Apologies for absence were received on behalf of:

·         Councillor Abdal Ullah (Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

·         Debbie Jones (Corporate Director, Children and Culture) for whom Christine McInnes (Divisional Director, Education and Partnerships) was deputising.

There were no Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.

The unrestricted minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday 30 January 2019 are presented for approval.

RESOLVED

1.    That the unrestricted minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday 30 January 2019 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record of proceedings.

The Mayor made a number of announcements to those present:

• The Council had agreed the budget for 2019-20 on 20 February 2019.
• The Council had submitted its response to the Government’s Fair Funding Review
• The Council had published the final report of the Tower Hamlets Brexit Commission.

Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) to report on any issues  raised by the OSC in relation to unrestricted business to be considered.

Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions, and officer responses, were noted in respect of Agenda Items:

6.1 – Spitalfields Community Governance Review

6.2 – Determination of School Admission Arrangements

6.4 – Tower Hamlets Waste Management Strategy

6.5 – Recommendation for the Future Delivery of Contract Services

6.7 – Local Implementation Plan 3

These were considered during discussion of the relevant reports.

In addition, as Councillor Abdal Ullah had given his apologies for absence for the Cabinet meeting, a written note was provided to the Mayor and Cabinet Members setting out the recent work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Nil items.

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

DECISION

1.    To note the Community Governance Review Draft Recommendations, summary consultation responses and second stage consultation information set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

2.    To note the full first stage consultation analysis in Appendix 2 to the report.

3.    To note the equality analysis set out in Appendix 3 to the report.

4.    To note the updated Terms of Reference set out in Appendix 4 to the report.

Action by:

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (W. TUCKLEY)

(Head of Democratic Services (M. Mannion)

(Senior Strategy and Policy Manager (S. Morton)

Will Tuckley, Chief Executive, introduced the report. He explained the background to the Community Governance Review, and summarised the results of the Stage 1 consultation. The consultation suggested the majority of residents did not support creation of a parish council in Spitalfields, however, the results were not considered conclusive and varied by type of submission. Additionally, he had noted that the campaigners for the parish council had amended their initial proposals, so the Council now proposed that a Stage 2 consultation broadly examine support for:

• A parish council with a number of different boundary options.
• Options to review and strengthen other community governance arrangements.

Mr Tuckley also explained that the Mayor and Cabinet were being asked to provide input to shape the Stage 2 consultation, and that other individuals and bodies would also contribute to this discussion.

Matthew Mannion, Head of Democratic Services, provided the Cabinet with a summary of discussion of this matter at the General Purposes Committee on 26 February. Discussion was thorough, but the meeting expressed no concerns with the draft Stage 2 consultation proposals.

Cabinet then heard from an organiser for the 23 July 2018 petition who raised a number of points, including:

• Concern that there is a stark difference in the results of the online and paper responses to the Stage 1 consultation. The petitioners had not realised there was an option to gather support in this way and believed overall results would have been different if they had conducted their campaign with the same methods.
• Since the initial petition, the campaigners had listened to local concerns and had adjusted their proposals to address them, including amending the proposed name to ‘Spitalfields and Banglatown’, and altering the proposed area.
• Urged the Council to reconsider the 3 boundary option consultation on the parish council area, which they felt may confuse residents, in favour of a single option which would incorporate Areas A, B and C from the map only.
• Urged the Council to consider an advisory ballot to establish support for a parish council in Spitalfields.

Councillor Andrew Wood, Leader of the Conservative Group also addressed the meeting.  Councillor Wood had found that Labour authorities elsewhere had committed to increasing parish councils and urged the Council to follow suit. He encouraged the Mayor to recognise the positive aspects of a more local form of democracy in Tower Hamlets, that would help ensure the right decisions were made at the right level. Campaigners outlined some of the ways they felt a Parish Council could materially improve the wellbeing of residents in the parish council area.

The Cabinet discussed the breakdown of the consultation responses and asked that officers continue to  take appropriate steps at Stage 2 to regularly analyse and act on response data to ensure all sections of the community were engaged in the consultation and appropriate weight was given to responses based on their connection, or otherwise, to the proposed parish council area.

The Mayor noted the Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and responses presented. He thanked  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.1

[Note – This decision has been exempted from Call-In with the agreement of the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.]

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

DECISION

1.    To agree the oversubscription criteria for admission to Community Nursery Schools/Classes in 2020/21, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, noting the inclusion of priority for the children of staff in Tower Hamlets community schools.

2.    To agree the oversubscription criteria for admission to Community Primary Schools in 2020/21, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

3.    To agree the oversubscription criteria for admission to Community Secondary Schools in 2020/21 as set out in Appendix 3 to the report.

4.    To agree the schemes for co-ordinating admissions to the Reception Year and Year 7 for 2020/21, as set out in Appendix 4 to the report.

