Agenda item

7.1    To receive questions submitted by the Public to Cabinet Members, in accordance with Standing Order 33.

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

7.2   To receive questions submitted from Brent Youth Parliament to Cabinet Members, in accordance with Standing Order 33(d).

One question has been received under this item, which has been attached along with the written responses provided.

NOTED

1.     The written and supplementary verbal response provided by the Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure & Culture to a question submitted from a member of the public on the statics relating to deaths in Brent arising from Covid-19 and the publishing of details on levels of testing, confirmed infections and deaths.

2.     The written response provided by the Cabinet Member for Schools, Employment & Skills to a question submitted from a member of the public relating to the catchment area for the new North Brent School.  No supplementary question was received.

3.     The written response provided by the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property & Planning to a question submitted from a member of the public relating to the Council’s bid for TfL emergency funding. No supplementary question was received.

4.     The written response provided by the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property & Planning to a question submitted from a member of the public relating to the Community Asset Transfer of Tenterden Pavilion & Sports Ground. No supplementary question was received.

5.     The written and supplementary verbal response provided by the Leader of the Council in relation to a question submitted from the Brent Youth Parliament on the plans being developed to support the Black Lives Matter movement and reach out to young people in Brent.

The Mayor advised that the following four questions had been received from members of the public along with one from the Brent Youth Parliament:

Question 1 from Robin Sharp (Chair - Brent Patient Voice) to Councillor Hirani, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure & Culture relating to deaths in Brent arising from Covid-19 and the publishing of details on levels of testing and confirmed infections across the Borough.

Question 2 from Martin Francis to Councillor Agha, Cabinet Member for Schools, Employment & Skills relating to the catchment area for the new North Brent School.

Question 3 from Amandine Alexandre to Councillor Tatler, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property & Planning relating to the Council’s bid for Transport for London ((TfL) emergency funding.

Question 4 from Scott Wade to Councillor Tatler, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property & Planning relating to the Community Asset Transfer of Tenterden Pavilion & Sports Ground.

Members noted the written response provided on each of the questions, which had been circulated with the agenda with the Mayor advising that each member of the public had been invited to attend the meeting in order to ask a supplementary question.  Whilst Martin Francis, Amandine Alexandre and Scott Wade had been unable to attend, the Mayor advised that Robin Sharp (who had also been unable to attend) had arranged for Mr Peter Latham to represent him in order to ask a supplementary question.  The Mayor welcomed Mr Latham to the meeting (who joined as a remote attendee) and invited him to put his supplementary question to Councillor Hirani, as Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure & Culture.

Supplementary Question from Mr Latham to Councillor Hirani, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure & Culture.

Having thanked Councillor Hirani for the written response provided, Mr Latham felt it was important to recognise that Brent had suffered with one of the worst Covid-19 infection and death rates per capita in the country.  Given the particularly adverse impact on the Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, NHS and elderly across the borough, he highlighted the need to continue raising awareness of the essential need to maintain and enforce social distancing measures.  As a means of assisting to monitor and encourage the necessary preventative action, he asked if Brent would be able and willing to publish on a regular basis the latest information available on the number of infections, broken down on a ward-by-ward basis.

In response, Councillor Hiraini thanked Mr Latham for his supplementary question. Whilst recognising the benefits that the provision of this data by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) would have had at the height of the pandemic, he felt its impact would now be more limited given the reduced number of Covid-19 cases currently being recorded in Brent.  He assured Mr Latham however, that any increase in the rate of infections would prompt a review of the process.

Having noted the response provided, the Mayor thanked Mr Latham for his question and for attending the meeting.

Following on from the public question session the Mayor then moved on to deal with the following question received from Brent Youth Parliament:

Question 1 to Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council, on the plans being developed to support the Black Lives Matter movement and reach out to young people in Brent.

Members noted the written response to the question, circulated with the agenda with the Mayor welcoming Bashra Mahamed to the meeting (who joined as a remote attendee), as a representative of the Youth Parliament in order to ask a supplementary question.

Supplementary Question from Bashra Mahamed (Brent Youth Parliament) to Councillor Muhammed Butt, Leader of the Council.

Bashara Mahamed began by thanking the Leader of the Council, on behalf of Brent Youth Parliament for the written response provided and for the opportunity to address the meeting.  Whilst welcoming the Black Community Action Plan, which had been developed as part of the response to the Black Lives Matters campaign she advised that the Youth Parliament were keen to ensure the response was as inclusive as possible with regular progress updates provided on key timescales and achievements.  The Youth Parliament, she pointed out, wanted to ensure that young people were fully engaged and not disenfranchised in terms of the process or consultation on the various initiatives being progressed.

In response, Councillor Butt thanked Bashara for the question and also the Youth Parliament for their ongoing engagement with the Council.  Young People, he pointed out, were at the heart of what the Council was seeking to achieve in terms being able to release their potential and realise their aspirations.  As such he was keen to ensure that the Youth Parliament were fully engaged as part of the ongoing conversation and process in relation to the Action Plan.  The Plan itself had been designed to be as inclusive as possible, in order to reflect and represent the diverse communities across the borough, with timescales for action clearly identified.  The Plan would also be subject to ongoing scrutiny as well as consideration by Cabinet with the Youth Parliament, he pointed out, very much welcome to be part of the ongoing discussions in order to ensure their voice and any issues or concerns were also reflected in the process moving forward.

Having noted the response provided, the Mayor thanked Bashara Mahamed for her question and for joining the meeting.  As there were no further questions to be dealt with, the Mayor advised this now concluded the public question session.