Agenda and minutes
Venue: Grand Hall - Brent Civic Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley, HA9 0FJ. View directions
Contact: Thomas Cattermole, Head of Executive and Member Services 020 8937 5446, Email: thomas.cattermole@brent.gov.uk
Note: The press and public are welcome to attend this meeting. You can tweet on the night via our #BrentLive hashtag.
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To elect the Mayor of the Borough for the Municipal Year 2017/2018 For the Council to elect a Mayor for the 2017/2018 Municipal Year, in accordance with Standing Order 32 (a). Minutes: The Mayor asked Members for nominations to the Office of Mayor of the London of Borough Brent for the Municipal Year 2017/2018.
Councillor Butt (Leader of the Council) proceeded to nominate Councillor Chohan. He stated that Councillor Chohan had been a committed Deputy Mayor over the last year and had been a vocal advocate for encouraging residential participation in community projects across the borough. He stated that he had every confidence that he would continue to encourage ties between the Council and underrepresented communities, to ensure that every resident had a voice.
Councillor McLennan (Deputy Leader of the Council) seconded Councillor Butt’s nomination for Councillor Chohan to become the new Mayor of Brent. She stated that she believed Councillor Chohan had proven himself to be capable and conscientious in his role as Deputy Mayor and that his grassroots experience of the voluntary sector was extensive and would prove to be an asset to the Mayoral Office.
There were no other nominations and it was RESOLVED that Councillor Chohan be elected Mayor of the London Borough of Brent for the 2017/2018 municipal year.
Councillor Chohan proceeded to sign the statutory Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Mayor and took over the chairmanship of the meeting. |
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To Appoint a Councillor of the Borough to be Deputy Mayor An intimation will be received from the incoming Mayor regarding the appointment of a Councillor of the Borough to be Deputy Mayor, in accordance with Standing Order 32 (b). Minutes: The new Mayor announced that he had appointed Councillor Mahmood as Deputy Mayor for the 2017/2018 municipal year.
The Mayor’s robe and chain of office was then passed from Councillor Ahmed to Councillor Chohan. Councillor Ahmed was presented with the past Mayor’s badge and ribbon and Mrs Lena Ahmed was presented with the past Mayoress’ badge.
The Mayor thanked Members for electing him as Mayor and for their support during his year as Deputy Mayor. He also paid tribute to his predecessor, Councillor Ahmed, and expressed further thanks to the Officers at the Council who had already assisted him in a smooth transition to becoming Mayor.
He expressed his desire to continue the efforts of the previous Mayor in increasing ties between the Council and underrepresented communities across the Borough and that he believed that the Office of the Mayor was a figurehead to bring everyone together. The Mayor also announced that he would be supporting the Asian Women’s Resource Centre and The Akshaya Patra Foundation UK in his role during the forthcoming municipal year.
He concluded by welcoming the new Deputy Mayor, Councillor Mahmood, to his role and that he looked forward to a prosperous civic year ahead. |
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Vote of Thanks to the Outgoing Mayor For the incoming Mayor to invite a vote of thanks for the outgoing Mayor, in accordance with Standing Order 32 (c). Minutes: The Mayor invited Councillor McLennan to propose a vote of thanks for Co-Opted Members serving on the Council’s Committees.
Councillor McLennan stated that the Annual Meeting of the Council was an opportunity to highlight the valued work of the Council’s Co-Opted Committee Members. She outlined that two long standing Co-Opted Members of the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee, Dr Jeff Levison and Mother Christine Cargill, were standing down after many years of service. Members heard that whilst Co-Opted Members’ roles comprised of being ‘critical friends’ to the Cabinet, their objectivity and counsel aided the Council drive for continued improvement in delivering services for residents. She concluded by thanking all of the Council’s Co-Opted Members for their work on the Council’s Committees over the past year.
The Mayor then invited Councillor Butt to propose a vote of thanks in the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Ahmed.
Councillor Butt stated that Councillor Ahmed had been an exemplary and dedicated Mayor to the people of Brent. This, he said, had been evidenced by the vast number of events he had attended and the amount of money he had raised for three charities based in the Borough (Brent Centre for Young People, Sufra North West London and Community Action on Dementia Brent). He stated that the outgoing Mayor had been a model of determination, grit and community spirit in his civic work and had also presided over some key decisions being made at Full Council meetings. Councillor Butt asked everyone assembled at the meeting to join him in offering their sincerest thanks to the work of Councillor Ahmed as Mayor of Brent during the 2016/2017 municipal year.
The Mayor invited Members to make additional contributions in thanking the outgoing Mayor.
