Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED

that the minutes of that part of the meeting of the Mayor and Cabinet, which was open to the press and public held on January 18 2012 be confirmed and signed.

The Mayor received a report on issues which had previously been considered that awaited the responses requested from Directorates. He received an assurance from the Executive Director for Customer Services that there would be no further slippage of his items.

RESOLVED

that the report be received.

The report was presented by the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Councillor Helen Klier, and by four Young Commissioners. The Young Commissioners and the Executive Director for Children and Young People’s representative responded to questions from the Cabinet. The Cabinet Member for Community Services, Councillor Chris Best, identified a remainder of £17,885 in the £25,000 identified for Olympics related projects and received an assurance from the Executive Director for Children and Young People’s representative that work would take place with young people and the sports team in the Community Services Directorate to identify suitable projects prior to the commencement of the Olympics.

On behalf of the entire Cabinet, the Mayor thanked all the young people who had taken part in the process which he believed to have been rigorous and well run culminating in a very balanced list of proposals which he was happy to support.

RESOLVED

That

(i) the allocation of funding, as detailed in Appendix 1 be approved to enable Positive Activities for young people to be provided throughout this period;

(ii) the rejection of applications for funding, as shown in Appendix 3; and

(iii) authority be delegated to the, Executive Director for Children and Young People’s Directorate, to agree the allocation of a total surplus funding ofapproximately £66,000 over the rest of the financial year.

The report was introduced by the Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Paul Maslin who outlined the process leading to the formation of the budget with savings proposals of £4 million and he highlighted the national background and the constraints imposed by the Coalition Government.

The Executive Director for Resources representative then informed the Mayor of a number of changes required to the printed report. On page 56 he reported paragraph 3.7 was included in error and there was no new service charge for Lewisham Homes tenants for the use of CCTV. On page 127 he confirmed the information on equalities related to outdated  legislation and that current data had been circulated in a supplementary agenda. On page 337 paragraph 12.3 he stated in relation to Community Education Lewisham the phrase ‘nil equalities impact’ was erroneous and should be replaced with ‘low equalities impact’. He further reported consultation with the Black Staff Forum had led to a counter suggestion being offered to the saving shown on page 271 and that the Trade Unions had voiced total opposition to the saving shown on page 265.

The Mayor was addressed by Councillor Hall who spoke as both Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Chair of the Labour Group. He expressed sympathy for the unpalatable alternatives that faced the Mayor and he pointed out the pressures being placed on local councils by central government. He urged the Mayor to reconsider savings COM 02, COM 08b, RES02, RES04, and Appendix Y11. He queried saving CYP02 and asked for more information on the spending of the Section 17 budget. He also pointed out the pressure arising from saving COM10 which seemed to arise from NHS cuts.

The Mayor was next addressed by two local parents, Emma Timmins and Caroline Morris who spoke against the closure of Rushey Green Early Years Centre and Ladywell Early Years Centre respectively.

On behalf of the Trade Unions, John Collins of Unison addressed the Mayor. He claimed the page 346 section on the Complex Needs Review contained many misleading statements and he asked to be given details of consultation arrangements by the lead officer. He expressed reservations about the future of the three Early Years Centres and the long term employment prospects of the 78 staff who worked there. He said alternative providers were likely to be inferior and that any claims the council was merely providing a service that subsidised middle class families was wrong.

In response the Mayor began by placing on record his thanks to all the staff involved in drawing up the budget reports, particularly those from the Resources Directorate.

He continued by confirming that he required further information on the Early Years Centres proposals contained in Appendix Y11 and he asked officers to produce a bespoke report on them, containing greater detail, at an early meeting of Mayor & Cabinet.

The Mayor indicated he had carefully read the submission produced on behalf of all the Select Committees and that he had attended the debate at the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 228.

The item was introduced by the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Alan Smith who said the report concluded a process that had begun four years previously and reflected the most up to date technical and legislative impacts. He stated he believed the access to the site was not suitable for Travellers caravans.

The Deputy Mayor’s view was confirmed by the Director for Regeneration who outlined the consultation process that had been undertaken and the findings of the independent technical consultants.

