Agenda item

Due to COVID-19 safety procedures it was not possible to accommodate all members of the Council in the Council Chamber. There was no opportunity to ask supplementary questions and Procedure Rule 19.2 was suspended accordingly.

 

Question (a) from Cllr Heather to Cllr Shaikh, Executive Member for Inclusive Economy and Jobs: 

 

I have been raising for some time now the problems being caused in the borough by the platform business model when it is used, in the main, to deliver fast food to customers’ premises.

 

In my ward the activities of the moped delivery drivers who are used to provide this service late into the evening and early morning are causing anti-social behaviour and safety hazards for local residents and the public, including: noise, road traffic offences, unsafe driving, illegal parking, riding on the pavement, pollution, urination and defecation in public spaces, and fighting and threatening behaviour. This is proving a particular problem at the Nags Head Town Centre in relation to deliveries from the 24 hour McDonalds store in Seven Sisters Road, where the council is conducting a licence review due to the high level of complaints made by local residents and the Finsbury Park ward councillors.

 

The underlying cause of the problem here is the platform business delivery model being operated from business locations that do not have the infrastructure to provide the service without causing vast negative impacts on the people who live and shop in the surrounding area. There is also an issue in that the delivery drivers are not employed by the fast food stores themselves, making it very difficult for them to manage and control the drivers. It is very clear that currently the council do not have sufficient powers to regulate this type of business activity to protect the amenity and safety of residents and the public. And this business model operated in inappropriate locations also presents problems for the delivery drivers too.

 

What steps are the council taking to address these issues?

 

Response:

 

Thank you Cllr Heather for your question on this important issue, and thank you for your work in trying to resolve these issues for local residents.

 

The council is attempting to use the powers it has to encourage McDonald's on Seven Sisters Road to take responsibility for the management of the delivery of its food; as you'll be aware this is a problem caused by the gig economy and the business models developed by digital delivery platforms. The issues are complex as the sector is largely unregulated, so what's happening around McDonald’s is a classic example of the difficulties we face. You've got a restaurant that wants to maintain profits, and an increased demand for takeaway food through lockdown,  so they use delivery rider platforms. These platforms promise speedy delivery, contract riders on zero hour contracts using a pricing system which forces riders to be as quick as possible and encourage them to behave in ways that causes disruption in our local areas. In this scenario McDonald’s make money, the platforms make money, but the riders are largely exploited. The people that are suffering here are largely local residents and delivery riders.

 

The council are trying to get the large restaurants to take responsibility and put in place proper management and communication systems. I know that Councillor Heather has been closely involved in these new measures in relation to McDonald's on Seven Sisters Road. The late night licence review which is supported by the local councillors and officers is one way which we are attempting to influence McDonald's to take more responsibility. Our community safety and licensing officers have put in place a number of measures that we expect McDonald’s to meet. I've also met with Uber in order to urge them to take responsibility for managing how their business model impacts on local areas, and also to push them to improve the employment rights, safety and conditions of riders.

 

Earlier this year, with Councillors Lukes and O'Halloran, I wrote a letter to the Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe on these matters to initiate a discussion to protect some of the most vulnerable workers in our cities, as well as to investigate the potential for a London-wide strategy on the licensing of delivery companies. This would allow Islington and other boroughs to develop codes of practice which would have a significant impact in highly residential London boroughs. I'm going to follow this up with the Deputy Mayor.

 

We're also trying to support the delivery riders. Many of you will be aware of the tragic murder of Takieddine Boudhane in Finsbury Park 18 months ago. With Jeremy Corbyn and John Hendy QC, we met with the delivery riders, and we were able to facilitate a meeting with International Workers GB Union. I'm pleased to say that we've helped them set up the Finsbury Park branch of the IWGB Union.

