Agenda and decisions

Cabinet - Wednesday, 29th January, 2025 4.30 pm

Venue: Committee Rooms 4 & 5, Town Hall, Wellington Street, Woolwich SE18 6PW. View directions

Contact: Daniel Wilkinson  Email: committees@royalgreenwich.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

To receive apologies from Members of the Committee.

2.

Urgent Business

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

3.

Declarations of Interest pdf icon PDF 45 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.

Additional documents:

4.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 92 KB

Members are requested to confirm as an accurate record the Minutes of the meetings held on 26 November 2024 and 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

Additional documents:

5.

2024/25 Budget Monitor (November 2024) pdf icon PDF 163 KB

To note the Council’s revenue position as at the end of November 2024.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Noted the Council’s revenue position as at the end of November 2024.

6.

Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2025/26 pdf icon PDF 134 KB

To consider changes to the Local Council Tax Support scheme for working age households from 2025/26.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Recommended Council to –

 

note that proposals in this 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

 

note 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

 

note that:

 

·        the 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

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

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

 

agree 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)

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

agree to abolish the second adult rebate for working age claimants

 

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

 

agree 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.

 

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

7.

Council Tax Base 2025-2026 pdf icon PDF 118 KB

To agree the Council Tax Base

Additional documents:

Decision:

Agreed to reducing 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 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, being considered by Cabinet on 29 January 2025 for recommendation to Council, are included in the tax base calculations.

 

Recommended Council to

 

Agree 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.

 

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

 

Agree 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.

 

Agree 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.

 

Agree 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.

 

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

 

Agree 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.

 

Agree 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.

 

Note 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

 

Note 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

8.

Ten Year Lease Agreements pdf icon PDF 114 KB

To  approve the model Heads of Terms to enable Officers to agree terms with residential landlords to lease properties for a period of ten years, to provide temporary accommodation for homeless households.

Additional documents:

Decision:

Agreed the model Heads of Terms and business plan parameters, as set out in exempt Appendix One of this report, for a ten-year lease to be offered to residential landlords for the acquisition of accommodation to house homeless households requiring temporary accommodation.   

 

Noted that the potential rent payable under each lease acquisition may generate an annual financial deficit, to be funded from the General Fund (GF).  The proposal aims to deliver a GF cost reduction, reducing the current TA budget pressures.    

 

Noted that some properties acquired on a ten-year lease may be located outside of the borough.

 

Noted the process mapping for the delivery of this initiative, as set out in Appendix Two of this report.

 

Delegated authority to the Director of Place and Growth to negotiate and agree the details of each lease agreement.

 

Agreed to treat the information contained in the Exempt Appendix One to this report as exempt information in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person including the authority holding that information). To agree that this exempt information contained in the Exempt Appendix One shall not be released to the press or public.

9.

Acquisition under lease of care homes owned by NHS Property Services pdf icon PDF 119 KB

To approve the freehold acquisition of five NHS-owned properties and to delegate to Officers the the process for acquiring the properties and the process for procuring and appointing a service provider and the terms of that contract upon completion of the acquisition

Additional documents:

Decision:

Approved the freehold acquisition of five NHS-owned properties listed below that host care and support services for people with learning disabilities, on the terms set out in exempt Appendix C.

 

·        1 Samuel Close London SE18 5LR

·        2 Samuel Close London SE18 5LR

·        3 Samuel Close London SE18 5LR

·        1A Erindale Terrace, London SE18 2QQ

·        Arnold House, 154 Shooter Hill Road, London SE3 8RP

 

Delegated to the Director of Place and Growth the process for acquiring the properties.

 

Delegated to the Director of Health and Adult Services the process for procuring and appointing a service provider and the terms of that contract upon completion of the acquisition, to ensure stability for residents.

 

Noted that Health and Adult Services intend to explore opportunities in the future to deregister one or more of these properties, should this option be appropriate.

 

Agreed to treat the information contained in the Exempt Appendices A – H to this report as exempt information in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person, including the authority holding that information). To agree that this exempt information contained in the Exempt Appendices A-H shall not be released to the press or public.