Agenda and minutes

The Mayor welcomed all those present to the meeting and thanked everyone for their attendance.

The Mayor reported that apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Conneely, Crabb, Donnelly-Jackson, Hylton, Moeen, Rubin and Shah.

To confirm as a correct record, the minutes of the Annual Council Meeting held on Wednesday 14 May 2025.

(Agenda republished to include the attached minutes on 4 July 2025)

It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the of the Annual Council meeting held on Wednesday14 May 2025 be approved as a correct record.

Members are invited to declare at this stage of the meeting, the nature and existence of any relevant disclosable pecuniary or personal interests in the items on this agenda and to specify the item(s) to which they relate.

There were no declarations of interest made at this stage of the meeting.

To receive any announcements from the Mayor, including details relating to the appointment of the Deputy Mayor.

The Mayor made the following announcements:

(i)       Appointment of Deputy Mayor

The Mayor began his announcements by advising members that he had appointed Councillor Narinder Bajwa to fill the vacancy as Deputy Mayor for the remainder of the 2025-26 Municipal Year.

In raising a Point of Order on the basis of the appointment process for the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Lorber sought further explanation on the reason for the vacancy having occurred and ongoing role and requirement for a Deputy Mayor, given this had been the second successive year in which a change in appointment had been required.  In response, Marsha Henry (as Director of Law) confirmed that the appointment of the Deputy Mayor was a decision made by the Mayor.  Under Standing Order 27(b) the Mayor was required to provide written notice of the appointment, which had been received, with the matter then reported to Council and the appointment a constitutional requirement.  In addressing the reason for the appointment, it was confirmed this followed a vacancy having been declared.

Having confirmed the appointment, the meeting was paused briefly to enable Councillor Bajwa to be robed and receive the Deputy Mayors Chain of Office prior to him joining the Mayor on the dais for the remainder of the meeting.

The Mayor then invited all members to join him in welcoming and congratulating Councillor Bajwa on his appointment as Deputy Mayor.

Members then joined the Mayor in a round of applause welcoming the new Deputy Mayor.

(ii)       Outline of Mayoral events attended

The Mayor then moved on to provide an outline of recent events he had attended and supported, which he advised (based on values demonstrated across the borough in relation to community, justice, and compassion) had included visits to Claremont High School, being welcomed as the new Mayor by Neasden Temple; celebrating the achievements of the Brent District Scouts as well as marking 30 years of the first Brazilian church in Brent, joining the Lexi Cinema community run, visiting the Open Gardens in Mapesbury and celebrating International Reggae Day outside the iconic Hawkeye Record Store.

In terms of his first official engagement, he was pleased this had involved joining young people, the Brent Multi-Faith Forum and local residents on a Knife Crime Awareness Walk along Kilburn High Road and Cricklewood Broadway in order to raise awareness and focus on the devastating impact of knife crime as part of a collective commitment to keeping the borough’s communities safe.  In addition, the Mayor advised that as grandson of a Dunkirk veteran, he had also been proud to attend an event to mark the 85^th anniversary of Operation Dynamo hosted at ACE Café, Stonebridge.

In the wake of the Air India Flight AI171 tragedy, the Mayor advised that he had also joined other civic leaders at a vigil led by the Mayor’s Office to honour and remember all those who lost their lives in the disaster.  Recognising the community spirit demonstrated across Brent, he commended the way the borough had come together to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To agree any appointments to Committees and Outside Bodies in accordance with Standing Order 30 (g).

(Agenda republished to include the updated list of appointments on 2 July 2025)

The Mayor referred members to the list of changes circulated in relation to appointments to Council Committees, Sub Committees and other bodies.

Having considered the changes outlined it was RESOLVED:

(1)       To note that effective from 16 June 2025 the Leader of the Council had appointed Councillor Promise Knight (following her return from Maternity Leave) to fill the position of Cabinet Member for Customer Experience, Resident Support and Culture with Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson to remain as Cabinet Member for Housing.

(2)       To approve the following changes in committee membership:

(a)       Councillor Collymore to replace Councillor Fraser as a full member of the Community & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee, with Councillor Afzal to replace Councillor Fraser as Vice-Chair.