5.    To agree the scheme for co-ordinating ‘In-Year’ Admissions for 2020/21, as set out in Appendix 5 to the report.

6.    To agree the planned admission number for each school in Tower Hamlets in 2019/20, as set out in Appendix 6 to the report, noting the change in numbers at Elizabeth Selby Infants, Lawdale Juniors and Bow Secondary (detailed in Appendix 7 and 8 to the report).

7.    To agree the proposal to increase school places through the development of a new primary school at Millharbour.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR CHILDREN AND CULTURE (D. JONES)

(Head of Pupil Services and School Sufficiency (T. Bryan)

Councillor Danny Hassell, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, introduced the report. He explained that only minor changes were proposed to the current admission arrangements and these were as summarised in the report.

The Cabinet asked that the wording of paragraph 3.35 of the report be amended as follows (additions are underlined) to more closely align this work with the Council’s emerging Local Plan:

“This recommendation is in line with the approach to schools in the emerging Local Plan and at the Examination in Public. The Plan allocates more school sites than currently required to meet projected need, and one of the consequences of this is that there may not be sufficient demand in the area when a site comes forward for delivery.  The sites at Millharbour and Alpha Square provide an example of why the Plan’s approach is necessary to ensure the LA can provide sufficient school places. A more detailed explanation is provided in the supporting documents to the emerging Local Plan.”

The Mayor thanked everyone for their comments, noted the Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses, and agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.    To agree the oversubscription criteria for admission to Community Nursery Schools/Classes in 2020/21, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, noting the inclusion of priority for the children of staff in Tower Hamlets community schools.

2.    To agree the oversubscription criteria for admission to Community Primary Schools in 2020/21, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

3.    To agree the oversubscription criteria for admission to Community Secondary Schools in 2020/21 as set out in Appendix 3 to the report.

4.    To agree the schemes for co-ordinating admissions to the Reception Year and Year 7 for 2020/21, as set out in Appendix 4 to the report.

5.    To agree the scheme for co-ordinating ‘In-Year’ Admissions for 2020/21, as set out in Appendix 5 to the report.

6.    To agree the planned admission number for each school in Tower Hamlets in 2019/20, as set out in Appendix 6 to the report, noting the change in numbers at Elizabeth Selby Infants, Lawdale Juniors and Bow Secondary (detailed in Appendix 7 and 8 to the report).

7.    To agree the proposal to increase school places through the development of a new primary school at Millharbour.

DECISION

1.    To note the detail of this report and plans for tackling graffiti across the borough.

2.    To agree the Graffiti and Street Art Policy (Appendix 1 to the report).

Action by:

ACTING CORPORATE DIRECTOR, PLACE (A. SUTCLIFFE)

(Divisional Director, Public Realm (D. Jones)

(Business Manager, Operational Services (R. Williams)

Councillor David Edgar, Cabinet Member for Environment, introduced the report on the Council’s proposed new Graffiti and Street Art Policy. He highlighted that graffiti was a significant issue that the Council was right to be concerned about. He welcomed the report as setting out clearly the powers the Council had to tackle graffiti and the investment being made in the service.

Turning to Street Art, he welcomed the policy as providing a framework for ensuring that valuable works could be retained and supported.

A general discussion then took place during which a number of Members welcomed the policy. It was noted that many people came to the area to explore the street art and that it was beginning to drive some tourism. In relation to the delivery of the policy it was noted that it depended on effective engagement with partners and the owners of the properties impacted. Councillor Denise Jones, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing, noted that she was a shop owner and that this policy was likely to be of benefit to all shops and similar businesses in making the borough more attractive to visitors.

The Mayor also welcomed the report. He thanked everyone for their contributions and also noted that it would be useful to see what support could be provided for apprenticeships in relation to this programme. He agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.    To note the detail of this report and plans for tackling graffiti across the borough.

2.    To agree the Graffiti and Street Art Policy (Appendix 1 to the report).

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

DECISION

1.    To note the results of the public consultation carried out on the draft Waste Management Strategy 2018-2030

2.    To note the Equalities Impact Assessment considerations as set out in Paragraph 4.1 and 4.2 of the report.

3.    To adopt the Waste Management Strategy 2018 - 2030.

Action by:

ACTING CORPORATE DIRECTOR, PLACE (A. SUTCLIFFE)

(Divisional Director, Public Realm (D. Jones)

(Head of Waste Strategy, Policy and Procurement (F. Heyland)

Councillor David Edgar, Cabinet Member for Environment, introduced the report on the Council’s Waste Management Strategy. He highlighted that the report set out the Council’s key priorities in respect of waste management around areas such as behavioural change, ensuring reuse and recycling and dealing with a growing population.

