through the roll-out of supplying solar PV to residents at a reduced rate compared to options currently available on the market, the Council is in a stronger position to make strategic decisions to assist vulnerable residents. This will enable identified homes across the Borough to save on energy costs without families having to compromise on other essentials.

Approximately 1MW of solar generation on the Council’s Corporate sites have been delivered already, however it has been more challenging to develop the business case for selling Residential solar generation to residents, as the current regulatory environment means that the majority of electricity is sold to the grid.  ...  view the full decision text for item 17.

17.1  The Mayor spoke to the Council’s environmental record, highlighted the desire to expand the capacity to generate solar energy in the Borough, and shared her recent experiences visiting Parkwood Primary school and Stoke Newington Secondary School to see their newly installed solar panels.  This work would help contribute to the Council’s fairness agenda.

17.2  Introducing the report, Cllr Coban reminded Cabinet of the Banister House project, and the impact that had had.  The proposals sought to take that project one step further and install 4,000 solar panels to generate 1MW every year from 2024, the equivalent of the clean energy power consumption of 700-800 homes.  Results of the project would include the creation of local green jobs and provide support with energy bills for vulnerable residents.

17.3  Cllr McKenzie welcomed the report, highlighting both the benefits this would have for residents and that this was a practical solution with long term benefits.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.  Agree the proposed approach as set out in paragraphs 4.1 to 4.25 of this report for setting up Hackney’s branded residential solar project to supply locally generated solar energy to residents in the Borough.

2.  Delegate authority to the Group Director of Finance in consultation with the Hackney Light and Power Delivery Board; and, with the Cabinet Member for Energy, Sustainability and Transport to:

·  proceed with plans set out in the Hackney Light and Power Residential Solar Business Case (Appendix 1)

·  agree the final lists of sites and buildings to be included in the pilot

·  enter into contracts and create all other necessary or ancillary agreements with suppliers in accordance with the strategies set out in the report and relevant business case.

3.  Spend approval of up to £1.96m is requested of capital investment by the council to enable design, installation and operation of a solar powered system as outlined in this paper.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The reasons for the decision were included in the printed decisions, published on the 23 January 2024, and can be found here.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

As part of the LEA-funded business case development, an independent market assessment provided as Appendix 3 was commissioned to explore a number of options for the installation of solar PV on Hackney’s housing estates. The other options explored by the Council which were subsequently rejected include:

Option 1 - Energy Local Clubs

This approach is delivered by a Community Interest Company that has designed a means for local people to benefit from local energy through Energy Local Clubs. This enables households to join together and use local, clean power when it is generated. A better price is agreed for local generators and residents reduce their bills.

Option 2 - Solar Sharing Microgrid

This approach involves sharing the benefits of solar panels with the residents. Instead of residents each having their own supplier, the landlord (or new group) would buy all of the electricity for the block and sell this, along with the solar energy, to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

RESOLVED:

It is recommended that Hackney Cabinet approves the Hackney Serious Violence Duty Strategy 2024 to 2027.

REASONS FOR DECISION

This is a statutory responsibility and the SVDS 2024 to 2027 will significantly support our Community Safety Partnership’s response to reducing serious violence in Hackney.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

This is a statutory requirement and therefore an options analysis is not applicable.

18.1  Mayor Woodley stated that the safety and wellbeing of residents was a priority for the Council, and that the proposals would ensure a multi-agency approach to reducing serious violence to make Hackney a safe place to live, work and visit.

18.2  Introducing the report, Cllr Fajana-Thomas discussed the priorities that the strategy laid out for the following three years, which included violence against women and girls; domestic abuse; serious sexual violence; gangs and serious violence against young people; hate crime; and, serious violence in the night time economy.  Cllr Fajana-Thomas also confirmed that the strategy would be overseen by the Community Safety Partnership.

RESOLVED:

It is recommended that Hackney Cabinet approves the Hackney Serious Violence Duty Strategy 2024 to 2027.

REASONS FOR DECISION

This is a statutory responsibility and the SVDS 2024 to 2027 will significantly support our Community Safety Partnership’s response to reducing serious violence in Hackney.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

This is a statutory requirement and therefore an options analysis is not applicable.

RESOLVED:

This report recommends that Cabinet:

1.  Approves the final draft of the Market Strategy 2024-2029 and the recommendations contained within (as set out in Appendix 1) to be actioned and  implemented.

