Agenda and minutes

None received from Members of Cabinet.

RESOLVED:  To note that the following interests were declared:

Agenda Item 11 – ‘Building a Better Harrow’ – Delivery Programme

Councillor Susan Hall declared a non-pecuniary interest in that she owned a business in Wealdstone. She would remain in the room to listen to the discussion and decision making on this item.

Agenda Item 15 – Harrow Council Membership of the West London Economic Prosperity Board

Councillor Stephen Greek declared a non-pecuniary interest in that he worked for the London Assembly which was part of the West London Authority. He would remain in the room to listen to the discussion and decision making on this item.

To note that the following petition had been received:

Petition – Woodhall Gate

Councillor Susan Hall presented a petition signed by 33 residents with the following terms of reference:

“We ask that Woodhall Gate is completely re-surfaced, rather than further patching, and that the pavements are refurbished.

We feel that this should be done fairly quickly as we believe there is a safety hazard to those using them and that the damage to the road and the broken pavements has caused a deterioration in the environment of this street.

All the residents are very concerned and are disappointed that, despite requests over the past several years, no appropriate action has been taken.”

RESOLVED:  That the petition be referred to the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise and the Portfolio Holder for Environment, Crime and Community Safety for consideration.

To receive any public questions received in accordance with paragraph 16 of the Executive Procedure Rules.

Questions will be asked in the order notice of them was received and there be a time limit of 15 minutes.

[The deadline for receipt of public questions is 3.00 pm, 14 September 2015. 

Questions should be sent to publicquestions@harrow.gov.uk  

No person may submit more than one question].

Such public and Councillor questions as were received were responded to and any recording placed on the Council’s website.  Councillor questions 7 to 13 were not reached at Cabinet and the Councillors would be provided with written responses which would be placed on the Council’s website.

RESOLVED:  To note the contents of the Key Decision Schedule.

For consideration.

RESOLVED:  To note the progress made on scrutiny projects.

Report of the Interim Corporate Director of Children and Families.

Having noted the reference from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee tabled at the meeting, it was

Resolved to RECOMMEND:  (to Council – December 2015)

That the Harrow Youth Offending Partnership Youth Justice Plan 2015-2018 be approved.

Reason for Decision:  To adhere to the statutory requirements to produce a Youth Justice Plan.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:  None.

Conflict of Interest relating to the matter declared by Cabinet Member / Dispensation Granted:  None.

[Call-in does not apply, as the decision is reserved to Council.]

Report of the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise.

Having considered the confidential appendix, it was

Resolved to RECOMMEND:  (to Council)

That

(1)          a capital budget of up to £15m for the social affordable and private housing elements, as per option 3 of the report, be approved;

(2)          additional borrowing of up to £15m to fund the capital expenditure in 3 (i) below be approved.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)          the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise, following consultation with the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Business, Planning and Regeneration, be authorised to agree flexible terms and enter into contracts for the development of Gayton Road surface level car park and the site of the ex-Gayton Road Library to include the property situated between them known as Sonia Court; the development to include a number of private housing units for sale or private rent to be owned by the Council, or a corporate vehicle wholly owned by the Council, and the acquisition of social affordable residential units within the proposed development as per option 3 of the report provided that it remained in the Council’s best interests to do so;

(2)          the development be subject to:-

(i)            Council approval of the funding of the arrangements for both the social affordable and the private housing elements; and

(ii)          planning approval;

(3)          the Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise and the Corporate Director of Resources, following consultation with the Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Business Planning and Regeneration, be authorised to:

(i)            agree the structure of an appropriate delivery vehicle or vehicles in which to hold the respective assets to secure a flexible and optimal position for the Council, to include the option of deciding to retain the ownership of the social affordable residential units directly by the Council; and subject to the recommendation to Council above;

(4)          authorise the Director of Finance, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder Finance and Major Contracts, to negotiate and finalise loan arrangements between the Council and the preferred delivery vehicle of sums up to £1.65m, being the estimated requirement plus a 10% tolerance;

(5)          it be noted that the proposals contained in the report support the Council’s commercialisation agenda.

