Agenda and minutes

Councillor Nesil Caliskan (Leader of the Council) welcomed everyone to the first virtual Cabinet meeting in Enfield which would be live streamed to the Council’s website. The agenda for the meeting had been published in advance. Councillor Caliskan took this opportunity to recognise how difficult and traumatic the last few weeks had been for the Borough and its residents; across the United Kingdom as a whole; and globally. Many lives had sadly been lost to Covid-19. Councillor Caliskan led the Cabinet in a minute’s silence in their memory.

Prior to the start of the meeting, all Members present at the meeting introduced themselves, as reflected in the minutes above.

There were no apologies for absence.

Members of the Cabinet are invited to identify any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non pecuniary interests relevant to items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To note, that no requests for deputations have been received for presentation to this Cabinet meeting.

NOTED, that there were no deputations to be considered at this Cabinet meeting.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet held on 11 March 2020.

AGREED, that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Cabinet held on 11 March 2020 be confirmed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

To receive a report from the Executive Director – Resources. The report is not attached to this agenda and will be circulated “to follow”.

(Report No.249) To follow

Councillor Mary Maguire (Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement) introduced the report of the Executive Director – Resources (No.249) outlining the initial assessment of the financial impact of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic across both the General Fund and the Housing Revenue Account (HRA).

NOTED

1.            That these were unprecedented and sombre times with many lives having been lost daily. It must be recognised that the Covid-19 pandemic was not only having a significant financial impact but a significant human cost as well. The Council’s response had been immediate and comprehensive providing all the support required to the Borough’s residents and to protect and help the most vulnerable. The response had been excellent from both Councillors and Officers. Local businesses had been supportive and generous donations received in seeking to support those in need.

2.            That this report provided an initial assessment of the financial impact of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic across both the General Fund and the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and considered three areas: additional expenditure incurred; loss of income; and, the impact on 2020/21 savings. Prior to this crisis, in February 2020, the Council had agreed a balanced budget, as detailed in the report. As a direct result of the Covid-19 crisis the Council was forecasting financial pressures of £68.086m.

3.            That there were uncertainties at this stage and some major financial consequences would take some time to filter through, as detailed in the report.

4.            That as an initial measure the Council had set aside £3m of its reserves to create a Covid-19 Fund. At this time the total funding received from the Government had been £17.9m. The Government had assured local government that funding would be forthcoming to meet the challenge of Covid-19; the Council would continue to seek further Government funding, alongside other local authorities, to meet the additional costs incurred; currently predicted at £68.086m, as detailed in the report.

5.            That the work that had been undertaken in previous years to set a balanced budget had ensured that the Council’s finances had been in a sustainable position. Rigorous processes had been undertaken and difficult decisions taken to achieve a strong, resilient and sustainable budget. This resulted in a good financial foundation, but all that work was not at risk due to the costs of dealing with Covid-19.  

6.            The huge financial pressures that had now arisen. A number of the most significant cost implications were highlighted including: Adult Social Care pressures and support; the implications and support for the Borough’s care homes – both the staff and residents; the impact and cost of additional support to children and families social care; support of the Borough’s homeless; and, the setting up of the Council’s community support hub. In addition, the impact of the loss of projected income was significant including: parking fees; tax collection rates; business rates.

7.            That the appendices to the report set out the financial pressures for each Council Department; an update on the impact on 2020/21 savings and income  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive a report from the Executive Director – Resources. The report is not attached to this agenda and will be circulated “to follow”.

(Report No.250) To follow

NOTED, that this item had been withdrawn from the agenda.

To receive a report from the Executive Director – People. The report is not attached to this agenda and will be circulated “to follow”.

(Report No.251) To follow

Councillor Alev Cazimoglu (Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care) introduced the report of the Executive Director – Resources (No.251) detailing the support being provided to Care Homes in Enfield.

NOTED

1.            That every death as a result of Covid-19 was a tragedy and the impact on the adult social care sector, both for residents and staff, had been significant. The range of social care staff was highlighted, both in care homes and in supporting vulnerable residents in the community and their own homes. Members expressed their sincere thanks and appreciation of the valuable work that continued to be carried out by front line care staff and the voluntary sector who risked their lives on a daily basis in order to provide the care needed by the Borough’s most vulnerable residents. The Council was doing all that it could to protect and support the staff and residents during this crisis, including through the funding of PPE; adequate staffing; and testing availability.

2.            That the report detailed the support being provided to Care Homes in Enfield, which had the 3^rd highest number of care homes of any London Borough. The provision of a time limited grant payment to each of the Borough’s individual care homes (residential and nursing) providers was proposed, as detailed in the report. This would cover a period up to three months and provide a 5% uplift on all current placement spot purchased for this period, as set out in the decisions below.