(b)       Councillor Collymore to replace Councillor Fraser as a substitute member of the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee.

(c)       Councillor Fraser to be replaced by a vacancy as substitute member on the Northwest London Joint Health Overview Scrutiny Committee

(d)       Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee - Councillor Teo Benea to replace Councillor Diana Collymore as a substitute member.

(3)       To approve the following changes in the membership on outside bodies:

(a)       Councillor Fraser to be replaced by a vacancy as one of the Council representatives on the Chalkhill Community Trust Fund.

(4)       To approve the re appointment of David Ewart as Independent Chair of the Audit & Standards Advisory Committee and Pension Board for an additional 15-month term of office, ending on 31 December 2026.

In response to a Point of Order raised by Councillor Lorber in relation to the filling of vacancies identified within the appointments outlined, Marsha Henry (as Director of Law) advised that these remained seats to be filled by the Labour Group and were being held vacant in advance of appointments being made in due course.

To hear any deputations requested by members of the public in accordance with Standing Order 32.

Members are asked to note that at the time of agenda publication there are no deputation(s) due to be presented at the meeting.

The Mayor advised that no requests had been received for the presentation of any deputations at the meeting.

7.1   To receive and consider the question(s) submitted by the public for response by the relevant Cabinet Member, in accordance with Standing Order 33.

Members are asked to note that one public question has been received, which has been attached to the agenda along with the written response provided.

7.2   To receive question(s) submitted by the Brent Youth Parliament for response by the relevant Cabinet Member, in accordance with Standing Order 33(c).

Members are asked to note that one question has been received, which has been attached to the agenda along with the written response provided.

8.1      Questions from the Public

The Mayor advised that one question had been received from a member of the public, for consideration at the meeting which was as follows:

Question 1 from Ms T.J.Chaudhry regarding the Council’s approach towards debt management, recovery & enforcement.

In noting the written response provided by the Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, as circulated with the agenda, the Mayor informed members that Ms Chaudhry had also been offered the opportunity to attend the meeting in order to ask a follow up supplementary question and advised he was therefore pleased to welcome Ms Chaudhry to the meeting.

Following the Mayors introduction, the following supplementary question was raised:

Question 1 supplementary Question from Ms T.J Chaudhry to Councillor Mili Patel, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources

Given the legal obligations under Paragraph 7(2) of Schedule 12 to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 and the proportionality duty in Section 15 of the Public Law Act 1998, can the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources:

(1)       State how many enforcement agent contracts have been revoked since 2021 for failing to produce proper written authority or breaching debt collection regulations, as required by law.

(2)       Confirm if Brent's policy on small debts has been updated since the 2021 High Court ruling against blanket approaches without individual assessments; and

(3)       Explain why it uses Experian's system rather than the Financial Conduct Authority’s full vulnerability criteria, and whether it will adopt proper 'breathing space' schemes given that current alternatives lack these legal protections?

In raising the question, Ms Chaudhry as also referred to various examples of case law in support including:

·            (per R (Kamby) v Birmingham Magistrates’ Court [2021]) or breaches of the Taking Control of Goods Regulations 2013.

·            ‘sub-threshold debt’ policy R (CPAG) v Secretary of State [2021], which ruled blanket approaches unlawful without individual vulnerability assessments.

·            FCA’s holistic vulnerability definition (e.g., health crises, literacy barriers, per R (Bridges) [2020]), breathing space’ schemes (Leeds City Council v Broadley [2022])

In response, Councillor Mili Patel thanked Ms Chaudhry for the questions and advised that given the detailed nature of the legal and technical issues issues raised, she would need to arrange for a full written response to be provided following the meeting.

In terms of the Council’s broader approach towards Council Tax collection and debt recovery the opportunity was taken to highlight the importance of the “one borough, one community” way in which the system operated, stressing the importance in the way residents were currently expected (under the current funding regime) to contribute, as local taxpayers, for services being provided through the Council.  The impact of ongoing social and economic pressures along with the cost-of-living crisis and programme of austerity introduced under the previous government had, however, been recognised in terms of many residents struggling financially and the resulting effect in terms of areas such as Council Tax arrears and enhanced debt.

