Agenda item
Questions from the Opposition and other Non- Executive Members
Questions to be put to members of the Cabinet in accordance with standing order 40.
Minutes:
Councillor Tatler asked how the change at Copland Community School would benefit local people. In the absence of Councillor Moher (Lead Member for Children and Young People), Councillor Butt (Leader) replied that on 1 September Copland Community School converted to the Ark Elvin Academy. The Council had worked with the Academy sponsor and the Department for Education following the OFSTED inspection judging the school inadequate. Any school judged inadequate was forced to become an Academy and so the Council had engaged with Ark, the sponsor, which had a track record in the borough for improving schools. Councillor Butt stated that he had that morning met with the leadership team and staff at the school and had been truly impressed.
Councillor Colwill expressed his concern at the number of roads and pavements that had only been improved along half their length with the remaining part being left undone. He suggested that Regal Way and Vista Way had not been completed; neither had Cranleigh Gardens which had been in the programme to be resurfaced nearly six years ago and asked when this would be done. Councillor Perrin (Lead Member for Environment) replied that he would be happy to meet with fellow councillors or residents to discuss the state of roads and pavements and agreed some were in a poor condition. Councillor Perrin went on to propose reasons why this was the case by referring to the damage to pavements caused by works carried out to properties, skips, delivery lorries, etc. He also referred to the paving of front gardens that forced up tree roots. The Council was utilising the resources it had as best it could but there was a lack of adequate resources to bring the standard up to a more desirable level.
Councillor Miller asked how selective licensing of landlords would benefit the residents of Brent. Councillor McLennan (Lead Member for Regeneration and Housing) replied that Cabinet had agreed in August to introduce licensing into Harlesden, Willesden Green and Wembley Central wards from 1 January 2015 because there was significant evidence of high levels of anti social behaviour related to private rented properties in these wards. Extensive consultation had been undertaken and the licence conditions would require basic minimum standards including gas and electricity certificates, eliminate overcrowding and deal with any related anti social behaviour. Councillor McLennan emphasised that bringing in these provisions was not an attack on landlords generally but was about tackling rogue landlords. She stated that it was important to work with landlords because the Council needed a supply of good private rented properties in the borough.
Councillor Davidson stated his opposition to what he referred to as the Tricycle Theatre’s decision to boycott the Jewish Film Festival and was pleased that following opposition to this the decision had been reversed. He referred to the £198,000 per annum in Council funding the theatre received with the specific remit to put on a diverse range of activities. He believed the theatre had gone against this and asked the Council’s representative on the theatre’s board to make his position clear. Councillor Butt (Leader) replied that he had made his position and the Council’s position absolutely clear. He stated that the theatre did a good job in presenting a programme of work to the community and the Council funded it for core activities which it delivered. The Council worked with all sections of the community and worked with the theatre to deliver activities to the whole community.
Councillor Dixon asked a question on behalf of Councillor Choudhary who was absent from the meeting. Councillor Dixon stated that everyone was aware that the Government’s ongoing austerity programme was having a severe impact on Brent’s most vulnerable residents and asked if an end was in sight or a way forward so that the most vulnerable residents could receive the help they needed to lead decent lives. Councillor Butt (Leader) replied that the opposition parties would know more about what was happening because they were responsible for the impact it was having on Brent’s residents. He referred to the average household being approximately £877 per year worse off and every person being nearly £400 per year worse off. The borough of Brent had been hardest hit by the welfare reforms. He stated that the opportunity existed on 7 May 2015 to make a change in a similar way to earlier in the year when on 22 May Brent residents spoke up for who they trusted to run the Council.
Councillor Carr asked what mechanisms were in place to ensure that the situation in Rotherham had not been or would not be repeated in Brent. Councillor Butt (Leader) replied that all members had received a briefing note explaining the action taken by the Council and that he had also asked officers difficult questions over whether there was a possibility of such child sexual exploitation taking place in Brent. There was no current evidence of this that the Council or the police were aware. However there were concerns around youth gangs and the Council had in place a strategy to tackle gang violence by working with the police, youth offending service, the community safety team and making sure that girls identified as being at risk were referred to social services and supported through a multi agency approach. Councillor Butt added that the youth service worked in a preventative way by providing mentoring and outreach work to divert young people away from getting involved in gangs. He also stated that the Council was working on improved training for staff across the relevant agencies and raising awareness amongst children and young people. He stated that it was important to listen to the concerns of young people and take action on them.
Councillor Harrison asked what work was being undertaken by the Council to protect Brent’s most vulnerable residents and in particular ensure everything was being done to eliminate violence against women and girls. Councillor Denselow (Lead Member for Stronger Communities) replied that he would circulate a full answer to the question to all Members and acknowledged it was a very important issue with Brent being the 10th worst out of the 32 London boroughs for levels of domestic violence offences. He explained that a wide range of groups were working with the most vulnerable in Brent and in particular that the contract to provide a domestic violence service to the most vulnerable victims in the borough was being re-tendered. A significant amount of the community safety budget went towards providing independent domestic violence advocates who provided support to victims and helped them through the criminal justice process. During the previous year 422 victims had been helped in this way. The adult safeguarding team were committed to working to protect vulnerable adults from violence and raise awareness regarding the issues of forced marriages, FGM and honour based violence. These issues were raised at the adult safeguarding board to ensure partner agencies were raising awareness within their own organisations.
Councillor Filson referred to the timed collection of waste as an effective measure to deal with waste on pavements and asked when this service would be extended to selected streets in Kensal Green ward in order to reduce the unsightly accumulation of trade and domestic waste bags on the pavements on the High Street in Harlesden, along Park Parade and on Harrow Road. Councillor Perrin (Lead Member for Environment) replied that as the timed collection service was rolled out, Park Parade was due to be done at the end of March, Harlesden High Street and Harrow Road on 27 April and that it would be extended to Station Road at a later date. The roll out in Harlesden was being held back because of the regeneration scheme being implemented.
Councillor Long asked what the Council was doing to promote fairtrade in its catering outlets and at meetings. She also referred to the MacMillan Cancer Support coffee morning taking place later in the month and asked that encouragement be given to using fairtrade products in that campaign. She added that if fairtrade products were not used the Council would loose its status as a fairtrade borough. Councillor Pavey (Deputy Leader) replied that he was proud that Brent was a fairtrade borough and the Council continued to support initiatives to raise awareness in the community including holding events during fairtrade fortnight earlier in the year. He agreed that the most important role for the Council was to provide leadership on procurement of products and was able to confirm that the coffee sold in the Melting Pot, the Library cafe and provided at meetings was fairtrade, as was the sugar, bananas and a range of snacks. Following encouragement from the Council, Europa had committed to extend its fairtrade range and scrutinise their supply lines. It had also improved awareness of fairtrade amongst its staff. Councillor Pavey re-affirmed the commitment to fairtrade principles by emphasising that this was a radical initiative to intervene in global markets to guarantee poor farmers in developing countries a fair price for their products.