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Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Merton Civic Centre

Note: View the meeting here https://aisapps.mediasite.com/AuditelScheduler/Player/Index/?id=9bef3e3f-af12-4445-b100-88db3a4a0a34&presID=10dd12c2b77d41999d40d3688443fa771d 

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Cllr Whelton, with Cllr Henry as substitute.

 

2.

Declarations of pecuniary interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of pecuniary interest.

 

3.

Minutes of the previous meeting (11/11/2024) pdf icon PDF 70 KB

Minutes:

Panel Members confirmed that these were a true and accurate record of the previous meeting.

 

4.

Minutes of the previous meeting (19/11/2024) pdf icon PDF 79 KB

Minutes:

Panel Members confirmed that these were a true and accurate record of the previous meeting.

 

5.

Executive Director Introductions/Update

Minutes:

Jeremy Smalley and Caroline Bruce introduced themselves to the panel and thanked everyone for making them feel welcome.

Jeremy Smalley explained that housing is a priority as it is a problem for many residents in the borough and there is pressure on the provision of temporary accommodation. This is a problem shared by many other London Boroughs. It was noted that the issue is fundamentally about housing supply from the private sector, registered providers and the council itself. Work is also to be completed to make sure Clarion are working as the council intended. There will also be a focus on monitoring and prosecuting breaches of licensing agreements where necessary.

Jeremy Smalley also noted stimulating the private sector to invest in the borough and responding to changes with the building safety regulator, considering the changed obligations on local authorities, are key priorities.

 

Caroline Bruce listed her three immediate priorities:

1)      Making sure the waste contract with Veolia is managed as a new waste contract on the 1st of April 2025.

2)      Ensuring the insourcing of the street cleansing service has a seamless transfer and residents don’t see it as a degradation to the service.

3)      Looking after greenspaces when the contract with Idverde ends.

 

Work also remains ongoing to deliver on borough of sport and civic pride projects.

 

6.

Budget and Business Planning (Round 2) pdf icon PDF 4 MB

Minutes:

Cllr Billy Christie introduced the agenda item by explaining that this is the 2nd round of budget scrutiny. In the previous round of scrutiny, saving proposals totalling a value of around £3 million were brought forward. Since then, a further set of savings have been brought forward, bringing the total set of savings to a value of over £4.5 million.

Merton have now received the provisional financial government settlement which is projected to increase Merton’s spending power in adults and children’s social care and homelessness which are areas of financial pressure. However, further hard decisions need to be made. Cllr Christie noted his belief that the savings are fair but deliverable and allow Merton to continue to deliver on projects.

Asad Mushtaq explained that there is also a new extended producer responsibility scheme which recognises the burden on the Local authority clearing up waste and totals around £3 million for next year. However, there are still significant pressures and the DSG remains a significant burden.

In response to questions on the MTFS:

-The settlement received is a significant uplift in comparison to previous years.

-Some of the funding into temporary accommodation will be spent on prevention work. The service will update on this with a monitoring report.

-The funding will make a significant dent in areas of pressure, but more reform is needed.

-The councillor allowances system was updated in line with national recommendations set by an independent body. Any further increases will be linked to increases in the staff pay award. Asad Mushtaq added that the staff pay increase will be waited towards staff on lower spine points.

-Council tax is being increased to try and address in-year pressures being faced.

 

In response to question about Housing and Sustainable Development:

-A new policy for commuted sum payments to be received by the local authority for schemes of 2-10 homes whereby it would not be viable to deliver affordable housing on-site might encourage more developments as developers can make an offsite contribution rather than provide affordable housing on-site.

-The Affordable Housing Delivery Officer post has got a funding allocation that is not being spent. Jeremy Smalley requested time to review the situation and then as part of wider departmental restructure come back with proposals.

-The increase in rental income from commercial properties is cumulative meaning it is projected to be £275,000 in 2025/2026 with an additional £50,000 in 2026/2027.

-As a result of a rent review there has been a natural increase. The rent review list is big, and the team is small so getting through it is a challenge. There is more to come but it is about making sure assets are in a good condition as well as the income coming in.

 

In response to questions about Environment, Civic Pride and Climate:

- Padel/Pickleball courts have been targeted to be introduced at under-utilised spaces as it is a growing sport and lots of people are wanting to take it up making it a commercial opportunity. It is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Action Log pdf icon PDF 267 KB

Minutes:

Archived actions will be removed from the action log.

 

8.

Air Quality Action Plan pdf icon PDF 3 MB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jason Andrews introduced the action plan which is built on recommendations from a cross-party working group. The paper covers the legal framework the council must adhere to and provides information about air quality in the borough. There has been investment in air quality monitoring stations and residents have been supported throughout the cost of living crisis.

The paper has 3 options listed. The plan is built on option C (Action Plan with Funded Measures), if option B (Minimum Statutory Compliance) is chosen the plan would need to be amended. Once the final text is settled the plan will be designed for presentation to the public during consultation. There will need to be a minimum of 8 weeks full public consultation.

In response to questions:

The current UK objective set in 1995 is 40 micrograms of Nitrogen Dioxide. Since then, the World Health Organisation have put in new targets but there has not been an updated UK Air Quality Strategy yet. Some other boroughs have opted to have stricter targets.

The equality impact assessment is prepared with option C in mind. It would need to be revisited if Option B was selected.

There are 4 low-cost monitoring nodes in the borough. There is one deployed in Wimbledon, one in Mitcham, one outside the civic centre in Morden and one on Plough Lane.

Other boroughs have funded their air quality action plans.

The additional costs associated with option C may well be offset by grant funding secured.

 

The young inspector offered to help the team expand on the area with young people.

The panel agreed to recommend option C.

 

9.

Performance Monitoring pdf icon PDF 299 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report explains that waste collection performance this quarter has not achieved targets and has declined throughout the year, yet this does not corelate with reported complaints and therefore it may just be a system error. However, Cllr Victoria Wilson stated that she has received complaints from residents in her ward about collections. It was agreed that this will be investigated.

Cllr Stuart Neaverson noted that the report is hard to understand and requested it is returned to the previous format.

It was agreed that from now onwards key points from the reports will be discussed with Cllr Anthony Fairclough in advance of the panel taking place who will then bring these points forwards to the rest of the panel at meetings.

 

10.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 94 KB

Minutes:

The walking and cycling strategy will no longer be ready for the scrutiny panel in March.

The correct representatives from Clarion will be added onto the work programme.

The panel discussed what Clarion will be asked to discuss at the next panel meeting. This included an update on regeneration (timescales, maintenance arrangements), the way Clarion is managing existing stock and the relationship with current lease holders.