To consider any requests received in accordance with Standing Orders.
Minutes:
Response to Petition Received in relation to The Haven
In accordance with Committee Standing Orders the Chair reported back to the meeting the response to the petition received and noted at the February Cabinet meeting.
The Leader expressed understanding of the strength of feeling surrounding the proposals to close The Haven day centre and acknowledged the views of service users, and their carers, and the value they placed on this service.
However, the cuts imposed upon the Council meant it must look to use its more limited resources in ways which continued to support as many people as possible, as fairly and well as possible. Investment in buildings, rather than in people and communities, did not meet this test. The Haven served a very limited number of people and to prioritise scarce resources to maintain that service at the expense of others was inequitable. Currently, The Haven day service provided day opportunities to 48 Haringey Residents. The development of community options and social enterprise models will give more people more choice locally.
The Council’s statutory obligation to meet the assessed needs of vulnerable adults had not changed, and the Council would continue to ensure that residents assessed as needing adult social care continue to receive high quality services. The proposals were about changing the way that services were delivered, reducing the number of buildings based services and delivering more community based models. Cabinet noted that Neighbourhood Connects is one model and for those who are assessed as having needs that cannot be met by a Neighbourhoods Connect model, the Council will ensure support is provided through other means.
A number of people currently receive personal budgets/direct payments, which gives them control over how day activities are spent. I recognise that there is work to be done in terms of developing the market so that there are increased opportunities for choice. This is work that our commissioning team are currently developing.
It was also important to note that the closure of the Haven will be subject to further consultation.
Deputation - in relation to item 23, Review of Libraries and Improving Face to Face Customer Services
The Leader invited Fiona Stone to address the meeting and put forward issues regarding the proposals for Marcus Garvey Library. Ms. Stone expressed concerns regarding rumours that had developed concerning the transfer of Haringey Customer Service staff into Marcus Garvey Library, following the closure of Apex House. Ms. Stone expressed concern that no concrete proposals had been released and that so far there had been a distinct lack of consultation with the community on this issue. Ms. Stone noted that a transfer of staff would lead to a reduction in space at the library and a reduction in the number of staff.
Ms. Stone was concerned that the proposed £3m refurbishment of Marcus Garvey would be mostly used to facilitate the integration of Customer Services staff into the building. Ms. Stone also commented that the library was the only non-privatised space in the area for the community to use. Ms. Stone argued that libraries were a vital amenity, particularly for children, who often did homework in the library. Marcus Garvey provided a range of events for children, which were heavily attended by the local community. By reducing the space, the Council would have to stop putting on these events and this would have a massive effect on the local community. Ms. Stone noted that there seemed to be a discrepancy between the Priority One of the Corporate Plan and any attempt to reduce services at Marcus Garvey.
Cllr Kober, the Leader of the Council, commented that there seemed to be a disconnect between plans for a marginal reduction in space at Marcus Garvey Library and the suggestion in the deputation that this equated to a loss of children’s librarians and a loss of libraries as a space for learning exploration and knowledge. The Leader invited the presenters to provide some further clarification on this. Luci Davin responded that one of the main problems surrounding this issue was that the Council had failed to adequately communicate its plans for Marcus Garvey and that this had lead to a lot of concern and speculation within the community. Ms. Davin expressed concern about any reduction of the IT facilities on the top floor, which were already heavily over subscribed.
Councillor Arthur, the Cabinet Member for Resources & Culture, responded to the issues raised and reinforced the centrality of the library to the community and emphasised that Marcus Garvey was one of the most heavily used libraries in the Borough. Cllr Arthur stated that both he and the Cabinet as a whole were absolutely committed to maintaining and investing in Haringey’s libraries and were also committed to keeping all nine libraries open. Cllr Arthur advised that the Council wanted to use the money available to invest in the space, maximise its usage and provide a wide array of services accessible from Marcus Garvey. A number of issues were identified with Marcus Garvey that needed to be addressed, including the quality of the furnishings and fittings, lifts not working and underutilised space. Cllr Arthur noted that what was being proposed was a reinvestment in the space at Marcus Garvey in order to address those issues.
Councillor Arthur commented that there would be an initial set of consultation meetings taking place the following week in the Library, two sessions would be on Friday and a another session on the Saturday. It was noted that the consultation process would be heavily advertised in the local press and on social media. Councillor Arthur assured the deputees that he would be visible during this process and that anybody could contact him to see the proposals and provide feedback on them. Councillor Arthur gave an assurance that the Children’s Library would be protected and also offered to speak to the deputees in person to further address their concerns.