Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Miller and Mitchell, with Councillors Fraser and Moeen attending as alternates

Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, the nature

and existence of any relevant disclosable pecuniary or personal interests

in the items on this agenda and to specify the item(s) to which they relate.

None.

To hear any deputations for which requests have been approved from

members of the public, in accordance with Standing Order 67.

None.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 9 March 2022 as a correct record.

It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the previous meetings held on 9 March 2022 and 9 June 2022 be approved as an accurate record

To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

The Committee were updated that prior to the meeting a deputation had been received from a resident, Mr Philip Grant. This was in regards to a presentation which was made to this committee in the previous municipal year, on the Poverty Commission Update at the 9 March 2022 meeting of the Committee. Further information had been received from the Brent Housing Department on this issue which the Committee would be considering in the future, and commenting on any further recommendations at the Committee’s September meeting.

To outline the Brent Digital Strategy 2022-2026, with a particular focus on the digital initiatives to support digital inclusion. To outline how the digital inclusion programme is being delivered as part of the strategy and how hard to reach groups are being supported and equalities issues addressed. 

Councillor Mili Patel (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources & Reform) introduced the item, presenting the Committee with an update on the Council’s Digital Inclusion Strategy. Sadie East (Operational Director, Transformation) and Madeleine Leathley (Digital Workstream Lead).

The Committee was then invited to raise questions on the information provided,

which focussed on a number of key areas, as highlighted below:

·             Regarding residents who were digitally excluded, it was asked what was being done to help them get online; it was answered that additional support had been offered to children and young people in schools, providing 500 devices to young people. In terms of general residents, there was focused targeting of residents to identify areas in the borough where residents required the most support.

·             Further to this point, the Committee asked how residents who did not speak English as a first language were supported, as well as refugees and asylum seekers. The Committee were updated that devices had been provided to these groups, as well as digital skills training sessions, in conjunction with language interpreters.

·             On the point of digital accessibility, it was asked how difficulties with residents navigating two-factor authentication applying for the residents support fund was being addressed. It was noted that there was support in place through Brent Hubs, as well as through ‘digital champions’ in the borough. Accessibility formed a significant part of Brent’s wider digital strategy. 

·             It was asked what role the NHS were playing in adding to the digital strategy; it was updated that a new relationship with local NHS trusts had been forged, with information being shared from the NHS with Brent Hubs and digital champions. The NHS also had their own digital champions to advise people on their online activity. There was ongoing work offline with organisations such as Age UK in order to signpost these services to residents. 

·             It was also updated that funding and support was in place to further the creation of more Digital Champions going forward.

The Committee made the following information requests:

i)                 Provide a list of VCS groups the council is working with so members can co-ordinate their own assistance.

The following recommendations were made:

i)                 Undertake further consultation with the community and VCS to identify the gaps in the current strategy.

ii)               Involve councillors to identify gaps in the strategy and to assist with championing the strategy provisions (relates to the information request for the breakdown of VCS groups – above)

iii)              Digital champions network – recruit, train and resource champions from   marginalised and disenfranchised communities in this area.

iv)              Re-launch the network as a programme/scheme to raise the profile of the network.

To provide an update on the progress made by partners on the implementation of the recommendations made by Baroness Casey following the UEFA Euros 2020 England v Italy football match at Wembley.

Councillor Krupa Sheth (Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action) introduced the item. The Committee were updated on how the Council and its partners had worked to implement the recommendations of Baroness Casey following the events of the Euro 2020 men’s football final.

Moving forward to speak to the report, Chris Whyte (Operational Director) updated the Committee that the summation of the Casey Review had been not to repeat the events which had occurred at Euro 2020, and the Council had been successful in achieving that aim in the last year.

The Committee was then invited to raise questions on the information provided, which focussed on a number of key areas, as highlighted below:

·             In relation to the recommendations from Baroness Casey’s report, it was asked if there were any plans to have e-ticketing at Wembley and if so, how would phone signal be updated around the stadium. It was updated that this was primarily a question for the stadium staff, though there were plans to increase the phone signal around the stadium area.

