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Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Cabinet - Monday 25 November 2024 6.00 pm

Venue: Council Chamber, Hackney Town Hall, Mare Street, London E8 1EA. View directions

Contact: Mark Agnew Email: governance@hackney.gov.uk

Media

Items

No.

Item

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

1.1 Apologies were received from Cllr Williams and Cllr Moema.

Declarations of Interest

Members are invited to consider the guidance which accompanies this agenda and make declarations of interest as appropriate.

Minutes:

2.1 There were no declarations of interest.

Urgent Unrestricted Business

View the background to item 3.

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.

Minutes:

3.1 There was no urgent business for consideration.

Notice of Intention to Conduct Business in Private, Any Representations Received and the Response to Such Representations

View the background to item 4.

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.

Minutes:

4.1 No representations were received.

Questions/Deputations

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

Minutes:

5.1 Questions were submitted in advance by Cllr Alastair Binnie-Lubbock and Cllr Claudia Turbet-Delof in relation to agenda item 8, F S341 2024/25 Overall Financial Position Report - September 2024, and agenda item 9, F S331 November 2024 Capital Update and Property Disposals And Acquisitions Report. Questions were considered during the relevant agenda items.

5.2 Mayor Caroline Woodley, using her discretion as Chair of Cabinet, confirmed that she would accept an additional question without notice from Cllr Binnie-Lubbock, who asked the Cabinet whether they could ensure the promised Traveller site would be built during this administration's term, and asked what assurances could be provided with regards to the £2m funding that was earmarked by the London Legacy Development Corporation(LLDC).

5.3 In response, Cllr Clayeon McKenzie, Cabinet Member for Housing Services and Resident Participation, confirmed that the money earmarked by the LLDC, that had been approved in-principle and was dependent on a scheme at Bartrip Street, had been lost to the Council. This was because investigations had indicated air pollution to be a significant issue at the site, so further testing and evaluation would be needed meaning that the 30 November deadline would be missed. Cllr McKenzie also confirmed that discussions were being held between Officers and the Greater London Authority (GLA) regarding the potential of securing alternative GLA grant funding, and that meetings would be arranged to update Cllr Binnie-Lubbock and residents.

5.5 As a follow-up, Cllr Binnie-Lubbock shared his disappointment at the money being lost, and asked why Travellers had been moved off LLDC sites and not catered for. In response, Cllr Guy Nicholson, Deputy Mayor for Delivery, Inclusive Economy and Regeneration, rejected the framing of the question and confirmed that all families were provided fit-for-purpose homes that were suitable for the community, that some LLDC money would still be available for an additional site, and that this would transfer to the Council when planning powers returned on 01 December 2024.

Unrestricted Minutes of the Previous Meeting of Cabinet PDF 112 KB

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting of Cabinet held on 28 October 2024 as a correct record.

Minutes:

RESOLVED: The minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet held on 28 October 2024 were agreed as a true and accurate record of proceedings.

Unrestricted Minutes of the Cabinet Procurement and Insourcing Committee PDF 142 KB

To note the minutes of the Cabinet Procurement and Insourcing Committee (CPIC) held on 07 October 2024.

Minutes:

RESOLVED: The minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet Procurement and Insourcing Meeting held on 07 September 2024 were noted.

F S341 2024/25 Overall Financial Position Report - September 2024 PDF 274 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

1. Noted the overall financial position of the Council and in particular the overspend and the initiatives set out to mitigate this, as at September 2024.

2. Approved the 2025-26 Local London Business Rates Pool recommendations set out in Appendix 4.

3. Noted the Revised MTFP 2025-26 to 2027-28 attached at Appendix 5 and the revised budget gaps (2025-26 £35.814m, 2026-27 £49.281m and 2027-28 £67.230m)

REASONS FOR DECISION

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

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

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

Minutes:

8.1 Mayor Woodley acknowledged that like many local authorities the Council was facing severe financial challenges and welcomed the recent Autumn Budget, which had provided some much needed additional funding, though noted that a single budget could not address years of underfunding to Local Government. As such, there was a need to prepare for reduced services in some areas, and change in others, to protect the frontline serving Hackney’s most vulnerable residents.

8.2 Cllr Robert Chapman, Cabinet Member for Finance, Insourcing and Customer Service, introduced the report and highlighted a substantial overspend that had risen to over £38m. This was largely due to continued pressures on adult’s and children’s social care services, and homelessness prevention. There would be an impact on the setting of budgets for future years, and there would be a need to utilise reserves, but as reserves could only be used once difficult decisions would need to be made.

8.3 Cllr Binnie-Lubbock and Cllr Turbet-Delof asked Cabinet about the procurement of Temporary Accommodation (TA) units, the £70k allocated for gang related projects, and the reasons for the overspend in Legal Disrepair

8.4 In response, Cllr Sade Etti, Cabinet Member for Homelessness Prevention, Rough Sleeping and Temporary Accommodation, Cllr Susan Fajana-Thomas, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Regulatory Services, and Cllr McKenzie confirmed that

· Officers were working to secure additional TA units, but much of the focus was on medium to long term projects that would deliver value for money and could be altered to meet Hackney’s specific needs.

· The £70k was from the London Violence Reduction Unit to tackle serious violence and robbery in Hackney and would be spent to support various initiatives including supporting the Hackney’s Community Gangs Team, the Mandeville and Surrounding Streets project, purchasing two electric bikes, at £6k, for the Police to tackle phone robberies and thefts, and phone-marking initiatives led by the Police.

