Agenda, decisions and minutes

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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.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 11 February 2019, as a correct record.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 11 February 2019 be approved as an accurate record subject to a change at paragraph 4 on page 4 to read Anju Bhatt.

RESOLVED:-

that the minutes of the previous meeting held on 11 February 2019 be approved as an accurate record of the meeting, subject a change at paragraph 4 on page 4 to read Anju Bhatt.

To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.

There were no matters arising.

There were no matters arising.

To discuss any petitions from members of the public, in accordance with Standing Order 66.

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To consider any reference reports from any of the Council’s three Scrutiny Committees.

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The report informs Cabinet of the intention to informally consult on a change in the age-range of Roe Green Infant School and the closure of primary provision on the Roe Green Strathcona site from September 2020.

RESOLVED that :

     i)        Cabinet noted that initial informal consultation would be undertaken with stakeholders that could lead to subsequent statutory consultation on proposals to:

·         change the age-range of Roe Green Infant School from 4-11 to 4-7

·         reduce the school’s Published Admission Number (PAN) from 150 to 120 for September 2020

·         implement a phased closure of provision on the Roe Green Strathcona site.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, informed the meeting that he had received a request to speak on this item from Mrs N Lobo, Executive Headteacher of Roe Green Strathcona School. Councillor Butt welcomed Mrs Lobo to the meeting.

Mrs Lobo thanked Councillor Butt for the opportunity to address the meeting on behalf of the School. Mrs Lobo reminded Members of the Cabinet the school opened in March 2014. She stated that initial contact with the School had been as long ago as 2012 and then again in December 2013. Mrs Lobo stated that this is of particular relevance, as all the other local schools listed at 4.7 in the report, were approved for expansion after Strathcona had opened.

Mrs Lobo stated that Strathcona had been an established part of the Council’s school place planning strategy.

Mrs Lobo informed Cabinet that the school had been rated by Ofsted as ‘Good’ in November 2017. She stated that this inspection was triggered by the existence of Strathcona. Mrs Lobo informed Cabinet that the lead inspector referred to the School as being ‘unique’, and commented that the School would have continued as ‘Outstanding’ if we had not opened Strathcona.

Mrs Lobo stated that the School had its first Year 6 in 2017/18 and is extremely proud of those pupils, who made excellent progress during their time at Strathcona.

Mrs Lobo stated that as Strathcona and Roe Green operate as one school, any redundancies will have an impact across both sites. Mrs Lobo stressed that the Cabinet proposals will impact across the school community on both sites. Mrs Lobo reiterated that the School has worked with the Council, responding to requests in a highly professional manner.

Councillor Agha, Cabinet Member for Schools, Employment and Skills, thanked Mrs Lobo for her intervention on behalf of the School.

Councillor Agha informed Cabinet that the purpose of this report is to inform Cabinet of the intention to informally consult on a change in the age-range of Roe Green Infant School and the closure of primary provision on the Roe Green Strathcona site from September 2020.

He stated that the 2019-23 School Place Planning Strategy, approved by Cabinet in November 2018, identifies reducing demand for primary places and increasing spare places across the borough. Within this context, officers propose to undertake initial informal consultation on a proposal to cease primary provision on the Roe Green Strathcona site.

Councillor Agha stated that, subject to the outcomes of this consultation, Cabinet approval would be sought to consult formally, through publication of a statutory notice, on a change in the age range of Roe Green Infant School from 4-11 to 4-7, a reduction in the school’s Published Admission Number (PAN) from 150 to 120 and a phased closure of provision on the Roe Green Strathcona site.

Councillor Agha stated that the Informal consultation phase provides the local Community with an opportunity for discussion with staff, parents, and local residents about the issues that need to be considered  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The paper updates Members on the current position of two phases of the project at the Carlton and Granville Site in South Kilburn and seeks approval to take forward the next phase of the project.

RESOLVED that:

     i)        Cabinet approved the continuation of Phase 2 of the project at the Carlton and Granville Site in South Kilburn to planning submission on the basis of the design option presented in the report

    ii)        Cabinet agreed to engage with South Kilburn Trust regarding possible future management arrangements of the Carlton/Granville Centres.

   iii)        Cabinet noted that Property Services will immediately engage with ULFA as set out in the report and to trigger the break clause as set out in the lease

   iv)        Cabinet agreed in principle that funding will come from different sources as set out in Appendix 2 of the report with the intention to seek Cabinet approval to enter into any necessary agreements with the Greater London Authority or South Kilburn Trust in due course.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, informed the meeting that he had received five requests to speak on this item.

Councillor Butt invited Mr Pete Firmin to address the meeting. Mr Firmin, speaking on behalf of a local tenants' association expressed concern at the proposals to deliver 23 units under the recommended design option (3). Mr Firmin stated that the Granville Centre is a secular community building. He expressed concern at the role of the South Kilburn Trust, stating that the trust doesn’t appear to represent local residents and was not truly independent of the Council. He stated that the South Kilburn Trust had not tried to engage with local residents.

Councillor Butt invited David Kaye to address the meeting. Mr Kaye expressed concern at the implications of the planned project at the Carlton and Granville Site on local communities. He stated that the South Kilburn Trust does not appear to work in collaboration with local community groups and organisations. He stated that, were the Council to proceed with the proposed number of units, the impact would be negative on the local community and local services.

