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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX. View directions

Contact: Simon Trevaskis  Email: simon.trevaskis@croydon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

21/23

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 118 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 February 2023 as an accurate record.

 

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 16 February 2023 were agreed as an accurate record.

 

22/23

Disclosure of Interests

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.

Minutes:

There were no disclosures of interest made at the meeting.

 

23/23

Urgent Business (if any) pdf icon PDF 163 KB

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.

 

Minutes:

Following the publication of a letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Local Government and Building Safety, Lee Rowley MP to the Council informing of proposed statutory intervention, the Scrutiny & Overview Committee had requested an urgent update to provide further understanding on what this might mean for the Council going forward.

 

In providing an introduction, the Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Jason Cummings, highlighted that the challenging financial position of the Council was well know, as was the request made to the Government for additional support in becoming financially sustainable, which included writing off part of the Council’s debt. Although the situation in Croydon was challenging, when compared to comments made on Slough and Thurrock Councils in the letter from Government, those made on the progress achieved by the Council were the most positive and reflective of the movement over the past three years.

 

The letter set out the Government’s intention to strengthen the Council’s relationship with the Improvement and Assurance Panel, in order to provide additional reassurance on the pace of improvement. Although the powers of the Council remained intact, the Panel now had powers of direction it could use if necessary. The Committee was pleased to note that Tony McArdle would continue as Chair of the Panel, given his knowledge of the progress made over the past three years.

 

The Council’s Corporate Director for Resources, Jane West, also provided a presentation to accompany the urgent update. A copy of which can be found at the following link: -

 

https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documents/s46309/Urgent%20Item%20DLUHC%20Presentation.pdf

 

The Committee was provided with the opportunity to ask clarifying questions about the new arrangements. The first question related to the potential cost to the Council for having the Panel remain in place for the next two years. It was acknowledged that there would be a cost, but that this would depend on the size of the Panel. The current rate for the Chair was £900 per day and £800 per day for the Panel members, although this may be reviewed. It was highlighted that wherever the Panel had been deployed it had resulted in significant savings. As such, the level of experience provided was considered to be an invaluable resource and provided good value for money in helping the Council to meet its challenges. Reassurance was given that there was an existing budget for the improvement agenda which the existing costs for the Panel were charged to, which should be able to manage further costs and would be kept under review.

 

In response to a question about when the Council was likely to hear from the Government on its request for support, it was highlighted that the Government was in a difficult position. A variety of councils were facing challenging financial situations and requesting Government support, which was requiring the creation of a framework that could provide support across a range of different situations, without being seen to be rewarding councils who had got themselves into financial difficulty. The Council had been clear that it would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23/23

24/23

Council Tax Hardship Scheme 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 80 KB

The Scrutiny and Overview Committee is provided with a draft report for decision by the Mayor on the proposed Council Tax Hardship Scheme 2023/24.

The Committee is asked to: -

1.     Review the information provided in the report on the criteria for the Council Tax Hardship Scheme 2023/24, and

2.     Decide whether there are any comments or recommendations on the scheme to bring to the attention of the Mayor during his consideration of the report.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report set out on pages 19 to 100 of the agenda which presented details on the proposed Council Tax Hardship Scheme that had been created in response to the recently agreed 15% Council Tax increase. It had been agreed at the Budget Council meeting that the scheme would be reviewed by the Scrutiny & Overview Committee prior to it being finalised.

 

Councillor Jason Cummings, Corporate Director for Resources & Section 151 Officer, Jane West and Catherine Black, Head of Payments, Revenues & Benefits and Debt attended the meeting for this item.

