Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED, that the minutes of the previous meeting, held on Monday 11 July 2016, be approved as an accurate record of the meeting, subject to the following amendments:

(i)        Minute No.4 (Appointments to Committees and Outside Bodies and Appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs).

That, at Line 1 to Resolution (i) therein, the word “Person” be deleted and replaced with “Member” to reflect the appointment of Dr Robert Cawley as Independent Member to the Council’s Standards Committee; and

(ii)       That Councillor Allie be recorded as having left the meeting of 11 July 2016, early.

In accordance with Standing Order 2 (Suspension of Standing Orders), Councillor Warren moved that Council suspend Standing Orders to consider a matter of urgent business Councillor Warren had asked be considered at this meeting.

For clarity, the Chief Executive asked that all Members be made aware as to what the matter in question was before Council could determine whether or not to suspend Standing Orders.

In response, Councillor Warren stated that Cabinet had decided to delegate to Councillor Butt and the Chief Executive, the decision to agree that the Revenue Support Grant be fixed for the next four years and that in addition to that, an efficiency plan be agreed. 

Councillor Warren stated that he accepted that the decision had been made by Cabinet and that decision was final but felt that Members should be aware of the significance of that decision, which was binding upon the next Administration, and also felt that Members would want to see what was included in any efficiency plan.

Councillor Warren said that 14 October 2016 was the date by which a decision had to be arrived at and the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to be notified of that decision.  He added that the urgent item he had asked to be considered was for an Extraordinary Meeting of the Council to be convened on 13 October 2016 to discuss the content or whatever decision the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive had made.  In conclusion, Councillor Warren said that this was a significant interest from the Council’s point of view and since it was part of the Budget process, should be discussed.

In response, Councillor McLennan, Deputy Leader, stated that the decision to offer the fixed, four-year rate had been agreed last year by DCLG and that the Council had agreed that it would wait until after the referendum as there was an area of uncertainty as to what the impact would be.  Councillor McLennan went on to say that now the Referendum had been held most, if not all London Councils, had agreed to the four-year rate since it was the only matter at the present time where the Council could say with any certainty that there was guaranteed income coming in.

Councillor McLennan said that Officers had been informed that out of all the London Councils, none had rejected it and, in terms of how it had been agreed, most Councils Cabinets had taken the decision.  She said that one or two London Councils had taken the matter to Full Council and that little or no discussion had taken place.  She added that Cabinet taking the decision was the right action to take.  Councillor McLennan said that the Cabinet decision on the offer made had been taken last year.

In conclusion, in respect of any efficiency plan, Councillor McLennan stated that, in line with transparency, she was happy for Members to see budget proposals prior to consultation.

On a vote being taken by a show of hands, three  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

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

There were no declarations of interest received from Members.

The Mayor made the following announcements:

(i)        The Mayors’ Charities

The Mayor said that Members would have been aware that he had had a busy summer working to raise money for his three charities.  The Mayor thanked Members for their support.

Since the last meeting of Full Council, the Mayor had held the first of his fundraising events.  He said it was a magnificent event with over 400 guests in attendance and he thanked all the Members of his Charity Committee who had made the event such a success.

The Mayor advised Council that his next two fundraising events were planned for 15 December 2016 and 16 March 2017 and he encouraged all Members to support both events in any way they could.

(ii)       Civic Reception

The Mayor was delighted to announce that, on 29 September 2016, he would be holding his Civic Reception at Crest Academy in his Ward and that all Members were warmly invited to attend.

(iii)      Nice, France

The Mayor said that recent events in New York reminded us how fragile the society we lived in was.  He said that whilst Members were raising money in Brent on 14 July 2016, the tragic events in Nice had unfolded. The Mayor said that the Council’s thoughts and prayers were with the victims of these barbaric acts.

(iv)      Zee London Mela

The Mayor was delighted, along with the Leader of the Council, to have welcomed the Zee London Mela in Wembley last month. Despite the weather, he said that Wembley had come alive with a mixture of cultures, food and music and he expressed the Council’s thanks to The Mayor of London who graced the event with his presence.

The Mayor said that, hopefully, the Council would see the Mela return to Brent next year.

(v)       Kingsbury Synagogue 80th Anniversary Event

The Mayor said he had been honoured to attend the Kingsbury Synagogue 80th Anniversary Event recently.

(vi)      Pakistani Independence Day

The Mayor thanked the Councillors who had organised the successful Pakistani Independence Day Celebration held recently at the Civic Centre.

