Agenda and minutes
Venue: Council Chamber, Brent Town Hall, Forty Lane, Wembley, HA9 9HD. View directions
Contact: Peter Goss, Democratic Services Manager 020 8937 1353, Email: peter.goss@brent.gov.uk
No. | Item |
---|---|
Procedural motions Minutes: Councillor Butt moved a procedural motion stating that it was with considerable regret and sadness that following advice received from the Director of Legal and Procurement, in order to enable the proper democratic meeting of the Full Council to take place, he had felt it necessary to exclude a number of members of the public who had previously caused such disruption to Council meetings and meetings of the Executive to the extent those meetings had not been able to continue without moving to another room and thereby restricting the rights of the public to observe the proceedings.
Councillor Butt added that he would continue to require officers to work to find a better solution than excluding members of the public from the Town Hall.
RESOLVED:
that the exclusion from this Full Council meeting of members of the public who have caused disruption to the previous Full Council meeting and/or to the previous meeting of the Executive and/or the Budget and Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee be endorsed.
Councillor Choudhary moved a procedural motion in respect of discussing summons item 7.
RESOLVED:
that in respect of the item on the 1st reading debate – 2013/14 budget:
the Leader be permitted up to 10 minutes in which to present the reports, the Leaders of the Liberal Democrat Group and the Conservative Group be permitted up to 10 minutes each to debate the item, with a general debate to follow, in accordance with Standing Order 44(b). |
|
Minutes of the previous meeting PDF 128 KB Minutes: RESOLVED:-
that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 10 September 2012 be approved as an accurate record of the meeting. |
|
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 declared. |
|
Mayor's announcements Minutes: The Mayor introduced Christine Gilbert to the meeting as the newly appointed interim Chief Executive.
The Mayor stated that in accordance with Standing Orders a list of current petitions showing progress on dealing with them had been circulated around the chamber.
The Mayor referred to his announcement at the last meeting of Full Council that Sir Rhodes Boyson had passed away and invited members to pay tribute.
The Mayor announced with sadness that Shabna Abbasi, a school governor at Oliver Goldsmith primary school, had died at the young age of 39, leaving a husband and three children, all who attended the school. He added that she was a dynamic parent governor who touched the lives of all parents, pupils, teachers and governors she had dealings with. Councillor J Moher paid tribute to the work of Shabna Abbasi.
The Mayor announced that he had decided to choose three chaplains, the Revds Graham Noyce and Felicity Scroggie, and Pastor Olufemi Popoola to be his spiritual mentors, guides and advisers for his mayoral year.
The Mayor was delighted to announce that he would be holding his charity Christmas party on 30 November 2012 and tickets were available from his office.
Members paid tribute to Sir Rhodes Boyson who had passed away on 28 August 2012.
Councillor Lorber paid tribute to the work of Jeff Bartley, Environmental Projects and Policy Manager, who passed away on 12 November 2012.
Members stood for one minute’s silence in memory of Jeff Bartley. |
|
Appointments to committees and outside bodies and appointment of chairs/vice chairs Minutes: There were none. |
|
Report from the Leader or members of the Executive PDF 72 KB To receive reports from the Leader or members of the Executive in accordance with Standing Order 42. Minutes: The Leader welcomed Christine Gilbert to the meeting as the Council’s new interim Chief Executive. He referred to the recently held leadership awaydays and stated that the issues discussed would feature in the First Reading debate. Councillor Butt spoke in support of the White Ribbon Campaign against violence towards women, which was to be launched within the Council on Monday 26 November 2012 and he hoped all members would sign up to it.
Councillor R Moher stated that the recent budget awaydays had not been easy because of the lack of financial detail available to the Council. The local government settlement was due to be announced shortly before Christmas. In the meantime the Government had drip fed proposals affecting the resourcing of local government. Councillor R Moher referred to the localisation of Council Tax support. Preparations for a scheme were progressing as far as possible on the basis of it being at no additional cost to the Council. The proposed scheme would be put before members at a special meeting of Full Council on 10 December 2012. The current level of spend by the Government had been reduced for passing on to Councils. However the Government had recently invited bids for additional resources which appeared to be on a one-off basis. The short notice of the availability of these funds and the consequent need to change the scheme if a bid was successful presented a high risk to the Council so the Executive had decided to continue with its current plans.
Councillor Hirani referred to the partial transfer of the public health function to local government as from 1 April 2013. The Executive had agreed an integrated model of work headed by a full time director. Three public health areas would focus on – health intelligence, public health commissioning and health improvement. Councillor Hirani reported that the Executive had agreed the establishment of a carer services hub advice and support service. A consultation exercise had identified what carers thought was important resulting in the following seven priorities being mandatory priorities to be delivered as part of the contract: · Information and advice · Access to health and wellbeing services · Whole family support · Money and benefits advice · Access to work and training · Caring support and training · Emergency support.
