Cabinet - Monday 14 July 2025, 7:30pm - Wandsworth Council Webcasting

Cabinet
Monday, 14th July 2025 at 7:30pm 

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  1. Webcast Finished

1 Corporate Plan (Annual Refresh) (Paper No.25-256)

Thank you.
Thank you.
Hello and welcome to this meeting of
Wandsworth Council's cabinet.
We will start by asking if there are any
apologies this evening?
We have an apology from Councillor Yates.
Are there any declarations of interest?
Good.
If it is OK, hopefully you have the agenda in
front of you.
but as always I'll just give a few updates on our key priorities.
And we've continued to get out and about around the borough listening to residents,
most recently on Saturday when I was on Trinity Road for one of our monthly drop -ins,
hearing from residents about their concerns about safer streets around crime,
but also the popularity of our 7 Days, 7 Rings Guarantee.
On 7 Days, 7 Rings I always ask people when I go into public meetings
if they've been kept on hold for more than 20 minutes by the council this year.
And when I was going around doing the same wards last year, more than half of the people
would put their hands up.
But this time around, it's only one or two people each time who put their hands up.
So thank you very, very much to all the council staff who now pick up the telephone, who have
improved customer service and made seven days, seven rings such a success.
Other recent highlights, some of us were with Sadiq last week as we opened Springfield Park,
that's London's biggest park since the 2012 Olympics.
Looks absolutely fantastic.
Also spent the morning in Tootingbeck with the local MP and council officers,
thinking how we can improve and invest in that neighbourhood going forward.
And also a lovely afternoon at Battersea Arts Centre, hearing from many local schools
about the fantastic and creative things that they've been doing in partnership with Apple.
And it was a pleasure to announce another 340 ,000 pounds of investment from Apple, taking
to more than a million pounds now, their investment in our local children.
We had Country on the Common a few weeks ago.
And I know many of you in this room managed to turn up alongside 9 ,000 other people who
got to enjoy themselves.
and it's wonderful that more than a thousand three pound tickets went to our access for all residents as well.
We're opening up these opportunities to everyone.
In fact, it was lovely, we had a resident get in touch afterwards to say she was really reluctant to go initially
because she was disabled and she was very nervous about accessibility at the event.
I think you've seen this one.
And, but she said in the end she was thrilled with the music, with the vibe, with the helpfulness of the staff
and how well we'd made sure everyone was included in this great experience.
So that's a key part of what drives us.
We want those absolutely best in class, you know, world class experiences
and make sure that everyone can be involved in them.
So we'll just have a look at a few charts now just to update on our key services.
So first, we're looking at Access for All.
And you remember recently we had a big launch of Access for All.
This is Britain's best concession scheme.
Low -income residents who are on any welfare benefits
get 50 % off council services and 100 % off council services
which they just have to access.
And we're also expanding this to other public,
private sector opportunities.
As I say, more than 1 ,000 tickets for Country on the Common
were accessed for all and at Tooting Beck Lido
already this summer more than 1 ,000 access
for All residents have had free access there. All in, more than 100 ,000 sessions
of gym and swim have been taken by Access for All residents. And I don't
know if I should tell you this before tomorrow, but tomorrow we're launching
our Access for All offer with the e -bike operators. So all of those e -bikes and
e -scooters you see around the borough, they'll be 50 % off for our low -income
residents as well. So we'll be making sure that e -bikes are accessible to
everyone but they are used fairly and considerately and of course there are
penalties for individuals and companies that don't respect the rules and strict
safety measures across the board. And there's a lovely video on our website
about weddings. You can now get married in the town hall for half price under
access for all. Please watch the video of Hamid and his special day there. I
Every week on our website every month in these meetings we report on how well that guarantee is going
And for the month of June we removed a hundred percent of graffiti within seven days
Fixed a hundred percent of dangerous potholes within seven days
replaced 61 percent of broken street signs within seven days
and
56 Street signs were replaced in total throughout June
which I think is the highest total for a long time.
So hopefully you can see in your neighborhood
those street signs are looking a bit fresher than they were
and if you think your street sign isn't as smart
as it should be or if it's broken or defaced,
tell us, hello at Wandsworth or on our 6 ,000 number,
we will replace it within seven days.
And looking at the seven rings guarantee,
it's fantastic that fully 87 % of calls
were answered within seven rings and that's for the whole month, that average.
That's an improvement, our May's average of 82%, which I said at the time was good, but
we always want to see improvement, so we'll look for further improvement, but very happy
to see the direction of travel here.
And finally, just looking at our free bulky waste collections, incredibly popular policy
continues to deliver.
More than 11 ,000 residents now have taken advantage of free bulky waste collections from their own homes
So really popular policy and hopefully having a real impact on cleaner streets
So just to say we hopefully the priorities we're talking about your priorities
We spend a huge amount of time listening to residents going out and taking their views and we've heard the safer streets cleaner streets
being a more responsive listening council and faster housing repairs, the top of the list.
So you've told us and we'll listen and you can expect us to deliver on those priorities.
So if it's all right, we'll now move on to the items on the agenda.
And first up is our corporate plan annual refresh.
Are there any comments or questions on that paper?
If not, is that agreed?
Thank you.

