Decisions
27/11/2024 - Green Group Motion: Opposing the Two Child Benefit Cap ref: 8050 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Council
Made at meeting: 27/11/2024 - Council
Decision published: 28/11/2024
Effective from: 27/11/2024
Decision:
RESOLVED: That this motion having not been debated, be referred, without discussion, to the next ordinary meeting of Full Council for discussion.
27/11/2024 - Hackney Independent Socialist Group Motion: End the Hostile Environment Against Migrants ref: 8049 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Council
Made at meeting: 27/11/2024 - Council
Decision published: 28/11/2024
Effective from: 27/11/2024
Decision:
RESOLVED: That this motion having not been debated, be referred, without discussion, to the next ordinary meeting of Full Council for discussion.
27/11/2024 - Green Group Motion: Support of a Wealth Tax to Fund Public Services ref: 8048 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Council
Made at meeting: 27/11/2024 - Council
Decision published: 28/11/2024
Effective from: 27/11/2024
Decision:
RESOLVED: That this motion having not been debated, be referred, without discussion, to the next ordinary meeting of Full Council for discussion.
27/11/2024 - Labour Group Motion: Ending Stigma and Discrimination of the Care Experienced Community ref: 8047 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Council
Made at meeting: 27/11/2024 - Council
Decision published: 28/11/2024
Effective from: 27/11/2024
Decision:
Labour Motion: Ending Stigma and Discrimination of the Care Experienced Community
Hackney Council notes:
1. Care experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives.
2. Despite the resilience of many care experienced people, they too often experience stigma and disadvantage;
3. Care experienced people often face discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, relationships, employment and in the criminal justice system.
4. Care experienced people may encounter inconsistent support in different geographical areas.
5. As corporate parents, councillors have a collective responsibility for providing the best possible care and safeguarding for the children who are looked after by us as an authority.
6. All corporate parents should commit to acting as mentors, hearing the voices of looked after children and young people and to consider their needs in any aspect of council work.
7. Councillors should be champions of the children and care leavers in our care and challenge the negative attitudes and prejudice that exists in all aspects of society.
8. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies, such as councils, to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation of people with protected characteristics.
This Council further notes:
9. That care experienced people are a group who are likely to face discrimination.
10.Councils have a duty to put the needs of people facing inequalities of outcome as a result of socio-economic disadvantage, at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration.
11.Hackney Council’s Equality Plan identifies looked after children, care
experienced people and care leavers as a group who are “vulnerable because of life experiences”
12.Hackney’s Equality Plan states the Council will “ensure that services are
taking account of the needs of these groups in policy and practice” by:
o including data and an analysis of the needs of looked after children, care leavers and care experienced children in the Council’s refreshed equality profile that is linked to service planning and equality impact assessment guidance.
o developing the Council’s understanding of their needs through sharing lived experience of inequalities and of council services.
o identifying specific proactive actions that are also needed through this needs assessment.
13.That looked after children, care experienced people and care leavers have been included in the Council’s new Equality Impact Assessment Guidance and forms, due to being identified as a group of people facing inequality of outcomes locally.
This Council therefore resolves:
14.That in the delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty the Council includes care experience in the publication and review of Equality Objectives and the annual publication of information relating to people who share a protected characteristic in services and employment, as outlined in Hackney’s recently adopted Equality Plan.
15.That this Council will continue to treat care experience as if it were a Protected Characteristic.
16.To encourage other bodies to treat care experience as a protected characteristic until such time as it may be introduced by legislation.
17.For the council to continue proactively seeking out and listening to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies based on their views.
18. For the Mayor and Cabinet leads for Children’s Services, and for Equalities to lobby the Government to introduce legislation to recognise care experienced people as a protected group.
Proposer: Cllr Anna Lynch
Seconder: Cllr Sophie Conway
27/11/2024 - Review of Political Balance and Appointments to Committees and Commissions ref: 8046 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Council
Made at meeting: 27/11/2024 - Council
Decision published: 28/11/2024
Effective from: 27/11/2024
Decision:
RESOLVED:
1. To note the revised political proportionality that applies to Committees, Sub-Committees, Commissions, Panels and Boards as detailed in the report and Appendix 1.