Councillor Hirani stated that Supporting People was a national preventative programme administered by local government. In Brent this programme also extended to provide a range of non-statutory welfare services. The Executive had agreed a contractual arrangement with providers that had led to an improved service and saved £1.6M.
Councillor Arnold reported that the Executive had agreed a Plan for Children and Families in Brent which underpinned the Council’s ambition to improve outcomes for children and their families. She urged members to look at the plan and note the priorities set out in it. Councillor Arnold reported that the £5M redeveloped Roundwood Youth Centre had been launched on 1 November 2012. She recommended that members watch the video of the opening on the b my voice ... view the full minutes text for item 6. |
|
Questions from the Opposition and other Non- Executive Members Questions will be put to the Executive Minutes: Councillor Brown stated that it should not surprise anyone that every Autumn leaves fell off deciduous trees and that most Autumns experienced wet weather. The combination of wet leaves on damp pavements was dangerous. Councillor Brown asked if, given the length of time it had taken the Council to sweep some roads, it was a mistake to abandon the special leaf-fall collections. Councillor J Moher (Lead Member for Highways and Transportation) replied by agreeing that fallen leaves could be a nuisance but that the Council was faced with having to prioritise the allocation of scarce resources. He added that there was some existing provision and that residents could help themselves by clearing leaves from outside their houses. Councillor Brown responded by criticising the excuse that it was all down to money and felt residents would not be pleased with the suggestion that they sweep the leaves themselves. He referred to the previous Council Administration which had ensured adequate resources were available to properly sweep the streets and the risk now of increased insurance claims from people slipping on the leaves.
Councillor Pavey referred to details from the Government of its plans to slash Early Intervention services. He asked for an outline of what impact this would have on the most vulnerable residents in Brent, and whether the Council would write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer calling for an urgent rethink on this decision. Councillor Arnold (Lead Member for Children and Families) replied that the Government had moved the goal posts on early intervention work and was top slicing the budget to retain the money centrally to develop initiatives. Some money was being passed on but other funding remained unaccounted for leaving a 33% cut in the level of funding to the Council. Councillor Arnold outlined some of the areas that would suffer from this funding shortfall and expressed her concern at why this situation was being allowed to happen. Councillor Pavey referred to a situation known to him where the introduction to a sure start centre had provided the required support and how this change in funding jeopardised the provision of such support. He regarded the cut as vicious and heartless.
Councillor Cheese asked why local residents were being charged for the disposal of bulky waste at Abbey Road Re-use and Recycling Centre despite the assurances previously received that the charges were targeted at trade waste customers such as builders. Councillor Powney (Lead Member for Environment and Neighbourhoods) replied that any genuine resident of the borough could arrange to have their bulky rubbish removed free of charge. There was no reason for them to have to drive to the re-use and recycling centre. The purpose behind the charge for DIY related disposal was to bring it into line with neighbouring sites and reduce demand for this type of disposal. The income to West London Waste from such charges was substantial and amounted to £250,000 per annum. Councillor Cheese responded that it had been his understanding that ... view the full minutes text for item 7. |
|
First reading debate on the 2013/14 - 2016/17 budget PDF 71 KB Reports from the Executive and the Deputy Director of Finance attached.
Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Butt stated that the budget marked a vital turning point for Brent. He suggested that two years ago few predicted the recession would last so long or how vindictive the Government’s welfare cuts would be towards the most vulnerable people in the community; few predicted the Government would target local government to take the brunt of the cuts and he felt this was a recipe for social damage on a scale not seen since the Second World War and would leave a generation of young people permanently scarred by unemployment. Councillor Butt felt this was an ideological experiment designed by the coalition parties but one which would fail. He stated that in Brent there was a strong community focus and that the residents of the borough would not forgive the coalition government for the damage inflicted on the community. However, he stated that he had a personal commitment to improve the lives of the residents of the borough and that was what the Labour Party was doing in Brent. A package of reforms would be brought forward that would help protect the most vulnerable residents based on the fundamental idea that local people could only weather the storm if they were united and given the resilience and protection that only a community could create. The package would put fairness, jobs, growth and community at the heart of everything the Council did. It would increase the pay of the lowest paid workers, and campaign for the private sector to do the same, bring forward plans to reduce the cost of energy for all residents, tackle the problem of slum housing in Brent and focus on jobs and growth. The Council would bring forward a coherent strategy to support the high streets and local businesses and strengthen the relationships with businesses. A new deal for the voluntary and community sector would be developed to transform the lives of the most troubled families and begin the task of tackling health inequality in the Borough. The biggest school building program was underway in the borough. It would be through all these measures that the Council would act as the last line of defence for residents by protecting local schools, business and services.
