Issue - meetings

To consider exempt information [Part B] Red House Yard, 432 West Green Road N15 3PJ which is not for publication by virtue of paragraphs 3&5 of Part 1 of schedule 12A of Local Government Act 1972 as it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information ) and information in respect of which a  claim relating t to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

To consider the exempt minutes relating to the Cabinet decision on Red House Yard, 432 West Green Road N15 3PJ.

To  further consider the exempt part of the Director of Housing, Regeneration and Planning’s report, responding to the call in.

Cabinet agreed that, given that the exempt minutes and key decision number 201, had been previously agreed following consideration of the exempt information at the July meeting and the response to the scrutiny recommendations did not require further reference to the exempt part of the report, it did not require to go into private session and made its decision in public, as per item 210.

RESOLVED that the exempt recommendations be granted.

To consider exempt information pertaining to item 6 of the agenda.

The Committee considered exempt information pertaining to item 6 of the agenda.

The Committee resumed the meeting in public to announce their decision:

The Committee considered the reports, and responses to questions raised during the discussion and decided that the decision was within the policy and budgetary frameworks, and it should be referred back to the decision maker within a number of recommendations from the Committee.

Recommendations:

1.         That Cabinet defer final decision on the matter until an alternative and fully costed option for direct delivery of the scheme by the Council is developed, shared and considered fully.  The Borough Plan emphasises the building of Council homes on Council land and this commitment should be honoured by the Council through it retaining ownership of the freehold of sites and building homes itself wherever possible;

2.         Cabinet should consider how trust, accountability and transparency may be enhanced when making key decisions.  In particular, specific consideration should be given to how professional legal advice can best be recorded and shared so that a clear understanding can be gained of the substance of advice given and to what extent key decision makers have been party to that advice and their understanding of it. Cabinet should consider how this advice can be made available even if only as an exempt item;

3.         That clear reasons be provided for the selection of developers in future acquisitions and disposals of land, with recognition that transparency demands clarity of why selections are made. 

4.         When the development of sites is being considered, a process of identification of all key stakeholders should take place and they should be included fully in the process.  All reports should make clear what engagement and consultation has taken place and with whom;

5.         There be better co-ordination between different Council teams when providing reports and/or information on cross cutting issues.  In particular, there should be clarity and consistency on the borders of development sites across all relevant documentation in order to avoid confusion;

6.         Although the Cabinet report made reference to Public Sector Equality duties under the Equality Act, all housing related proposals should have their own, stand alone, Equalities Impact Assessment that outlines risks and how they will be mitigated to allow the Council to meet fully its legal obligations; 

7.         That it be noted that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be including issues arising from this matter within its future work planning processes.