Decisions
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14/09/2017 - Matters arising (if any) ref: 3893 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Housing Scrutiny Committee
Made at meeting: 14/09/2017 - Housing Scrutiny Committee
Decision published: 02/11/2017
Effective from: 14/09/2017
Decision:
The Committee heard updates on the following matters arising:
Information on unit cost of March 2017 fire safety assessments
Officers explained that the requested information was not currently available but a report would be prepared in due course and send to the relevant scrutiny officer for circulation to all members.
Availability of funds from the original £10m received from the installation of mobile phone masts;
Phil Porter (Strategic Director, Community Wellbeing) informed the committee that no specific information was available on breakdown of expenditure but that Council was aware of £144 000 annual income received from phone companies, majority of which goes to the Housing Revenue Account , with a reserve of £568 000 kept as contingency funds.
Councillors requested a detailed response on the above matter, including the number of BHP buildings in Brent which have phone masts and a review of any future contracts with phone companies, to be circulated to all members of the committee.
Outcomes from housing association meeting on 16th August
The committee heard an update regarding the meeting on 16th August, when a forum of housing associations and registered providers representatives met to discuss various fire risk issues. A decision was made for an ongoing sub-group to be set up. The sub-group, chaired by the BHP Fire Safety Lead, had its first meeting on 4th September and identified key areas as part of its work programme. Officers said that feedback from the sub-group work programme will be presented to the committee once the programme is completed.
In relation to fire safety, the Chair made reference to a BBC Newsnight report aired on 13 September 2017 on cyanide issues in a tower block in Brent and asked for a confirmation on which particular block it was on about and if any actions need to be taken. Officers explained that no specific information was available at this stage but the Council was in discussion with DCLG and landlords and soon as specific details were available they would be published on the Council’s website.
Issue related to un-adopted land between Brent Council and RPs.
Officers explained that Brent Council meets with registered providers on quarterly basis and the issue had been discussed but no project as such had yet been initiated.
Co-opted members
Members heard that the deadline for recruitment of co-opted members had been extended to 29th November 2017 in order to allow for more applications to be submitted. In addition, plans were being put in place to raise the profile of the recruitment via liaison with Communications and Communication engagement groups and all members were encouraged to share the information.
14/09/2017 - Rent and Management of Travellers site ref: 3896 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Housing Scrutiny Committee
Made at meeting: 14/09/2017 - Housing Scrutiny Committee
Decision published: 02/11/2017
Effective from: 14/09/2017
Decision:
Hakeem Osinaike presented to the Committee a report on rent and management of the Lynton Close travellers’ site. He explained that Lynton Close was an Irish travellers community of settled families who rent pitches from Brent Council on which they live in permanent mobile homes. The report set out progress that had been made against four key areas - financial inclusion, overcrowding, fire safety and anti-social behaviour- and the next steps to be taken.
In the discussion which followed members had an opportunity to scrutinise some of the site’s financial issues. With regards to rent collection and arrears, Mr Osinaike explained that in addition to Council rent, residents of Lynton Close were paying rent to a private mobile home provider. The implementation of a benefit cap had meant that some resident could not receive a full housing benefit and therefore were not in a position to pay the shortfall, thus resulting in an accumulation of arrears (total arrears figure was £238 000). He explained that although there were no plans to waive the arrears, the Council would not seek enforcement but would instead review rents of this site and will seek to propose to Cabinet a reduction of these charges to make the rents more affordable.
Furthermore, members asked questions on the contract with Oxfordshire County Council (OCC), which manages the site on behalf of Brent Council, what was included in it and how would planned future improvements be paid. Members heard that the cost of the OCC management constituted the greatest single cost and despite the competitive tendering exercise carried out on 2016 the procurement process did not generate any savings. Officers explained that no council tax money was being used in the scheme and in essence it was self-funded, with revenue gained from rents used to pay for the site management resulting in a net nil. Non-collection of rent, however, remained an area of high risk so the Council was
now in meetings with OCC to discuss the issue with the high cost of the contract and work was in progress. On the question on how improvements would be paid, Hakeem Osinaike explained that this would be done through the Capital programme. As a point of clarification, he explained that although money was available to spend, they were not ring-fenced and sat within the realm of HR.
In terms of overcrowding, the committee heard that this was largely a result of the constant movement of people to and from the site which made it difficult to keep track of the number of residents living in each property and caused issues for both current residents and the Council. In efforts to improve the situation the Council was putting together a team whose aim would be to visit the site, understand better the individual needs of each family and find appropriate housing options for them. The overall aim was to engage with residents and hear their views before coming with proposals on how best to improve the situation and tackle ongoing anti-social behaviour issues.
