Cabinet - Monday 3 November 2025, 4:00pm - Wandsworth Council Webcasting

Cabinet
Monday, 3rd November 2025 at 4:00pm 

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An agenda has not been published for this meeting.

Thank you very much.
Good afternoon and welcome to this November meeting of
Wandsworth Council's Cabinet. Thank you all for being here.
Before I start are there any declarations of interest?
No?
So I just want to start by mentioning the brilliant result
we got in the Alton regeneration ballot.
That was a couple of weeks ago now securing 82 % approval
in the biggest estate ballot that we're aware
of its kind that's ever been held in London.
So huge congratulations to Councillor De Kedem
and all his housing teams for their work here.
So many people have worked so hard
for this fantastic result.
We've also got a couple of Roehampton Councillors
here in the cabinet with us.
And I know Fleur Anderson, the local MP,
put a huge amount of work into this too.
And obviously, a particular thank you
to the residents of the Alton for putting your trust in us
to deliver this renewal of your neighbourhood.
And we know that trust wasn't given lightly,
given the decades of underinvestment
in your neighbourhood.
But we will make good on this promise.
We'll deliver new affordable homes, new shops,
new community facilities, and a brighter future.
And this is just the latest in a series of positive storeys
we've had about housing.
Genuinely affordable housing for local people
is a top priority for this administration.
Just last week at Putney Vale,
we completed the 500th council house
in our 1000 Homes for Wandsworth programme.
We've created vibrant spaces, we've enhanced green areas
and improved play facilities to really foster connexion
and wellbeing.
And I think Randall Close on the Surrey Lane Estate
in Battersea is another really good example of that.
Where recently we marked the opening of more than 100,
I think 106 new council homes there as well.
It's really changing lives.
So it's been a fantastic month for our housing team,
but it's not just about this month.
It really has been three and a half years of bringing
real tangible improvements to residents' lives.
And outside of those developments,
We're making sure that neighbourhoods support
new people moving in by spending the money
that we get from property developers,
those property development taxes on what matters to you.
So that's the playgrounds, the community centres,
the roads and pavements, community safety officers,
and more CCTV, all paid for with the proceeds
of the growth in our communities.
So congratulations on what's been a great month
for the housing team, but in reality,
is just the latest step in our decade of renewal.
You'll know it's important to us to be a listening council.
The latest leaders drop in was at St. Margaret's in Putney
for West Putney and Thamesfield.
We've now been around every ward in the borough,
some of them twice, and we'll keep going.
We've heard face to face from well over 1 ,000 residents
about what matters most to them.
We have a webpage where you can ask questions directly
and you can submit a question to us anytime
at hello at wandsworth .gov .uk.
Each week we publish answers to the most frequent questions
on our website.
And hopefully you know about our seven rings,
seven days guarantee is a key part
of being a listening council.
If you phone us, we'll pick up the phone.
A member of staff will answer within seven rings.
And if you report some graffiti or a dangerous pothole
or a broken street sign,
we will fix that within seven days.
So I'll just give you a quick update
on how those pledges are going.
So this first slide shows calls answered during September.
Hopefully you can see the average for the month is 78%.
A slight dip from previous months.
I think when we looked into that,
it's because the start of the academic year
means a spike in the number of calls
handled related to students.
But of course, that's what we wanted to know.
We want to understand these seasonal dips,
make sure we can staff up to them
and keep pushing on as close to 100 % as we can.
On the next slide, you'll see the figure for October
was improved, and of course, we'll keep going
to keep pushing this improvement.
I'm really pleased to say that the results
on our seven days pledges are all at 100%.
So that's 100 % of graffiti cleaned
and signs fixed and dangerous potholes filled
within seven days of reporting.
So listening is important, but so is delivery.
And it's really positive to see the results
we're getting here.
And finally, just to keep up with
free bulky waste collections,
another very popular initiative we launched this year
and since January, 19 ,000, very nearly 20 ,000 people
have taken advantage of this fantastic offer
which is helping you live your life
and also keeping our streets cleaner.
So if it's all right, we'll leave the introduction there.
And we'll move on to the items on the agenda.
So I know we're fortunate to be joined
by some colleagues from Bradstow School today.
And we're keen to hear from them
under item three on the agenda.
If it's okay, we'll just hear item two first.
