Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Cathy Dowse, Rowshan Hannan, Asli Mohammed, Simon Peirce, Majid Rahman, Rachel Taggart-Ryan, Dave Sullivan and Miranda Williams.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillors Issy Cooke and Lauren Dingsdale.

Apologies for leaving early were received from Councillors Nas Asghar, Joshua Ayodele, Lade Olugbemi, Christine St Matthew-Daniel and Sandra Thomas.

Members are requested to confirm as an accurate record the Minutes of the meeting held on 24 July 2024.

No motion or discussion may take place upon the Minutes except as to their accuracy, and any question on this point will be determined by a majority of the Members of the body attending who were present when the matter in question was decided. Once confirmed, with or without amendment, the person presiding will sign the Minutes

Resolved –

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 24 July 2024 be agreed and signed as a true and accurate record.

The Mayor welcomed Councillors Charlie Davis and Raja Zeeshan to the Chamber for their first Full Council meeting since their recent by-election victories.

The Mayor read a statement on behalf of Cllr Pat Slattery apologising for her conduct during the 31 January 2024 Full Council meeting.

The Mayor announced that there were White Ribbons available in the Chamber to mark the 16 days of action against Violence Against Women and Girls from 25 November to 10 December.  Members were invited to sign up to be ambassadors for women and girls across the Borough.

The Mayor thanked Sarah McClinton, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Health and Adult Services who was leaving the Council after nearly 5 years’ service, to take up a position as Chief Social Worker for Adults in the Government Department of Health and Social Care.  Jamie Carswell, Director of Housing and Safer Communities would be take over as Deputy Chief Executive in the new year.

Council stood for a minutes’ silence in remembrance of John Cartwright, a past Leader of the Council and past MP for Woolwich.

Members to declare any personal and financial interests in items on the agenda. Attention is drawn to the Council’s Constitution; the Council’s Code of Conduct and associated advice.

Resolved -

That the list of Councillors’ memberships as Council appointed representatives on outside bodies, joint committees and school governing bodies is noted.

No requests to exceed the 5 minute rule had been received.

Presentation to the Council of petitions for consideration

The following petitions were presented at the meeting:

The Mayor invited Eleanor Restall, Lead Petitioner to address Council in relation to the petition response set out at Appendix 1.

She complained that the project had gone ahead without consideration of the impact on the boundary roads.  She said the traffic counters that were in use were ineffective and their Residents Association own data research had shown an increase in traffic by 50% on those roads since June. They were told that it was an 18 month experiment but that was a long time for those residents being negatively impacted by the effective re-routing of traffic to an area which already had its fair share. 

Councillor Averil Lekau, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Sustainability and Transport thanked Eleanor Restall for her comments. Councillor Lekau said that they had said that the boundary area roads would be monitored and included in the full consultation.  The whole programme was expected to take 18 months, however within the first 6 months they would be looking at traffic impacts and make adjustments if needed with the concrete data that the counts would collect.  She urged all residents to engage with the consultation.

The Mayor invited Elaine Magnus on behalf of the Lead Petitioner, to address Council in relation to the petition response set out at Appendix 3.

She said that they were disappointed by the continued delay and resident still felt as if they were in limbo which was unacceptable. The campaign had been ongoing for 7 years now.  There was a potential for a solution in January but that was put back to July and now they are told due to the number of by-elections it had been put on hold again. They had no idea what timescale they were looking at now.

Councillor Averil Lekau, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Sustainability and Transport thanked Elaine Magnus for her comments. Councillor Lekau apologised for the delay.  She had visited the area to see the issues and had arranged a meeting with residents.  She had tried to push the matter forward but unfortunately due to the number of by-elections which had impacted on council business.  As soon as they were able to they would forge ahead in liaison with residents and ward councillors.

The Mayor invited Andrew Crozier on behalf of the Lead Petitioner, to address Council in relation to the petition response set out at Appendix 5.

He thanked the Council for the speed bumps and the 20mph restriction signs. He felt that an extra speed bump would be beneficial in the middle of the drive.  He also wondered if before the implementation of the CPZ if other measures such as double yellow lines and an extension of the double red lines could be considered.

Councillor Averil Lekau, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Sustainability and Transport thanked Andrew Crozier for his comments.  She said that officers tried to mitigate against some of the issues he had raised.  She was not in a position to respond to the requests tonight but would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Mayor noted that there were no public deputations.   

Up to half an hour will be allowed for questions by Members of the Public.

