Agenda item

Question (a) from Sebastian Sandys to Councillor Watts, Leader of the Council:

 

Could the Leader please outline what (if any) formal connections he has made over the summer on behalf of the Borough with the City State of Totnes?

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question. The answer is none.

 

Question (b) from Natasha Cox to Councillor Webbe, Executive Member for Environment and Transport:

 

The other day on a 390 bus I was sat in front of a couple saying how much they were looking forward to using the cycle path down Holloway Road when it was completed. With the new protected cycle lanes at Archway and Highbury Corner they and their friends had assumed there were plans to join them. Will you contact TFL and push them to provide protected cycle lanes on Holloway Road connecting Archway and Highbury Corner? 

 

Response:

 

Thank you for this very helpful question. In our 2018 manifesto Islington Labour stated we will campaign for TFL to support our ambitions for protected cycle routes on the Holloway Road corridor and Upper Street. I am pleased to hear that this aspiration is shared by local residents like yourself. This administration is firmly committed to making cycling safer and more attractive for all. We are campaigning for this new cycle route and we have made some headway with the Mayor of London and TFL. A few key junctions are currently being considered for re-design to make them safer, including the dangerous and outdated junction at Drayton Park as well as the junction at Hornsey Road and Hornsey Street. We of course await further details on these proposals from the Mayor of London and TFL and we hope to share this information with the public very soon. It helps that those junctions were in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, as that document sets the direction of travel.

 

However, Holloway Road cannot be made safer for cyclists just through improvements to individual junctions. The Council remains firmly committed to campaigning for a comprehensive safe cycle route, covering Holloway Road and Upper Street.

 

We are very pleased to have secured formal commitment from the Mayor of London through Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, for TfL to fund the development of a new ‘quietway’ route paralleling the A1 corridor and connecting Regents Canal near the Packington Estate to Highgate north of Archway. While this parallel route does not replace the need for improvements to Holloway Road and Upper Street, it will at least give inexperienced cyclists a safe and quiet alternative to Holloway Road, and this will be much sooner than improvements could be delivered on Holloway Road itself.

 

We hope to turn Will Norman’s formal commitment into some real cash, so that development of this parallel route can commence sooner rather than later. I hope to be welcoming very soon TfL’s planned the improvements to Holloway Road itself. We will stand with you, we will campaign with you, we believe this route is very much needed.

 

Question (c) from Liz Eversole to Councillor Ward, Executive Member for Housing and Development: 

 

Residents of the St Lukes' Community have grave concerns about the current St Lukes' development design's impact of dividing and blocking off much needed community open and green space important to improve health, biodiversity and air quality for a growing local population.  The proposal for the site by Islington Council would mean reducing the leisure centre site by over 35% to develop private and social housing and reducing the football pitches by almost 50%. Therefore, can the Executive Member for Planning provide evidence that specifically demonstrates how the current design for the development of the Finsbury Leisure Centre site will improve, insure and maintain the council's policy of Open Space, leisure space and green space of the Finsbury Leisure Centre site, crucially required for the densest populated borough in the UK?

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question. This Council is determined to tackle the housing crisis. Too many people do not have a place to live that is decent, secure and safe. That is why we are committed to building at least 550 new council homes, as we deliver 1,900 new genuinely affordable homes by 2022.

 

The St Luke’s development is the Council’s ambitious plan to redevelop the Finsbury Leisure Centre site to deliver at least 60 much needed council homes, a new leisure centre and community facilities including a GP practice. This will help to ensure there is adequate social infrastructure available for the borough’s growing population in this area, including incorporating Bunhill Energy Centre into the homes to provide affordable and greener energy for our residents.

 

The design of the site is currently being finalised. Local residents will have the opportunity to review the proposals when the planning application is submitted as part of a formal consultation process. I can confirm that the proposals drawn up so far include almost exactly the same amount of leisure space, in fact there is almost a 3% increase.

 

The proposals also deliver significant improvements to the leisure provision in a brand new high quality building designed with modern and inclusive facilities, including new leisure facilities with improved accessibility for those in wheelchairs, the sports hall will increase in size by 44%, or 298 square meters, the configuration of the squash courts is considerably improved so they are side by side and can actually host tournaments. The amount of changing room space will increase by 93%. The number of classes at the centre will not be affected and the proposals will include the same number of football pitches, four. The new pitches will meet Sports England standards for five-a-side pitches. The current pitches are bigger, but do not meet Sport England standards for larger seven-a-side pitches.

 

The proposals provide for similar levels of public realm on the site. However, it is important to note that the designs provide for significant improvements, such as improved public space at Paton Street, clearer sight lines along Norman Street that provide visibility of Ironmonger Row from Central Street, the creation of a new accessible link across the site from Paton Street to Mitchell Street providing a viewing area for the football pitches, and improvements to Helmet Row, Norman Street and Mitchell Street.

 

We appreciate that development in the borough can be disruptive for residents. The council has very clear rules on how construction should be managed to minimise disruption on neighbouring residents and these are set out in the Council’s Code of Construction Practice.