So it should be about five minutes.
but we're going to look first at Wandsworth Town Station,
second entrance and access for all.
I wonder, Councillor Yates,
if you could say a few words about this.
Yeah, thank you very much.
Yeah, I'm really pleased to bring forward this paper
to you this afternoon on a second entrance
and new lifts for Wandsworth Town Station.
As you'll know, there's a huge amount of development
going on very near to Wandsworth Town Station and many new flats have already been completed
along Swandon Way and there's plans for a lot more development. So it's an extremely
busy station that doesn't currently have step -free access. So I'm delighted that last week the
Department for Transport Programme Board on Access for All confirmed that they would fund
new lifts at this station, contingent on the council being able to also make a small contribution
to the cost of the lifts. We've also been working with Network Rail for a long time
on a second entrance, which is really important because it is a very congested station and
the second entrance will be on to Swanton Way where there's so much new housing already
being delivered and the funding that the council
is being requested to confirm is from
Levy's development contributions from property developers.
If we make our contribution as set out in the paper,
then all together there'll be a 20 million pound
package of investment into the station
for the new lifts and the second entrance.
Thank you.
Thanks very much.
That's an excellent summary
and it looks like a really welcome project as well.
Are there any comments or questions?
Councillor Acunolo.
As a person with a knee injury myself and recovery,
I'm very, very grateful that we will have
step -free access at Wandsworth Town.
Now the trains just have to come on time, but well done.
Thank you.
If there's no other comments or questions, is that agreed?
Great.
Thanks very much.
Now we'll move on to item three, which is the Bradstow School consultation response.
I wonder if, Councillor Gaster, if you mind introducing this report, and then as I say,
be good to hear from Bradstow colleagues who are here.
Certainly.
Thank you.
and good afternoon everybody.
I'm actually very upset to be presenting
this paper and this recommendation to cabinet.
This isn't the outcome that anyone wanted to see.
The school community have fought tirelessly
to look at possible ways forward and to keep the school open.
And I would have done the same.
I used to work in special needs and have personal experience
of fighting for the best for my child with special needs.
I feel for the families.
And I feel for the staff at Bradstow,
who have always gone above and beyond
and are passionate about their school and completely dedicated to the children's needs.
And I thank them all for their service.
Bradstow School has always had an excellent reputation.
Over the years we've seen many local authorities entrust the school and Wandsworth Council
with the education and care of children with complex needs alongside our own Wandsworth children.
However, as best practise has changed, we in Wandsworth want to keep as many children as possible
or close to home in mainstream or local specialist provision,
and we are investing in our local schools.
There are currently only 12 children at Bradstow.
Only one is a Wandsworth child, and we've
found an alternative provision for him.
The current financial forecast is dire,
an accumulated deficit of close to one million pounds
by the end of this year.
On top of this, there is £4 .9 million of debt from previous years that other councils
are refusing to pay us.
For example, Kent County Council owes us £4 .6 million.
We've been working with Bradstow for years to try to explore alternative arrangements,
such as transferring to Kent County Council or Akademization.
The council earlier this year deferred the formal consultation to allow the school time
to explore all the possibilities, and this too came at a further cost to the council.
We think this extra term is costing us about £600 ,000, and that £600 actually is allocated
for Wandsworth children.
That money was meant to be for them, and we can't now use it for them.
We were hopeful earlier this year that Cygnus Trust was the answer, and we worked very closely
with them to support their application for academisation, but we learnt in July that
the DfE did not approve this plan. We were then again hopeful when Bridge Academy Trust
submitted a new application in October. However, the DfE advised us last week to proceed with
our closure process. The only conclusion we can reasonably draw is that they are not minded
to grant the Academy Order. Hand on heart, I cannot recommend to Cambernet that we keep
underwriting Brad's those losses
My responsibilities to ones worth children. I
Truly feel for the families from other areas who must be concerned about moving their child and I feel for the staff team
We would do all we can to help you find new jobs
But it is my duty to keep one's worth money for one's worth children
So I'm recommending the cabinet agree with this paper seeking closure of the school
I'm not sure if we can get to the next one.
I'm not sure if we can get to the next one.
≫ Thank you, Councillor Gasser.
I can see this has been a very difficult decision for you.
Before we open it up to colleagues and
hear from Ms.