2. To approve the appointments appearing in Appendix 2for the remainder of the municipal year
27/11/2024 - Standards Committee Annual Report 2023/24 ref: 8045 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Council
Made at meeting: 27/11/2024 - Council
Decision published: 28/11/2024
Effective from: 27/11/2024
Decision:
RESOLVED: To note the Standards Committee Annual Report 2023/24 as set out at Appendix 1 of the report.
27/11/2024 - Petition - Hackney Stands With Palestine Break the Link with Haifa ref: 8044 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Council
Made at meeting: 27/11/2024 - Council
Decision published: 28/11/2024
Effective from: 27/11/2024
Decision:
RESOLVED: To note the receipt of the petition and its contents.
27/11/2024 - Minutes of the Previous Meeting ref: 8043 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Council
Made at meeting: 27/11/2024 - Council
Decision published: 28/11/2024
Effective from: 27/11/2024
Decision:
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 September 2024 be agreed as a true and accurate record of proceedings.
25/11/2024 - F S331 November 2024 Capital Update and Property Disposals And Acquisitions Report ref: 8042 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 25/11/2024 - Cabinet
Decision published: 26/11/2024
Effective from: 25/11/2024
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 requested in this report.
To facilitate financial management and control of the Council's finances.
Lease of Unit A, Residence Tower, Goodchild Road, N4 2LY: Granting a new 10-year lease to the current tenant, will provide an income stream for the Council beyond the current termination date, reducing the risk of future void and re-letting charges.
It will also reduce the risk of the cafe closing. Zer Cafe is a well-regarded business within the community. The loss of the cafe would not only impact the local residents but could also diminish the parade’s appeal and result in potential revenue loss. Although a new tenant is seeking to take occupation of the property, they will continue to operate as a cafe, which shall continue to benefit the community.
Proposed disposal of 17 Sylvester Road E8 1DZ: The Council has widely marketed this building for a commercial letting and received interest from a number of managed workspace operators and also a budget hotel chain. However, in any scenario beyond a temporary use, the Council would have to take on significant financial risks in undertaking major works to the building and/ or obtaining planning consent for change of use, and commit considerable resources to deliver this. The resulting estimated capital value of the asset would not justify the risk, expenditure and resources required compared to the existing value with vacant possession, which could be achieved with relative speed and low resource input.
Meanwhile, the Council is looking for funding opportunities for “invest to save” measures and transformational revenue spend. There is the potential for capital receipts from property disposals to be used, with the appropriate permissions, for this purpose. The property at 17 Sylvester Road presents a rare opportunity for the Council to dispose of an asset and achieve a substantial capital receipt without complications around rehousing occupiers or staff, and without any loss of existing commercial income. In fact, the immediate revenue position would be improved by removing ongoing void management costs.
DETAILS OF ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED
Lease of Unit A, Residence Tower, Goodchild Road, N4 2LY: The alternative option would be to refuse the grant of a new lease, meaning the tenant would only be able to assign the lease expiring on 12 May 2028. This option has been rejected because the proposed assignee requires the certainty of a 10 year term upon purchasing the business, and therefore would not proceed with an assignment of the current lease. In any event, the longer lease term is in the Council’s best interests, as well as the assignee’s.
Proposed disposal of 17 Sylvester Road E8 1DZ: No action. This course of action is not tenable because leaving the building vacant would incur ongoing security and other costs, involve reputational risks and leave the Council open to enquiries or challenge from local residents and other interested parties.
Undertake repair and refurbishment works to facilitate an office / workspace letting The Council would need to take on a major capital project with outlay in excess of £2.5m, potentially up to £4m depending on level of fit out, in order to set this building up for a long term commercial letting as workspace or studios. Based on proposals received during marketing, the rental returns and resulting capital value on this basis would not justify the capital expenditure and risk attached. The Council already has a large amount of office space in its ownership in and around Hackney Central and is therefore already extensively exposed to the Hackney Central office and workspace market, and there are substantial risks associated with further large investments in that market.
