Issue - meetings

Having considered an officer report, and presentation by the Cabinet

Member for Resources, Councillor Kevin Bonavia, and the Chair of the

Overview & Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Alan Hall, the Mayor agreed

that:

(1) note be taken that no comments were offered by the Public Accounts

Select Committee of 25 January 2017.

(2) having considered the views of those consulted on the budget, and subject

to consideration of the outcome of consultation with business ratepayers, and

subject to proper process and consultation, as required, the Mayor:

Capital Programme

(3) Council be asked to note the 2016/17 Quarter 3 Capital Programme

monitoring position and the Capital Programme potential future schemes and

resources as set out in section 5;

(4) Council be recommended to approve the 2017/18 to 2020/21 Capital

Programme of £336.6m, as set out in section 5 and at Appendices W1 and

W2;

(5) Council be recommended to write-off debt totalling £282,759.34 related to

Building Control works at the former Hatcham Temple Grove School as at

Appendix W3;

Housing Revenue Account

(6) Council be asked to note the consultation report on service charges to

tenants’ and leaseholders in the Brockley area, presented to area panel

members on 13 December 2016, as at Appendix X2;

(7) Council be asked to note the consultation report on service charges to

tenants’ and leaseholders and the Lewisham Homes budget strategy

presented to area panel members on 15 December 2016, as at Appendix X3;

(8) Council be asked to set a decrease in dwelling rents of 1.0% (an average

of £0.97 per week) – as per the requirements from government as presented

in section 6;

(9) Council be recommended to set a decrease in the hostels accommodation

charge by 1.0% (or £0.35 per week), in accordance with Government

requirements;

(10) the following average weekly increases/decreases be approved for

dwellings for:

service charges to non-Lewisham Homes managed dwellings (Brockley);

•           caretaking                 3.00% (£0.13)

•           grounds                     3.00% (£0.06)

•           communal lighting   3.00% (£0.02)

•           bulk waste collection3.00% (£0.04)

•           window cleaning     3.00% (£0.01)

•           tenants’ levy             no change

service charges to Lewisham Homes managed dwellings:

•           caretaking                 1.99% (£0.12)

•           grounds                     0.69% (£0.01)

•           window cleaning     no change

•           communal lighting   3.33% (£0.04)

•           block pest control     1.88% (£0.03)

•           waste collection       -4.17% (-£0.02)

•           heating & hot waterno change

•           tenants’ levy             no change

•           bulk waste disposal-5.00% (-£0.04)

•           sheltered housing   1.00% (£0.24)

(11)     the following average weekly percentage changes for hostels and

shared temporary units be approved for;

•           service charges (hostels) – caretaking etc.; 2.00% (£1.42)

•           energy cost increases for heat, light & power; 8.93% (£0.49)

•           water charges increase; 5.56% (£0.01)

(12) an increase in garage rents be approved by Retail Price Inflation (RPI) of

2.00% (£0.23 per week) for Brockley residents and 2.00% (£0.23 per week)

for Lewisham Homes residents;

(13) Council be asked to note that the budgeted expenditure for the Housing

Revenue Account (HRA) for 2017/18 is £159.8m which includes the capital

and new build programmes;

(14) Council be asked  ...  view the full decision text for item 563

The Budget report was presented by Councillor Kevin Bonavia who

highlighted the continuing financial pressures which the Council was facing.

He said on current projections the Council would have lost £200M from its

budget in the 2010-2020 period.

On behalf of the non executive members, Councillor Alan Hall confirmed

Scrutiny had no referral to make to the Mayor but that this disguised the fact

that a great deal of consideration had taken place on a very difficult set of

budgetary proposals.

The Mayor concluded by saying he was proposing a 5% Council Tax increase

with the greatest of reluctance as his hand was forced by governmental

instructions to add a mandatory precept for social care . He mentioned the

recent sweetheart arrangement made for Surrey County Council which if

replicated in Lewisham would add £10M to the Council’s Budget.

Having considered an officer report, and presentation by the Cabinet

Member for Resources, Councillor Kevin Bonavia, and the Chair of the

Overview & Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Alan Hall, the Mayor, for the

reasons set out in the report:

RESOLVED that:

(1) note be taken that no comments were offered by the Public Accounts

Select Committee of 25 January 2017.

(2) having considered the views of those consulted on the budget, and subject

to consideration of the outcome of consultation with business ratepayers, and

subject to proper process and consultation, as required, the Mayor:

Capital Programme

(3) Council be asked to note the 2016/17 Quarter 3 Capital Programme

monitoring position and the Capital Programme potential future schemes and

resources as set out in section 5;

(4) Council be recommended to approve the 2017/18 to 2020/21 Capital

Programme of £336.6m, as set out in section 5 and at Appendices W1 and

W2;

(5) Council be recommended to write-off debt totalling £282,759.34 related to

Building Control works at the former Hatcham Temple Grove School as at

Appendix W3;

Housing Revenue Account

(6) Council be asked to note the consultation report on service charges to

tenants’ and leaseholders in the Brockley area, presented to area panel

members on 13 December 2016, as at Appendix X2;

(7) Council be asked to note the consultation report on service charges to

tenants’ and leaseholders and the Lewisham Homes budget strategy

presented to area panel members on 15 December 2016, as at Appendix X3;

(8) Council be asked to set a decrease in dwelling rents of 1.0% (an average

of £0.97 per week) – as per the requirements from government as presented

in section 6;

(9) Council be recommended to set a decrease in the hostels accommodation

charge by 1.0% (or £0.35 per week), in accordance with Government

requirements;

(10) the following average weekly increases/decreases be approved for

dwellings for:

service charges to non-Lewisham Homes managed dwellings (Brockley);

•           caretaking                 3.00% (£0.13)

•           grounds                     3.00% (£0.06)

•           communal lighting   3.00% (£0.02)

•           bulk waste collection3.00% (£0.04)

•           window cleaning     3.00% (£0.01)

•           tenants’ levy             no change

service charges to Lewisham Homes managed dwellings:

•           caretaking                 1.99% (£0.12)

•           grounds                     0.69%  ...  view the full minutes text for item 563