The Scrutiny Panel will hear the priorities and areas of challenge.
Cabinet Members and Officers will be asked to leave the meeting at this point.
Minutes:
The Leader of the Council, Councillor Nesil Caliskan, thanked the Panel for providing an opportunity to present the Council’s local priorities for 2022/23 and apologised for not attending the meeting in person. The Leader explained that she was joining virtually from the LGA Conference, where she had had a long-standing commitment. It was her intention, however, that she would attend all future meetings of the Scrutiny Panel in person.
It was important for the London Borough of Enfield’s growth agenda that as much direct inward investment and resultant delivery was made within the Borough as possible from a wide range of sources, such as grant funding, the Mayor of London, private sector and central government. Including investment in the high streets across the Borough.
Housing Delivery – Provision of 3500 homes, focusing on the key strategic projects.
Draft Local Plan - A key focus of the administration and its link to key housing projects
Strategic Industrial Land - Develop links with the draft Local Plan, the mapping out of the strategic plan and ownership, prioritising on housing provision
Town Centres - Injecting resources into all the Borough’s the town centres whilst recognising they were all very different to each other and needs were very
Broad Skills Agenda - Provision of two skills academies, one for film and one construction, to increase the number of Special Educational Needs (SEN) places in mainstream schools
The Executive Director – Place, Sarah Carey made the following contribution.
Financial Challenges - Regarding the delivery of the regeneration projects in the wider context of finance. Significant increases in construction costs together with housing and land prices. The private sector construction companies were reconsidering continuing with a development, even those with planning permission due to the increase in associated costs. The Council and the private needed to support and work together
Social Economic Outcomes/Objectives - In relation to the multiple successes related to the developments of the Council’s own projects, the private sector and procurement and planning obligations and gains and resulting S.106 and Council Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The Council’s overview of the corporate governance procedures surrounding investment in key strategic projects.
The Executive Director – Place, responding to a number of questions from the Scrutiny Panel Members explained that an Equalities Impact Assessment was required when all planning applications were made to the Council. They looked at the project as a whole and across the board. Their importance was recognised by the Council and an officer Equalities Board had been formed to act as an internal monitor of the management of projects of capital investment and construction programmes. To ensure that the social economic provision was achieved, and that good, sustainable employment were created, for local people where possible, there were special procurement regulations placed on developers to deliver apprenticeships, employment, and local procurement suppliers to source locally, which, by use of planning conditions were monitored and enforced. Where the developer or contractor were unable to meet the conditions, financial compensation was paid to the Council, who used these monies for equality provision. Historically, the Council had provide help to residents finding wok rather than the job quality which was more difficult to quantify.
The Leader of the Council endorsed the benefits of the social value of the strategic projects to strengthen resilience and secure better social outcomes. The Council endeavours to secure s.106 monies where it can, including small private development, for the provision of good social outcomes. Apprenticeships were key employment initiatives from central government, which the Council utilise to provide huge opportunities for the local people. The Council were looking into how to secure the retention of the apprentice/trainee by the employer at the end of the first year to ensure continued employment. This is detrimental to the person employed and there is no additional growth. Data is provided to the Council from the Department of Work and Pensions.
Action: Executive Director – Place – to provide a note on specific social value outcomes for projects and the social element of contracts
The Chair, on behalf of the Members of the Regeneration and Economic Development Scrutiny Panel, thanked the Leader of the Council and the Executive Director – Place for attending the meeting and presenting a comprehensive set of Council priorities this Scrutiny Panel for the forthcoming year.
At 7.35pm the Leader and Officers, as asked by the Chair and endorsed by the Scrutiny Panel members, left the meeting.