(vii)    Community Festivals

The Mayor announced that a number of fantastic community festivals had taken place since the Council last met:

·                The Harlesden Community Festival;

·                The Willesden Temple 41st Anniversary Celebrations;

·                The Cricklewood Festival;

·                The outreach event for Romanian communities delivered by the East European Resource Centre.

(viii)   A-Level and GCSE Attainment

The Mayor was delighted to announce that Brent’s A-Level and GCSE attainment had improved again this year.  He said that the young people were a credit to the Borough and he congratulated them on the hard work they had put in over the past year.

The Mayor also extended his thanks to Brent’s many dedicated teachers, staff and governors who had worked tirelessly to help the Borough’s young people reach their full potential.

(ix)      Coffee Morning for MacMillan Cancer Support

The Mayor encouraged all Members to come to the Civic Centre from 9.30am to 12.30pm on Friday 30 September 2016 to join the Coffee Morning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

RESOLVED, that the following appointments to committees be ratified by the Council:

(i)           Wellbeing and Scrutiny Committee

The resignation by Payam Tamiz (Al-Khoei Foundation) as co-opted Member of the Council’s Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee and the appointment by the Foundation of Siddika Gulamhusein as replacement Member on the Committee, be noted; and

(ii)                  Standards Committee

Dr Robert Cawley be appointed as Independent Member to the Council’s Standards Committee (Minute No.1 (i) above refers).

To receive reports from the Leader and Cabinet in accordance with Standing Order 38.

In accordance with Standing Order 38, the Council received reports from the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Members, as follows:

(i)                    Councillor Butt (Leader of the Council)

(a)    Syrian Refugees

Councillor Butt spoke on the recent plight of Syrian refugees and how Brent was working with partners to ensure their safe transition to Brent.  He added that other London Councils and the LGA had visited Calais to see at first hand, the extent of the situation and that they had returned with renewed vigour to help individuals affected.  He went on to say that, in Brent, the Council had been working with UK London Citizens, the Inter Faiths’ Centre and Crest Academy in an attempt to set up a network of support to any Syrian refugees moving to Brent.

(b)   Streets and Heritage

Councillor Butt said that the Council had recently been contacted by the National Lottery Heritage Fund asking how it could work with the Council in providing allocated funding to improve streets and areas of heritage within the Borough.

(c)    Bobby Thomas

Councillor Butt extended his thanks to Bobby Thomas who had organised the recent Harlesden Festival, which made sure that the Council had resilient communities that it was supporting and working with.

(ii)                  Councillor Pavey (Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities)

“Time to Talk” Event

Councillor Pavey took the opportunity to invite all Members and residents to attend the latest of the Council’s “Time to Talk” events, which was scheduled to be held on the evening of 3 October 2016.  Councillor Pavey said that Time to Talk was all about engaging with the community to try and find grass root solutions to the really difficult problems faced and that, following the success of the Council’s most recent event on hate crime, the next event would focus on extremism.

Councillor Pavey went on to say that this was an important issue and one the Council wanted to address openly, sensibly and constructively.  In conclusion, Councillor Pavey encouraged everyone with an interest in this area to come along and get involved.

(iii)                 Councillor Southwood (Cabinet Member for Environment)

(a)   Illegal Dumping and Antisocial Behaviour

Councillor Southwood said that Members and residents shared her frustration at the number of hotspots the Council had across the Borough where not only was illegal dumping very common but where there was a link to antisocial behaviour.

Councillor Southwood sought to advise Members that the Council was taking a much more joined-up approach to some of these areas and that this was beginning to yield results.  She added that, more importantly, the Council had to work more closely with the community and similar with the model pioneered by the Keep Wembley Tidy Group and she thanked the Group for helping the Council to get better at working in partnership.

(b)   Brent Transport Service

Councillor Southwood said that many Members and residents may not have been familiar with the Brent Transport Service, which transported the Borough’s young people who attended special schools across Brent, as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To hear any deputations received from members of the public in accordance with standing order 39.

In accordance with Standing Order 39, there were no deputations received from members of the public.

To receive questions from members of the public to be put to members of the Cabinet in accordance with standing order 39A.

The Mayor advised Council that six questions had been received by those residents listed below and that, in each case, a written response had been circulated and details of these had been placed before Members. 

Council noted that those persons who had submitted Questions 4 and 5 were present at the meeting.

Question 1 from Fahmida Shakhar Khan to Councillor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Environment.

Question 2 from Ramesh Gami to Councillor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Environment.

Question 3 from Chris Dunham to Councillor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Environment.

Question 4 from Elham Farsi to Councillor Farah, Cabinet Member for Housing.

