Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Dodds, Mallett, Mughal and Reid and for lateness from Councillor Davies.

See Minutes 103, 109 & 113.

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 judgment of the public interest and if this interest affects their financial position or the financial position of a person or body as described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct and/orif it relates to the determining of any approval, consent, licence, permission or registration in relation to them or any person or body described in paragraph 8 of the Code of Conduct.

Councillor Dobbie declared a personal interest in the deputation regarding St.Ann’s Hospital and Motion Q as he was an employee in the Eye Unit at North Middlesex Hospital, he also declared a personal interest in relation to the deputation on Council rent and service charge increases as he was a Council tenant.

Councillor Reith declared a personal interest in Motion S as she was Deputy Chair of London Travel Watch, which was part of the GLA group.

Councillor Lister declared a personal interest in item 11 – Financial Planning and approval of the Council Tax for 2008/09 as he was an employee of Unison and Council staff would be affected by the budget.

Councillor Adje declared a personal interest in item 11 – Financial Planning and approval of the Council Tax for 2008/09, as he was an employee of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority for which a portion of the precept was paid to.

Councillor Dogus declared a personal interest in the deputation regarding St.Ann’s Hospital as an employee of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust and in relation to the deputation on Council rent and service charge increases, as she was a Council tenant.

Councillor Thompson declared a personal interest in the deputation regarding John Loughborough School, as a Ward Councillor and in relation to the deputation on Council rent and service charge increases as he was a Council tenant.

Councillor Butcher declared a personal interest in item 11 – Financial Planning and approval of the Council Tax for 2008/09 as he was a Member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority for which a portion of the precept was paid to.

Councillor Engert declared a personal interest in Motion S as she was a Board Member of London Travel Watch, which was part of the GLA group.

Councillor Bloch declared a personal interest in the deputation regarding St.Ann’s Hospital as he was a non-executive Director of Haringey PCT based at St Ann’s.

Councillor Aitken declared a personal interest in the deputation on Council rent and service charge increases as he was a Council tenant.

Members to whom this applies must make a declaration if they are present at any part of the meeting and must not vote on any matter relating to the budget.  It is not sufficient for such members to refrain from voting or to absent themselves from the chamber for particular parts of the meeting. Failure to make a relevant declaration constitutes a criminal offence.

Members were reminded of the need to consider whether they needed to make a declaration in accordance with Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 in relation to unpaid community charge or council tax liability which was two months or more outstanding.

No such declarations were made.

The Mayor agreed to admit the minutes as urgent business. Because of the short timescale between the last meeting and this, it was not possible to circulate the minutes with the Summons. The minutes should be confirmed at the next available meeting of the Council.

Copies of the Minutes having been circulated, they were taken as read.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 9 February 2009 be signed as a true record.

1.      The Mayor was delighted to attend an exhibition by Yorgos Papadopoulos in Westminster last Tuesday with Archbishop Athanasious from St Barnabas Greek Church. Yorgos is a local Tottenham resident who produced beautiful and unique glass art. 

2.      The Mayor asked Members to make a note of the following fundraising events for his Special Fund.  On 19 April he would be joining the London Mayor’s Walk which was a six mile sponsored Walk from the Whittington Hospital to the Mansion House.

3.      On Friday 24 April the Mayor would be hosting a Quiz Night with the theme of Celebrating St George.  Further details would be circulated.

4.      The Mayor asked the Council to join him in wishing good luck to Tottenham Hotspur who were playing Manchester United on Sunday in the Carling Cup Final.

There were no matters to report.

There were no matters to report.

There were no matters to report.

Three  deputations  were received as follows:

The first deputation was from Mr Petrou of the “Save St Ann’s Hospital Campaign Group”.

Members asked questions of the deputation and received responses thereto.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Enterprise responded to the deputation.

The Mayor thanked the deputation for attending.

The second deputation was from Mr Burnham of the “Haringey Defend Council Housing Campaign Group”.

Members asked questions of the deputation and received responses thereto.

The Cabinet Member for Housing Services responded to the deputation.

The Mayor thanked the deputation for attending.

The third deputation was from Ms Yebiemen in respect of the John Loughborough Seventh Day Adventist School.

Members asked questions of the deputation and received responses thereto.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People responded to the deputation.

The Mayor thanked the deputation for attending.

The Mayor agreed to admit the report as urgent business. The report could not be circulated earlier as vital information was awaited from the preceptors.  The report needed to be admitted in order that the Council Tax may be set for 2009/10.

