Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jenny Mulholland and Jonathan Simpson.

No declarations were made.

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair to announce the following: ‘In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to having your contributions recorded and broadcast, including video when switched on, and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.’

Any other announcements

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair announced that the meeting was being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and could be viewed on the website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts were archived and could be made available upon request. Those who had asked to address the meeting were deemed to be consenting to having their contributions recorded and broadcast and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.

Requests to speak at the Committee on a matter within its terms of reference must be made in writing to the clerk named on the front of this agenda by 5pm two working days before the meeting.

There were no deputations.

There was no such business.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living.

This report provides an update on:

·       The Council’s current financial position and the risks, issues and uncertainties facing the Council over the medium term.

·       The financial position of the Council’s Housing Revenue Account

·       Financial resilience and sustainability of the Council

·       The latest outlook for the Council’s funding and spending

·       Spending Review – Autumn Budget update

·       Economic Outlook

·       Reserves and balances position including planned use

·       Forecast outturn position for 2023/24

·       Recommended Fees & Charges for 2024/25

Consideration was given to the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living. The report was introduced by the Head of Finance, Corporate Services.

In their discussion of the report, the Committee made the following comments:

·       Members said the Housing Revenue Account continued to be concerning, they asked what the picture would be like in the next 5 years. The Head of Finance said that the main improvement would be the increasing of reserves and that part of the MTFS was to increase those reserve levels.

·       Responding to a question arising from work around damp and mould, the Head of Finance commented that with works of this nature it was difficult to know the extent of a problem until surveys had been carried out. The estimates that had been given were based on broad surveys of what the cost would be.

·       The Head of Finance commented that the development of the MTFS was a long term piece of work and decisions on the development of the programme were made based on affordability and policy priorities.

·       When asked a question about the Council’s likelihood of delivering on the second half of the current MTFS, the Head of Finance said that it would be important to take time deciding what actions to take, choosing the right thing that fit in with the We Make Camden priorities. He noted that Camden had a good track record with identifying and delivering savings.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living.

This report sets out Camden’s proposals to provide a Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTS) for the year 2024/25.

Camden’s current scheme is one of the most generous CTS schemes in the country with income bands based on the London Living Wage, with over 16,000 households (including over 5,000 pensioners) in Camden currently receiving 100% support and do not pay any Council Tax. 

The coronavirus pandemic saw the number of claimants increase substantially and the subsequent Cost of Living crisis means that the Council is having to invest more to support our residents and communities. 

Given the severe economic climate and financial hardship within the borough, it is proposed that the current scheme remains in place for 2024/25, with minor updates in line with legislative changes and prescribed requirements. The updates will have no negative impacts and retaining the current scheme will provide certainty for residents.  Income bands will also be uplifted in line with the new levels for London Living Wage.

The report is coming to the Cabinet because The Local Government Finance Act 2012 amends the Local Government Finance Act 1992 which sets out the requirement for the Council to agree a CTS scheme on an annual basis.

Consideration was given to the report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living. The report was introduced by the Head of Council Tax, Business Rates and Benefits.

Members noted that Camden still had one of the most generous Council Tax support schemes in London.

Responding to a question from the Committee around the automation of claiming, the Head of Service said that at the moment, someone needs to make a request and that there is not an automatic system for doing this. He asked Councillors to share the information about the Council Tax Support Scheme with residents to help get the message out.

The Head of Service agreed to share figure with the Committee that showed a breakdown of Council Tenants and Private Tenants who had signed up to the scheme subject to data protection permission.

Action by: the Head of Council Tax, Business Rates and Benefits

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Executive Directors of Adults and Health, Children and Learning, Supporting Communities and Corporate Services

This report focusses on Quarter 2 2023-24 using a broad range of measures from each directorate and division across the organisation. This quarter, directors have been asked to provide a narrative covering key areas of challenge, opportunity, and learning (both current and future needs).

This report is divided into two main sections:

·       A summary which highlights key responses from directorates and highlights particular cross-cutting themes;  

·       A detailed summary of individual service responses Quarter 2 2023-24 across each of our three Directorates. 

Appendix A contains the data dashboard with key measures and latest data from services across the Council.

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Directors of Adults and Health, Children and Learning, Supporting Communities and Corporate Services. The Report was introduced by the Head of Corporate Strategy and Cabinet Office.

Members commented that it was helpful to have information around the broader strategic narratives as it aided them in understanding the big picture.

It was noted by Members that there was not information included about Contact Camden, they asked if information could be provided as there had been service transformations.

Action by: the Head of Corporate Strategy and Cabinet Office

In response to a question from the Committee around how risks were gauged from officers across the organisation, the Head of Strategy said that Directors were regularly asked to give judgements and provide updates. For this report, Directors within each service were asked to give their headline position on key risks.

The Committee commented on the Cost of Living Crisis Fund and said that it added a breadth of value in addition to providing financial support. Members suggested that it could be used, longer term, as an opportunity for signposting after awards were given. The Head of Strategy said that Camden had carried out a piece of research on who had received cost of living support payments and the post-award signposting. They said they would share the information with the Committee.

Action by: the Head of Corporate Strategy and Cabinet Office.

Members Commented that they were pleased to see the ambition of the Law and Governance Directorate to increase the electoral role before the Mayoral Elections in 2024.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Executive Director Corporate Service.

This paper provides an outline of the 2023/24 work programme and provides an update on actions requested at previous meetings of the Committee in the Action Tracker.

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Director Corporate Services. The report was introduced by the Head of Corporate Strategy and Cabinet Office.

In their discussion, Members agreed that the report on participation and partnerships should be taken out of the work programme and that a report around citizen interaction should be added.

RESOLVED –

THAT the work programme be noted subject to the amendment outlined above.

There was no such business.