Agenda

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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.

To consider the draft calendar of Committee and Council meetings  for 2026/2027.

a)    Audit Committee – Treasury Management strategy Update

b)    Standards Committee – This will contain recommendations on approval of the Member Allowances Scheme 2026/2027 and changes to the Council’s Constitution. These relate to signing and sealing of  council documents.

c)     Overview and Scrutiny Committee  - Annual report and approval of the updated terms of references for JHOSC

The above reports are marked to follow as meetings take place after the publication of the Council Summons.

Cllr Barnes to Cllr das Neves

1.    A recent follow up to a scrutiny question indicates there are still a substantial number of unactioned safeguarding emails within the Safeguarding Adult Duty Team and, as has been noted 'the opening of a safeguarding email does not, in itself, trigger service provision'. Please can you clarify the council's revised target time for actually acting upon, not just opening, safeguarding referrals since this matter was made public?

Cllr Carroll to Cllr Williams

2.    Haringey has one of the largest council house building programmes in the country. Please could you tell us why good quality council homes are so important.

Cllr Emery to Cllr Williams

3.    I, along with other members, have received numerous reports of empty council houses which, after making enquiries, it turns out that the council had not re-tenanted because they had not been referred to the voids team. How can the council fail to be aware when its own properties are vacant?

Cllr O’Donovan to Cllr Ali

4.    What steps has the Council taken to make Haringey a greener borough?

Cllr Cawley-Harrison to Cllr Gordon

5.    Hornsey Town Hall has finally opened its doors following its recent restoration, with the Crouch End Festival’s Christmas fair and events programme used as a vehicle for the building's “Grand Opening”. Since then, we have seen very limited activity inside, no fit out, no events programme, no arts direction, very little engagement with the community, and little desire from the current owners to finish off parts of the building, such as the Supper Room or Rooftop Bar. A sale of the building has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since last year - with big question marks over what that means. Can you confirm what the new owner’s plans for the building are, given the current owners continue to fail to deliver the vibrant, cultural building the Haringey community was promised?

Cllr Amin to Cllr Brabazon

6.    Please could you tell us how the Council has improved the lives of children and young people in Haringey?

Cllr Collett to Cllr Brabazon

7.    The Education Secretary acknowledges the importance of teaching assistants, but wider proposed reforms could significantly affect their already extensive role in supporting inclusion and learning. Although the Inclusion Grant has been welcomed, unions argue it is far too small to meaningfully improve staffing levels in mainstream schools. Experts also warn that the £1.6 billion allocated nationally will not be sufficient to increase staffing across thousands of education settings. Schools continue to face severe TA shortages, and unions are campaigning for permanent contracts, better pay, and specialist training to provide stability for vulnerable children, in line with the ambitions of the Government’s recent SEND white paper. What scheduled and costed plans do Haringey Council have to provide specialist training and full-time contracts for Teaching Assistants, that would be required to realise the ambitions set out in the white paper, for our SEND children? 

Cllr Lawton to Cllr Arkell

8.    Could you  ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

Motion G

Green Socialist Alliance Motion

Proposer: Cllr  Mary Mason

Seconder: Cllr Mark Blake

[1]Motion: Tackling Poverty in Haringey

This Council notes:

• That Haringey is a vibrant and diverse borough.
• That it also has the 4th highest unemployment rate in London and the 3rd highest rate of bailiff-led repossessions.
• That while this is a borough where many people thrive, 60% of residents do not eat a healthy diet and over 60% are overweight or obese, with continuing concerns about infant mortality.
• That Haringey has a thriving cultural sector, yet the poorest residents spend 25% of their income on food and energy, and five out of six people on Universal Credit are unable to afford basic essentials.
• That inequalities are worsening, impacting health and wellbeing, and systemic racism means 36% of Black residents live in poverty.
• That life expectancy has fallen, and the number of residents earning below the London Living Wage has increased.
• That approximately 3,000 families are living in temporary accommodation — 29% higher than the London average.
• That Haringey is now the 4th most deprived local authority area in London, despite also containing areas of significant wealth.
• That these conditions are neither fair nor acceptable, as recognised by the Haringey Fairness Commission (2020).

This Council believes:

• That poverty and inequality in Haringey are urgent issues that require focused, resident-led action.
• That those with lived experience of poverty must be central to shaping solutions.

This Council therefore resolves to:

1. Appoint a Poverty Commissioner who will convene an elected and representative group of residents with lived experience of poverty to:
   i. Report on current issues affecting people experiencing poverty in Haringey.
   ii. Identify the changes required to address the borough’s inequalities and improve outcomes.
   iii. Bring their findings and proposals to a dedicated Full Council meeting focused on driving poverty out of the borough.

Motion H

Support for the Together Alliance

Proposer: Cllr das Neves

Seconder: Cllr Chandwani

This Council notes -

• The voices of division in our country are growing louder. The divisive and racist rhetoric of extremism is an increasingly common presence online and on our streets.
• Their false promises seize on the very real economic problems people face, in order to scapegoat migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, Muslims, Jews, and other faith and global majority communities.
• It is, therefore, incumbent upon every tier of government to deliver policies and investment that address the many challenges our communities face, tackling wealth inequality and rejecting all forms of racism and discrimination.
• A new campaign, the Together Alliance, supported by UK charities, trade unions, civil society organisations and politicians is offering a platform of “love, unity and hope” to oppose the far right and the politics of division.

This Council believes -

• London is the greatest, most diverse city in the world. Our progressive, inclusive agenda has the full backing of London Mayor, Sadiq Khan.
• We can change things together. We must show that strength lies in solidarity with our communities, and that the change we need comes  ...  view the full agenda text for item 13.