· The Council had focused on addressing legal disrepair cases over the last 12 months, and increased the level of resources to this area to increase capacity to handle more cases, leading to faster repairs and quicker claim settlements. As a result, the Council had reduced the number of live cases from 1215 at the end of the last financial year to 1049 by the end of October.

RESOLVED:

1. Noted the overall financial position of the Council and in particular the overspend and the initiatives set out to mitigate this, as at September 2024.

2. Approved the 2025-26 Local London Business Rates Pool recommendations set out in Appendix 4.

3. Noted the Revised MTFP 2025-26 to 2027-28 attached at Appendix 5 and the revised budget gaps (2025-26 £35.814m, 2026-27 £49.281m and 2027-28 £67.230m)

REASONS FOR DECISION

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

DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED

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

F S331 November 2024 Capital Update and Property Disposals And Acquisitions Report PDF 397 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED:

1. That the scheme for Finance and Corporate Resources Directorate as set out in section 11 was approved as follows:

Automation of Council Tax Handling Requests: Resource and spend approval of £116k in 2024/25 is requested to enable Council Officers to proceed with the automation of the back office process relating to Council Tax, by utilising a new set of online forms and integration into our back office system. The new solution will enable residents to complete forms online that automatically process their requests into our back office system, without needing manual processing.

Mosaic ICT System Development Strategy: Resource and spend approval of £543k (£217k in 2024/25, £220k in 2025/26 and £105k in 2026/27) is requested to enable Council Officers to proceed with extending the scope of the transformation development work on the Mosaic ICT System.

2. That the Quarter 2 Capital Monitoring for the year ending 30 September 2024 in section 12 was noted.

3. That the re-profiling of the budgets as set out in Appendix 1 and summarised below was approved:

Current Directorate	Re-Profiling 24/25	Re-Profiling 25/26	Re-Profiling 26/27	Re-Profiling 27/28	Re-Profiling 28/29
	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000
Non Housing	(6,170)	4,157	1,456	557	0
Housing	(90)	90	0	0	0
Total	(6,260)	4,247	1,456	557	0

4. That the capital adjustments of the budgets as set out in Appendix 1 and summarised below was approved:

Current Directorate	Capital Adjustments
	£'000
Non Housing	28,572
Housing	0
Total	28,572

5. That the granting of a new ten-year lease to the current tenant of Unit A, Residence Tower, Goodchild Road, N4 2LY, on the proposed Heads of Terms as outlined in Exempt Appendix 3 (subject to any reasonable amendments during the legal process) was approved.

6. Authority to the Interim Group Director, Finance and the Director of Strategic Property Services to agree to the lease, all commercial terms and any associated documentation and ensure that it represents best consideration was delegated.

7. Authority to the Acting Director of Legal, Democratic & Electoral Services to complete the lease and all other relevant and ancillary legal documents arising thereto on behalf of the Council was delegated.

8. The disposal of 17 Sylvester Road E8 1DZ shown for identification purposes only edged red on the plan at Appendix 2 was authorised.

9. Authority to the Interim Group Director, Finance to agree all commercial terms of the transaction was delegated.

10.Authority to the Acting Director of Legal, Democratic and Electoral Services to settle, agree and enter into all documentation necessary for this transaction was delegated.

REASONS FOR DECISION

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

In most cases, resources have already been allocated to the capital 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 ... view the full decision text for item 9.

Minutes:

9.1 The Mayor welcomed the report, noting that it outlined important investments and initiatives that would improve services for residents, deliver savings, and secure additional income.

9.2 Cllr Chapman introduced the report and highlighted the investment that the Council was making into the automation of Council Tax handling requests and the Mosaic ICT System, and the disposal of 17 Sylvester Road.

9.3 Cllr Binnie-Lubbock asked Cabinet about 17 Sylvester Road and whether the Council would consider renting the space on a short-to-medium term temporary basis.

9.4 In response, Cllr Chapman confirmed that

· The Council had looked at all options in relation to 17 Sylvester Road, but that even preparing it for short-term use would require substantial investment and so was not financially viable.

RESOLVED:

1. That the scheme for Finance and Corporate Resources Directorate as set out in section 11 was approved as follows:

2. That the Quarter 2 Capital Monitoring for the year ending 30 September 2024 in section 12 was noted.

3. That the re-profiling of the budgets as set out in Appendix 1 and summarised below was approved:

Current Directorate	Re-Profiling 24/25	Re-Profiling 25/26	Re-Profiling 26/27	Re-Profiling 27/28	Re-Profiling 28/29
	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000	£'000
Non Housing	(6,170)	4,157	1,456	557	0
Housing	(90)	90	0	0	0
Total	(6,260)	4,247	1,456	557	0

4. That the capital adjustments of the budgets as set out in Appendix 1 and summarised below was approved:

Current Directorate	Capital Adjustments
	£'000
Non Housing	28,572
Housing	0
Total	28,572

8. The disposal of 17 Sylvester Road E8 1DZ shown for identification purposes only edged red on the plan at Appendix 2 ... view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Exclusion of the Press and Public

Note from the Governance Team Leader:

Items 11 - 12 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.

Minutes:

10.1 The Cabinet agreed that the exclusion of the press and public was not required to consider exempt items 11.

11.

F S331 November 2024 Capital Update and Property Disposals And Acquisitions Report - Exempt Appendix

View the reasons why item 11. is restricted

Minutes:

11.1 The Cabinet agreed that no further consideration of the exempt appendix in relation to agenda item 9 was required.

12.

Urgent Exempt Business

View the background to item 12.

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

Minutes:

12.1 There were no new exempt items for consideration.