Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies were received from Cllr K Nagpal.

In accordance with paragraph 2.6(a) of the Council’s Constitution, the following speakers addressed the Cabinet with regard to the following items:

Agenda item 7 – Council Plan Performance Report Quarter 3 2023/24

·       Cllr Malcolm

·       Cllr Gallant

Agenda item 8 – Reclaim and Repurpose - Ealing Transport and Highways Programme 2024-25

·       Cllr Malcolm

·       Cllr Gallant

Agenda item 9 – Male Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan

·       Cllr Gallant

The 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.

There were none.

Items 11 contained a confidential appendix but was not taken in private as it was not necessary to discuss the confidential information provided.

There were none.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 6 March 2024.

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday 6 March 2024 be agreed and signed as a true and correct record.

To appoint Peter George, Strategic Director for Economy & Sustainability, as the Shareholder Representative for Broadway Living Ltd.

RESOLVED:

That Peter George, Strategic Director for Economy & Sustainability, be appointed as the Shareholder Representative for Broadway Living Ltd.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

      I.          Noted key performance highlights against the 2023/24 council plan delivery plan.

     II.          Noted progress on the council plan numeric targets.

   III.          Noted progress against the corporate health check indicators at Q3 2023/24.

REASON FOR DECISION AND OPTIONS CONSIDERED:

Performance management was an essential part of a high performing organisation and therefore not providing a performance report was discounted as an option. The report presented progress on the delivery of the council plan 2022-26, with specific reference to Q3 performance against the 2023/24 delivery plan.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

     I.        Noted the new approach to prioritising investment in transport and highways measures and the funding summary amounting to £28.339m in Table 5.

    II.        Approved the allocation of a total of £4.925m TfL and HS2 funding (TfL £2.879m capital and £0.728m revenue; HS2 £1.318m capital) for the Transport and Highways Programme in 2024-25 as outlined in 5.1, Table 1 and Appendix A.

  III.        Approved the allocation of £0.582m DfT Funded Pothole Scheme Programme in 2023-25 as outlined in 5.1, Table 1 and Appendix B.

  IV.        Noted proposed S106 funding of £4.220m subject to the wider approval of S106 allocations for 2024-25 as outlined in 5.1, Table 4 and Appendix D.

   V.        Noted the allocation of £6.250m for the Highways Improvement Programme in 2024- 25 previously included in the approved capital programme as outlined in 5.1, Table 2 and the proposed schemes in Appendix B.

  VI.        Noted the allocation of £1.235m for the Free-range Urban Neighbourhood (FUN) pilot schemes as outlined in 5.1, Table 3 and Appendix C.

VII.        Delegated authority to the Strategic Director of Housing and Environment, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Climate Action, to implement Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) in identified areas, subject to consideration of the outcome of public and statutory consultation.

VIII.        Delegated authority to the Strategic Director of Housing and Environment to revise the Transport and Highways Programme for 2024-25 should the level of confirmed TfL grant for the council be higher or lower than expected, following consultation with the Strategic Director, Resources and the Portfolio Holders for Climate Action and Healthy Lives.

  IX.        Delegated authority to the Strategic Director of Housing and Environment to take the necessary steps to implement the schemes identified in the Transport and Highways Programme (which includes those schemes funded through S106 monies) and the Highways Improvement Capital Programme as set out in Appendices A, B, C and D following consultation with the Portfolio Holders for Climate Action and Healthy Lives, subject to detailed design within the approved budgets, and the outcome of any public or statutory consultation as outlined in the Travel in Ealing Charter.

REASON FOR DECISION AND OPTIONS CONSIDERED:

1.    The Council was currently developing a bold and ambitious Transport Strategy to replace the strategy that covered the period from 2019 to 2022. A great deal had happened since that previous strategy was published. In particular, it was now clear that there was not just a pressing need to enable people and goods to travel in ways that minimise a range of harms (including greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, road danger, traffic congestion, public health and social isolation), but also a need to enable our residents, businesses and other stakeholders to participate more effectively in shaping the strategies and actions that will deliver the necessary change.

2.    The Travel in Ealing (TIE) Charter, developed through extensive engagement and launched in August 2022, set out an approach to developing the full range of transport initiatives through engagement processes that are open, transparent and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

      I.          Approved the implementation of the council’s Male Violence Against Women and Girls (MVAWG) Action Plan 2024-2027.

     II.          Noted the priority areas highlighted within the council’s MVAWG Action Plan (2024-2027) agreed in February 2023 in the context of the council’s VAWG Strategy and the data analysis of national and local crime data and qualitative feedback received through the council’s Safer Ealing For Women listening exercises on which this was developed.

REASON FOR DECISION AND OPTIONS CONSIDERED:

1.     Ealing Council and the Safer Ealing Partnership are committed to making the borough a safer place to live, work and visit for everybody. A key pillar of this commitment is recognising and responding effectively to violence against women and girls.

2.     The UN defines Violence Against Women and Girls as ‘Any act of gender-based violence that is directed at a woman because she is a woman; or Acts of violence that are suffered disproportionately by women. This includes physical, sexual, and psychological/emotional violence, economic abuse, and sexual exploitation.’ Violence against women and girls can take place at home, at work, or in public places.

