Agenda item
Report from the Leader or members of the Cabinet
To receive reports from the Leader or members of the Cabinet in accordance with Standing Order 38.
Minutes:
The Leader spoke about the refugee crisis and pledged that the Council would play its part in providing refuge in the same way as it had done in the past by supporting up to 50 families or more if the need and capacity existed.
The Leader welcomed the new Chief Executive to the meeting and paid tribute to the outgoing Chief Executive, Christine Gilbert.
At this point the Mayor suspended the report from the Leader to allow Councillor Kansagra to welcome the new Chief Executive to Brent and pay tribute to Christine Gilbert.
Councillor Pavey spoke against the Government’s Budget statement in July and outlined the scale of local government cuts that Brent faced. He referred to the £1.3M cut from Brent’s public health budget in the current year. Councillor Pavey stated that consideration was being given to developing the Council’s budget for 2017/18 with creative ways being explored in order to protect frontline services.
Councillor Mashari spoke about enrolment by residents on Brent Start courses for 2015/16; in the past week 800 people had registered for courses which was part of the Council’s campaign to get more residents into adult education. She referred to the recent announcement by the Skills Funding Agency that mandated ESOL courses would be cut with immediate effect. This was on top of a 24% reduction in funding for further education in the current year. Councillor Mashari reported that BrentWorks would be launched in November creating apprenticeships and job opportunities across a wide range of sectors. She stated that the Living Room project had opened on the St Raphael’s estate marking the start of the working people working places pilot supporting local people with employment, health and housing involving a range of agencies. Finally, she reported on the Coming Soon club at Chesterfield House providing a range of free events over the summer for local entrepreneurs.
Councillor Moher reported on the recent exam results which showed an overall improvement and demonstrated the outstanding success of some schools and she congratulated all those involved on their achievements. Councillor Moher updated members on the situation with school places and the temporary and permanent school expansions that were taking place. She stated that 3,911 in time applications for admission to reception had all received an offer with 80% receiving their first choice, which was in line with the national average. However the DfE recommended a vacancy factor of 5% and Brent was well below this level so things would be very tight as a high number of in-year applications could be expected.
Councillor McLennan welcomed Right to Buy receipts for affordable homes expenditure and, given the acute housing shortage, the opportunity to go out to the market to develop housing provision. She reported that the Planning Committee had approved the use of John Barker Court for homeless residents offering quality accommodation. Councillor McLennan reported on a successful bid with Ealing and Hounslow to the central heating fund which would be used to improve the lives of some residents who currently did not have central heating. She referred to landlord licensing with nearly 5,500 licences issued and rogue landlords being prosecuted.
Councillor Southwood stated that the Cabinet had recently agreed a travel strategy and that a walking strategy was out for consultation. The Council was making it easier for residents to report on cases of fly tipping so that swift action could be taken. She stated that it was the time of year when the Council submitted its strategic transport requirements and funding needs. Councillor Southwood updated members on the Brent Cross development and the welcome decision by Barnet not to remove the green space in Cricklewood and the concern that remained over the sustainable transport elements of the redevelopment.
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