Agenda and minutes

Councillor Shaw, Chief Whip, was also present.

In accordance with paragraph 2.6(a) of the Constitution, Councillors Busuttil, Gallant and Malcolm addressed the Cabinet with regard to the following items:

Item 7 -Budget Strategy and Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2023-24 (Councillor Busuttil)

Item 11 – Transport Programme 2022-23 (Councillors Gallant and Malcolm)

Item 12 - Ealing Indoor and Outdoor Sports Facility Strategy and Action Plan 2022 - 2031

                 (Councillor Malcolm)

Tony Clements (chief Executive) and Emily Hill (Chief Finance Officer) were welcomed to their first Cabinet Meetings in their new positions.

Apologies for absences were received from Councillor Mahfouz

            This meeting was held in a hybrid format with members and officers able to join the meeting remotely.

            However, regulations did not allow for members attending virtually to be counted as present in the attendance section of the minutes, and their attendance would not count as attendance in relation to section 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1972.

            Members attending virtually would be able to speak but would not be able to vote.

            Councillors joining remotely:

            Councillors Donnelly and Raza

There were none.

There were none.

There were none.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2022.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 15 June 2022 be agreed and signed as a true and correct record subject to the amendment recording the speakers from the opposition parties at the meeting on 15 June 2022.

There were none.

Resolved

That Cabinet:

i)         notes the lack of clarity regarding the timing of the Government’s Spending Review and the lack of any indication as to the value of financial settlement to Local Authorities which makes budget planning, particularly in the current environment unnecessarily complex and challenging.

ii)       agrees that Executive Directors prepare detailed plans and budget proposals in accordance with the Administration’s priorities and financial strategy objectives (paragraphs 4.2 to 4.4 of the report), taking into account emerging expenditure and funding information (section 3 of the report) and the proposed approach to savings identification (paragraph 4.5 of the report). Flowing from that budget proposals are to be brought back to Cabinet for approval as part of the annual budget report.

iii)      sets a requirement to identify savings proposals that will close the revised forecast budget gap for 2022/23 of £38m by the end of the budget process.

iv)      notes the increase in the forecast budget gap of £16m profiled in 2022/23 which increase the indicative cumulative budget gap over the three-year Medium-Term Financial Strategy period from c£71m to c£87m; and sets a requirement to also bring forward proposals to close the forecast gap in 2023/24 onwards, recognising that the local government finance settlement could have a material impact on this value.

v)       agrees that any revenue growth proposals will require savings of an equivalent quantum to be identified (paragraph 5.9.2 of the report).

vi)      notes and agrees the capital investment process as set out in the report (section 6 of the report).

vii)     notes Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget Strategy (section 7 of the report).

viii)    notes the budget preparation timetable as set out in the report (section 8 of the report).

Reason for Decision and Options Considered

The Council made significant investment in service areas as part of the 2022/23 budget process but continued to face significant budget pressures in future years and uncertainty, including the continuing level of support from Central Government over the medium term. Additionally due to an increased demand for services, the long-term impact of COVID-19 alongside the current backdrop of the cost of living crisis including most notably the rising inflation and energy prices, council services continued to operate in a challenging resource environment where small demand change could lead to material budget variances.

This report was part of the Council’s budget setting and business planning process. The Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) was recommended by Cabinet in February 2021 and approved by Council on 2 March 2021. Building upon that there was the subsequent approval by Cabinet in May 2022 a re-allocation of revenue growth.

This report now sought approval of the updated MTFS assumptions for 2022/23 to 2024/25 so that officers could prepare detailed budget proposals for Member consideration as part of the annual budget-setting cycle in line with the timetable in section 8 of the report.

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

       Resolved

            That Cabinet:

i)         agrees to commit £90,000 of annual funding to continuation of the Community Champions programme.

ii)       agrees to commit £400,000 of non-recurrent funding to create a fund to support innovative proposals which focus on reducing health inequalities.

Reason for Decision and OptionsConsidered

As a core part of the Labour Manifesto and the Council Plan, there was a clear commitment to reduce inequalities.  The need for this had been highlighted and exacerbated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in the wider context explored in the findings and demands of the independent Race Equality Commission that reported in January this year.  Underlying this was also a clear need to continue to improve how the Council engaged with all its communities through long-term, ongoing conversations because this would be the way in which we could best understand, and then address, what we could do together to help people live healthy and happy lives.