Councillor Adje highlighted the recommendations as detailed in the report. Other Members contributed to the debate.

Councillor Adje then moved the budget report. There being 29 for and 22 against it was:

RESOLVED:

1.      That the final settlement be noted and that the way forward, as outlined in the report in respect of the budget changes agreed by Council on 9 February 2009, the position on levying authorities and the late additional specific grants be agreed;

2.      That the proposal and provision in respect of children and families as set out in paragraphs 8.1.6 and 8.1.7 of the report be agreed;

3.      That the business unit cash limits, set out in Appendix C of the report, be agreed;

4.      That the Greater London Authority precept be noted;

5.      That the reserves policy as set out in Appendix E of the report, be agreed; and

6.      That the budget resolution in the specified format as set out in appendix F of the report, and the consequent increase in council tax of 1.95% be agreed.

The opposition gave notice of their wish to debate “Haringey’s Streets”.

Councillor Newton spoke on behalf of the Opposition Group. Councillor Haley responded on behalf of the Majority Group.

The Mayor thanked Councillors for their contributions.

CHANGE OF ORDER OF BUSINESS:

The Meeting agreed to vary the order of business to permit Motion R to be taken next followed by item 14 – Reports of Committees.

Motion Q (2008/09)

Councillor Peacock has given notice that she will move in the following terms:

Mobility Benefits for Blind Residents

“This Council Notes:

1.      That blind people experience significant barriers to independent mobility

2.      That blind people are often isolated and find it difficult to access basic services without mobility assistance

3.      That blind residents face additional costs as a result of their impairment, such as using taxis or private hire vehicles

This Council further notes:

1.      That blind people are not entitled to the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance

2.      Loss of usable sight clearly causes significant independent mobility problems and incurs significant additional and unmet costs

This Council resolves:

1.      To ask the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, the Rt Hon. James Purnell MP, expressing these concerns

2.      To ask the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council to write to our local MPs asking that they sign up to EDM number 1982 and write to the Secretary of State expressing these concerns

3.      To support the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) campaign on securing the higher rate mobility component of DLA for blind people”.

Motion R (2008/09)

Councillor Engert has given notice that she will move in the following terms:

This Council notes

• The importance of effective scrutiny to ensure the best service to our residents
• The criticism of Haringey Council’s scrutiny of Children’s Services in OfSted’s Joint Area Review, in particular

“Arrangements for scrutinising performance across the Council and the partnership are insufficiently developed and fail to provide systematic support and appropriate challenge to both managers and practioners.”

“Current management arrangements within the Council and across the partnership do not facilitate sufficient independent challenge on safeguarding matters.”

Further notes

• That the approach to scrutiny of the JAR response has limited public involvement and does not include an opportunity for the Full Council to debate and express a view prior to the response going to the secretary of state.

Therefore, this Council resolves to,

• Ensure that the Joint Area Review response formally notes that the timetable demanded by the Secretary of State has prevented effective public engagement or Full Council discussion on this vital issue.
• Establish a permanent Children’s Services scrutiny committee to focus on safeguarding issues, chaired by an opposition member. The purpose of this committee is to tackle the shortcomings of scrutiny in the Council, provide robust challenge to services that protect our most vulnerable children and provide public involvement in the scrutiny of their services.
• Furthermore, this Council believes that these measures are essential for the recovery of Haringey's Children's Services and for the restoration of public confidence in the service.

Motion S (2008/09)

Councillor Wilson has given notice that he will move in the following terms:

This Council notes;

• Thousands of Haringey residents rely on public transport, and deserve high standards of safety and service
• Recent threats to staffing at stations in Haringey by  ...  view the full agenda text for item 112.

Motion R (2008/09)

It was movedby Councillor Engert andseconded byCllr Alexander that:

This Council notes

• The importance of effective scrutiny to ensure the best service to our residents
• The criticism of Haringey Council’s scrutiny of Children’s Services in OfSted’s Joint Area Review, in particular

“Arrangements for scrutinising performance across the Council and the partnership are insufficiently developed and fail to provide systematic support and appropriate challenge to both managers and practitioners.”

“Current management arrangements within the Council and across the partnership do not facilitate sufficient independent challenge on safeguarding matters.”

Further notes

• That the approach to scrutiny of the JAR response has limited public involvement and does not include an opportunity for the Full Council to debate and express a view prior to the response going to the secretary of state.