3.     Male violence against women and girls is a health and human rights issue, cutting across all areas of work in the council’s MVAWG Strategy and has links with a number local strategies, including our approach to health and wellbeing, education, Prevent and community safety. The council’s MVAWG Strategy is informed by the government’s Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy and by the Mayor of London’s Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy, the work of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Domestic Abuse Act (2021).

4.     The action plan sets out a strong commitment to tackling MVAWG issues, setting out an ambitious approach to making the borough a safer place for women and girls. The action plan commits to ‘tough action to prevent violence against women and girls, end female genital mutilation (FGM), and extend support through the Women’s Wellness Zone network established in the borough.’ The action plan also sets out that Ealing is ‘committed to enforcing our public space protection order at Mattock Lane, ensuring women have access to family planning free from intimidation, and highlights our commitment to invest more than £1m in making public spaces safer and well lit’.

5.     The council’s Male Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy was refreshed in 2023. The refreshed strategy reflected the developed knowledge by professionals working with victims and survivors as well as with perpetrators. It also incorporated developments in the insight and understanding of the issues among the broader public and our residents and was underpinned by the feedback from over 2,800 women and girls who took part in the council’s listening exercise, A Safer Ealing For Women (SEfW) in 2022.

6.     The strategy incorporated misogyny and behaviours and offences that were not explicitly identified in the council’s previous strategy, such as stalking and the challenge posed by perpetrators and repeat perpetrators. There was also a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

      I.          Authorised the Strategic Director of Economy & Sustainability, following consultation with the Strategic Director of Resources, the Director of Legal & Democratic Services and the Portfolio Holder for Thriving Communities, to commence a collaborative procurement of the Council’s Tri-Borough leisure contract with the London Boroughs of Brent and Harrow with an approximate annual value of £1m across the three authorities which is payable to the councils from the operator in the form of a management fee.

     II.          Authorised the Strategic Director of Economy & Sustainability, following consultation with the Strategic Director of Resources, the Director of Legal & Democratic Services and the Portfolio Holder for Thriving Communities, to finalise the services, the contract terms and facilities within the scope of the procurement of the council’s Tri-Borough leisure contract.

   III.          Authorised the Strategic Director of Economy & Sustainability, following consultation with the Strategic Director of Resources, the Director of Legal & Democratic Services and the Portfolio Holder for Thriving Communities to agree formal collaborative governance arrangements between the three boroughs to manage the procurement and the contractual arrangements for the leisure services and enter into an inter authority agreement.

  IV.          Noted that the Contract Procedure Rules adopted by Harrow as the Lead Authority for procurement will apply to the collective procurement.

    V.          Noted that Harrow had commissioned FMG on behalf of the three councils to assist the councils with the procurement of a new tri-borough leisure management contract.

  VI.          Noted that a report would be brought back to Cabinet for a decision to award the contract in due course.

REASON FOR DECISION AND OPTIONS CONSIDERED:

1.     The Brent, Ealing and Harrow Strategic Cultural Partnership was established in 2012 for the purposes of procuring a joint leisure management contract. The 10- year contract was signed with Everyone Active (SLM Ltd) (EA) to operate leisure facilities for the three respective councils commencing on the 1st September 2013 and running until the 31st August 2023.

2.     The contract with EA resulted in projected savings of c.£30m for the three boroughs compared with previous arrangements.

3.     The current contract was extended for up to 2 years from the 1st September 2023 to 31st August 2025 to facilitate a sector recovery from the pandemic.

4.     Each council was now considering its strategic approach and options for future delivery of its leisure services. A new management contract (or alternative management arrangement) will need to be in place by 1st September 2025.

5.     The Sport, Leisure and Culture Consultancy (SLC), a specialist public leisure sector consultancy was commissioned by the Brent, Ealing and Harrow Strategic Cultural Partnership to independently support and provide a review of the future service delivery options and support in shaping and refining an emerging optimal approach. SLC has completed a focused scoping exercise to identify the current state of readiness, gaps in key data, insight and key future workstreams required to support the Tri-Borough partnership in developing an approach and associated work programme including:

• Strategic Clarity / Future Direction of Leisure Services

• Facility Condition  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

The following Urgent Individual Cabinet Member Decision was taken on Wednesday 27 March 2024.

Approval of one year lease for temporary accommodation

Urgent, pursuant to the following procedures:

·       Rule 16 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules (impractical to comply with Forward Plan requirements)

·       Rule 5 of appendix to the Access to Information Procedure Rules (urgent ICMD)

·       Rule 16 of the Scrutiny Procedure Rules (special urgency and exemption from call-in)

The reason for urgency was that by reason of the current housing crisis, the council was spending huge sums of money accommodating homeless families and individuals in emergency accommodation. The report proposal represented an opportunity to provide 72 units of dedicated hotel accommodation at a fixed rate. The council needed to move quickly to secure this rare opportunity.

The reason for lateness was that this opportunity had only become available very recently; officers were bringing it forward for decision as soon as possible after becoming aware of it.

Cabinet NOTED the Urgent Individual Cabinet Member Decision that was taken by Cllr Mahfouz, Cabinet Member for Safe and Genuinely Affordable Homes, on Wednesday 27 March 2024: Approval of one year lease for temporary accommodation.

The next Cabinet meeting is scheduled for Thursday 16 May 2024.

It was confirmed that the next Cabinet meeting was scheduled for Thursday 16 May 2024.