The Committee is to consider the Council’s draft strategic plan 2022-26 and make recommendations on areas for improvement and further consideration.

Members are asked to refer to the report included in the Cabinet - Monday, 1st August 2022 5.30 p.m. as published on the Council’s website.

Tower Hamlets Council - Agenda for Cabinet on Monday, 1st August, 2022, 5.30 p.m.

The Committee considered a report that presented the Strategic Plan 2022 to 2026 which is the Council's main corporate business plan. That embeds the Mayor's vision and the administration's manifesto into a high-level policy framework and demonstrates how they will be delivered alongside the Council’s statutory duties.  A summary of the discussions on this report is outlined below.

The Committee

v  Noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in very high levels of public spending and LBTH would have been £34 million pounds over budget if it had not received funding from the Government to cover the spending pressures and income losses due to Covid and had enabled LBTH to have a balanced position of for the last financial year.

v  Noted that the Plan sets a framework for performance monitoring and reporting.

v  Noted that it is (i) supported by and aligned with the Medium-Term Financial Strategy and (ii) accompanied by an Annual Delivery Plan that sets out how the Plan priorities will be delivered in 2022/23.

v  Noted that Annual Delivery Plans will be published each year until 2025/26.

v  Noted as mentioned earlier that the plan is based on the Mayor’s election manifesto, the Council’s statutory duties, and the ambition to keep improving customer service and ways of working.

v  Noted that the Councils commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and community cohesion also runs through the plan.

v  Agreed that it is important that LBTH is able to offer a support package to care leavers to provide educational and training opportunities that will improve their vocational and educational profile and open up future employment opportunities.  Therefore, Members wanted details on how LBTH children in care and care leavers will be supported and prioritised with access to work opportunities.

v  Agreed that in regard to the control of rent levels housing providers must have robust systems of internal control in place to ensure that rents are being charged appropriately and therefore wanted clarification on socially affordable rents stated at 30-40% of average market rents.

·         Wanted to know if this is the right time to bring housing services back under the direct management of the Council, as other councils have done (e.g., would the insourcing of Tower Hamlets Homes (THH) better align housing management and maintenance services to meet resident needs and place the full range of housing services at the heart of the Council’s efforts to improve outcomes for all our residents).  Accordingly, it was agreed that with regard to the Councils investment in public services they should have the details on the consultation process by bringing outsourced services such as THH back into public hands.

v  Agreed that with the Council now has to brace itself for a long recession as energy prices surge to unprecedented levels, leaving many residents at risk of economic hardship.  Accordingly wanted details on the Council’s communication strategy on the cost-of-living crisis and how residents can feedback.

v  Welcomed the £2.2 million package to support LBTH residents with the cost-of-living crisis (e.g. for example by freezing council tax for four years).

v  Wanted assurance on residents’ accessibility to resident hubs and idea stores.

v  Agreed that it wanted to know how the Strategic Plan will address genuine and growing concerns on the safety of women and girls which is an urgent public safety issue that the Council and its partners need to act on.

v  Considered the common issues in regard to the ongoing challenge and level of complaints on waste collection and recycling rates including repeated missed collections, poor complaint handing and monitoring, as well as issues with assisted collections for those with disabilities or mobility problems.

v  Considered that given the problems in recruiting and retaining frontline health and social care staff due to burnout from the pandemic and higher pay rates being available elsewhere and therefore, wanted to know how the Council will tackle this shortage and its approach to making free home care sustainable; and

v  Following on discussions how the Council has sought to increase progression of people from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds into senior roles in the Council.  Requested assurances on how the Council plans to improve the diversity of the workforce, especially in regard to senior levels.

v  Agreed that they will (i) continue to monitor and review the progression of people from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds into senior roles in the Council; and (ii) endeavour to work closely with Cabinet colleagues to ensure LBTH residents receive the best level of support and service.

v  Proposed that Members should be involved in scrutinising the setting of targets and measures of the strategic plan, either through a formal committee meeting or via a briefing session.

Accordingly, the Committee resolved that having considered the Council’s draft strategic plan 2022-26 made the following recommendations on areas for improvement and further consideration.

a)    How will children in care and care leavers will be supported and prioritised with access to work opportunities.

b)    Wanted clarification on socially affordable rents stated at 30-40% of average market rents.

c)    Requested details on the consultation process in relation to the proposed insourcing of THH to consider how the Council is shows that it is one that listens and works for everyone (e.g. by carrying out fair and worthwhile consultations on such proposals).

d)    How residents can feedback on the Council’s communication strategy in regard to the cost-of-living crisis.

e)    Wanted assurance on local communities accessibility to resident hubs and idea stores.

f)     How will the plan address genuine and growing concerns on women’s safety?

g)    Requested details on the approach to dealing with the ongoing challenge and level of complaints on waste collection and recycling rates.

h)    How will the Council tackle the shortage of health and social care staff and its approach to making free home care sustainable; and 

i)     Wanted assurances on how the Council intends to progress the diversity of the workforce, especially at senior levels.