The Mayor heard from Members including Councillor Andrew Wood, Leader of the Conservative Group who highlighted the need to ensure the change of service provider was undertaken smoothly. The Mayor noted that the public’s expectations in relation to waste were continuing to rise and it was important to be ambitious in looking at what could be achieved.

He commended officers and Members for their work on the Strategy. Finally, he noted the pre-decision scrutiny questions and officer responses and he agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.    To note the results of the public consultation carried out on the draft Waste Management Strategy 2018-2030

2.    To note the Equalities Impact Assessment considerations as set out in Paragraph 4.1 and 4.2 of the report.

3.    To adopt the Waste Management Strategy 2018 - 2030.

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

DECISION

1.    To support the investment requirements associated with Recommendation 1 (Invest and introduce new commercial strategies, similar to Birmingham’s City Council’s “City Serve”, to Contract Services Primary School’s school meals catering contracts (Proposed investment over 3 years to still be costed) which is intended to improve customer relationships with schools and to retain sufficient numbers of them buying school catering services in order to maximise economies of scale.

2.    To accept all the recommendations set out in the report in order to ensure that Contract Services achieves a balanced budget position in future.

3.    To note the content of the full Equalities Impact Assessment on the Contract Services.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, CHILDREN AND CULTURE (D. JONES)

(Divisional Director, Youth and Commissioning (R. Martins-Taylor)

Councillor Candida Ronald, Cabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary Sector, introduced the report on recommendations for the delivery of contract services in school meals. She highlighted that financial pressures were not sustainable but that there was an opportunity to revamp the offer to make it most sustainable as an offer to primary schools.

During discussion a number of points were noted including:

·         There was a review being undertaken in relation to the Adult Services part of the work.

·         That the primary school service had very high take up of the dinner provided and it was important to protect that service.

·         It was important to look for opportunities to work with neighbouring boroughs and the Council already worked hard in this area. The Mayor indicated he would welcome a report back to him on this area.

·         The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

The Mayor thanked everyone for their comments and agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.    To support the investment requirements associated with Recommendation 1 (Invest and introduce new commercial strategies, similar to Birmingham’s City Council’s “City Serve”, to Contract Services Primary School’s school meals catering contracts (Proposed investment over 3 years to still be costed) which is intended to improve customer relationships with schools and to retain sufficient numbers of them buying school catering services in order to maximise economies of scale.

2.    To accept all the recommendations set out in the report in order to ensure that Contract Services achieves a balanced budget position in future.

3.    To note the content of the full Equalities Impact Assessment on the Contract Services.

The Exempt Appendix was noted.

DECISION

            17-19 Brick Lane

1.    To approve the completion of the statutory lease renewal of 17-19 Brick Lane to the current Tenant for a term of 15 years at an initial rental of £37,000 per annum.

2.    To delegate to the Acting Corporate Director, Place in consultation with the Corporate Director, Governance, the authority to agree the heads of terms and thereafter, to prepare, complete and execute the required legal documentation for the new 15 year lease in order to give effect to the decision.

34 Mount Terrace

3.    To agree that the property (as shown on the plan in Appendix A) is surplus to requirements.

4.    To agree to the disposal of the site on a 199 year lease.

5.    To authorise the Acting Divisional Director, Property and Major Programmes, to appoint external agents or auctioneers to support the marketing of the site.

6.    To authorise the Acting Corporate Director, Place following consultation with the Corporate Director, Governance, to agree the terms and conditions of any agreements required to implement the recommendations above.

Action by:

ACTING CORPORATE DIRECTOR, PLACE (A. SUTCLIFFE)

(Acting Head of Asset Management (A. McCarthy)

The Mayor considered a two-part report on the proposed disposal of 34 Mount Terrace and a lease renewal at 17-19 Brick Lane.

Responding to questions, officers stated that a number of options had been explored for the property on Mount Terrace but disposal of the property offered the best value to the Council. The receipts would then be invested elsewhere.

The Mayor noted the exempt appendix setting out financial information about the Mount Terrace property. He then agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

            17-19 Brick Lane

1.    To approve the completion of the statutory lease renewal of 17-19 Brick Lane to the current Tenant for a term of 15 years at an initial rental of £37,000 per annum.

2.    To delegate to the Acting Corporate Director, Place in consultation with the Corporate Director, Governance, the authority to agree the heads of terms and thereafter, to prepare, complete and execute the required legal documentation for the new 15 year lease in order to give effect to the decision.

34 Mount Terrace

3.    To agree that the property (as shown on the plan in Appendix A) is surplus to requirements.

4.    To agree to the disposal of the site on a 199 year lease.

5.    To authorise the Acting Divisional Director, Property and Major Programmes, to appoint external agents or auctioneers to support the marketing of the site.

6.    To authorise the Acting Corporate Director, Place following consultation with the Corporate Director, Governance, to agree the terms and conditions of any agreements required to implement the recommendations above.