The Mayor welcomed Ms Farsi to the meeting and invited her to put a supplementary question to Councillor Farah.

Ms Farsi stated that she had not been happy with the answer given to her original question and asked for it to be readdressed.  In response, Councillor Farah proposed that he meet with Ms Farsi outside of the Council Meeting to take the matter forward.

Question 5 from Ms Jennifer Dowell to Councillor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Environment.

The Mayor welcomed Ms Dowell to the meeting and invited her to put a supplementary question to Councillor Southwood.

Ms Dowell stated that she did not have a supplementary question but that she felt she was being punished for doing a good job within her neighbourhood.  In response, Councillor Southwood proposed that she meet with Ms Dowell outside of the Council Meeting to look at ways in which the Council could do more to assist her.

Question 6 from Malik Nasir Khan to Councillor Farah, Cabinet Member for Housing.

For councillors to refer to petitions received and debate a petition with more than 200 signatures in accordance with the Council’s petition rules and standing order 68.

In accordance with Standing Order 68, there were no petitions received.

To debate an issue raised in accordance with standing order 39B and to receive reports from Cabinet members in issues previously raised.

Non-Cabinet Members discussed the issue of grammar schools.

During the debate, Members expressed concern over the lack of any real evidence to even continue to provide grammar schools and that the introduction of further such schools was a disastrous policy and would not help the brightest children.

Members acknowledged that all children should be given an equal chance particularly as far as education provision was concerned and that the Council and other local authorities which shared the same concerns, should apply pressure to the Government accordingly.

Members were concerned that the Government, in proposing the introduction of further grammar schools, had failed to address current important issues concerning education provision across the Country, including head teacher and teacher retention levels, class size issues, valuing teachers and supporting head teachers in their challenging roles.

During debate, a number of points were raised by Members, including:

·           Local authorities should continue to make comprehensive schools better.

·           In areas where there were grammar schools, only 20-30% achieved five A to C grades, as opposed to areas without grammar schools.

·           Grammar schools provided no social value and actually made nearby schools worse by syphoning out local resources.

·           Grammar schools were for children who had been selected at just 11 years, which was too young.

·           Education was a birth right and not a privilege

Councillor Sabina Khan left the meeting at 7.54pm.

Questions to be put to members of the Cabinet in accordance with standing order 40.

The Mayor advised Members that this item gave them the opportunity to ask questions of Members of the Cabinet on any matter, which was the responsibility of Cabinet.  He confirmed that Members had received written tabled responses to these questions.

The Mayor stated that non-Cabinet Members each had one minute to ask a supplementary question if they so wished.

(i)           Councillor Shaw asked the Cabinet Member to inform residents as to who was responsible for sorting out the damage from floods, which had affected residents living in Chamberlain Road and All Souls Avenue NW10? 

In response, the Chief Executive advised Council that this question had already been answered in the written tabled responses, which had been circulated previously.

(ii)          Councillor Choudhary asked the Cabinet Member that, since reports in circulation suggested that unemployment would rise next year as a result of Brexit, what action was likely to be taken to challenge those problems.

In response, Councillor Mashari (Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Growth, Employment and Skills) reiterated that there were signs of recruitment contracting significantly since Brexit in the short-term at least.  She said that in a snap-poll following Brexit, conducted by the Institute of Directors, figures had suggested that a quarter of firms were temporarily freezing recruitment.  Councillor Mashari went on to say that other surveys conducted suggested that six out of nine sectors surveyed were less optimistic about adding jobs in the wake of Brexit.

Councillor Mashari agreed with Councillor Choudhary that there was a great deal of uncertainty and a great lack of confidence at the present time.  Councillor Mashari reassured Members that the Council was doing all that it could to reassure businesses, not just in Brent but across West London and in some of the sectors where large numbers of Brent’s residents were employed.  She said that the West London Economic Prosperity Board was a key driver in this and that she would be working closely with the Chief Executive of West London Business, Angie Dakers, to bring forward proposals across West London to create a hub for businesses to get the information and the confidence they needed and, crucially, would work with the Borough’s Eastern European and wider European workforce, which Brent’s economy, locally, depended upon.  In conclusion, Councillor Mashari reiterated that it was an uncertain time and that there was evidence already that recruitment was contracting in the short-term but that the Council would be working with its partners across West London to instil as much confidence in businesses and employers as it could.

(iii)         Councillor Daly asked the Cabinet Member if Members could be advised of the timetable for the roll-out of additional Police Officers in the remaining wards within the Borough.

