Agenda and minutes

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 June 2017 were confirmed as correct.

The Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement introduced the report on the Council’s capital and revenue position for the 2017/18 financial year, as at 31 May 2017.

The General Fund showed a projected year-end overspend of £4.795m against the budget of £145.129m and the Cabinet Member referred to the current areas of overspend which related to Public Realm, Homelessness, Enforcement, Leisure and Children’s Services.  In respect of the latter, it was acknowledged that considerable progress had been made during the last year to improve the financial management and efficiency of the service, although the recruitment and retention of permanent social workers continued to be an area of concern.  With regard to the Homelessness service, the Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration suggested that regular progress reports should be presented to Cabinet on the implementation of the Action Plan approved on 15 November 2016 (Minute 63).

The Cabinet Member also advised on the new quarterly reporting arrangements for the £9m savings programme for 2017/18, the additional ring-fenced funding provided by the Government which should enable Adult Care and Support costs to stay within budget and the reallocation of approved revenue and capital budgets in line with the Council’s new service delivery and management structures.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree the reallocation of approved service revenue budgets into the new management structures as set out in Appendix A to the report;

(ii)  Note the forecast outturn position for 2017/18 of the Council’s General Fund revenue budget as detailed in section 2 and Appendix A to the report;

(iii)  Approve the transfer of £4.385m additional funding for Adult Social Care to the Adults’ Care and Support Service;

(iv)  Approve the restatement of the Capital Programme as set out in Appendix B to the report; and

(v)  Agree that future Budget Monitoring reports include an update on the implementation of the Homelessness Action Plan. 

Further to Minute 96 (13 February 2017), the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement presented an update report on the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2018/19 to 2020/21.

The budget gap for 2018/19 stood at £15.79m after factoring in the latest known pressures and mitigating measures.  To close that gap, the performance targets of the three main commissioning functions under the Council’s Transformation Programme would be stretched and it was noted that a report on the detailed proposals would be presented to Cabinet in November prior to public consultation. 

The Cabinet Member also referred to proposals in respect of the commencement of a street property purchasing programme in advance of a detailed report to the Cabinet in September on the Council’s Investment and Acquisition Strategy, as well as new loan arrangements with the Council’s recently-appointed Leisure Service provider, Sports and Leisure Management Limited, to progress the new demountable swimming pool project at the Becontree Heath Leisure Centre site and support investment in buildings and equipment.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Note the budget gap between 2018/19 to 2020/21 which increased from £22.167m, as reported in February 2017, to £23.003m at July 2017;

(ii)  Note the budget gap of £15.79m for 2018/19 the process for closing that gap, as outlined in section 8 of the report;

(iii)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Growth and Homes, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Growth and Investment, the Chief Operating Officer and the Director of Law and Governance, to commence the purchasing of street properties which would form part of the Council’s overall Investment Strategy, as outlined in section 5 of the report;

(iv)  Approve additional capital spend on the Council’s leisure services of £1,694,075; as outlined in section 6 of the report;

(v)  Approve a loan of up to £3,394,075 to Sports and Leisure Management Ltd, who have been appointed to manage the Borough's leisure centres and athletics stadium, including Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, in accordance with the loan schedule at Appendix C to the report; and

(vi)  Delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Growth and Investment, to agree contractual terms, including the rate, duration and security as part of the loan agreement with Sports and Leisure Management Ltd.

Further to Minute 70 (15 November 2016), the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement presented the 20-year vision for the Borough in the form of the document “Barking and Dagenham Together: The Borough Manifesto”’.

The Cabinet Member commented that the document represented a resident-led, place-based vision for the Borough, creating the foundations for a more interesting, exciting and vibrant Borough that addressed the long-term challenges facing the local community.  There were 10 key themes supporting the overall vision, each with an aspiration statement:

·  Housing: a place with sufficient, accessible and varied housing.

·  Community and Cohesion: a friendly and welcoming borough with strong community spirit.

·  Education: a place with high-quality education and sustained attainment for all residents.

·  Health and Social Care: a place which supports residents to achieve independent, healthy, safe and fulfilling lives.

·  Crime and Safety: a place where everyone feels safe and is safe.

·  The Environment: a clean, green and sustainable borough.

·  Fairness: a place where everyone is valued and has the opportunity to succeed.

·  Employment, Skills and Enterprise: a place where every resident has access to lifelong learning, employment and opportunity.

