Council
22 July 2015
Questions from Councillors
Wards: All
Report Authorised by: Strategic Director Enabling: Guy Ware
Contact for enquiries: [email protected] Wayne Chandai, Acting Democratic Services Manager, Corporate Affairs, 020 7926 0029
1. Councillor Louise Nathanson
To: Councillor Paul McGlone – Deputy Leader (Finance and Investment)
Shared Services
Following the Conservative Group's Alternative Budget, what investigation has the Council made into sharing services (excluding health) across boroughs as has happened in the rest of the country, and the savings that could be made?
Party: Conservative
Answer:
In the context of the starkest financial challenge faced by local government, the Council has been proactive in ensuring all opportunities for shared services are explored. We are committed to maximising the potential of a shared service approach with other local authorities, public sector partners and social enterprises, where doing so would help the Council achieve its priorities and where this would save money. To date we have a number of arrangements in place, with further developments in progress to ensure we continue to control costs.
Insurance Services Since 2009, Lambeth has procured its corporate property and liability insurance contracts through procurement exercises undertaken by the Insurance London Consortium (ILC) on behalf of its nine members. The consortium continues to look to secure competitive terms and conditions for all participating authorities, improved risk management and synergies across its membership.
Waste We are currently in the Western Riverside Waste Authority (WRWA) and exploring options for further joint or shared arrangements in the future when current waste collection contracts come to an end in 2021. Possible joint procurement or shared activity is already being explored for recyclables.
Employment and Skills Programme We have ‘informal’ joint working arrangements with Lewisham and Southwark Councils in place to deliver a pilot model of integrated welfare (benefits), employment and skills programmes. We also have an increasing number of bids in the pipeline for new programmes (European Funds) which require boroughs to work jointly.
Grounds Maintenance We are developing an options appraisal for a shared service on parks ground maintenance, to link with our Cooperative Parks programme.
Audit and Counter-Fraud Having formed and joined the Cross-Council Assurance Framework with five other boroughs working in partnership with PwC, we are developing the building blocks which will enable shared services for the delivery of internal audit services. The partnership is also developing an options appraisal to support a shared service business case.
Communications LamCo has a range of contracts generating income, but the main one is running the Harrow communications function. This allows for some cross-over and sharing, such as with design. The intention is to work with more authorities, but this may focus on offering advice and support more in a consultancy fashion.
Oracle Working alongside five other local authorities (soon to be six), we have jointly procured One Oracle which incorporates Financial, Human Resources, Procurement, Business Intelligence and Reporting systems including implementation, hosting and application support. We aim to use the shared Oracle system as a platform for developing shared back-office services with partner authorities
Legal Services o We share a Business Manager post with Southwark’s Legal Services, and have a reciprocal arrangement with them to undertake legal work where spare capacity exists. o We have also jointly procured a Barrister Framework which has seen a reduction of external fees to barristers. o Camden undertakes planning legal work for us which provides value for money (VFM) when compared to putting the work put out to private sector law firms. o We are currently exploring the option of establishing an alternative business structure (ABS) with another London Borough.
2. Councillor Scott Ainslie
To: Councillor Matthew Bennett - Cabinet Member for Housing
Affordable Housing and Section 106 Agreements
Lambeth Council is committed to maximising its social housing via Section 106 agreements with housing developers. Will the Council therefore prohibit Planning from making changes from "social housing" to "affordable housing" in Section 106 agreements, as has happened in Streatham Hill, at the request of housing developers?
Party: Green
Answer:
Through their negotiations with developers, planning officers always seek to maximise levels of affordable housing within new developments and to secure this via 106 agreements. However, developers are entitled to seek a review of their affordable contributions if they believe their scheme is no longer viable. If they are not satisfied with the Council’s response to such a request they can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.
