Agenda and minutes

Please note this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method.  Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting.  Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on.  By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The Chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual, or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Mayor referred to the notice as shown on the summons in relation to filming at meetings.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ahmet, Gideon Bull, McNamara, Peacock, Ross and Sahota.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Adje

The Chief Executive asked that responses to written questions be admitted at item 12 as tabled, explaining they were unavailable earlier given the time required to research and prepare answers.

None.

The minutes of the meeting of 27 February, and the Clerk’s note as an addition to the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 27 February, were approved.

The Mayor drew Members’ attention to the tabled paper on his engagements since the last meeting.

He drew particular attention to his recent visit to the Apprentices Week at Tottenham Hotspur football club, the celebration of the Commonwealth Day and the commemoration of the anniversary of Sapper Patrick Azimkar’s death.

Finally, he expressed sadness on behalf of the Council at the recent death of long-serving officer Leon Joseph, and said there would be opportunity to mark his death in an appropriate way at a future meeting.

The interim Chief Executive drew Members’ attention to the calendar of meetings for the 2017/18 Municipal Year.

The Monitoring Officer and Assistant Director for Corporate Governance had no matters to report.

None.

Cllr McShane, as Vice Chair of the Staffing and Remuneration Committee moved the report in the absence of the Chair.

RESOLVED

That Full Council approve the Pay Policy Statement 2017/18, amended as explained in the report and attached as Appendix A of the report.

Cllr Amin, Chair of the Standards Committee, moved the report and informed Members that there would be a review of Members’ Allowances in the Autumn.

RESOLVED

That Full Council:

1. Revoke the Members Allowance Scheme for 2016/17 as of 31 March; and

2. Approve the proposed new Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2017-18, as set out in appendix 1 of the report, to take effect from 1 April 2017.

Clerks note – The Mayor varied the order of business, so that item 12 was heard before item 11. These minutes follow the order of the agenda.

The Mayor introduced his debate by celebrating Haringey as one of the country’s most diverse boroughs and referring to the many community groups he had engaged with over the past year, which had made it such a privilege to serve as Mayor. He set out some challenges to community cohesion that were emerging, and his hope those challenges would be met.

The Mayor then introduced his three speakers. First, Rabbi Mason, of Muswell Hill Synagogue, outlined his previous work on community cohesion, the present challenges at a national level, and how pleased he was that it was entirely normal locally to work on cross-community projects.

Second, Bibi Khan of Wightman Road Mosque, set out how essential community cohesion was to helping relations between individuals, and to building a stronger and safer society. The voluntary sector was key to this, in particular at a time of reduced public funding. She paid tribute to Leon Joseph and his personal contribution to this agenda, and set out how people would have to work together to overcome future challenges.

Finally, Yasar ?smailo?lu set out some challenges faced by people coming from different cultural backgrounds, and how he’d noticed the improvements to the borough that accompanied greater community cohesion over the past forty years. He thought Haringey would be a good example for increasingly diverse towns to follow as they integrate in the future.

The Mayor then started the debate.

Councillor Rice, having lived in the borough for fifty years, gave some historical context. He noted Haringey had attracted people coming from areas in conflict, that the borough had established a number of community centres for different communities, and the Broadwater Farm riots had encouraged further efforts for community cohesion. He had been disappointed that the 2011 Tottenham Riots had shown that community relations were not completely settled.

Councillor Mallett noted that people had arrived in Haringey from areas of conflict and reconciled, rather than reflecting the divisions they had left. She noted increased social isolation meant a more deliberate effort was needed for face-to-face interactions, including public spaces and voluntary organisations. She noted that housing challenges could mean people being separated from their family and social networks locally.

Councillor Engert set out her pride at Haringey’s diversity, which had proven more resilient than other parts of the country following the European referendum. She outlined the particular challenges faced by some communities, which could lead to disengagement. The borough should do more to support disadvantaged communities, and to ensure people from EU countries are made to feel welcome in the absence of clear Government support for them.

Councillor Doron recalled that his grandfather had been at the battle of Cable Street, and had emphasised the need to work together against divisive movements at a Cable Street commemoration event hosted by the Mayor of London last year. He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 74.

Oral Question one – Cllr McShane to the Cabinet Member for Children and Families:

Does the Cabinet Member share my concerns about the impact of the Government’s proposed schools funding formula on schools in Haringey?

Oral Question two – Cllr Gail Engert to the Leader:

Do you think it is acceptable that so many residents are experiencing long delays when using the council’s customer services?