·  Arts, Culture and Leisure: a place with great arts and culture for everyone, leading change in the borough.

·  Regeneration: a place where businesses and communities grow and thrive.

Members paid tribute to the public consultation that had supported the development of the Borough Manifesto, and which had resulted in an unprecedented response from local residents, and remarked on the succinct nature of the document considering the extent of the work that went into its development.

It was noted that the responsibility for implementation and monitoring of the Borough Manifesto would rest with the Barking and Dagenham Delivery Partnership (BDDP).  The Cabinet Member also advised on her intention to meet with Ward Councillors to discuss potential plans for each area of the Borough and her invitation to speak at the forthcoming Local Government Association Conference on the development of the Borough Manifesto. 

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Adopt the “Barking and Dagenham Together: The Borough Manifesto”’ strategy setting out the long-term vision for the Borough, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report;

(ii)  Note the collaborative and inclusive process followed to develop “Barking and Dagenham Together”;

(iii)  Agree that the vision set out in “Barking and Dagenham Together” form the basis of the Council’s partnership working and articulated what the Borough aspired to achieve over the next 20 years; and

(iv)  Agree that the Council’s Corporate Plan should set out the Council’s contribution to delivering the vision set out in “Barking and Dagenham Together”.

The Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety introduced the new Barking and Dagenham Equality and Diversity Strategy which set out the Council’s plans to close equality gaps for all residents and ensure fair access to services for the period 2017 to 2021. 

The Cabinet Member explained that the Strategy was structured around the four main objectives of Improve Outcomes For All, No-One Left Behind, Fair and Open Service Delivery and Exemplar Employer.  A 10-week consultation had gathered the views of local residents, partners and staff on their priorities and had informed the development of a 67-point Action Plan for delivering the four main objectives. 

Cabinet Members spoke in support of the Strategy and it was suggested that the significant contribution of former Barking MP, Jo Richardson, in promoting women’s rights should be reflected in the published document.  The Leader also referred to the Borough’s participation in the recent London Pride event to promote the “One Borough, One Community, One Love” message.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Adopt the Equality and Diversity Strategy at Appendix 1 to the report; and

(ii)  Note that monitoring of the delivery of the Strategy and its actions would take place annually through the Corporate Performance Group.

The Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement presented the Borough Parks and Open Spaces Strategy which set out plans to attract investment, improve facilities and increase usage of the existing 28 parks and open spaces in the Borough over the next 10 years.

The Cabinet Member pointed to the masterplans for Abbey Green, Barking Park, Central Park, Eastbrookend Country Park, Greatfields Park, Mayesbrook Park, Old Dagenham Park, Parsloes Park, St Chads Park and Valence Park and referred to the improvements to Barking Park and Mayesbrook Park in recent years that had significantly improved usage and satisfaction levels amongst the community.  With regard to Parsloes Park, it was noted that the detailed masterplan, based around the theme “conserve, enhance and restore” had been brought forward in the programme in order to support a significant funding bid via the Park Life scheme and the planning process for the Youth Zone development.

Key features of the overall Strategy included encouraging the Borough’s faith groups to hold events in parks, volunteering and community food growing opportunities.  The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration commented on the links with other key Council objectives and policies, such as plans for a ‘Healthier Borough’, and suggested that:

(a)   Greater emphasis should be made of the three community orchards, made up of approximately 150 fruit trees, that had already been planted in the Borough;

(b)  The Council should lead on the development of a local food growing strategy to encourage healthier eating; and

(c)  Developers should be encouraged to use fruit trees and bushes in the design and landscaping of new developments.

On the issue of funding and the true value of parks and open spaces, the Commissioning Director for Culture and Recreation advised that while parks and open spaces had a book value of just £1 in pure accounting terms, the Council had adopted the Corporate Natural Capital Account approach which gave a far more accurate reflection of the value of the Borough’s parks by taking into account their wider community benefit, such as from improved heatlh and well-being and mitigation of air pollution.  The Commissioning Director undertook to provide Cabinet Members with some more information on that aspect.

The Cabinet resolved to adopt the Parks and Open Spaces Strategy at Appendix 1 to the report.

The Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement introduced the performance report for the final quarter of the 2016/17 financial year in respect of the debt management function carried out by the Revenues and Benefits Service within Elevate East London.

The Cabinet Member advised that the performance of Elevate was predominantly positive despite the challenging economic position.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Note the performance of the debt management function carried out by the Revenues and Benefits service operated by Elevate East London, including the performance of enforcement agents; and

(ii)  Note the debt write-offs for the fourth quarter of 2016/17.

