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53.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 40 KB

The Minutes of the Awards Council meeting held on 14 March 2019 and the Annual Council meeting held on 16 May 2019.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

 

That the minutes of the Awards Council meeting held on 14 March 2019 and the Annual Council meeting held on 16 May 2019 be approved and the Mayor be authorised to sign them.

54.

Declarations of Interest

If you have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest* in an item of business:

§  if it is not yet on the council’s register, you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent;

§  you may choose to declare a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest that is already in the register in the interests of openness and transparency. 

In both the above cases, you must leave the room without participating in discussion of the item.

 

If you have a personal interest in an item of business and you intend to speak or vote on the item you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent but you may participate in the discussion and vote on the item.

 

*(a)    Employment, etc - Any employment, office, trade, profession or vocation carried on for profit or gain.

(b)     Sponsorship - Any payment or other financial benefit in respect of your expenses in carrying out duties as a member, or of your election; including from a trade union.

(c)      Contracts - Any current contract for goods, services or works, between you or your partner (or a body in which one of you has a beneficial interest) and the council.

(d)     Land - Any beneficial interest in land which is within the council’s area.

(e)      Licences - Any licence to occupy land in the council’s area for a month or longer.

(f)      Corporate tenancies - Any tenancy between the council and a body in which you or your partner have a beneficial interest.

(g)     Securities - Any beneficial interest in securities of a body which has a place of business or land in the council’s area, if the total nominal value of the securities exceeds £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that body or of any one class of its issued share capital. 

 

This applies to all members present at the meeting.

 

Minutes:

None.

55.

Mayoral Announcements

(i)           Apologies

(ii)          Order of business

(iii)         Declaration of discussion items

(iv)        Mayor’s announcements

(v)          Length of speeches

Minutes:

(a)  Apologies for absence

 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Caluori, Convery, Fletcher, Gallagher, Gill, Mackmurdie and Woodbyrne.

 

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Shaikh.

 

(b)  Order of business

 

The Mayor announced that the order of business would be revised. Motion 1, Tackling the environment and climate emergency by achieving a net zero carbon Islington by 2030, would be considered as the next item of business, prior to Item 4, Leader’s Announcements.

 

(c)   Declaration of discussion items

 

None.

 

(d)  Mayor’s Announcement

 

The Mayor highlighted several events she had attended since becoming Mayor and said that it was a privilege to serve the borough’s communities.

 

As the mayoral year started during Ramadan the Mayor had attended many Iftar parties; the Mayor had especially enjoyed the Iftar at Finsbury Park Mosque which was attended by hundreds of people. The Mayor was also very excited to be invited to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich to the New Crescent Society’s Moonsighting event to mark the start of Eid.

 

The Mayor had attended the Active Officers’ Dinner at the Honourable Artillery Company and thanked her hosts for agreeing to hold back the start of the main course until 8.57pm, to allow the Mayor and her Consort to break their fast.

 

At the end of May, the Mayor and Cllr Webbe had greeted over 200 primary school children outside the Town Hall who were protesting about the climate emergency. You may have seen some of their posters outside of the Council Chamber. The Mayor understood that this issue was very important to councillors and Islington residents and said that she looked forward to hearing interesting discussions on these issues at the meeting.

 

The Mayor noted that June was LGBT Pride Month and many fantastic events were being held all over London. In May the Mayor had attended an event at Islington Museum to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.  The Mayor said that Islington has a proud history of LGBT activism and was very important to celebrate all of Islington’s diverse communities.  

 

The Mayor was pleased to attend the first “Autism Hour” event hosted at the Finsbury Park Mosque. This has been organised by ex-councillor Tim Nicholls who works with the National Autistic Society. The lights were dimmed and a quiet space provided for the children who came along. The Mayor said that she was proud to be Mayor in a borough that is accommodating to all of its communities. 

 

The Mayor also highlighted several successful events she had attended; the opening of Caledonian Park Clock Tower, the Soul in the City festival on the Andover Estate, and the Cally Festival. 