In response, Councillor Pavey (Cabinet Member for Safer Communities) advised Members that all wards in Brent would have two dedicated ward officers, by the end of 2017.  He said that around half of the Borough’s Wards would have these dedicated officers in place by the end of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

To receive reports in accordance with Standing Order 41.

Council received the following reports from Chairs of Scrutiny Committees, as detailed in the Supplementary Agenda to this meeting:

(i)        Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Kelcher, Chair to the Committee, referred to his report which, in accordance with Standing Order 14, provided a summary of the activities that had been carried out by the Council’s Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee.  The report covered the period from 18 May 2016 to the present day and gave details of the Committee’s planned training, programme of work and items discussed during the committee meetings.

Councillor Kelcher stated that, at the last meeting, he had set out that the main reforms the Committee would focus on since he became Chair of the Committee and that these had been set out in detail in its Annual Report.

Councillor Kelcher said that the Committee was improving the way it requested reports in order that Members, and officers, were clear on what the Committee was receiving and then setting the agenda with the involvement of the whole Committee.  He said that, since then, he believed that the Committee had taken these reforms further by conducting some reality checking visits, for example, the Committee had visited the CCTV Control Room before meeting to discuss the issue.  He added that the Committee was working on a system whereby verbal recommendations were followed-up on as much as written recommendations and he had started to meet with Heads of Departments to make sure the Committee was aware of ongoing developments.

Councillor Kelcher said that, with regard to task groups that had been set up, the Committee had received a report from Councillor Farah (Cabinet Member for Housing) on S106 matters and that the Committee, in endorsing all other recommendations in the report had amended two and rejected one of the recommendations in the report, which was now the matter for consideration by the Cabinet.

Councillor Kelcher went on to say that the Committee had received further updates from two task groups, which had been set up previously.  These, he said, referred to CCTV and illegal dumping of rubbish and, in both cases, the Committee had made further recommendations, which it believed built on the spirit of those reports and hoped would help to expand them.

Councillor Kelcher said that the Committee had also set up further task groups.  The first of these, he said, was to look at business rates and that this task group would be chaired by Councillor Davidson.  He said that the task group would look at the system of devolving business rates for local authorities, which was happening in this Parliament, how these would affect Brent, how Brent could take advantage of it and how exactly it would work and what the rules would be.

Councillor Kelcher said that the second task group to be established, after Christmas, was one which would consider child sexual exploitation and would be chaired by Councillor Tatler.  In between these, he said, there would be a Budget task  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Councillor McLennan, Deputy Leader of the Council, introduced the report by the Council’s Chief Finance Officer, which asked Council to notethe 2015/16 Treasury Management outturn report, which was substantively the same as that reviewed at Cabinet on 15 August and Audit Committee on 30th June, in compliance with CIPFA’s Code of Practice on Treasury Management (the Code).

RESOLVED, that the 2015/16 Treasury Management Outturn Report, prepared in compliance with CIPFA’s Code of Practice on Treasury Management (the Code), be noted.

To debate the motions submitted in accordance with standing order 45.

(i)        Air Quality in Brent

Councillor Nerva moved the motion circulated in his name by stating that air quality in London was getting worse and asked what the Council could do about it.

                     The motion was put to the vote and declared CARRIED.

                     RESOLVED, that:

1.         The concerns expressed by residents throughout Brent about air quality in our Borough, be recognised;

2.         The Council urges Transport for London to make “clean bus corridors” in Chamberlayne Road and Wembley High Road a priority; and

3.         Officers be asked to report, by the end of 2016, on quick win measures and a long-term strategy for Brent Council to improve air quality in Brent.

(ii)       Regal Way

Councillor Colwill moved the motion circulated in his name requesting that the Council finishes the road upgrade at Regal Way with the same materials used on the other side of the road.

The motion was put to the vote and declared LOST.

(iii)      Libraries

Councillor Warren moved the motion circulated in his name requesting that the Council confirms its previous promises and pledges of support for the continued existence of the four voluntary-run Brent Libraries (Preston Community, Barham Park, Kensal Rise and Cricklewood)

By way of an amendment, the Labour Group moved that the following paragraphs be added to the above motion:

(b)       This Council also notes the excellent work already undertaken to make these community libraries valued partners of the Brent Library Service by providing services over and beyond the Council’s statutory offer; and

(c)       This Council supports the Cabinet’s decision to develop a new Community Libraries Strategy involving the four community library groups.

The motion, as amended became the substantive motion, which was put to the vote and declared CARRIED.

There was no urgent business transacted.