During the last two years we had worked with people in the community who wanted to help respond to the crisis, and who were able to use their networks to promote messages about what everyone should do to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. We had built a different kind of relationship by looking at what we could do collaboratively, identifying barriers to accessing and making use of accurate information, and providing tailored support. In January 2022, the council received a £485,000 grant from the Department of Levelling up, Housing and Communities to deliver a Community Vaccine Champions programme that built on this approach, working with voluntary sector partners, including the EACH consortium.  We were developing a new matrix for providing community support, starting with talking to groups to understand what the council could do to help increase capacity, particularly for those smaller voluntary sector organisations who continued to work with us to promote vaccination, and with a view to expanding the work to address wider health issues.  After the funding came to an end in autumn 2022, it was proposed that £90,000 of Public Health Grant be used to continue and build on the key elements of the Community Champions programme.  Details for how this resource would be used would be developed during this year, as the programme was rolled out and evaluated, and would be co-produced with community representatives.  A large part of the resource was likely to be used to fund some workforce to lead on the programme.  This would support continuation of an approach which would help with long-term engagement with our local communities, responding to one of the demands of the Race Equality Commission to put communities at the heart of health programme design, and with a focus on supporting broader health and wellbeing.  This was particularly important for those people in the parts of the borough that were identified in the Commission’s findings as feeling left behind and under-served by health services. 

There was also an opportunity to commit £400,000 from the Public Health Grant to a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Resolved

            That Cabinet:

i)        notes the contents of the report.

ii)       notes the progress made against the Council Plan performance indicators during the year 2021/22 (April 2021 – March 2022).

iii)      thanks officers and members for all of the work they had done to reach the current position.

Reason for Decision and OptionsConsidered

The purpose of this report is to provide Cabinet with a summary of the council’s performance at the year-end 2021/22. The report also lists the indicators whose performance information will not be available this year due to the impact of the Covid19 pandemic.

Resolved

            That Cabinet

            Decisions:

i)        agrees to initiate the Southall Reset Programme priorities, actions and activities, set out in paragraph 3.13 Table 1 of the report, are progressed over the next four years to tackle the key challenges faced by Southall residents and businesses. 

ii)       agrees to set up a ‘community-led’ Southall Town Forum as integral part of helping to deliver and monitor the Southall Reset Programme and to ensure Council Plan 2022-26 priorities are fully integrated and achieved.

iii)      delegates authority to the Executive Director of Place following consultation with the Leader and Cabinet Member of Good Growth to set up the Southall Reset Programme (including the Southall Town Forum) governance and take the necessary steps to lead on the implementation with the service leads, allocate resources, and monitor the progress until 2022-26.

iv)     agrees in principle to initiate the Southall Active Travel Project on the basis of that the South Road Bridge widening project described in paragraph 3.13 of the report, is replaced by alternative transport mitigation measures, for the reasons set out in Appendix 4 of the report, including significant escalation of costs, timescales and technical challenges regarding deliverability.

v)       agrees, that officers should seek consent from the GLA that the remaining GLA funding of £9.29m earmarked for South Road Bridge widening works should instead be allocated towards developing the alternative transport mitigation measures. These measures (the Southall Active Travel Project) would comprise a range of highway and public realm improvements and enhancements that would be developed in full engagement and consultation with the Southall residents and businesses, subject to the agreement and consent of the GLA and subject to the necessary planning consents being secured.

vi)     delegates authority to the Director of Growth and Sustainability following consultation with the Director of Housing, Cabinet Member of Good Growth and Cabinet Member of Climate Action to enter into any agreements with the GLA, TfL and other stakeholders and take any other steps necessary to facilitate the implementation and delivery of the Southall Active Travel Project in line with the draft Travel in Ealing Charter to be agreed with local resident

For Noting

vii)   notes a revenue budget submission as part of the Medium-Term Financial Plan and 2023/24 budget process will be made to enable the Southall Reset Programme to be delivered and monitored until 2024-26.

viii) notes the Southall Town Briefing headline economic performance, key challenges and opportunities included at Appendix 1 of the report, that support the need for the Southall Reset Programme and recommendations.

ix)    notes the Southall Baseline Study and Southall Employment Audit included at Appendix 2 and 3 of the report, respectively.

x)      notes the Southall summary from the Shaping Ealing engagement included at section 16 of this report caried out between November 2021 to May 2022, which has informed the Southall Reset Programme priorities.

xi)     notes the conclusions of the South Road Bridge widening report included at Appendix 4 of the report, that covers the options considered, stakeholder engagement and construction challenges to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Resolved

            That Cabinet:

i)        notes and approves the proposed detailed revised 2022-23 Transport Programme funded by TfL grant, Parking Revenue Account and S106 contributions set out in Appendix A of the report.

ii)       notes and approves the proposed 2022-23 budget changes to the existing Highways capital specific scheme’s budget as detailed in Section 4 of the report, which increases the budget by £8.375M and which consists of:

a)   TfL grant funded budget                                      £4.999M

b)   Parking Revenue Account                                    £2.127M

c)   Other Capital Grants                                            £0.030M

d)   S106 funded budget                                             £1.219M

iii)     approves £1.787M increase in the revenue expenditure budget for Place Transport Planning projects in 2022-23 as detailed in Section 4 of the report, which consists of:

a)  TfL grant                                      £1.315M

b)  Fee Income from transport operators                                      £0.065M

c)   Parking Revenue Account                                     £0.402M

d)  S106 funded budget                                      £0.005M

iv)     delegates authority to the Director of Housing to take the necessary steps to implement the schemes identified in the Transport Programme (which includes those schemes funded through S106 monies) as set out in Appendix A of the report, following consultation with the Portfolio Holders for Climate Action and Healthy Lives, subject to relevant detailed design and approvals and the outcome of any statutory consultation that may be required.

