Agenda item
Questions from the Opposition and other Non- Executive Members
Questions will be put to the Executive
Minutes:
Councillor Brown stated that it appeared that the Leader of the Council was pursuing a different library policy to that of the Lead Member and asked if he would now seek the resignation of the Lead Member. Councillor Butt (Leader) replied that he and Councillor Powney (Lead Member for Environment and Neighbourhoods) were following the same policy which was to implement the library strategy. He added that Councillor Powney was doing a superb job and would continue to do so. Councillor Brown expressed disappointment with the reply and referred to what he saw as encouraging signs given by the Leader to the library groups. He stated that Councillor Butt could have stopped the libraries being cleared of books and the transfer of buildings and land. He felt it was time to turn words into actions.
Councillor Mashari asked what plans there were to ensure every child in Brent had a school place. Councillor Arnold (Lead Member for Children and Families) replied that 120 extra permanent places and 340 places in reception ‘bulge’ classes had been provided to meet the increased demand. A further 120 places were being created and a contingency plan was in place. Of the 3770 applications this year, all had been provided with a place with 79% receiving their first choice. However, no guarantee could be given that all children applying for a place this year would get one in September. Councillor Mashari felt the figures given by Councillor Arnold were encouraging and showed that the Council was doing all it could to meet the increased demand. She expressed the view that the Government appeared obsessed with the notion that the free market would address the problem but felt that funding was not being allocated to where it was most needed.
Councillor Colwill asked why only half the footway in Regal Way had been repaired. He referred to a petition on this matter that was to be received by the Highways Committee but expressed concern that from the recommendations in the report it appeared a final decision had already been made on the matter. Councillor J Moher (Lead Member for Highways and Transportation) replied that the proper place for discussion of the matter was at the Highways Committee. Councillor Colwill referred to the report to the Highways Committee which recommended rejecting the wishes of the petitioners and he re-iterated his view that the Council would be better off if it repaired the whole length of the footway.
Councillor Cheese asked why the money estimated to be spent on Kilburn Library had been allowed to increase from the £117,000 first reported to £650,000. Councillor Butt (Leader) replied that the lower figure had only covered the need for normal day to day repairs and the larger figure reflected the additional work to transform the library in accordance with the Library Transformation project which aimed to provide for six libraries to deliver a first class service to residents. Councillor Cheese responded that the answer was what he had expected and stated that if the Council could afford this it could afford to keep more libraries open.
Councillor Al-Ebadi asked what the plans were to minimise the impact of the Olympic Games on residents and ensure everyone in Brent had the opportunity to join in the celebrations. Councillor Powney (Lead Member for Environment and Neighbourhoods) replied that extensive planning had been undertaken with Transport for London to ensure traffic and people would be able to move around the borough with minimal delay, especially around the Wembley area. The Council’s own staff would be carrying out a range of operational activities. The torch relay would pass through the borough on 25 July passing the stadium and going on to Barnet. There were also plans for the torch for the Paralympic Games but these were currently embargoed. Councillor Al-Ebadi was pleased with the reply he had received.
Councillor Van Kalwala asked what would be the impact of the Government’s ten per cent cut to Council Tax Benefits in Brent. Councillor R Moher (Lead Member for Corporate Resources) referred to her earlier report under minute 5 above. The Council would have a shortfall of funding equivalent to 13% equalling £5.2M. She reported that a scheme would be devised that would attempt to minimise the impact it had on those currently getting benefit but it was already clear that this was another vicious assault by the Government on the poorest in the borough. Councillor Van Kalwala congratulated the Council on doing what it could to protect the most needy in the borough and drew comparisons on this with what Sarah Teather, MP had said about the new arrangements. He stated that the Liberal Democrats had shown a heartless attitude in this matter.
Councillor Matthews asked if it could be guaranteed that the level of services provided for Gladstone Park would be maintained after they transferred to a private operator. Councillor Powney (Lead Member for Environment and Neighbourhoods) replied that the services for all of Brent’s parks had transferred to a contractor and there was no automatic reason why they would not all continue to be delivered. It was down to the design and monitoring of the contract. One improvement to take place was in the demarcation of the service which might open opportunities to deal more efficiently with some matters. Councillor Matthews responded by saying that everyone was proud of the parks in Brent and acknowledged the green flag awards achieved by the Parks Service. She was concerned that the service would reduce and hoped close scrutiny of it would be maintained.
Councillor Lorber stated that Councillor Butt owed his new position as Leader of the Council to the impact of the libraries programme and the objections to withdrawing funding from community organised events whilst increasing the funding for Council run festivals. He asked what would be done to restore funding to important community events. Councillor Butt (Leader) replied that it was the fault of the Government that the Council had to take decisions to cut funding and that it should be seen in that light. Councillor Lorber responded by claiming that the question had been avoided. He stated that the previous government’s actions had led to the need to cut back spending. The festivals programme in Brent had been decimated and local people would not forgive the Council for this.
Councillor Daly asked how many families there were in Brent who had been in bed and breakfast accommodation for over six weeks. Councillor Long (Lead Member for Housing) replied that no family was in bed and breakfast for longer than six weeks. The Housing Needs division had been restructured to become more efficient and through hard work had managed to bring the number down to zero. However, cuts to Housing Benefit could lead to an increase again. This depended on the supply and demand of accommodation. The number in bed and breakfast was being monitored but no guarantees could be given that the length of stay would not again increase to over six weeks. Councillor Daly responded by saying that children in families who did not have a basic level of shelter did not get a fair start in life.
Councillor Sneddon stated that residents of Willesden had welcomed the shelving of the plans for Willesden Green centre. He asked if this would now mean that more meaningful consultation would be carried out. Councillor Crane replied that the developer had withdrawn the planning application for further consultation on the scheme. A huge response had been received to the first consultation, expressing views both for and against the scheme. It was felt more time was needed to consider the way forward but the Council was still committed to delivering a top class building on the site. There was only one opportunity for this and he hoped it would get the go ahead by the end of the year. Councillor Sneddon agreed that there was only one chance to get it right, however he did not feel he had received an answer to his question regarding the scope of the consultation. He expressed the hope that the new leadership would make efforts to counter the perception held by many that consultation carried out by the Council was merely a tick box exercise.