2 Quarter 4 Outturn Report (Paper No.25-250)

And second up, we have our quarter four out -turn report, a finance paper.
Councillor Ireland.
Thank you.
We've had the results of the year of the finance results for the year 31st of April
2024 to 31st of March 2025. Highlights on this, we've achieved 99 % of expected general
fund capital, which is a significant improvement and is on previous years. The forecasting
has improved immensely and this is as a direct result of the revised approach to approving
forecasting and reporting on individual schemes during the year. We experienced continuing
demand for statutory services and above average inflation cost increases in providing these
services. However, we achieved additional income from treasury investments which helped
offset the overspend, which is less than 1 % of net spend, £1 .3 million. Now, I think
this is an excellent result and I would like to thank all the budget holders, including
the executive directors, Mrs. Mary and her finance team, including Ms. Burston, who is
here this evening. They have worked very hard to manage demand and mitigate cost increases
and it's very much appreciated. Thank you very much.
Now budgets remain under pressure. It's national demand pressures really, particularly in homelessness
and social care. These are not Wandsworth specific. I'm very proud of the work that
Wandsworth has done to contain cost increases. If you look at the overspends across London,
it's 500 million pounds so Wandsworth has done particularly well. Of that 500 million, 330 million
is due to temporary accommodation cost service spend. We will continue to manage these demands
and thank you very much Mr Wirth for all your work too. Thank you.
Thank you Councillor Ireland. Are there any comments or questions on this paper? I can see
Thank you, Councillor Ireland, and thank you for your excellence in the leadership of our
finances.
And that's the thing, I do receive leaflets through the door from time to time, claiming
that one's council is racking up enormous amounts of debt, is in serious financial difficulties.
What would you have to say to that, thanks?
Well, it is true that we do have plans to borrow. That's to invest in the borough
and to build the thousand council homes. As of the 31st of March 2025, there's actually
zero external debt. Having this administration having repaid the last installment of the
administration in 2012. So yes we will be borrowing money but it's to invest in
the borough and we will have assets to show for it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
you Councillor Ireland and thanks as Councillor Henderson says for your sound
stewardship. Is that paper agreed? Thank you. Item three is our events in