Change of use to hotel The Council has received serious interest from a budget hotel chain operator. This would diversify the Council’s commercial property portfolio and lead to higher rental returns than offices or workspace. However, this is a very high risk approach. For a traditional letting, the Council would have to meet all, or at least a substantial proportion, of the conversion costs, which could be in excess of £7m. There are potentially other models for a letting to a hotel that would not require the same level of up front investment, but these come with other types of financial risks throughout the lease term. Moreover, planning consent for change of use to a hotel would be extremely challenging, given the interest from workspace operators. There is a very strong risk that the Council could go through a lengthy planning process that is ultimately unsuccessful, and in the interim continue to incur high void costs.
Other corporate objectives Similarly, the demonstrable interest from workspace providers means there is a high risk that planning consent would not be achieved in the short/medium term for conversion to residential use, including temporary accommodation and specialised supported housing. A developer might be able to take a longer term view on this, but it is not viable for the Council to hold very costly and high value buildings in such a speculative way.
Retain the adjacent piece of land. This piece of land could be split from the building and retained by the Council for possible future development. However, the size and shape of the land, with a four storey privately owned building protruding from the middle of the north boundary, would make development complicated and it is unlikely to be a project the Council would take on in the foreseeable future. The Council would be exposed to a significant construction and development risk at a time when there is great uncertainty in the market. In any event, the land is likely to have a higher value when coupled with the building, as it enhances its viability for development to residential or hotel use, and could provide useful (and rare) external space for some commercial operations. The Council can include an overage provision in the sale so that it can benefit from any future increases in value as a result of development. However, such provisions can be detrimental to the initial capital value and marketability.
25/11/2024 - F S341 2024/25 Overall Financial Position Report - September 2024 ref: 8041 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 25/11/2024 - Cabinet
Decision published: 26/11/2024
Effective from: 25/11/2024
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.
19/11/2024 - Interviews for the Director Legal Democratic & Electoral Services and Monitoring Officer - Exempt ref: 8039 For Determination
Decision Maker: Appointments Sub Committee
Made at meeting: 19/11/2024 - Appointments Sub Committee
Decision published: 19/11/2024
Effective from: 19/11/2024
Decision:
Exempt
19/11/2024 - Unrestricted Minutes of the Previous Meeting ref: 8033 For Determination
Decision Maker: Appointments Sub Committee
Made at meeting: 19/11/2024 - Appointments Sub Committee
Decision published: 19/11/2024
Effective from: 19/11/2024
Decision:
The unrestricted minutes of the meeting held on 16 September 2024 were approved.
19/11/2024 - Exclusion of the Public and Press ref: 8038 For Determination
Decision Maker: Appointments Sub Committee
Made at meeting: 19/11/2024 - Appointments Sub Committee
Decision published: 19/11/2024
Effective from: 19/11/2024
Decision:
Resolved:
That the press and public be excluded from the proceedings of the Appointment Sub-Committee during consideration of Exempt Item 7 and 8 on the agenda on the grounds that it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that were members of the public to be present, there would be a disclosure of exempt business as defined in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.
19/11/2024 - Questions to the Committee ref: 8037 For Determination
Decision Maker: Appointments Sub Committee
Made at meeting: 19/11/2024 - Appointments Sub Committee
Decision published: 19/11/2024
Effective from: 19/11/2024
Decision:
There were no questions to the committee.
19/11/2024 - Notice of intention to conduct business in private, any representation received and the response to any such representations ref: 8036 For Determination
Decision Maker: Appointments Sub Committee
Made at meeting: 19/11/2024 - Appointments Sub Committee
Decision published: 19/11/2024
Effective from: 19/11/2024
Decision:
There were none.
19/11/2024 - Declarations of Interest ref: 8035 For Determination
Decision Maker: Appointments Sub Committee
Made at meeting: 19/11/2024 - Appointments Sub Committee
Decision published: 19/11/2024
Effective from: 19/11/2024
Decision:
There were no declarations of interest.
19/11/2024 - Apologies for Absence ref: 8034 For Determination
Decision Maker: Appointments Sub Committee
Made at meeting: 19/11/2024 - Appointments Sub Committee
Decision published: 19/11/2024
Effective from: 19/11/2024
Decision:
Apologies were received from Councillors Adams and Chapman.
Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Gordon.
