(Agenda Item 7)
Present for this item:
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Cllr Tony Newman, the Leader of the Council
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Richard Simpson, Assistant Chief Executive (Corporate Resources and Section 151 Officer)
The Leader started by affirming that Croydon was in a strong position to withstand the economic storms and challenges arising from the vote to leave the EU. However, he warned that no one should underestimate the potential for economic instability in months to come.
A presentation was given by the Leader of the Council on major projects and initiatives carried out by the Council, as well as forthcoming opportunities and projects. This has been added to the council website and can be seen here. Key areas highlighted included the following:
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Landlord licensing - members heard that about 26,000 applications for landlord licenses had been received from 12.500 landlords
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Council initiatives to tackle Domestic Violence
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The implementation of the Living Wage
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Croydon's Ambition Festival
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Croydon's Best Start initiative which aims to improve the effectiveness of services to make a difference in the lives of babies and their families
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The Gateway project providing families in need with support through joined-up services
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The introduction of 20 mph speed limits on residential streets
The following challenges and opportunities for the future were mentioned:
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Working with Sadiq Khan, the new Mayor of London
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Implementing the Brick by Brick affordable housing scheme providing over 1000 new homes
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The forthcoming launch of Boxpark in East Croydon
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The regeneration of Fairfield Halls
Members were advised that a report on the Council's financial strategy would be presented at Cabinet in July. They were reminded that the budget had been balanced over the last two financial years and they were informed that good progress was being made on medium term financial planning.
It was acknowledged that future funding was inextricably linked to the national economic climate and that austerity measures were likely to remain in place until at least 2020.
In reply to a question on council staffing, the Leader asserted that local government had taken a disproportionate share of budget cuts and that Croydon had had to contend with an unfair funding formula, leading to a significant impact on staffing levels. Furthermore, members were advised that the recent emergency government budget of £300m for local authorities had only allocated £800,000 for this borough. To ensure continued quality of service, the council was moving to as many digital platforms as possible.
Members discussed the needs of the north and the south of the borough and how all wards might be involved in development and generation at all times. regardless of the political make-up of the council's administration. The Leader pointed to the borough's Local Plan, which includes commitment to providing a swimming pool in Purley, in the south of the borough. He added that community ward budgets should bring benefits across all parts of the borough.
The Leader was questioned on the Brick by Brick initiative and asked how residents' views would be taken into account when it was to be implemented. In particular, residents in Tollers Lane had expressed their opposition to new homes being built in their vicinity.
The Leader explained that residents' views would be assessed in line with planning policy and that the Planning Committee response to them would depend on the type of reason given for opposing the scheme. Members expressed disappointment at the fact that the original list of 29 sites identified for this scheme had not be published, and observed that lack of information in the public domain was causing disquiet. They urged the council to publish this list as soon as possible to quell rumours and concerns.
The Leader replied that 29 out of the 41 sites identified had already been published and the remaining ones were to be published in the following two weeks. He stated that residents in the vicinity of the proposed sites had been informed directly regarding the initiative. Forthcoming consultation would also give local residents the opportunity to contribute their views on various aspects of the proposed developments. The Leader added that Croydon residents should welcome a rise in the provision of affordable housing in the borough as a significant part of these developments would be earmarked for local people.
It was observed that residents objecting to the Brick by Brick development may have believed that they had a right of veto but that this had never been available to them. Members commented that there were lessons to be learnt in terms of setting out clear options for discussion in future consultation exercises.
Questioned about the Landlord Licensing scheme, the Leader stated that 5,400 licenses had been issued so far to 2,600 landlords, and that a number of enforcement notices had been issued to landlords who were not managing their properties responsibly or lawfully.
Members questioned the Leader regarding the implementation of the Living Wage in the borough. They were advised that the NHS had welcomed its introduction and also implemented it with contractors. IKEA was also mentioned as a company that was bringing in the Living Wage. However, he acknowledged that the Living Wage represented a challenge for SMEs.
