Agenda and draft minutes

Please note that 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 Cabinet Member referred those present to agenda Item 1 as shown on the agenda in respect of filming at this meeting and asked that those present

reviewed and noted the information contained therein.

None.

The report will seek Cabinet Member approval to establish ward budgets and agree the allocation of £10k for each ward. The report will also seek Cabinet Member approval for the process and criteria as set out in the appendices to this report and seek agreement for the necessary officer delegations to administer the ward budgets.

The Cabinet Member introduced the report, which sought Cabinet Member approval to establish ward budgets and agree an allocation of £10k to each ward. The report also sought Cabinet Member approval for the process and criteria, as set out in the appendices A & B of the report.

The Assistant Director of Environmental Services and Community Safety advised that Ward Members were expected to make recommendations on the spending of the ward budgets to the named officer and the named officer would then review applications for money from budgets. The funded projects would be published on the website. It was noted that arrangements would be reviewed after the first 12 months of operation to assess the effectiveness of the process.

Cllr Engert noted that local residents groups had expressed dismay with dismantling of the Muswell Hill Area Forum. Cllr Engert also requested a number of points of clarification on the report. Firstly, Cllr Engert asked whether officers would be available to attend any community meetings that were arranged using the ward budgets and whether there would be an associated cost with asking that officer to attend. The Assistant Director of Environmental Services and Community Safety responded that officers would be expected to attend a community meeting in the same way that they would for any other meeting, such as a resident’s association meeting and that requests for officers to attend would need to come through the individual services via the relevant Head of Service.

The Senior Corporate Lawyer commented that community based meetings held under the ward budget process would be informal and would not be recognised as being a formal council meeting.

Cllr Engert also enquired whether posters for any community meeting would need to be approved and conform to agreed corporate standards. The Assistant Director of Environmental Services and Community Safety agreed to discuss this with the Head of Communications and feedback to Cllr Engert.

Cllr Engert queried the stipulation that Ward Members must agree on the allocation of projects under the ward budgets, particularly in the instances where the wards are split between Labour Members and Lib Dem Members. The Cabinet Member responded that all three Members have been elected to represent the ward and that a consensus would still be required. The Cabinet Member commented that differing opinions were as likely to occur in wards where the representation was not split across two parties. Cllr Engert suggested that group leaders may need to remind Members of their responsibilities.  The Assistant Director of Environmental Services and Community Safety commented that any issues like this would be captured through the review process.

Cllr Engert asked whether the projects required a minimum budget of £1000 and whether there could be some discretion in this. The Cabinet Member commented that the process was designed to prevent the need to administer a high number of small pots of money and that a minimum threshold of £1000k after Members have approved and looked at what was coming through was purposefully decided as the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

To consider any new items of Urgent Business admitted under Item 2 above.

Nil.