The Cabinet of Tower Hamlets Council met on Tuesday 06 December 2016, discussing a range of important issues including conservation area management, social care charging, town centre regeneration, and financial strategies. Key decisions included the adoption of revised character appraisals for two conservation areas, with a commitment to further work on mansard roof extensions, and the approval of a new charging policy for adult social care services.

Revised Character Appraisals and Management Guidelines for Conservation Areas

The meeting addressed the revised character appraisals and management guidelines for the Driffield Road and Medway conservation areas. Officers recommended against a permissive approach to mansard roof extensions due to their negative impact on the character and appearance of these areas. Instead, they proposed adopting the revised appraisals and management guidelines without specific provisions for mansard roofs.

Two alternative options were presented: Option 1, a packaged approach to mitigate harm, and Option 2, which accepted harm and was not advised. Councillor Joshua Peck, who declared a disclosable pecuniary interest due to owning property in one of the conservation areas, withdrew from the discussion.

Members of the public, Tom Gill and Adam Tchaikovsky, spoke on the matter. Mr. Gill highlighted a past manifesto commitment to permit mansard roof extensions within tight design guidelines and argued that demand had been demonstrated. He presented examples of Morgan Street and Lyle Road to illustrate how mansard roofs can become uniform over time and argued that a projected design by architect Jonathan Freeland looked arguably better than the current streetscape.

Mr. Tchaikovsky supported the officers' recommendations, expressing concern about conflicts of interest involving councillors who own property in the Driffield Road conservation area. He questioned the resources spent on pursuing a more permissive approach and the discriminatory focus on specific conservation areas.

Mayor John Biggs ultimately decided not to accept the officers' recommendation to reject mansard roof extensions outright. Instead, he agreed with the principle of allowing them in these two conservation areas, opting for Option 1a: an integrated approach involving further work to establish a mechanism for securing a package of contributions and undertaking public consultation, with a view to a decision in June 2017. This decision aims to mitigate potential harm while allowing for further consideration of mansard roof extensions.

Implementation of Charging Policy for Community and Adult Social Care

The Cabinet discussed the implementation of a charging policy for community and adult social care services. Councillor David Edgar, acting lead member for adult services and health in the absence of Councillor Amy Whitelock Gibbs, presented the report. The council had agreed in February 2016 to introduce charging as part of its budget process, citing significant growth in demand for care and reductions in government funding.

A public consultation on the proposed policy ran from June to September, involving organisations like Real and the Council Voluntary Service. The report outlined changes from the original proposal, including a standard allowance for utilities of £15 per week, a higher minimum income allowance, and a cap on care charges of £250 per week. The implementation of the new policy was deferred to April 2017.

Mike Smith, Chief Executive of Real, spoke on behalf of the organisation, which supports disabled and older people receiving direct payments. While acknowledging the council's financial challenges, Real fundamentally opposed charging for social care, viewing it as a tax on disability. Mr. Smith requested a three-month delay to allow for better data collection, more robust modelling, and a smoother transition for individuals and organisations. He raised concerns about the robustness of the financial modelling, noting that senior financial officers had described it with a significant degree of caution.

Denise Radley, Corporate Director for Adult Services, and other officers clarified that individuals are only charged if they can afford to pay, the value of a person's home is disregarded for charging purposes, and that the council focuses on maximising benefit take-up during financial assessments.

After considerable discussion, Mayor John Biggs agreed with the recommendations in the report, approving the implementation of the charging policy from April 2017. He acknowledged the concerns raised by Real but expressed confidence in the work done by officers and the experience of other boroughs. He also noted that the council was not proposing to ration or scale back the allocation of resources to users.

Pilot Town Centres and Infrastructure Delivery Framework Projects

The meeting also covered plans for town centres and infrastructure projects.

Pilot Town Centres

Councillor Joshua Peck presented the report on pilot town centres, which outlines area profiles for the borough's district centres and identifies needs and support programmes. Capital support is planned for Bethnal Green, Rome Road West, and Watney Market, with limited support for Chris Street, Brit Lane, Rome Road East, and Whitechapel. A new business and town centres team is developing a town centre strategy, with a focus on rejuvenating economic, social, and environmental indicators. Funding for these pilots comes from NHB top-slicing, with £1.3 million in revenue and £1 million in capital funding. The Cabinet agreed the recommendations in the report.

