Agenda item

To receive a report from the Executive Director Resources proposing changes to the Council’s Capital Programme.  (Report No:  126) KD: 5015

Cabinet is due to consider this report at its meeting on 13 November 2019 and to recommend the changes to Council. 

The Cabinet decision will be reported at the Council meeting. 

Councillor Maguire proposed and Councillor Caliskan seconded the report of the Executive Director Resources proposing changes to the Council’s Capital Programme.  (Report No:  126)

NOTED

1.            Cabinet considered this report at their meeting on 13 November 2019 and agreed to recommend that Council approve the changes to the capital programme. 

2.            The addendum to the report showing an updated table 6 – HRA Capital Programme provided as a “to follow” document.

3.            The report informed members about the position up to the end of September 2019 regarding the Council’s Capital programme (2019/20 to 2022/23).  It showed where the Council was investing and the overall expenditure on approved programmes: £111m for the general fund, £96m for the HRA and £17m for the companies. 

4.            It also includes estimates of capital spending plans and proposed arrangements for funding within current budgets.  The Council aims to make maximum use of external funding sources. 

5.            Changes include an additional investment of £30m for Energetik, budget reprofiling, newly approved schemes, the removal of the Bury Street West Depot to the HRA and major and minor works relating to the Housing Revenue Account as set out in table 6 to the report.

6.            The concerns of the Opposition: 

·         About committing the Council to further borrowing when it was felt that they were already borrowing too much.

·         On the administration’s past record on project delivery including the small housing sites programme

·         About the reprofiling which was a large amount of money and could in their view also be termed slippage.

·         About the lack of detail in the report.  It had been in response to a request of the Opposition Leader that the addendum on table 6 had been provided. 

·         That the Council had yet to build any homes in Meridian Water, the Energetik agreement with North London Waste was yet to be signed.

·         The lack of transparency in the reports. 

·         That the projections were over optimistic, the proposals over ambitious and could drain funds from front line services. 

7.            The views of the majority group that: 

·      Reprofiling was a recognised term for updating a programme in dynamic and changing circumstances.

·      The administration was committed to borrowing to enable investment in the borough and the local community to improve the lives of local residents.

·      The investments proposed would enable the Council to continue to attack fuel poverty through Energetik, make significant improvements to Council housing, through estate renewal and major works, so that all residents had somewhere decent to live, also work on developing the green economy and to tackle the problem of the 1 in 3 children living in poverty. 

·      The Council had been able to secure large amounts of grant funding because of their trusted partner status.

·      Strong leadership and excellent officers were helping to ensure that no-one was left behind.

·      The Council were also re-developing 91 units of extra care housing at Reardon Court, investing in public health and wellbeing, reducing social isolation and loneliness, improving mental wellbeing, creating a centre for anyone over 18 with mental health problems, even though budgets were being severely cut back. 

·      Other schemes involved improving street lighting starting in Edmonton to help people feel safer and also flood alleviation works around Salmon’s Brook.

8.            The summing up from the Cabinet Member that although it was a lot of money, the reports were transparent and the sums added up.  The administration was using the money borrowed to improve the lives of Enfield residents including many people living in temporary accommodation, improving poor housing in the borough, investing in Enfield and Enfield residents.  

Following the debate the recommendations in the report were put to the vote and approved with the following result:

For:  24

Against: 13

Abstentions: 0

AGREED

1.            To note the additions to the Capital Programme set out in Table 3 in paragraph 4.18 and approves the addition of the following to the approved Capital Programme:

                   ii.      A further investment of £30m to fund Phase 2A of the Energitik business plan to 2024.

                 iii.       This is made up of a £5m grant and £9.761m loan from the Heat Network Investment Project.

                 iv.       £0.239m further borrowing by the Council

                  v.       Match funding requirement of £15m to be sought through MEEF

2.            To approve the proposed reductions set out in Table 4 in paragraph 4.20 of the report. 

3.            To approve the revised five-year approved programme totalling £964m as set out in Appendix A to the report.