Agenda item
Petitions (if any)
To receive any petitions from members of the public, in accordance with Standing Order 66.
Decision:
5.1 Anti-social behaviour King Edward VII Park
Cabinet NOTED the comments made by Mr Manish Tivedy, speaking on behalf of local residents living in the area surrounding King Edward VII Park, who highlighted concerns relating to anti-social behaviour and noise impacting residents as a result of large scale gatherings being held in the park over weekends late into the evening. Members were advised that the request to speak and action being sought was supported by a petition which contained 71 signatories.
In addressing Cabinet, Manish Trivedy highlighted the following key issues:
· Concerns at the noise, litter, nuisance and anti-social behaviour impacting on local residents surrounding the park as a result of the large scale gatherings reported. 19 separate incidents had been reported to the police including threatening behaviour and violence.
· Residents had met with officers within the Parks Service to explain the issues and nuisance they were experiencing and were grateful for the initial response provided.
In terms of a way forward residents were seeking a solution that was both operational and strategic in order to address the concerns highlighted. Whilst supportive of the Council’s strategic approach in seeking to educate those causing the problems about the impact locally, acknowledgement was also being sought from Cabinet regarding the extent of the problems and need for action to be taken, including use and enforcement of Public Space Protection Orders. In summing up, Mr Trivedy recognised the limited resources available but advised that he was keen to ensure residents continued to work in partnership with the Council in order to resolve the situation.
In responding, Councillor Krupa Sheth, as Cabinet member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action, acknowledged that the nuisance being experienced by residents was unacceptable and confirmed she had been in contact with ward councillors about the concerns highlighted within the petition. In terms of a way forward she was aware that the concerns had been raised with the Community Safety and Safer Neighbourhood Teams, as well as officers within the Parks Service. As a result a plan was now being developed to tackle the issues highlighted, with the Council committed to continuing to work with residents to ensure the park remained a safe and pleasant environment for local residents and the nuisance being experienced was addressed.
Councillor Farah, as Cabinet Member for Safer Communities and Public Protection, also acknowledged the concerns identified and advised he was also keen to ensure that the ongoing engagement with local residents continued in order to resolve the issues.
5.2 Islamia Primary School Site
Cabinet NOTED the comments made by Jamad Guled, speaking on behalf of the parents of pupils at Islamia Primary School regarding arrangements for the provision of an alternative site for the School. Members were advised that the request to speak and action being sought was supported by a petition which contained 509 signatories.
In presenting the petition, Jamad Guled highlighted the following:
· The anxiety and concerns expressed by parents at Islamia Primary School regarding arrangements to secure ongoing provision of the school on an alternative site following the eviction order for the current site issued by the Yusuf Islam Foundation.
· The concerns highlighted by parents relating to the proposed alternative location currently identified on the former Roe Green Strathcona School site, in terms of affordability, accessibility, existing high density of population in the area, environmental and safety issues particularly in terms of travel arrangements. It was felt these issues would particularly impact parents struggling with the cost of living crisis and pupils with disabilities.
· The need to ensure a full Equality Impact Assessment was carried out in relation to the proposed site in order to ensure that vulnerable families were protected and supported as a result of the additional travel requirements and to monitor the impact in terms of any resultant home schooling with the Council called upon to ensure they were acting in the best interest of Islamia School pupils.
· As an alternative proposals, parents were keen to explore, as a preferred option, the potential use of the new school site being developed as part of the South Kilburn regeneration programme given its proximity to the current site and existing capacity of other neighbouring schools in the area when compared to the Islamia School.
In responding, Councillor Butt, as Leader of the Council, advised the petitioners that whilst noting the concerns expressed and willing to work with the school and parents in seeking to secure future provision on an alternative site, there was a need to recognise the limited range of options available. In terms of the South Kilburn site, he advised this was not a viable option in terms of both timing and its future allocated use as part of the existing South Kilburn masterplan.
Councillor Grahl, as Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Schools, also acknowledged the anxiety and frustration of parents and thanked those involved in the petition for presenting it to the Cabinet. She also highlighted the difficulties in identifying a suitable alternative site at the current time along with fluctuations in demand and, as a result, hoped the petitioners would recognise the effort that had been put into developing the current proposals in relation to the Strathcona site. She assured those present that should the plan to locate Islamia Primary School at Strathcona progress, the Council would seek to facilitate a smooth transition in terms of the arrangements supporting any move to the site, including for those with additional needs.
Nigel Chapman (Corporate Director Children and Young People) concluded the response advising the petitioners that, subject to approval of the accompanying report on the agenda, a statutory consultation process would need to be undertaken and managed by the School Governing Body. In seeking to assure parents, he advised this would provide an opportunity for them to formally contribute and provide their views on the proposals in advance of any final decision being confirmed.
Minutes:
5.1 Anti-Social Behaviour King Edward VII Park
Councillor Muhammed Butt (Leader of the Council) welcomed Mr Manish Tivedy to the meeting, who he advised had been invited to speak on behalf of local residents living in the area surrounding King Edward VII Park, in order to highlight concerns relating to the impact of anti-social behaviour and noise being created by large scale gatherings being held in the park over weekends late into the evening. Members were advised that the request to speak and actions being sought in response were supported by a petition which contained 71 signatories.
