Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive apologies from Members of the Committee.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Pat Slattery and Rachel Taggart-Ryan.

Apologies for leaving early were given by Councillor Adel Khaireh.

The Chair to announce any items of urgent business circulated separately from the main agenda.

There were no items of urgent business.

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.

Members are requested to confirm as an accurate record the Minutes of the meeting held on 18 September 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 Cabinet held on 18 September 2024 be agreed and signed as a true and accurate record.

To approve the freehold or long leasehold disposal of the properties listed in Section 4.9 of the report and detailed in Appendix 1 of the report

Approved the freehold or long leasehold disposal of the properties listed in Section 4.9 and further detailed in Appendix 1 of this report

Agreed, in consultation with the Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning, Estate Renewal & Development, to delegate the process for disposal to the Director of Regeneration, Enterprise and Skills and note the terms of any disposal will be agreed in accordance with Part 3 of the Council’s Constitution.

Delegated authority to the Director of Regeneration, Enterprise and Skills to make the appointments needed to enable these assets to be disposed of effectively, efficiently and at the best price reasonably obtainable.

Noted that the Director of Regeneration Enterprise and Skills will implement the disposal process in accordance with prevailing market conditions or other circumstances.

Noted the asset review is ongoing and further reports will be prepared for Member consideration in line with the Council’s constitution. 

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Estate Renewal and Development introduced the report. He highlighted that there had been a thorough consideration of the sites and assets.

The report was presented by the Director of Regeneration, Enterprise and Skills. The Director highlighted the findings of the Asset Review, and that the key principles included maximizing revenue through market rents, ensuring disposals achieved best value, and exploring opportunities for repurposing assets without negatively impacting service delivery. The Director confirmed the recommendations were considered in light of the Transport Strategy and Carbon Neutral Plan.

In response to questions from Cabinet, the Director of Regeneration, Enterprise and Skills explained how assets were identified and their financial performance measured in terms of income and costs, while taking note of relevant service requirements and demand. The Director clarified how the usage of the Charlton Village Car Park was determined, and indicated the difficulty for enforcement and the problem of vandalism there.

In response to questions from Cabinet, the Deputy Director Regeneration & Property advised that adding an overage clause on relevant sales would likely reduce the number of bidders and the amount they would be willing to pay; they had to be careful not to fetter disposal proposals as that would be contrary to achieving the best financial consideration for the disposal.

The Chair agreed to Cabinet receiving a representation from the Charlton Society.

Cabinet was addressed by Carol Kenna, the representative of the Charlton Society. The Charlton Society accepted the car park behind the residential property was under used, but the one adjacent to the Assembly Rooms was fully used particularly by those with learning difficulties who had special transport needs. The Assembly Rooms were integral to the collection of listed buildings in the conservation area, and to the financial plans for keeping Charlton House viable.

The Deputy Director Regeneration & Property clarified that the Charlton Village Car Park was in the demise of the Council and not the Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust. He advised that the decision was about disposal not change of use; it would be for the purchaser to determine the use, and conservation area would be a consideration of any planning applicant the purchaser made.

The Charlton Society highlighted a problem for Charlton Village was that the shops did not use the service roads for deliveries but instead parked in the high street. The Deputy Director Regeneration & Property responded that the matter of the service deliveries would be dealt with by traffic enforcement.

Cabinet discussed the matter. Members recognised the financial challenges the Council faced while seeking to protect vital frontline services. Sales would help to bring in investment to help with the budget gap, but they also needed to consider the management of the Council’s estate and ensure they used their assets effectively to get the best value and use from them to support their communities.  It was noted that retention of the Charlton Village Car Park was not financially tenable, and that they also had to keep in mind the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To note the current performance with regards to“the bigsix” HousingSafety Complianceareas, to note the update regarding damp and mould within Council owned homes, and to note the summary of activity to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Social Housing Ombudsman and the Regulator of Social Housing

Noted the progress which has been made in performance across the “big six” areas of compliance and the further activity underway to further improve safety for our residents.

Noted the actions completed toward improved safety for our residents.

Noted that the Regulator of Social Housing has not pursued its request to agree a Voluntary Undertaking with the Royal Borough of Greenwich

Continued to note the timescales for “regulatory compliance” which have been shared with the Regulator of Social Housing;

Noted the actions being taken by the service to tackle damp and mould within its homes;

Noted the actions completed and planned to ensure compliance with the general requirements of the Regulator of Social Housing.

NB. Having given apologies, Councillor Adel Khaireh left the meeting during the course of this item.

The Chair read a submission from the Cabinet Member for Housing Management, Neighbourhoods and Homelessness, introducing the report. The Cabinet Member drew Cabinet’s attention to the very significant improvements in performance since they had reported themselves to the social housing regulator. The Cabinet Member thanked officers for their work in helping deliver the Our Greenwich Mission of ensuring people had access to a safe and secure home. The Cabinet Member highlighted they now had an enlarged team to respond to damp and mould. The Cabinet Member drew Cabinet’s attention to the new requirements in relation to Building Safety.

The report was presented by the Senior Assistant Director of Repairs and Investment. He said that the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s assurance regime provided assurance that the Council’s buildings and homes were managed safely and in compliance with standards. He confirmed there had been significant progress in addressing the concerns raised in the regulatory notice issued two years ago, with monthly meetings to benchmark progress. He drew Cabinet’s attention to paragraph 4.30 of the report and the four particular areas for improvement that the Regulation Ready Board would be seeking to address.

In response to questions from Cabinet, the Senior Assistant Director of Repairs and Investment replied that Officers had conducted a root and branch review, not just of communal blocks but in domestic blocks as well, to ensure the EICRs were correct and up to date, and electricians were completing any works that needed to be done arising from that review. The Senior Assistant Director clarified that a lot of the works were specialist in nature and so were mostly contracted out and while some staff were used in certain areas generally none of the works were done at the expense of the day today repairs work. The Senior Assistant Director advised that it had not been due to lack of funding that they had not been able to address fire safety matters as quick as they had wanted but it was due to competing for resources in the marketplace with other organisations.

The Senior Assistant Director replied that the last major stock condition survey was done in 2017.  Information was updated when it was captured by surveyors when on a site; a new approach was being taken whereby when the surveys were undertaken to validate the capital programme works they also updated stock condition data at the same time. They were also seeking to understand the energy performance of the stock and repairs data; this would help to provide a holistic view of the worst performing properties. The Senior Assistant Director replied that Officers had looked at the damp and mould process. They had spoken with residents as to their needs, they had redesigned the service, implemented a triage system so when residents called the contact centre they would go through questions which helped identify vulnerable residents from the start. This had resulted in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To note the summary of Waivers and Variations for Contract Standing Orders for the period 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024

Noted the summary of Waivers and Variations to Contract Standing Orders reported for the period 1^st January 2024 to 30^th June 2024, detailed in Paragraph 4 of the report.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Social Value introduced the report. The Cabinet Member drew Cabinet’s attention to the waiver “Future High Street Fund – Urgent Replacement Contractor due to Insolvency” and explained it was taken as a result of the insolvency of the original prime contractor. The grant allowed the required works in Woolwich to be completed according to time scale.

The Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy, Business, Skills and Greenwich Supports commented that works of any sort caused disruption; the appointment of a new contractor kept the project to time which was essential for businesses and resident. It was expected that everyone would appreciate the disruption had been worthwhile when the works were completed and revealed.

Resolved –

That the summary of Waivers and Variations to Contract Standing Orders reported for the period 1^st January 2024 to 30^th June 2024, detailed in Paragraph 4 of the report be noted.