Agenda item

OSBP Call-in - Recommissioning of Building Based Day Services for Older

Adults

Having considered the original officer report and attached decisions, and

presentations by Councillors Muldoon, Campbell and Howard and Mr Arthur

Torrington and then a response by the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Chris Best,

the Mayor and Cabinet agreed that the decisions taken on October 30 be

confirmed.

Having considered an officer report, and a presentation by the Chair of

Sustainable Development Select Committee, Councillor Liam Curran the

Mayor and Cabinet agreed that the Committee’s comments as set out be

noted and the Executive Director for Housing, Regeneration and Environment

be asked to provide a response.

Comments of the Sustainable Development Select Committee on

protecting Lewisham’s pubs

Having considered an officer report, and a presentation by the Chair of

Sustainable Development Select Committee, Councillor Liam Curran the

Mayor and Cabinet agreed that the Committee’s comments as set out be

noted and the Executive Director for Housing, Regeneration and Environment

be asked to provide a response.

Comments of the Safer Stronger Communities Select Committee on Food Poverty

Having considered an officer report, and a presentation by the Chair of Safer

Stronger Communities Select Committee, Councillor Juliet Campbell the

Mayor and Cabinet agreed that the Committee’s comments as set out be

noted and the Executive Director for Community Services be asked to provide

a response.

OSBP Call-in - Recommissioning of Building Based Day Services for Older

Adults

The call-in agreed by the Overview & Scrutiny Business Panel was jointly presented by Councillors Juliet Campbell and Johm Muldoon.

Councillor Muldoon began by clarifying procedural and protocol issues which

demonstrated that subsequent to the withdrawal of the Day Services item at

the October 10 Mayor & Cabinet meeting it had been lawfully relisted for the

November 20 meeting. Subsequently however it had appeared for

determination at the October 30 meeting under the terms of an applicable

urgency procedure which obviated the usual requirement of 28 days notice in

the Key Decision Plan. Councillor Muldoon concluded that it was important for

the effective exercise of the Scrutiny function to rely upon the Key Decision

Plan and he asked that the decision should be deferred for a short time.

Councillor Campbell spoke about the importance of the Calabash Centre in

reducing inequalities and she urged wider consultation with the Afro-

Caribbean community in Lewisham. She recognised the Budget constraints

 within which the Council operated but concluded that such was the

importance of the Centre to the Afro-Caribbean community that any dilution

should be avoided pending a wider consultation to agree a way forward.

The Mayor exercised his discretion to allow two further speakers to speak in

support of the call-in.

Firstly, Councillor Coral Howard recalled that she had already spoken at

Mayor & Cabinet and at Business Panel but now wished to enter a plea for a

wider perspective to be taken given the seemingly inexorable growth of the

BAME population in Lewisham which she predicted would be the majority

population by 2028. She asked that given the financial imperatives behind the

proposals it would be prudent to wait until after the forthcoming General

election when more funds might be available.

Secondly, Mr Arthur Torrington outlined the historic links of the Afro-

Caribbean community to Britain which stretched back to 1609 and had

continued until the present day with the Windrush generation. He concluded

that a dedicated centre to the Afro-Caribbean community was a vital

necessity.

The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Chris Best, responded to the call-in. She

pointed out the majority of the users of the Calabash Centre would still be

BAME residents and that the ttwo centres which were being discontinued had

BAME users. She confirmed there was no threat to any existing users of the

Calabash Centre and that the revised EIA fully complied with the legal

framework and that all required consultation had taken place. She asked the

Cabinet to reconfirm its original decisions.

The Mayor thanked everyone who had made a contribution to the debate. He

noted the agreed call-in text did not ask Cabinet to change its decision but

rather asked for more time so that Scrutiny could examine additional

submissions. After careful consideration the Mayor had concluded it was not

in the interests of anyone for the uncertainty surrounding the day care service

to continue any longer than absolutely necessary. The Mayor pointed out the

unrelenting background of austerity in which the council was forced to operate

and that it was not sustainable to fund 23 unused day care places every day.

Centralising services in the Calabash Centre would improve the quality of

care without impacting on any existing services. The Mayor recognised the

deeply held feelings which had been expressed but stressed that the Council

wished to retain the history and its ongoing commitment to the Afro-Caribbean

community. He called for the continuation of honest dialogue and engagement

with the Afro-Caribbean community. He proposed that a Service Users Group

be created at the Calabash Centre and added that the Government had to be

pressed to support culturally specific services.

Having considered the original officer report and attached decisions, and

presentations by Councillors Muldoon, Campbell and Howard and Mr Arthur

Torrington and then a response by the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Chris Best,

the Mayor and Cabinet by a vote of 8-0:

RESOLVED that the decisions taken on October 30 be confirmed.

Comments of the Sustainable Development Select Committee on

protecting Lewisham’s pubs

Councillor Curran presented the report and reaffirmed the Select Committee’s ongoing commitment to supporting local pubs. He advised that a strong policy in the emergent Local Plan was required to maintain that commitment and that if necessary the policy should be defended at an Examination in Public before a Planning Inspector.

Having considered an officer report, and a presentation by the Chair of

Sustainable Development Select Committee, Councillor Liam Curran the

Mayor and Cabinet:

RESOLVED that the Committee’s comments as set out be noted and the

Executive Director for Housing, Regeneration and Environment be asked to

provide a response.

Comments of the Safer Stronger Communities Select Committee on Food Poverty

Councillor Campbell presented the report and explained it had arisen

following the Select Committee’s consideration of a public health report on

food banks.

Having considered an officer report, and a presentation by the Chair of Safer

Stronger Communities Select Committee, Councillor Juliet Campbell the

Mayor and Cabinet:

RESOLVED that the Committee’s comments as set out be noted and the

Executive Director for Community Services be asked to provide a response.