 

The Mayor also noted that June was a time of remembrance. 14 June was the second anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. The Mayor said that safety of Islington’s residents must always be the council’s highest priority, and her thoughts were with the survivors of the tragedy.

 

19 June was the second anniversary of the Finsbury Park terror attack and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55.

56.

Notices of motion

Minutes:

Motion 1 - Tackling the environment and climate emergency by achieving a net zero carbon Islington by 2030

 

The motion was moved by Councillor Webbe. Councillor Clarke seconded. Councillors Russell, Jeapes, Poyser and O’Sullivan contributed to the debate. Councillor Webbe exercised her right of reply and thanked the members of the public who had attended the meeting to express their concerns about the climate crisis.

 

The motion was put to the vote and CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(i)        To declare an environment and climate emergency;

(ii)        To pledge to work towards making Islington net zero carbon by 2030, ahead of the current 2050 target;

(iii)        To make representations to regional and national government to urge them to take action to support the goal of a net zero carbon Islington by 2030, including through the provision of the necessary resources and legal powers to the Council and others to support the action needed to achieve this;

(iv)        To continue to work with partners across the borough to deliver this new goal through all relevant strategies and plans, ensuring that reducing carbon emissions is embedded in all relevant Council decision making;

(v)        To publish on an annual basis details of carbon emissions reduction interventions the Council is delivering and commissioning, including the progress these actions are delivering in reducing the tonnage of carbon emissions in the borough;

(vi)        To ensure local people are able to contribute to the formulation and scrutiny of the strategic actions needed to address the environment and climate emergency by consulting on proposals and by organising an annual ‘Tackling the Environment and Climate Emergency’ meeting, hosted by the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee, in addition to the wide-range of existing opportunities for local people to make representations to the Council;

(vii)        To report to Full Council on 27th February 2020 what strategic actions the Council is taking to address the environment and climate emergency, including plans and milestones to achieve emissions reductions within the Council’s control, and to share details of representations being made to other institutions to achieve reductions in emissions outside of the Council’s direct control.

 

57.

Leader's Announcements

Minutes:

Councillor Watts said that declaring a climate emergency was an enormously significant moment and thanked the councillors, campaigners, community groups and others who had worked on this issue. Councillor Watts said that action was needed for the borough to achieve the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030. These actions would build on the borough’s strong record of delivery on environmental issues, including bringing forward the target to reduce carbon emissions between 2005 and 2020, leading on the decarbonisation of the pension fund, and leading a community campaign to get climate justice across the country. Councillor Watts said that we needed to go even further and work together to develop a plan for the borough to meet its targets. It was really important to engage with local people on this issue, as the climate emergency required all of us to make major changes to how we live our lives, how our homes look and how we travel. This was not only an issue for Islington Council, but for everyone.

 

Councillor Watts said that currently the Council did not have the powers or budget to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. It was important to be honest about this fact, as we would need to campaign for the powers and resources to be able to achieve the target.

 

Councillor Watts had joined the Mayor at the events to mark the second anniversary of the Finsbury Park terror attack and the 75th anniversary of the V1 bomb attack on Highbury Corner. Both of these events resulted in a tragic and horrific loss of life and both were a result of hatred of others. At this most difficult time, all of us must stand up for a single united community. Councillor Watts strongly believed that diversity was a strength and what made Islington one of the best boroughs in the country, but we could not assume that everyone shares those values. It was not enough to assert our support of diversity in council meetings, but we had to work as a whole community to share the message of love and diversity. Councillor Watts appealed to all those in attendance to go out of their way to spread the message that everyone is welcome in Islington.

 

Councillor Watts said that he was increasingly concerned about the risks of a no-deal Brexit and the catastrophic impact that it would have on the borough. Councillor Watts said it was absolutely right to put any Brexit deal back to the people so people knew what they were getting.