 

The report was introduced by the Head of Payments, Revenues & Benefits and Debt, during which the following was noted: -

 

  • The proposed new Council Tax Hardship Scheme had been created to provide support for residents who may struggle to pay the additional cost of the 15% Council tax rise.
  • The eligibility criteria for the scheme were based on income and family make-up. For instance, a single parent with three children may receive a higher level of support than a single person.
  • Providing the income for a couple was below £500, they would be eligible.
  • The scheme did not take account of any dependent income.
  • An application for the scheme could be made digitally or via a paper application. Either face-to-face help and support or a call-back could be arranged to provide residents with support in making their application.
  • A resident would need to provide evidence of their income if they were looking at an income band application.
  • The application forms were currently being built using exist Council software.
  • It was highlighted that most software had a translation option, so the application could be translated as required.
  • Thought had been given to backdating the scheme, such as from when a resident moved into the area. This could be done providing proof of income could be provided. If an individual moved or their income changed, it could affect the award.
  • A system of monitoring using manual checks would be put in place, including weekly monitoring of the application spend, the values claimed, the number of applications made and the levels agreed and declined.
  • If an application was declined, then a discretionary award could be considered as an alternative.
  • Once the new scheme had been agreed by the Executive Mayor, a fact file would be created to raise awareness amongst the community and voluntary sectors. A leaflet on the availability of the scheme could also be added to any reminder letters, along with signposting towards other available schemes.

 

Following the introduction, the Committee was provided the opportunity to ask questions about the proposed scheme and to provide its feedback. The first question asked how the £2m budget been reached and the contingency, should demand for the scheme exceed this budget. It was advised that the £2m figure had been reached following modelling of the potential impact of the Council Tax increase.  It had also been tested against other similar schemes and the budget for the proposed scheme was generous in comparison.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24/23

25/23

Budget Scrutiny: Month 9 Financial Performance Report pdf icon PDF 82 KB

The Scrutiny & Overview Committee is presented with the most recent Financial Performance report for its scrutiny.

The Committee is asked to: -

1.               Review the information provided in the report on the Month 9 Financial Performance Report, and

2.               Consider its conclusions on the latest budget position for 2022-23

3.               Consider whether there are any recommendations to bring to the attention of the Mayor.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report set out on pages 101 to 140 of the agenda, which presented the most recent financial monitoring report for review. The Committee was also provided a presentation on the status of the Council’s various transformation projects and further information on the role of the Improvement and Assurance Panel following the recent letter from Government.

 

Councillor Jason Cummings, Chief Executive, and Corporate Director for Resources & Section 151 Officer, Jane West attended the meeting for this item.

 

During the introduction to the report, it was highlighted that the budget was still showing a balanced year-end prediction. There were two changes from the previous monthly report, with the Housing Revenue Account year-end position improving due to the review of recharges made from the General Fund. There had also been a change in the capital programme as a result of the approval of the capitalisation request. It was advised that the Council meeting on 29 March 2023 would be receiving a report outlining the response to the recommendations made in the recent Section 24 report from Grant Thornton. This included financial monitoring reports being presented to each Scrutiny & Overview Committee meeting, with the most recent report to be included even it was before its consideration by the Cabinet. The Committee welcomed this move.

 

An update was provided on the Council’s transformation projects, with a copy of a presentation available on the following link: -

 

https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documents/s46310/Supplement%20Transformation%20Presentation.pdf

 

Following the introduction, the Committee was provided the opportunity to ask questions on the information provided. Members asked whether the transformation projects were being driven by the need to make savings or to fix issues that were identified to improve services. In response, it was advised that the key driver was to improve services to ensure that the Council was doing things more efficiently, which would in turn drive savings. It was agreed that further consideration was needed on how the transformation projects were listed and it was explained that not all of them were about delivering savings. It was suggested that any reporting on transformation should include the current cost of delivering a service to ensure a comparison could be made on the financial benefits.

 

The matrix approach to delivering transformation was welcomed, although it was highlighted that this should be reflected in any report, as the projects were currently grouped by directorate. It was also suggested that consideration should be given to quantifying the potential benefit for residents from the transformation workstreams. It was advised that the introduction of new project management software would help to improve reporting processes. The Council was in the process of advertising for a new Transformation Manager who would be responsible for overseeing transformation across the organisation, including managing crosscutting projects and synergies. It was acknowledged that the Council had been on a journey to build its capacity in terms of delivering transformation and to enable staff to start thinking in terms of a project approach.

 

The Committee was heartened by the confirmation that resourcing for transformation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25/23

26/23

Scrutiny Recommendations pdf icon PDF 88 KB

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.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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.

 

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 Executive Mayor to recommendations made by the Scrutiny & Overview Committee is noted.