Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:-

that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 13^th July 2009 be approved as an accurate record of the meeting, subject to recording that Councillor J Moher referred to an issue raised at the previous meeting relating to the constitutional position held by the Executive but a motion to amend the minutes was put to the vote and declared lost.

Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, any relevant financial or other interest in the items on this agenda.

Councillor Joseph declared an interest in the items on the summons concerning school places because she was a governor of Furness Primary School.

The Mayor reported with sadness the death of former councillor, Mrs Betty Igbokwe.  Mrs Igbokwe was a labour councillor in Kensal Rise from 1990 to 1994 and the Council’s sympathies went out to her family and friends. Councillors paid tribute to Mrs Igbokwe.

As a mark of respect the Council stood for one minute in silent memory of Mrs Betty Igbokwe.

The Mayor pointed out that the result of the recent Wembley Central by election had been circulated and welcomed Councillor Afifa Pervez to her first Council meeting.

The Mayor announced that on 6^th September 2009 Councillor Peter Corcoran took part in one of Europe’s toughest sporting challenges to raise money for a local charity, St Luke’s Hospice.  The Monaco Ironman Challenge was a triathlon endurance event entailing 1.9km of swimming, 90km of biking and 21.1km of running and Councillor Corcoran completed it in 8 hours, 46 minutes and 50 seconds.

The Mayor informed members that on Friday 11^th  September, he attended the prestigious London In Bloom (London Parks Oscars) awards held at Twickenham rugby stadium. This year Brent Council was entered into the Large City Category and was successful in achieving a 'Silver Gilt' standard for its parks, gardens and open spaces. The Silver Gilt Standard is the highest standard and award achievable for Brent in this category and one rightly deserved. In addition to this prestigious award, Gladstone park was singled out as being one of London’s most beautiful parks and it was awarded a Silver Gilt award for the high levels of horticultural in its floral displays, nature and wildlife conservation areas and its ongoing commitment to environmental best practice. The Mayor stated that this was a great accolade for Brent and further evidence of its commitment to its residents and visitors in providing, beautiful, safe and well managed public open space for everyone.

The Mayor announced that following the success of the boys’ football team in the 2009 London Youth Games, team manager Abdi Farah had been nominated by Brent Sports Service for “Team Manager of the Year Award” for the London Youth Games Annual presentation, on 15th September. On behalf of the Council, the Mayor wished him good luck.

The Mayor remined members that the Brent Countryside Day would take place on Sunday 20^th September at Fryent Country Park.  He encouraged everyone to attend.

The Mayor reminded members that the “Not Another Drop Peace March” was taking place on Saturday 26^th September starting from Roundwood Park in Harlesden at 11.30am.  He stated that it would be encouraging to see as many members as possible supporting this event.

The Mayor announced that Richard Cotton was this year again organising a sponsored walk on Sunday 18^th October from Brent to Richmond in aid of the Paul Daisley Trust and his Mayoral charity.

In accordance with Standing Orders the Mayor drew attention to the list of current petitions showing progress on dealing with them circulated around the chamber.

RESOLVED:-

that the following appointments be made:

In accordance with Standing Order 39, up to ten questions selected by the Leaders of the three main political groups will be followed with supplementary questions to the Executive.

A copy of the selected questions and the answers where possible will be separately circulated to all members.

The selected questions submitted under the provisions of standing order 38 had been circulated together with written responses from the respective Lead Members. The Members who had put the questions were invited to ask their supplementary questions.

The following five questions had been selected by the Leader of the Labour Group.

Brent’s transport fleet – alternative fuel vehicles

The question from Councillor Powney had asked if alternative fuel vehicles would be considered when replacing the Council’s transport fleet, how much this would contribute to cutting the Council’s carbon emissions and if the current contract with North Kendric Ash would permit it.   Councillor Powney referred to the answer given by Councillor Wharton to the question from Councillor Cummins referred to below which stated that electric vehicles did not reduce carbon emissions because they used energy from fossil fuels.  He also referred to an item Councillor Cummins raised at a past Council meeting about alternative fuels for the Mayor’s car.  If it was worth considering alternative fuels it would clearly be worth including in that consideration the Council’s fleet of 120 minibuses.  As his supplementary question, Councillor Powney asked if before committing to a new contract, the Executive would commit to finding out the effect on costs and carbon emissions of switching to a variety of alternative fuel vehicles.