Popovici, I wonder if someone from Bradstow would care to
address the committee, I've been told that Polly Benton, the
Thank you and forgive me reading from my phone. Bradstow School has for generations been far
more than a school.
It has been a lifeline, a place of safety,
understanding, and hope for some of the most vulnerable
children and families in our community.
Each child who walks through our doors
carries a storey of struggle and challenge,
and our staff have met those storeys with compassion,
trust, and extraordinary commitment.
We know that the Department for Education
had requested more time for the school
to explore academization with the Bridge Academy Trust,
one of the country's most respected
and experienced special educational needs trusts.
This would have provided a genuine opportunity to secure a sustainable and
credible future for Bradstow, ensuring continuity of care and
expertise for our children.
Had the school been allowed to take pupils this year,
the financial picture would look very different.
With the cost reductions already delivered, we would now be financially viable,
close to recovering our deficit and in a position to support the repayment of
historic debt.
We have not been given that opportunity.
Over the past two years, decisions on Bradstow's behalf have too often
overlooked the best interests of the children.
Many have been placed miles from their families,
some now living in children's homes without education,
others receiving only a few hours of teaching each week,
and families uprooted simply to stay close to their child.
These are not anomalies, they are symptoms of a system
that continues to fail the very children it claims to protect.
One of labor's central CEND commitments
is to keep children closer to home,
yet local provision remains scarce,
meaning that the young people will
be placed further away in inappropriate settings facing
and break down in crisis once again.
Today you have a choice,
to close the door on a school that could still thrive,
or to grant the time needed
to make an informed decision about academization.
The decision is not just about buildings or budgets,
it is about children,
children who have been failed time and time again,
and who deserve stability, understanding, and hope.
We urge you to make a compassionate and pragmatic choice
to allow Bradstow School the time it needs
to rebuild, recover, and continue changing lives.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for coming out today and more than that, thank you for all your work
for children at Bradstow School as well.
It's truly appreciated.
I just wonder if our Director of Children's Services, Ms. Popovici, could contribute.
Polly, thank you for the passionate address and thank you for the way in which you, Sarah
and the governors have led the conversations about the school's future in extreme circumstances.
You've led the school community with integrity and passion and mountains of tenacity. I commend
you for that. Dear leader cabinet members, for decades Broad south school has been a beacon of
specialist care and education, a lifeline for many children as Polly said and I concur with that. For
many children with profound and complex needs is being a home away from home.
I want to begin by commending the dedication of the staff, the trust that parents have
placed in our school community, parents from across the country.
I also wish to express my gratitude to Polly and the Vice Chair of Governors, Alison, who
travelled here today to talk to you all.
Today we, however, must confront a very, very difficult truth.
Despite recent improvements, Bradshaw School cannot continue in its current form.
The financial deficit is severe and growing, and our efforts to secure a sustainable future through transfer or academisation have not succeeded.
The situation is not a reflection of the quality of care or education provided, neither is a reflection of the dedication of our staff.
It's symptomatic of the structural and financial realities that make our continued responsibility for the school, simply put, untenable.
We've adhered to the statutory processes, consulted extensively, and even paused the initial consultation to explore every alternative option possible and thoroughly.
Unfortunately, none could ensure the welfare of the children or the long -term financial stability of the school.
we've reached the point where the only option, the responsible course of action, is closure.
It is our responsibility and indeed our moral obligation to ensure that every child receives safe, high quality care in a sustainable setting.
I understand that this decision is a heavy one and we've heard from Judy, our cabinet lead, how heavy this carries on her shoulder
and I hope you feel reassured by the extensive consultation processes we've followed
that careful consideration has gone into exploring every alternative option to closure.
Should the decision be made to close, we will continue to work with the leaders here present
and the principal that's not in the room, and all placing authorities so that every child and family
is supported through transition, ensuring that the needs of the children remain absolutely at the centre
of our collective actions and I know that is a mammoth task ahead of us.
This decision is about doing what is right for ones with children and families, focusing
our resources and investment in our specialist provision locally.
This will enable us to uphold the standards they deserve and keep many more children closer
to home and within their communities to benefit from the support they absolutely need and
deserve.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Well, thanks all three of you.
I think those excellent summaries are where we are.
Cabinet members have comments and questions?
Councillor de Kedem.