·             Reflecting that different audiences such as boxing, football and concertgoers presented different challenges, it was asked if this had been addressed in event day planning going forward. The Committee were updated that resources were supplied in a different way, depending on the type of event. This was dependent on the likelihood of antisocial behaviour occurring at an event. Mostly, football events were now treated the same, irrespective of the size of the teams playing at the stadium. This risk was analysed in tandem with being fair to businesses, and allowing them to trade on event days. 

·             In terms of identifying risks posed by different football teams’ fans on event days, it was updated that the Council were heavily reliant on the risk profiles supplied by the Police.

·             The issue of dispersal after concerts was raised as an issue at recent concerts, and this was acknowledged of being due to transport and traffic issues. 

·             Residents in the Wembley area had expressed concern that security coverage had not been equal across the borough, as well as an issue of concert attendees not dispersing as quickly as football fans. It was noted that there were four key partners on event days: the Council, Quintain, the Football Association and the Metropolitan Police. The Council had been working to establish a broader network to address any security gaps which may have occurred. 

·             It was noted that information and timings around events and concerts should be made more readily available for residents in the area going forward.

·             In terms of deterrent around parking, it was asked if fines were large enough to stop people parking illegally. It was noted that the level of parking fines were set by the statutes, which did mean that the Council were unable to alter them. The deployment of Council staff on the ground was funded by Wembley Stadium.

·             It was raised that ward Councillors and residents had noticed traffic hotspots building up on event  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

This report sets out the overall financial position facing the Council and highlights the significant risks, issues and uncertainties with regards to the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).  This includes risks and uncertainties that already existed prior to COVID-19 and the new risks that must now be addressed. It also sets out the proposed budget setting strategy for 2023/24, which is the Council’s minimum legal duty in respect of local authority budget setting, in order to maximise the period of consultation with residents, businesses and other key stakeholders. 

This update was presented by Councillor Mili Patel (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources & Reform) and Minesh Patel (Director of Finance, Brent Council). The report highlighted the uncertainties and risks with regard to budget setting, as part of the process of setting the Council’s budget for the year 2023/24. There were no new proposals by way of this report, other than the estimate of a budget gap of around £28 million from the budget of 2023/24 to 2024/25. The report also outlined how the medium term financial framework of the Council would aim to provide investment to longer-term priorities, such as those outlined in the Borough Plan, as well as the response to Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis.

It was acknowledged that the report reflected financial uncertainty in the national economy, owing to factors such as Covid-19, high levels of inflation and the global impact of the war in Ukraine. Together with local changes, this required the need for substantial savings within the Council’s budget. Due to the lack of clarity around future levels of funding for local government, the Committee were updated that it was difficult to be precise around future financial targets. When the budget for 2022/23 was initially agreed by the Council in February 2022, it was assumed that a further savings of £12 million were required in the next few years. However, based on the new information since then, the Committee were updated that the current working assumption was that £28 million of savings would need to be made. These estimates would be a major factor in the construction of the Council’s budget for 2023/24. 

The Committee were then invited to raise questions, which are summarised below:

·             Regarding the impact that the rate of inflation would have on contracts and levels of service, it was noted that inflation would be factored in when considering awarding new contracts. A number of contracts organised by the Council did also contain inflationary clauses within them. 

·             The Committee asked if analysis had been undertaken of the Council’s major suppliers financial viability/resilience, especially those services for which the Council is supplier of last resort; it was noted that within the care sector, the Council were cognizant of the need for contractors to be able to continue delivering services. It was not guaranteed that all care providers could be protected in the borough, though within the budget there was a focus on areas and contracts that were experiencing financial difficulties. 

·             On the issue of Adult Social Care, it was asked whether the pressures to adult social care budgets were likely to lead to a change to any of the thresholds of social care funding; it was noted that eligibility criteria for funding was decided nationally. In relation to charging residents for services, it was explained that this was decided on a means testing basis.

·             The Committee questioned what the Council was doing to reduce its reliance on the private rented sector for temporary accommodation and to reduce  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

This report presents the scrutiny committee’s work plan for 2022/23.

The Committee agreed the work plan set out in the report.

This report presents the scrutiny committee’s recommendations tracker.

The Committee noted and agreed the contents of the Recommendations Tracker

Notice of items to be raised under this heading must be given in writing to the Head of Executive and Member Services or her representative before the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 60.

None.