19/11/2024 - Restricted Minutes of the Meeting of the Previous Meeting ref: 8040 For Determination
Decision Maker: Appointments Sub Committee
Made at meeting: 19/11/2024 - Appointments Sub Committee
Decision published: 19/11/2024
Effective from: 19/11/2024
Decision:
Exempt
29/08/2024 - Premises Licence: Playhouse,258 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4DG ref: 8031 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Licensing Sub Committee A
Made at meeting: 29/08/2024 - Licensing Sub Committee A
Decision published: 18/11/2024
Effective from: 29/08/2024
Decision:
RESOLVED:
The decision of 29th August 2024
The Licensing Sub-Committee in considering this decision from the information
presented to it within the report and at the hearing has determined that having regard to the promotion of all the licensing objectives:
· The prevention of crime and disorder;
· Public safety;
· Prevention of public nuisance; and
· The protection of children from harm,
the application for a premises licence has been approved in accordance with the Council’s Statement of Licensing Policy and the proposed conditions set out in paragraph 8.1 of the report, with the following amendments:
· The hours for licensable activities at the premises, shall be:
Sale of Alcohol (on the premises)
Sunday to Thursday 11:00 - 22:40
Friday to Saturday 11:00 - 23:39
Recorded Music
Friday to Saturday 11:00 - 23:39
Opening hours of the premises
Sunday to Thursday 07:00 - 23:00
Friday to Saturday 07:00 - 23:59
And the following conditions:
· There shall be no open containers or glass containers or drinks taken outside the premises at any time.
· The Licensee shall provide a written dispersal policy to the Licensing Authority and the Police. All staff shall be briefed on this dispersal policy. A copy of the policy shall be kept on the premises and shall be produced to a police officer or other authorised officer upon request.
Reasons for the decision
The application for a premises licence has been approved because the Licensing Sub-committee was satisfied that the licensing objectives would not be undermined.
The Sub-committee took into consideration that the Applicant agreed to conditions with the Environmental Enforcement Service and their objection was withdrawn. The Sub-committee noted that no other Responsible Authorities made representations.
The Sub-committee took into account the written representations and concerns
raised by 2 Other Persons (local residents) on the grounds of the four licensing
objectives in a residential area.
The Sub-committee took into consideration representations from Applicant’s Agent that this application went through an extended consultation for nine weeks due to an error in the publication of the statutory newspaper notice which was beyond their control, and pre-consultation was undertaken. No concerns were raised by the Environmental Protection Service. The Sub-committee noted that the premises was in a state of disrepair and heavy investment was needed. The Applicant’s Agent made submissions that the premises was not going to be a pub in the round playhouse theatre. The Applicant wanted to continue working in the round theatre with young and local people and supporting the community. The Sub-committee noted that the Planning issues have been dealt with separately by the Applicant. The Sub-committee also noted that the Police had no concerns about the drinking up time, and the red line plan of the premises took into account the external area.
After considering the representations from the local residents and the Applicant’s Agent the Sub-committee felt satisfied with the amendments to the application agreed by the Applicant that included a 20 minute drinking up time and a no open containers condition for drinks outside of the premises at any time. In addition the Sub-committee was satisfied that a dispersal policy would be submitted to ensure that the dispersal from the premises is carried out in an orderly fashion.
The Sub-committee took into consideration that the Applicant was intending the
premises to be a cafe and community hub during the day and operate theatre events in the evening. The theatre shows end before 23:00. The Sub-committee noted that the basement was not included in the application and the capacity of the premises is about 150 for both the first floor and the ground floor where the cafe will be. The Sub-committee took into account that the daytime capacity is about 70 in the café depending on the layout of the furniture and the Sub-committee was satisfied that the Applicant would operate the premises responsibly.
The Sub-committee took into consideration the representations and the concerns raised by local residents and conditions were added to the premises licence to mitigate those concerns.
The Sub-committee took into consideration that each application is considered on its own merits.
Having taken all of the above factors into consideration the Sub-committee was satisfied that by granting this premises licence the licensing objectives would not be undermined.
Public Informatives
1. The Premises Licence Holder is further reminded of the need to operate the premises according to any current planning permission and consents relating to its use class, conditions and to regularise the hours as required.
2. It also should be noted for the public record that the local planning authority should draw no inference or be bound by this decision with regard to any future planning application which may be made.
3. The Premises Licence Holder is encouraged to work with local residents and the Responsible Authorities to prevent any public nuisance or negative impact in the area.
Wards affected: Haggerston;