Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Alexander, J Anand, Khan, Padda, Dhindsa and Kaur Dheer.

Councillor Blacker was in attendance virtually.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 19 December 2023.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 19 December 2023 be agreed as a correct record of proceedings.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 21 February 2024.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 February 2024 be agreed as a correct record of proceedings.

The Mayor updated Council on the activities of the Mayoralty, which included:

·       The Mayor and Leader attended the Ukrainian Cathedral to commemorate two years since the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

·       He had attended an event at Gunnersbury Park for Brentford Penguins, which was a football club for young people with Downs Syndrome.

·       The Mayor thanked members for donating generously to his charities.

There were no petitions from Members of the Public.

There were no petitions from Members of the Council.

There were no questions from members of the public.

Councillor Baaklini asked Councillor Knewstub:

Can the portfolio holder give us an update on progress on Gurnell Leisure Centre?

Councillor Knewstub responded:

The Council has committed to deliver a new state of the art leisure facility at Gurnell. In February 2023 Cabinet agreed the principal of bringing forward a new leisure centre. The new centre will be a hub for the community allowing people of all ages to exercise, relax and socialise. The new leisure centre will have a 50 metre pool and improved gym. I know how loved Gurnell was so we are committed to delivering a range of facilities including a climbing wall, soft play areas, meeting rooms and a new café. The latest update is that in February 2024 we approved the procurement strategy and to move to the next stage of design development. The planning application is due to be submitted imminently and a new leisure centre well on the way.

Councillor Malcolm asked Councillor Costigan:

Could the portfolio holder please outline how much the total changes were, made in 2023 to Southall Square? And how much of that money came from Ealing Council?

Councillor Costigan responded:

80% of the costs of the Southall Square project were covered by the Mayor of London’s Build Back Greener fund. 20% of it was covered by the UK government’s Shared Prosperity fund so overall 100% of the cost came in from external funding. Which shows how great the council is on maximising inward investment from external sources for green investments.

Councillor Conti asked Councillor Manro:

How will CIL be “sliced” and by what measure will it be awarded to Ealing's seven Town Forums?

Councillor Manro responded:

We are currently consulting on the draft Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging schedule with consultation ending on 10 April. This is the first step in introducing CIL which will ensure infrastructure is delivered in our communities. We were very clear in our manifesto that we were aiming to raise £12 million in CIL money in order to set aside £2 million of this for Town Forums. Through producing our Infrastructure Development Plan we know what infrastructure projects are needed where. In the meantime we continue to engage with our residents to understand what their priorities are, ready for when CIL is introduced and we can use the funds from this developer tax to deliver the infrastructure they need.

Councillor Hamidi asked Councillor Mahfouz:

Could the portfolio holder provide an update on what the council is doing to support homeless households and rough sleepers in Ealing?

Councillor Mahfouz responded:

Just like other local authorities across London and the UK Ealing continues to do its best to support residents faced with homelessness or who are sleeping rough. We are one of the best performing boroughs in London and the country in preventing homelessness from occurring in the first place. Of the 2,600 homelessness applications we have received in the last 12 months the team have prevented over half of them through early intervention. At  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Councillor Donnelly moved, and Councillor Mason seconded, the Budget Strategy.

Councillor Busuttil moved and Councillor Malcolm seconded an amendment.

Councillors Mahfouz, Costigan, Rai, Young, Knewstub, Haili, Mason, Ball, Kelly, Nagpal, Hashani, Gallant, Johnson, D Crawford, Rice, Kumar, Wesson, K Crawford, Quansah, Conti and Manro responded to the motion and amendment. Councillor Busuttil summed up the amendment and Councillor Donnelly summed up the motion.

A vote was taken on the amendment and it fell.

A recorded vote was undertaken on the motion and it was

RESOLVED: That Council

Revenue Budget 2024/25 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2024/25 to 2027/28:

1.       Considered and approved the Revenue Budget for 2024/25 as summarised in Appendix 1 (Revised).

2.       Considered the advice of the Strategic Director, Resources on the levels of reserves and robustness of estimates in setting the budget as required by Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 (Appendix 0, Section 17).

3.       Noted the financial risks and pressures set out in the report (Appendix 0, Section 11 and Section 21).

4.       Approved the Parking Account 2024/25 (Appendix 0, Section 12 and Appendix 5).

5.       Approved the draft Schools budget of £335.412m and agrees that any changes to the budget reasonably required as a result of the final 2024/25 DSG settlement are delegated to the Strategic Director, Children’s Services following consultation with the Strategic Director, Resources (Appendix 0, Section 13).

6.       Approved the Strategic Director, Resources may agree appropriate actions to comply with DSG guidance, including agreeing the appropriate Deficit Recovery plan for DSG (Appendix 0, Section 13).

Capital Programme 2024/25 – 2027/28

7.       Approved General Fund capital programme additions totalling £151.601m, £1.962m of budgets to be decommissioned and budget re-profiling (Appendix 0, paragraphs 15.7 & 15.8 and Appendix 6).

8.       Approved the updated profile of the current Capital Programme, as set out in Appendix 0, Section 15 and Appendix 7.

Capital Strategy, Treasury Management and Pension Fund

9.       Approved the Treasury Management Strategy including the associated Prudential Indicators and Annual Investment Strategy (Appendix 0, Section 16 and Appendix 9).

10.   Approved the Treasury Management Policy Statement (Appendix 9).

11.   Noted the Strategic Director, Resources will implement the Treasury Management Strategy under existing officer delegated powers (Appendix 9).

12.   Approved the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) policy (Appendix 9).

13.   Noted that the council manages cash on behalf of the Pension Fund and West London Waste Authority in accordance with the Treasury Management Strategy (Appendix 9).

14.   Approved the Capital Strategy (Appendix 8).

Council Tax and Business Rates

15.   Approved the officer recommendation of an increase of 2% for the social care precept and an increase of 2.99% for council tax in 2024/25 (Appendix 0, paragraph 8.7).

16.   Noted the proposed Greater London Authority (GLA) Band D precept of £471.40 for 2024/25 (Appendix 0, paragraph 8.3).

17.   Noted that the Strategic Director, Resources calculated under delegated authority on 11 January 2024 the amount of 123,109.5 as the council tax base, being the number of properties in Bands A-H in the borough, expressed as an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

RESOLVED: That Council

1.     Approved the attached Pay Policy Statement (appendix 1) and noted the supporting appendices 2, 3, 4 and 5.

2.     Approved a policy, for 2024-25, to pay the rLW formerly known as the LLW rate or above to direct employees (whether permanent or fixed term) and to ensure agency workers are paid the rLW. The rLW will be paid for the time periods during which employees are carrying out what might be described as (for example) the normal duties of the post. 2 However, it will not be paid for the time periods on which employees are on a standby shift, or a sleep-in shift, and not carrying out the normal duties of the post.

3.     Noted and agreed that decisions on pay grade bands for chief officers will be determined by Chief Officer Panel, in accordance with their existing terms of reference;

4.     Commended to Governing Bodies of Schools that they consider paying the rLW rate to schools-based employees (whether permanent or fixed term) and to agency workers working in Schools.

Resolved: That Council

1.     Noted and had regard to the report and recommendations of the London Councils’ independent panel, ‘The Remuneration of Councillors in London 2023’.

2.     Approved the proposed Ealing Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2024/25, as set out in Appendix 1 to this report.

There were no motions not for debate.

There were no urgent key decisions exempted from call-in since the last meeting.

There were no urgent key decisions exempted from call-in.

There were no appointments to Committees and other bodies.