Councillor Egan in his capacity as Cabinet Member for Strategy and Communication sought assurances that work would continue with the Traveller community in Lewisham to secure a suitable site. In his capacity as a Ward member he urged that work continue in conjunction with the local community to find an alternative beneficial use for the Watergate site.

The Mayor said he found the independent technical report to be very significant and that having visited the site he knew access was of critical concern. He believed recent changes in legislation allowing wider vehicles had changed a marginal access into an unsustainable one. He concurred with the advice of the Deputy Mayor and the officer recommendations and thanked everyone who had been involved with what had been a very difficult exercise. He said he wished a new site search to commence but recognised it would not be simple or straightforward. He asked officers to commence the process anew and look at all possible sites irrespective of their ownership.

RESOLVED

That

(i) the outcome of the consultation process on the selection of the site of the former Watergate School site in Church Grove as the preferred site to be developed to meet the current accommodation needs of the Gypsy and Traveller families in the borough be noted;

(ii) having considered the outcome of the consultation process, the independent Technical Report on Access and all other relevant considerations, the selection of Church Grove as the preferred site to meet the current accommodation needs of Travellers be not agreed;

(iii) officers be instructed to undertake a further site search to identify a suitable Traveller site or sites and report the options to Mayor  & Cabinet in due course.

RESOLVED

That

(i) the description of current and projected demand for primary mainstream places and their supply, and its strategic implications be noted;

(ii) subject to the results of any required further feasibility work which shows options to be affordable in the light of Lewisham’s recent capital settlement, and of consequent outline agreement with potential providers and other stakeholders, consultation should commence on the following options to increase permanently the supply of school places from September 2013:

• Expand Adamsrill Primary School from 2 to 3 forms of entry.
• Subject to agreement with the Governing Body and Southwark Diocesan Board of Education, expand St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School from 1.5 to 2 forms of entry

(iii) officers should bring a subsequent report with recommendations for his consideration to include:

• the results of feasibility studies and any consequent consultations on the proposed projects at Adamsrill Primary School and St Bartholomew’s CE Primary School
• the results of other current consultations.

(iv) Haberdashers Aske’s Hatcham College canvass of local opinion on a proposal to open 2 forms of primary entry (Hatcham Temple Grove Free School) on their Hatcham College site be noted.

RESOLVED

That

(i) the details of the bids submitted in Round 1, the funding awarded and the feedback given be noted;

(ii) the details of the bids submitted in Round 2 and the funding awarded, which is subject to confirmation of match funding and completion of a funding agreement be noted;

(iii) approval be given to accept the funding offered by the GLA for projects in Catford and Deptford (subject to confirmation of match funding); and

(iv) authority be delegated to the Executive Director for Resources and Regeneration, in consultation with the Director for Regeneration & Asset Management and Head of Law, to conclude the funding agreement with the GLA.

RESOLVED

That

(i) the CIL Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule be approved for statutory public consultation in accordance with the Statement of Community Involvement, and recommend that the Council do the same; and

(ii) authority to make any minor changes to the text and format of the documents, prior to consideration by the Council, be delegated to the Executive Director, Resources & Regeneration.

The Mayor withdrew from the meeting for this item and the Deputy Mayor chaired the discussion.

RESOLVED

That

(i) the Site Allocations Development Plan Document Proposed Submission Version and the accompanying Sustainability Appraisal be approved, for submission to the Secretary of State for the purpose of an Independent Examination and to recommend that the Council do the same; and

(ii) authority to make any minor changes to the text and format of the documents prior to consideration by the Council and prior to Submission, be delegated to the Executive Director for Resources and Regeneration.

RESOLVED

That

(i) the Lewisham Town Centre Proposed Submission AAP and the accompanying Sustainability Appraisal be approved for submission to the Secretary of State for the purpose of an Independent Examination and to recommend that the Council do the same; and

(ii) power be delegated to make any minor changes to the text and format of the documents prior to consideration by the Council and prior to Submission, to the Executive Director for Resources and Regeneration.