Members asked for an update on progress made with finding a second site, to accommodate growing number of travellers and whether there were plans to prioritise travellers under the allocations policy. Officers responded that there were no plans for a second site but instead the Council may seek to find a larger, more suitable site. With regard to the allocations policy, there was work ongoing between families living at the site, OCC and BHP and housing needs service on finding out what the situation at the site was and the level of overcrowding it created, which in turn would give the Council a better understanding on the level of
overcrowding as a whole, the need to look for a larger site and whether or not current
allocations policy needs revision. Decision on this would need to be made by December 2017.
Finally, members discussed the issue of fire safety and health and safety on the site. In line with BHP’s wider fire safety policy, Fire Risk Assessments (FRA) were carried out annually for high risk properties, including sites like Lynton close, with a copy of the most recent assessment available in the agenda pack (Appendix C) .Officers explained that although the Council had statutory responsibility for the site, it was down to the occupants to look after their individual caravans. Issues such as accessing the site by emergency services were ongoing, with access to the site regularly blocked by abandoned vehicles. In addition, spacing between caravans was mentioned, with concerns expressed about not meeting the required distance of six metres between caravans.
Further fire safety related issues included the lack of adequate provision of sockets in the kitchen facilities and storage of cylinders on site which posed a fire risk. Hakeem Osinaike explained that conversions were inevitable albeit costly and that plans were being made to gradually replace all kitchens and toilet units. Furthermore, smoke alarms and heat detectors were installed in all mobile homes at Lynton close, with the Council and BHP maintaining a close relationship with London Fire Brigade which makes regular site visits and informs residents of the fire safety issues created by overcrowding.
The discussion was joined by Cllr Conneely who made a contribution by explaining that Lynton Close was a very well established site with generations of travellers living there. She insisted that the Brent was not meeting the legal requirement for total number of pitches available, which presupposed the need to find a larger more suitable site where residents could relocate.
RESOLVED that:
i) traffic enforcement report in June/July 2018 to be presented at a scrutiny
meeting in the next municipal year;
ii) work to continue on finding a larger travellers site and explore increasing
number of pitches;
iii) report on children and adolescents from Gail Tolley (Strategic Director, Children and Young People) to be shared with the committee
iv) Housing Services team to share with committee members a breakdown of the
contract with Oxfordshire County Council.
14/09/2017 - Implementation of actions previously recommended by Local Government Ombudsman ref: 3895 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Housing Scrutiny Committee
Made at meeting: 14/09/2017 - Housing Scrutiny Committee
Decision published: 02/11/2017
Effective from: 14/09/2017
Decision:
Laurence Coaker (Head of Housing Needs) presented a report on the outcome of the recommendations made by the Local Government Ombudsman in August 2016 and the further recommendations by the Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee on 23 November 2016 on how London Borough of Brent should deal with cases of domestic
violence and the implementation of the actions which resulted from this.
Further recommendations included a review of West London reciprocal arrangements (arrangements between West London areas on what happens to tenants who move from one borough to another and how not to lose their social tenancy) which were eventually taken over by the pan-London agreement to which all Local Authorities were now signed up to. In order to avoid having two separate agreements, a decision was made by directors that the west London agreement was put on hold and that the pan-London agreement was adopted on a trial basis. A project group was set up between BHP and housing needs officers to review those processes and new procedures had been drafted and sent out to officers. Training on domestic abuse was also being delivered by Shelter. In addition, the Council was leading on a mystery shopping exercise across six participating boroughs which would test how officers were dealing with cases on domestic abuse and would set a benchmark against which to measure improvements. Finally, Mr Coaker stated that an Outcome Based Review had been launched, which highlighted some housing issues and the findings of which would be discussed at a scoping event due to take place in October 2017 and make recommendations to enhance the service.
At a question by members on numbers of suitable accommodation available to victims of domestic abuse, Mr Coaker explained that availability was dependent on certain factors and each case would need to be looked on an individual basis, based on its tenure, location and
protected status to determine which scheme to use. At a question on whether any Invest4Brent Properties could be used on a short term basis for victims of domestic violence. Officers explained that these were private properties but could be used if deemed suitable.
