Home > Agenda, decisions and minutes

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: This meeting is being held remotely; to view the meeting, please click here

Contact: Victoria Lower
020 8726 6000 x14773  Email: 
victoria.lower@croydon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

44/21

Minutes of previous meetings pdf icon PDF 258 KB

To approve the minutes of the meetings held on 18 January 2021 and 18 February 2021 as accurate records.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Part A minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 18 January 2021 and 18 February 2021 were agreed.

45/21

Disclosure of Interests

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that it is a requirement to register disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and gifts and hospitality to the value of which exceeds £50 or multiple gifts and/or instances of hospitality with a cumulative value of £50 or more when received from a single donor within a rolling twelve month period. In addition, Members and co-opted Members are reminded that unless their disclosable pecuniary interest is registered on the register of interests or is the subject of a pending notification to the Monitoring Officer, they are required to disclose those disclosable pecuniary interests at the meeting. This should be done by completing the Disclosure of Interest form and handing it to the Democratic Services representative at the start of the meeting. The Chair will then invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3. Completed disclosure forms will be provided to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion on the Register of Members’ Interests.

Minutes:

There were none.

46/21

Urgent Business (If any)

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:

There were two items of urgent business; the Revocation of Section 114 Notice (minute no. 47/21) and Regina Road, South Norwood (minutes below).

 

The Shadow Cabinet Member for Homes & Gateway Services (Councillor Lynne Hale) requested that an item of urgent business be considered by Cabinet in relation to the ITV News report being broadcast that evening regarding the council flats on Regina Road, South Norwood. The Shadow Cabinet Member stated the news report included shocking evidence of awful living conditions residents, including young children, have lived in during the national lockdown. It was highlighted that residents had made regular calls since 2019 and reported the damage from the leak to the council and that the situation had deteriorated significantly since December 2020.

 

The Shadow Cabinet Member stated that the pictures evidenced the most appalling conditions; including rooms being unusable due to the risk of electrocution. In addition, floors and furnishing had been ruined due to being saturated with excess water in the property. It was stressed that it was wholly unacceptable that families should be left to live in such conditions in the borough and concerns were raised that the damage caused by the long term ingress of water suggested negligence on part of the landlord.

 

Concerns were further raised that the former Cabinet Member for Homes & Gateway Services had also been a ward councillor for South Norwood until the previous week. To this end, the Shadow Cabinet Member called for a meaningful apology to the residents and a commitment to remedy the situation as a matter of urgency.

 

In response, the Leader of the Council (Councillor Hamida Ali) stated that when the situation was first brought to her attention she was equally shocked at the conditions residents were living in and called for an immediate investigation to be undertaken to understand how the situation had arisen. Members were informed that the council had responded to approaches from the media, had moved residents from the flats and that immediate repairs were being undertaken with damaged furniture also being replaced. The Leader stressed that everyone was appalled by the conditions experienced and the council was doing everything it could to address and fix the situation and was seeking assurance that no other residents were living in similarly appalling conditions.

 

The Cabinet Member for Homes (Councillor Patricia Hay-Justice) added that the living conditions of the residents was totally unacceptable and apologised that the situation had occurred. It was confirmed that the residents had been relocated, that the damage was being addressed and that a full investigation was warranted to understand what had gone wrong and to ensure it did not reoccur. However, it was highlighted by the Cabinet Member that the experiences were not typical of the responses received from thousands of council tenants over a number of years.

 

Assurances were provided by the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Learning (Councillor Alisa Flemming) that contact had been made to ensure the affected young people had the support they required, particularly in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46/21

47/21

Revocation of Section 114 Notice pdf icon PDF 216 KB

Cabinet Member: Leader of the Council, Councillor Hamida Ali

Cabinet Member for Croydon Renewal, Councillor Stuart King

Officer: Interim Director of Finance, Investment & Risk, Chris Buss

Key decision: no

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

 

RESOLVED: To recommend to Full Council that it note that the Statutory Chief Finance officer is of the view that following the receipt of the Capitalisation Directions for 2020/1 and 2021/22 that the previously issued letter under section 114 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, no longer applies as the Council has sufficient resources to meet likely revenue costs in 2020/1 and has a balanced budget for 2021/22.

