Agenda and decisions

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

To approve as an accurate record, the minutes of the meetings held on 22 February and 6 March 2023.

[To Follow]

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.

To note any executive functions appointments by the Executive Mayor.

Stage 1

To provide additional context for the Cabinet, a summary of the conclusions reached by the Scrutiny and Overview Committee or relevant Sub-Committee, as follows.

Streets and Environment Sub-Committee – 31 January 2023

Item:Budget Scrutiny Challenge

Stage 2

Invites the Cabinet to approve the full response reports arising from the Stage 1 reports presented to the Cabinet meeting held on 25 January 2023, including action plans for the implementation of agreed recommendations, or reasons for rejecting the recommendations and that these be reported to the Scrutiny and Overview Committee or relevant Sub-Committees.

RESOLVED: To

1.1.         Receive the recommendation arising from the meeting of the Streets & Environment Sub-Committee held on 31 January 2023 (Appendix 1)

1.2.         To provide a substantive response to the recommendation (a Scrutiny Stage 2 Report) within two months (i.e. at the Cabinet meeting on 24 May 2023).

This report proposes action to continue the process of addressing the current and recurring unsatisfactory situation at the Regina Road estate where three ageing tower blocks require intervention to ensure modern social housing fit for the 21st Century.

RESOLVED: To

1.1.         Consider the outcome of the statutory consultation with tenants, leaseholders and freeholders in the Regina Road area set out at Appendix 1 over the six weeks from 13 December 2022 to 26 January 2023.

1.2.         Consider the outcome of the consultations in respect of draft Tenant and Leaseholder/Freeholder Offers which was undertaken with tenants, leaseholders and freeholders in the Regina Road estate over the six weeks from 13 December 2022 to 26 January 2023 and as set out at Appendix 1 and in the Landlord Offer at Appendix 4.

Having due regard to the outcome of the statutory consultation at Appendix 1, the outcome of the consultation on the Offers as detailed in Appendix 1 and in light of the consideration of the equalities matters and public sector equality duty as detailed in section 19 of this report and the financial implications as detailed in section 16.

1.3.         Agree that demolition and redevelopment of the three towers and immediately surrounding area is the Council’s preferred way forward for the area that has been subject to statutory consultation, as defined on the plan attached as Appendix 2, but that a final decision on the approach will not be undertaken prior to the outcome of the proposed ballot.

1.4.         Agree the content of the Landlord Offer at Appendix 4 for purposes of Ballot, that this offer be effective from 16 November 2022 and that this Offer be published and circulated to eligible residents in advance of any proposed Ballot as required by GLA requirements. Also, that any minor changes, such the correction of typographical errors within the content or updates due to statutory changes be delegated to the Corporate Director of Housing in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Homes.

1.5.         Agree that a Ballot of eligible residents as defined by the GLA funding guidelines and requirements, be held for a period of at least 21 days during April and May on the Landlord Offer, Appendix 4 to this report, and to note that the Ballot will be undertaken by an appropriately qualified Independent Party. The outcome of the Ballot be reported back to the Mayor and Cabinet.

1.6.         Agree that no further tenancies, permanent or temporary, be granted at any of the properties within the Regina Road estate, as defined on the plan attached at Appendix 2, pending the outcome of the ballot and further report.

The attached report seeks agreement from Cabinet to update the Local Development Scheme (LDS). The LDS itself includes an updated timetable for the production of the Review of the Croydon Local Plan 2018 and Community infrastructure Levy 2013. This report is not about the scope of the Local Plan review which will be brought to Cabinet and Council as part of the programme.

RESOLVED:

To approve the updated Local Development Scheme (Appendix 1) as the programme to deliver the Local Development Framework for the Council.

The attached report provides the Council’s forecast outturn as at Month 9 (December 2022) for the General Fund (GF), Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and the Capital Programme (CP). The report forms part of the Council’s financial management process for publicly reporting financial performance monthly.

RESOLVED: To

1.1.         Note the General Fund revenue budget outturn is forecast to be balanced at Month 9.

1.2.         Note the forecast elimination of the planned contribution to General Fund Reserves of £6.9m for 2022/23.

1.3.         Note that a further number of risks and compensating opportunities may materialise which could see the forecast change.

