Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Kelly Braund, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services.

The Chair welcomed the two new Cabinet Members, Councillors Laxmi Attawar and Eleanor Stringer, to their first meeting of the Cabinet.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 May 2019 were agreed as an accurate record.

RESOLVED

A.                   That the report and recommendations (attached in Appendix A to the Cabinet report) arising from the scrutiny review of Reducing Single Use Plastics in Merton Council Buildings be considered.

B.                   That the implementation of the recommendations through an action plan being drawn up by officers working with relevant local partner organisations and Cabinet Members to be designated by Cabinet be agreed.

C.                   That the action be submitted to the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel for consideration.

At the invitation of the Chair, Councillor Aidan Mundy, Chair of the Task Group, introduced the report.  He thanked the officers and Members involved and outlined the recommendations which ranged from behaviour changes to supporting local businesses in reducing use of single use plastics.

Councillor Mark Allison, Cabinet Member for Finance, thanked the Task Group for its work and highlighted the importance of tackling overuse of plastic.  He welcomed the recommendations for changing behaviour and reducing plastic waste across the Borough.

The Chair was keen to encourage local businesses to join the Mayor of London’s Refill Programme and so welcomed the report, thanking Councillor Mundy for his contributions.

RESOLVED

A.                   That the report and recommendations (attached in Appendix A to the Cabinet report) arising from the scrutiny review of Reducing Single Use Plastics in Merton Council Buildings be considered.

B.                   That the implementation of the recommendations through an action plan being drawn up by officers working with relevant local partner organisations and Cabinet Members to be designated by Cabinet be agreed.

C.                   That the action be submitted to the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel for consideration.

The Cabinet noted that the report had been deferred to the next Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet noted that the report had been deferred to the next Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet noted that the report had been deferred to the next Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet noted that the report had been deferred to the next Cabinet meeting.

RESOLVED

1.    That the Annual Public Health Report 2019, Tackling Diabetes in Merton: learning from a whole system approach, be received and endorsed.

2.    That the Merton Health and Wellbeing Board’s work on diabetes and the Tackling Diabetes Action Plan 2019-2024 attached to the Cabinet report be noted.

Councillor Tobin Byers, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Health and the Environment, presented the report.  Treatment for diabetes represented 10% of the NHS budget and many cases of diabetes were preventable.  The Health and Wellbeing Board had carried out work focussing on diabetes and he outlined the Diabetes Truth Programme which had contributed to the Tackling Diabetes Action Plan, drawn up jointly with the CCG.  The Plan included measures to encourage people to lead a more active lifestyle.  He thanked officers in Public Health, the Health and Wellbeing Board and the contributors to the Diabetes Truth programme. 

At the invitation of the Chair, Nicky Winter spoke on behalf of the Diabetes Truth Programme and shared his experiences.  He highlighted the importance of support networks in the community to enable them to share ideas and experiences.  He thanked everyone involved in the Programme for their work.

Following a brief presentation from the Director of Public Health, Cabinet Members welcomed the report and the helpful discussion at the Joint Consultative Committee with Ethnic Minority Organisations considering the impact of diabetes on the Borough’s BAME communities.

The Chair thanked all for their contributions.

RESOLVED

1.    That the Annual Public Health Report 2019, Tackling Diabetes in Merton: learning from a whole system approach, be received and endorsed.

2.    That the Merton Health and Wellbeing Board’s work on diabetes and the Tackling Diabetes Action Plan 2019-2024 attached to the Cabinet report be noted.

RESOLVED

1.    That the Civil Penalties and Rent Repayment Order policy and charging system as set out in Appendix 1 to the Cabinet report be approved.

2.    That the introduction of a revised fee structure for HMO mandatory licensing charges be approved.

3.    That the case for using the income from Civil Penalties, Rent Repayment Orders and the revised mandatory HMO licensing scheme so as to build capacity within the Housing Enforcement Team in order to meet statutory requirements be approved.