 

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council (Councillor Hamida Ali) noted that the report did not contain any recommendations for Cabinet to approve but requested that Cabinet recommend to Council to note the report. The report contained the Interim Section 151 Officer’s (Chris Buss) opinion that following the agreement for two capitalisation directions that the Section 114 Notice be lifted.

 

It was stressed that the budget earlier in March 2021 had been based on retaining some of the controls the council had put in place as part of the Section 114 Notice; in particular the Spending Control Panel; which would support the council in meeting its budget. There were notable exceptions to the controls which had been outlined within the paper.

 

The Leader highlighted that the report reminded Members that the capitalisation directions, and the opinion that the Section 114 Notice could be lifted, were both conditional on meeting the terms of the capitalisation direction; which was to achieve the identified savings and deliver the budget. Should those conditions not be met, the Interim Section 151 Officer stated within his report that a new Section 114 Notice would likely be required.

 

The Cabinet Member for Croydon Renewal (Councillor Stuart King) highlighted that it was essential that the Spending Control Panel conditions remained in place and that this was a position which both Members and officers agreed was integral to delivering the budget. Paragraph 3.6 of the report was brought to Members attention which stated that the Interim Section 151 Officer was clear that it was of the utmost importance that the council met the conditions of the capitalisation direction, including greater financial rigour and discipline.

 

The Cabinet Member for Culture & Regeneration (Councillor Oliver Lewis) welcomed the lifting of the Section 114 Notice and the continued financial discipline with which the Administration sought to enable the council to conduct its business.

 

It was noted by the Cabinet Member for Resources & Financial Governance (Councillor Callton Young) that the council had come a long way since the initial days of the Section 114 Notice but that it was integral that spending controls remained in place to support delivery for Croydon. It was stressed by the Cabinet Member that the Administration was committed to keeping those controls in place.

 

The Cabinet Member for Sustainable Croydon (Councillor Muhammad Ali) reiterated that the lifting of the Section 114 Notice was an important milestone in the recovery of the council but that the milestone should not take away from the importance of rigour and financial resilience which was required in the coming year. Concerns were raised that the council would need to continue to manage the economic uncertainty in response to Covid-19; as such, it was stressed that financial resilience was integral to ensure the council continued on the road to recovery.  

 

It was highlighted by the Cabinet Member for Children, Young & Learning that the majority of spend within local government, and Croydon, was around social care. Work was continuing within the council in terms of commissioning intentions to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47/21

48/21

Delivering the Croydon Growth Zone pdf icon PDF 505 KB

Cabinet Member: Cabinet Member for Croydon Renewal, Councillor Stuart King

Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery & Skills, Councillor Manju Shahul-Hameed

Cabinet Member for Culture & Regeneration, Councillor Oliver Lewis

Officer: Director of Growth, Employment & Regeneration, Stephen Tate

Key decision: yes

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

 

RESOLVED: To

 

1.    Approve the amended funding profile for Growth Zone projects as detailed in section 6 of this report; and

 

2.    Subject to the requirement to comply with the provisions of Part 4G of the Constitution in taking delegated decisions, and the parameters previously approved in the February 2020 Cabinet report ‘Delivering the Growth Zone’  delegate to the Executive Director of Place in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer (Section 151), the Cabinet Member for Resources & Financial Governance, the Cabinet Member for Croydon Renewal, the Cabinet Member for Economic Recovery & Skills and the Cabinet Member for Culture and Regeneration authority to make necessary changes to the funding and phasing of the approved Growth Zone projects list. Any such changes will be reported to Cabinet.

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Croydon Renewal (Councillor Stuart King) drew Members attention to the budget which had been agreed by Council on 8 March and which had included the capital programme. The agreed capital programme had included a number of changes to the Growth Zone funding for the forthcoming year and the report, included within the Cabinet agenda, set out the preliminary headline proposals for the re-profiled scheme.

 

It was stated that the report reflected the Report in the Public Interest and the work by PwC; and addressed the relevant recommendations. The report, the Cabinet Member stated, also reflected the financial challenges faced by the council and a number of partners, including Transport for London (TfL). It was noted that the Growth Zone delivery was dependent on the town centre economy which had been dramatically impacted during the preceding 12 months due to the pandemic. With that in mind, the Cabinet Member stated that it felt it was timely and prudent to further review the programme to ensure it responded to the current circumstances.