Reason for Decision:  Option 3 produced the highest net revenue contribution to the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and would provide much needed affordable and market housing for Harrow’s residents.

There was a shortage of housing generally in the borough, and in particular a shortage of “affordable” housing for those on low incomes.  The position had been made worse as a result of the impact of welfare reform on household incomes, which had also adversely impacted on the willingness of local landlords to let their properties to low income households.  This had greatly increased the number of families at risk of homelessness, and despite the work of the Housing Needs team in preventing homelessness, in many cases, had resulted in a significant increase in Bed & Breakfast (B&B) usage.

The proposals would assist in meeting the demand for both  ...  view the full minutes text for item 247.

Report of the Divisional Director of Regeneration and Planning.

Having considered the confidential appendix, it was

Resolved to RECOMMEND:  (to Council)

That

(1)          an addition to the 2015/16 Capital Programme for site assembly for the Wealdstone re-development, as set out in the confidential Appendix A  to the report, be approved;

(2)          the allocated capital funding of £1,150k be brought forward from 2016/17 to 2015/16 and the re-allocation of this funding and £750k of existing capital funding in 2015/16, as detailed in paragraph 2.4.5 of the report.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)          the robust proposals to leave the costly and outdated Civic Centre and build a smaller and more efficient Civic Centre in the heart of Wealdstone, at no net cost to the taxpayers of Harrow over the Regeneration period, be approved in-principle;

(2)          the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Business, Planning and Regeneration, Director of Finance and Director of Legal and Governance Services, and subject to the necessary funding being added to the Capital Programme to enter into agreements for the Council, be authorised to acquire the third party land and property interests identified in the confidential Appendix A to the report in order to complete the land assembly arrangements for the proposed new Civic Centre site in Wealdstone;

(3)          procurements over £500,000 for the appointment of one or more specialist consultants or contractors to provide any services (including multi-disciplinary services) required under RIBA Stages 0-7 for both the existing and proposed Civic Centre sites be commenced;

(4)          subject to the approval of the budget in February 2016 for works in 2016/17 onwards, the award of contract(s), be delegated to the Chief Executive following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Business, Planning and Regeneration and the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Major Contracts, for the appointment of one or more consultants or contractors to provide any services, including multi-disciplinary services, required under Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stages 0-7 for both the existing and proposed Civic Centre sites;

(5)          an in-principle agreement be given to the Overarching Borough Agreement with the Greater London Authority (GLA) forming the basis for the Housing Zone arrangements with the Council and the finalisation of the agreement be delegated to the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Business, Planning and Regeneration and the Director of Finance and Director of Legal and Governance;

(6)          the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Business, Planning and Regeneration and the Director of Finance and Director of Legal and Governance, be delegated authority to enter into an Intervention Agreement(s) with the Greater London Authority (GLA) for the Council owned sites that formed part of the Housing Zone bid, for a total of £8.8m in recoverable grant funding, as set out in section 2.6 of the report.

(7)          the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Business, Planning and Regeneration and the Director of Finance and Director of Legal and Governance, be authorisedto enter into any other agreements and take any other necessary actions, acting within approved capital  ...  view the full minutes text for item 248.

Report of the Director of Finance.

Having considered the confidential appendix, it was

Resolved to RECOMMEND: (to Council)

That the addition to the Capital Programme, set out at paragraph 107 of the report in respect of Grange Farm Regeneration, be approved.

RESOLVED: That

(1)          the revenue and capital forecast positions detailed in this report as at Quarter 1 2015/16 be noted;

(2)          the virements set out in paragraphs 103 and 104 of the report that had taken place in the quarter be noted;

(3)          the virement to the Capital Programme, set out in paragraph 105 of the report, transferring £5.465m of funding from the School Expansion Programme phase 3 to phase 4, be approved;

(4)          the additions to the Capital Programme, set out at paragraphs 107,108 and 110 of the report that had been recommended to Council for approval, be noted;

(5)          the additions to the Capital Programme of externally funded spend in paragraphs 106 and 109 of the report, in respect of an energy efficiency project at Roxeth Primary School and Stanmore Marsh, be approved.

