Agenda and minutes

To approve the Part A and Part B minutes of the meeting held on 11 October 2022 as an accurate record.

The Part A and Part B minutes of the meeting held on 11 October 2022 were agreed as an accurate record, subject to the correction of the misspelling of the name Katherine on page 9, the correct spelling being Catherine.

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and other registrable and non-registrable interests they may have in relation to any item(s) of business on today’s agenda.

Councillor Jade Appleton disclosed an interest relating to the ‘Update on Borough Culture’ item as through her employment with London Councils she had worked with the Arts Council.

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was no urgent business for discussion by the Scrutiny & Overview Committee at this meeting.

The Scrutiny & Overview Committee is asked to receive a verbal update on the preparations for the Borough of Culture 2023.

The Committee received a presentation delivered by the Council’s Director of Culture and Community Safety, Kristian Aspinall, which provided an update on the preparations for the Borough of Culture cultural programme which was due to commence in April 2023.  This update had been included on the agenda to allow the Committee to seek reassurance that sufficient resource was being invested in the preparation of the programme to ensure the Borough of Culture in Croydon was a success. 

A copy of the presentation delivered by Mr Aspinall can be viewed on the following link: -

https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=166&MId=2927&Ver=4

In addition to the Council’s Director of Culture & Community Safety, others in attendance for this item included the Cabinet Member for Communities & Culture, Councillor Andy Stranack, the Corporate Director for Sustainable Communities, Regeneration and Economic Recovery, Nick Hibbard and Dan Winder, Chair of the Borough of Culture Steering Group.

Following the introduction provided for this item the Committee had the opportunity to question the attendees on the information provided. The first question related to the plans for Croydon Pride event in the Borough of Culture programme. It was advised that the vision was for Croydon Pride to be an event for the whole of London and by bringing it under the Borough of Culture banner, it unlocked additional funding to attract more people to attend. It was planned that there would be an overarching ‘This is Croydon’ brand which was recognised and used across all the events scheduled as part of the Borough of Culture programme.

It was confirmed that there had been conversations with the previous Borough of Culture hosts including the London boroughs of Brent, Waltham Forest and Lewisham, to learn from their experience. This had highlighted the need for archiving across the programme and to have a specific communications budget in place to adequately promote Borough of Culture events.

In terms of equality and diversity, it was questioned how this would be applied on a geographical basis. It was advised that there was an intention to deliver an inclusive range of events across the Borough of Culture programme rather than targeting specific, underrepresented geographical areas, with access being the key issue. An Access Advisory Group had been set up to provide guidance on equality and diversity and was in the process of finalising a manifesto for all groups to sign up to.

In response to a question about the geographical spread of the events, it was advised that some of the flagship events would take place across the borough, such as one being organised by the Brit School.  As would be expected the majority of the large scale events were in the centre of the borough, where there were more cultural organisations. However, the Ignite Fund was a key opportunity to ensure there were events located across the borough.

As a follow-up, confirmation was requested on what percentage of the Ignite Fund would be awarded to local organisations. It was confirmed that although it was not possible to explicitly close  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63/22

The Scrutiny and Overview Committee is asked to:-

1.            Note the contents of the Cabinet report on 2023-24 Budget, Medium Term Financial Strategy and Savings Proposals

2.            Review the information provided with a view to, as part of the wider budget scrutiny process, forming conclusions on the 2023-24 budget,

3.            Considered whether there are any specific areas of the budget to scrutinise in further detail by either the Committee or one of its Sub-Committees in January 2023.

The Committee considered a report set out on pages 19 to 84 of the agenda which was the report considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 30 November 2022 relating to the preparation of 2023-24 budget. This report was included on the agenda to inform the budget scrutiny process.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Jason Cummings, the Corporate Director for Finance & Section 151 Officer, Jane West and the Corporate Director for Sustainable Communities, Regeneration and Economic Recovery, Nick Hibberd, attended the meeting for this item.