3 Events in Parks Policy (Paper No.25-252)

Parks Policy and we'll start with the usual cabinet member introduction and then we'll
take a deputation from the Friends of Tooting Common.
Councillor White.
And it's great to have Friends of Tooting Common here tonight Peter and hopefully we're
going to be adding another Friends of very, very shortly at Springfield Park so good stuff.
So anyway, we're committed to making the borough a fairer, more compassionate and more sustainable place.
Our year is the London Borough of Culture, 2025 it's called.
Welcome to Wandsworth.
Places, culture at the heart of developing a people -led approach to boosting health, happiness and equality of opportunity.
Our parks are for everyone and we value them as places for relaxation, recreation, sport, play, connecting with nature
and as havens for biodiversity.
We are therefore investing in them.
Springfield Park is a new 32 -acre public park
being developed in partnership with the NHS
and developers at Intuting.
It was formally opened earlier this month.
We have secure planning permission
for a new pocket park on Swarthill Road
and will be starting construction later in the year,
investing £400 ,000.
The park will include new play equipment, sensory planting and biodiversity improvements.
Our play strategy sets out the roadmap for transforming spaces across the borough, including in our parks.
We have dedicated four million of the Council's capital resources to implement the first phase of improvements
and will start consultation on the first projects after the summer.
We are working on plans for Tooting Triangle, making this northern part of the common more
accessible and resilient.
So far we have allocated £600 ,000 of investment for the site and we will start engagement
with communities around the Triangle in the autumn.
Events in our parks, commons and open spaces play a significant role in achieving our ambitious
goals of Parks for Everyone.
We want to enable access to events in parks and open spaces across the borough, reaching all communities.
Earlier in the year, we carried out a review of the events in Parks, Commons and Open Spaces policy that was adopted in 2014.
Since then, both community expectations and environmental standards have evolved significantly.
As a listening council, in March we approved a draft policy for consultation.
Before we made the decision on the final policy, we wanted to hear from as many people as possible.
Over 800 people responded to our online survey.
We held two dedicated sessions with our green spaces stakeholder groups
and ran several focus groups with young people through our youth service.
We have made multiple changes to the final policy based directly on consultation feedback.
These are shown in paragraph 3 .30 and appendix 1 shows how the policy has evolved from the
2014 version to the version in front of you today.
Changes include explicitly banning events over 10 ,000 attendees except in Battersea
Park, prohibiting large events on Wandsville Common for over 2 ,499 people, strengthening
including ecological protections and clarifying noise controls.
The policy also introduces more public consultation and cabinet oversight.
These are not superficial changes.
They reflect a genuine effort to respond to the concerns raised and to strike a better
balance between community events and the protection of green spaces.
I recommend to my cabinet colleagues that we adopt the recommendations set out in section
1.
Thank you.
Thanks very much, Councillor White.
If it's all right, we will have a discussion of that, but I think if it's all right, if
Mr Ramell, if you want to come up and address the cabinet for up to five minutes, and then
if it's okay, we'll ask you questions if any occur.
Over to you, if you can press the button on the speaker in front of you.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for this opportunity to bring Friends of Tooting Commons comments on the new events
policy, and this focuses particularly on changes which are now made in this latest version,
which was issued on the 7th of July.
Generally, Friends of Tooting Commons considers that occasional large events on the Common
can be of benefit and interest to a range of common users and local communities, and
I think here a particular country on the common is a recent example, and the occasional large
events can be a good use of the common.
But there need to be robust and appropriate safeguards to protect the common and also
the interest of other commons users.
An excessive number of large events would be very detrimental.
We were surprised and rather puzzled by the additional statement now included in the latest version,
which Councillor Whitehouse alluded to, that no large events, events over 2500, will be permitted on Wandsworth Common.
Surprised particularly since the paper gives no clear indication as to the reasons for this decision,
nor does it propose specific restrictions on other green spaces.
We would ask for some explanation. We also need to ask for an assurance from the Council
that this decision will not lead to increased pressure for more large events on Tooting
Common than would be reasonable, given that Tooting Common is the other large green space
in the borough, aside from Battersea Park, which is dealt with elsewhere.
Aside from that point, in general we feel that this new events policy is definitely
an improvement on the 2014 policy, but there are several points where we think further
improvements and clarifications could be made in the interest particularly of transparency.
We consider that the number of large events called Category B and C, the events over 2 ,500,
which in total could be up to 10 event days, we think it's too high, and our concerns on
this are heightened by the decision now made to exclude such events from Wandsworth Common.
We note the response from the Council to our earlier comments, and we're grateful for that
response that the reason for specifying a figure for large events higher than is likely
is to allow for, and I quote, major international sporting events, which would be regarded as
extraordinary. But we would suggest that it would be helpful in the interests of transparency
and for administering the policy to make that point explicit in the policy, rather than
just as an explanation.
Turning to the provision about events on consecutive weekends,
where the policy says there will be no category C or B event
days at any site on consecutive weekends,
unless this can demonstrably reduce
the duration of events infrastructure being on site,
compared to non -consecutive weekends,
or unless this can provide increased social impact benefits.
We wondered if the Council could clarify what was meant by increased social impact benefits
and how the Council and ENABLE would assess these in administering the policy.
We were also not sure about what the wording about events in infrastructure being on site
That would mean in terms of perimeter fencing.
We would have concerns if this resulted in perimeter fencing being left in place for
a number of weeks to cater for events on consecutive weekends, and each one being justified by
being more hassle to take down than put up.
That would definitely be detrimental to other Commons users.
So with these considerations in mind, we think that an additional sentence should be added
on the lines of, in any case, there will be no Category C or B event days at any site
on more than two consecutive weekends. We are grateful for a number of the changes which
have been made in the policy, including the requirement that events organisers need to
minimise the number of set -up and removal days. But we do think that there are a few
changes which will be helpful. We think there needs to be an additional clause at the end
saying, this policy will be fully reviewed, including a public consultation, every, we
suggest, six years, but we're not wedded to that particular figure.
But we do think there ought to be provision for an overall review.
The old policy has been in place for 11 years, which is a long time in most people's reckoning.
We also think the policy should include explicitly two statements, which may sound obvious, but
they're the sorts of things that people get very concerned about. One is to say, among
other things, all event organizers should ensure that litter is cleared from the site
completely following the event. The other is to say, events will be appropriately policed
to minimize any antisocial behavior. Now, it may be that those points are covered in
other documents, but we do think that this policy has a statement by the council as to
how events should be run and will be run, it would be helpful to make those points explicit.
Finally, a technical point on definition.
I sent this to, I think officers are aware of this and I can enlarge on it, but the section
which deals with event size and attendance, we think could be clearer.
So the policy states that there are two definitions of event size, depending on whether events are just generally open to the public
or there's a particular attendance requirement.
That's all fine, but we think the explanation of that would helpfully be in the policy itself.
Those are the comments that we've had.
We've got thank you very much for listening.
Well, no, thank you for giving up your time and being here this evening.
And if you have a little more time, are there any questions from the Cabinet?
If we can go to Councillor Gasser and then Councillor Echenola.
Yeah, thank you very much for your comments, and I'll leave Councillor White to come back
and accept my area.
But we've recently had Country on the Common, and obviously I've taken a great interest
because it's right next door to my ward, and I'm aware of a couple of complaints about
noise.
That's all that I've received.
Nothing about litter, nothing about bad behaviour, nothing about people leaving.
On the whole, my perception is it was a huge success.
I just wondered if you had that same perception.
Yes, that's also our perception.
We've had a lot of very positive feedback, but there have been several comments about noise levels,
but in general, very positive feedback, and certainly no problems of litter or damage to the ground or anything like that.
Thank you.
and Councillor Akinola.
I just wanted to just follow in on from what
Councillor Gasser had said actually,
because obviously it's not a new idea
to have events on Tute in common,
because there were lots of events,
the Rolling Stones I think or something played there.
Many, the police, sorry, the police.
Right, this was before my time, I wasn't born.
So there's been big events on the Common before and we did just have country on the Common
which was important so that we had something in that side of the borough for people during
London Borough of Culture.
So what are your suggested improvements to events, because we would potentially like
to look at doing other things on the Common, so what are your suggestions for improvements
we can make to events moving forward?
Well, we do think it's very important that there's an understanding about issues such as litter,
such as policing in particular, which is why we're suggesting that that should be made explicit in the policy.
We also do, as we indicate, have concerns about if there were an excessive number of
events.
Ultimately, of course, there's a matter of balance and recognizing the needs and interests
of different commons users.
But we would be concerned if there is an excessive number, which is hence the comment we've made.
Thank you.
If it's all right, it's turning into question time.
We've just got two more questions for you, if that's okay.
Councillor Henderson and Councillor De Kedem.
Thank you for your presentation.
Very interesting.
You talk about excessive number of events.
You particularly focus upon events two or more weekends following.
But over the course of the year, what would you actually consider to be excessive or not
excessive in terms of frequency?
Thanks.
Thank you.
The revised policy sets out an overall limit of up to 10 big events days, six days, as
six events between 2 ,500 and 5 ,000,
and four events over 5 ,000 up to 10 ,000.
Now we do think that that is excessive,
because the longer term effect on the Coleman,
it can begin to be noticeable.
So we do feel that that should be reduced somewhat,
and partly in that connection, as I say,
we know that there are to be no such events at all
on Wandsworth Common.
Yeah, I think this is a really important point. I don't know if you were aware of the controversy
around Lambeth. All my friends were very, there was a hot discussion in my WhatsApp
group about public space and festivals and balancing between, you know, lots of young
renters who might like events and also people in the neighborhood. And I guess what would
be really helpful for me is I think you're right that public spaces is common. They are
for everyone and if there is a form of privatization when there is a ticketed event, does Access
for All and our ability to try and target events that are specifically for local people
rather than generating London -wide demand, is that something that the Friends are supportive
of? Is there a way in which we can try and make sure that the events that we do in Wandsworth
are really for people that kind of live in Wandsworth and enjoy the common when there's
no events and to try and make sure there isn't that anxiety that this is a financial decision
because for us it was really about the borough of culture and it's about trying to make life
fun for the residents who live in Wandsworth.
So what kind of, in your mind, what are the steps we could be taking to ensure that people
understand that that's the process?
Thanks.
I'm afraid I don't have any immediate sort of all singing or dancing solutions, but two
observations.
One is that I think there's plenty of scope for relatively smaller events, what are called
in the policy category A events, less than 2 ,500, which still does cater for a lot of
people and particularly local people.
The other issue that has been commented on is the issue of cost.
Now, country on the common went extremely well as an event.
The cost of tickets was quite high and certainly there has been comment about that.
Now, again, there's no obvious solution to those issues,
but something about relatively cheaper events and perhaps smaller ones as well,
which would also have less effect on the infrastructure of the common.
Excellent. Well, look, thank you very, very much for those really helpful answers to those useful questions.
If it's all right, if we could ask you to take your place again, you're very welcome.
Well, please observe the rest of this discussion, but you're welcome to stay for the rest of the meeting if you'd like to.
And please also pass on our thanks to the rest of the friends of Tooting Common,
Because we love our green spaces, but the Friends of groups do absolutely fantastic
work as well.
So please pass on our thanks.
Is it okay, Councillor White, if you respond to what you've heard there and then we can
take any other comments about the proposals?
Yeah, I mean, thank you for coming tonight and thanks for you and Friends of Two in common
and being so involved in helping us renew and update this policy.
And thanks for coming in earlier today, where we talked for about 35 minutes
around the issues that you raised this evening.
We are so lucky to have friends and Mac groups, as the leader just said,
that have been involved in this consultation.
I think there is a big worry that we're going to move from a position
where we have very few events in the Commons who are having multi -events, which isn't the case at all.
And it's interesting about ones with Commons as well, that there are very few events on ones with Commons.
So I can't think of any that would be displaced to somewhere else anyway.
So, you know, I think that's a worry that can be discounted.
In fact, we're working on the biodiversity strategy at the moment,
and our commons and parks will be central to us achieving biodiversity gain.
And quite simply, the policy that was in place from 2014,
which drew no complaints or worry in this regard,
was much more likely to allow more and bigger events.
This process has been about tightening up that policy
to control how our commons are used
and ensure we have a balance that does not disrupt or undermine our commons.
As I stated earlier, we have gone to great lengths to reassure and have been pleased
with the positive inputs and engagements by our residents, including emails, it's 900
and all, which has allowed us to produce this document.
I hope Friends of Tooting Common will remain our critical friend and I'm sure your fears
will be allayed and you'll continue to enjoy the common and see it flourish in the coming
years.
Thanks very much, Councillor White.
So are there any other comments or questions on this proposal?
Councillor De Koon?
So the issue that was raised about displacement doesn't, there isn't a risk of that just because
of there isn't very many events whatsoever on Wandsworth Common as it stands.
So we don't see that as something coming forward in the future.
No that's right.
As I say, I think you mentioned earlier about in other boroughs there are mass big scale
events but there is no demand for that in Wandsworth so it's just not something that
we are considering at all within this and we're just making sure that when we have an
event that we feel would be good for the borough like Country in the Common, that we would
be able to allow it to go ahead.
Not only was it a great event, but it also left very few scars on the Common.
There was very few rubbish issues.
There was no antisocial behavior.
and it's very instructive that 60 % of the audience came from the wards that are above the common.
So, you know, it was a really, really popular event and that's the area that we'd like to be moving in, not to mass events.
And there was a comment also about the sports, you know,
No, yeah, some events that would be, I can't remember the word was, but very unusual and
I think one of them might be England getting to the World Cup final.
Wonderful, well let's, yeah, let's hope England getting to the World Cup final becomes a regular
event, but look, thanks Councillor White and I know previously Councillor Gasser for all
your work on that policy and I think as has been noted it's an improvement from where
we were and thanks for everything you do to cherish and look after our green spaces.
So are those proposals agreed?
And next we can turn to a couple of papers about libraries.

