Question Time
Minutes:
LC1. Question Time
LC2.
Cllr Dogus, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Wellbeing and Cllr Reith, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People provided responses to questions.
Conservation: there is an urgent need to address these issues in Noel Park. Query on how conservation issues could be prioritised by the Council. The Chair outlined that a process and model similar to Myddleton Road in Bounds Green would be adopted to address and manage Noel Park issues.
Primary school place funding: confirmation was provided that an ongoing campaign was in place in relation to potentially changing the formula used to calculate inner and outer London school place funding. Haringey was classified as an outer London borough when using the formula and therefore received a lower amount of per pupil funding compared to boroughs classified as inner London although Haringey teachers were paid inner London salary scales. The campaign was supported by Schools Forum, Trade Unions, all political parties and local MPs and consultants had been hired to write a formal report to justify a change to the formula. A public meeting was scheduled to be held at the Professional Development Centre on Downhills Park Road on 25 February to provide an update on the campaign. Although positive feedback for the campaign had been received it was noted that the result of the general election could impact on its success.
Monitoring of Enterprise: concerns were raised by a Noel Park resident about the cleanliness of some areas of the ward which raised questions about the level of monitoring was in place to check that Enterprise were meeting their targets. It was confirmed that strict monitoring arrangements were in place including a Street Enforcement Officer identified for each ward where local residents can report concerns to the Council.
Haringey LINk: a query on how LINk, the independently run group of individuals and community group representatives working together to improve the way Health and Social Care Serviceswere delivered could be promoted, especially to address health inequality issues in the east of the borough. It was advised that LINk had recently been reviewed following concerns about the level of outcomes being achieved and arrangements improved such as having representation on the Council’s Scrutiny Committee and Haringey Strategic Partnership boards. The Council’s strong commitment to improving engagement of local representatives at all levels of the decision making process e.g. through voluntary sector organisations was emphasised. Confirmation was provided that although health inequalities remained a nationwide issue, work was being undertaken in the borough to collect information on a ward by ward basis to lead discussions with local people about how these could be addressed through joint working.