In response to these ongoing pressures, the Council had therefore  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

For Members to consider any petitions with more than 200 signatures for which a request has been received for their presentation, in accordance with the Council’s petition rules and Standing Order 68.

Members are asked to note that the following petitions are due to be presented at the meeting:

(a)       No to Twinning with Nablus

(b)       Save East Lane Theatre

(c)        Support Barham Park

Members are asked to note that the supporting details on each petition have been attached, for reference.

The Mayor advised that he had accepted requests for the presentation of three separate petitions at the meeting, which had all met the threshold for consideration at Full Council based on them containing more than 200 signatures.

The petitions to be presented, were as follows, with the Mayor advising that unless otherwise indicated by members, he intended to allow up to five minutes for the presentation of each petition by the lead petitioner before then providing the relevant Cabinet Members up to two minutes to respond on each matter:

·            1^st petition - No to Twining with Nablus

·            2^nd petition – Save East Lane Theatre; and

·            3^rd petition – Save Barham Park

(1)       No to Twinning with Nablus

As no objections were raised on the approach outlined, the Mayor then moved on to welcome Ian Collier to the meeting to present the first petition.  Prior to the petition being presented the Mayor felt it important to remind everyone, given the matter related to the Council’s proposed twinning arrangement with Nablus (and as he had done when the issue had been considered at the Annual Council meeting) of his focus in seeking to celebrate the diverse nature of the borough and recognise the peaceful relationships that existed between the many different communities residing in Brent, reflecting the strong level of community cohesion across the borough.  As such he hoped all those present would be able to remember those principles during consideration of the petition, for which he thanked everyone in advance for their support.

Ian Collier was then invited to present the petition, who began by thanking the Mayor for the opportunity to represent a significant group of residents in Brent who he advised were completely opposed to, as well as upset by, the Council’s recent decision to twin the borough with the town of Nablus.  In referring to comments made by the sponsor of the twinning initiative about “twinning affirming the commitment of the borough to solidarity and shared values” he highlighted concerns regarding Nablus being a focus of militancy, hatred, terror and racism which he felt need to be taken into account in order to reflect that Brent as a borough did not share these values or stand in solidarity with them and with the normal reasons for twinning (including tourism, education and cultural influences) it was felt also not being met.

As a result, he advised the petitioners in opposition to the arrangement had been forced to conclude that the process was nothing more than political symbolism reflecting religious sectarianism in a way that was unrepresentative of the majority of Brent’s residents.  In referring to the most recent example of sectarian politics in the UK, he outlined the impact of the troubles in Northern Ireland and called on the Council to avoid a return to religious sectarian politics feeling that the recent decision to twin with Nablus had created division across the borough and driven a wedge between different communities.

Highlighting that the names of those  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To debate the Group motions submitted in accordance with Standing Order 41.

Members are asked to note:

·            The motions submitted for debate have been attached

·            Where a motion concerns an executive function, nothing passed can be actioned until approved by the Executive or an officer with the relevant delegated power.

(Agenda republished to include the motions submitted for debate on 2 July 2025)

Before moving on to consider the motions listed on the summons, the Mayor advised members that a total of 40 minutes had been set aside for consideration of the four motions submitted for debate, based on an initial allocation of 10 minutes per motion. Should the time taken to consider the first motion be less than 10 minutes he advised that the remaining time available would be rolled forward for consideration of the remaining motions.

