Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence given.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Business. (Late items of Urgent Business will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items of Urgent Business will be dealt with under Item 10 below. New items of exempt business will be dealt with at Item 13 below).

There were no items of urgent business.

A Member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

A Member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

No declarations of interest were made.

On occasions part of the Cabinet meeting will be held in private and will not be open to the public if an item is being considered that is likely to lead to the disclosure of exempt or confidential information. In accordance with the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 (the “Regulations”), members of the public can make representations about why that part of the meeting should be open to the public.

This agenda contains exempt items as set out at Item 11 Exclusion of the Press and Public.  No representations with regard to these have been received.

This is the formal 5 clear day notice under the Regulations to confirm that this Cabinet meeting will be partly held in private for the reasons set out in this Agenda.

There were no representations received.

There were no deputations, petitions or questions.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 17 December 2013 as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 December 2013 be confirmed as a correct record.

(Report of the Director of Regeneration, Planning and Development. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement). The report seeks agreement to a multidisciplinary approach to tackling unauthorised living in employment areas and sets out the project management approach being adopted  to ensure proper governance and the timely delivery and reporting of project objectives.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement, which set out a proposed multi disciplinary approach to tackling unauthorised living in employment areas. It was noted that this was a growing problem, particularly in south Tottenham and that the Council needed to ensure that it had the right enforcement tools in place to address the issue appropriately.

In response to a series of points raised by Councillor Wilson the Leader noted that a multi disciplinary approach was required in order to respond to this complex issue. The Council recognised that there were a number of people working in creative industries, who contributed to the local community and who lived in this type of accommodation and that the intention was not to penalise them, but to ensure that people at the other end of the spectrum, who were often living in very poor conditions, were not exploited by rogue landlords.

It was noted that there were also significant health and safety issues attached to living in unauthorised employment areas that the Council had a duty to address and protect people against. The approach proposed provided a range of tools to address this issue in a way that recognised that there were many different groups of people and types of accommodation that fell into this category and that a range of enforcement tools were needed to tackle this.

RESOLVED:

1. That the multidisciplinary approach to tackling unauthorised living in employment areas as set out in the report be noted and;

2. That the project management approach that had been adopted to ensure proper governance and the timely delivery and reporting of project objectives be noted.

Alternative options considered

The possibility of an approach minimising enforcement action focussing on regularisation and management of existing uses on site was considered but was felt to be inappropriate, due to the complex planning and housing issues that present themselves, in particular with regard to the safety of occupants and departures from planning policy. The estimated rental income from these unauthorised uses is considerable, acting as a further disincentive to co-operate unless encouraged to do so through formal enforcement action. A more appropriate approach will include fraud investigation and close co-operation with external agencies notably the Fire Service and Police.

Reasons for decision

The existing unauthorised residential and live work uses are contrary to Planning Policy and continue to manifest themselves in buildings not intended for this use nor at the intensity is it currently present in the project area. The alternative option of managing this matter through regularisation through the Building and Housing acts is therefore considered to be undesirable.

Wide ranging enforcement action under the Planning Acts is considered to be necessary to not only require the cessation of these uses where they are inappropriate but to encourage dialogue and co-operation with the landowners with regard to future uses of these sites.

Given the complexity of this report and the associated issues that arises, the project will be required to be flexible  ...  view the full minutes text for item 595.

(Report of the Deputy Chief Executive. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services). The report seeks approval of both agreements, under the auspices of the revised approach to this “Section 75 Agreement”, which enables the partners to establish and maintain a pooled fund to formalise and develop integrated services provided under the Haringey Learning Disability Partnership (HLDP). 

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services, which sought agreement to the Council entering into an agreement with NHS Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), pursuant to Section 75 of the National Health Service Act 2006 and a Service Level Agreement between the Council, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust and Whittington NHS Trust.

RESOLVED:

That approval be given to both agreements, under the auspices of the revised approach to the ‘Section 75 Agreement’, which enabled partners to establish and maintain a pooled fund to formalise and develop integrated services provided under the Haringey Learning Disability Partnership.

Alternative options considered

There are no alternative options.

Reasons for decision

The Learning Disabilities Partnership is a well established, comprehensively integrated service with multi-disciplinary teams and management structures. Joint approaches to assessments and information sharing are well established as is case coordination. The success of the partnership reflects the commitment of the Council and the CCG to integration as the best and proven method of supporting its important and complex user group. On this basis renewal of the partnership agreement is recommended.

(Report of the Director of Regeneration, Planning and Development. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance, Employment and Carbon Reduction). The report seeks approval of proposals with respect to Lea Valley Technopark.  

Exempt information pertaining to the report is set out under Item 12 below.

REPORT TO FOLLOW

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance, Employment and Carbon Reduction, which sought approval to purchase the Head Leaseholder’s interest in the Technopark site and to sell the freehold of the Technopark site to the Harris Federation. The report also sought approval for the additional capital cost of the purchase and any associated costs of vacant possession, to be added to the Council’s capital programme and agreement to vacate the site in order to support the provision of a school.

Prior to consideration of the report the Leader reminded Cabinet and other Members present that there was an exempt element of the report, which would be considered separately and that should not be discussed in the open part of the meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Employment and Carbon Reduction, Councillor Goldberg, noted that the proposals put forward represented an excellent opportunity to provide additional schools places in an area of high demand, whilst also allowing the Council to improve its financial position by ending its ongoing financial commitment to the Technopark.

In response to a series of questions from Councillor Wilson it was noted that the proposals in relation to the Technopark should be seen as a package that would be of benefit to the local community by providing additional school places and allowing the Council to end its financial commitment to the Technopark. The Leader reminded Cabinet that the Government had removed Council’s ability to build or open new schools and that the Department for Education had determined that a new Free School should be built in the area. The proposals put forward provided a means of meeting this requirement.

Councillor Goldberg noted in the 1980’s and 1990’s the establishment of facilities such as the Technopark had formed part of a widely adopted approach by Councils and Government to foster small business and to encourage growth in areas like Tottenham where traditional industries had been lost. The approach required to encouraging growth and development in the area was different now and the proposals put forward reflected this and would form part of the Council’s overall regeneration work in Tottenham. He concluded by noting that the package proposed represented good value to residents by providing additional schools places and enabling the Council to be released from its longstanding commitment to the Technopark.

In response to a question the Monitoring Officer advised that the information contained within the exempt part of the report referred is commercially sensitive information in particular in relation to negotiations with the Head Leaseholder and therefore could not be disclosed.

The Leader noted that during an email exchange earlier in the day with the Friends of Downhill Park she had given an undertaking that there would be consultation with them in relation to any new Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) and that Council officers would contact them as a matter of urgency following the meeting.

Cabinet considered exempt information pertaining to the report under agenda item 12.

RESOLVED:

1. That the current onerous  ...  view the full minutes text for item 597.

There were no new items of urgent business.

Note from the Head of Local Democracy and Member Services

Items 12 and 13 allow for the consideration of exempt information in relation to Items 9 and 2 respectively.

RESOLVED:

That the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting as the items below contain exempt information, as defined under paragraphs 3 and 5, Part 1, schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED:

That the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting, as agenda Items 12 and 13 contained exempt information, as defined under paragraph 3, Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

To consider exempt information pertaining to Item 9 above.

REPORT TO FOLLOW

Cabinet considered exempt information pertaining to the report.

There were no new items of exempt urgent business.