Agenda and minutes
Venue: Committee Room 4, Brent Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley, HA9 9HD. View directions
Contact: Bryony Gibbs, Democratic Services Officer 020 8937 1355, Email: bryony.gibbs@brent.gov.uk
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Declarations of personal and prejudicial interests Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, any relevant financial or other interest in the items on this agenda. Minutes: None made. |
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Minutes of the previous meeting PDF 81 KB Minutes: RESOLVED:-
that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 August 2011be approved as an accurate record of the meeting. |
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Market Factor Supplement Payment - approved Mental Health Practitioners PDF 68 KB The purpose of this report is to highlight the importance of reinstating the allowance as a Market Factor Supplement Payment for approved mental health practitioners as set out in the business case. Additional documents: Minutes: Alison Elliott (Director, Adult Social Services) introduced the report which advised that the Approved Mental Health Practitioners (AMHPs) had up until recently received an annual allowance of £1,542 (the difference between Inner and Outer London Weighting) in recognition of the additional training and levels of responsibility they undertake in pursuance of the Council’s statutory obligations under the Mental Health Act. The Market Factor Supplement was not a new payment but requested in order to re-instate the allowance withdrawn as part of the current pay harmonisation. The AMHP role involves working in highly volatile situations with high levels of client-risk and extended/unsocial working hours. The allowance was to retain the nationally-scarce AMHP role within Brent in order to meet Brent’s statutory responsibilities and to attract new staff to Brent to meet the increase in statutory work. The allowance had also been considered a due recognition of their commitment to maintaining a service to high standards and of their loyalty to Brent. The Director advised that other local boroughs pay more and Brent needed to be competitive in order to retain its current AMHP workforce and be able to recruit new staff in order to maintain the service. The Head of Service, David Dunkley, emphasised the need to recruit and retain in particular in the light of the number of staff who had recently left the council’s employ and it was noted that a further report would be submitted if the position did not improve. In response to a question, the Director acknowledged that despite the employment situation across London, the Council still struggled to recruit suitably qualified social workers.
RESOLVED:-
that the annual allowance of £1,542 be reinstated to the Council’s AMHPs as a Market Factor Supplement Payment in recognition of the issues outlined in the report. |
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Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places PDF 21 MB The Electoral Administration Act 2006 and the subsequent Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places Regulations 2006 require each electoral registration authority in England, Scotland and Wales to carry out a review of both its polling district boundaries and its polling places every four years. The first such review took place in 2007. This report informs members of feedback to the Polling District and Polling Stations Review undertaken within Brent this year and asks that a decision be reached on the future electoral arrangements for Brent. Minutes: The Electoral Services Manager explained that as required under the Electoral Administration Act 2006 and the subsequent Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places Regulations 2006 a review had been conducted of the borough’s polling district boundaries and its polling places. The first such review took place in 2007. He summarised the feedback from the consultation exercise which commenced in August 2011 and the changes now being put forward. The Electoral Services Manager was pleased to report that St John’s Evangelist Church Hall, Crawford Avenue would once more be available for use as a polling station for voters in Polling District NSU5 following its recent refurbishment removing the need for temporary huts in this location. He also referred to the forthcoming By Election in Wembley Central Ward scheduled for 22nd December 2011 and the intention to use Ealing Road Library as a polling place for voters in Polling Districts (NWC2) which it was felt would be more convenient instead of the usual practice of placing temporary huts placed in the library car park which would prove difficult to keep warm.
In considering the list of proposed polling places, questions were raised on the proposed polling station for the new Luma apartments on Central Way, NW10. Additionally, a view was put that future consideration should be given to avoiding the use of schools as polling stations where possible and discussion also took place on the degree to which efficiency savings could be made by reducing the number of polling stations across the borough without significantly inconveniencing voters.
RESOLVED:-
(i) that Atlip Road, 6 Mount Pleasant and those properties in Ealing Road between the corner of Mount Pleasant and the Piccadilly underground line (Hayes Court, Windsor Court and a small number of other properties) be transferred from polling district NAL2 to NAL3 in Alperton ward;
(ii) that those properties in Allington Road and Kilburn Lane, currently in polling district HQP3 in Queen’s Park ward, be transferred into polling district HQP5;
(iii) that polling districts NWC1 and NWC5 in Wembley Central ward, both of which use Copland School as a polling station, be merged into a single district;
(iv) that St Andrew and St Francis School replace the Learie Constantine Centre as the polling place for polling district CWG1 in Willesden Green ward;
(v) that polling districts CTO1 and CTO2 in Tokyngton ward remain separate;
(vi) that polling districts CST5 and CST6 in Stonebridge ward on Hillside be merged and that the Stonebridge Hub be the designated polling place for the new polling district;
(vii) that a new polling district be created in Stonebridge ward to include the properties in Abbey Road, Agate Close, Toucan Close and Twyford Abbey Road;
(viii) that it be noted that an alternative to the Neasden Library building in polling district CDU1 in Dudden Hill ward may be required;
(ix) that the polling places approved at this meeting be adopted for the Greater London Authority and London Mayor elections in May 2012;
(x) that in ... view the full minutes text for item 4. |
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Appointments to Sub-Committees / Outside Bodies Minutes: RESOLVED:
(i) that approval be given to the following appointments to the outside bodies shown: Delete Insert Councillor Councillor
Brent Sports Council Mistry Oladapo London Youth Games Committee Mistry Hirani Energy Solutions Kataria McLennan
(ii) that on Staff Appeal Sub-Committee A, Councillor Mistry be replaced by Councillor Thomas. |
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Any Other Urgent Business Notice of items to be raised under this heading must be given in writing to the Democratic Services Manager or his representative before the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 64. Minutes: None. |