Agenda item

7.1   To receive and consider the question(s) submitted by the public for response by the relevant Cabinet Member, in accordance with Standing Order 33.

Members are asked to note that two public questions have been received, which have been circulated as part of the agenda along with the written responses provided.

7.2   To receive question(s) submitted by the Brent Youth Parliament for response by the relevant Cabinet Member, in accordance with Standing Order 33(c).

Members are asked to note that one question has been received, which has been circulated as part of the agenda along with the written response provided.

10.1    Questions from the Public

The Mayor advised that two questions had been received from members of the public, which were as follows:

Question 1 from Chi Wong to Councillor Johnson (Cabinet Member for Housing, Homelessness and Renters) regarding support available to Private Sector tenants under the Renters Right Act.

Question 2 from Ranya Dauteva to Councillor Johnson (as Cabinet Member for Housing, Homelessness and Renters) regarding the assessment of housing need and Councillor Amadi (as Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Cost of Living Support) regarding the blue badge assessment process.

The Mayor advised that whilst the members of the public who had submitted questions had been given the opportunity to the attend the meeting in order to ask a supplementary question both had, unfortunately, been unable to do so.  In thanking both for the questions submitted, members were advised that written responses had been provided, which were noted at the meeting.  With no further questions to be considered, he then moved on to deal with the question submitted by Brent Youth Parliament.

10.2    Questions from Brent Youth Parliament

The Mayor advised that the following question had been received from Brent Youth Parliament:

Question 1 from Brent Youth Parliament to Councillor Rubin, Cabinet Member for Children Services, Employment & Climate Action, relating to progress on introduction of the Educational Maintenance Allowance.

The Mayor thanked Brent Youth Parliament (BYP) for their question, with members noting the written response provided, and advised that representatives from the Youth Parliament had also been invited to attend the meeting in order to ask a supplementary question.  As a result, the Mayor welcomed George Main Sin from BYP to the meeting who asked the following supplementary question.

Question 1 Supplementary Question from George Main Sin to Councillor Rubin, Cabinet Member for Children Services, Employment and Climate Action regarding eligibility for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

Having thanked Councillor Rubin for his written response, George Main Sin highlighted the reference included to the development work being undertaken in relation to introduction of the EMA, including eligibility, and sought further detail on the process and how the Council would ensure that all eligible young people were made aware and able to access the Allowance, once introduced.

In response, Councillor Rubin thanked Brent Youth Parliament for the question and work they were continuing to undertake to represent young people across the borough highlighting the personal significance of EMA having received the allowance himself whilst studying, prior to its withdrawal by the Coalition Government in 2010.  Reference was made to the current Government's wider investment in young people, including the roll-out of free breakfast clubs and free school meals for primary school children, with the Council seeking to build on this by introducing an EMA for eligible young people locally. Whilst confirming that the detailed eligibility criteria was still subject to final modelling, analysis and development of costed options, an undertaking was given to attend an upcoming Brent Youth Parliament session to discuss the scheme further and to work on a communications campaign to ensure all eligible young people were made aware of the allowance once introduced.

The Mayor also took the opportunity to acknowledge and commend BYP for the work undertaken in seeking to represent young people across the borough and, in outlining his support for the contribution made, thanked Councillor Rubin for his response and George Main Sin for attending the meeting to ask the supplementary question.  With no further questions to be considered, the Mayor advised that concluded the public question session.