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92.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 70 KB

The Minutes of the previous meeting held on 5 December 2019.

Minutes:

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 5 December 2019 be agreed as a correct record and the Mayor be authorised to sign them.

93.

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.

94.

Mayoral Announcements

(i)           Apologies

(ii)          Order of business

(iii)         Declaration of discussion items

(iv)        Mayor’s announcements

(v)          Length of speeches

Minutes:

a)   Apologies

 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Councillors Caluori, Clarke-Perry, Gallagher, Hamitouche, Kay, Khondoker, Nathan and Picknell.

 

b)   Order of Business

 

          No changes were proposed to the order of business.

 

c)    Declaration of Discussion Items

 

No items were declared.

 

d)   Mayor’s Announcements


The Mayor welcomed Councillor Gulcin
Ozdemir everyone to the first Council meeting of 2020 and highlighted some of the events she had attended recently.

 

The Mayor was pleased to attend the excellent “We Are Islington” event at Islington Green. The event brought our communities together to celebrate our diversity, as well as provide important support and information to the EU citizens who have chosen to make Islington their home and who are a valuable part of our community. The Mayor said that it is important that all of our communities feel welcome in our borough.

 

The Mayor was honoured to attend events marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The event in the Assembly Hall was very moving and was well attended by the local community, local councillors, our local MPs, and local schools. It is so important that we remember and never forget.

 

February was LGBT History Month and many events had been held across the borough commemorating Islington’s rich LGBT history. The Deputy Mayor was pleased to attend the Camden and Islington LGBT History Month launch at St Pancras Hospital and the Mayor had attended the second Islington Gratitude Dinner at the Business Design Centre that evening.

The Mayor was also honoured to attend the Lord Mayor’s Local Government Dinner at Mansion House, celebrations to mark the 100th Birthday of Gladys Smith at St Lukes and the opening of a special sensory garden at the Bridge School.  Each in their own way was a reminder of the important role local councils’ play in their communities.

 

 

The Mayor congratulated Islington’s new Youth Councillors on their election. It was fantastic to see young people engaging in democracy and standing up for what they believe in.

 

The Mayor reminded everyone that the Mayor’s Civic Awards would be held on Thursday 12 March in the Assembly Hall. These annual awards celebrate the enormous contribution made by many members of our communities who would otherwise go unrecognised.

 

95.

Leader's Announcements

Minutes:

Councillor Watts noted that it was the first time Council had met in the chamber since the general election and offered his congratulations to Councillor Claudia Webbe MP on her election and former Councillor James Murray on his election to Parliament, both of which were richly deserved.  Councillor Watts also congratulated Councillor Gulcin Ozdemir on her election in the St George’s Ward by-election.

Councillor Watts advised that he always respected the will of voters, but was concerned that the result of the general election was a disaster for the borough and that it will mean years austerity and cuts we can’t afford, that we will not receive the investment we need for council housing, there will be planning laws that make things easier for private landowners, there will be no government action on the climate emergency, there will be a hard Brexit damaging to our economy and our communities and the roll out of Universal Credit will take pounds out of the pockets of the families in the borough who need it most.  Councillor Watts said that when it inevitability goes wrong, the government will blame migrants and the poor and those least able to defend themselves.  Councillor Watts advised that he was very clear that the Council’s role now will be to defend, protect and improve the public services that so many people in the borough rely on, to build an inclusive economy providing jobs for residents, to take action on the climate emergency and continue to build a welcoming and inclusive borough.  Councillor Watts advised that he was delighted to join the Mayor at the We Are Islington event on the day after Brexit and put on record his thanks to council staff, partners and members of the community for organising the event at such short notice.  Everyone is welcome in Islington and we are proud of the diversity of the borough.  Councillor Watts advised that only though showing leadership on this will we be able to divide the forces that want to split it is absolutely right this council supports the more than 20,000 residents of Islington, our friends, neighbours, colleagues and partners who are citizens of the remaining EU countries and that he was delighted to work with Islington in Europe and others on a whole range of community events.  Councillor Watts advised that he was proud to be Leader of a Council standing together in these difficult times.  Councillor Watts advised that he was also proud to stand with the Mayor and other colleagues on Holocaust Memorial Day.  The Holocaust was the most evil of events and it did not start with the gas chambers, they were the outcome of many years of hate building and it was immensely powerful to hear the words of Hana Kleiner, Holocaust Survivor, and Mevlida Lazibi, Bosnian genocide survivor. Councillor Watts advised that we have an enormous job in Islington, not just to protect services, but to stand up for what we believe, to stand up for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 95.