Under Government rules, Local Planning Authorities have to decide whether the permitted development can provide the level of affordable housing required under the original S106 agreement or whether this should be reduced or altered in order to render the development viable. Any application from a developer seeking to reduce the level of affordable housing or alter the mix of tenure has to be accompanied by a viability assessment, which Planning officers arrange to be independently reviewed. In all cases, Lambeth Planning officers rigorously test the viability information received and negotiate to minimise any loss of provision. Planning officers work with colleagues in Housing to arrive at the best possible outcome for the Council, based on needs assessments, in terms of tenure mix and unit sizes within the constraints of viability. This may on occasion mean that affordable rather than social rented units are provided, however officers always ensure that a blended approach to rents is taken to ensure a good mix of new homes at a range of affordability levels.
In the case of the Megabowl development on Streatham Hill, the number of socially-rented units has actually increased from 30 to 37 although the number of affordable units overall has reduced from 45 units to 41. The number of three and four-bedroom socially-rented units has increased from five to eight, securing additional family sized homes, at Council rents, that are so desperately needed in Lambeth. Planning officers pushed very hard to secure this level of provision, despite the absence of £4 million grant funding that had been factored into the original viability appraisal.
3. Councillor Saleha Jaffer
To: Councillor Jenny Brathwaite - Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability
St. Leonard’s Junction on the A23
Following on from a question from a member of the public at last month's transport debate about the safety of pedestrians at the St. Leonard’s junction on the A23, can I ask what action the Cabinet Member is taking to make this junction safe for the public, especially as we sadly have seen fatalities there in the past year?
Party: Labour
Answer:
Any loss of life or life changing injury on Lambeth's highways is of course a tragedy.
Transport for London (TfL)’s position is that a balance needs to be achieved between ensuring that road traffic operates as efficiently as possible, and offering appropriately located and safe crossing facilities to pedestrians. Their view is that installing a signalised pedestrian crossing at the southern arm of the junction would disrupt this balance considerably. TfL have modelled this option and have concluded that the implementation of a pedestrian facility here would prove very challenging to operate to a reliable standard with the same level of traffic demand and may not necessarily reduce risk for vulnerable road users in overall terms – because of the length of time pedestrians would be made to wait to cross on at a green light.
However, following our requests, TfL are investigating the possibility of a pedestrian crossing facility on Streatham High Road between the Mitcham Lane and Gleneagle Road junctions. They have prepared a number of possible options which are currently being modelled to understand the implications on traffic flow. In addition, we have asked for information on pedestrian movement around the junction to ensure that any potential crossing is in the right place to meet pedestrian needs and we are still waiting for this information from Transport for London.
We will be able to look at this area as part of the Neighbourhood Enhancement Programme. This will allow us to step back from the mechanics of signalling and traffic flow. We can also look at aspirations for the area around the St Leonard’s junction as a public space, and provide the basis of a brief to progress more technical work. Links with the Regeneration and Planning departments are being made to gain their input into the planning process. Work is beginning on mapping stakeholders to ensure that all relevant parties are engaged in any process that is undertaken.
4. Councillor Ben Kind
To: Councillor Matthew Bennett - Cabinet Member for Housing
Lambeth Housing Estates – Window Cleaning
What provisions are in place for the external cleaning of windows above the ground floor on Lambeth housing estates?
Party: Labour
Answer:
All communal windows receive a periodic cleaning service. The service focuses on internal cleaning to all communal windows and an external clean to windows, frames and sills to properties up to and including the third storey of all blocks. The contractor provides details of the timetable for this periodic service each year which should be at least a quarterly clean to all blocks. I am happy to provide further information on specific estates in Councillor Kind’s ward, if that would be useful.
5. Councillor Paul Gadsby
To: Councillor Tim Briggs
Right to Buy and Council Homes
Under the Conservative Government's current plans, local authorities will be forced to sell off Council housing stock, but will only be allowed to keep a third of the proceeds to replace any council homes that are sold. Does the Leader of the Opposition agree that this plan is unfair and will leave Lambeth council tax payers short-changed?
Party: Labour
The Conservative Group approves of the goal of Right to Buy, which is to make sure that people on low incomes can own their own property. Thousands of Lambeth residents have that aspiration, and only the Conservative Group appears to understand why.
Right to Buy also achieves the goal of having a mix of people living in social housing. We want to maintain the wonderful mix of our communities. Having people from different backgrounds, and on different incomes, in different tenures and living near one another makes for cohesive communities that respect and embrace individual differences.