In addressing Cabinet, Manish Trivedy highlighted the following key issues:
· Concerns at the noise, litter, nuisance and anti-social behaviour impacting on local residents surrounding the park as a result of the large scale gatherings reported. 19 separate incidents had been reported to the police including threatening behaviour and violence.
· Residents had met with officers within the Parks Service to explain the issues and nuisance they were experiencing and were grateful for the initial response provided.
In terms of a way forward residents were seeking both an operational and strategic solution in order to address the concerns highlighted. Whilst supportive of the Council’s approach in seeking (as a strategic way forward) to educate those causing the problems about the impact locally, acknowledgement was also being sought from Cabinet regarding the extent of the problems and need for action to be taken, including use and enforcement of Public Space Protection Orders. In summing up Mr Trivedy, whilst recognising the limited resources available, advised he was keen to ensure work continued in partnership with the Council in an effort to resolve the situation and address the impact on local residents.
In responding, Councillor Krupa Sheth, as Cabinet member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Action, acknowledged that the nuisance being experienced by residents was unacceptable and confirmed she had been in contact with ward councillors about the concerns highlighted within the petition. In terms of a way forward she was aware that the concerns had been raised with the Community Safety and Safer Neighbourhood Teams, as well as officers within the Parks Service. As a result an operational plan was now being developed to tackle the issues highlighted, with the Council committed to continuing working with local residents to ensure the park remained a safe and pleasant environment for everyone and the nuisance being experienced was addressed.
Councillor Farah, as Cabinet Member for Safer Communities and Public Protection, also acknowledged the concerns identified and highlighted a need to ensure that the ongoing engagement with local residents continued in order to resolve the issues.
5.2 Islamia Primary School Site
Councillor Muhammed Butt then moved on to welcome Jamad Guled, who he advised had been invited to speak on behalf parents from Islamia Primary School (IPS) regarding arrangements for the provision of an alternative site for the School. Members were advised that the request to speak and action being sought in response was supported by a petition which contained 509 signatories.
In presenting the petition, Jamad Guled highlighted the following key issues:
· The anxiety and concerns expressed by parents at Islamia Primary School regarding arrangements to secure ongoing provision of the school on an alternative site following the eviction order for the current site issued by the Yusuf Islam Foundation.
· The concerns highlighted by parents relating to the proposed alternative location currently identified on the former Strathcona School site, in terms of affordability, accessibility, existing high density of population in the area, environmental and safety issues particularly in terms of travel arrangements. It was felt these issues would particularly impact on parents already struggling with the cost of living crisis and those of pupils with mobility issues and other additional needs.
· The need to ensure a full Equality Impact Assessment was carried out in relation to the proposed site in order to ensure that vulnerable families were protected and supported as a result of the additional travel requirements and to monitor the impact (in terms of safety and attainment) as a result of any parents making the decision to home school their children as an alternative to the new site. As a result, the Council was called upon to ensure they were acting in the best interest of pupils at Islamia Primary School.
· As an alternative option, parents were keen to support and explore the potential allocation of the new school site being developed as part of the South Kilburn regeneration programme for IPS. This was in view of its proximity to the current site and existing capacity available within other neighbouring schools to accommodate pupils from Carlton Vale Infant and Kilburn Park Junior schools (once their existing site was lost) for which the new school site in South Kilburn had currently been allocated, recognising that Islamia Primary School was oversubscribed.
As a result of the concerns expressed the petitioners advised they were calling on the Council to withdrawn the current option identified in relation to the Strathcona site in order identify a more local, safer and fair solution for provision of the school.
In responding, Councillor Butt, as Leader of the Council, advised the petitioners that whilst noting the concerns expressed and willing to work with the school and parents in seeking to secure future provision on an alternative site, there was a need to recognise the limited range of options available. In terms of the South Kilburn site, he advised this was not a viable option in terms of both timing and its future allocated use as part of the existing South Kilburn regeneration masterplan.
Councillor Grahl, as Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Schools, also acknowledged the anxiety and frustration of parents and thanked those involved for raising their concerns and presenting the petition to Cabinet. She also highlighted the difficulties in identifying a suitable alternative site at the current time along with fluctuations in demand of school places and, as a result, hoped the petitioners would recognise the effort that had been put into developing the current proposals in relation to the Strathcona site. She assured those present that should the plan to locate Islamia Primary School at Strathcona progress, the Council would seek to facilitate a smooth transition in terms of the arrangements supporting any move to the site, recognising concerns about transport and those pupils with additional needs.
Nigel Chapman (Corporate Director Children and Young People) concluded the response advising the petitioners that, subject to approval of the accompanying report on the agenda, a statutory consultation process would need to be undertaken and managed by the School Governing Body. In seeking to assure parents, he advised this would provide an opportunity for them to formally contribute and provide their views on the proposals in advance of any final decision being made.