Agenda item

To receive an annual report from the Leader of the Council, in accordance with Standing Order 38.

NOTED the annual report provided by the Leader of the Council on the work of the Council and state of the borough.

Eligible for Call-In: No

The Mayor then invited Councillor Muhammed Butt, as Leader of the Council, to present his Annual Report on the work of the Council and State of the Borough.

Councillor Muhammed Butt opened the Annual Report by reflecting on the impact which the brief tenure of former Prime Minister Liz Truss, had created in terms of the current economic and financial challenges facing the country and public services in particular.  Reference was also made to the current Prime Minister and how far removed the Government seemed to be from the impact of their policies on local communities and ongoing underfunding of public services with specific reference to schools, prisons, NHS waiting times, growing housing demand, and the part-cancellation of HS2.  In contrast, he highlighted how the Labour Administration were working to support local residents, particularly those more vulnerable who relied on public services, in order to ensure no one was left behind.

In outlining the work of the Council over the past year, the Leader commended the Council’s investment in services that supported residents, such as the Resident Support Fund, Council Tax Relief Scheme, the delivery of new Social and Affordable housing and the commitment to a cleaner and greener borough. In highlighting the protection being provided for local residents given the nature of the wider financial and economic challenges being faced as a result of the cost-of-living crisis he also felt it important to recognise that these investments had been delivered despite the Government’s ongoing programme of austerity and also opposition from the Conservative Group who, he reminded members, had proposed removal of the Resident Support Fund as an alternative budget proposal.  The stance of the Liberal Democrat Group was also queried, given their opposition to various social housing development schemes and the previous role of the Party nationally as part of the Conservative led coalition Government which had introduced the programme of austerity still impacting on public services today. To illustrate the impact of austerity across the UK, the Leader highlighted that 2.5 million food bank packages had been distributed across the UK in 2021, compared with 60,000 when the coalition had first come into power in 2010.

As an alternative, Councillor Muhammed Butt highlighted the way in which the Labour Party nationally and Administration in Brent were working to protect public services and local residents based on continued investment in the economy, education, health and social care, the environment and local communities.  Within Brent this had involved continuing to support local businesses, investment in early years support and school improvement, health prevention services and integrated care along with work to tackle the climate emergency, improve air quality and provide community facilities and support in order to promote social cohesion, community safety and more vulnerable members of society.  In commending the work of each Cabinet Member in support of the Council’s objectives, Councillor Muhammed Butt concluded by recognising the extent of work still required to mitigate against the damage being caused through the actions of the current Conservative Government and in seeking to continue improving the lives of residents and to make the borough an even better place to live and work.

The Mayor thanked the Leader for his Annual Report and then advised that she would open up the debate for contributions from other members, starting with a response from the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Group.

In responding to the Annual Report, Councillor Kansagra (as Leader of the Conservative Group) queried why the Annual Report had not been focussed on the Administration’s delivery of the Council’s objectives and instead had sought to criticise the Government, despite the significant package of financial support provided and what he felt had been the favourable financial settlement provided for the Council, which had been achieved within the context of the economic challenges created as a result of the pandemic and war in Ukraine.  In highlighting the significant package of financial support provided by the Government for businesses and individuals to assist in managing the impact of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis he concluded by questioning the Leaders recollection about how the funding provided by Government had been used by the Labour Administration in Brent to assist local residents in tackling these issues.

The Mayor then invited a representative from the Liberal Democrats Group to respond, with Councillor Lorber nominated to speak.  In referencing the earlier discussion surrounding support for residents living with dementia, Councillor Lorber highlighted concerns regarding the progress by the current Administration in working towards Brent being recognised as a Dementia Friendly borough.  In raising this as an issue, Councillor Lorber commended the work of the Barham Memory Lounge and Café in providing support for those living with dementia and their carers.  This had been supported through space provided within the Barham Park building by Barham Community Library alongside a successful bid for Lottery Funding.  Reference was also made to a successful bid for Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) funding to support refurbishment of the existing facilities in order to enable the establishment of a dementia hub operated in partnership with the Memory Lounge to provide community support and further outreach work, which it had not been possible to progress as a result of decisions taken by the Barham Park Trust relating to the lease of units within the Barham Park building.  In highlighting the commitment made by the Leader to improve the lives of residents across the borough, Councillor Lorber felt this should also extend to the Council taking positive action to support those living with dementia in Brent and their carers.

Having thanked Councillors Kansagra and Lorber for their contributions, the Mayor then moved on to open up the debate and invite contributions from other members.

As a Point of Order, following Councillor Lorber’s comments on the Annual Report, Councillor Crabb highlighted a need to ensure appropriate language was used in relation to the reference of those living (as opposed to suffering) with dementia and commended the Council’s efforts to ensure that the borough was genuinely dementia friendly.

In echoing Councillor Crabb’s comments regarding the need for care with the language used when referring to dementia, Councillor Donnelly-Jackson urged members to avoid the use of ableist language.  The work being undertaken by organisations such as Ashford Place & Community Action on Dementia as part of the wider activity being undertaken around the provision of dementia support across Brent was also recognised along with the way in which NCIL funding had been used to make a positive impact in supporting community based projects, including funding provided for the Dementia Hub initiative.

Moving on, Councillor Maurice addressing the remarks made by the Leader regarding austerity, felt it was important to recognise the poor financial state of the country inherited from the previous Labour Government in 2010 and nature of the challenges faced since then in relation to the fiscal deficit which had needed to be addressed.  In terms of other issues impacting Brent, Councillor Maurice also highlighted what he felt were growing concerns being expressed by local residents in relation to crime and safety across the borough.  In addition, he felt there was need to recognise and commend the Government for the level of investment provided to address issues such as highway and pothole repairs and improve access to health and social care services which had all directly benefitted residents in Brent.

As additional Points of Order, in response to Councillor Maurice’s comments, Councillor Crabb felt there was a need to recognise the process and precedent for the exchange of power between incoming and outgoing Governments with Councillor Nerva also clarifying the position regarding the limited access to funding provided by the Government for Transport for London, in relation to highway maintenance and repairs and associated impact on the borough.  Councillor Lorber also took the opportunity to comment in highlighting that reference to the start of austerity could, in his view, be traced back to the Labour Government in 2008.

In support of the approach outlined by the Leader within his Annual Report and challenging the views expressed by the Conservative Group, Councillor Kennelly felt it was important to recognise the positive benefits of the additional investment provided by the Labour Administration especially in relation to the maintenance and repair of roads and pavements across the borough, including within his ward, along with the plans for wider investment to ensure the economic stability of the country being developed by Labour on a national basis.

As no further members indicated that they wished to speak, the Mayor then invited the Leader to sum up and close the debate on the Annual State of the Borough Report.

Councillor Muhammed Butt began his response by reminding members of the achievements delivered by the current Administration despite the financial difficulties facing the Council as a result of the funding restrictions and programme of austerity which had been imposed by the Conservative and coalition led Government. This had resulted in the Council having to manage a reduction of £210m in its budget since 2010 accompanied by a range of additional pressures, including changes in the welfare and asylum system which had resulted in the Council needing to step in and provide additional support.  Within this context, the Leader assured members that the Council remained committed to investing in the delivery of new homes, creation of jobs and working to improve community safety, education, health and social care provision and the local environment in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for local residents and those needing support.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Muhammed Butt for his response and advised that this concluded the debate.  As a result, it was therefore RESOLVED to formally note the Annual State of the Borough Report.