Councillor Butt invited Leslie Barson to address the meeting. Ms Barson spoke of the loss of community space in the area. She stated that since redevelopments had begun, 779 square metres of community space had been lost. She stated that new blocks of housing do not have community space. She pleaded to Cabinet to agree option 4 which would deliver no housing but would require refurbishment of the exisiting buildings for community and enterprise use.

Councillor Butt invited Lesley J M Benson, Headteacher Granville Plus Nursery School, to address the meeting. Ms Benson stated that she is a member of the Key Stakeholder Group regarding the Carlton and Granville Centres Site. She welcomed that Brent Council had established a stakeholder group. She stated that she had never seen an initiative engagement approached such as the one adopted by the Council for this scheme. She stated that the design team had responded to the robust challenge from the Group.

Councillor Butt invited Ms Ros Dunn, Independent Chair of South Kilburn Trust, to address the meeting. Ms Dunn stated that she wished to express support for Option 3 - 23 units provided all of one tenure. She welcomed the collaborative approach the Council had adopted on this project, and thanked the design team for their collaborative approach. She stated that the proposals, under option 3, if approved, would ensure a well-designed high quality space.

Councillor Butt thanked the speakers for their contributions.

Councillor Harbi Farah, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, stated that the South Kilburn Trust was a key partner for the Council and stated that all interested parties should work to make sure the relationship between the Trust, residents and groups improved.

Councillor Tom Miller, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, referred to one of the Council’s main priorities – to deliver housing targets. The Council had a priority to move as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

1.1               This report requests Cabinet to approve the allocation of Neighbourhood CIL (NCIL) funds to three community projects from round two of the  2018/19 NCIL programme.

RESOLVED that:

     i)        Cabinet approved the NCIL allocation of:

·         £248,000 to support the refurbishment of Citizens Advice Brent, Willesden

·         £133,958 to support the creation of community facilities in Harlesden for residents and those affected by Sickle Cell Disorder

·         £150,000 to support the creation of new community facilities at St Catherine’s Hall, Neasden

Councillor Shama Tatler, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Highways & Planning, introduced the report reminding Members that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge applied to eligible developments to help fund strategic (borough-wide) and neighbourhood infrastructure related to development. She stated that Brent’s CIL was formally introduced on 1 July 2013.

Councillor Tatler stated that the report requests Cabinet to approve the allocation of Neighbourhood CIL (NCIL) funds to three community projects from round two of the  2018/19 NCIL programme.

Councillor McLennan, Hirani, Miller, Patel and Butt spoke in support of the projects reminded Cabinet members how the three organisations would benefit from the funding.

RESOLVED that:

     i)        Cabinet approved the NCIL allocation of:

·         £248,000 to support the refurbishment of Citizens Advice Brent, Willesden

·         £133,958 to support the creation of community facilities in Harlesden for residents and those affected by Sickle Cell Disorder

·         £150,000 to support the creation of new community facilities at St Catherine’s Hall, Neasden

The report provides Cabinet with a corporate overview of performance information linked to the Brent 2020 and Borough Plan priorities, to support informed decision-making and to manage performance effectively.  

RESOLVED that:

     i)        Cabinet noted the performance information contained in the report.

    ii)        Cabinet considered the current and future strategic risks associated with the information provided and agreed remedial actions on strategic risks as appropriate.

   iii)        Cabinet challenged the progress with responsible officers as necessary.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, presented the report and the performance scorecard  setting out the position on the Council’s performance in the third quarter of 2018/19.

Councillor Butt encouraged Cabinet Members to monitor Departmental performance closely with the relevant Chief Officers.

RESOLVED that:

     i)        Cabinet noted the performance information contained in the report.

    ii)        Cabinet considered the current and future strategic risks associated with the information provided and agreed remedial actions on strategic risks as appropriate.

   iii)        Cabinet challenged the progress with responsible officers as necessary.

This report provides an update on progress with preparations within Brent for the UK leaving the European Union (EU).

RESOLVED that:

     i)        Cabinet noted the contents of the Risk Assessment set out in Appendix 1 of the report

    ii)        Cabinet noted the details of the EU settlement scheme campaign as set out in the report.

Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, presented the report stating that as part of the Council’s preparations for Brexit, the possibility of leaving the EU without a deal is being considered.

Councillor Butt stated that there are risks across different areas of the council if we leave the EU without a deal, and these are outlined in the risk assessment document for Members to note along with the mitigating actions.

Peter Gadsdon, Director, Performance Policy and Partnerships, stated that the risk assessment is a dynamic document and is updated weekly. He stated that it will be published on the council’s Brexit web pages.

Councillor Tom Miller, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, stated that the Council is holding an information evening about the EU settlement to be held on 27 March 2019 giving residents the opportunity to ask questions about the scheme.

Councillor Krupesh Hirani, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Culture & Leisure, welcomed the report and risk assessment stating that the Council will also promote awareness of the information evening and staff support scheme amongst the Council’s contractors. 

RESOLVED that:

     i)        Cabinet noted the contents of the Risk Assessment set out in Appendix 1 of the report

    ii)        Cabinet noted the details of the EU settlement scheme campaign as set out in the report.

The following items are not for publication as they relate to the following category of exempt information as specified under paragraph 3, Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, namely: “Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)"

Item 8:          Carlton and Granville Centres Site – South Kilburn: Appendix 2

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There were no exclusions of Press and Public

Notice of items to be raised under this heading must be given in writing to the Head of Executive and Member Services or his representative before the meeting in accordance with Standing Order 60.

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