Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED:-

that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 19 January 2015 be approved as an accurate record of the meeting.

Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, any relevant personal and prejudicial interests and discloseable pecuniary interest in any matter to be considered at this meeting.

Councillor Nerva declared a non pecuniary interest in relation to item 6 – Budget 2015/16 and Council Tax by virtue of his membership of the Local Government Information Unit.

The Mayor pointed out that this was the last meeting at which he would be Mayor before the annual meeting in May.

The Mayor announced that his end of year party would be on 16 May and that details would follow.

The Mayor drew attention to the list of current petitions showing progress on dealing with them which had been circulated around the hall.

The Chief Whip moved a procedural motion in relation to debating the item on the 2015/16 Budget and Council Tax.

Councillor Warren moved an amendment to the procedural motion seeking to allow a longer time to be given to the contributions by the Leaders of the Brondesbury Park Conservative Group and the Conservative Group, which was put to the vote and declared LOST.

RESOLVED:

(i)         that the Leader of the Council be permitted to speak for up to 15 minutes in presenting the report on the 2015/16 budget and Council Tax to the meeting, setting out the Cabinet’s proposals for the budget, after which the following arrangements be agreed for the purpose of debating and voting upon the 2015/16 Budget and Council Tax:

the Leader of the Brondesbury Park Conservative Group be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes,

the Leader of the Conservative Group be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes,

the Deputy Leader of the Council be permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes,

the Chair of the Scrutiny Committee be permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes,

a general debate to follow during which the usual rules for

debate will apply as set out in Standing Orders 46 and 47 save

as set out in this procedural motion,

the Leader of the Council be permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes to submit his closing remarks;

(ii)        that voting on each Group’s budget proposals be taken en bloc.

None.

On 23 February Cabinet considers the Budget and Council Tax 2015/16 report. Cabinet will ask Full Council to approve the recommendations included in the report submitted or as amended at the meeting.  The report submitted presents a summary of the further work that has been undertaken in order to reach the budget proposed, and the reasons for the proposals. 

The Council had before it a report seeking approval of the 2015/16 revenue and capital budgets and to the Council Tax to be levied.  It set out the process for developing the budget, a breakdown of service area budgets and the overall budget requirement in 2015/16.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Butt, addressed the meeting in support of the proposed budget.  He stated that the decisions before Council were between what services to continue and what to cease in the face of more than £50m worth of savings the Council was being forced to make over the next two years. The proposals sought to provide hope for a more prosperous, inclusive and healthier borough.  The proposals had been prepared in consultation with local people so that their priorities could be reflected in the Council’s priorities. He noted that those boroughs facing the greatest cuts were those with the highest levels of poverty.  He referred to some of the cuts to Council services having to be made and how Councils were no longer able to help vulnerable families as they once did.  He stated that there were those that wanted to defend council services by not setting a legal budget but pointed out the consequences of the Government stepping in to run the Council; some argued for a rise in council tax but he countered this with the financial situation Brent’s residents faced. Councillor Butt stated that Council Tax was now outdated and raising it would create as many problems as it would solve.  He referred to some of the more controversial measures contained in the budget and explained why these decisions had been taken.  He referred to the wide-ranging public consultation that had taken place and paid tribute to all those people who had taken part.  As a consequence, the Leader referred to the decisions taken not to cut some services and how further savings were being sought from the back office services.  Nevertheless there were difficult decisions that had to be taken. 

Following repeated interruptions by a person sitting in the public gallery and repeated warnings from the Mayor not to interrupt, the Mayor asked the person concerned to leave the meeting.

The Leader continued by stating that the Council had to become a champion for fair pay and security at home. The proposed budget marked a beginning for people who cared about Brent to find solutions to make the borough a more pleasant, secure and prosperous place.

Councillor Warren referred to what he felt was a bizarre discussion on the budget at the Cabinet meeting the previous week which he had not been able to follow.  He referred to the public consultation carried out on the budget which he stated had only been used as an opportunity to criticise the Government.  Budget proposals in the names of the Brondesbury Park Conservative councillors were circulated at the meeting.  Councillor Warren thanked those who had helped him with his proposals.  He outlined his proposals for a Council Tax cut,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The report submitted sets out – through its attached appendix – the final draft of the proposed Brent Borough Plan for 2015 - 2019.  The Borough Plan constitutes a community strategy for Brent and sets out how the Council, its partner services, local residents, local business and the voluntary and community sector will, working together, improve the quality of life for local people. The priorities and the promised outcomes identified are firmly rooted in what local people have told us they believe to be the most important things to be achieved.

