Decisions

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet:

1)    Note the budget monitoring position and treasury management update as at March 2024 (Month 12), noting the actions proposed by officers as outlined in Part A of this report.

2)    Approve the financial recommendations set out in Part B of the report below:

a)    Approve acceptance of £350k grant funding from National Trading Standards for costs associated with the delivery of additional enforcement work at Heathrow targeting the importation of non-compliant and unsafe vapes and e-cigarettes.

b)   Approve acceptance of Port Health Transition Fund grant of £209,161 to cover the period 1st April to 31st July 2024.

c)    Approve acceptance of the Household Support Scheme grant funding of £2,069k for the period 1st April 2024 to 30 September 2024 inclusive and the proposed scheme as set out in the statement at Annex A.

d)   Approve the acceptance of £107k grant funding from the Lawn Tennis Association Parks Tennis Renovation Grant for the renovation of the tennis courts at Moorhall Recreation Ground.

e)    Agree the request to continue existing operational arrangements with Caterplus and Powerday, whilst new contracts are agreed and formal governance approved.

f)     Note the interim consultants appointed where the value is above £50k in Annex B.

Reasons for decision

The Cabinet Member for Finance presented the Council’s 2023/24 budget outturn report. Despite an underspend of £2000, additional costs and income shortfalls of £9.9 million had been absorbed. Increased demands for social services and reduced planning fee income were also noted. Further pressures of £1.8m, including a reduced rebate from the West London Waste Authority, had been absorbed within the earmarked reserves, which stood at £8.3 million.

The Cabinet Member noted that the surplus on the collection fund had increased to £4.2 million and general balances and earmarked reserves amounted to £35.2 million. It was noted that unutilised capital receipts of £8m had also been retained. The savings programme for 2023/24 had amounted to £22.8 million, with £20.1 million delivered or being delivered, with the remaining savings required representing income shortfalls, with alternative options being investigated. General fund capital expenditure had showed an underspend of £64.8 million, with decisions on rephasing yet to be made. The Cabinet Member highlighted that the Council continued its dialogue with the Department for Education regarding the Dedicated Schools Grant. An updated was also given on the Housing Revenue Account, where on capital expenditure there had been an underspend against the budget of £23.3 million.

Additional recommendations were moved by the Cabinet Member, and agreed by Cabinet, relating to the acceptance of grants, extending two contractual arrangements and noting the use of consultants.

The Leader of the Council thanked Councillor Goddard and the finance team for their work and noted the pressures on Hillingdon Council, which were no different to any other local authority. The Leader stated that the Council was not expecting a bailout and was reviewing their structures and costs to drive out additional savings.

Alternative options considered and rejected

None.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet agrees the Draft Youth Justice Service Strategy 2024-2029 for public consultation as a policy framework document.

Reasons for decision

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Education introduced the draft Youth Justice Strategy 2024-2029 policy framework document for consultation. The report sought approval to commence a six-week formal public consultation from 1 July 2024, including feedback from the select committee. The Cabinet Member noted that the proposed draft Strategy built on the success of youth justice services and set out a clear vision for service delivery to residents. It outlined the key priorities for the next five years to continue being responsive and meet challenging demands and requirements.

The Cabinet Member cited the vision in the draft Strategy and the five priorities set out: prevention and early intervention, addressing overrepresentation and disproportionality, child-centered practice, reducing reoffending, and providing victims with restorative justice, which the Cabinet Member noted gave victims a voice and an active role in the justice process.

Alternative options considered and rejected

None, as this was a statutory requirement.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet:

1)    Agree the updated Corporate Complaints Policy as set out in Appendix A.

2)    Request Full Council considers updating the Terms of Reference of the Corporate Resources & Infrastructure Select Committee to formally recognise it as the “Member Responsible for Complaints” as per the Ombudsman’s updated Codes.

Reasons for decision

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services introduced a report to update the Council’s complaints policy, driven by changes in guidance issued by the Local Government Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman Service. The Cabinet Member explained that the updates reduced the number of formal complaint stages from three to two, making the process more efficient. It also clarified that informal complaints should be treated as service requests. These amendments, amongst others, were agreed to be incorporated into the revised policy, enabling the Council to operate more efficiently and address complaints requiring further investigation.

Alternative options considered and rejected

None.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet considers the consultation responses and approves the adoption of the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.

Reasons for decision

In the absence of the Cabinet Member, the Leader of the Council introduced the report on the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy. The strategy, a legal requirement under the Flood and Water Management Act 2000, had been subject to consultation from 22 January 2024 to 24 March. Feedback from the consultation was incorporated into the proposed strategy. The Leader noted that the strategy was intended to be a living document, hosted on the website and broken down into accessible chapters for public reference. It was further noted by the Leader that comments continue to be received from residents, with approximately 30,000 properties in the Borough currently at risk of flooding.

Alternative options considered and rejected

None, as a statutory requirement.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet welcomes the insights, findings and conclusions of the Committee and notes this review was highlighted in the Select Committee annual scrutiny report. The Cabinet asks Officers, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, to:

1.    Explore the integration of digital devices in libraries, providing users with language preferences for live consultations.

2.    Provide quick survey options during detailed consultations for users who prefer faster responses.

3.    Consider adding a dedicated section within 'My Account' for live consultation documents to enhance user participation.

4.    Foster collaboration with the Youth Council to ensure relevant involvement in consultations, encouraging feedback from the youth demographic.

5.    Consider ways to increase engagement on social media platforms, like Facebook, such as addressing comments about consultations and guiding users to relevant consultations.

6.    Facilitate easier interaction for Councillors by providing shareable links to consultations within their wards or wider related issues.

7.    Establish a 'You said, we did' approach to provide feedback on decisions made and actions taken based on received feedback.

8.    Approve using post-meeting links to Council surveys and consultations on relevant council meeting YouTube broadcasts to further promote them.

9.    Consider introducing an annual evaluation across consultations looking at their effectiveness in achieving geographical and demographical parity to set measurable objectives for improvement.

Reasons for decision

Following a request from the Full Council to review the Council’s consultation arrangements, the former Finance & Corporate Services Select Committee undertook a review and made some practical recommendations to aid the way consultations were devised going forward to increase resident and community interest and take-up.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services expressed gratitude to the Select Committee for their work on the report. The Cabinet Member acknowledged the importance of consultation as part of local government activities, with the challenge being to ensure feedback was obtained from a broad and diverse range of community members, not just those who were particularly informed and vocal. The need to integrate this work more into the organisation’s culture was highlighted, with the aim of gaining more benefits from it. The recent consultation regarding the Uxbridge library was cited as a successful example, as it yielded practical and sensible ideas that were not initially considered but were now being incorporated. The Cabinet Member noted that this would result in significant improvements to the facility, cost reductions, and the continued provision of this important service.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Cabinet could have chosen to not approve or amend the recommendations.