 

Councillor Watts welcomed the latest round of police raids targeting the drugs economy. The local drugs economy had a huge impact on young people’s safety and other crime issues in the borough. Jeremy Corbyn MP was coordinating a meeting with councillors to talk to key figures in the Finsbury Park community on this issue. Keeping young people safe was a top priority for the Council and the drugs economy was fundamentally linked to the rise in youth  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.

58.

Petitions

Minutes:

Hannah Staab presented a petition on behalf of Fossil Free Islington on the climate emergency and associated actions.

 

Sebastian Sandys presented a petition regarding the parklet in Baldwin Street.

 

Councillor Heather presented a petition objecting to the licensing application for Nag’s Head Covered Market.

59.

Questions from Members of the Youth Council pdf icon PDF 57 KB

Minutes:

Question (a) from Youth Councillor Jemelia Furtado to Councillor Webbe, Executive Member for Environment & Transport:

 

A Times investigation shows there are around 6,500 British schools, with 2.6m pupils, in areas where air pollution levels exceed World Health Organisation limits. The total includes 3,900 nursery and primaries. The numbers involve fine particles, known as PM2.5, which are the most dangerous form of air pollution. Every school in London is over the limit. What is Islington Council doing to improve air quality to minimise damage to young people’s health in the borough?

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question. This is a very important issue. Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to air pollution. Air quality in Islington is improving but we are determined to do more to tackle this silent killer as quickly as possible. Our Air Quality Strategy includes a detailed Action Plan which sets out what we will do to improve air quality in the borough.

 

In terms of air quality outside of schools, we have already installed air quality monitors as all schools across the borough. We are the first council to do this and are using the data collected to produce an audit report which will describe the specific pollution related to each school and what actions can be taken to reduce pollution and reduce exposure. Of course we also encourage our residents to walk and cycle.

 

It is important to remember that children are exposed to the highest levels of pollution not whilst they are in school but on the commute to and from school. In Islington we have 37 primary schools and 7 secondary schools which exceed the nationally set carbon level. As part of our efforts to clean up our air around our schools, earlier this month I opened our tenth School Street, just over six months after opening the first. We are moving at speed, we are ahead of other boroughs, and we want to do this for all schools. School Streets close roads near schools to all vehicles, except those with exemptions, at drop off and pick up times. This helps to reduce pollution, as well as encouraging road safety and encouraging people to walk, cycle and scoot to school.

 

I was delighted to mark Clean Air Day by launching our pioneering Moreland Street scheme, the road has been completely redesigned in favour of children and local people walking and cycling, with wider footways, traffic calming measures and new plants and seating. All of which was designed by the children of Moreland Primary School and Moreland Children’s Centre themselves. This makes our streets healthier and safer for local children walking to and from school, this is real action we have taken. We agree that tackling poor air quality is extremely important and we are committed to doing all that we can. Thank you again for raising this important question.

 

 

Question (b) from Youth Councillor Lydia Banjo to Councillor Comer-Schwartz, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Families:

 

A Government review led by former  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

60.

Questions from Members of the Public pdf icon PDF 66 KB

Minutes:

Councillor Russell moved a motion to suspend procedure rule 19.2(d) governing the time set aside for questions, in accordance with procedure rule 22(k) of the Council’s Constitution. Councillor Russell proposed that, due to the significant number of advance questions from members of the public, the time allowed for questions should be extended to allow all advance questions from the public to be heard. Councillor Watts spoke in support of the motion, commenting that he supported the suspension of procedure rules given the special circumstances, however Cllr Watts proposed an amendment to allow all advance questions submitted by members of the Council to be heard also. Councillor Russell exercised her right of reply to confirm that she concurred with the proposed amendment and altered her motion accordingly.

 

The motion was put to the vote and CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Procedure Rule 19.2(d) be suspended for the duration of the meeting, to allow all questions submitted in advance to be heard.

