Agenda and minutes

1.                  To elect the Mayor for the ensuing year.

[The Local Government Act 1972 provides as follows with regard to election of Mayor:-

Schedule 2, paragraphs 2(1) and 13(3) – The Mayor shall be elected annually by the Council from among the Councillors.

Schedule 2, paragraph 3(1) – The election of the Mayor shall be the first business transacted at the Annual Meeting of the Council.

Schedule 2, paragraph 3(3) – In the case of an equality of votes, the person presiding at the meeting shall give a casting vote in addition to any other vote he/she may have.

The Mayor called for Nominations for the Office of Mayor for the Municipal Year 2007/08.

Councillor Eddie Griffith moved and Councillor George Meehan seconded that Councillor Sheik Thompson be elected Mayor.

Councillor Fiyaz Mughal moved and Councillor Richard Wilson seconded that Councillor Oatway be elected Mayor.

Having put the vote to the meeting there being 30 votes for Councillor Thompson, and 26 for Councillor Oatway, the Council:

RESOLVED:

1.      That Councillor Sheik Thompson be elected Mayor for the Municipal Year 2007/08.

2.      The Mayor made and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office, which was witnessed by Councillors Griffith and Meehan.

3.      The Mayor then addressed the Council, gave thanks for his election and outlined his objectives for his year of office.

4.      The Mayoress, Mrs Kyoko Thompson, was then invested with her Badge of Office.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Aitken.

See minutes 10, 11, 12, 13 and 19.

A member with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.

A member with a personal interest in a matter also has a prejudicial interest in that matter if the interest is one which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the member's judgement of the public interest.

Members were asked by the Mayor to declare any personal interest in respect of items on the agenda.  In accordance with Part 2 of the Members Code of Conduct set out in the Council Constitution, any Member disclosing a personal interest which was also prejudicial would be asked to withdraw from the Chamber during consideration of the item and neither were they to seek to improperly influence a decision on the said item.

Councillor Williams declared a personal interest in the item at Minute 14 as he was employed by a Trade Association within the hospitality sector.

Copies of the Minutes of the last meeting having been circulated were taken as read.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 19 March 2007 be signed as a true record.

To receive written notification of the appointment of Deputy Mayor.

[The Local Government Act 1972 provides as follows with regard to the appointment of Deputy Mayor:-

Schedule 2, paragraph 5(1) – The Mayor may appoint a Councillor of the Borough to be Deputy Mayor, and the person so appointed shall, unless he/she resigns or becomes disqualified, hold office until a newly elected Mayor becomes entitled to act as Mayor (whether or not he/she continues until that time to be a Councillor).

Schedule 2, paragraph 5(2) – The appointment of a Deputy Mayor shall be signified to the Council in writing and be recorded in the minutes of the Council.]

The Chief Executive reported that the Mayor had signified in writing the appointment of Councillor Dilek Dogus as Deputy Mayor for the ensuing year.

Councillor Dogus was invested with her Badge of Office. The Deputy Mayor’s Escort, Mustafa Dogus, was then invested with his badge of office.

To pass a vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor and Mayor’s Escort and Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress.

A vote of thanks to the retiring Mayor and Escort and the retiring Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress was moved by Councillor George Meehan and seconded by Councillor Neil Williams.

The retiring Mayor was presented with a badge marking her year of office. The Leader also presented the retiring Mayor with a photograph album.

RESOLVED:

That the Council extend to the retiring Mayor, Councillor Gina Adamou, the retiring Mayor’s Escort Andreas Adamides, the retiring Deputy Mayor, Councillor Sheik Thompson, and the retiring Deputy Mayoress Mrs Kyoko Thompson , its sincere thanks and appreciation for the services they had rendered to the Borough during the past year.

The retiring Mayor addressed the Council.

The Mayor thanked the flower children Minomi Taylor, Laura Richards-Goosey and Gabriella Fox-Champkins from St Michael’s Primary School in Bounds Green Road, and also the parents and staff at for all their support.

The Mayor announced that his Special Fund was to support the Haringey Young Musicians which offered a programme of 18 out of school music-making ensembles for children and young people in Haringey. 2007 was the 60th Anniversary of Haringey Young Musicians and to celebrate there would be a very special concert on 26th June in the Great Hall at Alexandra Palace.  The Mayor advised that it would be a magnificent start to a very exciting year for the young musicians.

The Mayor advised that he would be making further announcements about fundraising events at a later date.

The Mayor also congratulated Councillor Alexander who completed a moon walk for Breast Cancer on Sunday 20 May 2007.

Councillor Kober proposed that Councillor George Meehan be elected Leader of the Council. Councillor Reith seconded.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor George Meehan be elected Leader of the Council for 2007/8.

The Mayor agreed to the admission of this report as urgent business.  Appointments had only recently been finalised at Party Group Meetings and needed approval to permit Cabinet meetings to be convened.

It was moved by Councillor Kober that the tabled proposals be adopted.

RESOLVED:

That the numbers of Councillors and names of Councillors appointed to the Cabinet, as detailed in the tabled proposals, be agreed.

To agree the appointments procedure and to appoint Committees, Sub-Committees and other bodies for the Municipal Year 2007/08 including the selection of the Chairs and Deputy Chairs (to follow).

(List of Committees, Sub-Committees and other bodies to be appointed, with Chairs and Deputy Chairs indicated, to be tabled).

The Mayor agreed to the admission of this report as urgent business.  Appointments had only recently been finalised at Party Group Meetings and needed approval to permit committees to be convened.