Councillor Colwill (Leader of the Conservative Group) congratulated Councillor Chohan on his election as the new Mayor and thanked Councillor Ahmed for his year in office on behalf of the Conservative Group. He said that it had been a pleasure to accompany him to events in Westminster and his inclusivity to all was welcome. He praised his chairmanship of Full Council meetings over the past year where he had treated all Members fairly and equally. Councillor Colwill also referenced the Mayoral support to voluntary groups and placed on record his thanks to all voluntary groups across the borough who were doing invaluable work for residents.
Councillor Warren (Leader of the Brent Conservative Group) also thanked the Mayor for his achievements during his year in office. He praised the number of engagements which the outgoing Mayor had attended. He extended best wishes to Councillor Ahmed on the conclusion of his term and wished the new Mayor well in his role.
Councillor Kabir referenced the high number of events Councillor Ahmed had attended during the past municipal year, and highlighted that many of these were also outside of Brent itself. She stated that she had heard very positive feedback about the Mayor’s presence at events outside of the borough, which had shown what an exemplary ambassador the outgoing ... view the full minutes text for item 3. |
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Declarations of Interests In accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct and Standing Order 32 (e), Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, any relevant personal, prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interests, and the nature of these, in relation to any matter to be considered at this meeting. Minutes: There were no interests declared by Members. |
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Minutes of the Previous Meetings PDF 223 KB To confirm as a correct record, the attached set of minutes from the meeting of the Full Council held on 27 February 2017 and the Special Full Council meeting held on 20 April 2017, in accordance with Standing Order 32 (f). Additional documents: Minutes: It was RESOLVED that:
(i) The minutes of the 27 February 2017 Full Council meeting be approved as a correct record; and
(ii) The minutes of the 20 April 2017 Special Full Council meeting be approved as a correct record.
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Changes to the Constitution PDF 99 KB For Full Council to agree any changes to the Constitution, in accordance with Standing Order 32 (g). Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Butt directed Members’ attention to the report on proposed changes to the Council’s Constitution. He noted that the changes laid out had been through the Council’s formal Constitutional Working Group (CWG) and had been the subject of countless discussions in order to draft the changes. He stated that the changes proposed were positive for the Council and that the envisaged creation of a new Housing Scrutiny Committee and Audit Advisory Committee would enhance democracy and accountability across the Council.
The Mayor invited Councillor Warren to speak on the Brent Conservative amendment (to delete Standing Order 13 (a) – Vote of No Confidence in the Leader). Councillor Warren stated that he had spoken about this issue before back in 2014 but that no progress had been made in changing the system of voting no confidence in the Leader of the Council. He said that this standing order, as things stood, lacked democratic legitimacy and accountability because of the raft of constitutional stipulations which needed to be undertaken before a vote could be held.
Councillor Kansagra commented that this issue had already been discussed and decided upon at previous Full Council meetings. He made the point that opposition groups should accept that the Leader will be comprised from the largest party at the Council and it is up to them to decide who the Leader will be. He outlined that the Council had a Constitution which it adhered to and that the proposed amendment was unnecessary.
Councillor Butt responded stating that Councillor Warren had always had the opportunity to attend internal CWG meetings and put forward his proposal but had chosen to come to the annual meeting to disrupt proceedings and to try and score political points.
Councillor Warren requested a recorded vote on the Brent Conservative Group’s proposed amendment. The amendment was put to the vote and declared LOST.
Voting was recorded as follows:
FOR the amendment (3):
Councillors Carr, Shaw and Warren.
AGAINST the amendment (45):
Councillors Aden, Agha, Ahmed, Allie, Bradley, Butt, Chan, S Choudhary, A Choudhry, Colacicco, Colwill, Crane, Daly, Davidson, Denselow, Dixon, Duffy, Ezeajughi, Farah, Harrison Hector, Hirani, Hoda-Benn, Hossain, Hylton, Jones, Kabir, Kansagra, Long, Maurice, McLeish, McLennan, Miller, Moher, J Mitchell Murray, W Mitchell Murray, Naheerathan, R Patel, Perrin, Ketan Sheth, Krupa Sheth, Southwood, Tatler, Thomas and Van Kalwala.
ABSTENTIONS to the amendment (2):
Councillors Chohan and Mahmood.
(Note: Councillors Conneely, Kelcher, M Patel and Stopp had left the meeting at the time of the recorded vote)
The recommendations on the changes to the Constitution contained within the report for agenda item number six were then put to a vote and declared CARRIED.