Questions will be taken in the order notices are received by the Chief Executive.  Each question to have no more than one part.  No member of the public shall ask more than 2 questions at a meeting.

The Mayor stated that Council had received 40 written questions from members of the public.  The questions and replies, together with the supplementary questions made during the meeting, are attached as Appendix A to the minutes.

a.      To receive written responses to questions submitted by Members in line with procedure Rule A1.38.

b.      Up to 10 minutes will be allowed for Members’ oral questions in line with procedure Rule A1.43.

The Mayor stated that 36 written questions had been received from Members of the Council.  The questions and replies, together with the supplementary questions made during the meeting, are attached as Appendix B to the minutes. 

Under procedures for oral questions, the Mayor invited questions to Members of the Cabinet for response.

Councillor Roger Tester said in relation to the West Hallowes petition response he knew how frustrated the residents were.  He thanked the Cabinet Member for meeting with them in recent weeks, but could they have a clear timescale for the consultation and implementation and the meeting she referred to.  Councillor Averil Lekau, Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Sustainability and Transport apologised again for the length of time taken.  Some of the delays had been out of their control and she was trying to work as swiftly as possible.  She was aware of the anxieties and was showing good will by trying to push it forward as quickly as possible.  She could not engage at this stage but hopefully could in January.  There had been unprecedented events over the last year.

Councillor Matt Hartley, Leader of the Opposition, asked if the Leader of the Council would agree to meet the ward councillors to discuss the closure of the Coldharbour Police base.  There was a 1500 signature petition against the closure to indication the strength of feeling on the matter.  Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Council said that Cllr Smith had set out a robust answer to his written question on the subject which set out the challenges and difficulties and the historical context.  The Council had no set position with regard to the closure of Coldharbour Police base and had invested in the new hub in Kidbrooke to support the police.

Councillor Sandra Bauer asked the Leader of the Council if there was a place for women and girls who had been killed by men in Greenwich to be memorialized annually on the run up to International Womens’ Day, either at Full Council or some other appropriate Council Forum.  Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Council agreed it was an important issue and one which supported the work being done in the fight against violence towards women and girls.  As men in the Chamber they were not bystanders and needed to stand up when we seewrong doing and intervene.  He would take it away for consideration of how to build it into the council programme.

Councillor Matt Hartley, Leader of the Opposition, asked the Leader of the Council if he would reconsider his communications around the sale of the Equestrian Centre Green and Garth at Shrewsbury House. The Opposition had called the decision in at the request of local community groups in Shooters Hill, the Woodlands Farms Trust and Shrewsbury House Community Association, who had not been consulted with on the future of these sites which were of great importance to the community.  Would he reconsider the consultation arrangements around the asset review process to make  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

Each political party may select an item of business, from the list of items on the agenda, for early debate. 

No requests for matters to be taken early had been received. 

Noted the appointment of Cllr Charlie Davis as Deputy Leader of the Opposition for the 2024/25 Municipal Year.

Councillor Matt Hartley, Leader of the Opposition, said that they were very pleased to put forward the appointment of Councillor Charlie Davis as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, after an absence of two years, and in reflection of the growing Opposition group.  They looked forward to seeing Councillor Davis’ forensic and ferocious questioning on all manner of subjects to the Cabinet Members.

Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Council welcomed Councillor Davies back to the chamber and congratulated him on his position as Deputy Leader of the Opposition.  He noted that it was not the chamber he left, and they looked forward to robust debates.  They would give the Opposition the respect deserved as in politics, opposition plays an important role and that was their official position.

Resolved -

That the appointment of Cllr Charlie Davis as Deputy Leader of the Opposition for the 2024/25 Municipal Year be noted.

Agreed to adopt the revised Royal Borough of Greenwich Statement of Gambling Policy.

Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Council formally moved the report which was in line with the Council’s statutory duties in how gambling licenses and associated items were dealt with.

The matter was put to the vote and it was unanimously

Resolved -

That the revised Royal Borough of Greenwich Statement of Gambling Policy be adopted.

Noted the Royal Borough’s Strategic Risk Register at Appendix A.

Noted the Strategic Risk Register was presented to the Audit & Risk Management Panel on 4th September 2024 and was agreed.

Noted that the Strategic Risk Register was presented to Cabinet on 26th November 2024 and was agreed and refer to Council for noting. 

