At a meeting of Bromley Council, Councillor Jonathan Andrews was formally appointed as the new Mayor of Bromley, and Councillor Gemma Turrell was appointed as the Deputy Mayor. Councillors also discussed and approved changes to the council's capital programme, treasury management, financial regulations, contract procedure rules, local planning protocol and scheme of delegation to officers. Finally, they considered the Health and Wellbeing Board annual report and the Local Pension Board annual report.

Election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor

Councillor Jonathan Andrews was elected as Mayor of Bromley, succeeding Councillor David Jefferys. Councillor Andrews thanked the council for the honour. Councillor Gemma Turrell was appointed as Deputy Mayor.

The council also formally recognised the service of the retiring Mayor, Councillor Dr David Jefferys, and Deputy Mayor, Councillor Jonathan Andrews, thanking them for their work over the past year.

Capital Programme

The council approved several changes to the capital programme¹:

• An additional £23.7 million for housing development on the Poverest Adult Education Centre site and surrounding land. At least £4.5 million of this funding is expected to come from a grant from the GLA², and officers will continue to try to secure a higher grant to ensure the site is sustainable.
• An additional £1.76 million for a new children's home on Wharton Road, Bromley.
• An additional £2.3 million for leisure centres, increasing the total allocation from £35.523 million to £37.823 million. This will be funded through borrowing.

Financial Matters

The council addressed several financial reports and regulations:

• Treasury Management Annual Report 2024/25: The council noted the Treasury Management Annual Report for 2024/25, which summarised treasury management activity and actual prudential indicators³. Investments totalled £239.4 million as of 31 March 2025, and there was no external borrowing. The council achieved net interest earnings of £13.6 million against a budget of £12.0 million for 2024/25. The budget for 2025/26 is £8.2 million.
• Update of Financial Regulations: The council approved updated financial regulations and financial regulations for schools. The General Purposes and Licensing Committee had previously considered the changes and suggested adding a reference prohibiting the use of cryptocurrency, which was included in the updated regulations.
• Contract Procedure Rules: The council approved updated contract procedure rules, which had been fully revised to reflect recent changes to the UK Public Procurement Regulations. The General Purposes and Licensing Committee had previously reviewed the rules and referred them to the council for approval.

Local Planning Protocol

The council considered a review of the Local Planning Protocol, which is part of the council's constitution. The Development Control Committee had approved updates to the protocol, which were then considered by the General Purposes and Licensing Committee.

The council voted to approve the updated Local Planning Protocol, including the provision that Councillors who have called in an application to committee should not move or second a motion on that application. This rule had been the subject of disagreement between the Development Control Committee and the General Purposes and Licensing Committee, with the latter recommending that it be retained.

Scheme of Delegation to Officers

The council approved an updated Scheme of Delegation to Officers, which sets out the legal basis for delegating executive and non-executive power to council officers. The scheme had been updated to address changes in legislation, clarify departmental responsibilities, and correct minor errors. Property delegations were clarified in section 16 of the scheme.

Health and Wellbeing Board Annual Report

The council received and noted the Health and Wellbeing Board's Annual Report for 2024/25. The report covered a range of issues, including the implementation plan for the new 5-year Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy, mental health services, the Director of Public Health Annual Report on suicide prevention, the Winter Plan 2024-25, reports from the Health Protection Board, Joint Commissioning Board and Combatting Drugs Partnership.

Local Pension Board Annual Report

The council received and noted the 2024/25 Annual Report of the Local Pension Board. The report provided information on the activities and role of the board, which assists the council in its role as an Administering Authority within the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Petition: The Spitfire Centre

The council considered a petition concerning the Spitfire Centre at Church Road, Biggin Hill. Mr Chris Hennis spoke on behalf of the Spitfire Community Group in support of the petition, which protested the proposed closure and disposal of the site and requested that it remain open as a community hub.

The petition, which had more than 2,000 valid signatures, stated:

We wish to protest about the proposed closure and disposal of the site. We wish to see this remain open and the usage changed to that of a Community Hub.

The council had previously responded to the petition, explaining that youth centre services would be moving to a new home at the Biggin Hill Children and Family Centre, and the council was not in a position to retain buildings that were not directly delivering council services. The council also stated that the Spitfire Community Group would be able to bid to purchase the site when it is placed on the open market.