Infrastructure Delivery Framework Projects

Councillor Peck also discussed infrastructure delivery framework projects, focusing on the use of Section 106 money. Three projects were presented:

• Hackney Wick Station improvements: A contribution of £1 million from Section 106 resources will be made towards the reconstruction of Hackney Wick Station to improve access and the environment. This project is a collaboration with the London Legacy Development Corporation and Hackney Council.
• Transport for London Commercial Road improvements: Section 106 resources, alongside funding from Transport for London, will support highway schemes on Commercial Road in the Watney Market area. The project aims to make the road more pedestrian-friendly, safer, and improve the street scene, with a proposed speed limit reduction to 20 miles per hour.
• Brick Lane Regeneration: This project, delivered more in-house by the Council, aims to regenerate Brick Lane as a successful town centre and a London-wide visitor attraction. It will focus on infrastructure, cleanliness, street signage, and supporting existing businesses, particularly the curry restaurants, to preserve the area's heritage.

The Cabinet agreed the recommendations in the report for all three infrastructure projects.

Medium-Term Financial Strategy and Corporate Budget Monitoring

The Cabinet received updates on the council's financial position.

Medium-Term Financial Strategy

Councillor David Edgar presented an update on the medium-term financial strategy. The report noted the four-year settlement for revenue support grant, providing greater certainty on declining funding. It also summarised the outcomes of the autumn statement and the business rates revaluation, with a neutral net impact on business rates expected over the next three years. A more comprehensive report on the medium-term financial strategy is expected in January. The Cabinet agreed the recommendations in the report, which included noting the multi-year settlement, the outcomes of the autumn statement, and the business rates revaluation.

Corporate Budget Monitoring

Councillor Edgar also presented the corporate budget monitoring report. The general fund budget projected an overspend of £1.5 million on a budget of approximately £362 million, attributed to demographic changes and inflation. The housing revenue account showed a projected underspend of £1.2 million, largely due to the deferral of a payment to government related to the sale of high-value empty housing. The capital budget indicated a significant underspend for the year. A new section on the approved savings programme reported that of the £25 million expected savings for 2016-17, not all were anticipated to be achieved. The Cabinet agreed with the recommendations in the report.

Other Matters Discussed

• Regionalising Adoption: The Cabinet agreed in principle to move forward with detailed work on regionalising adoption services, ensuring that any new agency reflects the values of Tower Hamlets' adoption service, is inclusive of all adopters, and has robust cultural sensitivity.
• Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CAMHS): The Cabinet agreed to the recommendations in the scrutiny report on CAMHS, noting that existing scrutiny recommendations are being incorporated into the CAMHS transformation work. Additional work is also underway to enhance services, strengthen mental health pathways for young people in the criminal justice system, and focus on partnerships for vulnerable children.
• Homelessness Scrutiny Challenge Session Action Plan: The Cabinet noted that they did not agree with three recommendations from the homelessness scrutiny report. These included unannounced visits to bed and breakfast hotels and hostels, making offers in the private rented sector (which the council will use only in limited circumstances), and the detailed reporting of intentional homelessness cases. The council highlighted its success in reducing the number of families in bed and breakfast hotels and its focus on preventing intentional homelessness.
• Townley's Homes Agreement: The Cabinet agreed to extend the agreement with Townley's Homes by two years to 2020, following consultation with tenants and leaseholders.
• Neighbourhood Portion of CIL: The Cabinet agreed to a framework for managing the neighbourhood portion of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), proposing to spend 25% of CIL generated in an area on local infrastructure, with a five-step process for decision-making.
• Mellor Event: The Cabinet approved the continued in-house delivery of the Mellor event for 2017 and 2018, with funding of up to £170,000 annually. This will allow officers to further explore the market for future delivery. The timing of the event for next year was discussed, with potential dates around 14th May or 30th April to align more closely with Boishak.
• Mayor's Individual Executive Decisions: The Cabinet noted the Mayor's individual executive decisions, including a land disposal on Middle 6th Street and the appointment of new appointees to the Education Trust.
• Exceptional Decisions: The Cabinet noted a report on exceptional decisions, including approvals for the baby-friendly initiative and capital estimates for cycling network programmes funded by Transport for London. These were reported due to being outside standard procurement processes.