I would prefer that funds from any sales were not diverted out of Lambeth, and that an assessment was done as to what percentage of funds from sales should be returned to each Borough. My understanding is that the proposals are a work-in-progress and that the Mayor of London is in conversation with the Government to get the best deal possible
6. Councillor Mary Atkins
To: Councillor Matthew Bennett - Cabinet Member for Housing
Lambeth Council Residents’ Tenancy Agreements
While we are proud of Lambeth's commitment in its 2014 manifesto to build more homes for Council rent, the Tory Government's proposal to move existing Council tenants from secure tenancies to lifelong assured tenancies could seriously undermine the housing rights of residents across the Borough. Tory polices both past and present have already eroded the number of Council houses available to Lambeth's residents. Could the Cabinet Member confirm to the tenants of Cressingham Gardens and indeed all Council estates where the Council is looking to rebuild homes that they will have the existing rights of Council tenants?
Party: Labour
Answer:
The Council is committed to the manifesto ambition to deliver 1,000 new homes for Council rent, to seek to offset some of the loss of Council homes in the Borough. This will be delivered through a variety of mechanisms, including the Lambeth Estate Regeneration Programme. Where the Council is looking to rebuild estates and replace homes for Council tenants, we are committed to providing these tenants with tenancies that contain their existing rights, with one exception: there will be no Right to Buy within the new tenancies. A draft Assured Lifetime Tenancy has been prepared which will be considered by Cabinet on Monday 13th July 2015, tenants who will be affected by the Estate Regeneration Programme will be consulted on this before it is adopted.
7. Councillor Rob Hill
To: Councillor Jackie Meldrum - Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care
Future Carers Strategy
What are the Council’s plans to put in place a comprehensive Carers Strategy for the Borough in the future?
Party: Labour
Answer:
We recognise how vital carers are. In Lambeth, there are hundreds of carers holding families together, enabling loved ones to get the most out of life, and making an enormous contribution to society. We want to develop a high-level family and carers strategy which takes account of the recent changes introduced by the Care Act. This will set out the key principles and standards for supporting carers. Our strategy will require that carers’ needs and their contribution are fully integrated into all of our care related transformation programmes. The plan is to co-produce the strategy with carers over the next few months, with the aim of completing this by November 2015.
8. Councillor Vaila McClure
To: Councillor Jack Hopkins – Cabinet Member for Jobs and Growth
London Garden Bridge
Could the Cabinet Member update this Council on the current status of the Garden Bridge project and Lambeth's current position on it?
Party: Labour
Answer:
The Garden Bridge would run from the roof of Temple tube station on the North Bank of the River Thames to The Queen’s Walk by the London Studios on the South Bank. It would be 366 metres (1204 ft) long and 30 metres (98 ft) across at its widest point.
The bridge would feature plants, trees, shrubs and wildflowers. It is supported by Transport for London and based on an idea conceived by the actor Joanna Lumley and designed by Thomas Heatherwick. The Garden Bridge Trust was set up to oversee the project.
Some £60m towards the estimated £175m cost of the bridge has been pledged by the Mayor of London and the Government through HM Treasury. There will be no public money from Lambeth towards the construction or upkeep of the bridge.
Planning Lambeth is one of the two independent planning authorities who have approved the Garden Bridge proposal – the other is Westminster. We granted permission in December 2014 but this was conditional on the fulfilment of 45 specific terms. It means that the bridge can only go ahead if the Planning Committee is satisfied that the Garden Bridge Trust has complied with all these conditions.
Those conditions range from construction, provision of toilets and plans to accommodate the number of potential visitors. The Judicial Review that followed the decision led to the Mayor underwriting the maintenance of the Bridge should the business case fail. It did not query any aspect of Lambeth’s decision making and we will continue to work by those high standards.
ACV Lambeth Council has approved an application for the land at Queen’s Walk to be listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). This simply puts a six months stop on any sale when the owner of the land serves notice on the Council that they intend to dispose of the asset. This allows community groups to try to get funds together so that they can purchase the asset within that time. However, the owner cannot be forced to sell the asset and in some instances this six month period would not apply, for example where it is intended to sell the asset to a charity.