Yeah, I just wanted to, I mean, it sounds like there's obviously an incredibly talented
workforce that have put a lot of effort into this and obviously very frustrated with the
situation that finds us alongside looking after our responsibility to the children at
school.
Have we got a plan for how we can support the workforce with the closure going ahead
and what liaison we're doing to make sure that those staff are protected?
Yes, absolutely, of course.
There's currently around 100 staff, and of course they're all going to be personally
impacted by this.
Though they're a very well -regarded, highly committed, experienced team, very well -trained,
They've got considerable levels of transferable skills, and that should help them seeking
alternative employment.
They're being supported by a recruitment consultant commissioned by the Council to really help
each one of them consider their individual circumstances and what they would feel like
doing next.
And we've got our own Council HR team who will be supporting them and making sure the
process is carried out exactly as it should be.
So we're doing everything we can to support them.
I think Councillor Henderson.
Thanks. Thanks, Chair.
And can I start by thanking you, Councillor Gasser, for your leadership.
I know how much effort you've actually put into trying to prevent this happening.
The frequent reports, up -to -date reports you gave the Cabinet are a testament to your dedication
and concern in reflecting the excellent work of the staff.
I do not doubt that.
And the financial position of the School finds itself in its certainly null of an aching.
But I am quite staggered at the amount of debt that has been built up.
I mean, particularly in relation to King County Council.
This is a school in their county, and the family owned 12 ,000 ,000, 4 .2 million is frankly
outrageous.
And I understand other councils as well have refused to actually pay their bills.
This is just not sustainable in any world, commercial or public.
This is just not sustainable.
So can I ask what the proposals are to try to recover some of the debt,
ideally all of them?
So, as you say, that money can actually be spent on ones with children.
Thank you.
Yes, I agree with you.
It's a shocking amount of money that Kent County Council owes us.
Absolutely. And it's historic.
I mean obviously our officers have been pursuing it for a number of years now and were pursuing it very what's the word?
robustly
But then they withdrew that robustness to certain extent because we then were in negotiations
We were hoping can't you take over the school that would be the absolute logical solution
It's like you know that it had mainly can children at that time in a Kent school hundred miles away from here was
Obviously the best solution for them to take it over
Unfortunately, they backed out, which is why we now ultimately find ourselves in this position.
And of course, we're taking legal proceedings.
We're going to do our best to recover every penny.
It's our money for our children, so the court's submission has been made.
Yes, we've taken it legally.
And Councillor Yates.
Yeah, thank you, Councillor Gasser.
and I do recognise what a terribly difficult
and very sad decision this is.
And I just want to be assured about that we have taken
or exhausted all options available to us.
So I'm just wondering if you could tell us more
about the engagement that there's been
with the Department for Education
and the newly formed, newly identified Academy Trust
after the decision was made to progress
to formal consultation on closure.
So what subsequent discussions were they
and where did they get to? Thank you.
Well, we've had ongoing discussions with the DfE
for months, if not years, I think, actually,
because this was a problem that we saw happening.
The school has been in financial difficulty for quite some time.
So obviously our officers have been talking for a long time.
We were hopeful, as I said, about the Cygnus Trust.
We were in offices met regularly with DFA and signature as under school when that
Was refused that was a blow to everyone. You know we were hoping that would happen
At that point if he said they possibly had another
Academy which might be a possibility
But we did have to take the view that we did had no idea whether it would be a successful possibility
So we did have to say we're gonna have to start the closure process as well
And we hope that we have the opportunity to just pause or stop that because something comes good with this new trust
And our offices have worked with the new trust
Answered all the questions that they needed to know we've been engaging with DfV the local MPs obviously been very involved as well
We didn't actually find out that they'd applied to become an academy until I think was the 16th of October
So very late in the day, so we were a long way down the closure process unfortunately
So then, I'm trying to get the exact chronology, but early last week we got a letter from DfE
saying would we consider pausing the closure process.
So we wrote back and said we would consider, but only under certain conditions, and the
conditions, some of them were around what Bridge Academy, we knew what they were asking
for, and we had to be sure that that was going to be fulfilled.
We also said, as I wrote to the DFV back in July, and said Wandsworth Council cannot underwrite these losses anymore,
so we could consider pausing if you might consider underwriting the losses.
