Agenda

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i)Appointment of Honorary Recorder of Haringey

a)    The Cabinet

b)    Audit Committee

c)    Standards Committee – report to follow

Cllr Connor to Cllr Arkell

1. There have been a number of complaints regarding the running of the leisure centres since the council took over; and in particular shock and anger at the reduction in hours to the Lido - something that was not publicly proposed prior to the takeover. The justification for bringing the service in-house was a better service for residents, but when will residents see improvements and much better engagement?

Cllr Barbara Blake to Cllr Williams

2. We have embarked on an ambitious house building programme with 3000 council homes due to be completed. Many of these properties are acquisitions and form part of larger developments. Can the cabinet member outline how this and other measure are helping to address the housing crisis facing many families in Haringey.

Cllr Emery to Cllr Williams

3. Haringey housing workers walked out on strike in the middle of October over a number of issues, including representatives of the Union saying that resident safety was not being taken seriously. Talking to the press in response, Cllr Williams said that “All repairs can be reported to us in the usual way, and we expect to deal with emergencies within the usual 24 hours to keep our residents safe and comfortable.” However when a resident reported an emergency repair for a ceiling leak they were told that due to the strike, unless it was life-threatening, nothing could be done at that time. Just a couple of days later this ceiling collapsed on her daughter’s cot. What is being done on strike days to ensure that urgent repairs like this are attended to in a timely manner, to avoid potentially catastrophic results?

Cllr Sheila Peacock to Cllr Ruth Gordon

4. Haringey’s Civic Centre is a central part of Haringey’s history, and many residents have fond and memories of it. We are proud that we are investing in this building. Can the cabinet member provide an update on the Civic Centre Redevelopment Programme?

Cllr Cawley-Harrison to Cllr Carlin

5. How confident are you that you will be able to close the budget gap this year and set a balanced budget, and are you already in discussions with the government about if you are unable to?

Cllr Grosskopf to Cllr Brabazon

6. The new Government has put education at the heart of the Autumn Budget. Tripling of Breakfast club funding, £6.1 Capital investment for building and maintenance, and £1bn for SEND provision. Can the cabinet member tell us about the work the council is doing to support young people in the Borough?

Cllr Mason to Cllr Ovat

7. Twenty nine thousand and seventy three people (one third) in Haringey are struggling to pay rents, buy food, and pay their bills. 12.7% of whom are at risk or in crisis. Increasing numbers of households are filling an essential gap for these families.  Currently at least four food banks in Haringey do not have premises or are threatened with having to leave their premises. 
   Please can you assure us that you will actively and  ...  view the full agenda text for item 11.

Motion E

Winter Fuel Allowance

Proposer: Cllr Scott Emery

Seconder: Cllr Nick da Costa

Council notes:

• The Labour Government has restricted eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments to those on means-tested benefits (primarily Pension Credit); reducing the number of people eligible for Winter Fuel Payments from around 12 million to 1.2 million;
• The government is set to receive a windfall of £1.5 billion from Octopus Energy, which would be enough to reinstate Winter Fuel Payments for this year;
• The most recent statistics showed 27,145 households in Haringey were in receipt of the winter fuel allowance, an estimated 74% of whom will lose out under the government’s rule changes;
• To receive Pension Credit a single pensioner must have an income of less than £11,343.80 per year, compared with a full-time living wage salary of £20,820.8 per year;
• 37% of those eligible do not claim pension credit, and 780,000 pensioners earning below £11,400 per year will no longer receive the Winter Fuel Payment under Labour’s plans, according to the government’s own equalities analysis;
• Data from Policy in Practice shows that almost £17 million of pension credit goes unclaimed in Haringey each year, affecting over 4000 households;
• Haringey’s analysis shows that there are 815 eligible residents not claiming pension credit in the borough;
• 4 out 5 pensioners due to lose the Winter Fuel Payment are on or below the poverty line according to Age UK;
• The Energy Price Cap has risen by 10% in October, which, combined with restricted eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments, will push thousands of local pensioners into fuel poverty;
• Many councils are planning to use the Household Support Fund to provide payments to pensioners who are missing out on the winter fuel payment, and Haringey has confirmed its plans to provide a payment from the council to 2,804 pension aged households claiming council tax reduction scheme.

Council believes:

• Balancing the government’s budget on the back of vulnerable pensioners is morally wrong;
• The government’s decision to use claiming pension credit as its criterion for receiving the winter fuel payment, whilst knowing that more than a third of those eligible do not claim, was an unethical choice;
• It is wrong for councils to have to compensate for central government cutting support for some of the least affluent in society, particularly at a time of stretched budgets;
• Elderly people with an income as low as £218.15 per week are not affluent, and many are vulnerable and at risk of health problems from cold weather;
• It has responsibilities to the most vulnerable to protect them from avoidable public health risks;
• That a review of the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Allowance should take place immediately, in consultation with pensioner representative groups, ensuring that pensioners on low and middle incomes are protected this winter.

Council resolves:

• To use the Household Support Fund to provide a payment from the council to pension aged households claiming council tax reduction scheme; 
• To examine what support can be provided to these same households in future years, once the  ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.