It was therefore RESOLVED that:
(i) The changes to the Constitution proposed within the report for agenda item number six and authorisation for the Chief Legal Officer to amend the Constitution be approved; and
(ii) The proposed amendments to the Members’ Allowance Scheme and authorisation for the Chief ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
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Representation of Political Groups on Committees PDF 87 KB For Full Council to review and determine, under Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 or any re-enactment or modification thereof, the allocation of seats on Council committees and other relevant bodies, in accordance with Standing Order 32 (h). Additional documents: Minutes: The Mayor briefly introduced the report from the Chief Legal Officer which fulfilled the Council’s duty to review and determine the representation of different political groups on certain Committees at its annual meeting.
No Members indicated that they wished to speak and the proposed recommendations in the report were put to a vote and declared CARRIED.
It was therefore RESOLVED that:
(i) The size of each Committee be agreed;
(ii) The allocation of seats on Committees to each of the Council’s political groups (where the rules of political balance apply) be agreed; and
(iii) The political balance on the Council’s Sub-Committees be reviewed at the first meeting of the General Purposes Committee. |
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For Full Council to agree the membership of Council committees and Joint Committees and other relevant bodies, forums and panels; and to appoint the Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Council Committees, forums and panels and to agree the substitutes for members, in accordance with Standing Order 32 (i). The full list of Full Council appointments will be circulated prior to the meeting. Appointments that are not constitutionally made by Full Council will also be circulated prior to the meeting. Additional documents: Minutes: The Mayor referred Members to the report which outlined the nominations for appointments to Committees, Joint Committees, Forums, Panels, Outside Bodies and nomination for Chairs and Vice Chairs, where necessary, for the 2017-2018 municipal year.
No Members indicated that they wished to speak and the proposed recommendations in the report were put to a vote and declared CARRIED.
It was therefore RESOLVED that:
(i) The proposed appointments of Members, Co-Opted Members and substitutes to Council Committees, Joint Committees, Panels, Forums and Outside Bodies for the 2017-2018 municipal year be agreed;
(ii) The proposed appointments of Chairs and Vice Chairs for these Committees, Joint Committees, Panels, Forums and Outside Bodies for the 2017-2018 municipal year be agreed; and
(iii) The appointments of the Cabinet, Cabinet Committees and Joint Executive Committees and their respective Chairs and Vice Chairs for the 2017-2018 municipal year be noted.
(The full list of appointments can be found as part of Appendix A to the supplementary pack which was circulated to before the meeting). |
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Calendar of Council Meetings for the 2017/2018 Municipal Year PDF 68 KB For Full Council to agree the calendar of Council meetings for the forthcoming 2017/2018 municipal year, in accordance with Standing Order 32 (k). Additional documents:
Minutes: The Mayor drew Members’ attention to the report for agenda item number nine on the proposed calendar of meeting dates for Full Council and other meetings during the 2017-2018 municipal year.
He invited Councillor Warren to introduce the Brent Conservative Group amendment on adding a 20 November 2017 Full Council meeting to the calendar. Councillor Warren stated that he believed the plan to remove the November Full Council meeting from the calendar was a mistake and represented another example of a lack of democracy within the Council. He said that any residents who wished to make a deputation to Full Council would have to wait four months between September and January and that it was in the interests of democracy to reinstate the November Full Council meeting.
Councillor Butt responded by stating that Councillor Warren always had the opportunity to hold the Council to account through attending and speaking at Cabinet meetings, yet he rarely did so. He maintained that the Council was improving democratic oversight through the creation of new Scrutiny and Audit Committees and that residents had the right to petition the Council at any time. He concluded by stating that the Labour group were always out on the doorstep across the borough listening to residents’ concerns and opinions.
In response, Councillor Warren stated that when he did attend Cabinet meetings he was rarely given the opportunity to speak on issues. Councillor Duffy also added that he felt Councillor Warren’s request for an extra Full Council meeting was reasonable.
Councillor Colwill asked to put on record the Conservative Group’s dismay at Councillor Warren’s behaviour at the annual meeting and apologised to all residents in attendance.
The Brent Conservative amendment was put to a vote and was declared LOST.
The proposed recommendations within the report were put to a vote and declared CARRIED.
It was therefore RESOLVED that:
(i) The proposed dates for Full Council and other meetings to take place during the 2017-2018 municipal year be agreed; and
(ii) The Head of Executive and Member Services would be granted the authority to make any alterations deemed necessary to the municipal calendar during the course of the municipal year having consulted the Leader of the Council; the Leader of the Principal Opposition Group and the Chair of the affected meeting.
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Urgent Business At the discretion of the Mayor to consider any urgent business, in accordance with Standing Order 32 (m). Minutes: There was no other urgent business to be transacted. |