Agenda and decisions

Council - Wednesday, 29th January, 2025 7.00 pm

Venue: Council Chamber - Town Hall, Wellington Street, Woolwich SE18 6PW. View directions

Contact: Siobhan Hobin  Email: committees@royalgreenwich.gov.uk

Note: The deadline for Public Questions is 12 noon on Wednesday 22 January 2025. Questions must be submitted to committees@royalgreenwich.gov.uk 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

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2.

Minutes

Members are requested to confirm as an accurate record the Minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 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

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3.

Announcements

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4.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 53 KB

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.

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5.

Notice of Members wishing to exceed the 5 minute rule

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6.

Submission of Petitions

Presentation to the Council of petitions for consideration

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7.

Public Deputations on matters not otherwise on the agenda

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8.

Public Questions pdf icon PDF 220 KB

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.

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9.

Questions from Members pdf icon PDF 259 KB

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.

 

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10.

Matters for early debate

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

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11.

Appointment of Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture & Communities pdf icon PDF 89 KB

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Decision:

That Councillor Sandra Bauer has been appointed by the Leader of the Council to become the Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture & Communities be noted.

 

Noted that the vacancy occurred after Councillor Ann-Marie Cousins departure from the Cabinet effective 21 November 2024.

 

12.

Local Council Tax Support Scheme pdf icon PDF 136 KB

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Decision:

 

That proposals in the report relate to the Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme for working age claimants and that pensioner households claiming LCTS are unaffected and continue to be able to receive up to 100% support, subject to eligibility, be noted.

 

That in setting the budget for 2024/25, savings amounting to approximately 10% of the councils overall net budget were agreed and that within this sum was £1.1m relating to potential changes to LCTS, subject to consultation and agreement, effective from 2025/26 onwards, be noted.

 

Noted that:

 

Øthe direct cost of support to pensioner and working age households is £26.2m of foregone council tax to the council and GLA, of which £13.3m is working age support attributable to the council

ØLCTS in Greenwich is within the top quarter of ratios between “working age support to council tax income” in London

Øaround half of London’s councils have recently consulted on changes to their working age schemes, also to take effect from 2025/26

 

Agreed that, following many years of structural under funding and in order for the scheme for working age claimants to remain affordable, the maximum level of support for working age claimants of LCTS changes from 100% to 80%, so that all households make a minimum contribution of 20% towards the total council tax bill (before support)

 

Agreed to increase the earnings taper for working age residents from 15% to 25%.

 

Agreed to increase the non-dependant deduction charge from £5 to £10 per week

 

Agreed to also remove the exemption for non-dependants who are in receipt of passported benefits and / or not in work.

 

Agreed to abolish the second adult rebate for working age claimants

 

Agreed to allow the use of DWP notifications of a claim for Universal Credit as a claim for Local Council Tax Support.

 

Agreed to create a Greenwich Supports Discretionary Council Tax Hardship Fund to assist Council Tax payers whom are experiencing financial hardship caused by the 2025/26 scheme changes, combined with cost-of-living pressures, low-incomes and low financial resilience.

 

Delegated to the Cabinet member for Inclusive Economy, Business, Skills and Greenwich Supports to agree details of the Hardship Fund and its implementation.

 

13.

Council Tax Base 2025-2026 pdf icon PDF 118 KB

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Decision:

Agreed a council tax base for the whole authority area for 2025/26 of 91,088.88 in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012.

 

Agreed an additional council tax base for the Gloucester Circus Garden Square area of the authority for 2025/26 of 100.16.

 

Agreed a continuance in 2025/26 of a council tax premium of 100% in respect of long-term empty dwellings for dwellings empty for between 1 and 5 years.

 

Agreed a continuance in 2025/26 of a council tax premium of 200% in respect of long-term empty dwellings, for dwellings empty between 5 and 10 years.

 

Agreed a continuance in 2025/26 of a council tax premium of 300% in respect of long-term empty dwellings, for dwellings empty longer than 10 years.

 

Agreed a continuance in 2025/26 of the council tax discount of 0% on Class C & D dwellings (empty homes).