Then we just heard back on Friday, they said to us, they'd done a needs assessment in Kent, and one thing and another,
and they were asking us not to pause, they were asking us to move to the closure process,
So I could only draw one conclusion then, which was they were not minded to
academize, so I couldn't, we couldn't ask to delay anymore, to pause anymore.
This just didn't seem to be any point, which is, we're all really upset about.
Well no, thank you very much Councillor Gasser, and thank you for a helpful
debate on a very difficult topic.
So we've heard and we've had our questions,
so I don't suppose it's without a heavy heart,
but does the cabinet agree with the recommendations
in the paper?
Okay, that's approved.
I'm sorry, Anne, thank you very much for colleagues
who've come along this evening.
I know it's a very difficult evening for you,
but thank you very much for your time.
We'll now be turning to item four,
which is the review of fees and charges for 26, 27.
It's probably actually a finance paper,
but I know it accounts for Ireland isn't here,
so I think it's worth saying this is the annual review
of our fees and charges, and as you'll see,
most of these have gone up by the rate of inflation,
with a couple of exceptions.
Are there any comments or questions on the paper?
I just wanted to welcome the fact that the access for all discounts will be available
for a number of the services that are covered here, for example, for using our leisure facilities.
And I do think that's really important because obviously these are difficult times for, remain
difficult times for many people.
Absolutely, and sorry, I should have perhaps said that as well as charging a fair price
for our fees and charges.
Alongside that, we have Britain's most generous concessionary schemes, and more than 6 ,000
people this year have signed up to access for all, which gives you between 50 and 100 %
off a range of services, including, as you say, leisure centres.
and Councillor Henderson.
Thank you, Councillor.
I note that parking charges are not due to be increased.
I just wondered if you'd like to say something on that.
Yeah, we did have a fairly significant increase
in parking charges, not last year, the year before,
and we've decided that we will continue to freeze them in the coming year,
you know, recognising the challenges people face with cost of living,
and given, yes, the also the PCN finds that people are charged when they commit an offence
have been a parking violation have been increased.
So that has increased our parking income
from those PCN charges.
So we believe it's the right thing to do
to continue to freeze parking charging this year,
or next year.
Thanks very much.
If there's no other questions, is that paper approved?
Agreed.
Thanks very much.
And now we'll move on to the Clapham Junction
and Urban Heart Master Plan, progress update.
Councillor De Kater.
Yeah, so the cabinet will be aware that this is our attempt
to try and get on the front foot towards the strategic
planning around central town centre of Wandsworth,
Club Junction, where there are different land holdings,
some owned by Network Rail, some owned by private businesses,
some owned by us and obviously lots of thorough ways
and important transplant links as well as pedestrian links.
So the aim is to draw all of these interests together
and start thinking through a strategic approach
to how development growth in that area takes place.
Crucially, our updates on a new way of working,
which is our community panel,
as well as our kind of public engagement around the issue.
Last week we had a public meeting to talk through,
the Clapham Junction Master Plan
and the outcomes that are coming out of the community panel.
I'm particularly excited about the community panel because it's a way of getting the kind
of voices that don't normally feed into these kinds of proposals in the room.
So it's London living wage, residents work, it's a public invitation for anyone who lived
in the area to apply.
But we took seriously people's age, their employment status, how long they've been living
in the area, trying to get basically some people who don't normally engage with planning
functions like, you know, if I'm going to be frank with you, it's often older ex -professionals
who engage with our planning consultations.
It's a way of broadening it out to people that are obviously affected because they've
grown up in the area or they live in the area.
And from different tenure types as well.
So it's not just homeowners.
You've got young renters, social tenants, and the like.
And so that has an independent advisor, again, who went through a full kind of procurement
hiring process who runs that panel and doesn't, you know, isn't beholden to the council so
can genuinely challenge our approach and raise new ideas.
And that is happening parallel to just broader, more standard
public meetings.
So I think it's a very innovative approach.
And it's, like I say, a way of getting on the front foot
so that the various different interests that
own the land around Clapham Junction
aren't just working in silos, but can things strategically
come together.
There'll be trade -offs and compromises
between what kind of housing we build,
what kind of pedestrian footways we have.
But if we're all in the room together,
rather than thinking about our own single interests,
will be able to develop something that transforms the area
because Clapham Junction frankly will have to change.
