No apologies were received. Councillor Alambritis attended remotely.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2022 and the Special Cabinet Meeting held on 31 August 2022.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meetings held on 18 July and 31 August are agreed as an accurate record.

RESOLVED:

1. That Cabinet approve the replacement of the Neighbourhood Fund with a new funding regime called the “Civic Pride Fund – Investing in Neighbourhoods”

2. That Cabinet approve the council’s new overarching priority supported by the three principles set out in paragraph 2.5 as part of bid selection under the new Fund.

3. That Cabinet note the proposed timetable for bidding set out at paragraph 5

4. That Cabinet endorse the heads of terms and note the draft timetable for consideration of priorities and implementation for a new Ward Allocation Scheme set out at paragraphs 2.12 to 2.13 and 5

The Cabinet Member for Civic Pride presented the report

RESOLVED:

1. That Cabinet approve the replacement of the Neighbourhood Fund with a new funding regime called the “Civic Pride Fund – Investing in Neighbourhoods”

2. That Cabinet approve the council’s new overarching priority supported by the three principles set out in paragraph 2.5 as part of bid selection under the new Fund.

3. That Cabinet note the proposed timetable for bidding set out at paragraph 5

4. That Cabinet endorse the heads of terms and note the draft timetable for consideration of priorities and implementation for a new Ward Allocation Scheme set out at paragraphs 2.12 to 2.13 and 5

RESOLVED:

1. That Cabinet approve the aligning of a range of information, advice and preventative support services into an expanded ‘Supporting the Voluntary and Community Sector’ programme which sits under the umbrella of the Civic Pride Fund (see section 1.2-1.5).

2. That Cabinet approve the Prospectus as the basis on which to fund these services (see section 3.11-3.15).

3. That Cabinet note the funding available for 2023-26 and to approve the proposed allocations against each of the programme themes (see section 7).

4. That Cabinet approve the scoring methodology and weighting to select providers (see section 3.19).

The Cabinet Member for Civic Pride presented the report and thanked organisations for their collaboration and their work on recent issues including the Covid-19 pandemic and assisting Ukrainian refugees.

The funding would cover multi year grants between 2023-26 and brought several funding streams into one fund. The Council were looking to invest over £5m pounds.

Following the consultation process it was noted that smaller organisations had struggled to access some of the funding previously and therefore £50,000 a year had also been put aside for Merton Giving to award grants and Merton Connected has been tasked with assisting with targeted bid help.

The Cabinet Member thanked officers for their work and thanked the independent chair of the group.

RESOLVED:

1. That Cabinet approve the aligning of a range of information, advice and preventative support services into an expanded ‘Supporting the Voluntary and Community Sector’ programme which sits under the umbrella of the Civic Pride Fund (see section 1.2-1.5).

2. That Cabinet approve the Prospectus as the basis on which to fund these services (see section 3.11-3.15).

3. That Cabinet note the funding available for 2023-26 and to approve the proposed allocations against each of the programme themes (see section 7).

4. That Cabinet approve the scoring methodology and weighting to select providers (see section 3.19).

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £630,000 of the Household Support fund to free school meal vouchers for the period October 2022 to March 2023 (including Easter holidays) as set out in para 2.6.

B. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £100,000 of the Household Support fund to be available for application based referrals from residents as set out in para 2.7

C. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £454,000 of the Household Support fund and £200,000 of the council’s Cost of Living fund to direct grants with individual payments of £60 to residents in receipt of Council Tax Support by Post Office voucher as set out in para 2.8.

D. That Cabinet agree the proposal to allocate £400,000 to initiatives that reduce heating costs as set out in para 2.11.

E. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £100,000 to support arrangements in the voluntary and community sector as set out in para 2.16.

F. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £200,000 to fund two Debt Advisors for two years for Citizens Advice as set out in 2.15 and 2.17.

G. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £100,000 to Sustainable Merton to support the Community Fridge as set out in 2.18 and 2.19.

H. That Cabinet agree the proposal to keep back £1 million to enable a further review in January 2023 and to implement further initiatives as set out in 2.20

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services presented the report which set out the proposed approach to distribution of the first half of the Cost of Living Support Fund and the latest tranch of support fund monies from the Government.

The Cabinet Member gave an overview of the distribution including direct grants of £60 cash payments to residents receiving Council Tax support, Free School Meals vouchers during school holidays including the 2023 Easter Holidays and the Sustainable Merton Fridge network and food poverty action plan. The Council was also proposing the addition of two additional debt advisors for the Citizens Advice Bureau for a period of two years.

The effectiveness of these measures would be reviewed in January 2023.

Cabinet Members spoke to the report, thanking officers and members for the report.

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £630,000 of the Household Support fund to free school meal vouchers for the period October 2022 to March 2023 (including Easter holidays) as set out in para 2.6.

B. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £100,000 of the Household Support fund to be available for application based referrals from residents as set out in para 2.7

C. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £454,000 of the Household Support fund and £200,000 of the council’s Cost of Living fund to direct grants with individual payments of £60 to residents in receipt of Council Tax Support by Post Office voucher as set out in para 2.8.

D. That Cabinet agree the proposal to allocate £400,000 to initiatives that reduce heating costs as set out in para 2.11.

E. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £100,000 to support arrangements in the voluntary and community sector as set out in para 2.16.

F. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £200,000 to fund two Debt Advisors for two years for Citizens Advice as set out in 2.15 and 2.17.

G. That Cabinet agree the proposal to commit £100,000 to Sustainable Merton to support the Community Fridge as set out in 2.18 and 2.19.

H. That Cabinet agree the proposal to keep back £1 million to enable a further review in January 2023 and to implement further initiatives as set out in 2.20

RESOLVED:

A. Cabinet notes what is required for the Council to achieve accreditation as a Living Wage Employer from the Living Wage Foundation; and

B. Cabinet notes the indicative cost implications of rolling out the Real Living Wage (RLW) and London Living Wage (LLW) across all Merton ‘in-scope’ contracts; and

C. Cabinet approves Merton seeking accreditation as a Living Wage Employer and agrees to introduce the Real Living Wage into Merton contracts - as and when the contracts come up for re-tendering (excluding Care Home contracts) – Phase I

D. Cabinet agrees that more work be undertaken to ascertain a more realistic cost for implementing the LLW across Merton’s Care Home contracts and that this work is carried out after Merton has achieved its Living Wage Employer accreditation – Phase II.

E. Cabinet agrees the appointment of Cllr Billy Hayes as the Living Wage champion so that the Council may build on its status as a Living Wage Employer and become a Living Wage Borough

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services presented the report which outlined the timeline and plan for the Council to achieve Living Wage Employer Accreditation by the end of January 2023. All in-scope contracts would be included with the exception of care homes which would be addressed at a later date.

It was noted that the proposal included appointing a Living Wage Champion and this would be Councillor Billy Hayes.

The Chair thanked officers and the Cabinet Member for their work.

RESOLVED:

A. Cabinet notes what is required for the Council to achieve accreditation as a Living Wage Employer from the Living Wage Foundation; and

B. Cabinet notes the indicative cost implications of rolling out the Real Living Wage (RLW) and London Living Wage (LLW) across all Merton ‘in-scope’ contracts; and

C. Cabinet approves Merton seeking accreditation as a Living Wage Employer and agrees to introduce the Real Living Wage into Merton contracts - as and when the contracts come up for re-tendering (excluding Care Home contracts) – Phase I

D. Cabinet agrees that more work be undertaken to ascertain a more realistic cost for implementing the LLW across Merton’s Care Home contracts and that this work is carried out after Merton has achieved its Living Wage Employer accreditation – Phase II.

E. Cabinet agrees the appointment of Cllr Billy Hayes as the Living Wage champion so that the Council may build on its status as a Living Wage Employer and become a Living Wage Borough

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet noted the reference set out in paragraphs 2.6 to 2.21 of the report and would respond within two months.

The Chair advised that apologies had been received from the Chair of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel who was attending Planning Committee at the time of the Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainable Development gave an overview of the recommendations put forward by the Scrutiny Panel and advised that the Cabinet would consider how best these could be supported and report back later in the Autumn.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet noted the reference set out in paragraphs 2.6 to 2.21 of the report and would respond within two months.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet noted the reference set out in paragraph 2.7 of the report and would respond within two months.

The Cabinet Member for Local Environment, Green Spaces and Climate Change thanked the panel for their work and advised the Cabinet would be looking at the recommendation within the report.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet noted the reference set out in paragraph 2.7 of the report and would respond within two months.

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet agreed to award a new contract for the provision of arboriculture services across the Council’s administrative area to Barkland Tree Specialists for a period of three (3) years (from 01 November 2022) with potential extensions of up to 36 months (three years). The contract value is set out in Appendix A.

B. That Cabinet delegate the decision to award an extension of the awarded contract to the Director of Environment and Regeneration in consultation with the Cabinet Member, for any period up to 3 years in accordance with CSO 27

That the recommendations within the Exempt Appendix were approved.

The Cabinet Member for Local Environment, Green Spaces and Climate Change presented the report, noting that the proposed company had served in the Borough during Storm Eunice and provided an offer on social values including apprenticeships and work with local schools.

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet agreed to award a new contract for the provision of arboriculture services across the Council’s administrative area to Barkland Tree Specialists for a period of three (3) years (from 01 November 2022) with potential extensions of up to 36 months (three years). The contract value is set out in Appendix A.

B. That Cabinet delegate the decision to award an extension of the awarded contract to the Director of Environment and Regeneration in consultation with the Cabinet Member, for any period up to 3 years in accordance with CSO 27

That the recommendations within the Exempt Appendix were approved.