 

Agreed a continuance in 2025/26 of the council tax discount of 100% in respect of Royal Borough of Greenwich resident care leavers, aged under 25.

 

Agreed a continuance in 2025/26 of a council tax discount of 100% in respect of Royal Borough of Greenwich foster carers & shared lives households in the borough.

 

Agreed the reduction in the time before charging a Council Tax Premium to long-term empty homes (dwellings which have been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished), from 2 years to 12 months.

 

Noted that the council tax base relevant to the Southern Region of the Environment Agency for flood defence levy apportionment purposes in 2025/26 is 9,218.50

 

Noted that the council tax base relevant to the Thames Region of the Environment Agency for flood defence levy apportionment purposes in 2025/26 is 81,870.38

 

Noted the agreement at Council on 31st January 2024 of a 100% council tax premium on Class A & Class B dwellings second homes in the borough, which will take effect from 1 April 2025.

 

Noted that proposed changes to the Local Council Tax Support Scheme, considered by Cabinet on 29 January 2025 for recommendation to Council, are included in the tax base calculations.

 

14.

Decisions on Executive Functions taken under Urgency Procedures pdf icon PDF 78 KB

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Decision:

Noted the decisions taken under urgency procedures at Section 4 of the report.

 

15.

Motion on Dockless Cycles pdf icon PDF 38 KB

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Decision:

Item deferred

16.

Motion: Protecting leaseholders from excessive insurance and remortgage costs in buildings requiring fire remediation pdf icon PDF 44 KB

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Decision:

Background:This year, we have passed the seventh anniversary of the fire in Grenfell Tower, which burned for more than 60 hours taking 72 lives. The Grenfell fire exposed a crisis of fire safety in high-rise building across our country, with a considerable number of buildings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich being found to have various levels of breaches of building regulations and the use of dangerous materials.

We believe that it is imperative that the developers and owners of all buildings over 18m in need of fire remediation work must be able to proceed with the removal of unsafe material as quickly as possible, and leaseholders should be protected from the costs of this work being passed on through fees and charges.

However, the response to this crisis from the previous Government was woefully slow, piecemeal, and created competing and contradictory safety standards for remediation work that has left residents burdened with high insurance premiums and mortgage difficulties.

 

Motion: This Council notes with deep concern the following:

 

1.    Disparity in safety ratings between developers and insurers

 

Flammable material on homes poses a risk and while we cannot eliminate all fire risks, it is about managing them. The disparity arises from insurance companies and developers having varying priorities and perspectives.

 

In the wake of the Grenfell fire, insurance companies have added the heightened risk of whole block fires in many over 18m buildings. In many cases the risk is too high for single insurers are not able to cover on its own. So, leaseholders have left unable to get cover or brokers have turned to sourcing cover from multiple firms. The latter meaning thatseveral insurers are involved in covering one building, creating a ‘layered’ effect and driving up the cost. 

 

Developers often rely on building regulations and standards that they meet during construction, which may vary depending on the specific interpretation of safety requirements. These ratings can sometimes be less stringent than the criteria used by insurers, who often apply more rigorous standards based on their risk models and the potential liability they face in the event of a claim.

·        Developers are focused on the present safety and adherence to construction standards, while insurers look at potential risks and historical data to predict future incidents.

·        Developers aim to ensure the building is safe from the start, adhering to codes and best practices. Insurers, however, evaluate the likelihood of future incidents and how well risks are managed.

·        Developer ratings are often based on current and immediate safety measures, whereas insurer ratings consider long-term risks and past performance.

·        Insurers are focused on the EWS1 certification process, which is a set way for a building owner to confirm for insurers that an external wall system on residential buildings has been assessed for safety by a suitable expert, in line with government guidance. It is however not a legal requirement to remediate to A1 standard with requirements for fire safety being B1, and this disparity creates confusion and frustration for leaseholders and  ...  view the full decision text for item 16.

17.

Motion: Economic impact assessment of sale of council car parks pdf icon PDF 31 KB

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Decision:

Item deferred