4 Library Strategy (Paper No.25-206)

So first we're looking at our library strategy which I think is, Councillor Gasser.
Thank you very much.
I'm delighted to introduce this new strategy, which we've been working on for a while, actually.
Just the instructions, we have wonderful libraries in Wandsworth.
We're so proud of them.
We're the top two performing boroughs in London for our library visits, top 10 % nationwide
for physical and digital visits and lending.
So it's a wonderful success story.
But actually, our library is doing so much more than just lend books.
Our libraries are the hub of the community in many areas.
They offer a whole range of activities, everything from baby rhyme time right through to knit and natter.
There's something for everyone.
They use from hundreds of young people use them to study at exam time.
And they've been really vital spaces for some residents who need somewhere warm or a friendly face during the winter.
There are also crucial sources of information about council services.
You can pick up recycling bags, you can learn English, you can try a new hobby like Lego or Dungeons and Dragons or whatever.
We've had dance classes in Ballum and Earlsfield Library.
We've had musical theater classes in York Gardens as part of London Borough Culture.
There is so much going on.
And actually our librarians are one of the most trusted professions, the third most trusted
profession after doctors and nurses.
So people go to them for help and they signpost people to all sorts of support services that
our council provides.
But we are conscious that not everybody is actually visiting our libraries.
There are certain groups of people in our communities and it tends to be those marginalized
people, those people that are vulnerable maybe, and they don't yet feel welcome in our libraries
or even know what we're offering.
So this strategy is about making sure that everybody feels welcome in our libraries,
everybody knows what's going on, everybody wants to use them.
They think about libraries first if they want information, if they want a book, if they
want to study, whatever.
As part of our big wider ambition actually, this new council,
we're reaching out through family hubs, we're reaching out through access for all, we're reaching out through play.
Everything we're doing is about more opportunities for more residents and particularly focused on the less advantaged people in our borough.
So in the next paper we'll be discussing the contracts extension, which obviously these two things are very much linked
because our current provider, GLL, has been very much involved in planning this new strategy.
Very helpful indeed, and one of our ambitions is to extend the hours in some of our libraries.
And we want to introduce universal library membership for all children.
We want a new app to make everything a lot easier.
We're going to have all sorts of new classes looking at what people want, but one idea also is exercise classes.
We want to make things, the library's completely accessible for people with special needs or disabilities.
And we're on the route being accredited as libraries of sanctuary.
Another key aspect of our work obviously is for young people studying, particularly exam time.
There's massive demand to have young people queuing outside the doors first thing in the morning.
So we're working with colleagues across the council to try and find more study spaces for our young people.
It's clear that there's a huge, huge need for that.
So basically our vision is that our libraries are the first place that anybody goes to for
help, for lending, for activities, to put on a rent themselves, and this strategy is
all about how we will achieve that.
So I ask you to agree it, please.
Wonderful.
Thank you, Councillor Gasser.
Any comments or questions on the strategy proposals?
Councillor Henderson.
Thank you, Councillor Gasser.
I kind of say, this is a bit of feedback from the residents of Roehampton, my apologies
to colleagues and residents if I appear a bit parochial on this, but the extension of
effectively the restoration of the hours at Roehampton Library which had been cut by the
previous administration really has regenerated the community, the libraries in some amazing
community events and also of course has been very positively used in the winter as a warm
space and currently now we have a heatwave as a cool space. So it really has become very
much a hub of the community in a way that certainly three years ago it wasn't. So this
is really just a bit of feedback, but just to say that the extension of the hours of
the Southampton Library, which has resulted in a quite substantial increase in footfall,
it really is quite amazing. It's the highest across the boroughs, as far as I understand.
But just to say, this really is investing in the people of Wandsworth.
Thank you.
Well, thank you very much.
I mean, that's exactly what we want to do, isn't it?
And we want to do more of that in other libraries as well to recreate that success.
I'm really delighted that people of Southampton are benefiting.
Great.
So is it agreed, the overall strategy?
Agreed.
And then, if you don't mind, Councillor Gasser, just going on to the specific contract extension
paper.

