Agenda item

Having considered an officer report, a written submission from UNISON, and

presentations by the Chair of Overview & Scrutiny, Councillor Alan Hall and

the Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Kevin Bonavia, the Mayor

agreed that:

(i) the reassurances given to the Mayor regarding the restructuring of

Enforcement and Regulatory services be accepted; and

(ii) the proposal for restructuring Enforcement and Regulatory services,

Saving H1, as appended be approved.

The Mayor was addressed by Councillor Alan Hall who introduced the written

representation on the savings package agreed by the Overview and Scrutiny

Business Panel the previous evening.

Councillor Hall referred to the following specific savings:

N1 Parks, Highways and Management Costs – on behalf of the Business

Panel he welcomed the additional review on the non-management elements

so an assessment could be made as to how this would work in practice.

O1 Discretionary Freedom Pass – the Business Panel fully supported the

decision not to proceed with this saving.

A6 Breast Feeding Cafes – the Business Panel sought clarification regarding

the impact of this saving.

L4 Broadway Theatre – the Business Panel raised the following concerns:

(i) the need to investigate alternative funding.

(ii) provision of options for management functions and service provisions that

are not too risk averse, and could yield better gains.

(iii) a robust marketing strategy should be put in place.

(iv) had the BME impact been fully considered.

(v) consideration of the creation of a member led working group to investigate

all options for the future of the Broadway Theatre.

(vi) the Deputy Mayor and relevant officers be asked to explain the status of

the Catford Regeneration scheme.

(vii) a clear and comprehensive report be provided for Business Panel and the

relevant Select Committees on the Catford Regeneration Scheme.

In response the Mayor indicated:

A6 Breast Feeding Cafes – The Executive Director for Children & Young

People indicated UNICEF accreditation would still be achieved for the whole

borough. Councillor Best added she would be meeting the Director of Public

Health the next day to confirm.

L4 Broadway Theatre

(i) the Mayor said he could accept the recommendation but until such time as

alternative funding was secured, the saving would be taken and a reduced

programme would have to be offered.

(ii) & (iii) the Mayor believed these recommendations could be brought

together in the formulation of any robust marketing strategy.

(iv) the Mayor stated this had been fully considered but would be kept under

ongoing review.

(v) the Mayor said he believed a member group could be of some value and

he would consider the best way to progress the suggestion, as long as any

group created began with a complete briefing encompassing the long history

of the theatre.

(vi) the Mayor received advice from the Deputy Mayor who said TfL were to

make a presentation to officers within a few days on a Masterplan for the

area.

(vii) the Mayor said the update from the Deputy Mayor would make it possible

to prepare a briefing in the near future.

The Mayor next considered details of saving H1 in a supplementary agenda

and a representation submitted by Unison. He sought advice from the Cabinet

Member for Resources, Councillor Kevin Bonavia, and from the Executive

Director for Community Services representative. They confirmed the Unison

concerns about a possible inability to deliver various statutory requirements

were fully addressed in the report. Councillor Rachel Onikosi raised concerns

voiced to her by colleagues over a Food Standards Agency report which rated

Lewisham as one of the worst performers in the country. The Executive

Director for Resources and Regeneration responded by indicating additional

resources had been deployed to reduce a backlog.

The Mayor said he was convinced by the additional report but that very

careful monitoring would be required. He said a complex restructuring

exercise had been carried out and he expected fine tuning might be

necessary in the future.

Having considered an officer report, a written submission from UNISON, and

presentations by the Chair of Overview & Scrutiny, Councillor Alan Hall and

the Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Kevin Bonavia, the Mayor for

the reasons set out in the report:

RESOLVED that:

(i) the reassurances given to the Mayor regarding the restructuring of

Enforcement and Regulatory services be accepted; and

(ii) the proposal for restructuring Enforcement and Regulatory services,

Saving H1, as appended be approved.

The meeting closed at 6.50pm