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet note the update on the work on the VAWG agenda and agree the new VAWG Strategy 2022-2025 - Merton’s Ending Violence Against Women & Girls Strategy 2022–2025.

The Cabinet Member for Civic Pride presented the report.

The strategy had been recently scrutinised by the Overview and Scrutiny Commission and the Cabinet Member thanked them for their input. An action plan would be developed which would outline how the strategy would be delivered.

The Cabinet Member thanked officers for their work and Cabinet Members spoke to the report.

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet note the update on the work on the VAWG agenda and agree the new VAWG Strategy 2022-2025 - Merton’s Ending Violence Against Women & Girls Strategy 2022–2025.

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet note the contents of the Evidence Report, the Public Consultation Findings and the Equalities Impact Assessment (Appendices 1-3).

B. That Cabinet agree the proposal to extend the existing PSPO for alcohol related ASB for a further three years.

C. That Cabinet agree conduct a further consultation, on whether to make Merton a responsible drinking borough and to making a borough wide PSPO for alcohol related ASB

The Cabinet Member for Civic Pride presented the report. The current Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) was due to expire and therefore following a consultation, it was proposed to extend the current PSPO and to include better enforcement as well as agreeing to consult on extending the PSPO Borough-wide.

The Cabinet Member thanked officers for their work, all those who had responded to the consultation and the Overview and Scrutiny Commission who had recently reviewed the proposal.

In response to questions from Cabinet Members, officers advised that there were a number of workstreams including work within schools on substance misuses and noting that other tools such as dispersal orders can be used in conjunction with PSPOs where these are required.

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet note the contents of the Evidence Report, the Public Consultation Findings and the Equalities Impact Assessment (Appendices 1-3).

B. That Cabinet agree the proposal to extend the existing PSPO for alcohol related ASB for a further three years.

C. That Cabinet agree conduct a further consultation, on whether to make Merton a responsible drinking borough and to making a borough wide PSPO for alcohol related ASB

RESOLVED:

A.    That Cabinet note the financial reporting data for month 3, June 2022, relating to revenue budgetary control, showing a forecast net adverse variance at 30 June on service expenditure of£5.444m when corporate and funding items are included and £3.412m of reserves assumed to be used as agreed at last month’s Cabinet

B.    That Cabinet note the contents of Section 5 and Appendix 5b of the report and approve the adjustments to the Capital Programme in the Table below

C. That Cabinet ask CMT to investigate and report back on measures to reduce the adverse variance, recognising that CSF have set some actions out already in Section 4

The Chair advised that agenda items 13 and 14 would be presented together.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services presented the reports, noting some adjustments to the Capital Programme. The projected overspend was currently £5.4m at the end of the year, this was largely due to lower than anticipated parking income.

The Director for Corporate Services advised that the outstanding debt analysis had worsened and work was progressing on that.

It was noted that the Month 3 report would be considered by the upcoming Financial Monitoring Task Group. The increase in interest rates may have an impact on investments and this would be monitored.

RESOLVED:

A.   That Cabinet note the financial reporting data for month 3, June 2022, relating to revenue budgetary control, showing a forecast net adverse variance at 30 June on service expenditure of£5.444m when corporate and funding items are included and £3.412m of reserves assumed to be used as agreed at last month’s Cabinet

B.   That Cabinet note the contents of Section 5 and Appendix 5b of the report and approve the adjustments to the Capital Programme in the Table below

C. That Cabinet ask CMT to investigate and report back on measures to reduce the adverse variance, recognising that CSF have set some actions out already in Section 4

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet note the financial reporting data for month 4, July 2022, relating to revenue budgetary control, showing a forecast net adverse variance at 31 July on service expenditure of £5.448m when corporate and funding items are included and £3.412m of reserves assumed to be used as agreed at the Cabinet meeting on the 18 July.

B. That CMT note the contents of Section 5 and approve the adjustments to the Capital Programme contained in Appendix 5b

That Cabinet note the contents of Section 5 and Appendix 5b of the report and approve the adjustments to the Capital Programme in the Table below:

RESOLVED:

A. That Cabinet note the financial reporting data for month 4, July 2022, relating to revenue budgetary control, showing a forecast net adverse variance at 31 July on service expenditure of £5.448m when corporate and funding items are included and £3.412m of reserves assumed to be used as agreed at the Cabinet meeting on the 18 July.

B. That CMT note the contents of Section 5 and approve the adjustments to the Capital Programme contained in Appendix 5b

That Cabinet note the contents of Section 5 and Appendix 5b of the report and approve the adjustments to the Capital Programme in the Table below:

To RESOLVE that the public are excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following report(s) on the grounds that it is (they are) exempt from disclosure for the reasons stated in the report(s).

The meeting proceeded entirely in public and therefore this item was not required