Apologies for absence were received from the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Mark Allison.  Apologies for lateness were received from the Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Cleanliness, Councillor Mike Brunt.

There were no declarations of interest made.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 February 2019 are agreed as an accurate record.

RESOLVED

That the recommendations of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel, as set out in paragraph 2.5 of the report, be taken into account when making decisions on the Diesel Levy Implementation Review.

The Chair advised that items 4 and 5 would be discussed together, however for ease of reference the minute of the item and resolutions are set out separately.

At the invitation of the Chair, the Chair of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel Councillor Laxmi Attawar presented the reference report, outlining the recommendations in the report in respect of widening the scope of the review to look at data from other Councils to identify trends.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health thanked Councillor Attawar for her presentation and addressed her comments in his presentation of item 5.

RESOLVED

That the recommendations of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel, as set out in paragraph 2.5 of the report, be taken into account when making decisions on the Diesel Levy Implementation Review.

RESOLVED

That the Terms of Reference for a review of the diesel levy and emissions based charging as set out in the report be approved.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Health and Social Care, Councillor Tobin Byers presented the report, thanking the Chair of the Scrutiny Panel for her presentation.  The Cabinet Member gave some background to the proposed review, which had formed part of the original decision to introduce a charge for the most polluting vehicles in the Borough with the aim of improving air quality.  Cabinet had undertaken to carry out a review after two years and obtaining the views of the Scrutiny Panel on the Terms of Reference of that review.  He outlined the proposed terms of reference of the review of the Diesel Levy, and drew the Cabinet’s attention to paragraphs 2.12 and 2.13, where it was proposed to accept the recommendation of the Scrutiny Panel and expand the scope of the review accordingly. 

The Cabinet Member advised that the review would look at both national trends in data and local data, both qualitative and quantitative data, to compare against other boroughs.  The second part of the review would look at the impact of a diesel levy on Pay and Display, and the third part would look at a broader emissions-based charging policy.  He advised the Cabinet that the review should be looked at in the wider context of the Council’s health and wellbeing agenda, encouraging more active and less sedentary lifestyles.  The review of Pay and display machines in the Borough, with a move towards cashless options would be carried out in consultation with ward members.  It was intended to bring a report back to Cabinet in the Autumn.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Housing and Transport, welcomed the work carried out by the Scrutiny Panel and highlighted the benefits of the Diesel levy in reducing the use of diesel vehicles and contributing to improving air quality.

The Cabinet Member for Community and Culture welcomed the repot and the opportunity to see what measures were being carried out in neighbouring boroughs on this issue.

The Chair echoed the comments made, highlighting the work done in the London Borough of Kingston on this issue.  He thanked all those who had contributed to the report and the discussion.

RESOLVED

That the Terms of Reference for a review of the diesel levy and emissions based charging as set out in the report be approved.

RESOLVED

1.    That the award of the contracts for Housing Related Support for Lots 1 to 5 in respect of the highest ranked and evaluated bids for each Lot as set out in Appendix Part B be approved.

2.    That the contracts which are due to commence by 1 July 2019 and will be granted for a period of 3 years with options to extend for up to 2 further periods of up to 12 months each. The maximum contract period will be no more than 5 years.

3.    Authority be delegated to the Director of Community and Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health and the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Housing and Transport, the authority to extend the contract by the further increment of up to 2 years (as above).

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Housing and Transport presented the report which set out proposals for the provision of Housing Related Support in the Borough, giving an overview of the background to the contract and the scope of the provision.

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Engagement and Equalities welcomed the recommendations in the report, which would help to provide support for domestic abuse survivors.

The Chair thanked all those involved in tackling the issues outlined by the Cabinet Members.

RESOLVED

1.    That the award of the contracts for Housing Related Support for Lots 1 to 5 in respect of the highest ranked and evaluated bids for each Lot as set out in Appendix Part B be approved.

2.    That the contracts which are due to commence by 1 July 2019 and will be granted for a period of 3 years with options to extend for up to 2 further periods of up to 12 months each. The maximum contract period will be no more than 5 years.

3.    Authority be delegated to the Director of Community and Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health and the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Housing and Transport, the authority to extend the contract by the further increment of up to 2 years (as above).

RESOLVED

1.    That the extension of the contract for the Supply of Electricity with Scottish Power for a further year until 31/03/22, at an estimated cost of £1.7m be approved.

2.    That the extension of the contract for the Supply of Gas with Gazprom for a further year until 31/03/22, at an estimated cost of £0.75m, be approved.

The Chair introduced the report which recommended extending the existing contract for supply of the Council’s electricity and gas for a one year period, which represented good value for money and a business-like approach.  The next year would provide officers with the opportunity to test the market further to obtain the best deal for Merton.  The Director of Corporate Services echoed the Chair’s comments.

RESOLVED

1.    That the extension of the contract for the Supply of Electricity with Scottish Power for a further year until 31/03/22, at an estimated cost of £1.7m be approved.

2.    That the extension of the contract for the Supply of Gas with Gazprom for a further year until 31/03/22, at an estimated cost of £0.75m, be approved.

RESOLVED

1.    That the creation of a Holding Company using a Separate Groups Model to form a CHAS group structure in principle be approved.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Director of Corporate Services to finalise the creation of the holding company and to approve and enter into the associated legal documentation.

The Chair introduced the report which proposed the creation of a holding company for CHAS 2013 Ltd (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme)which would ensure CHAS was as efficient and profitable as possible.  The Director of Environment and Regeneration advised that the proposal would give the Council more flexibility to bring benefits to the Council.  The Chair welcomed the report and that the Council ran CHAS on behalf of the country.

RESOLVED

1.    That the creation of a Holding Company using a Separate Groups Model to form a CHAS group structure in principle be approved.

2.    That authority be delegated to the Director of Corporate Services to finalise the creation of the holding company and to approve and enter into the associated legal documentation.

RESOLVED

1.    That Cabinet note the financial reporting data relating to revenue budgetary control, showing a forecast net underspend at year-end of £2.48 million. 0.46% of gross budget.

2.    That Cabinet approve the adjustments to the Capital Programme contained in Appendix 5b

That Cabinet note the adjustments to the Capital Programme contained in Appendix 5b and approve the items in the Table below:

The Chair introduced the report which set out the financial position at January 2019.  He highlighted that there were still financial pressures on local authorities, particularly in Children’s Services.

The Director of Corporate Services highlighted the key parts of the report for Members to consider and advised that this would be the last monthly report before the outturn report is presented to Cabinet in June.

RESOLVED

1.    That Cabinet note the financial reporting data relating to revenue budgetary control, showing a forecast net underspend at year-end of £2.48 million. 0.46% of gross budget.

2.    That Cabinet approve the adjustments to the Capital Programme contained in Appendix 5b

That Cabinet note the adjustments to the Capital Programme contained in Appendix 5b and approve the items in the Table below:

To RESOLVE that the public are excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following report on the grounds that it is exempt from disclosure for the reasons stated in the report.

Cabinet noted that the contents of the exempt appendix at item 11 would not be referred to and therefore the meeting remained in public session.  The decision is set out under item 6 above.

Cabinet noted that the contents of the exempt appendix at item 11 would not be referred to and therefore the meeting remained in public session.  The decision is set out under item 6 above.

Cabinet noted that the contents of the exempt appendix at item 11 would not be referred to and therefore the meeting remained in public session.  The decision is set out under item 6 above.

Cabinet noted that the contents of the exempt appendix at item 11 would not be referred to and therefore the meeting remained in public session.  The decision is set out under item 6 above.