Public reports pack Wednesday 22-Jul-2015 19.00 Council

Page 33The intention is to work with more authorities, but this may focus on offering advice andsupport more in a consultancy fashion. OracleWorking alongside five other local authorities (soon to be six), we have jointly procured OneOracle which incorporates Financial, Human Resources, Procurement, Business Intelligenceand Reporting systems including implementation, hosting and application support. We aim touse the shared Oracle system as a platform for developing shared back-office services withpartner authoritiesLegal Serviceso We share a Business Manager post with Southwark’s Legal Services, and havea reciprocal arrangement with them to undertake legal work where sparecapacity exists.o We have also jointly procured a Barrister Framework which has seen areduction of external fees to barristers.o Camden undertakes planning legal work for us which provides value for money(VFM) when compared to putting the work put out to private sector law firms.o We are currently exploring the option of establishing an alternative businessstructure (ABS) with another London Borough.2. Councillor Scott AinslieTo: Councillor Matthew Bennett - Cabinet Member for HousingAffordable Housing and Section 106 AgreementsLambeth Council is committed to maximising its social housing via Section 106 agreementswith housing developers. Will the Council therefore prohibit Planning from making changesfrom "social housing" to "affordable housing" in Section 106 agreements, as has happenedin Streatham Hill, at the request of housing developers?Party: GreenAnswer:Through their negotiations with developers, planning officers always seek to maximise levelsof affordable housing within new developments and to secure this via 106 agreements.However, developers are entitled to seek a review of their affordable contributions if theybelieve their scheme is no longer viable. If they are not satisfied with the Council’s responseto such a request they can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.Under Government rules, Local Planning Authorities have to decide whether the permitteddevelopment can provide the level of affordable housing required under the original S106agreement or whether this should be reduced or altered in order to render the developmentviable. Any application from a developer seeking to reduce the level of affordable housing oralter the mix of tenure has to be accompanied by a viability assessment, which Planningofficers arrange to be independently reviewed. In all cases, Lambeth Planning officersrigorously test the viability information received and negotiate to minimise any loss of