The most significant occurrence scheduled for discussion in the Mayor & Cabinet meeting is the council's plan to consult on proposed modifications to the Lewisham Local Plan for a six-week period. The new plan will replace the four adopted plans that make up the current plan and seek to address challenges and opportunities across a number of areas including high-quality design; heritage; housing; economy and culture; community infrastructure; green infrastructure; sustainable design and infrastructure…; and transport and connectivity. The consultation will also include the accompanying Integrated Impact Assessment and Habitats Regulations Assessment.

Confirmation of Class E Article 4 Direction

The meeting will include discussion of the council's proposal to confirm a non-immediate Article 4 Direction that would remove permitted development rights for the change of use from commercial, business and service use (Use Class E) to residential use (Use Class C3). The Article 4 Direction would cover Lewisham, Catford, and Deptford Town Centres, as well as other designated local centres, employment and industrial areas. The proposed Direction would come into effect on 1st November 2025.

The reason for introducing this direction is because the differential in value in residential use, compared to commercial uses, is so great that there is concern that there could see a significant loss of commercial uses to residential. This change of use has been shown to have a detrimental impact on high streets, potentially undermining Lewisham Council's corporate priority of A Strong Local Economy by diminishing their viability.

There was a representation period on the making of the Article 4 direction between 18th September 2024 and 1st November 2024. The council will consider these representations before deciding whether to confirm the direction.

Maximising Value: A Strategic Review and Disposal Plan for Garage Assets – Batch 01

Also scheduled for discussion in the meeting is a review of council-owned garage sites in the Borough. The Council has 2,379 garage units spread across 222 sites. Originally intended for parking or storage, many are now vacant. The review aims to identify opportunities to generate capital receipts and reduce costs.

The first batch of sites reviewed consisted of 66 sites. Of these, the report recommends the disposal of 14. 22 of these garages are located beneath council housing blocks and are recommended for retention with necessary repairs to maintain and potentially increase revenue. Four of the sites in the batch were identified as not being council-owned. The remaining 26 are recommended to be retained, potentially with some investment in repairs and recommissioning or conversion to workspaces.

The report recommends that £548,856 be allocated for targeted refurbishments on the sites.

School Minor Works Programme 2025: Approval to procure and budget allocation.

The meeting will discuss a proposal to approve a procurement for contractors to deliver the School Minor Works Programme (SMWP) 2025. This annual programme is funded by a grant from the Education and Skills Funding Agency and will be used to carry out a capital repair and replacement programme of works at a number of the council's schools. Works will include roof replacement at Chelwood Nursery School, and Forest Hill School as well as boiler repairs at Ashmead Primary School and Torridon Primary School.

The meeting will also discuss the council’s plan to apply for Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding for four projects. The application is for £1,195,000 of funding and, if successful, the work will take place in 2026 and 2027. The applications require a contribution from the council of £846,575.

Permitted Extension of the Change, Grow, Live Contract (Adults Substance Misuse Service)

The meeting will discuss a proposal to approve a two-year extension to the contract with Change Grow Live (CGL) for the delivery of adult substance misuse services in Lewisham. The total value of the contract extension will be £3,890,072. The extension would run from 1st April 2025 to 31st March 2027, enabling the council to conduct a full review of the provision of treatment services during this period and conduct an options appraisal with recommendations on the future commissioning for 2027 onwards.

A significant factor behind this proposal is that a number of grants that fund the current contract with CGL are due to expire in 2025. While there are contingency plans to deal with the loss of the grant funding, it is considered that extending the contract will enable the best use of any future grant funding. CGL have made significant improvements in performance to date and the extension would ensure continuity of service for vulnerable service users.

Permitted Extension to the contract for a Substance Misuse and Sexual Health Service for Young People (Insight Lewisham)

The meeting will discuss a proposal to extend the contract for the provision of substance misuse and sexual health services to young people with WayThrough (formerly Humankind) for two years. The proposal would extend the contract from 1st April 2025 until 31st March 2027 at a cost of £916,096.

Contract Award: Extra Care Services at Conrad Court

The meeting will discuss a proposal to award a contract for the delivery of extra care services at Conrad Court to Housing 21. The proposal would be for a three-year contract commencing on 1st May 2025 at an annual cost of £820,635.92.

Because Housing 21 are both the landlord and the provider at Conrad Court and will not host another provider for the delivery of extra care services, this contract is being awarded without competitive tender.

The council previously promised to deliver a further 800 new social homes for families on Lewisham’s housing waiting list, delivering a total of 2,000 new social homes in Lewisham between 2018 and 2026. In order to provide alternative accommodation to the residents of Conrad Court the council would have to find 52 flats, built to a SW2[^2] ‘good’ standard meeting high accessibility requirement… which are co-located in one or two blocks and ‘secure by design’. As this is not available at this time the council is recommending that Housing 21 be awarded the contract without competition.