96.

Petitions

Minutes:

Conor McHugh submitted a petition concerning tree removal at Highbury Corner.

 

Rachael Swynnerton submitted a petition on behalf of Islington Clean Air Parents calling on the council to implement further measures to tackle air pollution.

 

Cllr Chapman submitted a petition opposing a planning application that would lead to an increase in polluting vehicles in close proximity to Yerbury School.  

97.

Questions from Members of the Public pdf icon PDF 65 KB

Minutes:

Question a) from Sebastian Sandys to Councillor Champion, Executive Member for Environment & Transport:

 

Would the Executive Member for Environment and Regeneration please explain why I have not had a response to my petition submitted to Council on 27 June 2019 and could they please tell me the full costs of the installation and subsequent removal of the parklet in Baldwin Street EC1V, and where the parklet is now?

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question Sebastian and please accept my apologies that you have not received a formal response from the council to your petition, I will make sure that you do and I can assure you that it was not ignored.  Parklets are small green oasis, installed on streets to make them greener and pleasanter.  Unfortunately, this parklet generated complaints from local residents that it was being used as an outside drinking area by clients of a nearby pub. An investigation has taken place but complaints have continued so this parklet has been removed and is in storage until we can find an appropriate alternative location.  In relation to the point you made about cost, the Bunhill parklet costs and installation were match funded out of planning gain funds that had to be spent in the local area and cost £15,000 including installation.  The cost of removing it was £1200 including moving it to another area where it can be enjoyed by local residents.

 

Question b) from Gill Weston to Councillor Ward, Executive Member for Housing & Development:

 

In 2018 Islington Council granted itself planning permission to build accommodation for 11 adults with learning disabilities at Windsor Street.  In 2014 council officers calculated that the scheme would cost £1.98 million and by December 2017 council officers had determined that the costs had risen to £4.12 million. Please can Councillor Ward provide an update on the estimated costs of building this accommodation, providing both build costs and development/consultancy costs?

 

Response:

 

Ms Weston was not present in the Chamber and a written response will be sent.

Question c) from Ian Fearnley to Councillor Ward, Executive Member for Housing & Development:

 

Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulations specify that no more than six people with a learning disability and/or autism should live together in supported living housing; and they have called for "small domestic scale setting within a community". In 2018 and 2019 two tribunal cases ruled in favour of the CQC’s decision to refuse applications to register services for accommodation that deviated from this maximum number of six.

 

https://www.cqc.org.uk/news/releases/tribunal-upholds-cqc-decision-refuse-registration-campus-style-accommodation-people 

 

https://www.cqc.org.uk/news/releases/tribunal-cqc-decision-learning-difficulties 

 

Later this year Islington Council propose to start building its residence for 11 adults with learning disabilities and/or autism at Windsor Street which contravenes these regulations as it provides shared facilities and exceeds the maximum number of six people per site. 

 

The CQC state that 'new services should not be developed as a campus and/or congregate setting due to this not being in the best interests of people with a learning disability and not promoting their rights of choice, independence and inclusion'. Given this,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 97.

98.

Questions from Members of the Council pdf icon PDF 61 KB

Minutes:

Question a) from Councillor Gantly to Councillor Champion, Executive Member for Environment & Transport

 

Highbury East councillors are grateful to Cllr Champion for attending the recent Highbury East Ward Partnership, where Cllr Champion witnessed first hand the enormous enthusiasm for making Highbury East a low traffic neighbourhood. In view of this enthusiasm, and given the council has made budget provision for low traffic schemes, could Cllr Champion please share her plans for a low traffic neighbourhood in Highbury East?

 

Response

 

I would like to thank Councillor Gantly for her question and I was extremely pleased to attend the Ward Partnership meeting. 

 

I agree that there was real enthusiasm and engagement on how we can improve the area.  We are proposing to invest £1M to develop ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods’ to improve the local environment for everyone.  The Mildmay / Highbury East area has been selected as the first Liveable Neighbourhood in Islington, but this is part of a much wider borough vision to introduce Liveable Neighbourhoods in every residential area of the borough in the coming years.  We believe Liveable Neighbourhoods cleaning our boroughs air and creating a nicer more pleasant environment for everyone. The proposals for Liveable Neighbourhoods will be closely designed with local communities to stop through traffic, to make it easier to walk and cycle, and will include measures such as road closures and cycle routes, better crossings and improved public spaces to remove barriers to cycling. Thank you again for your question and I look forward to working with you and other ward councillors to shape the Liveable Neighbourhood.

