Issue - meetings

The Council unanimously approved the recommendations shown below in respect of the 2020/21 Budget.

1.1          That, having considered the views of those consulted on the budget and subject to proper process, as required, Council:

Capital Programme

1.2          notes the 2019/20 Quarter 3 Capital Programme monitoring position and the Capital Programme potential future schemes and resources as set out in section 5 of this report;

1.3          notes the significant proposed rise in prudential borrowing of more than £300m by 2022/23, primarily to fund the Building for Lewisham programme capital plans;

1.4          approves the 2020/21 to 2022/23 Capital Programme of £559.5m,  as set out in section 5 of this report and attached at Appendices W1 and W2;

Housing Revenue Account

1.5          notes the consultation report on service charges to tenants’ and leaseholders in the Brockley area, presented to area panel members on 12 November 2019, as attached at Appendix X2;

1.6          notes the consultation report on service charges to tenants’ and leaseholders and the Lewisham Homes budget strategy presented to area panel members on 17 December 2019 as attached at Appendix X3;

1.7          sets an increase in dwelling rents of 2.7% (an average of £2.56 per week) – as per the formula rent calculations outlined in section 6 of this report;

1.8          sets an increase in the hostels accommodation charge by 2.7% (or £0.94 per week), in accordance with formula rent calculations;

1.9          endorses the Mayor’s approval of the following average weekly increases/decreases for dwellings for:

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

·         caretaking                     3.40%              (£0.13)

·         grounds                         3.40%              (£0.11)

·         communal lighting         3.40%              (£0.02)

·         bulk waste collection     3.40%              (£0.05)

·         window cleaning           3.40%              (£0.00)

·         tenants’ levy                  0%                   (£0.00)

1.9.2      service charges to Lewisham Homes managed dwellings:

·             caretaking                   5.58%              (£0.33)

·             grounds                       3.80%              (£0.09)

·             window cleaning         0%                   (£0.00)

·             communal lighting       -3.94%             -(£0.05)

·             block pest control        7.93%              (£0.13)

·             waste collection          -42.04%           -(£0.22)

·             heating & hot water     -0.39%             -(£0.04)

·             tenants’ levy                0%                   (£0.00)

·             bulk waste disposal     1.35%              (£0.01)

·             sheltered housing        1.00%              (£0.24)

1.10       endorses the Mayor’s approval of the following average weekly percentage changes for hostels and shared temporary units for;

·         service charges (hostels) – caretaking etc.; no change

·         energy cost increases for heat, light & power; no change

·         water charges increase; no change

1.11       endorses the Mayor’s approval of an increase in garage rents by 2.4% (£0.38 per week) for Brockley and Lewisham Homes residents;

1.12       notes that the budgeted expenditure for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for 2020/21 is £225.8m, split £89.4m revenue and £136.4m capital, which includes the decent homes and new build programmes;

1.13       agrees the HRA budget strategy cut proposals in order to achieve a balanced budget in 2020/21, as attached at Appendix X1;

1.14       notes that the Mayor agreed to write off five cases of Former Tenants’ Arrears as set out in section 6 and Appendix X7, totalling £60,307.22;

Dedicated Schools Grant and Pupil Premium

1.15       agrees, subject to final confirmation of the allocation, that the provisional Dedicated Schools Grant allocation of £ 212.135m be the Schools’ Budget (Schools Block)  ...  view the full decision text for item 64

The Budget proposals were introduced by the Mayor who once again was

forced to conclude that this was not the budget he would have liked to have

offered but was the least harmful cuts option. He predicted that subsequent

years would be faced with more difficult decisions especially given the need to

prune £40million from budgets over the next three years. He paid particular

thanks to Councillor De Ryk and to the Acting Chief Finance Officer for their

help throughout the budget setting process.

The Mayor confirmed that he was proposing a Council Tax rise of 2% and that

a balanced budget would be achieved.

The Mayor further confirmed that he did not intend to vary the budget

proposals he had already fully set out at Mayor and Cabinet on February 5

and 12 and which did not require further amendment.

A motion that the proposals be accepted was moved by the Cabinet

Member for Resources, Councillor Amanda De Ryk and seconded by the

Chair of the Public Accounts Select Committee, Councillor Jim Mallory.

During the debate on the budget the 5 minute limit on speeches for the Mayor

and Councillors De Ryk and Mallory was suspended.

Once the debate, to which Councillor Smith also contributed, was concluded,

there was, in accordance with statutory provisions, a recorded vote on the

Mayor’s proposed Budget. The result of the vote was as follows:

49 Votes In favour of the Mayor’s Budget Proposals

Councillor Obajimi Adefiranye

Councillor Tauseef Anwar

Councillor Abdeslam Amrani

Councillor Paul Bell

Councillor Peter Bernhards

Councillor Chris Best

Councillor Kevin Bonavia

Councillor Andre Bourne

Councillor Juliet Campbell

Councillor Suzannah Clarke

Councillor Patrick Codd

Councillor Tom Copley

Councillor Liam Curran

Councillor Brenda Dacres

Councillor Sophie Davis

Councillor Amanda De Ryk

Councillor Joe Dromey

Mayor Damien Egan

Councillor Colin Elliott

Councillor Aisling Gallagher

Councillor Leo Gibbons

Councillor Alan Hall

Councillor Carl Handley

Councillor Octavia Holland

Councillor Sue Hordijenko

Councillor Coral Howard

Councillor Mark Ingleby

Councillor Caroline Kalu

Councillor Silvana Kelleher

Councillor Louise Krupski

Councillor Jim Mallory

Councillor Paul Maslin

Councillor Joan Millbank

Councillor Hilary Moore

Councillor John Muldoon

Councillor Olurotimi Ogunbadewa

Councillor Lionel Openshaw

Councillor Jacq Paschoud

Councillor John Paschoud

Councillor Stephen Penfold

Councillor Kim Powell

Councillor James Rathbone

Councillor Jonathan Slater

Councillor Alan Smith

Councillor Luke Sorba

Councillor Eva Stamirowski

Councillor James-J Walsh

Councillor Susan Wise

Votes Against the Mayor’s Budget Proposals nil

Abstentions nil

RESOLVED that the recommendations shown below be approved in respect of the 2020/21 Budget.

1.1          That, having considered the views of those consulted on the budget and subject to proper process, as required, Council:

Capital Programme

1.2          notes the 2019/20 Quarter 3 Capital Programme monitoring position and the Capital Programme potential future schemes and resources as set out in section 5 of this report;

1.3          notes the significant proposed rise in prudential borrowing of more than £300m by 2022/23, primarily to fund the Building for Lewisham programme capital plans;

1.4          approves the 2020/21 to 2022/23 Capital Programme of £559.5m,  as set out in section 5 of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64