1.4.         To approve the progress of the MTFS savings as indicated within Table 4 and detailed in Appendix 3.

1.5.         Note the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) is projecting an end of year position of a £0.918m overspend.

1.6.         Note the Capital Programme spend to date for the General Fund of £18.296m (against a budget of £253.936m) with a projected forecast underspend of £17.488m for the end of the year.

1.7.         Note the Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme spend to date of £14.101m (against a budget of £27.357m), with a projected forecast underspend of £1.897m for the end of the year.

1.8.         Note, the above figures are predicated on forecasts from Month 9 to the year end and therefore could be subject to change as forecasts are made based on the best available information at this time.

1.9.         Note, the Council continues to operate a Spend Control Panel to ensure that tight financial control and assurance oversight are maintained A new financial management culture is being implemented across the organisation through increased scrutiny, such as the monthly assurance meetings, improved communication and budget manager training from CIPFA.

The attached report sets out the recommendations and actions to be taken to approve the Annual Procurement Plan (APP) for the financial year 2023/24.

RESOLVED:

1.1.         To approve the APP for the financial year 2023/24 as set out in Appendix A.

1.2.         To approve the delegated decisions in the APP to those Lead Members or Officers as stated in Appendix A that includes the procurement strategy and award decisions, the duration of the contracts and contract values.

1.3.         The delegated decisions shall only be exercised following recommendations from the Contracts & Commissioning Board, which require approval from both the Lead Cabinet Member and the Cabinet Member for Finance.

1.4.         To allow for minor changes to proceed whilst retaining the agreed delegated so long as none of the following thresholds for changes are exceeded:

i.                 Contract value exceeds that proposed in the APP/Quarterly Update Report, by the lesser of £500K or 25%, or the new aggregate value exceeds £1m and it becomes a key decision

ii.                Substantial / material changes to procurement from that defined in the APP/Quarterly Update Report e.g. material risks are identified (Should either of those thresholds be exceeded, the delegation cannot be exercised, and the decision shall be recommended to the Executive Mayor, unless a further delegation is approved. Where a delegated decision is a Key Decision to Officers, it must be made in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member).

1.5.         To note that an update report in respect of the APP performance for 22/23 shall be presented to the Mayor in Cabinet in May.

The attached report builds on the Corporate Asset Management Plan and Disposal Strategy approved by the Executive Mayor in Cabinet in November 2022. It recommends the disposal of further properties in line with the approved strategy.

There is a PART B (exempt – not for publication) report also listed later in this agenda.

RESOLVED: To

1.     Approve the disposal of Aztec Centre 28 Boulogne Road (former site of Croydon Community Equipment Service)

2.     Approve the disposal of 58 Ashburton Road

3.     Approve the disposal of 56 Craignish Avenue

4.     Approve the disposal of 139 Wingate Crescent

5.     Approve the disposal of 92a High Street

6.     Delegate authority to the Corporate Director Resources and s151 Officer to agree to minor changes to the terms and a price variation of up to a maximum of 10% below the Red Book valuation for each disposal where it is clearly demonstrated that the asset has been correctly marketed and the recommendation reasonably represents the best consideration achievable.

Cabinet is asked to consider the attached report by the Monitoring Officer under Section 5A of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

RESOLVED: To

1.1.         Consider the public interest report dated 28 November 2022 and the recommendations made by the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) in relation to Croydon Council set out in Appendix 1.

1.2.         Accept the findings and agree the recommendations set out in the public interest report.

1.3.         Endorse the actions taken by the Council and note the steps, progress, and timeline to implement the recommendations set out in section 6 of this report.

1.4.         Adopt the report as the Council’s formal response under section 31 of the Local Government Act 1974 to be communicated to the Ombudsman.

1.5.         Adopt the report as the Executive’s formal response as required by section 5A of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 for distribution to all members and the Monitoring Officer.

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 Part B report sets out the proposed disposal value of each of the properties.

This information is exempt because it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).