 

Question b) from Councillor Poyser to Councillor Watts, Leader of the Council

 

For how long will the European Flag fly from Islington Town Hall?

 

Response:

Thank you for your question Councillor Poyser and thank you also for attending the We Are Islington event is such a memorable fashion.  20,000 of our neighbours and friends re EU citizens.  Brexit has now happened, but we will continue to respect their rights and the role they play in our borough and as we have not left the institution of the EU yet, I think it is appropriate that we keep the flag flying until the end of this year when it is proposed that we do.  However, in doing some research, I found out that the flag that I had always assumed that the flag that I had always thought was the flag of the EU is actually the flag of the Council of Europe.  It is a different organisation, which Britain joined in 1949.  It wasn’t until 1985 that the EU adopted the flag as well and as Britain remains a member of the Council of Europe, I think that is a very good reason for continuing to fly the flag and as the Council of Europe is the guardian of our human rights. The European Flag is rightly down at the moment whilst we celebrate LGBT history month, but it will be back flying proudly from our Town Hall.

 

 

Question c)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 98.

99.

Update on the Climate Emergency pdf icon PDF 220 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Champion moved the recommendations in the report. Councillor Poyser seconded.

 

Councillors Russell, Ozdemir and O’Sullivan contributed to the debate.

 

Councillor Champion exercised her right of reply.

 

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

 

RESOLVED:

a)   That the actions the Council has taken since the declaration and the development of a Net Zero Carbon Strategy, based on 6 key priorities: 1. Residential, Commercial & Industrial Buildings & Infrastructure; 2. Transport (including Fleet); 3. Sustainable Energy Generation & Supply; 4. Affordable Energy & Fuel Poverty; 5. Green Economy & Planning and 6. The Natural Environment, Waste Reduction & Recycling and Carbon Offsetting; be noted.

 

b)   That the scale of the challenge faced by the borough to reduce net carbon emission by 700,000 tonnes (including carbon offsetting), be noted.

c)    That the council’s operations produce approximately 4% of Islington’s total emissions and that this rises to approximately 8% of emissions if gas boilers in council-owned homes are included, be noted.

 

d)   That an approach for engaging and collaborating with residents, businesses, borough public sector and partner organisations, regional and national government, will be developed to support the delivery of the net zero carbon vision, be noted.

 

e)   That the draft Net Zero Carbon Strategy has identified what we can commit to immediately and actions we will take; what we would like to commit to that requires further investigation; and what we need from others in order for Islington to achieve net zero carbon e.g. funding, powers and legislation, be noted.

 

f)    That a cross-departmental approach to implementing the strategy, including the creation of zero carbon working group and developing detailed action plans for each priority, be noted.

 

g)   That initial stakeholder and resident consultation in relation to the draft Net Zero Carbon Strategy has started and that a special meeting of the Environment & Regeneration Scrutiny Committee has been arranged to support that consultation process, be noted.

 

h)   That the final strategy will be presented to Executive for adoption and approval in June 2020, be agreed.

100.

Chief Whip's Report pdf icon PDF 71 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Mayor advised that a revised version of the report had been circulated in an additional despatch.

 

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

 

The recommendations were put to the vote and CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

 

a)   That the appointment of Cllr Champion as the Executive Member for Environment and Transport be noted.

b)   That the appointment of Cllr Gill as the Executive Member for Finance and Performance with effect from 2 March 2020 be noted.

c)    That Cllr Comer-Schwartz will be the portfolio lead for Community Safety from 2 March 2020 be noted.

d)   That Cllr Debono be appointed as Chair of the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee for the remainder of the municipal year or until a successor is appointed.

e)   That Cllr Gill has stood down as a substitute member of the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee with effect from 2 March 2020, and that a successor will be appointed, be noted.

f)    That Cllr Hull be appointed as a member of the Audit Committee from 2 March 2020 for the remainder of the municipal year or until a successor is appointed.

g)   That Cllr Ozdemir be appointed as a member of the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee with immediate effect, for the remainder of the municipal year or until a successor is appointed.

h)   That Cllr Graham be appointed as a member of the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee with immediate effect, for the remainder of the municipal year or until a successor is appointed.

i)     That Cllr Gill has stood down as a substitute of the Environment and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee with effect from 2 March 2020, and that a successor will be appointed, be noted.

j)     That Cllr Ozdemir be appointed as a member of the Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee with immediate effect, for the remainder of the municipal year or until a successor is appointed.