5 Wandsworth Library Contract Extension (Paper No.25-253)

Yes, thank you.
So Wandsworth Library Services are currently delivered through a contract with Greenwich
Leisure Limited, which expires on 31st March, 2026.
And so the paper seeks approval to extend this contract for two years from April the
1st, 2026, with the ability to extend for a further 12 months if we wish.
After that, we need to start a proper procurement process and thinking about what we might want
to do with our libraries.
So yeah, this is what it recommends.
And as I said, GLL have been working with us for 12 years.
They have been very, very good partners.
They have accommodated just about everything we've asked them to do.
They brought more to the table.
They have a literary foundation.
They're supporting local writers in our libraries.
And then children can come in and hear these writers talk.
There's all sorts of things going on.
And as part of the contract extension proposal
that is submitted to us, they have
offered to increase the hours.
So it's to maintain the extended Roehampton hours
that we're talking about and to increase
the hours in Battersea Park Library and York Gardens
Library.
a total of an extra 40 hours a week across our libraries and for no extra charge.
So I think that's a very good offer from them.
And then we can then explore, maybe we want to open some of the libraries a bit longer,
we'd have to talk about prices, but to be able to increase that much at no extra charge
I think is a very great offer.
And they are aligned to our values as well.
They're doing everything they can to promote our residents coming into our libraries, supporting
when they're there offering all sorts of activities.
I'm very confident in recommending this contract
for another couple of years.
Thank you.
Is that agreed?
Excellent, thanks very much.
So next if we can turn to item six,

6 Wandsworth Growth Plan (Paper No.25-269)

which is the Wandsworth Growth Plan.
Councillor De Kedem, are you okay to say
a few words about this?
Yeah, this falls under our kind of strategic planning
around areas of growth in the borough with a specific recognition of Clapham Junction
as a growth corridor in the London Growth Plan.
And you'll see our submission to the London Plan is to fight for that, to stay that way.
And also thinking through some of the main areas in which development are likely to take
place in the immediate future.
So key sites like Wands of Town, where we've had schemes go through planning applications,
and the Winstanley and York Road regeneration, which there's a paper following this one.
This isn't just about focusing only on specific area of the growth agenda.
So this factors in housing, but also employment and skills, local businesses, and is a placemaking
approach.
You know, there's a lot of discussion recently about the quality, the type of development
that takes place so that it's livable, there are good transport connections, you know,
people have access to employment, but their spaces are also designed in a way in which,
you know, there's ease to get around.
And given the kind of, you know, some of the things we're trying to unpick, particularly
around central Wandsworth, this is really, really important because we, you know, we
have some infrastructure that if we could go back to square one, we wouldn't design
it the way that we have.
And this allows us to think thoroughly and in the long term about what Wandsworth will
look like not just in the next political cycle,
but in the next 10, 20 years.
Thank you very much.
If there's no comments or questions, is that approved?
Thanks.
And Councillor de Kedem, you mentioned

7 Winstanley and York Road Place Programme (Paper No.25-255)

one of the exciting schemes there,
which is the Winstanley neighbourhood regeneration.
I think that's the topic of our next paper.
Yeah, so this is a kind of really important
foundational document following our move away from the joint venture and you know
we inherited a joint venture that had stalled and now we have taken the
Winstanley York Road regeneration back in house we've taken back control and
this document is outlining our commitment in terms of what we plan to
deliver, but also thinking through the next stages as we move towards a ballot, which
wasn't going to happen on the previous scheme.
In some ways, we have good roadmaps because we've done this on the autumn.
We've successfully taken back control of a regeneration that was meant to be a joint
venture and are doing it directly in -house.
And so there are some things you'll recognize from that, including, you know, setting up
community panels and working through what we do in the interim periods between build -outs.
But the reason why we did this is so we can move fast.
So this isn't, you know, we're not going back to square one.
This is about delivery.
This is about bringing down Penafon House, delivering the phases as soon as possible.
There will be some alterations necessary and we have to think those through and that's
because of changes in the dynamic around building safety, for instance, you know, the two stairwells
thinking about the cause of buildings now.
And the ballot process is also something that will help us bring in grant.
Some key headline figures on the housing offer, which I know that is always an area of deep concern with the public,
you know, we'll be going from what was going to be a 34 % affordable scheme to one that has to be above 50%,
50 % or above, because that's what the London Plan asks.
So there are huge benefits in the process that we're doing in order to improve that area.
But we've had to do this because of fundamentally a kind of an inability of the JV to deliver on its promises.
And so there's a huge recognition in this paper that this is about delivery now because residents have been waiting too long.
Thanks very, very much.
Any questions on this?
Council Henderson.
I seem to be asking most of the questions this evening.
But first of all, this certainly reads like an excellent plan,
much needed.
We all know that the Winston -Lion workloads
had serious problems, completely neglected
by the previous administration.
And I know that, Councillor Dick Perme,
you'll be aware, like myself,
that there are certainly concerns on the estate
about antisocial behavior in crime.
And I just wondered if you could outline
and how the development in itself, through its
construction, et cetera, can actually achieve to work
towards reducing that.
And also, more generally, in terms of other initiatives
which are taking place to reduce antisocial
behavior and crime.
I think that's a really important point.
I mean, some of you may be aware that there was a
stabbing in the garden just this Saturday, right?
So, and I'm going to be really, really frank, which is, you know, if you think back to the
origins of the Winston and York Road regeneration or the aftermath, from the aftermath of the
riots, right?
And the previous master plan was a joint venture that was specifically aimed to try and, you
know, the polish on the previous Tory's plan, the polish on it was this was one of the worst
places to grow up in the country, largely because of the privatization of the housing
that cut the estate off from Falcon Road, right, the Falcons.
And so the aim, you know, theoretically was to try and improve the life standards and
outcomes of the people living on the estate.
The delay, the dithering, the games that took place have meant that in some ways the estate
has never been, you know, has never been less stable because there is now large amounts
of temporary accommodation, there are vacant buildings, there's giant lots in the middle.
So that's why we had to take back control and that's why we have to really focus on delivery.
And those interim measures that we've put down, particularly around things like making sure there's proper functioning lighting.
Making sure that we've got a functioning, safer neighborhood team that can actively go out and
support residents when they're pointing out ASB.
The CCTV that your department has allowed us to use deployable cameras.
These are the things that are going to, in the short term, while we build out, try and stop some of the terrible anti -social behaviour that is blighting the lives of the people that live there.
And I think, you know, if we're really honest about it, like, you know, regeneration was used in the past as a means, I think, to try and solve issues using the private sector.
And this is a key example of where that didn't function
and actually caused worse outcomes.
And that's why I think this idea that we have municipal control
over it, that we obviously work with the private sector,
but we're the ones in the driving seat.
We contract them, we procure, and we do direct delivery.
That means that we can do things at speed.
Because the key thing is that regeneration has forgotten,
is that we're in the life cycle of human beings.
We just spoke about a growth plan.
The growth plan is in the life cycle of decades.
But this has to be about real human beings.
And there are many people who were promised housing that has not been built yet, and that's
unacceptable, and that's why we've got this plan.
Absolutely well said.
It's an incredibly important and very exciting project.
So obviously we'll receive further updates on it, but I think this is an important milestone.
Is this approved?
Thanks very much.

