For the Mayor and Cabinet to receive questions from members of Council.
Minutes:
The Chair invited members who had submitted their names to ask questions in order, the first of whom was Councillor Pearson, who asked whether the previous political administration of the council had accepted its responsibility in causing the current financial issues. The Mayor replied that the result of the vote on the previous item demonstrated that members of the Opposition had not.
Councillor King asked how many of Croydon’s libraries would be closed at the end of the Mayor’s term of office, to which the Mayor explained that libraries were listed as potential disposals to support the delivery of a balanced budget, but that the number was currently unknown.
In response to a question from Councillor Sutton regarding rough sleepers, the Mayor explained that homeless people were treated with respect and compassion, and that the council had engaged with Thames Reach to support the worsening homelessness situation in the borough. The Mayor also explained that support and resources were in place and that the government had announced additional funding, the details of which were yet to be known.
In response to a question from Councillor Bonham regarding members whose wards provided accommodation for asylum seekers, the Mayor explained that the council was forming a report based on a very positive meeting it had had with the Home Office Minister Robert Jenrick, which would address funding, finances and safeguarding support. The Mayor also agreed to meet the members in the wards in question.
In response to a question from Councillor Benson regarding residents of Regina Road the Mayor explained that a consultation was currently underway and that a Housing Transformation Plan was being implemented.
In response to a question from Councillor King regarding businesses suffering financially, namely Matthew’s Yard, the Mayor explained that he shared concerns for struggling businesses, but that requests for discretionary rate relief would be dealt with appropriately according to the individual needs and circumstances of requests.
Councillor Ward asked the Mayor to explain the issues with the Fairfield Halls refurbishment plan, which had left a debt of £76m to the council, to which the Mayor replied that an investigation was currently underway by Kroll into whether there had been fraud involved.
Councillor Campbell asked whether the Mayor thought that the waiting list for NHS hospital care in Croydon was acceptable at 27,450 people, to which the Councillor Campbell asked whether the Mayor thought that the waiting list for NHS hospital care in Croydon was acceptable at 27,450 people, to which the Mayor responded that Healthcare had recently been awarded for its good service. Councillor Hopley added that elective surgery continued during COVID and no residents were turned away from emergency services during COVID. The Trust was recognised as a centre of excellence of which members were very proud.
Councillor Gander asked the Mayor to explain what the Section 114 notice would mean for residents’ services. The Mayor explained that services would need to be cute, and that libraries may be affected. The Mayor explained that the £1.6bn debt left by the previous political administration caused these issues, and that the scale of the problem had been the most shocking discovery during the exercise of investigating the previous errors.
Councillor Patsy Cummings raised a point of order, which the Chair allowed. Councillor P Cummings explained that an earlier comment made by the Mayor, who stated that the waste contract provider, Veolia, had not met with an elected member in two years, was untrue. Councillor P Cummings explained to Council that she and another previous member had met with Veolia within that time.
In response to a question from Councillor Fitzsimmons, the Mayor congratulated everyone involved on reopening the Jolly Sailor pub to the community in South Norwood and agreed to support the reopening of the Glamorgan pub also.
In response to a question from Councillor Lee the Mayor explained that the impact of the enormous debt the council faced was reduced services.
In response to a question from Councillor Young the Mayor explained that the Thornton Heath clocktower had been protected by hoarding since it suffered damage from fire, but that it required specialist attention to repair; so the repair would not be as quick as had been hoped.
In response to a question from Councillor Fox, the Mayor explained that the Opening the Books exercise, which was investigating the shortfalls in the council’s accounts from previous years, was expected to be completed in January.
In response to a question from Councillor Kabir the Mayor agreed to check that all council tenants whose energy bills were included in their rent payments had also received the cost-of-living energy rebate. Members were urged to contact the Mayor regarding residents who had not received their support payments.
In response to a question from Councillor Shortland the Mayor stated that the council hoped to create an environment where people wanted to invest and shop, and that the town and district centres would be grown. It was intended that Public Space Protection Orders would reduce anti-social behaviour which would help to achieve this.
In response to a question from Councillor Reshekaron the Mayor stated that the council had introduced a residents’ charter and was implementing a Housing Transformation Plan to deal with housing issues, but that it would not commit to carrying out a full borough or selective landlord licensing scheme at present.
In response to Councillor Johnson the Mayor stated that contract management issues were being corrected, and that proper procurement processes were now in place.
The Mayor is explained that there was just under £1m of funding to support families over Christmas, and that there were also household support grants. He also explained that the council was doing all it could to mitigate cost-of-living pressures.
Councillor Wilson asked whether the Mayor could reconsider the position of two centres that provided support for people with learning disabilities that had been earmarked for closure, to which the Mayor responded that the council would look into how it could best support the users of the services and those who worked in those centres.
Councillor Herman asked how the new waste contract would be an improvement, to which the Mayor responded that there would be a consultation period over the next year or so, and that it was being built into the Medium Term Financial Strategy but was at a very early stage of the process.