The first question from the Committee requested a summary on the key budget assumptions included in the Cabinet report. During the response to this question, the following information was noted: - 

• The Cabinet report set out a framework for the budget setting strategy based on broad assumptions. The detailed information required to set the Budget would be included in the report setting out the Administration’s proposed budget, which was due in February 2023.
• The current assumption for interest from the Public Work Loan Board was 4.65%, although this may need to be revised.
• An assumption of 5% on contract inflation and 3% on pay inflation had been included in the report. It was highlighted that some of contract inflation contingency in the 2022-23 budget had been reallocated to pay inflation as contract demands had been received later in the year than planned. It was highlighted that at this stage it was difficult to predict the level of inflation in 2023-24.
• £10m had provisionally been included in the Medium Term Financial Strategy to manage additional demand pressures in social care and within the Housing service for homelessness support.
• At the time of the meeting, the Government’s plans for its Homelessness Prevention Grant were not clear, so an assumption had been made that the £3m fund would be lost. It would be added back into the budget if the Government decided to continue the fund.
• Income saving built into the previous Medium Term Financial Strategy model had been taken out, with fees and charges savings being made instead at a departmental level.
• An assumption of £2.6m had been made for Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP).

It was questioned whether there had been any assumptions made on the use of reserves in the 2023-24 budget. It was advised that it was currently assumed that reserves would not be used. It was highlighted that it was important for the Council to reach a position where its budgets balanced in-year. It was also important to increase certainty and sustainability in the reserves held to ensure the Council was better able to weather any future storms.

In response to a question about whether reserves would be used to mitigate against any of the risks that had materialised in the present year, such as those linked to Croydon Affordable Homes, it was acknowledged that reserves could be used to mitigate against potential risks but had not been allocated to a specific risk.

An update on the current strengths and weaknesses of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64/22

The Scrutiny & Overview Committee is asked to: -

1. Agree the changes to the membership of the Scrutiny Sub-Committees proposed by the Conservative Group.
2. Agree the allocation of a non-voting co-optee representing service users to the membership of the Health & Social Care Sub-Committee.
3. Note that this newly created role will replace the non-voting Co-optee from the Croydon Adult Social Services User Panel.
4. Agree the appointment of the former CASSUP Vice Chair to fill the new co-optee role for the remainder of 2022-23.

The Committee considered a report set out on pages 85 to 86 of the agenda which set out proposed changes to the membership of the scrutiny sub-committees, which in accordance with the Council’s Constitution needed to be formally approved by the Scrutiny & Overview Committee.

Resolved: That: -

1. Agree the changes to the membership of the Scrutiny Sub- Committees proposed by the Conservative Group.
2. Agree the allocation of a non-voting co-optee representing service users to the membership of the Health & Social Care Sub-Committee.
3. Note that this newly created role will replace the non-voting Cooptee from the Croydon Adult Social Services User Panel.
4. Agree the appointment of the former CASSUP Vice Chair to fill the new co-optee role for the remainder of 2022-23.

The Scrutiny & Overview Committee is asked to

1.    Approve the recommendations made by its Sub-Committee’s for submission to the Executive Mayor for his consideration.

2.    Review the response provided by Mayor to recommendations made by the Scrutiny & Overview Committee.

The Sub-Committee considered a report on pages 87 to 114 of the agenda which presented recommendations proposed by the scrutiny sub-committees for sign-off ahead of submission to the Executive Mayor and responses from the Mayor to previously made decisions.

From a brief review of the response provided by the Mayor to recommendations made by the Scrutiny & Overview Committee, it was noted that the special responsibility allowance for Cabinet Members would be reviewed as part of the wider review of Member Allowances. It was also noted that a Carbon Neutrality Strategy would be forthcoming. However, there was disappointment that the recommendation for a compensation scheme for Council tenants who experienced issues with housing repairs had been reject.

Resolved: That:-

1. The recommendations made by the Scrutiny Sub-Committees are approved for submission to the Executive Mayor for his consideration.
2. The response provided by the Mayor to recommendations made by the Scrutiny & Overview Committee is noted.

The Scrutiny & Overview Committee is asked to: -

1.     Note the most recent version of the Scrutiny Work Programme presented in the report.

2.     Consider whether there are any other items that should be provisionally added to the work programme as a result of the discussions held during the meeting.

The Committee considered a report on pages 115 to 116 of the agenda which presented the work programme for review.

Resolved: That the work programme for the Scrutiny & Overview Committee is noted.

The following motion is to be moved and seconded where it is proposed to exclude the press and public from the remainder of a meeting:

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within those paragraphs indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.”

This motion was not required.