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 the minutes to the meeting held on Wednesday 27 September 2023 as an accurate record.

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.

RESOLVED:

1.1.         Receive the recommendations arising from the meetings of the Homes

Sub- Committee held on 24 July 2023 (Appendix 1).

1.2.         To provide a substantive response to the recommendation (a Scrutiny

Stage 2 Report) at the Cabinet meeting on 6 December 2023.

RESOLVED:

To note the Improvement and Assurance Panel London Borough of Croydon

Intervention Exit Strategy at Appendix A.

RESOLVED: To

1.1.         Note the updated financial forecast and medium-term financial strategy assumptions set out in this report.

1.2.         Note the positive dialogue with DLUHC to develop a further package of support in order to set a sustainable and balanced budget for the future years 2024-25 to 2027-28.

1.3.         Approve a period of public engagement, as set out in Section 4, on the proposals for returning the Council to financial and operational sustainability including the savings and growth proposals set out in Appendices B and B1.

1.4.         Note the outcome of the public engagement will be reported back to the Executive Mayor in Cabinet as part of the budget and council tax setting decision making.

1.5.         Consider the outcome of the review of the Council Tax Support scheme at paragraphs 3.46 to 3.54 of this report.

1.6.         To approve the recommendation to Full Council that the Council Tax Support scheme is not changed from that agreed by Full Council resolution on 1st March 2023.

RESOLVED:

1.1.         To note the General Fund revenue budget outturn is forecast to breakeven at Period 4, after the forecast utilisation of £63m capitalisation directions requested from DLUHC and £4.1m of the corporate risk contingency budget. It is not planned to utilise the risk contingency budget and directorates will work to bring the service directorate positions within budget.

1.2.         To note the progress in MTFS savings achievement as set out in paragraph 4.82.

1.3.         To note the work that has commenced on the Council’s Transformation

Programme as set out from paragraph 4.77.

1.4.         To note the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) revenue budget outturn is forecast to overspend by £3.8m.

1.5.         To approve a net budget increase to the 2022-26 General Fund capital programme budget of £0.336m, owing to slippage, changes in grant funding and the removal of the transformation budget (originally slipped from 2022-23), as set out in paragraph 4.97.

1.6.         To approve the allocation of £4.000m reserves funding for transformation expenditure, as set out in paragraph 4.77.

1.7.         To note the General Fund capital programme 2023-24 forecast underspend of £13.9m against the revised capital budget (to be agreed by Cabinet) of £144.7m.

1.8.         To note the HRA capital programme 2023-24 forecast overspend of £4.1m against the revised capital budget of £33.2m.

1.9.         To note the Council’s historic legacy borrowing and debt burden continues to be critical to the sustainability of the Council’s revenue budget. Dialogue with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) continues, and the Council is seeking further financial support from Government in regards to its level of indebtedness and balancing the budget to ensure it can deliver sustainable local government services.

1.10.     To note that the Council continues to operate Spend Control Panels to ensure that tight financial control and assurance oversight are maintained.

1.11.     To note that current forecasts are based on the best available information at the time and will be subject to review and change during the financial year.

RESOLVED:

1.1.         To consider delivery options and agree a direct delivery by the Council of:

1.1.2     Phase 1, comprising an estimated 86 new Council homes at Regina Road (minimum of 78 replacement social rent and up to 8 leaseholder/freeholder replacements) and an estimated 8 new social rent homes at Malton House, to the estimated household sizes set out in the report. This delivery option enables the rebuilding of the social housing as soon as practicable; and

1.1.3     Phase 2, comprising an estimated 139 new Council homes (122 social rent and up to 17 leaseholder/freeholder replacements) to the housing needs of local residents, and a replacement onsite kindergarten/community facility. The detail of the Phase 2 option would then be reviewed and agreed by Cabinet early in 2024 before moving forward with Phase 2.

1.2.         To note that the procurement of a main contractor will be progressed in line with delegations set out in the Annual Procurement Plan and will cover Phase 1 works, with the option of Phase 2 works.

1.3.         To note that the procurement of a demolition contractor will be progressed in line with delegations set out in the Annual Procurement Plan and will cover the clearance works for Phases 1, 2 & 3.

RESOLVED:

1.1.         To note the progress to date on the structural appraisal of the LPS blocks and the revised early October timescale for receipt of the Stage 1 Structural Appraisal Report.

1.2.         To note that the final structural appraisal report on the LPS blocks is forecast to be issued in Summer 2024.

1.3.         To note that Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has not been identified in the LPS blocks.

1.4.         To note the proposal to meet the requirements of the Building Safety Act 2022 relating to LPS/High-Risk Building (HRB) Registration at the end of September and provision of Key Building Information by 28 October 2023.

1.5.         To note that procurement has commenced for additional consultancy support to complete key building information requirements.

1.6.         To note the Regulator will request a Safety Case Report for all 13,000 HRB’s in England over a 5-year period, often referred to as tranche 1-5. Safety Case Reports are for each individual HRB and need to be submitted within 28 days of the Regulator’s request. The purpose of the Safety Case Report is to evidence the block is safe to occupy and to obtain a Building Assessment Certificate from the Regulator to allow the block to continue to be occupied.

1.7.         To note that 15 LPS and 3 other HRB’s are forecast to be requested by the Regulator in Year 1. The Regulator can start to request these from 1st April 2024. No’s 1-87 Regina Road is an LPS block due to be fully vacated in November 2023 in advance of demolition, therefore, a Safety Case Report will not be required from 1st April 2024 for this block.

1.8.         To note that if the Building Safety Regulator does not assess a Safety Case Report as being satisfactory they may request a revised Safety Case Report be re-submitted within a defined period. The ultimate sanction is that the Regulator does not issue a Building Assessment Certificate and the block must be vacated.

RESOLVED:

To note the progress since July 2023 on the Housing Transformation Programme.

RESOLVED:

Note the Mayors Business Plan performance report (Appendix A and B) with latest data available on 31 July 2023 (unless otherwise stated) regarding overall council and partnership performance.

RESOLVED:

1.1.         Approve the draft Heads of Terms between Polaska Assets Limited (Polaska) and the Council (as set out in Part B appendix 1) relating to the proposed redevelopment by Polaska of Purley Leisure Centre and surrounding site, and with a view to negotiating and entering into a development agreement and property agreements.

1.2.         Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Sustainable Communities, Regeneration and Economic Recovery, in consultation with the Director for Commercial Investment and Capital, to finalise and enter into the Head of Terms (HoT) between the Council and Polaska.

1.3.         Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Sustainable Communities, Regeneration and Economic Recovery, in consultation with the Director for Commercial Investment and Capital, to finalise the drafting of the development agreement and new head lease between the Council and Polaska.

1.4.         Agree that there will be a further report presented to the Executive Mayor in Cabinet seeking authority to enter into a development agreement and lease agreements with Polaska for the redevelopment of Purley Leisure Centre and surrounding site, subject to further due diligence and planning permission.

1.5.         To notes the opportunity to regenerate an important part of Purley town centre as set out in the Mayor’s wider business plan (2022 – 2026).

RESOLVED:

1.1.         To approve Croydon’s Corporate Parenting Strategy.

1.2.         To approve Croydon’s Care Leavers Strategy.

1.3.         To note that the effectiveness of the new arrangements and measures of success will be reported through the Corporate Parenting Board and existing directorate performance management frameworks to ensure decisive actions are taken to address any issues.

RESOLVED:

To agree the strategic plan and endorse the Council’s commitment to the strategic and operational integration partnership.

RESOLVED:

To agree to reinstate the council tax recovery process for residents in receipt of council tax support.

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.”