Asked about the impact of the vote to leave the EU, the Leader stressed that he intended to take a strong line on implementing the Living Wage and that the poorest in the community should not have to pay for the impact of "Brexit".
The Leader affirmed that the Gateway project was a powerful success story and that 1100 families had been helped through its services, 5,500 families had been helped to become more independent and 587 individuals had been supported into employment. He acknowledged that demand for these services may yet increase if the economy deteriorates significantly following the outcome of the EU referendum.
The Leader was questioned on the rise in hate crime following the vote to leave the EU. He concurred that this was a worrying trend and stated that he would be holding talks with community leaders in the borough to tackle this trend and give assurances that a robust line would be taken to combat this trend. Asked how the business community was reacting to the vote, he stated that he was in active conversations with key partners and developers to minimise the impact on business vitality in Croydon.
In answer to a question on the monitoring of senior council officers including the Chief Executive Officer, the Leader stated that all officers needed to be judged on their outcomes, which included success in drawing funding from the Home Office and other agencies. He explained that monitoring took place at regular "one-to-ones". The Leader added that some performance indicators which had not been used by the previous administration had been brought back into use. One particularly welcome development had been the increase in enforcement on environmental issues.
Asked about trends in Domestic Violence, the Leader stated that reporting of DV was increasing but that this was a positive development as it showed that more women were becoming confident enough to take action following an incident.
Officers stated that a report was due to be presented to Cabinet regarding the Schools Places Programme for the next three years. The Leader stated that Croydon's population was growing significantly, leading to enormous pressure for additional school places. He added that Croydon's profile resembled that of an inner London borough, and that substantially more funding was needed to meet the rising demand.
The Leader was questioned regarding the refurbishment of Fairfield Halls. He stated that the infrastructure, heating, ventilation and plumbing all needed overhauling and that the concert hall would be upgraded to very high standards. He added that the halls needed to be used more fully and required a high quality catering offer. Work was due to commence this summer and to end in 2018.
Members turned their attention to the precept on the social care budget introduced through central government legislation to enable councils to increase budgets by 2% each year until 2020 to cater for the needs of their aging populations. The Leader stated that this funding had allowed the council to help older residents to remain at home and live independently, albeit with some support.
Members highlighted the profile of Coulsdon and Kenley wards, which had the highest numbers of residents aged 65 and above and observed that those aged 80+ had the highest level of need. In contrast, wards in the north of the borough have a much younger demographic: members contrasted the percentage of residents aged 65 and above in Coulsdon (25%) with that of Bensham (9%). It was observed that the additional funding made available through the precept was not ring-fenced and therefore vulnerable to emerging issues in the borough. Members stressed the important role that elderly residents played in the community, providing a caring role for children in their families and getting involved in the voluntary sector.
The Leader was questioned regarding street cleaning and fly-tipping. He stated that real progress had been achieved in this area, although there was more work yet to do. He announced that enforcement action had been taken and that the number of incidents of fly-tipping had fallen. However, work needed to be done with communities to change habits and norms and make fly-tipping social unacceptable.
Members discussed the significant increases in demand for recycling services at the Purley Oaks depot and the traffic problems along the A23 that this had brought about. The Leader stated that he had written to the leaders of Bromley Council and Surrey County Council regarding the impact of residents from these areas using Croydon's services after the closure of their own local recycling centres. He added that he was considering options for a tighter permit scheme which would only be free to residents in Croydon.
Members discussed the performance of Southern Railways and agreed that it was very poor and could have an economic impact on Croydon. It was felt that the council should highlight the problems being experienced to central government. The Leader answered that the council had expressed its deep dissatisfaction with the poor and unreliable level of service currently being provided and stated that steps needed to be taken to revoke the franchise.
The Leader and Assistant Chief Executive were thanked for their responses to Members' questions.