Therefore, this Council resolves to,

• Ensure that the Joint Area Review response formally notes that the timetable demanded by the Secretary of State has prevented effective public engagement or Full Council discussion on this vital issue.
• Establish a permanent Children’s Services scrutiny committee to focus on safeguarding issues, chaired by an opposition member. The purpose of this committee is to tackle the shortcomings of scrutiny in the Council, provide robust challenge to services that protect our most vulnerable children and provide public involvement in the scrutiny of their services.
• Furthermore, this Council believes that these measures are essential for the recovery of Haringey's Children's Services and for the restoration of public confidence in the service.

An amendment to the Motion was moved by Councillor Reith and seconded by Councillor Bull as follows:

Delete all after ‘further notes’ in second paragraph and insert

• That a special public meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was held on 17 February at which key partners were present to answer questions submitted by the public and members. A number of points made by members of the Committee have now been incorporated into the plan

• The draft Action Plan has been available on the Council website and the Scrutiny Committee itself was webcast. In addition the Action Plan will be going to the Cabinet tomorrow and the HSP on Thursday. Both meetings are open to the public.

This Council welcomes:

• The setting up of a cross-party Children Safeguarding Policy and Practice Panel. The Panel will be charged with examining the effectiveness of the Council’s policies and practice relating to the safeguarding of children and will look at both quantitative and qualitative performance information. In addition the Panel will consider the effectiveness of the arrangements for co-operation on child protection matters between partner agencies. The Panel will be assisted by an independent professional with experience in child protection.

• The replacement of the Children and Young People’s Consultative Committee by a Corporate Parenting Committee with new terms of reference which focus on improving the experiences and outcomes for young people in care.

• The forthcoming consultation with young people in care about how they want a ‘Children in Care Council’ to operate in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 112.

a)     Cabinet – Report 11 – 2008/09

b)     Constitution Review Working Group – Report 1 – 2008/09 (to follow)

The Mayor agreed to admit the report as urgent business. The meeting of the Constitution Review Working Group was held after despatch of the Summons. The report contained recommendations in relation to Constitutional changes, which needed to be considered by the Council.

Councillor Kober moved Cabinet Report 11 - 2008/09 and the report of the Constitution Review Working Group 

RESOLVED:

1.      That Cabinet report 11 – 2008/09 be received and that the recommendation in respect of delegating to the Leader the authority to agree the final refreshed version of the Local Area Agreement for submission to the Government Office for London be agreed.

2.      That report 1 of the Constitution Review Working Group 2008/09 be received and that the recommendations concerning proposed changes to Local Choice Functions and Contract Procedure Rules be agreed and that the Constitution be amended accordingly at Parts 3A and 4J respectively.

Oral Question 1 - To the Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Safer Communities from Councillor Adamou:

What success has Haringey Council had in influencing Government policy on gambling premises? 

Oral Question 2 – To the Cabinet Member for Resources from Councillor Scott:

Can the Council formally announce that plans to move the Council Chamber to Woodside House have been abandoned, not merely put on hold?

Oral Question 3 - To the Cabinet Member for Environment and Conservationfrom Councillor Catherine Harris:

Would my colleague, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Conservation be able to outline the usefulness of the newly opened Mary Neuner Road in Wood Green in easing traffic flow through residential streets such as Hornsey Park Road, and as such reducing the environmental impact on some residents homes, and update us on how current traffic could be encouraged to use it more frequently? 

Oral Question 4 - To the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People from Councillor Alexander:

Considering that the Heartlands School project is now running two months behind schedule (as I believe that building work was scheduled to start in November 2008) can the Cabinet Member provide an update on where the project is now and give her assurance that the project will be delivered on time and the school will be ready to open to their first intake of pupils in September 2010?

Oral Question 5 –To the Cabinet Member for Resourcesfrom Councillor Mallett:

Following the award of the property maintenance contract to an outside firm, can we look forward to planned maintenance of and a systematic approach to the running of the Community Buildings portfolio? 

Oral Question 6 – To the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People from Councillor Engert:

How many Serious Case Reviews is the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board currently investigating? 

Oral Question 7 - To the Cabinet member for Environment and Conservationfrom Councillor Dogus:

Can the cabinet member provide some further detail about the council’s plan to spend an extra £ 2 million on street lighting in the borough this year?  

TERMINATION OF MEETING:

The Mayor proposed that due to the hour and in accordance with Council Rules of Procedures, that written answers be given to oral questions 1- 7 and that the remaining Motions Q and S be submitted to the next meeting.