Apologies were received from Councillor Marsie Skeete.

Councillors Akyigyina, Fraser, Irons and Stringer attended remotely.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 6 December were agreed as an accurate record.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet adopted Merton’s Housing Delivery Strategy and action plan.

The Chair began the meeting by paying tribute to the work of former Councillor Tobin Byers.

The Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and the Climate Emergency presented the report on increasing the supply and quality of new homes. Following Cabinet approval in July 2021 to consult on the draft strategy, a public consultation had taken place in 2021. The Cabinet Member thanked all those who had responded to this. The report had looked at a number of streams including, need, density, specialist homes and using and improving existing stock. The draft strategy was being introduced in addition to other policies and strategies including the Local Plan, the Climate Strategy and action plan and the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.

It was noted that the introduction of a HRA had been extensively examined however was not viable at this stage. The establishment of a Housing Investment Fund was also being investigated.

The Cabinet Member thanked the consultants and staff who had contributed to the report and it was RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet adopted Merton’s Housing Delivery Strategy and action plan.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet approved the Strategic Framework comprising an ambition for Merton, strategic priorities, guiding principles and delivery objectives as set out in Appendix 1.

2.    That Cabinet noted the immediate response to the key themes emerging from the Your Merton engagement as set out in Appendix 2.

3.    That Cabinet noted that further work will take place within the council and with partners on the delivery objectives and the plans to deliver on these objectives and that an update will be provided to Cabinet in June 2022.

4.    That Cabinet agreed that an annual update will be provided to Full Council on progress and updated plans.

5.    That Cabinet agreed the Strategic Framework set out in Appendix 1 will be communicated to residents, businesses and partners, with content, design and communication channels adjusted to reflect the different audiences through the appropriate channels in January 2022.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance, Recovery and the Local Economy presented the report requesting approval for the new strategic priorities and framework for the next 8 years. It was noted that further work would be required and requested an annual update to be provided to Council.

The Chair thanked all staff involved and it was RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet approved the Strategic Framework comprising an ambition for Merton, strategic priorities, guiding principles and delivery objectives as set out in Appendix 1.

2.    That Cabinet noted the immediate response to the key themes emerging from the Your Merton engagement as set out in Appendix 2.

3.    That Cabinet noted that further work will take place within the council and with partners on the delivery objectives and the plans to deliver on these objectives and that an update will be provided to Cabinet in June 2022.

4.    That Cabinet agreed that an annual update will be provided to Full Council on progress and updated plans.

5.    That Cabinet agreed the Strategic Framework set out in Appendix 1 will be communicated to residents, businesses and partners, with content, design and communication channels adjusted to reflect the different audiences through the appropriate channels in January 2022.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet agreed the latest amendments to the draft Capital Programme 2022-2026 and referred them to the Overview and Scrutiny Commission on 20 January 2022 for consideration and comment.

2.    That Cabinet noted the details contained in the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2022-26 and the implications for Merton’s MTFS as summarised in Appendix 1.

3.    That Cabinet considered and approved the Council’s draft Capital Strategy and Treasure Management Strategy for 2022/23.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance, Recovery and the Local Economy thanked Tobin Byers for his work as the previous Cabinet Member for Finance and presented the report and recommendations. It was noted that further updates were expected in February.

The Director of Corporate Services advised that there were a number of potential changes which were still unconfirmed including details of the final settlement and results of meetings with the DFE in relation to the DSG.

It was noted that the Business Plan was currently going through the Scrutiny process.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Cabinet agreed the latest amendments to the draft Capital Programme 2022-2026 and referred them to the Overview and Scrutiny Commission on 20 January 2022 for consideration and comment.

2.    That Cabinet noted the details contained in the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2022-26 and the implications for Merton’s MTFS as summarised in Appendix 1.

3.    That Cabinet considered and approved the Council’s draft Capital Strategy and Treasure Management Strategy for 2022/23.

RESOLVED:

A.  ThatCabinetnotethefinancialreportingdataformonth8,November2021,relatingtorevenuebudgetarycontrol,showinga forecastnetadversevarianceatyearendonnetserviceexpenditureof£5.008m,increasingto£7.358mwhencorporateandfundingitemsareincluded,a decreaseof£1.177mcomparedtolastmonth

B. ThatCMTnotethecontentsofSection5 andapprovetheadjustmentstotheCapitalProgrammecontainedin Appendix5band5d,subjecttothereceiptofprojectplansforthoseschemeswherefullslippagehasbeenrequested

ThatCabinetnotethecontentsofSection5,Appendix5band5dofthereportandapprovetheadjustmentstotheCapitalProgrammein theTablebelow:

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance, Recovery and the Local Economy presented the report, noting that the outturn variance had increased to £7.358 million, expecting that figures would be updated in the coming months.

The Director of Corporate Services advised that the cost of Covid had marginally reduced due to an improvement in Business rates collection however this was still less than pre-pandemic figures which would affect the MTFS going forward. An update would be included within the February report.

RESOLVED:

A.  ThatCabinetnotethefinancialreportingdataformonth8,November2021,relatingtorevenuebudgetarycontrol,showinga forecastnetadversevarianceatyearendonnetserviceexpenditureof£5.008m,increasingto£7.358mwhencorporateandfundingitemsareincluded,a decreaseof£1.177mcomparedtolastmonth

B. ThatCMTnotethecontentsofSection5 andapprovetheadjustmentstotheCapitalProgrammecontainedin Appendix5band5d,subjecttothereceiptofprojectplansforthoseschemeswherefullslippagehasbeenrequested

ThatCabinetnotethecontentsofSection5,Appendix  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.