Councillor Wharton (Lead Member for Children and Families) replied that electric vehicles would not solve the problem and so the most practical way forward was proposed.  There was no commercial hybrid  vehicle, the Government had reduced the subsidy on the use of LPG and left only methane which required a big tank which could not be accommodated on the vehicles and anyway methane was a potent greenhouse gas.  The approach had been to look at the practical options available and this was already under consideration.  

Council expenditure on combating gun and knife crime

The question from Councillor Van Kalwala had asked how much of the Council’s budget was spent on combating gun and knife crime. Councillor Van Kalwala claimed that the work outlined in the answer he had received was funded from external sources and so stated that the Council did not spend any of its mainstream money on this issue.   No supplementary question was asked.

Alternative education for excluded pupils

The question from Councillor Moloney had asked what was being done to find alternative education for students excluded from school.  He expressed surprise at the answer he had received in light of the M Power training programme being withdrawn with no consultation because no-one was prepared to take the responsibility for running it.  As a supplementary question, Councillor Moloney asked why 54 children were abandoned by the Council when M Power was closed with no proper notice given.

Councillor Wharton (Lead Member for Children and Families) replied that he had answered the original question put by Councillor Moloney.  As regards the running of M Power, this was the responsibility of the John Kelly schools.  Following a review it was concluded that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

In accordance with Standing Order 39 the following items have been submitted by the members indicated:

(a) Jubilee Line Weekend Closures - Councillor Clues

(b) Keeping Wembley Clean - Councillor Pervez

(c) No item submitted

(i)         Jubilee Line week-end closures.

Councillor Clues introduced the item he had raised which asked that while the unpredictable week-end closures on the Jubilee Line continued would the Executive lobby the Mayor of London and Transport for London to have the Metropolitan Line trains stop at Willesden Green and Neasden.  Councillor Clues emphasised the benefit to local people of his proposal which he felt would be simple to implement.

Councillor D Brown (Lead Member for Transport and Highways) responded by explaining that bus replacement services did operate on those days when the Jubilee Line was closed but he also referred to when large events took place in the borough and the local rail services were suspended.  He could only agree that it appeared a simple arrangement to facilitate the Metropolitan Line trains stopping at Willesden Green and Neasden but he had been informed by London Transport that the platforms were not suitable to allow this. 

(ii)        Keeping Wembley Clean

Councillor Pervez introduced the item she had raised which asked that ways of stopping the spitting of paan and chewing gum be explored.  She drew attention to the detrimental effect the spitting of paan was having on the area of Wembley when at the same time the area was being turned it into a national landmark.

Councillor D Brown (Lead Member for Transport and Highways) acknowledged the importance of the item raised by Councillor Pervez and that paan spitting was a problem in some areas.  The Council had recently spent £85,000 steam cleaning areas of the borough and a decision had recently been taken to increase the visits made to the Wembley are.  He added that any ban on the use of paan would require legislation. In the meantime the council was doing what it could but it was very staff intensive.

The report from the Leader or other members of the Executive:

(i)            Improvement and Efficiency programme

Councillor Lorber stated that everybody was aware of the Improvement and Efficiency Strategy the prime objective of which was to continue to provide the best services to local people and respond to the tough economic times ahead.  He added that some departments were already undertaking transformation programmes and the new civic centre would be at the heart of the efficiency agenda.  He asked all members to support the strategy.

(ii)        Council’s response to the recession in Brent

Councillor Lorber reported that work was underway on assessing the impact of the recession on local people.  The biggest challenge in the borough was rising unemployment.  Although there had been talk of the recession being over, he stated that unemployment would continue to rise.  The primary objective of the Council was to assist people to equip themselves with new skills so that they were equipped to face the challenges ahead.

(iii)       Not Another Drop march

Councillor Lorber referred to the Mayor’s announcement that the ‘Not Another Drop’ march was due to take place on 26^th September.  He stated that it was important to get the campaign across to the community and that over 500 organisations had been contacted requesting they support the march.

(iv)       Recycling update

Councillor Van Colle referred to the question answered by Councillor Lorber at the meeting concerning the success of the compulsory recycling scheme and added that this had resulted a reduction in waste of over 4,500 tonnes.  He urged everybody to continue to reduce their waste and increase the amount recycled.  Audited figures now showed a recycling rate in the borough of 28.2% although the rolling monthly figure was estimated at 30% with a figure for the last 3 months closer to 35%.