10.1    1^st Motion (Conservative Group) – Protecting Equality and Community Cohesion in Brent’s International Partnerships

The Mayor invited Councillor Kansagra to move the first motion, which had been submitted on behalf of the Conservative Group.  Councillor Kansagra began by acknowledging the decision already taken by the Council to enter into a twinning partnership with Nablus, and advised members that the motion being moved was focused on ensuring all international partnerships undertaken by the Council followed a consistent, fair and inclusive process with community cohesion at the heart. Highlighting the findings of the Equality Impact Assessment that had been conducted ahead of the Nablus twinning decision, Councillor Kansagra felt it had raised legitimate concerns that the partnership had the potential to cause emotional harm to some Brent communities, may risk compounding antisemitism and could be viewed as favouring one group over another. He also felt that it was not clear what steps would be taken to mitigate the identified risks, with residents in Brent raising questions around why the Council was committing time and resource to a town that Foreign Office guidance had currently placed a travel advisory against travelling to.  In view of concerns relating to the consultation and engagement process, Councillor Kansagra in concluding his remarks, commended the motion as a way forward to ensure a consistent, transparent and inclusive framework for all future twinning subject to consultation and community engagement.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Kansagra for moving the motion and then drew members attention to an amendment submitted by Councillor Muhammed Butt on behalf of the Labour Group, which had been circulated in advance of the meeting.

In moving the amendment, Councillor Muhammed Butt began by advising that the response he had provided to the petition regarding twinning with Nablus had been intended to provide clarity on the Council’s approach and once again reassured the chamber that all twinning arrangements the Council approved would be subject to a live, continuous equalities impact assessment, as outlined in the original report approved by Council.  In addressing the proposed motion, he highlighted that community cohesion and values were at the forefront of the twinning approach with relationships built to foster understanding, and not to divide.  Councillor Muhammed Butt also highlighted his pride at Brent being one of the most diverse boroughs in the country where people came to build a life and were able to live in peace alongside each other. Whilst acknowledging the complexity associated with any partnering arrangements he felt the amendment, as moved, would help to clarify the Council’s position in terms  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To receive a report from the Leader of the Council in accordance with Standing Order 31 providing an update on any key or significant issues arising from any matter within the responsibility of the Cabinet.

(Agenda republished to include the attached report on 4 July 2025)

The Mayor then invited Councillor Muhammed Butt, as Leader of the Council, to introduce the report updating members on the work being undertaken across each Cabinet portfolio in order to provide ongoing support and services to meet the needs of residents across the borough.

In congratulating Councillor Bajwa on his appointment as Deputy Mayor, Councillor Muhammed Butt began by thanking all members of the Cabinet for the work being undertaken across their portfolios to continue supporting and safeguarding local residents in line with the Council’s core strategic priorities, recognising the ongoing nature of the financial pressures faced by the Council.  In commending the work being undertaken to manage demand and address the pressures identified whilst also delivering on their commitments, members were assured that the need for continued financial discipline and careful stewardship (often involving difficult decisions) had also been recognised in order to sustain and ensure the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability.

The opportunity was also taken to formally welcomed Councillor Promise Knight back following her return from Maternity Leave.  As a result of the changes introduced to the Cabinet Portfolios earlier in the year, the Leader advised that Councillor Knight had been appointed as the newly established Cabinet Member for Customer Experience, Resident Support and Culture with Councillor Donnelly-Jackson continuing as Cabinet Member for Housing.  The opportunity was also taken to thank Councillor Donnelly-Jackson for the work undertaken and support in covering Councillor Knight’s portfolio, during her period of maternity leave.

As part of the update, members were also asked to note (as tabled at the meeting) the Executive decisions which had been taken under the Council’s urgency procedures, since the previous update provided for the Council meeting in November 2024.

The Mayor thanked the Leader for the report and it was RESOLVED to formally note the update provided.

For questions to be put to members of the Cabinet by Opposition and Non-Cabinet Members in accordance with Standing Order 35.

Five advance notice questions have been received under this item, which have been attached along with the written responses provided.

Members are asked to note that this session will also include an opportunity (within the time available) for other Non-Cabinet members and the Opposition to ask questions of Cabinet Members without the need for advance notice.

Before moving on to consider the questions submitted by non-Cabinet members, the Mayor reminded Members that a total of 30 minutes had been set aside for this item, which would begin with consideration of the written questions submitted in advance of the meeting along with any supplementary questions. Once these had been dealt with, the remaining time available would then be opened up for any other non-Cabinet members to question Cabinet Members (without the need for advance notice) on matters relating to their portfolio.