8 Update on the Council's Approach to Damp and Mould (Paper No.25-189)

And next, I think again with housing, we're looking at an update on the Council's approach to damp and mold.
Yeah, so this is kind of formalizing some of the things that we'd already got started.
We moved very early, prior to our Bishak's, the law coming in around the tragic death of a young child because of damp and mold.
And we set up our in -house damp and mold team.
And this is really the learnings that we have from that Dumper Mould Team and introducing
some more useful systems, a tablet system, an NEC software system, and outlining kind
of now that we've tested this in -house mould team, formalizing it into a specific service
delivery method, you'll see that it fits into the seven days reporting that we as a Council
have committed ourselves to.
So this is more about, you know, we moved fast, we hired the officers, we've tested
it out, it works, now how can we kind of think of improvements to the system?
The one thing that I will say is, you know, I'm sure this team will build in the future.
You know, it's a team that works effectively.
We currently, for when there's sickness or when we're overloaded, we have some contracting
out still and the kind of focus is moving to developing as much of our own capacity
as possible.
Thank you.
If there's no other questions, is that agreed?
Excellent, and I think our next item is also
from housing around public sector decarbonization scheme
phase four award, but I think if it's all right,

9 Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Phase 4 Award (Paper No.25-259)

Councillor White, if you wanna speak to this.
Give Councillor Deakins a break, I think.
Yeah, we've secured 4 .7 million pound
from central government to use
towards the decarbonization projects.
These upgrades will be cutting emissions by and reducing energy use by 92 % annually,
with projected annual savings of £198 ,000.
This improves and modernises Putney Leisure, Oak Dean Residential, Gwyneth Morgan and Falcon Grove,
and the Town Hall extension as well.
Across these sites, the projects focus on enhancing energy efficiency with upgrades such as roof and wall installation,
double glazing, non -remotely managed building management systems, internal heating pipework installation,
heat recovery, solar PV installations, LED lighting and air to water heat pumps.
Thank you. No comments or questions? Is that – oh, one comment.
Just for the general public, in terms of – one of the challenges in Wandsworth is lethal
density. And so the focus on our housing is often around trying to find projects that
we can ensure, while they might have clean energy, also are reducing bills and not costing
too much and I think that's the important focus is to understand that particularly in
Wandsworth we have some unique challenges to the the reg fit agenda but that doesn't
mean that we can't we can't do things in an interesting and innovative way and that that's
why I kind of fabric first is I'm glad to see that that's in the in the plan and also
the fact that we're always putting you know residents bills as a priority so we never
We never end up introducing a technology that is going to cost residents more.
It's about making sure that their homes are warmer, safer, and more cost efficient.
Yeah, and there are different funds for different places.
This is obviously for public buildings, whereas the social housing decarbonization funds will be for estates.
Yeah, but that does cause us a problem.
I think we've spent quite a lot of money from offset money from developers as well.
I think we've got about a million pounds available at the moment, but we've got potential to go to about four million pounds if the end of...
...when the work's finished, when that is reviewed.
So, yeah, I think we are benefiting from that, but obviously I would prefer that the developments were carbon -free, so we wouldn't get any offset at all.
So, yeah, there you go.
Thank you, that's helpful. So is that agreed? Oh, sorry, one further question. Councillor Henderson.
My apologies, leader. That sounds excellent.
I am often asked, we're going to have Wandsworth got in terms of climate change commitments.
I just wondered if you could give us a very brief resume of where we got on at. Thanks.
You almost didn't get a question in there, Councillor Henderson. But yeah, it is a big
question. There's a lot of stuff. I'll try and be as brief as possible. So, the climate
Our action leadership at Wandsworth Council has been awarded a top A grade, one of just
five authorities in London to achieve the highest score.
We funded 35 projects through our climate action micro grants scheme and expanded the
programme for 25 -26.
Air quality monitoring shows that almost all areas are within national standards for nitrogen
oxide, and we want to keep moving.
we inherited some big problems in Putney High Street for instance and we're now below the required limits.
110 additional bike hanger spaces installed, bringing the total to over 1300 as part of London's largest bike hanger installation program,
with even more planned.
1 ,000 new trees planted along with other biodiversity
enhancements across parks.
Seven parks achieved green flag status
and ones were spotlighted by Good Parks for London
for supporting nature.
I'm smiling because, anyway, there's more news
possibly tomorrow over that.
Over 40 businesses are supported to become more sustainable through the Making Business Greener Scheme,
over 1400 EV charging points and 50 % of primary schools benefiting from car -free school streets.
A 90 % reduction in carbon emissions from the Council's new waste collection fleet and food waste collections are due to reach almost every home in Wandsworth this year as part of our Cleaner Borough Plan.
I've tried to be as brief as possible.
Thank you.
So do we agree the proposal's in the paper?
Thank you.