Members further enquired on the issue of retaining social housing status and right to buy in cases where the victim has to relocate and stressed the importance of ensuring that victims were not punished by the process or end up as private tenants. Mr Coaker, reassured the committee that in general detainment of social housing status was on a like for like basis but that secure tenancy depended on the individual circumstances as well as the policies and procedures of the receiving borough. The issue had already been identified in the OBR and was yet to be tested via the pan-London agreement. In addition to this, officers explained the OBR was still in progress, with housing services staff actively involved in the OBR process. A visioning event would be held on 4th October 2017 when all data that had been collected would be shared with stakeholders to develop ideas and feed into the workshops and mystery shopping initiative. Committee members were invited to attend the event and contribute to
the discussion.
The issues of monitoring of work done on vulnerable residents, such as children and elderly was also mentioned in the discussion and the efficiency of the processes put in place to respond to calls for domestic abuse were also scrutinised by the committee. In response, officers assured the committee that the Council had taken appropriate actions to deal with this, including commissioning an OBR and initiating a mystery shopping exercise. In addition, Hakeem Osinaike explained that a performance management structure and comprehensive procedures were also in place which enabled Council services to track progress and deal with any issues accordingly. Finally, the committee stressed the importance of staff training and performance, which the officers reassured was being looked at and that a dedicated team of officers would be set up to specialise in cases of domestic abuse.
RESOLVED that:
i) OBR/pan-London domestic abuse progress report to be presented to Housing Scrutiny committee by March 2018
ii) update on OBR progress under matters arising at next Housing Scrutiny meeting on 1st November
iii) annual update on staff training on dealing with victims of domestic abuse
14/09/2017 - BHP Performance data ref: 3894 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Housing Scrutiny Committee
Made at meeting: 14/09/2017 - Housing Scrutiny Committee
Decision published: 02/11/2017
Effective from: 14/09/2017
Decision:
Hakeem Osinaike (Operational Director, Housing) presented a report focusing on BHP Performance, resident engagement and council properties stock. He explained that although fundamental issues still exist, the Council had identified the reasons for it and actions were taken to improve it. Four particular areas of concern were highlighted – delays when calling the contact centre, repairs, rents and health and safety. The transition period, coupled with IT issues and management shortage, affected performance and led to an increase in complaints. Nevertheless improvements had been made since then and with the service moving back in house they expect a significantly improved relationship. With regards to rent collection, Mr Osinaike explained that despite poor performance in Quarter 1, this area was now doing well with significant percentage of rent collected since August 2017. With regard to health and safety, he updated the members that a specialist consultancy had been engaged to undertake a review of all compliance process, during October, in terms of gas, electricity and fire safety as review staff roles and responsibilities. Finally, on the issue of resident engagement, members heard that despite all efforts, statistics show that only 3% of the residents engage with the Council, with a substantial silent majority of 97% remaining unengaged. In order to tackle this, the Council intended to explore further engagement options, including social media as well as type of residents targeted and meeting format. In addition, a paper was recently presented to the BHP Members and Resident Panel and the comments received would be taken into account in the preparation of the resident engagement strategy (officers to bring plan to HS for further discussion).
In the discussion which followed, members asked further questions on customer experience and the performance on the contact centre. They felt that the delays in customer enquiries and the responses received were unsatisfactory and instead more focus should be paid on face to face engagement with tenants and leaseholders.
In response, officers explained the fundamental issues off BHP service delivery still existed, which made it difficult to have direct contact with residents. However, issues had been identified and transformation programme in place. Members were reassured that the Council was determined to make the new structure more flexible and responsive and actions were being taken to improve this, including a new head of customer service due to start soon and service managers posts currently being advertised. In addition, the Council was looking to set up a dedicated customer insight team to provide insight on the different customer types as well as an improved housing management computer system to ensure that information held is correct and managed well. Once the above system had been put in place, members would be presented with an equality impact assessment, particularly on the levels of vulnerable residents living at BHP properties.
Further area of discussion brought up at the meeting was the variance in ground maintenance in different estates and ways to identify blocks in Brent who have unsatisfactory levels of service. Officers explained that the issues were known to Council and plans were in place to tackle them. Overall, estate inspectors were responsible to check quality of service but due to recent events, resources were redirected to fire safety. However, increased number of estate inspectors was possible there was scope for re-instating inspection but timescales for this could not be confirmed. Officers also said that the contract with Wettons was being extended for 12months during which a procurement process would start. Other alternative options included the digitalisation of information as a way of monitoring resident satisfaction through surveys.