Reason for Decision:  To report the 2015/16 forecast financial position as at 30 June 2015.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:  As set out in the report.

Conflict of Interest relating to the matter declared by Cabinet Member / Dispensation Granted:  None.

[Call-in does not apply to the Recommendation to Council, as the decision is reserved to Council.]

Report of the Director of Public Health.

Following an amendment to the 6^th recommendation set out in the report, it was

RESOLVED:  That

(1)          it be noted that the Public Health commissioning responsibilities for 0?5 year olds (Healthy Child Programme delivered by Health Visiting Service) would transfer over to the Council in October 2015;

(2)          it be noted that a rigorous process had taken place in the preparation of the Council assuming responsibility for the commissioning of Health Visiting;

(3)          it be noted that the findings from an independent review informed the strategy for securing additional funding to deliver a challenging Healthy Child Programme for Harrow;

(4)          it be noted that grant funding of £1.577m, including £15k for commissioning costs, had been allocated to Harrow for the six months October to March 2016;

(5)          it be noted that a national service specification would be followed for this service and, in order to provide stability, a novated contract with the existing provider would remain in place up to 30 April 2017;

(6)          the novation and extension of the NHS England contract term for eighteen months from 1 October 2015 to March 2017, to allow the Council to make a decision about future procurement options, be approved;

(7)          the Director of Public Health, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Divisional Director of Commercial, Contracts and Procurement, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Public Health, Equality and Wellbeing, be authorised to novate and extend the contract with the current provider.

Reason for Decision:  The transfer for Health Visiting from NHS England was part of the undertaking to have the commissioning responsibility for the Healthy Child Programme 0-19 move to Councils.  This would also result in a better fit with the wider Public Health functions, which were transferred in April 2013 under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:  As set out in the report.

Conflict of Interest relating to the matter declared by Cabinet Member / Dispensation Granted:  None.

Report of the Corporate Director of Resources.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)          the procurement of a contract for a supplier with a value range of between £800k to £2m for the assessment of non automatic applications or a combination of non automatic and automatic applications, subject to demonstration of Best Value, regarding concessionary travel for a 4-year contract, be approved;

(2)          the procurement in accordance with EU public procurement rules and in accordance with Contract Procedure Rules, be approved and the Corporate Director of Resources, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Major Contracts, be authorised to proceed with the procurement and to bring a contract award recommendation to Cabinet for approval. 

Reason for Decision:  Concessionary travel applications were currently assessed in two areas.  Automatic qualifying applications were administered and assessed via a desk top assessment by Harrow Council staff and non-automatic applications were assessed through a face to face mobility assessment, carried out  by qualified external contractors via existing contracts.

When the existing contract for non automatic assessments ended in May 2016, it would be necessary to have a new contract in place.  It was also the intention to use the opportunity to test the market regarding automatic assessments to see if offering the opportunity for a contractor to deliver the whole of the concessionary travel service could bring further savings through economies of scale.  This Strategy would ensure that the Council not only appointed a contractor for the non automatic assessments but also had the option to externalise the automatic assessments, subject to the market proving that it could provide both capacity and a further savings due to the bigger potential volumes of work on offer.

Harrow was also developing a Framework Agreement to allow other authorities to join this contract.  There were currently two other London authorities who wished to adopt Harrow’s processes and potentially to join the contract to deliver, at a minimum, the non automatic assessments for their concessionary travel work.  The headroom in the contract (up to £2m) was to cover the potentiality of these two local authorities joining Harrow’s contract once awarded, but indirectly provided additional value for money for Harrow due to the “potential economies of scale” for providers.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:  As set out in the report.

Conflict of Interest relating to the matter declared by Cabinet Member / Dispensation Granted:  None.