10 Long Term Lease Agreement with Provision for 186 TA Units (Paper No.25-258)

And we'll continue with housing with the long -term lease agreement with provision for 186 temporary
accommodation units.
Yes.
Yes, this is the plan to purchase into a post built hotel in Tooting Broadway.
The provider has come to the council and said that they would like to use it for temporary
accommodation and there are a number of benefits for us to do this.
One is that it's accommodation in borough, which we know is really, really difficult
to get hold of, particularly for temporary accommodation.
Two, it offers, given the nightly paid rates and the
spend overspend that we did this year, when you work out
the finances on it, this is going to sell us around a
million pounds a year in public money.
Three, self -contained units, kitchen unit, bathroom, the
kind of accommodation that tries to meet the standards
that we want for temporary accommodation.
Four, there are some pros and cons to this, but residents being in the same place where
the council can run services, can know where people are, can check in with communal space
where we can do homework clubs and the like.
And then the fifth is, and I think we would do this regardless, but the fifth is if we
don't procure into this, it's very likely another local authority will.
And so for us, we think it's just a kind of, it's a clear opportunity to try and focus
on both the quality of the accommodation but also savings to the public purse on the huge
temporary accommodation bill whilst managing to keep residents in borough.
And for those residents who might be nervous about the idea of a large temporary accommodation
block.
You know, Wandsworth is a council but you and we will be running this service.
So it's much better to have your own council rather than another council involved in this.
And that, anyone who's nervous, please get in touch with me and we want to make sure
that this is a site that works for the local area and works for the families that are placed
in it.
Thank you.
Councillor Akinola.
I'm just getting in touch to say I'm nervous.
Obviously this is a site that's in Tooting Broadway ward,
so I hope to work closely with you while it's being built
and during our sort of looking after the people that are in there.
And obviously for anyone who's from Tooting Broadway that might be watching this,
myself, Councillor Lawless and Osborne will be on hand if anyone has any issues.
Excellent. Well, if there's no other comments, is that proposal approved? Thanks very much.

11 Accommodation Based Services for Adults with Mental Health Support Needs (Paper No.25-180)

And now if we can move towards adult social care and health, we have item 11, the accommodation -based
needs, sorry, accommodation based services for adults with mental health support needs.
Councillor Henderson.
Thank you, Eda.
In our manifesto we made tackling mental health a priority.
One of the first things we did on taking office was to conduct mental health needs assessment.
And on the back of that, we also developed a commissioning review report so that it can
be built around those needs which were identified.
There were 35 recommendations in that report, which the scrutiny committee approved in September
20th, September of 2023, which the cabinet subsequently endorsed.
So this particular proposal is very much consistent with that commissioning review, the intention
of which is to improve services and also to ensure that the properties, the people, particularly
people with mental health needs actually live or indeed have to attend or of a suitable
quality.
We estimate by 2040 the number of people, number of residents in Wandsworth who are
likely to be experiencing mental health is likely to increase in the order of about 6%.
So this is quite a significant challenge and although we do try to keep people in their
homes for as long as possible, sadly there are some people with particularly complex
and 12th leads who need to have accommodation -based support.
So what this contract is actually doing
is extending the contract for the current provider HESTI,
who are certainly doing a good job.
But the contract is for three years,
and it will actually involve an annual review.
And that's primarily because we want to look at this issue
in the whole and certainly consider what other options,
that's not necessarily a threat to Hestia,
it's more to do with potentially reconfiguring the service
so that it much more closely meets the needs of those people
with mental health difficulties.
Everything we do will be based upon coproduction,
working with service users and various organizations
organizations who represent them, community organizations.
So this is very much a work in progress, but certainly for the time being, Hestia are doing
a good job in providing the necessary services for those people who need accommodation -based
services, and so we are proposing to extend this contract for up to three years with an
annual review.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councillor Henderson.
Are there any comments or questions on this proposal or is it approved?
Excellent.
Thanks very much.
And so we move on to Wandsworth's equality objectives 25 to 29.

12 Wandsworth Equality Objectives 2025-2029 (Paper No.25-254)

Councillor Ekinola, do you mind introducing this?
Absolutely.
So this paper really sets out our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion across
all aspects of local government in Wandsworth.
I think the paper gives key information about our borough's demographics, most of which can be found on Data Wand,
and the challenges that we faced over the past three years, including cost of living, crisis, inflation, so on and so forth.
The aftermath of COVID, I think, definitely has played a part in this.
A key aspect of our work has been refugee support, ending violence against girls, and
women and girls, sorry.
And then the paper goes on to discuss how we plan on engaging with our community, reducing
educational disparities, utilizing family hubs, and tackling health and food inequalities
from 2025 to 2029.
We hope to be able to provide some better and more inclusive services and it outlines
how our past actions are really forming our new strategic direction, ensuring that equality
and fairness are in the heart of everything we do.
Excellent, thanks very much.
Are there any comments or questions on the proposals?
So are they agreed?
Agreed.
Excellent, good stuff.
And then if we can move on to our penultimate paper, item 13, the annual resources report.