(v)        School places

Councillor Wharton referred to the question he answered at the meeting regarding school places.  He reported that the expansion of Claremont and Preston High schools had helped meet the demand for places at Years 7 and 8 but that Years 9 to 11 still had pressure on places.  As for primary places he stated that in 2007 the reception year had about 3000 pupils a year which had now risen to 3,300 and was forecast to continue to rise to 3,600 by 2012, which represented a 20% increase over 5 years.  The increase appeared to be largely down to an increasing birth rate.  An additional 200 places had been provided but another 400 would have to be found by 2012.  This would mean a capital cost of £15M with £11M coming to the borough over the next few years meaning that a considerable funding gap existed.  An application had been made to the Government by way of the basic needs safety valve but Councillor Wharton submitted that the government had not yet grasped the scale of the problem facing the borough.

(vi)       The Treasury Management Annual Report 2008/09

Councillor Blackman introduced the Treasury Management Annual Report 2008/09 and urged members to read it. He pointed out  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7a

The Chair will report on the activities of Overview and Scrutiny.

Councillor Jones introduced her report.  She added that there remained a lot of work being undertaken in support of the task groups and more could be done if the resources to support it were available.  She again emphasised the importance of members attending the meetings so that a cross section of views could be considered.

The Leaders have submitted the following motions to be debated:

Building of John Kelly Schools/Crest Academies

Councillor John moved the motion in her name which asked the Council to seek an urgent meeting with Government Ministers to see if the Government could help the Council to purchase land adjoining the John Kelly Schools to avoid building the new academies in a way that it was claimed would be unfit for purpose.  Councillor John stated that the failure to buy the land was a result of not getting it together in time to follow the plans of her previous administration.  Buying the land would have reduced construction time and provided outdoor sports facilities.  With restricted access to the site during the four year construction period she claimed most parents would think twice before applying for their children to attend the schools.  There were health and safety implications which meant that there was a higher risk of accidents.  A separate access and the purchase of the adjoining land would have avoided these concerns.  Instead a change of approach had been adopted with no discussion with interested parties.

It was stated that the previous administration had prioritised the rebuilding of the John Kelly Schools because they were good schools but the decision taken now to save the £5M on land purchase jeopardised the future of the schools.  It was submitted that the two Principals of the CREST academies would do all they could to make the schools a success but they had been undermined by the failure of the Council to acquire the land that had previously been promised. During a period of inaction and delay the value of the land had risen and there was now to be a period of disruption to the provision of education while the new schools were built.  The view was added that delays around progressing the development of the ARK academy had caused problems and a similar situation had arisen with the CREST academies.  This would lead to a serious position on the supply of school places if the borough had two schools which parents did not want to send their children to.

In opposition to the motion, it was pointed out that the real issue was that the owner of the land had managed to get planning permission for a change of use for the land which had increased its value greatly.  The Council therefore had the choice to continue pursuing the compulsory acquisition of the land which could have taken up to 5 years during which no new school would have been built or seek additional money from the Government during a time of financial difficulties with no guarantee the money would be forthcoming.  In the circumstances the Council had taken the only sensible option and obtained funding necessary for the re-building of the schools now. Additionally it was pointed out that the legal procedure for compulsory purchase of land allowed the owner the object to the acquisition and thereby delay the proceedings.  Studies had shown that it would be possible to build the new schools on the existing site  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8a

Fairness for our Caribbean residents

Councillor Bessong moved the motion in Councillor Lorber’s name which sought to put pressure on the Government to abolish air passenger duty and replace it with a fairer tax.  He added that people were deeply concerned over climate change and the effect it was having on their lives.  There were a significant proportion of people in Brent with friends and families living in the Caribbean that would be affected by the duty and the proposal set out in the motion was a more viable approach.

It was disputed whether the Governments of the Caribbean supported the terms of the motion and if it would lead to a fairer approach for those travelling to the Caribbean. Councillor Van Kalwala moved an amendment to the motion which sought to request that any duty should be based on the level of carbon emissions produced by flights and welcomed the actions of Dawn Butler, MP in seeking to include the Caribbean islands in the same banding area as the east coast of the United States of America.  This was put to the vote and declared LOST.