Questions from Members of the Public and Councillors

A number of questions were put to the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders and Committee Chairmen by members of the public and councillors. These included:

• A question from Tony Banfield, Chairman of Bromley Civic Society, to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal Recreation and Housing, about the future use of the Churchill Theatre/Library complex site following its sale to Galliard Homes.
• A question from Barbara Schymych to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, about guarantees that the rebuild of the Mitre pub will adhere to the original plans to include a community hub/pub.
• A question from Tim Webb to the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety, about the decision to restrict comments and updates on Fix My Street reports.
• A question from Christopher Shaw to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, about why the council failed to directly inform adjacent leaseholders about structural issues at the Mitre pub sooner.
• A question from Councillor Jeremy Adams to the Leader of the Council, about assurances that Bromley Council will enforce its policy that 35% of homes built on the former Civic Centre site are affordable.
• A question from Councillor Alisa Igoe to the Portfolio Holder for Environment, about improving road safety for schoolchildren by removing tall, thick basal growth on mature street trees outside schools.
• A question from Councillor Mark Smith to the Leader of the Council, about whether the Armed Forces flag was flown over the Civic Centre on Armed Forces Day.
• A question from Councillor Ruth McGregor to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, about lessons learned from the demolition of the Mitre public house.
• A question from Councillor Graeme Casey to the Portfolio Holder for Environment, about whether Bromley Council will sign the One World Living Plastics Pledge.
• A question from Councillor Julie Ireland to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, about whether the council has put a restrictive covenant on the Churchill Theatre site to protect its future use as a theatre.
• A question from Councillor Chloe-Jane Ross to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, about the sale of the Beckenham Public Hall.
• A question from Councillor Sam Webber to the Portfolio Holder to the Portfolio Holder for Transport, Highways and Road Safety, about what Bromley Council is doing to explore the expansion of light rail within the borough.
• A question from Councillor Will Connolly to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, about an update on the Green Belt Review and how the council plans to prioritise development on brownfield sites.
• A question from Councillor Chris Price to the Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Enforcement, about the progress of the operational working group reviewing the relationship between planning and licensing of HMOs⁴.
• A question from Councillor Kathy Bance MBE to the Portfolio Holder for Resources, Commissioning and Contract Management, about whether a proposed change in weighting for financial submissions in project board evaluations represents a change in commissioning policy.
• A question from Councillor Simon Jeal to the Portfolio Holder for Children, Education and Families, about their role in considering the performance of commissioned service providers.
• A question from Councillor Mark Smith to the Chairman of Development Control committee, about how many planning decisions taken by the council have been appealed in the last two years, and how many of these have resulted in the council's decision being overturned.
• A question from Councillor Chloe-Jane Ross to the Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Enforcement, about what the council is doing to improve safety and manage the impact of moped delivery drivers in town centres.
• A question from Councillor Sam Webber to the Portfolio Holder for Environment, about progress to desilt the lake in Church House Gardens.
• A question from Councillor Will Connolly to the Leader of the Council, about introducing mixed-party seating arrangements in PDS⁵ and Plans Committees.
• A question from Councillor Kathy Bance MBE to the Leader of the Council, about whether there are any other planned events that will be moved from the civic centre, and whether the loss of event space was fully considered during the planning for the relocation.
• A question from Councillor Simon Jeal to the Portfolio Holder for Resources, Commissioning and Contract Management, about what standards of conduct Bromley Council requires staff employed by commissioned services to adhere to when engaging with Bromley residents.
• A question from Councillor Mark Smith to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation, and Housing, about why software interface issues with the planning and building control case management system weren't identified at any of the pre contract stages.
• A question from Councillor Mark Smith to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation, and Housing, about how the council will ensure that future contracts do not result in a similar overspend to the planning and building control case management system.

Written replies to the questions from members of the public and councillors are available in the questions and replies document.

Closure of Bishop Challoner School

Councillors Felicity Bainbridge, Josh Coldspring-White, Adam Grant, Kira Gabbert and Thomas Turrell requested a statement from the Portfolio Holder for Children, Education and Families on the closure of Bishop Challoner School in Shortlands and Park Langley ward.

Motions

The council considered the following motions:

• Agricultural Property Relief: Councillors expressed concern about proposed changes to inheritance tax that would scrap Agricultural Property Relief (APR). The council agreed to write to the government and the borough's MPs to express concerns for Bromley's rural community, farmers, and farms, asking them to reconsider the proposals.
• Supporting the Appointment of a Disability Equality Champion for London: The council supported calls for the Mayor of London to appoint a senior Disability Equality Champion with lived experience of disability and tasked with co-producing a London Disability Action Plan. The council resolved to publicly support the London Assembly's motion, write to the Mayor of London, express solidarity with campaigners and Assembly Members, and reaffirm Bromley's commitment to local disability equality.
• Supporting Our Community Against Cuts to Disability and Health Benefits: This motion was withdrawn.