Members also sought information on the issue with asbestos and in particular the programme on removal of asbestos from council properties and any data available. They expressed concerns that this had been an ongoing issues, with repeated investigations of asbestos on the same areas resulting in significant charges to the leaseholders as a consequence. Officers explained that an asbestos log exists but quality of data was unsatisfactory and properties were often being identified on ad hoc basis, particularly during repairs. Asbestos compliance practices were also being reviewed.
Finally, the committee touched upon the issues with voids and whether that has been reviewed and on what basis were properties prioritised and allocated. Hakeem Osinaike said that information on the above was not sufficient to allow for strategic decision to be made. He explained that the issue was treated as a priority with workshops on voids planned to discuss it. The move of BHP back in house would also ease communication with responsible officers, with the overall process due to be agreed and reviewed by December 2017.
RESOLVED that:
i) final plan on resident engagement to be brought for further discussion to the Housing Scrutiny Committee upon completion
ii) equality impact assessment to be done on vulnerable residents living at BHP properties
iii) report on voids and what actions would be taken to tackle them
Following this item, it was RESOLVED that the order of business be amended as set up below.
23/10/2017 - Queens Park/Cullen House, South Kilburn - Approval to bring forward the JV Co or other option to commence delivery of this project to include procurement of a construction partner ref: 3915 Recommendations Approved
To approve the procurement strategy for the
Queens Park/Cullen House Project.
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
RESOLVED that:
10.1 The significant progress made on the technical issues and the current position as set out in paragraph 3.6 and 3.7 of the Cabinet report with regard to progress in establishing a Joint Venture Company with London & Newcastle Capital Limited for the comprehensive redevelopment of the Queens Park/Cullen House project be noted;
10.2 The Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment in consultation with the Lead Member Regeneration, Growth, Employment and Skills, be delegated authority to implement the contingency option detailed in paragraph 3.8 (the “Contingency Option”) of the Cabinet report should it not be possible to agree the terms of the Joint Venture.
10.3 Officers be authorised to negotiate a buyout of London & Newcastle Capital Limited’s interest in the Falcon Public House in order to bring the site forward for development, should the Contingency Option be selected;
10.4 Approval was granted for the procurement of a construction partner for the Queens Park/Cullen House site either through a mini-competition using an appropriate Framework or alternatively through a Competitive Procedure with Negotiation under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 on the basis of the pre-tender considerations and evaluating the tenders on the basis of the evaluation criteria set out in (Appendix 3) should the Contingency Option be selected;
10.5 The Strategic Director of Regeneration & Environment in consultation with the Lead Member of Regeneration, Growth, Employment and Skills, be delegated authority to select the appropriate procurement route outlined in 10.4 above for the reasons detailed in paragraph 3.11 of the Cabinet report.
10.6 Authority to award a contract for a construction partner for the Queens Park/Cullen House site to the Strategic Director of Regeneration & Environment in consultation with the Lead Member of Regeneration, Growth, Employment and Skills, be delegated for the reasons detailed in paragraph 3.14 of the Cabinet report should the Contingency Option be selected.
10.7 The setting of rent levels for the affordable homes at the Queens Park/Cullen House site once complete, at a rent equivalent to the H.C.A. Target Rent levels, be approved;
10.8 The acquisition of a long lease of Networks Rail’s interest by the Council be agreed in principle. A further report be presented to Members on the terms negotiated for this proposed purchase which would help to bring the site forward for redevelopment; and
Negotiation and entering into Heads of Terms with Transport for London for the delivery of their new offices by Officers be agreed.
Wards affected: Kilburn;
Lead officer: Marie Frederick
23/10/2017 - Selective Licensing in the Private Rented Sector - Update ref: 3914 Recommendations Approved
To acknowledge and correct some drafting
errors in the report considered by Cabinet on 19th June 2017:
Selective Licensing in the Private Rented Sector.
By way of clarification, the report to this Cabinet seeks to make
corrections in respect of Designation Areas 2, 4 and 6 and the
wards included in those areas.
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
RESOLVED that:
9.1 The identified inconsistencies in the original report of 19 June 2017 and the required amendments be noted. In particular, Preston ward was included in Designation Area 4 and Queensbury ward in Designation Area 6 and that no rectifications were required regarding Designation Areas 1, 3 and 5;
9.2 The legal requirements for introducing Selective Licensing be agreed by way of clarification on the grounds of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and/or migration and/or deprivation and/or poor housing conditions and/or high levels of crime have been met with regard to three of the six selective licensing designation areas as summarised in table 6 in paragraph 10.16 of the report to Cabinet dated 19 June 2017, which covered the following Council wards:
i) Brondesbury Park (designation 2 on grounds of migration, anti-social behaviour and high level of crime);
ii) Alperton, Barnhill, Sudbury, Tokyngton, Preston (designation 4 on grounds of anti-social behaviour and poor housing conditions);
iii) Fryent, Kenton, Northwick Park, Queensbury (designation 6 on grounds of anti-social behaviour and migration).