Councillor Butt pointed out that between 2010 and 2014 the budget had been reduced by 28% and the Government’s failed austerity policies would mean the cuts would continue after 2015 with a predicted 7% cut every year until 2020 at least. He stated that more residents would find themselves relying on Council services as they struggled to find work and inflation eroded their living standards. The ageing population and high birth rate in the borough meant spending on children’s and adults’ social care was increasing dramatically. Resolving this would require the complete transformation of the Council as an organisation and the way in which it delivered services to residents. Resources would be shifted from treating problems to preventing them happening, savings would be sought from contractors and providers, inefficiency, duplication and ... view the full minutes text for item 8. |
|
Reports from the Chairs of Overview and Scrutiny Committees PDF 68 KB To receive reports from the Chairs of the Overview and Scrutiny Committees in accordance with Standing Order 41. Minutes: Councillor Ashraf introduced the circulated report. He pointed out that the Budget and Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee had met for a third time since the last meeting of Full Council. He welcomed Councillor Hopkins as the new chair of the committee and thanked members and officers generally for their contributions towards the work of overview and scrutiny. |
|
Changes to Constitution PDF 84 KB There are changes to the Constitution brought about the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 and other miscellaneous amendments relating to director functions, Executive Committee structures and contract standing orders. Additional documents: Minutes: Members had before them a report on changes to the constitution brought about by the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 and other miscellaneous amendments relating to director functions, Executive Committee structures and contract standing orders.
Councillor Lorber proposed an amendment to the recommendations which he felt would remove an anomaly in that there was no provision in the constitution for the appointment of interim senior officers. Councillor R Moher suggested the amendment was premature because it was already the intention to fully review the constitution in the near future.
RESOLVED:
(i) that the changes to the Constitution shown in Appendix 1 to the report submitted relating to meetings and access to information be agreed;
(ii) that the changes shown in Appendix 2 to the report submitted relating to the re-distribution of Director’s functions be agreed;
(iii) that the changes to the Constitution regarding the Barham Park Trust Committee shown as Appendix 3 to the report submitted be agreed; and
(iv) that the changes to the Contracts Standing Orders shown at Appendix 4 to the report submitted be agreed. |
|
Treasury Management Annual report 2011/12 PDF 116 KB The purpose of this report is to summarise borrowing and investment activity and performance compared to prudential indicators during 2011/12. The Executive has recommended this report to Full Council for approval. The report has also been considered by the Audit Committee meeting of 27 September 2012 as part of the scrutiny function required under the 2009 Treasury Management Code of Practice issued by CIPFA. Minutes: The report before members summarised the borrowing and investment activity and performance compared to prudential indicators during 2011/12. The Executive at its meeting on 19 September 2012 had resolved to submit the recommendations in the report to Full Council without any further comments. The report had also been considered by the Audit Committee on 27 September 2012 as part of the scrutiny function required under the 2009 Treasury Management Code of Practice issued by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).
RESOLVED:
(i) that the Treasury Management Annual Report and Annual Investment Strategy Report be approved;
(ii) that the outturn for prudential indicators be noted; and
(iii) that the updated position since 2011/12 be noted. |
|
2012/13 Mid Year Treasury report PDF 119 KB This report updates members on recent treasury activity. Minutes: The report before members updated them on recent treasury activity.
RESOLVED:
that the 2012/13 mid-year Treasury report be noted. |
|
Motions To debate any motions submitted in accordance with Standing Order 45. |
|
Number 18 bus route Minutes: Councillor Baker moved the motion circulated in his and Councillor HM Patel’s names which called for the Lead Member for Highways and Transportation to lobby Transport for London (TfL) to get the No.18 bus route extended to Harrow bus station. He pointed out that at the present time it terminated at Sudbury town centre and caused obstruction to traffic and he felt it should go on to Harrow and better serve the local community and patients at Northwick Park Hospital.
Councillor J Moher responded by stating that this issue had often been raised with TfL but it had recently responded by saying it would cost an additional £1.4M to extend the route to the hospital or £2M to Harrow town centre and the additional revenue generated would not cover this. Alternatives were being pursued and the problem of bus congestion at Sudbury town centre was being resolved with the implementation of a new bus stand. Councillor Lorber added that the matter had been raised in the past with the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and suggested that the current Mayor of London should be approached about this.
Following a vote, the motion was declared LOST.
|
|
Recruitment of permanent Chief Executive and Director of Finance Minutes: Councillor Lorber moved the motion circulated in his and the names of Councillors Ashraf, Beck, Brown, Hopkins and Hunter which sought to require options for the restructure of the Corporate Management Team to be brought forward. He expressed concern that members had not been given any information about the recent loss of the Council’s Chief Executive and Director of Finance and that this presented an opportunity to review the Council’s management structure.