 

Finally, Islington Council is supporting Wings. This is a new ethical delivery company; it's a commitment for us to deliver a local economy that works for all. It's a co-operative, owned and run by delivery riders, and it guarantees all riders will be employed with the London Living Wage, it ensures job security, sick pay and benefits, and is the only delivery platform committed to using only zero emission vehicles. Its founders describe the company as good for riders, good for the environment, and good for society, and as a Council we are delighted that we can take this innovative step to support an alternative delivery platform that hopefully will work for all in Islington.

 

Question (b) from Cllr Russell to Cllr Ward, Executive Member for Housing and Development:

 

Between 2014 and 2018 Islington Council bought and installed 2,700 Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) front doors from the now-dissolved Masterdor company, spending £3,400,000.

The roll-out was halted in 2018 after safety concerns emerged in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Tests were carried out and results released by the government in February last year showed the fire resistance of the doors was only 15 minutes, as opposed to the 30 minutes advertised by the company.

In February 2021 you told me that the front door replacement programme was delayed by the pandemic but that you had managed to replace 600 doors since the start of the pandemic and were working to catch-up.

 

What is the current total of doors replaced and what is the current expected completion date for replacing the non-compliant front doors?

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question Cllr Russell and for your consistent focus on this issue in recent times. Resident safety is, and always has been, a priority for this council. We are working hard to replace the fire doors for local people as quickly as possible.

 

Sadly the pandemic has affected our fire door programme. A combination of residents’ hesitancy to allow tradespersons to do work and also contractors furloughing staff has meant that there was a period last year when the work programme had to be paused. There are still some challenges in persuading some residents to allow this work to take place and we may have to consider legal action to gain access in some cases.

 

But, we have still managed to replace over 1,000 doors during the pandemic and will aim to catch up as far as possible. It is, however, likely that the overall programme will not now be completed until late 2022. It is also worth noting that around 800 doors that were not previously fitted with Masterdor products have also been replaced.

 

Question (c) from Cllr Russell to Cllr Comer-Schwartz, Leader of the Council: 

 

Congratulations on your appointment as Leader of the Council. When you first became Leader you said:  “I love Islington and will continue working hard to make our borough a fairer place by aspiring, improving and empowering Islington.”

 

How will you do this and is there anything that you hope Islington residents will notice about the way you lead the council?"

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your congratulations Cllr Russell, it is much appreciated. It is has been a hectic but rewarding first seven weeks as Leader.

 

I am determined to continue the work of my predecessors in making Islington a fairer and more equal place for all. We have made radical changes over the past year, including our People-Friendly Streets programme which is making the borough a cleaner, safer, healthier place for local people and has seen us recognised as having the healthiest streets in London, only this week.

 

So, I am keen to build on those radical changes but also ensure we are listening to, engaging, and working with local people. I want to bring people with us and make changes with them, rather than to them. I want to ensure that local people feel like we are a Council that listens to them and acts on their concerns.

 

 

Question (d) from Cllr Nathan to Cllr Shaikh, Executive Member for Inclusive Economy & Jobs:

 

As the Council's Small Business, Co-ops and Social Enterprise Champion, I'm all too aware of the role Islington's night time and cultural venues play in the social and economic well-being of our borough. However, they are the institutions which have suffered most from the Government's delay to the easing of Covid restrictions and the subsequent failure to offer financial support to affected businesses.

 

Can you let me know what the Council is doing to support these venues to survive during the current restrictions and then fully reopen when possible?

 

Response:

 

 

 

Thank you Councillor Nathan, it's a really important topic at the moment as the COVID restrictions are lifting and where all assessing the impact on the economy.

 

As you highlight, the evening economy is a unique feature of the Islington economy, and it accounts for approximately 25,000 jobs in Islington. In 2017 Islington was one of the top five boroughs with the highest concentration of cultural and leisure activities work places, so the sector is really important to us and we're taking its support really seriously as well.

 

We know the sector has been impacted by the pandemic restrictions, and we know from recent government research that the events industry as a whole is managing between just 50 to 60 per cent of its 2019 turnover under the current restrictions. For this reason Islington Council has prioritised independent music and cultural venues including community pubs in a recent round of discretionary funding provided as part of the package of grant support for businesses. At the end of June we were able to award £1.8million in extra funding to almost 100 pubs and music, comedy, theatre and dance venues hit by ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

 

The borough’s independent pubs and live venues are famous across London and beyond and they play a vital role in supporting many local jobs and businesses.