Councillor Denise Hyland, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Social Values moved the report.  She said that the Authority was responsible for ensuring that it conducted its business in accordance with the law and that public funds were properly accounted for and used economically, efficiently and effectively.  Good risk management allowed for the minimisation of the consequences of threats faced down to acceptable levels and would increase confidence in the achievement of the corporate plan and the ability to deliver key priorities.  A risk-based approach had been adopted more widely across the Council’s operations and risk management was a continuous process that required council employees at all levels to consistently apply agreed procedures within the Council's risk management framework.  This would continue as they tried to navigate the significant challenges faced.

Councillor David Gardner, Chair of Audit and Risk Management Panel thanked Cllr Hyland and officers for their work in maintaining the Strategic Risk Register.  The Audit and Risk Management Panel considered it in September and made two recommendations.  One was that the ownership of risk should be more corporate rather than just one director and the senior leadership team had taken this on board.  The second recommendation was a technical one, and related to the helpful table which indicated where strategic risk fell on a heat map at Appendix C.  The Panel felt that there should be a way of reflecting the level of risk included in the main report rather than an appendix which would make it easier to read.  The Panel were pleased with the new model and that risks were being taken seriously and action taken as needed.

Councillor Matt Hartley, Leader of the Opposition rose to endorse the comments made and to thank officers for their comprehensive work in the update of the Strategic Risk Register.  This gave a much better ability and platform from which to scrutinise the continuous task of risk management in the Council.

Resolved -

That the Royal Borough’s Strategic Risk Register at Appendix A, be noted.

That the Strategic Risk Register was presented to the Audit & Risk Management Panel on 4th September 2024 and was agreed, be noted.

That the Strategic Risk Register was presented to Cabinet on 26th November 2024 and was agreed and refer to Council for noting, be noted. 

Agreed the Treasury Management Mid-Year Report for 2024/25 and noted there were no comments from Cabinet and Audit and Risk Management Panel (Sections 4-10).

Agreed the Capital Mid-Year Report for 2024/25 and noted there were no comments from Cabinet and Audit and Risk Management Panel (Sections 11-12).

Councillor Denise Hyland, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Social Values, moved the report.  As a point of clarification, she drew attention to Section 5.2 of the report, page 3, line 13 which should read “This has increased in line with Bank of England rapid interest rates increase over the last FINANCIAL year”. 

There was no increase in the risk profile or the appetite of the council for risk, and the Council continued to maintain a prudent investment strategy.  All councils were facing challenging and volatile economic conditions with high borrowing rates and geopolitical events still having an impact on global financial markets.

External borrowing had increased by 135 million in the last six months to cover the funding needed for the capital program projects as outlined in table

4 of the report.  The key points for capital were that all projects remained within the approved multi -year budget envelope.

The leasehold disposal at Oakmere Road, although on a 125 -year peppercorn rent, would help to achieve the savings set out in the Medium -Term Financial Strategy report in March.  However it would also enable the council to meet its statutory requirement to provide sufficient special educational needs placements in the borough.

Councillor David Gardner, Chair of the Audit and Risk Management Panel rose to say that the Panel had considered the report the previous evening but had no comments or recommendations as they were happy with the report.

Councillor Matt Hartley, Leader of the Opposition said that to reassure Council, the Audit and Risk Management Panel was annually dip testing the question of if there was sufficient resource at the corporate centre to fulfil the treasury management function and responsibilities.  He endorsed the comments of the Cabinet Member.

The matter was put to the vote and it was unanimously

Resolved -

That the Treasury Management Mid-Year Report for 2024/25 and noted there were no comments from Cabinet and Audit and Risk Management Panel (Sections 4-10), be agreed.

That the Capital Mid-Year Report for 2024/25 and noted there were no comments from Cabinet and Audit and Risk Management Panel (Sections 11-12), be agreed.

Approved the changes to Part 4, Schedules G (Contract Standing Orders) of the Councils Constitution as set out in Appendix A.

Approved the changes to Part 4, Section D (Criteria and Guidance on Key Decision) of the Councils Constitution as set out in Appendix B

The Mayor moved the report.

Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Council, thanked officers for their review of the Constitution in order to get it ready for the Procurement Act.  This had been the reason for the changes to ensure that the authority was able to act in accordance with the new Act and its requirements, particularly in line with thinking about social value and how things were procured.  This was the finalisation of that project.

The matter was put to the vote and it was unanimously

Resolved -

That the changes to Part 4, Schedules G (Contract Standing Orders) of the Councils Constitution as set out in Appendix A, be approved.

That the changes to Part 4, Section D (Criteria and Guidance on Key Decision) of the Councils Constitution as set out in Appendix B, be approved.