Agenda item
Questions from the Opposition and other Non- Executive Members
Questions will be put to the Executive
Minutes:
Councillor Cummins stated that he had received many complaints from residents over the Council’s decision to stop issuing scratch cards for parking and asked what was going to be done to rectify this. Councillor J Moher replied that it was not unusual for people to be sensitive over change. He acknowledged there had been teething problems introducing the new arrangements but it was essential to improve the efficiency of the system. He was open to hearing peoples’ concerns but pointed out that a past complaint had been that people were often left with a residual amount on their scratch cards which they could not use and so this would improve that situation. He also stated that help would be given to the elderly to understand the new arrangements. Councillor Cummins submitted that the answer from Councillor Moher was not sufficient to make up for the loss of scratch cards which some people had come to rely on. He spoke of those people who did not have access to a computer or were not familiar with how they worked who would not be able to cope with the new arrangements.
Councillor Adeyeye asked how much progress had been made towards the new civic centre being one of the greenest buildings in Europe. Councillor Crane replied that it had achieved a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) outstanding rating, making it the greenest public building in the UK. He outlined the various mechanical and engineering innovations incorporated into the building and stated that the next challenge was to achieve a further BREEAM rating for the building in use. Councillor Adeyeye thanked Councillor Crane for his reply.
Councillor Shaw asked why motorcycles were still using the Willesden Sports centre causing a noise nuisance when planning permission had been refused six months ago. She stated that the sports service should by now have terminated the lease and asked why residents were expected to abide by planning laws when the sports service was not able to. Councillor Mashari replied that she was not aware of the circumstances raised by the question and asked that Councillor Shaw email her the details so that she could look into it and arrange a meeting to look at resolving the situation. Councillor Shaw responded that she thought that the lead member should have been aware of the situation.
Councillor Hopkins asked what progress had been made on re-opening any of the six libraries that had been closed during 2011/12. Councillor Mashari replied that she would be meeting with Councillor Ashraf on this matter and she was open to meeting with any community group and was already in on-going discussions with some groups. Councillor Hopkins responded by stating that she had not heard from any campaigners on any progress made and asked that the feelings of people on this issue be not underestimated. She stated that people valued libraries and desperately wanted their old libraries back.
Councillor Sheth asked what the Council was doing to ensure that children at Copeland Community School received the highest possible level of education. Councillor Pavey replied that the Council’s planning was putting the children at the centre, rather than the buildings and facilities as had been the case in the past. Members of the Interim Executive Board were educationalists who were working to improve the chances of pupils at the school. He expressed disappointment that the NUT had called a strike at the school before they had heard of the proposals for the future of the school. Councillor Sheth was glad to hear of the efforts being made to turn the school around and wished to encourage those involved to work with the children and their families.
Councillor Brown asked what was being done to preserve the legacy of the previous Council administration in keeping the streets clean and suggested that the street were now dirtier than ever with an increase in dumping and litter. Councillor Mashari replied that the Council had re-introduced the free bulky waste collection service in a bid to tackle fly tipping. Areas of the borough had been targeted for action over a three week period and the initial phases had resulted in a 20% reduction in dumping Councillor Brown stated that he disagreed that the situation was better and that during 2010/13 dumping had increased showing that the free bulky waste collection service did not work. He also pointed out that the service did not extend to landlords. He stated that funding for street cleansing had been cut leading to a reduced waste collection service and an increase in dumping.
Councillor Kabir asked what progress had been made in addressing the shortage of school places. Councillor Crane replied that the Council faced a challenging position on school places. A four year strategy for an expansion of places, including permanent and temporary bulge places, had been approved. Barham, Fryent and Mitchell Brook Primary Schools were being expanded in the current year and a further seven schools were consulting on expansion proposals. The DfE (Department for Education) had agreed to open a Free School in the Wembley area which he regarded as a disastrous decision because it effectively diverted funding from improving existing schools. Much needed improvements to Alperton and Copeland Community Schools were not programmed until 2018. Councillor Kabir thanked Councillor Crane for his answer.
Councillor Lorber asked for a rough estimate of the amount of spend on redundancy payments for departing officers since 2011 when Councillor Butt became Leader. Councillor Butt replied that a re-structure of senior officers was designed to save the Council £3m. In all cases of officers leaving the Council, negotiations on the contractual position were undertaken and therefore in the circumstances he was not able to answer the question. Councillor Lorber stated that councillors were being kept in the dark on this issue, including what arrangements were agreed for the former Chief Executive to leave and the position of the former Director of Finance. Councillors were not being involved despite them, as elected representatives, being expected to be accountable to local people for the spending decisions taken by the Council.
Councillor Oladapo asked what the Council was doing to mitigate the effects on residents of the cuts the Council had to make. Councillor Crane replied that all those affected by the welfare reforms had been contacted and were being given assistance. An employment programme called Navigator was being funded on which all councillors had received a recent update. He was pleased to report that the Council’s facilities management contractor, Europa, had taken on six additional recruits. Work being undertaken within the Regeneration and Growth Department was aimed at getting people into work. Councillor McClennan added that Brent was the borough most affected by the changes to housing benefit but the housing division was working hard to mitigate the effects on the most vulnerable members of the community. Councillor Oladapo thanked Councillors Crane and McClennan for their answers.
(Councillor Lorber raised a point of order with regard to the above by stating that it was not permissible for two Executive members to be allowed to answer a question. The Mayor ruled that it made sense in this case because the issue covered two portfolios).
Councillor Hunter referred to advice she had received that the Council could not debate the subject of the trading activities of Veolia in relation to the public realm contract and asked how this position sat with the position of the local Labour Party which had voted to exclude Veolia from the tendering process. Councillor Mashari replied that the same legal advice applied which meant she could not discuss the matter, however she added that she was in favour of pursuing ethical procurement and officers had been asked to look into this. Councillor Hunter responded by saying that despite legal advice it should be remembered that Council Tax went towards funding the proposed contract.