The Borough Plan constitutes a community strategy for Brent and sets out how the Council, its partner services, local residents, local business and the voluntary and community sector will, working together, improve the quality of life locally. The Cabinet had considered the Draft Borough Plan at its meeting on 15 December 2014 and since then the draft document had been the subject of detailed discussion with partners in the statutory and voluntary sectors.  Members were now being asked to agree the plan.

RESOLVED:

            that the Borough Plan for 2015-2019 be agreed and the Chief Executive be authorised to make any minor changes before publication.

The report submitted seeks agreement for the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) Scheme of Delegation. The Scheme is an arrangement between the OPDC and the London Borough of Brent, which formalises the delegation of certain planning functions from the OPDC to London Borough of Brent in those parts of the OPDC area that fall within the borough boundary.

The agreement of Members was sought for the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) Scheme of Delegation, which was an arrangement between the OPDC and the London Borough of Brent to formalise the delegation of certain planning functions.

RESOLVED:

(i)         that the OPDC Scheme of Delegation for Planning Functions in the London Borough of Brent, as set out in Appendix A of the report submitted, be agreed;

(ii)        that the Protocol for handling planning applications and other planning related functions attached as Appendix B of the report submitted, be approved;

(iii)       that the functions to be discharged by the Council on behalf of the OPDC be delegated to the Planning Committee and officers in accordance with the current arrangements for carrying out planning functions and that the Planning Committee’s terms of reference and Part 4 of the Constitution be amended accordingly, as shown underlined in Appendix C of the report submitted;

(iv)       that any minor ancillary matters arising from time to time in respect of the Scheme of Delegation or the Protocol be delegated to the Strategic Director, Regeneration & Growth;

(v)        that the matters set out in (i) – (iv) above take effect from 1 April 2015 or such other time as the OPDC planning functions become effective.

Thepurposeofthereport submittedis to inform Members ofthearrangements thathavebeen putinplaceinBrentCouncil to meetthe requirementsofthe Localism Act to producea pay policystatementon an annual basis.

Thepurposeofthereport before Members was to inform them ofthearrangements thathad beenput inplace to meetthe requirement to produce a pay policy statement on an annual basis.  The statement in draft had been approved by the General Purposes Committee on 29 January 2015.

Councillor Warren proposed an amendment to the pay policy statement by adding to the key strategic aims for 2015/19 reference to adopting a zero tolerance to bullying of staff by fellow staff members.  In response, Councillor Pavey assured members that the recommendations in his review of equalities and HR policies would be implemented and, whilst agreeing with the sentiments of Councillor Warren’s proposed amendment, pointed out that the document before Members was a pay policy and not an HR strategy.

Councillor Warren’s amendment was put to the vote and declared LOST.

RESOLVED:

that the draft pay policy statement attached to the report submitted be approved as an accurate and factual representation of the Council’s pay arrangements for 2015/16.

The report submitted proposes amending the Constitution to reflect the senior manager restructuring agreed by the Cabinet, and to address changes in the law in relation to procurement. There is also a minor change in relation to meetings of Teachers’ Joint Consultative Committee.

The report before Members proposed that the Constitution be amended so as to reflect the senior manager restructuring agreed by the Cabinet, and to address changes in the law in relation to procurement. There was also a minor change in relation to meetings of the Teachers’ Joint Consultative Committee.

Councillor Warren moved a procedural motion that would enable him to propose an additional amendment to the Constitution, notice of which had not been put before the Mayor.  The procedural motion was put to the vote and declared LOST.

RESOLVED:

(i)         that the changes made to the Constitution as shown in Appendix 1 of the report submitted in relation to the senior management restructure to take effect from 1 April 2015 be agreed;

(ii)        that the Chief Legal Officer be delegated authority to make such other incidental changes to the Constitution as are necessary in relation to the senior management restructure;

(iii)       that any previous delegations made by the Council, its committees, or the Cabinet, and its committees to post titles now deleted be regarded as delegations to those Chief Officers to whom that function has now transferred;

(iv)       that the changes to Contract Standing Orders as shown in Appendix 2 be agreed;

(v)        that the frequency of meetings of the Teachers’ Joint Consultative Committee be varied from at least once per every school term to ad hoc.

The Mayor authorised the following report as urgent and not admitting of delay because the date of the next Council meeting would be too late for the matter to be considered.

RESOLVED:

(i)         that Councillor Oladapo’s absence from meetings of the Council since 27 November 2014 be approved on the basis of his ill-health and that the position be reviewed, if required, at the first Ordinary Meeting of Full Council for the 2015/16 Municipal Year;

(iii)       that the Council’s wishes for a speedy return to good health be passed on to Councillor Oladapo.