The Mayor advised that five written questions had been submitted in advance of the meeting for response by the relevant Cabinet Member and the written responses circulated within the agenda were noted. The Mayor then invited supplementary questions on the responses provided:

12.1   Councillor Lesley Smith thanked Councillor Benea (as Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning & Property) for the written response regarding the Council’s recent investment in the West London Orbital rail project and support for the Bakerloo Line upgrade and extension.  In welcoming the Council’s commitment to these schemes details were also sought, as a supplementary question, on the Council’s position regarding support for the campaign to secure step free access at Queens Park Station given the significant passenger numbers using the station, including families and older members of the community.

In response, Councillor Benea in welcoming the support expressed for the Council’s ongoing commitment towards West London Orbital and the Bakerloo Line extension given the importance of the economic, social and environmental benefits associated with their delivery, also highlighted her willingness to work with the campaign to secure step free access at Queens Park station. In referencing the support and investment provide by the Council, working in collaboration with TfL, to secure step free access at Alperton Station Councillor Benea expressed hope that similar improvements could be secured at Queen Parks and ended her response by once again reiterating her support for the lobbying efforts being undertaken by the local campaign.

12.2   Councillor Long thanked Councillor Krupa Sheth (as Cabinet Member for Public Realm and Enforcement) for the written response to her question seeking an update on the provision of parking bays for dockless e-bikes across the borough, ongoing work to hold e-bike operators to account for safety and operation of the scheme and measures to promote active travel.  In referring to the management of dockless e-bikes and the promotion of cycling and sustainable travel in Brent, Councillor Long, highlighted particular concerns regarding pedestrian safety given the way in which dockless e-bikes were being unsafely left on the street and the ease with which they could be hacked.  As a supplementary question, Councillor Long therefore sought details on the measures being pursued by the Council with Lime (as the scheme operator in Brent to address the concerns highlighted, particularly in relation to the problems being created through the hacking of their dockless e-bikes and whether any requirement could be included moving forward to ensure the bikes provided include anti-hacking measures.

In response, Councillor Krupa Sheth  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To receive reports from the Chairs of the Council’s Scrutiny Committees in accordance with Standing Order 36. The reports have been attached as follows:

12.1    Committee Community & Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee

12.2    Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny

Members are asked to note that this session will include an opportunity (within the time available) for Non-Cabinet Members to ask questions of relevant Scrutiny Chair’s in relation to the remit of their Committees.

(Agenda republished to include the report from the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee on 4 July 2025)

Having returned the Mayor moved on to deal with the updates from each Scrutiny Committee Chair, reminding members that the time set aside for this item was 12 minutes, with each Chair having up to three minutes in which to highlight any significant issues arising from the work of their Committees.  Once these updates had been provided, he advised the remaining time available would then be opened up for any other non-Cabinet members to question (without the need for advance notice) the Scrutiny Committee Chairs on matters relating to the work of their Committee.

Councillor Ketan Sheth was then invited to introduce the update report on the work being undertaken by the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee, with the following issues highlighted:

·            Having congratulated Councillor Bajwa on his appointment as Deputy Mayor, and welcoming Councillor Afzal as the newly appointed Vice-Chair on the Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Ketan Sheth updated members on the work being undertaken to finalise the Committee’s work programme for 2025-26 which, recognising its flexible and broad ranging nature, had included engagement with Brent Youth Parliament to ensure the views of young people across the borough were included as well as engagement with a range of other key stakeholders including local health providers, housing, social care and the local community.

·            The significant work undertaken by the Committee, since the start of the 2025-26 Municipal Year with the most recent meeting focussed on the Brent Safeguarding Adults Board (Multi-agency safeguarding arrangements) Annual Report 2024 - 25 and Brent Safeguarding Children Partnership (Multi-agency safeguarding arrangements) Annual Report 2024 – 25.  The Committee had been pleased to welcome the Independent Chairs of both Boards to the meeting with the  primary focus on the multi-agency partnership arrangements in place to address the various safeguarding challenges identified.

