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Agenda item

Leader's Announcements

Minutes:

Councillor Watts thanked the Mayor and said how pleased he was that they were both at the recent opening of the Cat and Mouse Library.  Councillor Watts thanked the St George’s, Holloway and Junction ward councillors, and all the others that supported the event. Councillor Watts was delighted that a new library had been provided in the borough alongside a new social housing development.

 

Councillor Watts said that it was great to see the launch of new social housing in the Kings Square development, and the many other social housing developments which are part of the council’s new build programme. It was noted that the programme would deliver the most new affordable housing that the borough had seen for the past thirty years.

 

Councillor Watts reflected on the previous year and the horrific terrorist attack in Finsbury Park. Councillor Watts commended the incredible work of the emergency services, and noted how the community came together in the most difficult of circumstances. Councillor Watts said that he remained both touched and very proud of Islington’s response.

 

Councillor Watts noted that the Finsbury Park attack came only a few days after the appalling fire at the Grenfell Tower, and that the council is prioritising residents’ safety and continuing to work very closely with the Fire Brigade on a multi-million-pound programme of fire safety improvements across the council’s housing stock to ensure all council homes and buildings are as safe as possible. 

 

Councillor Watts thanked the many council staff who assisted Kensington and Chelsea Council in their response to the Grenfell Tower fire, and also commended staff for their response to the Finsbury Park terror attack, and the assistance given to Camden Council during the evacuation of the Chalcots Estate. 

 

Councillor Watts said it was incredible to see the continued transformation of the borough’s schools, noting that 2017 saw the best ever GSCE results achieved in Islington. In eight years Islington had progressed from one of the bottom 20 boroughs in the country to one of the top 20 boroughs in terms of the progress that young people make.  Councillor Watts was very proud that more young people were getting the opportunities to go to a good university or get a good apprenticeship, and wished them the very best of luck and future success.

 

Councillor Watts mentioned Angelic Energy, the council’s not for profit energy provider, which allows the council, on behalf of its residents, to challenge the commercial energy monopoly that is failing so many people, and thanked Councillor Webbe for her work in this area.

 

Councillor Watts referenced the ongoing housing crisis, and said that councillor surgeries were full of people whose lives had been ruined by the lack of social housing in the borough. Councillor Watts mentioned three cases he had seen personally in the last couple of months. The first was four children and two adults in a two-bedroom flat, where the overcrowding was causing condensation dampness that was affecting the family’s physical and mental health and, as hard as the council was trying, there were simply no local properties available.

 

Councillor Watts mentioned an old age pensioner, who lived on the fourth floor of a block without a lift and who was increasingly frail and desperately needed a round floor property, as he would not be able to access his home within the next couple of years. The pensioner wanted to stay in the local area near friends, their church and their community centre, but there were simply no properties available. 

 

Councillor Watts also mentioned a family who had been evicted by their landlord with no notice, who the council had placed in temporary accommodation outside of London as there were no suitable properties available locally. This meant that the family could not visit their local GP who was familiar with the mother’s mental health condition. The council was unable to offer any assurances to the family in regards to when a suitable property in the borough may become available.

 

Councillor Watts said that these were not exceptional cases; there were 10,000 families like this on the council’s housing waiting list. Councillor Watts said that it was the job of councillors to speak up for vulnerable people who couldn’t have their voices heard, and that building new social housing was the top priority of the council. Councillor Watts said that the Council was due to have a number of conversations this evening about the merits of new social housing proposals, and whilst he completely understood the concerns of residents who were worried about development near their homes, the current administration was elected on a manifesto pledge to build more council housing, and anyone opposing the development of new social housing should ask themselves what they are doing for the 10,000 families on Islington’s housing waiting list. Councillor Watts said that the Council would stand up for the voiceless and stand up for the homes that the people of Islington need.