Agenda and minutes

At the outset of the meeting, the Chair welcomed all those in attendance as well as Members of the public watching the meeting. The Chair then welcomed new Member of the Sub Committee Tracey Graham, and thanked outgoing Member of the Sub Committee Alderman Ian Luder for his contributions to the work of the Sub Committee. The Chair then paid tribute to the outgoing Deputy Chairman, Jeremy Mayhew, for his invaluable work during his time as Deputy Chairman of the Sub Committee, before welcoming Deputy Jamie Ingham Clark in his new role as Deputy Chairman.

Apologies for absence were received from Shravan Joshi.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the Sub Committee meeting held on 17 March 2021.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on 17 March 2021 be agreed as a correct record.

Report of the Town Clerk

The Sub Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk concerning the Governance Review in respect of constitutional issues, and the principle of Ward Committees.

The Chair introduced the item and outlined the Sub Committee’s current position in the Governance Review process. The Chair recommended taking a holistic approach towards the questions raised by the issues treated in the report, before drawing Members’ attention to the recommendations and proposals set out in the report. The Chair then thanked the Deputy Chairman of Policy & Resources Committee for his continued work in leading consultation sessions with Members and invited him to summarise the views raised during sessions on these matters.

The Deputy Chairman of Policy & Resources Committee advised that a key takeaway from the relevant engagement sessions was that Members were not in favour of a total abolition of Ward Committees. He added that he supported taking a holistic approach to the these proposals and also that Members should be prepared to make bold and radical decisions, as if the number of constituted bodies was not reduced as an outcome, then the exercise could be considered a failure.

A Member commented that the recommendation within Lord Lisvane’s report that the Court of Aldermen and its procedures should not be amended should be reconsidered, and proposed an independent review of the Court of Aldermen, as failing to discharge its responsibilities carried a significant reputational risk. The Chair thanked the Member for raising this point, which would be noted, but advised that it was not within the scope of the report at hand.

The Sub Committee then proceeded to debate the proposals set out in the report.

Section 2, the Corporation

The Sub Committee considered recommendations that the existing Ward structure, the relationship between the Court of Common Council and the Court of Aldermen,

Report of the City Surveyor

The Sub Committee considered a report of the City Surveyor regarding safety, access and security improvements at the Hampstead Heath Swimming Facilities. The Chair introduced the item, noting the importance of the work proposed as part of this project.m

RESOLVED – That the Resource Allocation Sub Committee:

1.    Agree that a budget of £54,000 (excluding risk) is approved to reach the next Gateway;

2.    Note total estimate cost of £697,000 (excluding risk), £755,000 (including £58,000 of costed risk post-mitigation);

3.    Agree that a Costed Risk Provision of £10,000 is approved to reach the next gateway (to be drawn down via delegation to Chief Officer); and

4.    Note that some minor works have had to be delivered already regarding H&S and infrastructure, but these do not change the overall scope, budget or programme of this project as have been funded separately. As detailed in Appendix 1.

Report of the Town Clerk

The Sub Committee received a report of the Town Clerk advising Members of actions taken by the Town Clerk since the last meeting of the Sub Committee, in consultation with the Chair and Deputy Chairman, in accordance with Standing Order No. 41.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.

To agree the non-public minutes of the Sub-Committee meeting held on 17 March 2021.

RESOLVED – That the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 17 March 2021 be agreed as a correct record.

There were no questions.

There was no other business.