It was moved by Councillor Kober that recommendations 1 – 2 as detailed be adopted.

Councillor Williams moved an amendment  to recommendation 2, that Councillor Hare be appointed Chair of the Planning Committee. Councillor Whyte seconded.

In respect of recommendation 2 and the proposed nomination for the Chair of the Planning Committee there being 30 votes for Councillor Peacock, and 26 for Councillor Hare, the Council

RESOLVED:

1.      That the process for appointing to Committees, Sub-Committees and Chairs be approved on the “slate” basis prescribed.

2.      That the membership of committees, sub-committees and appointment of Chairs be agreed as attached at Appendix 1 of the report.

The Mayor agreed to the admission of this report as urgent business.  Appointments had only recently been finalised at Party Group Meetings and needed approval to permit appointments to outside organisations to be made.

It was moved by Councillor Kober that the recommendation as detailed be adopted.

Councillor Whyte moved an amendment in respect of the schedule of appointments, that Councillor Butcher be appointed to Fin Future instead of Councillor Adamou. Councillor Wilson seconded.

In respect of the appointment to Fin Future, on a vote there being 26 votes for Councillor Butcher, and 30 against, the Council.

RESOLVED:

That the appointments to outside bodies be approved, as detailed in the schedule attached to the report.

The Mayor agreed to the admission of this report as urgent business as it dealt with matters considered at Party Group meetings within the last few days. 

RESOLVED:

That the composition of the following political groups be noted:

The Labour Group

Leader:                       Councillor George Meehan

Deputy Leader:         Councillor Lorna Reith

Chief Whip:                Councillor Claire Kober

Chair:                          Councillor Matt Cooke

Vice Chair:                 Councillor  Ray Dodds

Secretary:                  Councillor GMMH Rahman Khan

Assistant Whips:       Councillors Sheila Peacock & Alan Dobbie

Group Treasurer        Councillor Sheila Peacock

Councillors:

Adamou                     Dogus             Mallett

Adje                            Egan               Patel

Amin                           Griffith             Santry

Basu                           Haley              Stanton

Bevan                         B.Harris          Thompson

Bull                              Jones              Vanier            

Canver                        Knight

Diakides                    Lister

The Liberal Democrat Group

Leader:                       Councillor Neil Williams

Deputy Leader:         Councillor Richard Wilson

Chief Whip:                Councillor Monica Whyte

Deputy Whip              Councillor Matt Davies

Group Chair               Councillor Susan Oatway

Group Deputy Chair  Councillor Ed Butcher

Councillors:

Aitken Engert             Portess

Alexander                   Gorrie                         Rainger         

Baker                          Hare                            Reid

Beacham                   C Harris                      Weber                  

Beynon                       Hoban                         Winskill

Bloch                          Mughal                       

Demirci                      Newton

Edge                           Oakes

It was moved by Councillor Kober that the recommendations as detailed be adopted.

RESOLVED:

1.      That the recommendations of the Licensing Committee on 20 February 2007 and the General Purposes Committee on 8 March and the resolution of the full Council on 19 March 2007 to approve in principle Resolutions (2) & (3) below be noted ;

2.      That the terms of reference of the full Council and the Licensing Committee be amended as set out in Appendices 1 and 2 to the circulated report; and

3.      That the terms of reference of the Licensing Sub-Committees and the Scheme of Delegation to Officers be amended as set out in Appendices 3 and 4 to the circulated report, subject to formal confirmation of these changes by the Licensing Committee on 24 May 2007.

It was moved by Councillor Kober that the recommendations as detailed be adopted.

RESOLVED:

1.      That the Revised Model Code of Conduct be adopted with effect from 22 May 2007.

2.      That the Monitoring Officer undertake the process of obtaining individual Member agreement to observe the Code and the re-registration of individual Members’ personal interests and as part of the process to supply each Member with a copy of the new Code and guidance issued by the Standards Board for England.

3.      That the Monitoring Officer take steps to publicise the adoption of the Code in a local newspaper.

4.      That the proposals for Member and Senior Officer briefing on the new Code be agreed.

RESOLVED:

That the item deferred to the next full Council meeting on 16 July 2007.

It was moved by Councillor Meehan that the recommendations as detailed be adopted and that the effective date of 1 November 2007 for the change to the financial limit for Key Decisions, be noted.

RESOLVED:

1.      That  the Council’s Constitution be arranged as detailed in the  “modular format” set out in Appendix 1 to the circulated report;

2.      That the Council Reshaping Schedule set out in Appendix 2 to the circulated report be adopted as a part of the Constitution until revisions to the existing Scheme of Delegation to Officers are considered and adopted after the forthcoming Review.

3.      That the documents contained in the lever arch files entitled “Revised Council Constitution May 2007”, already made available to Members, be adopted as the Constitution of Haringey Council under Section 37 of the Local Government Act 2000 with effect from 22 May 2007.

4.      That the financial limit for Key Decisions of £500,000 to take effect from 1 November 2007, be noted.

It was moved by Councillor Kober that the recommendations as detailed be adopted.

RESOLVED:

That the schedule of meetings for 2007/08, as circulated, be approved.

The Mayor agreed to the admission of this report as urgent business.  The statement was not available at the time of despatch as information was still being gathered.

It was moved by Councillor Kober that the statement of attendance be noted subject to any changes being reported to the next meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the statement of members’ attendance be noted, subject to any changes being reported to the next meeting.

It was moved by Councillor Kober that the end of Year statement be noted.

RESOLVED:

That the allowances paid to each Member for 2006/07 be noted.