2.  Delegates Authority to the Director Environment and Climate Change (formerly Strategic Director Sustainability and Public Realm) to approve any add ons or amendments to the Market Strategy 2024-2029 following Cabinet approval.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The last Markets Strategy (2017-2020) focused on the financial sustainability of individual markets by promoting and increasing awareness of all locations to grow and retain occupancy rates. The Strategy was approved with a budget of £1.4m to deliver actions that mainly focused on getting the markets to be self-sustainable, as the Service was running at a deficit for many years. The successful delivery of this Strategy saw the service achieve a break-even financial position consistently, but also saw the market portfolio and commercial opportunity grow exponentially, which contributed to driving local employment within Hackney.

The final draft Markets Strategy for 2024-2029 was carefully curated through extensive surveys, engagement and research to identify the needs and aspirations of the community consisting of members of the public and Hackney market traders. The Strategy will concentrate on maintaining and developing what has been achieved by exploring new opportunities to increase the market and street trading locations, reviewing additional operating days, and introducing new licenses to encourage regeneration and local employment within the Borough.

The Strategy will follow an Action Plan to ensure the Market Service takes specific measures to reduce the number of illegal trading activities by educating those who want to work and assisting them in obtaining the necessary licence(s), thereby encouraging all licenced businesses and traders to maximise their income opportunities. It will also support our traders by providing them with necessary entrepreneurial skills training, mental health support and an opportunity to expand their business in different street trading locations/ types of markets.

The Markets Service was able to use the approved budget to deliver the Markets Strategy 2017-2020 that made a major impact on local employment, but was unable to reach its full potential due to lack of resources and financial constraints. The new Strategy aims to exceed the proven achievements but to also secure the long term sustainability of the markets by supporting several of the mayor’s manifesto commitments and by activating other locations within the borough for commercial use:

We will develop a Hackney Nights Strategy to provide clarity to residents and businesses on our approach, including supporting growth while tackling antisocial behaviour and crime in partnership with the police.

We will build community wealth and create opportunities where residents are the first to benefit as the local economy recovers and reopens - ensuring more of the jobs, opportunities, growth and money spent in Hackney stays in Hackney.

We will ensure that goods and services are procured locally and sustainably, securing good jobs and opportunities for local people. We will also link this with our ambition to create green jobs for  ...  view the full decision text for item 19.

19.1  Mayor Woodley welcomed the valuable contribution of markets to Hackney, but noted that although the majority were doing well and were vibrant spaces for residents and visitors, the Council needed to ensure that it planned effectively for their long term sustainability.

19.2  Cllr Fajana-Thomas introduced the report and discussed the 7 missions contained within the strategy; a safe and inclusive shopping experience; fair and transparent markets; financially secure and sustainable markets; supported enterprise and business growth; mental health and wellbeing of market traders; a future for young entrepreneurs; and, Hackney markets - going green.  Cllr Fajana-Thomas stated her confidence that the strategy would enable markets to flourish and keep pace with the needs of our community, and thanked Officers for their work.

RESOLVED:

This report recommends that Cabinet:

1.  Approves the final draft of the Market Strategy 2024-2029 and the recommendations contained within (as set out in Appendix 1) to be actioned and  implemented.

2.  Delegates Authority to the Director Environment and Climate Change (formerly Strategic Director Sustainability and Public Realm) to approve any add ons or amendments to the Market Strategy 2024-2029 following Cabinet approval.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The reasons for the decision were included in the printed decisions, published on the 23 January 2024, and can be found here.

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

Adopting no future strategy was considered but rejected due to the risks involved in sustaining the Borough’s Markets and street trading activities - Please refer to Section 5.6 (Risk Assessment).

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to approve the following nominations as set

out below:

20.1  Deputy Mayor Bramble discussed the recommendations, thanked governors throughout the Borough for their tireless work in Hackney’s schools making sure the Borough’s children and young people had the best start in life, and spoke to her own personal and rewarding experience as a school governor.

RESOLVED:

Cabinet is recommended to approve the following nominations as set

out below:

Note from the Governance Team Leader:

Items 23 - 26 allow for the consideration of exempt information.

Proposed resolution:

That the press and public be excluded during discussion of the remaining items on the agenda, on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED: THAT the press and public be excluded from the proceedings of the Cabinet during consideration of Exempt items 15 - 16 on the agenda on the grounds that it is likely, in the view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that were members of the public to be present, there would be disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 as amended.

22.1  The Cabinet agreed that no further consideration of the exempt appendices in relation to agenda item 11 was required.

23.1  The Cabinet agreed that no further consideration of the exempt appendices in relation to agenda item 17 was required.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Exempt Business

24.1  There were no new exempt items for consideration.