Minutes:
The Leader gave an update on the following key issues facing the Council –
Integration of health and social care: Positive discussions had taken place with the CCG and Kings and there was a general willingness to work together towards an integrated system based on the needs of the borough.
Generating income and producing jobs: Improving town centres, creating jobs, investing and producing business rate growth all remained priorities.
Encouraging residents to take on more responsibility: Bromley had been successful in developing Friends Groups and nurturing a relationship with residents, and the Council would continue to work with the voluntary sector, churches and youth groups. The Studio in Beckenham had now reopened after many years, offering fantastic facilities for the community.
Civic Centre site: The Leader apologised to Cllr Payne that he and the Renewal and Recreation PDS Committee had not had an opportunity to comment on the report on the Civic Centre site. The timetable for consultation on the Local Plan meant that the Civic Centre proposals needed to be considered at a special meeting of the Executive on 17th September.
Community Infrastructure Levy: The Council was almost ready to announce its strategy for the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Building a Better Bromley: The Council’s aim was to be excellent in the eyes of residents, and it was important that residents understood why changes were being made to services.
Budget: The message from central government on grant funding was mixed, with hints of an end to austerity followed by further reductions in grants. Budget options should be available by mid to late autumn - the Council would need to continue to find savings. Pressures were increasing – particularly homelessness with many families in temporary accommodation. The Leader had written to Greg Clark MP, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and was lobbying with local MPs.
The Chairman invited members to question the Leader, and the following issues were covered –
· The Leader reiterated the Council’s strategy to use investments to generate income to support services – recent property investments were already producing over £3m income per annum. Property investment was supporting the local economy, but he was seeking a more diverse portfolio of secured investments with a reasonable and balanced level of risk.
· The number of migrants amongst the homeless in Bromley was relatively low. The Leader stated that he met regularly with representatives from Affinity Sutton, and there was little interest as yet from tenants in the recent right to buy proposals.
· Questioned about the budget gap in the next few years, and the need for transparency and detail on the strategy for addressing this, the Leader commented that all budgets needed to be examined and accepted the point that work was need to see that options were clearer and presented earlier; he also wanted to see budgets planned for three years ahead.
· The Leader accepted that the West Wickham Leisure Centre building needed investment, and the options were being considered. He hoped that more information would be available in the coming months.
· Although the structure of the Council’s departments had changed, the Leader did not accept that the portfolio structure necessarily needed to change to match this.
· Questioned about train services on the Bromley North to Grove Park line, the Leader stated that he wanted to see consideration of through services to London and this was an issue that London Leaders were sympathetic to.
· Asked to comment on a University of Cambridge study which showed that levels of dementia were stabilising, the Leader stated that this was potentially encouraging, but he had requested a further briefing on this.
· Asked about the pressure of labour costs on developers, and what the Council could do to improve the supply of qualified tradesmen, the Leader agreed that the demand for skilled workers was increasing and the Council ought to be encouraging training.
· Maintaining Bromley’s clean and green environment remained a priority, including continuing to work with Street Friends and Snow Friends groups and making waste collection more efficient.
· Asked for an update on the proposals for Biggin Hill Airport, the Leader confirmed that negotiations with the airport had been concluded and a report was being drawn up. The public would be given plenty of opportunity to examine the detail of the report before the matter was debated by full Council in October or November.
· On the problems with the Waste4Fuel site, the Leader stated that the Council was committed to playing a role in resolving issues with the site. The new Ministers were talking to the Treasury and pressure was being applied to the landowners; although the situation was dragging on the Leader hoped that there would be positive news soon.
· The Leader was challenged about the need to monitor the quality of outsourced services. He agreed that it was important to monitor contractors, but also it would sometimes be necessary to reduce the levels of service.
· Asked about the possibility of reducing the numbers of councillors as Council services and staffing reduced, the Leader commented that it was right that this was looked at by the Constitution Improvement Working Group, but there was a view that Bromley should not do this in isolation and that there was an even greater need for democratic oversight and scrutiny.
· Asked about investment policy and the need to consider levels risk with banks and property, the Leader commented that with interest rates so low the market could not be described as normal, and that there was a level of risk in banking that was not reflected in the low rates of interest on offer.
During this item Councillor Nicholas Bennett declared an interest as the Council’s representative on the Board of Mytime Active.