Oral Question three – Cllr Doron to the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Social Inclusion and Sustainability:

Will the Cabinet Member tell us what impact the Government's national revaluation system for business rates will have on Haringey's independent businesses and the relationship the Council has with them?

Oral Question four – Cllr Martin Newton to the Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning:

What support has the council given Spurs Football Club in terms of land, funds, property and services?

Oral Question five – Cllr Christophides to the Cabinet Member for Housing, Regeneration and Planning:

Can the Cabinet Member provide an update on the progress made on the Supported Housing Review and when we can expect to see changes?

Oral Question six – Cllr Clive Carter to the Cabinet Member for Environment:

When will the council fix the pond and water feature in Stationer’s Park?

The Mayor accepted the admission of responses to written questions as late items of business, as the answers to questions had needed to be researched and prepared after the summons had been dispatched.

Oral questions one to six were then asked and responded to.

Motion F: School Funding

Proposer: Cllr Liz Morris

Seconder: Cllr Pippa Connor

This council notes that the Liberal Democrats in Government introduced the pupil premium which saw schools in Haringey benefiting with:

• An extra £13 million on top of their usual budgets. 

• Each primary and secondary school in the borough received an extra £900 per pupil that had been registered for free school meals.

This council also notes that following Lynne Featherstone and Haringey Lib Dems campaign for fairer funding for local schools, Haringey schools received an extra £5.3million of government funding to tackle deprivation.

This council notes that Lib Dem MP, Sarah Olney, recently asked the Prime Minister at question time to review free school funding and allocate more funding to other schools. This council is concerned that the National Audit Office report estimates that there is £2.5bn overspend by the Conservative Government on land for free schools.

This council notes that due to the Conservative Government’s changes to school funding Haringey schools will lose approximately £664 of funding per pupil by 2020. This is equivalent to 581 teachers on the average salary of £37,250.

This council is against the phasing out of the Education Services Grant and its impact on schools and the council.

This council calls upon the Conservative Government to increase the schools budget in order to prevent a serious detrimental impact on class sizes, support for pupils with special needs or valuable extra-curricular activities.

This council requests that the Leader of the Council to write to both of Haringey’s MPs, urging them to raise the council's concerns with the Secretary of State for Education.

Councillor Morris introduced her motion, which reflected the crisis in education funding. She regretted the cuts to funding for schools in the borough, which came at a time of increased demand on schools’ budgets. She also opposed  the cut to the Education Services Grant, which also would represent further challenges for schools after a period of increasing funding to schools that had accompanied improvements to schools in the borough.

The motion seconded by Councillor Connor, who, as a local school governor, had been concerned at education cuts that forced schools to take very difficult choices.

Proposing her amendment, Councillor Weston supported the principle behind the motion and sought, with the amendment, to provide more detail and ensure it could be supported across the Chamber. 

Seconding the amendment, Councillor Mitchell set out some of the impact of the proposed changes, which undermined the Government’s stated aspirations.

The Mayor then opened the debate, which included contributions from Councillors Hare and Wright.

Responding to the debate, Councillor Morris thanked Members for their contributions, and welcomed the agreement between the parties on the issue of school funding.

Following a vote, the amendment was CARRIED.

Following a vote, the motion as amended was AGREED unanimously.

RESOLVED 

This Council notes that the Conservative Government’s consultation on its plans for a new funding formula for schools is currently under way and it claims that measures, set to be introduced in April 2018, will “end the postcode lottery” of schools funding.

This Council also notes that In December 2016 the National Audit Office produced a report into the financial sustainability of schools and confirmed that mainstream schools will need to make £3.0 billion in efficiency savings by 2019-20 against a background of growing pupil numbers and a real-terms reduction in funding per pupil.

This Council is concerned that:

• by introducing this new funding formula, while cutting education funding, money will be taken away from London schools (and other schools in urban areas) to be redistributed elsewhere in the country.
• 70% of London schools will lose out directly through the implementation of the formula while all London schools will face real terms funding cuts.
• these cuts will see an overall reduction in the Haringey schools budget of £5 million a year by 2019–20 and this is on top of other pressures on school finances including pay awards, inflation and rising national insurance and pensions contributions.

This Council is further concerned that in real terms, these cuts will mean that:

• Per pupil funding will be cut by £664 (11%) per child in Haringey by 2020
• The average cut for Haringey secondary pupils is £842
• The average cut for Haringey primary pupils is £574
• Haringey schools will face larger class sizes, have fewer teachers, teaching assistants and subject specialist and pupils will get less support and individual attention.

This Council believes that the Conservative Government’s proposals represent the biggest real-terms cuts to schools budgets in a generation which will hit every school in the borough and mean less money for every  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.