k)   That Cllr Gill has stood down as a substitute of the Children’s Services Committee with effect from 2 March 2020, and that a successor will be appointed, be noted.

l)     That Cllr Clarke-Perry be appointed as a member of the Licensing Regulatory Committee with immediate effect, for the remainder of the municipal year or until a successor is appointed.

m)  That Cllr Gill be appointed as a member of the Investigating and Disciplinary Committee with effect from 2 March 2020, for the remainder of the municipal year or until a successor is appointed.

n)   That Cllr Gill has stood down from the Grievance Committee with effect from 2 March 2020, and that a successor will be appointed, be noted.

o)   That Cllr Gill has stood down from the Standards Committee with effect from 2 March 2020, and that a successor will be appointed, be noted.

p)   That Cllr Gill has stood down from the Licensing Committee with effect from 2 March 2020, and that a successor will be appointed, be noted

q)   That Cllr Gill has stood down from the Standards Committee with effect from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 100.

101.

Budget Proposals 2020-21+ pdf icon PDF 302 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Mayor advised that Councillor Russell’s proposed amendment to the budget was circulated in the additional despatch.

Councillor Hull moved the recommendations in the report. Councillor Watts seconded. Councillor Russell moved her amendment. Councillors Hyde, Clarke, Heather and Woolf contributed to the debate.

 

Councillor Russell exercised her right of reply on the amendment. Councillor Hull exercised his right of reply on the recommendations.

 

The amendment was put to the vote. Voting was recorded as follows:

 

For: Councillor Russell

 

Against: Councillors Burgess, Champion, Chapman, Chowdhury, Clarke, Comer-Schwartz, Convery, Cutler, Debono, Gantly, Gill, Graham, Heather, Hull, Hyde, Jeapes, Khurana, Klute, Lukes, Mackmurdie, Ngongo, O’Halloran, O’Sullivan, Poole, Poyser, Russell, Shaikh, Smith, Spall, Turan, Ward, Watts, Wayne, Webbe, Williamson, Woodbyrne and Woolf.

 

The amendment was LOST.

 

The recommendation in the report were put to the vote. Voting was recorded as follows:

 

For: Councillors Burgess, Champion, Chapman, Chowdhury, Clarke, Comer-Schwartz, Convery, Cutler, Debono, Gantly, Gill, Graham, Heather, Hull, Hyde, Jeapes, Khurana, Klute, Lukes, Mackmurdie, Ngongo, O’Halloran, O’Sullivan, Poole, Poyser, Russell, Shaikh, Smith, Spall, Turan, Ward, Watts, Wayne, Webbe, Williamson, Woodbyrne and Woolf.

 

Against: Councillor Russell

 

The recommendations were CARRIED.

RESOLVED:

2.1        That the comments of the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee on the Budget Proposals 2020/21 were received by the Executive on 6 February 2020 be noted.

The General Fund Budget 2020/21 and MTFS (Section 3)

2.2        That the assumed MTFS and budget gap, subject to the comments of the Acting Section 151 Officer in Section 7 regarding the additional medium-term budget risks that are not currently factored into the budget gap (paragraph 3.6, Table 1 and Appendix A of the report) be noted.

2.3        That the revised 2020/21 to 2022/23 savings and income generation programme (paragraph 3.18 and Appendix B of the report) and the revenue budget growth and additional/expanded service provision funded from existing budgets and external funding (paragraphs 3.22-3.23, Table 5 and Appendices C1-C2 of the report) be agreed.

2.4        That there are significant risks around the savings currently assumed in the MTFS and that a risk-based review of all assumed savings is currently underway and will feed into the next refresh of budget assumptions at the outset of the 2021/22 budget setting process (paragraphs 3.19-3.21 of the report) be noted.

2.5        That the 2020/21 net budgets by directorate (paragraph 3.24, Table 7 and Appendix A of the report) be agreed.

2.6        That the variables that could still significantly affect the 2020/21 budget (paragraph 3.25 of the report) be noted.

2.7        That the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) settlement for 2020/21 and related funding assumptions (paragraphs 3.26-3.33 of the report) be noted.

2.8        That the 2020/21 fees and charges that have been approved by the Executive (paragraphs 3.34-3.36 and Appendices D1-D4 of the report) be noted.

2.9        That the budgeted movements to/from earmarked reserves assumed as part of the 2020/21 revenue budget and to note the policy on the minimum target level of General Fund balances (paragraphs 3.37-3.41 and Table 8 of the report) be agreed.

2.10     That any underspend on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 101.