4.    That the renaming of the current Environmental Health Housing Service to the Housing Enforcement Team, to better reflect the current operating environment, be approved.

5.    That the Housing Enforcement Policy be approved.

6.    That delegated authority be given to the Director of Community and Housing to approve minor adaptations and updated to the Housing Enforcement Policy as and when required.

7.    That further data analysis be carried out to identify which area(s) will be adopted for Selective Licensing.

Councillor Martin Whelton, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Housing and Transport presented the report which set out proposals for the enforcement of the housing sector.  This was a growing issue for residents as a quarter of properties within Merton were in the private rented sector.  He outlined the recommendations and drew the Cabinet’s attention to similar work on this issue carried out in other Boroughs.

The Chair welcomed the report  and thanked the Cabinet Member for his work on the report, including looking at the work of other boroughs.

RESOLVED

1.    That the Civil Penalties and Rent Repayment Order policy and charging system as set out in Appendix 1 to the Cabinet report be approved.

2.    That the introduction of a revised fee structure for HMO mandatory licensing charges be approved.

3.    That the case for using the income from Civil Penalties, Rent Repayment Orders and the revised mandatory HMO licensing scheme so as to build capacity within the Housing Enforcement Team in order to meet statutory requirements be approved.

4.    That the renaming of the current Environmental Health Housing Service to the Housing Enforcement Team, to better reflect the current operating environment, be approved.

5.    That the Housing Enforcement Policy be approved.

6.    That delegated authority be given to the Director of Community and Housing to approve minor adaptations and updated to the Housing Enforcement Policy as and when required.

7.    That further data analysis be carried out to identify which area(s) will be adopted for Selective Licensing.

RESOLVED that the proposed arrangements for the Merton Safeguarding Children Partnership 2019-2021, as set out in the Cabinet report, be approved.

The Director of Children, Schools and Families presented the report and outlined the core changes to the partnership agreement, principally to move to a three statutory partner model with the Council, the Police and the CCG.  All three proposed partners were consulted in the drafting of the new Partnership Agreement, in addition extensive consultation and engagement with schools.

The Director advised that an Independent Person post would be advertised for, which was a requirement of the legislation, and in addition a young person would be engaged to work alongside the independent scrutineer.

The Chair welcomed the report and thanked all those involved in the work in this important area.  He welcomed the last OFSTED inspection which rated Children’s Services as “good” overall and “outstanding” in three areas.

RESOLVED that the proposed arrangements for the Merton Safeguarding Children Partnership 2019-2021, as set out in the Cabinet report, be approved.

RESOLVED that the results of the Annual Residents’ Survey 2019 be noted.

Councillor Mark Allison, the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance presented the report, outlining the process carried out for the survey and stressing the importance of obtaining the views of residents on how well the Council is performing, which in turn helps the Council to decide what the future priorities should be.  He thanked the officers involved, the company which carried out the survey and the 1000 adults, including the 271 young people, who took part in the survey.  The data provided much to be proud of but some areas for further consideration and learning.

The overall satisfaction with the Council remained high and was above the LGA benchmark.  Merton residents felt more positive overall about their area than elsewhere.  There had been positive responses around Merton being a great place for families, including leisure, schools and perception of crime.  Concerns had been expressed over street scene issues, impacted by the introduction of a brand new system for waste and recycling collection across the Borough.  This trend had been seen in other boroughs that had also introduced similar changes.

One of the main concerns highlighted was the lack of affordable housing in the Borough and this was an issue to be addressed going forward.  The current uncertainty around Brexit had harmed the housing market and impacted the amount of investment in the area and the viability of housing developments. 

Cabinet welcomed the report, including the good results on schools, libraries and leisure provision and that measures would be taken to ensure continued improvement.

The Chair welcomed the results, including the local area breakdown, which provided learning for the future on an area by area; and cluster by cluster basis.

RESOLVED that the results of the Annual Residents’ Survey 2019 be noted.