v) delegates authority to the Director of Housing to approve a revised Transport Programme for 2022-23 should the level of confirmed TfL grant for the Council be lower than expected, following consultation with the Chief Finance Officer and the Portfolio Holders for Climate Action and Healthy Lives (see section 3 of the report).

vi)      authorises the Director of Housing, following consultation with the Portfolio holder for Climate Action, to authorise the Council enter into agreements with new operators to expand dockless cycles within the borough. 

Reason for Decision and OptionsConsidered

The proposed Ealing Transport Programme 2022/23 set out in Appendix A of the report, had been devised to meet the Council’s transport priorities.  The Ealing Transport Strategy and the Local Implementation Plan (LIP) 2019-22 also set out the transport strategy for Ealing Council and provided the rationale for the Council’s spending decisions.  The Council’s transport priorities were to encourage sustainable travel for social (including health), environmental (including air quality) and economic (regeneration) reasons and the Transport Strategy and LIP reflect this.

The LIP covered several of the statutory duties that the Council was required to fulfil, including improving road safety and road network management (covering asset liability), plus responsibilities such as planning, public health, equality, crime and disorder. 

The proposed Transport Programme 2022-23 also played an important role in contributing to the Ealing Climate and Ecological Emergency Strategy.  The Transport Programme would help the Council reach the net zero carbon target by 2030 by satisfying the three Travel Objectives of the Strategy:

·       Reduce number of vehicles travelling in and through Ealing,

·       Increase active travel (mode shift) and,

·       Encourage Cleaner motor vehicles

The LIP was required to be consistent with the Mayor’s Transport Strategy (MTS) together with other emerging strategic transport initiatives across London  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Resolved

            That Cabinet

i)       adopts the Ealing Indoor and Outdoor Sports Facility Strategy 2022 – 2031 (the Strategy) (Appendix A of the report) and

a) Authorises the Director of Community Development following consultation with the Portfolio Holder(s) to make any necessary minor amendments to the Strategy before publishing the final document.

b) Directs the Director of Community Development following consultation with the Portfolio Holder(s) to develop a work plan that supports the implementation of the associated action plan, included at the end of the Strategy.

ii)      notes and agrees that the Playing Pitch Strategy 2017-2031 will now be superseded by this Strategy.

iii)    authorises the Director of Community Development following consultation with the Portfolio Holder(s) to:

a) Seek and accept grants associated with the delivery of projects in the Action Plan including (but not limited to) those from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to improve park tennis courts including entering into any associated grant agreements.

b) Take to the market, the opportunity of providing Padel Tennis facilities in some of Ealing’s parks as set out in paragraph 2.9 of the report.

 c) Engage with local residents and users on a review of golf course facilities in the borough that by design will support the aims of the climate emergency and ecological strategy.

iv)        notes that suitable budget provision will be needed in order to deliver this Strategy, and therefore:

a) Directs the Director of Community Development following consultation with the Portfolio Holder(s) and the Chief Finance Officer to identify suitable financial provision to undertake a robust feasibility on the future redevelopment of Dormers Wells Leisure Centre and to explore options for the provision of outdoor swimming in the borough.

b) Directs the Chief Finance Officer following consultation with the Portfolio Holder(s) to identify funding sources and opportunities that will contribute £1.0M in match funding over the lifetime of this Strategy to be brought back to Cabinet for approval.

v)             notes the ongoing work with community, sports and nature groups to develop the plan to develop a strategy for the redevelopment of Warren Farm Sports Ground to be brought to Cabinet for future decision.

Reason for Decision and OptionsConsidered

The reason for the decision was to build on the success of the previous Strategy and ensure that the Council and external partners, adopted a new 10 year indoor and outdoor sports facility strategy for Ealing. Without an adopted strategy, the Council and external partners would lose the ability to apply to the majority of organisations for any future facility development project funding and it may well have jeopardised existing funding awards.

The Strategy covered sports facility provision across the whole borough and would provide a ten-year plan to meet both the Council and local people’s needs in relation to Ealing’s sports facilities both now and in the future and would have a positive impact on people’s participation in sport and physical activity.

The Strategy formed a key evidence base endorsed by Sport England and recommended levels of future sports facility  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

Resolved   

That Cabinet notes that the next meeting of Cabinet would be held on 14 September 2022 at 7pm.