9.3 Subject to paragraph 9.2 above and by way of clarification, the designation of three areas for selective licensing, namely Designation Areas 2, 4 and 6 be authorised to last for five years from the date of designation. These would cover the following Council wards as shaded in blue and marked D2, D4 and D6 on the map at paragraph 4.6 of the Cabinet report, namely:
i) Brondesbury Park (designation area 2);
ii) Alperton, Barnhill, Sudbury, Tokyngton, Preston (designation area 4);
iii) Fryent, Kenton, Northwick Park, Queensbury (designation area 6).
9.4 Consent be sought from the Secretary of State for the designation for Selective Licensing of the three designation areas 2, 4 and 6 as referred to in paragraphs 9.2 and 9.3 above and that this consent application in relation to designation areas 2, 4 and 6 would be submitted in addition to the application for consent which had been submitted to the Secretary of State following the Cabinet’s decision of 19 June 2017;
9.5 Authority to issue the required statutory notifications in respect if designation areas 2, 4 and 6 as referred to in paragraphs 9.2 and 9.3 above in relation to the Selective Licensing Scheme designations be delegated to the Strategic Director of Community Wellbeing, in consultation with the Lead Member for Housing and Welfare Reform; and
9.6 Subject to consent being obtained from the Secretary of State, and the issue of statutory notifications, the Strategic Director of Community Wellbeing, in consultation with the lead member for housing and welfare reform be authorised to decide the date from which the council will begin to accept applications for Selective Licensing for the Designation Areas 2, 4 and 6 and the date on which those three designations will come into effect.
Wards affected: (All Wards);
Lead officer: Spencer Randolph
23/10/2017 - Brent Council's Workforce Strategy 2017-2020 ref: 3917 Recommendations Approved
To formally approve and adopt the
Council’s new workforce strategy 2017 - 2020
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
RESOLVED that:
12.1 The Brent Council Workforce Strategy 2017 – 2020 be approved; including the four workforce priorities and the high level action plan.
Wards affected: (All Wards);
Lead officer: David Veale
23/10/2017 - Complaints Annual Report 2016 - 2017 ref: 3906 Recommendations Approved
Annual performance report on corporate and
statutory complaints in Brent
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
RESOLVED that:
6.1 The Council and BHP’s performance in managing and resolving complaints be noted;
6.2 The following specific recommendations be noted and agreed:
Root cause of complaints
a. Work with service area and departmental management teams to review key service delay/failure hotspots and develop improvement plans.
b. Develop a tailored training plan on communication and staff behaviours to be implemented in priority service areas across the Council.
c. Support the new Housing Management Service during the redesign of the repairs process by feeding in the lessons learned from complaints.
Decision making and outcomes
d. Review LGO referrals and identify any future opportunities for early resolution and minimisation of premature LGO referrals.
e. Review our internal approach to complaint decisions, corrective actions and compensation in light of LGO outcomes in 2016/17.
Complaint handling and monitoring
f. Continue to improve internal processes and working arrangements with service managers to increase the timeliness of Stage 2 responses.
g. Work closely with the Housing Management Service management team to establish a new and effective complaints process and implement improved working arrangements to manage Stage 2 complaints
h. Implement a weekly Corrective Actions Tracker for all departments to monitor the timely completion of agreed remedial actions
6.3 The fact that BHP had been reported as a separate organisation for the purposes of this annual report for 2016/17 be noted.
Wards affected: (All Wards);
Lead officer: Irene Bremang
23/10/2017 - Authority to Award a Care and Support Services Contract for Visram House Extra Care Scheme ref: 3913 Recommendations Approved
To seek approval to award care and support
services in extra care scheme – Visram House
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
RESOLVED that:
8.1 The contract for care and support services be awarded to Notting Hill Housing Trust (NHHT) for a period of 5 years with an option to extend by up to two further one year periods (5+1+1).
Wards affected: (All Wards);
Lead officer: Helen Woodland
23/10/2017 - Any Other Urgent Business ref: 3922 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
No.
23/10/2017 - Exclusion of Press and Public ref: 3921 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
No.
23/10/2017 - Reference of item considered by Scrutiny Committees (if any) ref: 3919 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
None.
