Agenda item
Questions from Members of the Public & Brent Youth Parliament
7.1 To receive questions submitted by the public to Cabinet Members, in accordance with Standing Order 33.
Two questions have been received under this item, which have been attached along with the written responses provided.
7.2 To receive questions submitted from members of Brent Youth Parliament to Cabinet Members, in accordance with Standing Order 33(d)
One question has been received under this item, which has been attached along with the written responses provided.
Decision:
NOTED
1. The written and supplementary verbal response provided by the Cabinet Member for Environment to a question submitted from a member of the public relating to the action being taken by the Council to tackle climate change, maintain the tree population and ensure the borough was carbon neutral by 2030..
2. The written response provided by the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property & Planning to a question submitted from a member of the public relating to the number of social housing units, tenancy types and rent mix included within the Wembley Park development. No supplementary question was received.
3. The written response from the Cabinet Member for Environment in relation to a question submitted from the Brent Youth Parliament regarding progress on implementation of the recommendations agreed at the first Brent Council Climate Change Youth Summit. No supplementary question was received.
Minutes:
The Mayor advised that two questions had been received from members of the public.
Question 1 from Mr M.Brown to Councillor Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Environment, regarding the action being taken by the Council to tackle climate change and ensure the borough was carbon neutral by 2030.
Question 2 from Ms G.Abdulgadir to Councillor Shama Tatler, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property & Planning relating to the number of social housing units, tenancy types and rent mix included within the Wembley Park development.
Members noted the written responses to the questions, circulated with the agenda. The Mayor advised that both members of the public had been invited to attend the meeting in order to ask a supplementary question. Whilst Ms Abdulgadir had advised she would not be attending, the Mayor welcomed Mr Brown to the meeting and invited him to put his supplementary question to Councillor Krupa Sheth, as Cabinet Member for Environment.
Supplementary Question from Mr Brown to Councillor Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Environment
Having thanked Councillor Sheth for the written response provided, Mr Brown asked for further details to be provided in relation to the preservation and management of green space across the borough. Referring to the work being undertaken through the Green Space Commission, he asked for examples of the ideas being fed in to that process along with current action being taken to tackle the climate crisis, including the preservation of trees, in advance of the planned adoption of the borough wide climate change and sustainability strategy in May 2020.
In response, Councillor Krupa Sheth thanked Mr Brown for his supplementary question and began by reassuring him that it was Council policy to seek to preserve trees but where not possible efforts were made to ensure they were replaced. In terms of immediate action being taken to address the climate emergency, Councillor Krupa Sheth highlighted:
· the work being undertaken to develop an Interim Climate & Ecological Emergency Action Plan on which a separate report was due to be considered later during the meeting;
· the establishment of the Brent Climate Assembly and Youth Climate Summit hosted by Brent Youth Parliament; and
· development of the borough-wide climate emergency strategy;
The strategy would be subject to public consultation and she finished by encouraging as many people as possible to take advantage of the opportunities to participate and engage in that process.
Having noted the response provided, the Mayor thanked Mr Brown for his question and for attending the meeting.
Following on from the public question session the Mayor then moved on to deal with the questions received from representatives of Brent Youth Parliament. He advised that the following question had been received from the Youth Parliament:
Question 1 to Councillor Krupa Sheth, Cabinet Member for Environment, regarding progress on implementation of the recommendations agreed at the first Brent Council Climate Change Youth Summit.
Members noted the written response to the question, circulated with the agenda with the Mayor advising that representatives from the Youth Parliament had unfortunately not been able to attend the meeting in order to ask any supplementary question. As there was no supplementary question to be dealt with, the Mayor advised this now concluded the public question session.
Supporting documents: