Agenda item

For members of the public to ask questions to members of the Cabinet, in accordance with Standing Order 33.

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

NOTED

1.      The written response provided by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform on a question submitted from a member of the public relating to Housing Association Right to Buy and housing transfers.  No supplementary question was asked.

2.      The written and supplementary verbal response provided by the Deputy Leader of the Council on a question submitted from a member of the public on protection of Metropolitan open land and space at Northwick Park under the One Public Estate initiative and expressing concern about information provided for a Developers Forum regarding the initiative not having been shared with residents.

The Mayor advised that, in accordance with Standing Order 33, two questions had been received from the following members of the public:

Question 1 from Mrs Kalavatiben Patel to Councillor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Housing and Welfare Reform relating to Housing Association Right to Buy and housing transfers.

Question 2 from Ms Gaynor Lloyd to Councillor McLennan, Deputy Leader, seeking assurances on the protection of Metropolitan open land and space at Northwick Park under the One Public Estate initiative.

Members noted the written response to the questions, circulated with the agenda.  The Mayor advised that both members of the public had been invited to attend the meeting in order to ask a supplementary question.  Whilst Mrs Patel had advised she would not be attending the Mayor welcomed Gaynor Lloyd to the meeting and invited her to put her supplementary question to the Deputy Leader, for which he advised she would have one minute.

Supplementary Question from Gaynor Lloyd to Councillor McLennan, Deputy Leader

Gaynor Lloyd began by expressing concern at the time limit placed on her supplementary question, which was a restriction she felt had not been made clear in advance of the meeting.  In response, the Chief Executive clarified that the purpose of this session of the meeting was to deal with supplementary questions rather than consider any wider contributions on the issues raised.

Highlighting the response received to a recent Freedom of Information request, Gaynor Lloyd began by highlighting comments made in relation to the content of a press release prepared to accompany the One Public Estate report to Cabinet in February 2018 on green space plans.  She also advised that she had been made aware of the employment by the four current partners involved in the Northwick Park One Public Estate initiative of GVA consultants in order to prepare professional representations for the first Local Plan public consultation and options paper which residents had not been advised of in relation to concerns over the access road and One Public Estate proposals.

In view of the earlier clarification provided, the Mayor advised Gaynor Lloyd that she would need to move on to her supplementary question.  As a result the Deputy Leader was asked to confirm why facts shared with a Developer Forum as part of the first Local Plan consultation about the possibility of Northwick Park involving a high density development had not been shared with local residents and also why the professional representations produced by GVA for the public consultation had also not been shared with local residents.

In response, Councillor McLennan, thanked Gaynor Lloyd for her question and highlighted that the written response provided to her initial question had included an update on where things currently stood in relation to the Northwick Park One Public Estate initiative, including the status of the site.  She confirmed that no final decisions had yet been made and that the final proposals would be subject to public consultation.  Councillor McLennan advised that she was not aware of the concerns raised in relation to the submission of consultant representations and Developer Forum and would therefore need to take this back for further consideration after the meeting with a response to be provided once further details had been obtained.

The Mayor advised that this now concluded the public question session and thanked Councillor McLennan for her response and Gaynor Lloyd for her attendance at the meeting.