23/10/2017 - Petitions (if any) ref: 3911 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 23/10/2017
Decision:
There were no petitions to be discussed by Cabinet.
23/10/2017 - Matters Arising (if any) ref: 3910 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 23/10/2017
Decision:
There were no matters arising.
23/10/2017 - Minutes of the Previous Meeting ref: 3909 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 23/10/2017
Decision:
It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 11 September 2017, be approved as an accurate record of the meeting.
23/10/2017 - Declarations of Interest ref: 3908 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 23/10/2017
Decision:
There were no declarations of interest by Members.
23/10/2017 - Apologies for Absence ref: 3907 Recommendations Approved
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 23/10/2017
Decision:
None.
23/10/2017 - Resources Senior Manager Reconfiguration ref: 3920 Recommendations Approved
For Cabinet to agree the proposals for the
Resources Senior Manager reconfiguration (subject to a consultation
with staff and union representatives)
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
RESOLVED that:
14.1 The deletion of the role of Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development for the reasons set out in the Cabinet report be approved;
14.2 That Cabinet approves the proposal to re-designate and then appoint to the Chief Legal Officer role at Hay 3 grade and the intention to move the oversight of the shared service for Procurement with Harrow as well as some aspects of the current HR function to within the remit of the re-designated Chief Legal Officer be noted;
14.3 The creation of a Director of Property and Assets role at Hay 3 be approved.
14.4 The proposal to bring the oversight of Civic Enterprise and some aspects of the current HR function within the remit of the Chief Finance Officer be noted;
14.5 The proposal to move the Equalities function to Performance, Policy and Partnerships be noted; and
14.6 The final decision-making on the proposals following consultation be delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader and Deputy Leader.
Lead officer: Althea Loderick
23/10/2017 - Review of Council Tax Support scheme ref: 3916 Recommendations Approved
To agree Brent’s local Council Tax
Support scheme for 2018/19, and plans for future review
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
RESOLVED that:
11.1 Brent’s Council Tax Support (“CTS”) scheme would remain unchanged in 2018/2019; and
11.2 The factors which would be relevant for consideration regarding the future of the local scheme beyond 2018/19 be noted.
Wards affected: (All Wards);
Lead officer: Margaret Read
23/10/2017 - Brent’s Apprenticeship Strategy 2017-2020 ref: 3918 Recommendations Approved
To formally approve and adopt Brent’s
Apprenticeship Strategy 2017 - 2020
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
RESOLVED that:
13.1 The Council’s Apprenticeship Strategy be endorsed;
13.2 The recommended new apprenticeship pay scales for the council’s own apprentices be noted; and
13.3 The analysis of the Council’s skills gaps identified to date be noted and the ongoing utilisation of the Apprenticeship Levy to support investment in workforce development and apprenticeships be endorsed.
Wards affected: (All Wards);
Lead officer: David Veale
23/10/2017 - Matters requiring shareholder consent and plans to develop 2018/19 business plan for the Council's wholly owned company I4B Holdings Ltd ref: 3912 Recommendations Approved
To request agreement to matters which require Cabinet consent as shareholder of I4B Holdings Ltd.
To set out the proposed process and timetable for the developing of the I4B Holdings Ltd Business Plan for 2018/19.
Reason for deferral from September to October Cabinet:
To allow more time for Officer and Board Member consideration.
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Made at meeting: 23/10/2017 - Cabinet
Decision published: 24/10/2017
Effective from: 31/10/2017
Decision:
RESOLVED that:
7.1 The Council and the I4B Holdings Ltd should enter into a new four-year Services Agreement to provide a range of support services;
7.2 £50m be made available for drawn-down (by I4B Holdings Ltd) as the final tranche of the £100m PRS funding, to complete the purchase of 300 properties in line with the Cabinet’s agreement of the Temporary Reform Accommodation Plan in March 2016 and the 2017/18 to 2019/20 budget in February 2017;
7.3 The end of I4B Holding Ltd’s first financial year be moved from the end of December 2017 to the end of March 2018 to bring it in line with the Council;
7.4 The appointment of an additional Company Director to the I4B Holdings Ltd Board be agreed;
7.5 I4B Holdings Ltd’s intention to develop its second Business Plan and seek Shareholder agreement at the Cabinet meeting in February 2018 be noted; and
7.6 The establishment of an Equity Investment Framework, restricting the Council’s investment in I4B Holdings Ltd to 25% of total capital invested be approved.
Wards affected: (All Wards);
Lead officer: Chris Brown