 

 

Question (a) from Gulus Egilmez to Councillor Webbe, Executive Member for Environment & Transport:

 

Why are there no traffic signals at two crossings on Holloway Road (Palmer Place N7 and Drayton Park) for pedestrians? Pedestrians attempt to cross the road safely when they perceive a safe gap in traffic but also quickly (not everyone can cross at the same speed). This presents a high risk of accidents. It also seems the council is giving higher priority to cars over pedestrians.

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question. Islington Council is working hard to promote active, sustainable travel and to make the borough’s road safer. We have already delivered a number of major improvements to make our borough safer for cyclists and pedestrians, and our Transport Strategy will shortly be published for consultation. This will set out plans to make improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.

 

You raise the issue of Holloway Road specifically; this forms part of Transport for London’s Road Network and therefore comes under their responsibility. Transport for London are also responsible for all traffic signals in London.

 

We share the concerns you have raised and I am pleased to say we have already been in contact with Transport for London about this junction and they are actively looking into the possibility of a pedestrian crossing on all arms of the junction. We would support this in going to public consultation, to ensure there are safe pedestrian crossings in this area. I’m really pleased that Transport for London and the Mayor of London are listening to these types of concerns, raised by residents and ward councillors. We are very happy to work with them to make Islington’s roads safer.

 

Supplementary question:

 

Is there anything that members of the public can do to speed up the process? I’ve lived in different parts of the borough and one thing I’ve noticed is the different quality of the street crossings in different areas. As a young person I can attempt to cross busy roads, but for older people, disabled people, people with children, it is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

61.

Questions from Members of the Council pdf icon PDF 57 KB

Minutes:

 

Question (a) from Councillor Clarke to Councillor O’Halloran, Executive Member for Community Development:

 

Congratulations to Cllr O’Halloran on becoming the Executive Member for Community Development. Islington has a proud record of supporting the voluntary sector with its grants programme when other boroughs have gone down the route of commissioning.  Islington has also managed to sustain its many community centres throughout this period of massive government cuts to its budget. 

 

The Voluntary sector and our community centres are both important assets in our community, can Cllr O’Halloran confirm that we as a council will continue our commitment to fund the Voluntary sector and our support of community centres?

 

Response:

 

Islington’s voluntary sector and our community centres are at the heart of our ambitions to be the best council in the country at early intervention and prevention. We are proud to have perhaps the most vibrant and dynamic voluntary sector of any local authority in the country, It’s a fantastic privilege to work with the many fantastic voluntary and community organisations across Islington and see the important role they play in the lives of local people every day.

 

The sector reaches parts of the community that statutory services can’t, providing an extensive range of services that enable residents to thrive, give and connect.

We firmly recognise the value of providing core grant funding to voluntary and community sector organisations that are key strategic partners of the council.

Core grant funding is hardest type of funding for any voluntary sector organisation to obtain. The council’s commitment to core grant funding has helped create resilience in the sector and enabled the sector to bring in £18 million of grant funding into the borough in 2018.

This council has faced unprecedented financial pressures, by 2020 the government will have cut our core funding by 70%, with a further £50 million of central government cuts by 2022. Despite these challenges, we remain fully committed to core grant funding for Islington’s voluntary and community sector, including community centres, and are working across the council and with Islington CCG to renew financial commitments that are required to ensure that core grant funding remains a key part of our approach to supporting Islington’s voluntary and community sector. I anticipate that our new VCS Partnership Grants Programme will be launched later this year.

 

Supplementary question:

 

Thanks very much. It is a great achievement that we have a vibrant voluntary sector supporting and enriching people’s lives. It is important to remember that previous administrations sold off community assets that cannot be replaced. Can we have reassurance that community facilities will not be sold off by this administration?

 

Response:

 

Thank you. I’m really proud of this council. We have protected community facilities, children’s play areas, libraries. This council is leading the way. Some councils don’t have a strong voluntary sector or don’t work with them; we do, and I can assure you that we will do everything we can to support them. We will not sell off our assets, in fact we  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

62.

Islington Armed Forces Community Covenant - Annual Update pdf icon PDF 230 KB

Minutes:

Councillor Poole moved the recommendations in the report. Councillor Burgess seconded. Councillor Russell contributed to the debate.