·            The ongoing and active engagement of the Committee in the work of the North West London Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee Brent, which Councillor Ketan Sheth continued to Chair.  This had included a review of proposals relating to Palliative Care, the Health Equity Programme and on the recent proposals regarding the restructuring of NHS England (NHSE) and impact of funding reductions to the Integrated Care Strategy and Board structure along with NorthWest London Planned Care Strategy and NHS Ten Year Plan.  Members were advised the work programme for the Joint Committee had also now been finalised for 2025-26 on which further updates would continue to be provided.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Ketan Sheth for his update and then, in the absence of Councillor Conneely (who it was noted had submitted apologies for absence at the meeting) invited Councillor Kennelly (as Vice Chair of the Resources & Public Realm Scrutiny Committee) to introduce the update report on the work being undertaken by that Committee with the following issues highlighted:

·            The wide-ranging nature of scrutiny activity undertaken by the Committee since the last update, as set out within the update report circulated with the agenda.  In noting the debate scheduled to take place on the introduction of a visitor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

To receive the Annual Report jointly produced by the Chair of the Audit and Standards Committee and Audit and Standards Advisory Committee updating on the work of both Committees, in accordance with Standing Order 37.

The Mayor invited Councillor Chan, as Vice-Chair of the Audit & Standards Advisory Committee and Chair of the Audit and Standards Committee to introduce the joint annual report from both Committees, updating members on the work undertaken during the 2024-25 Municipal Year.

Prior to introducing the report Councillor Chan welcomed David Ewart to the meeting in his role as Independent Chair of the Audit & Standards Advisory Committee and in terms of issues highlighted drew members’ attention to the important role and work undertaken by the Committee in relation to monitoring and advising on various governance matters relating to audit activity, the Council’s finance, accounting and regulatory framework as well as members standards of conduct.

Members were advised that the approach adopted towards the work undertaken had also included consideration of the Council’s risk management structure and strategic risk management process with an increasing focus not only on the effectiveness of governance processes relating to the first but also “second line” of defence in terms of the monitoring and reporting of information and data.  Other key areas of focus highlighted in terms of risk had included the ongoing nature of the financial challenges and pressures faced by the Council given the demand on services, with the need identified (as a recommendation by the External Auditor in their Value for Money Report) for a focus to be maintained on the Council’s overall financial resilience and sustainability in terms of future budget options and decisions.  In recognising these were pressures being experienced on a national and regional basis, and not unique to Brent, Councillor Chan advised the actions being taken in seeking to address and mitigate against the risks identified would continue to be monitored as part of the efforts being made to maintain a financially resilient, balanced and sustainable budget position and to ensure maximum value was being driven in the way services were being commissioned and procured supported by ongoing lobbying for reform of the local government finance system.

In concluding, Councillor Chan thanked David Ewart and the other members of the Committee along with officers for their support over the year and advised that both Committees were looking forward to continuing their work with members and other key stakeholders to ensure the necessary focus was maintained in relation to compliance and control of the Council’s key governance arrangements.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Chan for the update provided and it was RESOLVED to note the Joint Annual Report provided by the Chairs’ of the Audit & Standards and Audit & Standards Advisory Committees outlining the work undertaken by both Committee’s during 2024-25.

Prior to moving on the next item the Mayor advised that as the remaining time available for the meeting was shortly due to expire he intended to move the suspension of Standing Order 44 (Council Guillotine Procedure) in order to extend the time of the meeting by a period of 15 minutes to provide sufficient time for consideration of the remaining items on the agenda.  In accordance with Standing Order 42 (d)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

To enable Non-Cabinet Members to raise an issue of relevance to Brent for debate on which notice has been provided in accordance with Standing Order 34.

Members are asked to note that the subject identified for debate at this meeting is as follows:

Empowering Brent with Visitor Levy Powers to Support Our Communities

Please note: The motion submitted as the basis for this debate has been attached.

In accordance with Standing Order 34, the Mayor advised that the next item on the agenda was the non-cabinet member debate, with the subject chosen for consideration being “Empowering Brent with visitor levy powers to support our communities”.