13 Annual Resources Report (Paper No.25-257)

I think this is back with housing.
Councilor Deacodem?
Yeah, this kind of outlines the core foundational reasons as to why some of the decisions we've taken through cabinet,
including the temporary combination app and the paper I just spoke on around the hotel, which is the increasing pressure.
And it is what Councillor Ireland referred to as well, the increasing pressure, demand
pressure on temporary accommodation.
Overall use of TA rising by around 5%.
We set ourselves an ambitious goal of trying to stabilize TA numbers.
We came very close last year and then in that final quarters saw a massive spike.
Even when we were stabilizing the numbers, rents were going up so the service was under
pressure. But it also highlights some of the things we're doing in terms of innovation. So
statutory temporary accommodation, I've outlined some of the policies we have. We've also got the
hub coming online when it comes to rough sleepers and those who are street homeless. This will be
really, really important as a base and from all the lessons learned from COVID and how successful
it was when we had that space and time to do those interventions and that will be opening
at the end of the summer.
But there are no easy answers and that's why you will see more of us trying to do these
innovative things like the hotel, like the app, thinking through ways in which we can
try and both find savings but also make sure that those who are going through the system
and having an experience which gives them dignity.
Thank you.
Comments or questions?
Councillor Gasser.
Just got a question.
We've got this awful crisis and it's not just here.
It's everywhere, isn't it?
Is there any sign of it slowing down
or is it getting worse?
So the Renter's Rights Bill will be a really important
milestone in making the,
We think the final call to spike was actually to do with all the, you know, I'm going to be frank,
you know, the unscrupulous landlords who don't want the changes that are being made,
doing the final round of Section 21 evictions.
You know, when Section 21 goes, that will, we're hoping that will have a big impact.
But also, it might change some of the ways people see the pathway to secure housing.
Because at the moment, the private renter sector, if you're on a low income, is a really risky bet.
And even when we get people presenting to us and we try and find private rented options for them,
understandably they're suspicious because if they've been evicted many times, they've moved, their rents have increased.
That doesn't seem like a safe model.
And if the duty is accepted, they'll much rather wait it out and stick it out in temporary accommodation.
So these are some of the things which we're hoping will change what has been over a decade of just carnage in this area.
But we just have to, there's a kind of wait and see element to that, to the long term impact.
And one of the key parts of that will be the tribunal system on rent increases.
So it will be easier for us to support residents going to tribunal if they think their rent increase is unfair.
And of course if they win that, then the period in which they've been battling the tribunal, they'll get a rent rebate.
So these are some of the ways I'm hoping that we can try and get control of just like outrageous constant hiking and rents.
And places like Wandsworth, it's transformed the neighborhood in a number of years, right?
So some of this is out of our control, but some of it is in our control, and that's why we're trying to be as innovative as possible.
Thank you.
Councillor Henderson.
Thank you, leader.
At the end of the previous Labour government, rough sleeping had been substantially reduced.
Sadly, after 14 years of Conservative government, that situation has changed dramatically.
And although we are trying to tackle the issues, it certainly is prevalent and certainly does
occur in certain parts of Wandsworth.
I was just wondering if you could say something about the Rough Sleepers Hub, because this
sounds like a really interesting initiative.
Yeah, what the Rough Sleeper Hub does is focuses on those rough sleepers who are trying to
get into secure, stable accommodation but haven't had the wraparound support necessary
to quite get there.
So there will always be some rough sleepers who are not quite ready for that journey yet,
But this hub is for those who, you know, I'll try and give an
example, so when I once went to one of our sweat centers,
which is when the weather really drops down, it gets
very cold, we had someone who had been suffering with
alcohol abuse problems, but previously had held down a job
for a number of years.
They were a baker.
They worked at a fancy hotel in Chelsea in the kitchens.
They had problems with their relationship.
They started drinking too much.
They lost their relationship.
They continued to drink too much.
they lost their job, they found themselves street homeless. Now they just need a couple of weeks or
a couple of months of support, you know, some medical help and to give them the grounds to try
and get back into a place where they can hold down a private rented sector accommodation, be placed
in some temporary accommodation and that's what the hub really is about is giving that window and
we learned about that through the Everybody In program in COVID. You know that was really successful
and that showed that rough sleeping was a political choice because when the government said
and no more rough sleeping, everybody in,
and we'll pay for it, we did it.
And then people's lives were transformed.
And in some of the hotels we used in Wandsworth,
clients now work at those hotels.
You know, that was an amazing model.
Now, then the funding was stopped.
This hub is our kind of version of that
to try and breach the gap.
Thanks very much.
So is that agreed?
Good stuff, thank you.
So we'll move on to the final paper, which is budget variations, Cancer Island.
Lovely. Thank you. Thank you. This report collates the budget variation recommendations
contained elsewhere on this agenda and shows the impact of Council on the Council's budget
frameworks. Now, these budget variations are largely being funded through underspends and
levies from property developers. We're investing in London Borough Culture. We want to leave
a lasting legacy in the borough. Through the Housing Revenue Account, the Homes for Wandsworth
programme will build 1 ,000 new council homes for local families and these will be paid
for by future rents. We have an absolute commitment to sound financial administration, sound financial

14 Budget Variations (Paper No. 25-260)

management, and these approved budget variations are necessary investments in our future, and
we feel they represent value for money for our residents. So please approve. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Any comments? Councillor De Kloet?
Yeah, I want to follow on from what Councillor Henderson raised earlier in the meeting around
the kind of fearmongering around borrowing to invest and spending to invest.
I mean, part of the problem that we face in terms of the General Fund is because for decades
we didn't do this, and that has a massive impact on our demand.
So it's, you know, that small savings today can cause huge costs in the long term.
So this is a long -term strategy which has a long -term interest and will deliver assets
that will generate income for the Council?
Absolutely, and while some of the numbers might look scary to some people, we've demonstrated
and it's contained in the reports elsewhere that this is affordable. If at any stage things
change and the investment doesn't look affordable, then we will take action. We are not reckless.
We have very prudent controls, so we think it's a good investment and we will continue
to do it while it remains like that. Thank you.
Absolutely and Councillor Gasser.
Thank you. I was just going to make a comment actually because the London Borough Culture
has mentioned here is I had a briefing today from some London Borough Culture officers.
It was an hour and three quarters telling me all the amazing things they've been doing
and this was just for children and young people. I mean there is such an incredible amount
of activities that have happened and will happen and I just wondered, I don't know who
Maybe it's a comment.
We need to be sharing this with everybody, with members, with council officers, with
our residents.
There is so much going on.
It's just incredible.
Absolutely.
I think that's agreed.
Looking at Ms. Popovici, who's doing fantastic work for us on boroughs of culture, so let's
make sure everyone knows that.
And are we happy to approve the budget variations paper?
Excellent.
Well that brings to a close the formal business in the meeting just to say again, thank you very very much really grateful
For your work to help keep Wandsworth special and our cabinet members are working together with officers every single day
So it's really appreciated we can see on the agenda tonight that we're protecting our green spaces. We love our libraries
We're creating growth not least through our own
regenerations
And tackling those housing challenges head -on where the mold and damp
decarbonisation, trying to end homelessness, particularly street homelessness, as well
of course as putting those sensible and compassionate measures in place for adults with mental health
support needs.
So thank you for everything that you do, for our unshakable commitment to equality and
also all the fun we generate with the Borough of Culture and of course on that bedrock of
sound financial management.
So thanks again.
We've got full council on Wednesday and the next one of these cabinet meetings will be after the summer.
Good evening.