Planning decisions and ACV decisions are totally separate and are governed by different policies and laws.
‘Disposal’ of land at The Queen’s Walk
The south landing of the Bridge will occupy land we own, at The Queen’s Walk that is currently leased to Coin Street Community Builders. The terms of the lease would need to be varied if the bridge is to go ahead. On 19 May 2015 the Council issued a notice letting people know that negotiations about the future of The Queen's Walk could take place if the Garden Bridge project does progress and invited people’s views.
There are various parties with interests in the land required to build the bridge, including the Port of London Authority, Lambeth and Westminster. The Garden Bridge Trust has been liaising with and will continue to liaise closely with these parties in relation to the land required to build and maintain the Garden Bridge.
Lambeth could pull the plug on the project now by refusing to enter into negotiations. But that feels very alien to a borough that has increasingly played a bigger role in shaping our city. For too long, Lambeth was known as the place where bold ambitions were blocked rather than realised. However, the Leader of the Council has said publicly that she opposes the Mayor of London’s decision to pledge £30m of public money towards the costs of the project: “We need to be convinced that Lambeth residents will be advantaged, not disadvantaged, by the renegotiation. The Garden Bridge is a creative idea but it should not come at any price.”
9. Councillor Bernard Gentry
To: Councillor Jennifer Brathwaite – Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability
Street Cleaning
Despite voting against the Conservative Alternative Budget, which allowed the Council to increase spending on services whilst reducing Council Tax, the Labour Administration has decided to cut street cleaning (litter picking and sweeping), and cut the number and frequency of caged vehicles for collecting litter, leaving parts of the Borough filthy and unsanitary, strewn with litter and fly-tipping.
In response to these self-imposed problems, and given its poor previous record, what measures is the Labour Council now taking to ensure that street cleaning is adequate to keep streets clean?
Party: Conservative
Answer: This Council voted against the Conservative's first attempt at an alternative budget on the basis of it costing the Borough more than £15m and adding to the already significant Government-imposed deficit.
Councillor Gentry would do well to revise his party's arithmetic. £13.6m of savings does not pay for £20.5m of new spending. Perhaps when next having a go at offering an alternative, Councillor Gentry and his colleagues will accept the expert, professional advice offered and avoid adding to Lambeth's burden.
On keeping the Borough clean, there has been no change to the cleansing provided for our town centre areas, which all have a constant street sweeper presence from 6am through to 10pm. The busiest town centres have retained a night-time cleansing service as well.
We have a fleet of vehicles collecting dumped rubbish and servicing litter bins. Although there has been a reduction in the number of cage vehicles from ten to six, the evening crews have increased the work they do to compensate.
Every residential street is litter-picked twice a week - a higher frequency than many other boroughs - and receives a thorough sweep monthly. And, our successful Street Champions scheme, rolled-out borough-wide already has over 230 residents on board.
10. Councillor Marsha De Cordova
To: Councillor Paul McGlone - Deputy Leader (Finance and Investment)
New Town Hall and Disabled Access
Can the Deputy Leader for Finance and Investment advise whether steps are being taken to work with disability stakeholders and residents to ensure the New Town Hall is fully accessible and compliant with all legislation and guidelines and ensure that any such engagement takes place before the planning application goes before Planning Committee?
Party: Labour
Answer:
From the outset of this project there has been an expectation that all current disability legislation and best practice guidance would be taken into account when designing and constructing a modern, fit for purpose office and customer service centre that meet the needs of all user groups, customers and staff.
Full compliance with disability legislation and use of best practice was part of the requirements written into the initial brief for developers in 2012 and the planning application that has been submitted by Muse is fully compliant with all legislative requirements. The development of the planning application was supported by access and inclusive designs consultants to advise on the implementation of practical access solutions.