 

Supplementary question:

 

Thank you. Residents of the St Luke’s area and Bunhill House would like to know how we will be compensated for the detrimental effects to wellbeing, health, fuel bills, air and noise pollution, and the stress of living of a construction site for four to six years if the proposals go through as currently planned.

 

Response:

 

Myself and Councillor Webbe have already met will local councillors and discussed things we can do to help residents. We are very happy to keep talking to you to see what we can do.

 

Question (d) from Benali Hamdache to Councillor Hull, Executive Member for Finance, Performance and Community Safety: 

 

How many people are currently receiving council tax rebates for "mental disability" in Islington right now?

 

Response:

 

There is an exemption in council tax called ‘Severe Mental Impairment’ and 410 people have been exempted from payment on those accounts this year.

 

After Council Tax Benefit was abolished by the Coalition Government in 2013 we established our own Council Tax Support Scheme, we will be hearing more about that later under the motions item. We were asked to do this with significantly less money. We created a Council Tax Support Scheme that disregards disability-based income such as Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payments and War Disablement Allowance. Our scheme has also kept personal allowances relating to disability, including disabled children, meaning that a disabled person can have a higher income and yet receive the same entitlement as a person without a disability. Unfortunately, it is not possible to identify the broader numbers with a mental disability benefiting from the scheme, but we have ensured that they receive extra protection once their illness is identified. 

 

Supplementary question:

 

According to Islington Evidence Hub there are over 1,000 people living with dementia and Parkinson’s in this borough, there are over 2,000 people who have suffered a stroke, there are over 700 people living with learning disabilities. Not all of those will be eligible for the discount, but what is the Council doing to address this big shortfall of people who might be eligible for the discount but who are not receiving it.

 

Response:

 

Thank you Benali. You obviously have to satisfy certain criteria to be eligible for the discounts, if you think you are aware of people who might be eligible but who are not receiving a discount please write to us as soon as possible. If you have information from the Evidence Hub that suggests they might be out there somewhere, then I’m happy to take a look.

 

Question (e) from John Gabriel to Councillor Webbe, Executive Member for Environment and Transport:

 

This is a question about the management of the contract between Source London and Islington Council in relation to the location of Electric Vehicle or EV charging units and the and discriminatory access to pavements. The footway on the top of Melgund Road was 1.5 metres before the EV charging equipment was installed and met the Inclusive Mobility guidelines developed by the Department of Transport to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act. After the EV chargers and 400volt feeder pillar were installed, the footway was reduced to 1.28m. The Council have stated that all new EV charging points will allow a footway width of 1.5m. Can the Council instruct Source London to move the Melgund Road chargers and feeder pillar so that residents and pedestrians on Melgund Road have the same rights as those with new EV charging stations and full disabled access is restored to our road? Otherwise the Council will have a two tier set of rights which is not fair or defensible.

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question. Islington is facing an air pollution crisis. This public health problem is a life or death situation. That’s why I’m pleased that Islington is leading the way in rolling out electric vehicle charging points as part of our efforts to encourage local people who require a car to switch to more sustainable and environmentally friendly options. By 2022 we hope to install an extra 400 electric vehicle charging points across the borough. We do so unashamedly. We do so to tackle the harmful particulates produced by diesel engines that pollute our air and reduce our residents’ quality of life.

 

However, you are right. We want to ensure that our footways remain accessible for all pedestrians and I am aware that some charging equipment has not been ideally positioned, creating restrictions for some residents who may not feel confident navigating the pavement. Therefore, we are currently investigating the potential to carry out remedial work at some of our locations, to improve pedestrian access, including a number of roads in that location. I note that electric vehicle charging equipment at Meglund Road is 230 volts, but nonetheless, the charging points on the road were installed following a request from a resident, and consultation was undertaken prior to the installation.

 

I have taken a look at Meglund Road and I agree with you that the chargers have not been located correctly. It is one of the small number of charging points I have asked to be removed, and that is what will happen.  

 

That said, we will continue to install electric charging points, because electric vehicles are the future. We want people to move away from diesel and petrol, we want our air to be cleaner, and we want our residents to have a quality of life that is fit for the future.

 

Supplementary question:

 

Thank you for your answer. That is extremely reassuring to hear that the charging station will be removed. I certainly want to reiterate your point that we fully support the council’s policy to reduce cO2 emissions by promoting green vehicles, it just shouldn’t be at the expense of the environment for disabled people. So, when these decisions are made to locate charging units, Sourced London should be advised of the DDA regulations that limit the width of pavement space. There are many alternative locations, we walked around the borough and we found there are locations that are on wide pavements and away from the vicinity of residential properties, rather than within inches of the bedroom windows of the property. I am delighted that you are taking a second look at it.

 

Response:

 

We as a Council are rolling out electric charging points and we will work with a number of providers. There will be many contractors working and we expect them to operate in a way that makes sure our streets are healthy, that we have space for everyone and that we enjoy where we live. That is our general principle. We want electric charging vehicles to operate alongside walking and cycling, so that cars still remain the lowest form of travel and people engage in more active travel, better for the environment, better for our health, and better for our children’s future.