Young Mayor and Advisors - annual report

The meeting will receive the annual report for the Young Mayor and Advisors for 2024. It provides details of the range of work they have been involved with. The report pack also contains the Young Mayor’s Budget Proposal. In it, the Young Mayor, Bilvilyn Asamoah, sets out their recommended spending priorities for their allocated budget of £25,000.

The three main areas for spending will be:

• “Opportunities to experience and explore different workplaces and careers” - costing £12,000. This will include working with Urban Synergy.
• “Creating opportunities for young people to stay healthy and socialise safely” - costing £6,000.
• “Radio Lewisham – a space for everyone” - costing £7,000.

Response to Public Accounts Select Committee (PASC) comments on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA)

The meeting will discuss a response to the recommendations of the Public Accounts Select Committee (PASC).

In a meeting on 26th September 2024, PASC discussed a report on the council’s HRA. The report forecast a £6.5m overspend, and noted that the opening 2024/25 HRA reserves balances were £2.9m and below the recommended level of circa £9.5m (being 10% of rental and service charge income). PASC recommended that the council open discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government about actions which can be taken to stabilise the HRA budget if mitigating actions are not successful.

This item reports on the steps that the council has taken in response to that recommendation.

Response to recommendations of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) in Lewisham Task and Finish Group

This item seeks to provide a response to the recommendations made by the PRS in Lewisham Task and Finish Group.

The group was set up to improve engagement with residents in the PRS and in October 2024 published its report and recommendations to improve engagement with residents in the PRS. The meeting will hear a report on the responses of officers to those recommendations.

Approval to procure the appointment of external enforcement agents for the collection of council tax and business rates

The meeting will discuss a proposal to approve the procurement of three external enforcement agents to collect council tax and business rates. The estimated total value of the contract is £1,995,000. Each of the contracts would be for a period of three years, with the option to extend for a further two years. The current contract for the provision of enforcement agent services ends in December 2024, and the meeting will hear a report on plans to procure a new contract.

Investment in Council Housing Using Warm Homes Social Housing Fund Wave 3

The meeting will hear a report on the council’s application for a grant under Wave 3 of the Government’s Warmer Homes Social Housing Fund. The council has applied for £11,441,176 of grant funding over three years to support a programme, costing £20,882,353, to retrofit 1,100 council homes. The report recommends that the council approves the application.

Land-led Development Agreements - Proposals for land sales and development agreements with private sector partner

The meeting will discuss proposals for land sales and development agreements at two sites: Willow Way, SE26 and Parker House, SE8. The meeting will hear a report on proposals to enter into development agreements at the two sites with private sector partners, with the aim of using the Council’s existing land value, GLA grant and MHCLG RtB receipts to create an outcome that delivers affordable units whilst maximising a positive [NPV](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/npv.asp) and cashflow for the Housing Revenue Avenue (HRA).

If the proposals are approved, the council will support the delivery of approximately 220 new homes at Willow Way and 150 new homes at Parker House. 50% of the homes, subject to Masterplan proposals being in conformity with the Local Plan, will be affordable housing.

Consultation Report for Determined Admissions Arrangement 2026-27

The meeting will hear a report on the outcome of the recent consultation on the Determined Admissions Arrangements for Lewisham’s community schools for 2026/27.

The consultation proposed the following changes to the current arrangements:

• A reduction of the Published Admission Number (PAN) at Elfrida Primary School to 30.
• A reduction of the PAN at Launcelot Primary School to 30.
• Reduction of in-year PANs at a number of schools, including Deptford Park Primary School, Rangefield Primary School, Forster Park Primary School and Lancelot Primary School.

The report also proposes changes to the admissions arrangements that clarify the admissions criteria and address the admission of children outside of their chronological year group. The proposed arrangements are set out in full in the appendices to this report.

The report notes that Across London, there has been a reduction in pupil numbers because of falling birth-rates, changes to EU migration (Brexit), the impact of COVID, and associated with housing, families relocating to places outside of London. In Lewisham, this has contributed to surplus places across all primary schools in all year groups totalling over 9 per cent. The meeting will hear a report on proposals to manage this oversupply.

In addition, the meeting will be considering the minutes of the last meeting, declarations of interest, matters raised by scrutiny committees, and the appointment of Sandra Gray as a director of Lewisham Homes Limited.

A number of other topics will be discussed during the meeting in private. They include: approval to procure and award contracts for the School Minor Works Programme 2025, approval to procure an Investment Partner for the Building for Lewisham scheme, approval to award the contract for Civil Enforcement Services, approval to award the contract for Extra Care Services at Conrad Court, and approval of development agreements for the Willow Way and Parker House schemes.