In terms of the refurbishment plans for the Town Hall building, enhanced accessibility features have been incorporated into the design including an additional entrance to provide much better and level access to the Town Hall adjacent to parking spaces at the rear of the building. Entire new lifts have also been included in the refurbishment proposals. The new civic offices and Customer Service Centre have also been designed to provide clear and level access throughout. These features were included in the planning application submitted in April 2015 and we will also be commencing workshops with DisabledGo and disabled user groups prior to the planning decision. These will fully review and develop the very important detailing for all users which is not part of the planning approval but includes features such as new tactile signage.
11. Councillor Tim Briggs
To: Councillor Matthew Bennett – Cabinet Member for Housing
Westbury Estate Demolition and Regeneration
Given that officers have conceded that there was a failure to consult residents appropriately regarding the Westbury Estate demolition and regeneration, and given the same failures to consult appear to have taken place all over Lambeth, will the Cabinet Member for Housing do the honourable thing and apologise to the thousands of residents affected?
Party: Conservative
Answer:
To date there has been a very thorough consultation with residents of the Westbury estate, and other estates within the regeneration programme; I disagree with Councillor Briggs' view of that consultation.
The Council is under a legal obligation to consult, where Parliament has set this duty, requiring Lambeth to:
'maintain such arrangements as it considers appropriate to enable those of its residents
a) to be informed of the authority's proposals in respect of the matter, and b) to make their views known to the authority within a specified period; and the authority shall, before making any decision on the matter, consider any representations made to it in accordance with those arrangements.'
This duty can be summarised as having three elements, which can be summed up with the words: inform, respond and consider.
Across the entire estate regeneration programme, the Council is going beyond these minimum obligations by engaging in a dialogue with residents on how their estate may be rebuilt. We are also working with residents to develop an understanding about what is important for them on their estates, so that these factors can be incorporated into any future regeneration of the estates. Furthermore, the Council is planning to extend the feasibility and consultation period for the Westbury estate by an extra three months to enable residents to understand better and to respond more fully on the regeneration proposals.
12. Councillor Michelle Agdomar
To: Councillor Jenny Brathwaite - Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability
Fly-tipping Can the Cabinet Member outline Lambeth's strategy for working with the community to identify, prosecute and deter those responsible for fly-tipping, and how we intend to monitor the enforcement rate and cost-effectiveness of these actions?
Party: Labour
Answer:
I share my colleague's frustration that the actions of an ignorant, selfish minority can so blight what are otherwise well cared for, clean, tidy neighbourhoods.
Fly tipping is a long standing problem across London. Our previous approach was to clean things up as soon as possible, often within hours. But now, with such significant financial pressure, we can no longer afford to do this. And, in any case, it doesn't actually prevent the problem from reoccurring - if anything, it encourages it.
We are trying to strike a balance between tackling the problem and keeping streets clean. To do this we need residents' help in catching those responsible so that they can be charged and prosecuted.
Our Street Champions programme is one way for residents to get even more involved in looking after and engaging with their local community.
We are also finalising plans to introduce enhanced enforcements resources where they are most needed. At the same time we will look to take advantage of the Fixed Penalty Notice powers at our disposal and will aim to utilise the self funding mechanisms built into other similar contracts.
On performance management and monitoring, we have a wealth of data that we use to better understand the challenges we face, improve efficiency and drive up standards. I can assure my colleague that in these straightened times we remain determined to deliver high quality services while securing value for money.
13. Councillor David Amos
To: Councillor Tim Briggs
Mayor of London and Development Corporations
Does the Leader of the Opposition agree with Boris Johnson's decision to step down from the London Legacy Development Corporation and the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation; two crucial bodies that the Mayor has now decided he does not have time for after becoming an MP?
Party: Labour
Answer:
With respect to Councillor Amos, it may not be for me to comment on how the Mayor exercises his role. The Mayor’s judgement has proved to be sound for the last eight years to the great benefit of Londoners, in sound contrast to the tax-and-spend cronyism of the last Labour Mayor.
I understand that the London Legacy Development Corporation and the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation are special purpose vehicles able to cut through planning red tape, and to direct regeneration efforts. The Mayor’s decision to appoint new chairs from within the existing management of both bodies will help ensure their success, bearing in mind that the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation on its own should provide 24,000 new homes and more than 55,000 new jobs.