While many businesses have been able to reopen, COVID-19 restrictions have can you continue to have a major impact on the hospitality sector and regardless of the recent government announcement to lift restrictions, we know that certain sectors will be impacted by levels of customer confidence. In light of this, and in recognition of the key role they play locally, we want to ensure continued support for the sector by offering one off grants of £15,000 to £30,000.

 

We want local people to enjoy these places safely and so our public protection and local economies teams are providing practical support to businesses and guidance on how to operate safely, as well as putting plans in place to support our local high streets.

 

The Council has been administering the additional restrictions grant which is a direct aid grant to businesses since December 2020.  So far, the council has supported over a thousand businesses, to help them access over 1500, grants totalling more than £7million. We continue to lobby government to ask for more financial support for this sector and also our hospitality sector.

 

Finally, we're going to have to watch carefully how a lifting of restrictions works for the hospitality sector, but I can reassure you that we will continue to work closely with all of our partners in the sector to book to better understand their concerns and help them through this very difficult time

 

 

Question (e) from Cllr Ibrahim to Cllr Lukes, Executive Member for Community Safety: 

 

As a local Covid-19 Health Champion, I am very aware of the impact the pandemic has had on our borough. The NHS vaccine roll-out has shown the merits of genuine public services run for the benefit of local people.

 

However, we know that some communities in Islington have been slower to take-up the vaccine than others. Can you let me know what the Council is doing to increase uptake among these communities, as well as making vaccines as easily available as possible to keep Islington safe?

 

Response:

 

Thank you for your question, this is a vital issue for our communities. We know in the pandemic that no one is safe until we are all safe. We are also proud of the vaccine roll-out; it's not just an example of the NHS at its best, but it's also been a real partnership of the borough’s local institutions, the voluntary sector and community groups, and the hundreds of residents and volunteers; all united in our determination to get everyone protected.

 

The mass event at the Emirates Stadium, in your ward, was an example of that. A team effort between Arsenal, the borough and the NHS. I want to thank you and all the councillors, many of them here, who volunteered for that. It was a huge success and showed how councillors can be community champions, working with hundreds more volunteers to keep Islington safe. We did it not just to get to 9,000 people vaccinated, but because we also thought that it would increase trust and awareness of the vaccination process for many other people. We know that this pandemic has exposed and multiplied the appalling inequalities in our borough and we are committed to tackling them. We regularly and frequently review all the data we have on vaccinations to identify where take up is lower, in which areas, in which communities, for which people. We then find people from those groups and we ask them and listen to them. I would like to thank them for their insights and commitment. We ask about the barriers they face, or their fears, and we find ways to address them.

 

For example, we have visited some Black owned and run businesses in the north of the borough to learn from them and ask for their help in promoting the health of their customers and communities. We listened to community and faith leaders and work with them; many of them have recorded short videos and other messages to use on social media to encourage everyone to get the protection they need.

 

The council is running pop-up vaccination clinics at key locations such as Finsbury Park Mosque and the House on the Rock, and also at easy to reach local venues to encourage take up, especially from people who might find it difficult to travel to larger busier centres. We engage with local people in Islington streets we distribute leaflets we run information desks.

 

Our community champions programme trains and supports people to talk to the people they know: friends, neighbours and family. We know some people find the booking system difficult, so we worked with the NHS to increase the number of drop-in appointments available, and also we've set up our We Are Islington helpline so that it can help people for anyone who needs help with booking on transport. This is not a discrete piece of work, it's a process, and we're committed to seeing it through to keep everyone safe.  

 

Question (f) from Cllr Ismail to Cllr Gill, Executive Member for Finance and Performance, was withdrawn.

 

Question (g) from Cllr Ismail to Cllr O’Halloran, Executive Member for Community Development, was withdrawn.