Report of the Corporate Director of Resources.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted and the Portfolio Holders continue working with officers to achieve improvement against identified key challenges.

Reason for Decision:  To be informed of performance against key measures and to identify and assign corrective action where necessary.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:  None.

Conflict of Interest relating to the matter declared by Cabinet Member / Dispensation Granted:  None.

{Call-in does not apply to items that have been noted]

Joint report of the Corporate Directors of Resources and Environment and Enterprise.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)          the Council enter into arrangements to form a joint committee under section 102 of the Local Government Act with other West London authorities to discharge certain functions jointly, as outlined in the functions and procedure rules attached to the report;

(2)          the Monitoring Officer make any minor amendments necessary to the draft functions and procedure rules attached to the report, following consultation with the Leader and the other boroughs involved;

(3)          the arrangements include a Joint Committee, to be known as the West London Economic Prosperity Board or “WLEPB”;

(4)          the Leader be appointed as a voting member of the WLEPB on behalf of Harrow Council with Councillor Keith Ferryacting as a Reserve;

(5)          it be noted that the functions to be discharged by the WLEPB would be with the intention of promoting economic prosperity within the local government areas of the participating boroughs;

(6)          it be noted that it was anticipated that the participating boroughs would initially be Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Harrow and Hounslow, but that other WLA members, namely Hammersmith & Fulham and Hillingdon, would also invited to join,

(7)          it be noted that the WLEPB would not discharge any of Harrow’s non-executive functions;

(8)          the matter be referred to the Monitoring Officer to allow consideration any constitutional amendments necessary and refer these to Council as required.

Reason for Decision:  To meet the priorities set out in the Council’s Corporate Plan 2015/16-2018/19 - Make a Difference for Communities and Make a Difference to Business.  To meet the Council’s Regeneration Strategy which had the following three objectives:

·                     Providing the homes, schools and other infrastructure needed to meet the demands of a growing population and business base, with high quality town and district centres that attracted business investment and fostered community engagement;

·                     Communities – Creating new jobs, breaking down barriers to employment, tackling overcrowding and fuel poverty in homes and working alongside other services to address health and welfare issues;

·                     Business – Reinforcing commercial centres, promoting Harrow as an investment location, addressing skills shortages and supporting new business start-ups, developing local supply chains through procurement.

In order to achieve these goals, the Council was working in partnership with other West London authorities, through the West London Alliance (WLA), whose area was acknowledged as a functional economic area.  West London’s functioning economic geography recognised the connections, alignment and interdependencies between constituent boroughs and the important relationships to the rest of London, surrounding Council areas and the wider UK economy.

Working with the WLA enabled the Council to address issues relating to growth, jobs and skills which spanned across geographical boundaries; take advantage of economies of scale (e.g. in relation to bids for European Social Fund and external funding); and increasingly to present a credible and substantial basis for devolved central government functions relating to growth, employment and skills.

The WLA boroughs had prioritised the growth and prosperity agenda, and developed a shared Vision for Growth, agreed in 2014.  The rationale for a West London approach to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 253.

Report of the Director of Legal and Governance Services.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)          the appointment of the identified Portfolio Holder Assistants and their responsibilities, as set out in the report, be approved;

(2)          the payment of a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) to the Portfolio Holder Assistants with the implementation date of 17 September 2015 be approved.

Reason for Decision:  To enable the support to Cabinet Members in terms of information provision and management, to contribute to and ensure an effective decision making framework as part of the democratic process.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:  None.

Conflict of Interest relating to the matter declared by Cabinet Member / Dispensation Granted:  None.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor David Perry, proposed a ‘Vote of Thanks’ to Caroline Bruce, Corporate Director of Environment and Enterprise, who would be leaving the Council and wished her well for the future.  He thanked Caroline for her professionalism and the commitment she had shown in the work of the Council.

The Chief Executive joined the Leader in thanking Caroline for her splendid work through challenging times in a sensitive political climate. 

Members and officers applauded and wished Caroline well for the future.