Councillor Kansagra indicated his support for the motion. Councillor Butt stated that it was necessary in times of emergency for an interim appointment to the post of Chief Executive to be made without delay. In turn, it was the responsibility of the Head of the Paid Service to arrange for the appointment of a Director of Finance.
Following a vote the motion was declared LOST.
|
|
Fire service in Brent Minutes: The motion circulated in the names of Councillors Brown, Hashmi, Hunter, Lorber, CJ Patel and Sneddon was put to the vote and declared CARRIED.
RESOLVED:
(i) that Council expresses its support for and appreciation of the work carried out by the London Fire Brigade in Brent;
(ii) that Council notes: a) that the fire brigade attended 3,217 incidents in Brent during 2011/12, including 798 fires, 989 special services and 1,430 false alarms. In addition it carried out 2,235 home fire safety visits and other community and fire safety tasks, b) that the Mayor of London has imposed cuts of £65 million (about 15%) over the next two years on the London Fire Brigade, c) that a document leaked to the BBC lists the following 17 fire stations threatened with closure: Acton, Belsize, Bow, Clapham, Clerkenwell, Downham, Islington, Kensington, Kingsland, Knightsbridge, New Cross, Peckham, Silvertown, Southwark, Westminster, Whitechapel and Woolwich, d) that although the three stations in Brent do not appear on this list of threatened stations, only one of these (Wembley) appears on a list of “safe” fire stations provided by the Chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), e) that as a result the future of Park Royal and Willesden Fire Stations has become a matter of speculation;
(iii) that Council condemns the Mayor of London for proposing reckless cuts to the London fire budget without taking advice from senior fire officers as to the consequences, therefore leading to fire station closures;
(iv) that Council supports the retention of all three fire stations in Brent and believes that the closure of any of these stations would be unacceptable to local residents and compromise fire safety;
(v) that Council supports the proposed increase in appliances at Hendon and Stanmore stations which will deliver extra fire cover to parts of Brent;
(vi) that Council requests the interim Chief Executive to write to the Mayor of London with a copy to the Chair of LFEPA making this council’s position clear.
|
|
Off payroll contracts Minutes: The motion circulated in the names of Councillors Brown, Cheese, Hopkins, Lorber, Matthews and Shaw which called for any member of the Council’s corporate management team serving for more than three months to be directly employed by the Council and subject to PAYE was put to the vote and declared LOST.
|
|
Permitted development Minutes: The motion circulated in the names of Councillors Ashraf, Beck, Brown, Hopkins and Lorber seeking to ensure the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government’s proposals on permitted development were opposed was put to the vote and declared LOST.
|
|
The living wage Minutes: Councillor A Choudry moved the motion circulated and sought cross party support for it. He stated that the opportunity existed for the Council to assess what more it could do to help some of the poorest people in society and he was pleased the Council was already paying the living wage.
Councillor HB Patel suggested that pressure put on those employers paying less than the living wage would help increase wages but that some workers would continue to have to live on low wages because of the legacy of the last government. Councillor HB Patel added that the minimum wage was still relatively new to the country and so the introduction of the living wage would be opposed by some because of the costs involved. Councillor HB Patel moved an amendment to the motion which sought to remove reference to the government’s failure to support the living wage.
Councillor Lorber stated that his party supported the living wage and had also sought to assist those on low incomes through changes in the tax system. However, he noted that the Council’s commitment to paying the living wage excluded those working in the social care sector.
The proposed amendment to the motion was put to the vote and declared LOST.
The motion was put to the vote and declared CARRIED.
RESOLVED:
that Council: (a) welcomes the increase of the living wage to £7.45 per hour and £8.55 per hour in London, (b) notes that employees in cities with high costs of living, such as London, need to earn more than the national minimum wage just to stay above the poverty line, with one in ten workers in London currently earning less than the living wage, (c) welcomes the fact that from 1 October all directly employed staff in Brent were receiving pay rates at or above the London living wage. (d) welcomes the progress in ensuring employees of Brent contractors also receive the living wage, (e) notes its disappointment at the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Government’s failure to support the living wage at a national level.
|
|
Cuts to emergency services Minutes: The motion circulated in the name of Councillor Harrison was put to the vote and declared CARRIED.
RESOLVED:
that Council: a) notes that many of Brent’s emergency services are under threat from cuts imposed by the coalition government, b) opposes the extent of the cuts, which are too fast and too deep and will endanger lives, c) notes with disappointment the failure of Brent Central MP, Sarah Teather, to oppose the cuts to emergency services, d) calls on the Government to reverse the cuts to the emergency services that will see Willesden Police Station and potentially two of Brent’s three fire stations closed.
|
|
Urgent business At the discretion of the Mayor to consider any urgent business. Minutes: None. |