The motion in the name of the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group was put to the vote and declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED:

This Council:

·         notes the Government’s plans to introduce a new banding system for air passenger duty;

·         believes that any duty should be based on the level of carbon emissions produced by flights, rather than arbitrary zones based on location of a country’s capital city;

·         notes that actual distance travelled is a good approximation for carbon emissions;

·         further notes that the new banding system will result in flights to the Caribbean incurring a higher tax than flights to the West Coast of the United States, despite being closer in distance to the UK.

Brent Council is concerned that the proposed new banding system will disadvantage many residents in the area who have friends and family in the Caribbean while doing nothing to effectively curb carbon emissions.

Council therefore instructs the Leader of the Council to write to Brent’s three Members of Parliament outlining our concerns in this area, and urging them to sign Early Day Motion 1761 which calls on the Government to abolish the air passenger duty and replace this with a per plane tax based on the actual distance travelled, which would be fairer for passengers flying on busy routes.

Funding of free bus travel in London

Councillor Van Colle moved the motion in Councillor Blackman’s name which sought to oppose the attempt by the Government to transfer the costs of free bus travel for the elderly and infirm to Brent Council taxpayers.   In so doing he declared that he held a Freedom Pass.  Councillor Van Colle pointed out that the Council stood to lose £2M if the Government proceeded with its proposals and London Councils was asking all London MPs to oppose this move. 

It was submitted that the proposal by the Government was an attempt to redistribute money away from London to the rest of the country.  The Leader stated that he had already written to Brent’s three MPs for their support but to date he had only received a reply from Sarah Teather, MP.  He felt it was an issue all MPs and councillors should stand up to.

It was submitted that if the intention was to get all party agreement, the motion as submitted was not the way to go about it.  It was felt more discreet routes would be better used to influence the decisions to be taken, including calling on the Council to guarantee protection of future funding.  Councillor R Moher moved an amendment to the motion which sought to widen responsibility for protecting the funding of the Freedom Pass and reaffirm support for the Freedom Pass as a universal non means tested benefit.  This was put to the vote and declared LOST.

The motion in the name of the Leader of the Conservative Group was put to the vote and declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED:

This Council notes the threats from the Labour Government to reduce public expenditure to compensate for their complete failure to handle the public finances properly.

This Council further notes that Gordon Brown has claimed to have ended boom and bust, but Britain went into one of the deepest recessions in the developed world. Over the last year, 2,000 people have lost their job every day. The Bank of England has warned that we face a difficult and protracted recovery and, even when the recession ends, Britain will be left with a massive debt crisis. Under Labour we have the largest budget deficit of any large economy and the highest debt level since World War Two.

In particular, this Council notes that the Labour Government has threatened to remove £52 million in funding of free bus travel in London for the elderly and infirm. This Council believes that this will result in this cost falling on the Brent Council Taxpayer.

This Council resolves to support London Councils and the Greater London Authority in outright opposition to this unwarranted and unfair attempt by the Labour Government to transfer these costs to Brent Council taxpayers.

At the discretion of the Mayor to consider any urgent business.

Harrow Central Mosque

A motion in the names Councillors Blackman, Lorber and John was proposed by the Mayor and CARRIED unanimously.

RESOLVED:

that the Council re-affirms its commitment to ensure that all residents have the right to practise the religion of their choice in peace and harmony;

that the events at the Harrow Central Mosque be noted  and the police be congratulated for the way that they carried out their activities, the mosque and the mosque leaders be congratulated for exercising appropriate restraint and also all political parties on Harrow Council be congratulated for acting to promote community cohesion;

that the Council condemns the ignorant, pointless and misguided attempts by extreme anti-Islamic elements to carry out a demonstration against the Islamic faith outside the mosque during Friday prayers and during the period of Ramadan, and also condemns outsiders within the counter demonstration who refused to respond to the restraint called for by mosque leaders, and who resorted to attacks on the police;

that any similar types of demonstrations in this borough will be opposed and the Council will work with the police and leaders of the mosques to prepare suitable plans to combat this threat, should it ever unfortunately occur in Brent.  Brent Council remains committed to tolerant, peaceful expression of religious and racial freedom.