The station is just not fit for purpose at the moment.
43 million people are using it
and it's a very strangely designed
given the quantity of people moving through it.
Thank you very much.
That's a helpful update.
Councillor Henderson.
Yeah, thanks.
I'm just simply an observation.
I mean, I use Clam Junction Station all the time, and as you said, it's an incredibly
busy station, literally the busiest in the United Kingdom.
It's also probably one of the oldest in terms of infrastructure.
Just to say, I think this type of programme is much needed, and I think it's very exciting.
And I know that we will certainly engage with the local community to ensure that Clam Junction
needs according to the community needs. Thank you.
So if there are no other comments or questions, is that approved?
Thanks very much. And I think because it relates principally to housing policy, we'll stay
with Council de Klerk for the domestic abuse policy under item 6.
Yeah, this is an attempt to make sure that housing officers are in the kind of most up -to -date
and modern practise, making sure that they're on the front foot when it comes to identifying
victims of domestic abuse, but also processing cases that involve domestic abuse at the highest
possible standard.
As a council, we are Daha accredited, and the aim is to keep that reaccreditation by
staying in step with how we deal with residents or people who present themselves to the council
who may be suffering from domestic abuse or may be fleeing domestic abuse.
So this paper is really about trying to hold on to that accreditation, make sure that we're
meeting the standards, training our officers to have the skills and ability to notice and
handle sensitive and delicate cases around domestic abuse.
Thanks very much.
Councillor Henderson.
Thanks.
It seems as if I'm asking all the questions this afternoon, but this does obviously very
specifically relate to one of my profile is community safety.
First of all, can I say that I think this is an infinitely better policy than we had
before.
He's now, I think, adopting modern approaches to domestic abuse, etc.
And as such, I am thoroughly welcome here.
One of the real problems with domestic abuse is actually in its identification.
So many people suffer domestic abuse for years and years, and they seem to slip through the system.
I just wondered if you could describe the type of training or advice information which
will be given to housing officers to enable them to identify, to see the first signs of
domestic abuse so they can actually put these into the train of being actions.
Because once these things do actually come into the system, we do have very well developed
procedures, et cetera.
The problem in many cases is that they go completely
online under the cover.
Yeah, I think that's a really good question,
because there's kind of two streams here, right?
There's one, someone who very openly comes and presents to us
as fleeing domestic abuse and the pathway that they go on.
But that has involved them presenting and us managing
the fact that they're presented to us
and that we make sure all our officers are aware
and that this is them not having to tell their storey over
and over again, which is one of the challenges
in local authorities.
But then you're right, there's that second piece of work, which is what happens when
we are looking for the signs because the resident themselves hasn't presented to us.
And so I can think of my own casework experience when you can't get through to the named tenant
on the tenancy and are constantly speaking to a partner because they're busy.
It's training around making sure that officers have been on courses where they understand
the signs to look for.
And then also the delicate ways through which they can try
and flag that on the system or try and get contact
with a resident who they might think is suffering
from less of a abuse that doesn't put them at risk.
So those are the kind of, there's like two frameworks
in housing which is what to do with someone
who is very openly come and presented
as this is the situation facing me
and then the wraparound support we give them.
But also that I guess kind of being vigilant
about certain patterns in order to try and protect
residents who may not have been able or willing to come forward yet.
I would say those are the kind of dual aspects of what a healthy and modern domestic abuse
policy looks like.
Now, Councillor Echenola.
Yeah, thank you very much.
Really pleased to see this paper.
As we know, a lot of women stay in these relationships because of housing issues.
But I really look forward to and I hope and I'm gonna open the invitation to yourself or the officers that will be
Delivering on this policy to come and speak to the voluntary sector who will very much welcome a renewed policy
Because they would deal with a lot of domestic
Abuse in the work that they do. Thanks
Absolutely, I think I think I think you're absolutely correct and I you know, I
I think there's something about the well
The voluntary sector certainly does see ones with as a place where it makes referrals
I mean if we in London having Daha accreditation means that the voluntary sector certainly does
Look for councils that have policies in place where they know that residents can get support
And we we know post pandemic and we we have seen across London that you know
instances of domestic abuse and its relationship to housing are constantly increasing, particularly in regards to temporary accommodation.
So the voluntary sector is often the person who is referring directly to the council.