 

Question (f) from Margaret Wolfe to Councillor Ward, Executive Member for Housing and Development:

 

Does the council believe that, since most of the activities at Sotheby Mews will be transferred to the new Highbury Roundhouse Community Centre, it is appropriate that most of these activities will take place in the main hall which has no windows set into the walls, with natural light being provided only by 4 sky lights - is there not a concern these elderly vulnerable people will suffer from SAD or depression having to spent considerable lengths of time in this room "without a view”?

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question. The first thing to say is that the scheme will deliver more genuinely affordable housing. We have a clear mandate to do so, it’s the right thing to do, there is a severe housing crisis. Too many people don’t have a decent place to live.

 

We can deliver some of that much needed affordable on the Sotheby Mews site, whilst also ensuring that services from Sotheby Mews move to a brand new state of the art centre without any reduction in the level of service. The Council is committed to ensuring the transfer of services from Sotheby Mews to Highbury Roundhouse is handled sensitively and with the full involvement of service users. We want to be fully confident that the new centre and services provided there are suitable for all residents who use it. The new centre on Ronald’s Road will be a fantastic community facility. The quality of the community space was assessed and considered acceptable by the Planning Service at the time the Highbury Roundhouse planning permission was considered and granted.

 

A community centre with roof lights can be very generously lit by natural light given the aspect towards the sky. Such a facility will be used by varying groups each with different needs, and the centre has been designed to meet the needs of as many different groups as possible, including the users of Sotheby Mews. Council officers have been working closely with service users to assess Highbury Roundhouse’s plans for the transition of services. We have noted a number of legitimate concerns and have asked Highbury Roundhouse to respond to these as soon as possible.

 

As part of this work, Highbury Roundhouse have committed to working with all of the service users at Sotheby Mews to actively involve them in any transition plans. We will continue to asses and evaluate any planned transition of services to ensure that it meets our dignity for all commitments and expected standards. We will continue to ensure that the needs and views of service users are fully considered by Highbury Roundhouse who are funded to provide the services so valued by the community.

 

Supplementary question:

 

My question is simple. My original question said that the users will be in a room where there are no windows on the walls. My question is, do you work in a room with no windows on the walls? There are skylights, but in the winter it will be very gloomy.

 

Response:

 

The hall has four giant skylights. It’s a lovely, bright, airy room. Let’s meet at Highbury Roundhouse, the coffee is on me, come and see how lovely the centre is, seriously.

 

Question (g) from Jacqueline Noone to Councillor Ward, Executive Member for Housing and Development:

 

Have the executive members of the council reconsidered keeping a community centre and social housing at Sotheby Mews?

 

As Jacqueline Noone was not present at the meeting the Executive Member issued a written response following the meeting:

 

Thank you for your question. As Islington is facing the severe effects of a housing crisis, the Council has to make considered decisions about new sites where we can deliver much-needed genuinely affordable homes.

 

The Sotheby Mews site is one of those sites with this potential. In February, the Council confirmed the closure of Sotheby Mews would be postponed by 12 months to further work with Highbury Roundhouse and service users and meanwhile, services would continue to run at Sotheby Mews.

 

The Council has not reconsidered keeping a community centre and social housing at Sotheby Mews, as it would not be possible to accommodate both.

 

A previous design of the community facility on the ground floor and housing for over 55s in flats above was not favoured by planning. This was due to various site constraints, including difficulty in managing the levels at Sotheby Mews and the number of storeys proposed being too high.

 

I do appreciate this answer may be disappointing but I would like to repeat my reassurance that we are committed to continuing to work with service users so they continue to receive the same level of service at Highbury Roundhouse, whilst also delivering much-needed social housing.

 

The Mayor accepted questions from members of the public from the floor:

 

Question to Councillor Webbe, Executive Member for Environment and Transport:

 

Are you adding car parking spaces in Islington now or not? How many a year have been added since 2012?

 

Response:

 

We have made absolutely clear our intent to make sure we have a borough that is engaged in active travel. We are one of five boroughs that currently meets the target set by the Mayor in the Mayor’s London Transport Strategy of having 80% of travel within Islington by walking, cycling or public transport. That means we have introduced progressive policies over time that seek to reduce car ownership, from car sharing clubs, to electric charging points. we are actively enabling people to switch to alternative means of travel, or cycle, or use public transport. Our policies are working. We have transformed our streets into healthy liveable streets, but there is more work to do. That’s why we are seeking investment to support our residents to walk, cycle and use public transport.

 

Question to Councillor Ward, Executive Member for Housing and Development:

 

At Sotheby Mews you can fix everything, but how will you fix the location? It is impossible for me to walk across Highbury Fields and attend my classes. Highbury Roundhouse is beautiful, it is good for children, but please think of us. How can I go across the field? A lot of people have disabilities, how can they get across the field?

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question. You raise some very valid points and you have been constructive throughout the process, we want to keep working with you. My response is very simple; we will not move the services unless these issues have been resolved, unless services are just as good as Sotheby Mews, and that includes the transport issue. 

 

The Mayor advised that there was no time remaining for questions from members of the public, and encouraged members of the public with outstanding questions to submit them in writing for written response.