3.            Members expressed their sincere gratitude to the front-line staff who had continued to provide essential services in such difficult circumstances.

4.            That a discussion followed including points of clarification and questions by Members.

5.            Members reiterated their appreciation of the staff involved in the adult social care sector and their ongoing work and support of vulnerable residents. In response to a question on the short and long-term risks should the 5% uplift not be provided, the Council’s duties under the Care Act 2014 for direct responsibility for the Care Home Market Management was highlighted, as set out in the report. It was essential to maintain the sustainability of the care home sector and service provision both in the short and long-term.

6.            That Enfield had a significant care home sector and supported living schemes. The impact faced by the sector through the number of deaths in care homes, staff absences, and additional costs such as PPE provision was explained to Members in detail. It was noted that tragically the loss of life being experienced was four times higher than normal expectations. The significant financial and human cost was recognised. The Council, with other North Central London Councils, was seeking to provide the additional support as outlined in the report.

7.            In addition to the financial uplift proposed, the Council was also providing support through the financial provision for PPE, the extension of the Council’s employee assistance programme to the staff employed by the adult care sector, as set out in the report. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive a report from the Executive Director – Place. The report is not attached to this agenda and will be circulated “to follow”.

(Report No.252) To follow

Councillor Guney Dogan (Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability) introduced the report of the Director of Environment and Operational Services (No.252) proposing the in-sourcing of the road gulley cleaning service.

NOTED

1.            That the report recommended in-sourcing the road gully cleaning services on, or as soon as possible after, 1 July 2020 as set out in the report. This function would be managed within Public Realm Services, specifically, under the Council’s Street Cleansing Service, based at Morson Road depot.

2.            That the current contractor’s performance provided cleaning of circa 15,000 gullies per year. With the introduction of modern technology and data intelligence now used in this industry, the Council’s highways engineers had estimated that by managing the service in-house, the performance of this service could be significantly improved with up to 20,000 gullies cleaned per year. This represented a 30% improvement in service. There would also be further opportunities for the service to operate more commercially, generating additional income through servicing and cleaning gullies on housing land, educational premises, private developments and privately managed industrial estates, as detailed in the report.

3.            The cost of providing the service in-house had been estimated to be £160,000. The current annual budget allocation with the highways service for the cleansing of highway gullies is £149,500. Highway Services will accommodate the additional £10,500 from wider existing budgets through income associated with highway licences and street works permits and traffic orders.  

4.            Members supported the proposal to bring the service in-house and were pleased to note the anticipated improvement in both service provision and flexibility as set out in the report.

5.            Members reiterated their commitment to insourcing Council services as much as possible and were pleased to be able to make progress on this during this challenging time. The proposals would result in improved service provision to the benefit of Enfield residents.

6.            The Council would continue to explore further possibilities for in-house provision across the range of highway services providing the Council with increased levels of control over service provision and performance.

Alternative Options Considered: NOTED, that delaying the opportunity to in-source the gully cleaning service until the end of the Ringway Jacabs contract would be a missed opportunity to achieve an improved service as soon as possible. Gully cleaning could be tendered as a specific activity or as part of a wider highway maintenance contract, however this would deprive the Council of the benefits of direct service provision.

DECISION: The Cabinet agreed to

1.            Approve the in-sourcing of the road gully cleaning service and deliver the service from within Public Realm Services based at Morson Road with effect from 1 July 2020, or as soon as practicable after this date.

2.            Develop the business as set out in the report, to be the provider for gully and drainage services to Housing Services.

Reason: NOTED, the following reasons for the recommendations, as set out in full in section 5 of the report:

1.            In-sourcing the gully cleaning service would enable the Council to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Attached for information is a provisional list of items scheduled for future Cabinet meetings.

NOTED, for information, the provisional list of items scheduled for future Cabinet meetings.

To note that the next meeting of the Cabinet is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 10 June 2020. 

NOTED, that the next Cabinet meeting was scheduled to take place on Wednesday 10 June 2020 at 7.15pm. This would be a virtual meeting live streamed to the website for public viewing.

Councillor Caliskan took this opportunity to express Members’ thanks to senior Council officers for their response to this unprecedented crisis; an emergency situation that had not been experienced previously. The Council’s response had been positive and effective in supporting its residents and businesses in many ways including the setting up of a Supply Centre providing essential support to vulnerable residents; providing support to the care sector; provision for rough sleepers; and, continuing to ensure that the Council’s services continued. Enfield’s response had been extraordinary, and Officers had worked above and beyond their normal working expectations. Thanks and appreciation were extended to Ian Davis, Chief Executive, on behalf of all Council officers. In response, it was acknowledged that there was still a long way to go in overcoming the current pandemic situation and, the big challenges that were still to be faced. The Council would continue to work hard to support its residents and continue to provide the services required.