 

The Cabinet Member highlighted to Members that the report set out that a number of additional reports would be considered by Cabinet at future meetings to consider the proposals in more detail.

 

It was noted that the town centre economy, and its ability to recover following the pandemic, was critical to the council and the Cabinet Member welcomed the presentation from the Director of Planning & Strategic Transport (Heather Cheesbrough) which set out the council’s emerging vision for the town centre. A copy of the presentation can be viewed online.

 

It was noted by the Director that the historic Growth Zone vision had focussed on two key sites in the town centre; the Whitgift Centre and Ruskin Square; which were important in terms of how the Growth Zone would work in generating business rates going forward. It was noted that the Ruskin Square site was proceeding well with a new public sector building in development and ongoing positive conversations with the developers. The Whitgift site had, however, been more challenging. It was stated that the Planning Policy Framework had reflected the predicted housing targets, jobs and construction activity from the two schemes.

 

The changing model of retail had been taking place over a number of years, however, it was noted that the pandemic had accelerated the changes. It was suggested that the changes in retail had led Croydon Limited Partnership (CLP) to review its proposals in 2019/20 alongside the drive for sustainable development.

 

The Director of Planning & Strategic Transport highlighted the impact of the pandemic on the Growth Zone assumptions and whilst the impact of Covid-19 continued there remained uncertainty as to the long term impact on the town centre. Members were advised that the number of major planning applications submitted to the council had greatly reduced in the last year, particularly applications pertaining to the town centre. This reduction impacted the business rate forecast which underpinned the predicted growth.

 

Discussions were taking place as to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48/21

49/21

Stage 1: Recommendation arising from Scrutiny pdf icon PDF 213 KB

Lead Member: Chair of Scrutiny & Overview Committee, Councillor Sean Fitzsimons

Officers: Interim Executive Director Resources, Asmat Hussain

Key decision: no

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

 

RESOLVED: To receive the recommendations arising from meeting of the Scrutiny & Overview Committee held on 16 February 2021, and to provide a substantive response within two months (i.e. at the next available Cabinet meeting on 4 May 2021).

 

Minutes:

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

 

RESOLVED: To receive the recommendations arising from meeting of the Scrutiny & Overview Committee held on 16 February 2021, and to provide a substantive response within two months (i.e. at the next available Cabinet meeting on 4 May 2021).

 

50/21

Stage 2: Responses to Recommendations arising from Children & Young People Scrutiny Sub Committee on 19 January 2021 and Scrutiny & Overview Committee on 4 February 2021 pdf icon PDF 211 KB

Cabinet Member: All Cabinet Members

Officer: Interim Executive Director Resources, Asmat Hussain

Key decision: no

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

 

RESOLVED: To approve the response and action plans attached to this report at Appendix A of the report and that these be reported to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee or relevant Sub-Committees.

 

Minutes:

The Chair of the Children & Young People Scrutiny Sub-Committee (Councillor Robert Ward) thanked officers and the Cabinet Member for the constructive responses received. The Chair of Scrutiny & Overview Committee (Councillor Sean Fitzsimons) added that that he welcomed the responses to recommendations and the explanation as to why some recommendations had not been agreed due to resourcing constraints.

 

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

 

RESOLVED: To approve the response and action plans attached to this report at Appendix A of the report and that these be reported to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee or relevant Sub-Committees.

 

51/21

Investing in our Borough pdf icon PDF 148 KB

Cabinet Member: Cabinet Member Resources & Financial Governance, Councillor Callton Young

Officer: Interim Executive Director Resources, Asmat Hussain

Key decision: no

Decision:

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

 

RESOLVED: To

 

1.    Approve the Substance Misuse procurement strategy which will result in contract awards for a maximum term of 7 years as set out at agenda item 8a, and section 5.1.1 of the report.

 

2.    Recommend to the Leader of the Council that prior to the next meeting of Cabinet in May, in respect of any contracts and property acquisitions and disposals valued over £500k and that have not previously been notified or reported to Cabinet, the nominated Cabinet Member in consultation with the Cabinet Member for  Resources & Financial Governance or, where the nominated member is the Cabinet Member for  Resources & Financial Governance in consultation with the Leader, be authorised to agree the award of such contracts. Note that any awards made under this delegation will be notified in the standard contracts report to the next meeting of Cabinet.