And so the more that we can work with the voluntary sector is the more we can both take preventative action,
but also make sure that the council is prepared for the situation that's facing it.
Thank you very much.
The recommendations in the paper approved.
Thank you.
And I think finally from Councillor Di Ciano, the HRA business plan update.
Yeah.
So this went to the Bireasdent's Forum last week.
and we had very good feedback from our local resident representatives.
This outlines the kind of long -term strategic and financial planning around the HRA on our
own capital programme, our new build development programme, and our regenerations.
The HRA remains viable and in an envious position compared to other councils, but there are,
of course real pressures and constraints.
To kind of round up the picture facing us is one of trying to deliver new council housing,
which is important because it's a new asset base that delivers rental income, but
also helps ease the burden of the huge amounts of money spent on temporary accommodation each year from the general fund.
But then there's already existing stock, which is increasingly older,
95 plus percent of it was built in the last century.
It's facing years and years of basically high use, right?
Our void turnarounds mean that we are coming to invest much more when we do void works.
The standards are increasing.
We don't know what decent homes raises for us.
So we've got to balance the maintenance of our stock and our new build programmes.
And the kind of combination of both of those things is our regenerations where we've found
that stock doesn't meet the standards that we think it's got a long -term life in refurbishment.
And also that involves development but also the delivery of net additional council housing.
So at the moment it's a balancing act.
Like I say, our HRA is in a much more kind of enviable position than many other councils,
but it is about to start borrowing, which many councils were kind of forced to do previously.
Borrowing is a smart decision, particularly because of the new assets that will be delivered
through borrowing, specifically around new build.
But I think it is important to flag with Cabinet and the wider public that across London, the
age of existing social housing stock is going to put, over the increasing years as we have
the green agenda, fire safety regulation, our capital works programmes are going to increase.
And I think after a decade of underinvestment in social housing, that is a real thing that
we have to keep an eye on. So that is my summary of the HRA Business Plan.
Thanks very much. Any questions? Councillor Yates.
Yeah, thanks very much, Councillor Ticketham. Really important paper. And as you've said
and as the paper notes, obviously we do face a great difficulty in that we have an ageing
stock and a need for a lot more investment in that stock. But obviously that comes at
cost and we're also facing additional regulatory requirements.
So could you just say a bit more about our strategy to maintain the financial viability
of the HR way whilst making that investment that we need to make?
Yeah, and I think importantly some of this is to frame it in relationship to our regulatory
judgement.
So historically Wandsworth just didn't do stock condition surveys.
as it did like the bare minimum, so 1%,
which in 2022 went up to 6 .5%, the target was 10%,
we couldn't get behind the doors.
Based off the regulatory judgement,
we are now starting that proper stock condition survey work,
20 % stock condition survey each year
to over five years get up to 100%.
And in that process, we will discover much more
the needs of our blocks, and we'll be able to hopefully
analyse data in a much more strategic way
so that we're not being totally reactionary in our repairs.
but we're working out more systemically what needs to be done and what is behind the doors of the buildings that we manage.
That doesn't mean to say that we're not constantly going in and out of people's flats, we are, but we know that lots of people don't report.
So there's a piece of work around our improvement plan with the regulator which is to try and start establishing more modern practises in the department
which allow us to have a better understanding of what our stock needs.
But it is a genuine political question.
Should councils just stop building council housing and just put all of their money into
maintaining the stock that they have?
We could do that.
Our temporary accommodation bill will just mean that lots of public money is going into
the hands of private landlords in temporary accommodation and many of the overcrowded
families in our current stock won't see themselves move through allocation chains because there
won't be any new delivery of social housing.
housing housing.
Oh, a bit of echo there.
We obviously have Section 106, where we can negotiate more
social housing.
But we are in an economic period in which Section 106 is
increasingly squeezed.
And the amount of affordable housing that can be delivered
in Section 106 is another point of contention.
So in Wandsworth, we're trying to make the most progressive
decisions as possible, which is commitments on delivering net
additional new build social housing, which we see as an
asset class that will last for a long time and pay us back
rents once the debt is paid off.
An important investment in, it's like a mortgage.
Many people in this borough think that's a smart idea.
They invest in a home, they build it,
and then they have a home at the end of it.