14. Councillor Tim Briggs
To: Councillor Jane Edbrooke – Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods
Library Services
Given that libraries across Lambeth have been deemed the worst in London for the past four years in league tables compiled by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), and with the highest overheads costs in London, is the Labour Administration still planning to give up on its responsibilities for its appalling library service and hand over the running of libraries to local groups?
Party: Conservative
Answer:
We are still reflecting on the feedback from the consultation period on Cultural Services and we expect the September report will start to deal with how we take forward Cultural Services in a positive way despite the cuts to local government funding.
Of course we are looking at what other Councils are doing – and we watch with interest Conservative-run Lincolnshire County Council who hope to transfer 30 libraries to become volunteer run community libraries or Conservative-run Leicestershire County Council who plan to hand 18 libraries over to volunteers. So, as you see, we really are all in this together.
However, under our proposals we suggested that all our town centre library services would remain funded and council run – and I encourage Councillor Briggs to read page 16 of the consultation document which sets this out. But we have recognise that the whole of local government is having to make tough decisions.
The latest CIPFA report benchmarks us against some, not all, inner London boroughs and several outer London boroughs
The report reflects the position of the library service on 31st March 2014 and shows considerable improvement on the pervious year.
Staffing levels were reduced during February and March 2014, but for most of the year had been higher so that the cost per member of staff is distorted and appears unnaturally high. On the 1st April 2014 £870,000 was removed from the budget so costs of the service are now lower. As mentioned the boroughs used for comparisons by CIPFA and the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport include only some, not all, inner London boroughs and several outer London boroughs and the latter have lower salary costs as they do not pay inner London weighting.
Where revenue expenditure is shown and used as a cost indicator it includes central council support services costs on top of what is spent in the direct delivery of the service. By March 2014 this was reduced to be in line with other London services.
The service restructure in early 2014 significantly changed how the service is delivered. New figures for Lambeth showing its end of financial year position at 31st March 2015 will be available in July and will be published on the website. Although this will not give comparator figures with other authorities (these will not be available from CIPFA until late 2015) a further significant improvement will be shown in Lambeth Libraries performance.
During 2014-15 there have been significant improvements. In particular, Lambeth book issues have increased by 2.6% (bucking the national trend of decline in this area), visitor figures have increased by 11%, lending stock levels have increased by over 20% and membership has increased by 10%. We have introduced a new e-magazine and e-book offer as well as many other services. This has been achieved with a greatly reduced level of staffing and revenue budget.
The Council’s strategy for improving the service has prioritised Library buildings first. This strategy has provided a refurbished library in Streatham and a new library in Clapham, where visitor numbers have increase by 264%. We are in the process of completing a £6m capital improvement across our libraries, which will include the opening of a new facility in West Norwood by 2018.
15. Councillor Kevin Craig
To: Councillor Jenny Brathwaite - Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability
Bishop’s Ward Air Pollution
When specifically will the Council ensure that there is measuring of air pollution in place in Bishop’s Ward?
Party: Labour
Answer:
We already know that air quality across the whole of London is not good enough. In fact, pollution levels breach European Union targets and World Health Organisation guidelines. While increased monitoring would be useful, we have the information we need to make our improving air quality our priority. We should do this as quickly as possible to reduce the negative health impacts associated with pollutants such as NO2.
Officers are currently putting together bids to the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund (MAQF), including one for a Low Emission Neighbourhood in the Waterloo area, in partnership with Southwark and stakeholders such as Waterloo Quarter Business Improvement District (BID). This includes a new air quality monitoring station with a LED display, so residents can see their local air quality for themselves.
A number of BIDs in London have purchased air quality monitoring stations, and this would be an alternative option if the MAQF bid is unsuccessful. As highlighted in my response to a question asked at the Council meeting on 20 May 2015, the Council is also taking action across the Borough, but particularly in the Waterloo area to deal with the effects of “engine idling”.
And, for information, London's network of air quality monitoring stations and wealth of data are accessible via www.londonair.org.uk.