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

DECISION

1.    To note the content of the LIP3 document set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

2.    To approve the document for submission for TfL approval.

3.    To agree that the scheme funding allocations approved by TfL for 2019/20 in the Annual Spending Submission are incorporated into the Capital Programme for 2019/20.

4.    To approve the adoption of new capital estimates for these schemes in line with Financial Regulations in order that works can commence early in 2019/20 on the delivery programme.

Action by:

STRATEGIC DIRECTOR (T. McCOURT)

(Head of Engineering (M. Cooper)

Councillor David Edgar, Cabinet Member for Environment, introduced the report on the Local Implementation Plan for Transport setting out how the Council intends to deliver the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy at a local level. He noted that future funding levels were uncertain at this stage.

The Plan set out key themes to improve the local environment such as tackling rat running, improving safety and reducing pollution.

The Mayor welcomed the repot and highlighted the importance of tackling air quality and encouraging behavioural change. He noted the Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses and he agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.    To note the content of the LIP3 document set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

2.    To approve the document for submission for TfL approval.

3.    To agree that the scheme funding allocations approved by TfL for 2019/20 in the Annual Spending Submission are incorporated into the Capital Programme for 2019/20.

4.    To approve the adoption of new capital estimates for these schemes in line with Financial Regulations in order that works can commence early in 2019/20 on the delivery programme.

DECISION

1.         To note the summary status as set out at the beginning of the attached monitoring report; and

2.         To note the performance of the strategic measures at mid-year, including those measures where the minimum expectation has been missed; and

3.         To note progress in delivering Strategic Plan activities at the mid-year point, including those activities that are flagged as delayed and overdue.

Action by:

CHIEF EXECUTIVE (W. TUCKLEY)

(Divisional Director, Strategy, Policy and Performance (S. Godman)

(Head of Intelligence and Performance (T. Dreyer)

The Mayor introduced the report setting out the Council’s performance and improvement monitoring information for quarter three. He highlighted areas showing good progress such as around children’s services and street cleanliness but acknowledged more work was required. He reported that he spent quite a lot of time with Lead Members and officers examining the key information and targets relating to this report and he agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.         To note the summary status as set out at the beginning of the attached monitoring report; and

2.         To note the performance of the strategic measures at mid-year, including those measures where the minimum expectation has been missed; and

3.         To note progress in delivering Strategic Plan activities at the mid-year point, including those activities that are flagged as delayed and overdue.

DECISION

1.            To note the Council’s projected outturn position against General Fund, Dedicated Schools Budget and HRA budgets agreed for 2018-19, based on information as at the end of December as detailed in the Appendices to the report.

2.            To note the summary savings position.

In respect of the new capital scheme proposals (Annex 1-2 to the report)

3.            Subject to the review and agreement of the Capital Board and member approval, note the increases for schemes identified in Annex 1 and the new schemes set out in Annex 2 of the budget monitoring report.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, RESOURCES (N. MURTON)

(Chief Accountant (K. Miles)

Councillor Candida Ronald, Cabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary Sector, introduced the report on the Council’s Revenue and Capital Budget monitoring for Quarter three. She highlighted a number of over- and under-spends and budgetary pressures facing the Council. She also set out progress since the last report to Cabinet.

In relation to the pension fund it was noted that the fund had underperformed in particular due to participation in the London CIV mandate.

The Mayor noted the issues raised and he thanked the Lead Member and officers for their work on monitoring the Council’s spending. He agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.            To note the Council’s projected outturn position against General Fund, Dedicated Schools Budget and HRA budgets agreed for 2018-19, based on information as at the end of December as detailed in the Appendices to the report.

2.            To note the summary savings position.

In respect of the new capital scheme proposals (Annex 1-2 to the report)

3.            Subject to the review and agreement of the Capital Board and member approval, note the increases for schemes identified in Annex 1 and the new schemes set out in Annex 2 of the budget monitoring report.

DECISION

1.    To note the Corporate Directors’ decisions set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, RESOURCES (N. MURTON)

(Accountant – Financial Planning (A. Miah)

The Mayor introduced the report setting out recent Corporate Director decisions that were being reported up to Cabinet as they exceeded set financial thresholds. He agreed the recommendation as set out.

RESOLVED

1.    To note the Corporate Directors’ decisions set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

Nil items.

Should the Mayor in Cabinet consider it necessary, it is recommended that the following motion be adopted to allow consideration of any exempt/restricted documents.

“That, under the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act, 1972 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act, 1985, the Press and Public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting for the consideration of the Section Two business on the grounds that it contains information defined as Exempt in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government, Act 1972”.

EXEMPT/CONFIDENTIAL SECTION (PINK)

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) to report on any issues  raised by the OSC in relation to exempt/confidential business to be considered.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.