 

3.    Note the list of delegated award decisions made by theDirector of Commissioning and Procurement, between 26/01/2021 – 25/02/2021, as set out in section 5.2.1 of the report.

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Resources & Financial Governance (Councillor Callton Young) highlighted that with the scheduling of an additional Cabinet meeting in April 2021, recommendation 1.1.2 of the report was no longer required. Cabinet noted that this recommendation was no longer required.

 

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

 

RESOLVED: To

 

1.     Approve the Substance Misuse procurement strategy which will result in contract awards for a maximum term of 7 years as set out at agenda item 8a, and section 5.1.1 of the report.

 

2.     Note the list of delegated award decisions made by theDirector of Commissioning and Procurement, between 26/01/2021 – 25/02/2021, as set out in section 5.2.1 of the report.

52/21

Integrated Drug & Alcohol Treatment Service pdf icon PDF 504 KB

Cabinet Member: Cabinet Member for Families, Health & Social Care, Councillor Janet Campbell

Officer: Director of Public Health, Rachel Flowers

Key decision: no

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Leader of the Council delegated authority to the Cabinet to make the following decisions:

 

RESOLVED: To

 

1.    Approve the procurement strategy identified in this report for a single stage procurement that will result in a single contract to deliver an integrated, Adults and Young People’s Community Drug and Alcohol Treatment Service, for an estimated contract value of £2,984,360 per annum (£20,890,520 for a maximum seven year term)

 

2.    Note the proposal to bring additional elements into the scope of the tendered service, currently contracted separately. This includes pharmacy needle exchange provision; pharmacy supervised administration provision and GP Shared Care, with a phased approach to transition to the new contractual arrangements

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Resources & Financial Governance (Councillor Callton Young) noted that Cabinet was being asked to approve the procurement strategy for the Integrated Drug & Alcohol Treatment Service which would result in a single contract with an estimated value of £2.98 million per annum. Members were advised that the cost of the contract would be met by the Public Health grant.

 

Leanne Bobb (Strategic Category Manager) provided the meeting with a presentation in relation to the procurement of the drug and alcohol service. A copy of the presentation can be viewed online.

 

The Cabinet Member for Resources & Financial Governance requested information of the savings that had arisen from investment, as outlined within paragraph 3.6 of the report.

 

In response, the Strategic Category Manager noted that the procurement for this service was complex and there a number of elements of care which were individually costed. At the present time, there was a core service for drug and alcohol treatment and additionally there was service provision for young people. The aim was to maintain the budgets for the provision and the additional primary care elements through subcontracting or another avenue that the lead provider would choose. This would result in a maximum contract value for the provision and it would be up to the provider to ensure delivery of care closer to home for residents across the borough. In previous experience of using direct contracting, only certain providers had come forward, however, it was hoped the new model would encourage new providers of care.

 

The Strategy would put an onus on improving the care which was delivered and would avoid silo delivery. The Strategy Category Manager suggested that the model would lead to a tertiary triangle of services which worked towards a collaborative delivery within the community. It was stressed by the Cabinet Member that the council was making savings in the longer term by investing in the service.

 

The Cabinet Member for Families, Health & Social Care (Councillor Janet Campbell) confirmed that she was content with the Strategy and for moving locality delivery as it married up with the work of the council. It was noted that the service had continued to be delivered throughout the pandemic with group work and one to ones taking place in safe environments; and those involved were thanked for their work.

 

The Shadow Cabinet Member for Families, Health & Social Care (Councillor Yvette Hopley) thanked officers and the Director of Public Health, Rachel Flowers, who had worked on the contract. The additional elements of the needle exchange, share care, early help, the family unit and digital platform were welcomed. The Shadow Cabinet Member noted that she had raised concerns that during the pandemic there had been too much of a shift to digital platforms, however she had received assurances from the Director of Public Health that in addition to virtual services a number of other sessions were also made available.

 

The additional services were welcomed and it was felt by the Shadow Cabinet Member that it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52/21

53/21

Exclusion of the Press and Public

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.”

Minutes:

This item was not required.

54/21

Minutes of a previous meeting

To approve the Part B minutes of the meeting held on 18 February 2021 as an accurate record.

Minutes:

The Part B minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 18 February 2021 were agreed.