Appendix C to the report is in the private section of the agenda at Item 14.

The Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement introduced a report on the proposed terms of a new long-term lease for the Teresa Greene Community Centre, Leys Avenue, Dagenham, to facilitate significant improvement works to the building by the local Community Association.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree to the surrender of the existing lease and the granting of a new 50-year lease based on the terms outlined in the report, in accordance with the Council’s Land Acquisition and Disposal Rules; and

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Growth and Homes, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Growth and Investment, the Chief Operating Officer and the Director of Law and Governance, to negotiate and finalise terms and execute all the legal agreements and other documents on behalf of the Council.

Appendix 2 to the report is in the private section of the agenda at Item 15.

The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Health Integration presented the Barking and Dagenham Prevent Strategy and Delivery Plan for 2017-2019, which had been developed by a multi-agency steering group and overseen by the Borough’s Community Safety Partnership.

The Cabinet Member advised that the documents reflected the Council’s legal duties to prevent extremism and extremist violence of every type and reflected the following main priorities:

·  To work in partnership to understand the risk of radicalisation in Barking and Dagenham;

·  To work with partners and residents to identify and address potential vulnerabilities related to extremism or radicalisation;

·  To put in place mechanisms which prevent individuals from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support;

·  To deliver a programme to limit and disrupt the activities of extremist individuals who seek to spread or incite violence for a political, ideological, racial or religious cause.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree the Prevent Strategy and Delivery Plan 2017/2019 attached at Appendix 1 to the report; and

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Service Development and Integration, in consultation with the Community Safety Partnership and the Cabinet Member for Equalities and Cohesion, to review the Strategy and Delivery Plan considering new levels of risk in the Borough and make appropriate changes in response.

Cabinet agreed to exclude the public and press for the remainder of the meeting by reason of the nature of the business to be discussed which included information exempt from publication under Regulation 20(2)(a) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 and paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

Further to Minute 46 (15 September 2015), the Cabinet Member for Economic and Social Development presented a report which gave an update on the project and the finalisation of commercial terms with the appointed development partner, Countryside Properties.

The original plans for the development of 95 private-for-sale and 46 shared ownership properties were put on hold when higher than anticipated site infrastructure and remediation costs meant that the Council would not receive any of the projected land receipt.  The revised scheme would involve the development of 83 private-for-sale, 46 shared ownership and 41 affordable rent properties, representing an increase in the percentage of affordable properties from 32.6% to 51.2%.  The 87 shared-ownership / affordable rent properties would be available at variable market rent levels and retained within the Council’s Barking & Dagenham Reside structure, providing long-term revenue streams for the Council and other capital returns to mitigate an investment of £23m. 

During consideration of the report, Cabinet Members discussed issues relating to the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the work undertaken to ensure that a similar tragedy could not occur in Barking and Dagenham.  The Leader confirmed that a statement would be made at the Assembly meeting on 19 July 2017 and commented on how proud he was of London’s response to the tragic events.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree to the finalised commercial terms between the Council and Countryside Properties, for the 170-unit regeneration scheme at Becontree Heath, as set out in the report.

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Director of Law and Governance, the Chief Operating Officer and the Cabinet Members for Finance, Growth and Investment and Economic and Social Development, to determine the most appropriate vehicle within the Barking & Dagenham Reside structure to develop, own and procure the construction, management and maintenance of 41 affordable rented and 46 shared ownership properties;

(iii)  Agree to the principle of borrowing up to £11m within the General Fund from the Public Works Loan Board and/or the European Investment Bank to finance the development and ownership of the affordable rent properties via a loan agreement made between the Council and the affordable rent Special Purpose Vehicle;

(iv)  Agree to the principle of borrowing up to £12m within the General Fund from the Public Works Loan Board, and/or the European Investment Bank to finance the development and ownership of the shared ownership properties via a loan agreement made between the Council and the shared ownership Special Purpose Vehicle;

(v)  Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Director of Law and Governance, the Chief Operating Officer and the Cabinet Members for Finance, Growth and Investment and Economic and Social Development, to vary the tenure mix where this leads to materially better financial terms, to negotiate terms and agree the contract documents to fully implement and effect the Becontree Heath redevelopment project; and

(vi)  Authorise the Director of Law and Governance, or an authorised delegate on her behalf, to execute all the legal agreements,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.