So we've got that as a programme,
but I think it is important that we get,
given the age of our stock,
a much more strategic and data -driven process
to how we do capital works,
and I think that is something that many councils
are getting to grips to as the new regulatory framework
kicks in and as the green agenda kicks in.
There has been a bit of uncertainty around where to go.
Some housing associations are pulling totally out of development.
We don't think it would be right to do that in Wandsworth because of the underdelivery
of social housing for 44 years under the Conservatives.
We've got to deliver some new social housing, but there will be balances.
And I think our regenerations are massive opportunities to balance that delivery of
new homes in a financially viable way on our land assets without displacing communities
that already exist.
And I think many councils are looking at that.
So, thank you very much.
So is the HRA business plan update agreed?
Thank you all.
So as we move towards the end of the meeting,
just to note that you'll all have received recommendations
from our overview and scrutiny committees
and really grateful for everyone working so well
in our new system.
That's definitely gonna be a feature of it.
I know many of you have accepted those recommendations
and if I can just ensure cabinet members
are getting back in touch with their scrutiny committees
to update on what's happening there.
Also, apologies for those who can't see it on their agenda,
but we had an item added a bit late
about care technology investment and procurement.
So if we can take that next, Councillor Henderson.
Thank you, thank you, Lida,
and thank you for putting this on the agenda.
and it is important because of the procurement timetables.
It is also important because it is part of the central
policy of adult social care to invest in technology
to reduce some of the demand pressures
which have really gone through the roof
over the past three years in relation to older people
learning disabilities and mental health.
The evidence suggests if you keep people at home,
they thrive, they prosper far better
than putting them into care institutions.
And so the central plank of our strategy
is to try to keep people at home
for as long as we possibly can.
Currently we do have a very progressive
technology approach which cases for 650 people
people and indeed that was very much commended by the CQC on their recent assessment which
are painted the council's social care service overall as being good.
But there is certainly more that we can do.
What this procurement is really about is moving us into the 21st century in terms of our approach
to the use of care technology, expanding it,
whilst also understanding that there are some people
who may have difficulties in adapting to that technology.
Certainly currently a lot of the technology
is used by older people very successfully.
So I think there is certainly a basis
for it being widely acceptable across a whole range
of different cohorts of service users,
including some of the most complex situations.
But unfortunately, in order to save on the needs to invest,
and so this paper asked the cabinet to approve
a positive general fund of new budget variations
of 650 ,000 pounds in 2025, 26,
and 550 ,000 in 2026, 27 in order to expand
the care technology service.
So currently we do have the service
with a care technology provider.
But as I said, the overall aim of the future
care technology service is to support all residents
to live independently, and to fully embed
a mainstream care technology in service delivery.
And as I said, to ensure that we can extend it
to some people with more complex needs.
And in order to sort of deliver this new service model,
we do require a new contract, which continues
to manage care technology services,
but also it innovates and supports culture change.
So this investment we are proposing, we have calculated it should deliver efficiencies
benefits of £1 million currently including in the MTFS, the Inter -Financial Strategy
from 2024 -25 to 2026 -27 with the benefits that this will continue as a result of embedding
the system with acuity savings and cost avoidance set in excess of something like 3 .5 million
pounds up to 2029 .30. We are actually looking to use a procurement system which is entirely
equal to the most advantageous tender evaluation method with a weighting of 100 % for quality.
That is because we currently have a framework in which we have trusted contractors that
we can actually call upon.
These are people who have already been evaluated against a set of stricter criteria to ensure
that they fully meet the needs of the council in delivering high quality services.
And also aligning with our principles on social value.
So, in essence, this is all to a proposal to invest, to save, but also to invest in
the type of services that people should expect in the 21st century.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councillor Henderson.
Any comments or questions?
If not, I must say I agree with you.
This seems like a really sensible investment in the technology of the future.
It is spend to save and also helps people live the independent lives that they want to so is that agreed?
Thanks very much
Now I'm afraid the next paper has some
Commercially sensitive information, so I'm just going to read out
the standard text that you have to to take the meeting into a
a private sitting just for the final item.
So apologies for anyone watching on the livestream.
But I move that the press and the public be removed
for the remainder of the meeting
due to the likely disclosure of exempt information
by virtue of paragraph three, part one of schedule 12A
of the Local Government Act 1972.
Is that agreed?
Thank you.