 

The recommendations in the report were put to the vote and CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the activity over the past year to celebrate and support Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and their families be noted.

 

63.

Islington Local Plan Review - approval of Regulation 19 proposed submission draft documents for public consultation and subsequent submission to the Secretary of State pdf icon PDF 187 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Ward moved the recommendations in the report. Councillor Shaikh seconded. Councillor Russell moved her amendment. Councillor Ward exercised his right of reply.

 

The amendment was put to the vote and LOST.

 

The recommendations in the report were put to the vote and CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)That the summary of consultation responses (at Appendix 4) received during public consultation undertaken between November 2018 and January 2019, and the comments on how these responses have been taken into account be noted. That the Corporate Director of Environment and Regeneration be authorised, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Development, to undertake any significant changes to these documents and that officers in the Planning Service be authorised to make minor changes be agreed. The consultation statement will be published on the Council’s website alongside the Local Plan documents at Appendix 1, 2 and 3.

 

(b)That the draft Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) (at Appendix 5) be noted. The IIA assesses sustainability and equalities impacts of the draft plan, and will be submitted alongside the draft Plan. That the  Residents Impact Assessment has also been produced (at Appendix 6) which links to the IIA information be noted. That the Corporate Director of Environment and Regeneration be authorised, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Development to undertake any significant changes to these documents and that officers in the Planning Service be authorised to make minor changes be agreed. The IIA will be published on the Council’s website alongside the Local Plan documents at Appendix 1, 2 and 3.

 

(c)  That the Local Plan proposed submission draft documents (at Appendix 1, 2 and 3) be approved for six weeks formal statutory consultation (Regulation 19 stage) starting in September 2019, and subsequent submission to the Planning Inspectorate for Independent Examination.

 

(d)That the Corporate Director of Environment and Regeneration, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Development, be authorised to approve any further changes to the draft Local Plan ahead of public consultation in September 2019.

 

(e)That Corporate Director of Environment and Regeneration, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Development, be authorised to approve appropriate changes to the Local Plan during Independent Examination, in response to requests from the Planning Inspector and/or any emerging evidence, guidance or legal advice and/or in response to the new London Plan, which is currently in the final stages of preparation.

 

64.

Constitution Update pdf icon PDF 138 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Gill moved the recommendations in the report. Councillor Hamitouche seconded.

 

The recommendations were put to the vote and CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)  That the amendments to the Constitution be approved, as set out at Appendix 1 to the report submitted.

(b)  That the Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2019/20 be adopted.

(c)   That the Director of Law and Governance be authorised to make any consequential amendments to the Constitution considered necessary.

 

65.

Chief Whip's Report pdf icon PDF 63 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Gill moved the recommendations in the report. Councillor Hamitouche seconded.

 

The recommendations in the report were put to the vote and CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)          That Cllr Gill be appointed to the board of Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust for a 3 year term or until a successor is appointed.

(b)          That Cllrs Kay and Khurana be appointed to the board of the Cripplegate Foundation from 14 September 2019 for a 5 year term or until successors are appointed. 

66.

Notices of Motion pdf icon PDF 90 KB

Where a motion concerns an executive function, nothing passed can be actioned until approved by the Executive or an officer with the relevant delegated power.

 

Minutes:

Motion 2 – Protecting Local Welfare Assistance

 

Councillor Hull moved the motion. Councillor Picknell seconded. Councillor Russell contributed to the debate.

 

The motion was put to the vote and CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)  To maintain a Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (as part of its Resident Support Scheme) to support families and young people in crisis.

(b)  To continue to work across all council departments and with voluntary and community groups through the Islington Debt Coalition to support the borough’s residents to avoid and deal with financial crisis.

(c)   To make further representations to central government for a new funding allocation for councils to provide Local Welfare Assistance Schemes (LWAS) to be made available at the next comprehensive spending review and for it to be protected in real terms over the following years.