Members were advised that the motion submitted as the basis for the debate had been circulated with the agenda and that the time available for the debate was 25 minutes.

The Mayor then invited Councillor Mitchell to introduce the motion which had been submitted as the basis for the Non-Cabinet Member debate.  In moving the motion, Councillor Mitchell began by highlighting its aim in seeking to unlock an additional source of income and funding which could be utilised by the Council given its location as a cultural and economic hub.  Highlighting the growing number of events taking place in Wembley, which formed a vital part of Brent’s local economy, it was pointed out these had attracted almost 2.9 million visitors during the previous year all of which supported jobs (including 1,800 Brent jobs from the Stadium), businesses and hospitality across the borough with each additional non-sporting event at Wembley Stadium estimated to generate £4.35m through direct local expenditure.

Whilst recognising the significant economic benefits, however, the additional impact these events and visitors created for local residents, including disruption, waste, congestion, noise and increased demand on council services was also recognised with the Council working proactively to mitigate these challenges in partnership with the Stadium.  In addition, however, Councillor Mitchell advised the Council was also keen to explore the potential introduction of a modest visitor levy on overnight hotel and short-stay accommodation (as had been successfully introduced elsehwere) designed to generate additional income that would be ringfenced to support investment in Brent’s public realm in areas such as street trees, green infrastructure, enhanced street cleaning, and additional waste enforcement officers.

Highlighting that studies had demonstrated the use of these type of levies did not reduce tourism, Councillor Mitchell advised that the motion moved as the basis for the debate sought to recognise the benefits associated with the introduction of a visitor levy in ensuring that those benefiting from Brent’s world-class facilities were also able to contribute a small amount towards maintaining high-quality services and a cleaner, greener borough supplementing Council funding (in a progressive and practical way) at a time when the Council was also facing sustained financial pressures.  As such, she commended the motion to members for debate.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Mitchell for introducing the motion and then opened up the debate for contributions from other members.

Opening the debate in support of the motion, Councillor Knight highlighted the way in which she felt such a levy would enhance the local economy whilst also celebrating the borough’s rich cultural history, pointing out its importance in not just raising revenue but also empowering the community and ensuring that the benefits of world class events could be felt by all residents.  In celebrating Brent’s diverse history, reference was made to exhibitions  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

Following a change in the political balance on the Council, to receive a report from the Corporate Director Finance & Resources reviewing (under Section 15 of the Local Government & Housing Act 1989) the allocation of seats on Council Committees and other relevant bodies.

Moving on the final item of business, the Mayor then invited Councillor Muhammed Butt (as Leader of the Council) to introduce a report from the Corporate Director of Finance & Resources which the Leader advised fulfilled the Council’s duty to review and determine the representation of different political groups on certain Committees following any change in balance between the political groups on the Council.  Members were advised that the report had been presented due to a recent change in membership impacting on the current number of councillors within the Labour Group serving on the Council.  In presenting the report, it was, however, noted that the change identified had not resulted in any amendment needing to be made to the existing allocation of seats base on the revised overall composition of political groups.

As no other members indicated that they wished to speak on the item and the Leader of the Council advising he did not wish to exercise any right of reply the Mayor put the recommendations straight to the vote and they were declared CARRIED.

It was therefore RESOLVED:

(1)    To agree the size of each Committee, as detailed within the report, having noted these remained unchanged from the previous review undertaken at the Annual Council meeting in May 2025.

(2)    To confirm the allocation of seats on Committees to each of the Council’s political groups (where the rules of political balance applied) as set out within the report.

(3)    To note that the political balance on Council Sub-Committees would be reviewed at the first available meeting of the General Purposes Committee and Licensing Committee.

No items have been identified in advance of the meeting that will require the exclusion of the press and public.

There were no items that required the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting.

At the discretion of the Mayor to consider any urgent business, in accordance with Standing Order 37(s).

There were no urgent items of business raised at the meeting so the Mayor, in closing the meeting, thanked all members for their co-operation and support and advised that he looked forward to seeing everyone again in person at the next Full Council which would taking place at 6pm on Monday15 September 2025.