Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Akwasi Ayisi and Marshall, and for lateness from Councillor Adje.

The Mayor sought the meeting’s agreement to the variation of agenda business as follows :

to consider Item 10  – The Children and Young Peoples Plan in conjunction with Item 9 C - Reports of Committees – report of the Cabinet – 12/11/13.

The Mayor hoped that Members would appreciate that her attempts to vary the agenda were in order to ensure that maximum time was given to items.

The variation was agreed nemine contradicente.

NOTED

See items 6ii, 10 and 12.

The Mayor sought the meeting’s agreement to the variation of agenda business as follows :

To vary the order and  take Item 11 – Deputations after Item 8 – appointments to outside   bodies.

To then take Item 12 – one Public question with item 11 Deputations.

To then take Item 13 - reports of Cttees, and then Item 14 – Haringey Debate after Item 10.The order of business would then be in the following order: Items 1-8, then Item 11 deputations & Item 12 – public question together, followed by Items 9, 10, 13, 14, 12,  then Item 15.

The variation was agreed nemine contradicente.

NOTED

The Mayor also advised that there was a considerable amount of business  on the agenda  and stressed to all present that timing was of the essence. The Mayor therefore asked for everyone’s co-operation in ensuring this and also advised all deputees to keep to their allotted time in order give fair consideration to the four deputations.

NOTED

Councillor Mann declared a personal interest in Item 11 – Deputations as a retired member of the NUT.

Councillor Reith declared a personal interest in Item 11 – Deputations as a member of Tottenham and Wood Green Friends of the Earth, and personally known to the deputee Mr Given.

Councillor McNamara declared a personal interest in Item 11 – Deputations as a serving member of the NUT, and secretary of the Enfield branch of the NUT.

Councillor Mallett declared a personal interest in Item 11 – Deputations as a retired member of the NUT.

NOTED

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on 21 July 2014 (ordinary) and 16 October 2014 (extraordinary) be signed as a true record.

i. Mayoral Engagements

The Mayor referred to the tabled sheet which highlighted a large number of activities that she had undertaken since July 2014.

In particular with the past few months being extremely busy with Haringey bursting with activities as the year moved from early autumn into the winter period. The Mayor commented that it had been particularly pleasing to see and to visit so many events and activities organised by Haringey own community groups within Haringey, some of which were mention below.

The Mayor highlighted:

·         On 13 September 2014, her attendance at  the ‘Blessing of the Waters’ service and opening of the new school year at St Barnabas Greek and Sunday Schools at St Mary's Greek Orthodox Cathedral N22. This wonderful event was a reminder of the importance of children learning their mother tongue as well as the cultural life of their community.

·         On 2 October, her attendance at  the ‘100th Birthday’ party of a lovely lady called, Alice Wood, an amazing milestone, and a few days later, the ‘live music and celebrations’ atThe Haven Day Centre along with all the residents and staff. It was enjoyed by all.

·         The ‘5^TH Anniversary Celebration’ of The Highway House at Tottenham Town Hall on 18 October was a very moving experience. The Mayor  praised the work of Pastor Alex and his church in supporting vulnerable homeless men who are in need of food and shelter.  The evening fundraiser organised by the indomitable Mrs May Richard’’s MBE and Haringey Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Project at Broadwater Farm was fabulous. It was lovely to see the whole community come out to support her. 

·         On 13 November her attendance with new Brownies at All Saints Church Hall, N6, and on 14 November the Studio 306 ‘Annual Open event’. This was a wonderful organisation which supported people struggling with mental health issues through practical activities such as jewellery making, painting and other creative skills. The displays of the work of the group’s users were very professional and would make ideal Christmas / birthday presents.

Ii . The deaths of  Former Mayor and Councillor, Ron Blanchard and Paul Head

The Death of Former Mayor and Councillor, Ron Blanchard

The Mayor reported with sadness the death of former Mayor and Councillor Ron Blanchard, who was a former Labour Councillor in the Harringay Ward from 1978 - 2006 (Mayor from 1996/97).  He passed away on 22 August 2014 aged 84.

      The  Mayor recalled that Ron Blanchard was an extremely committed Councillor who was remembered for serving the people of his ward and Haringey to the best of his ability. The Mayor on behalf of the Council expressed her condolences to Ron’s family.

Councillors Adamou, Hare and Meehan spoke in memory of Ron Blanchard.

      The Death of Paul Head

      The Mayor reported with sadness the death of Paul Head, the Principal and Chief Executive of the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London.  Paul passed away peacefully on Wednesday 17^th September  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

i.              Action taken between Council meetings

ii.            Attendance at meetings of an authority by a member

The Chief Executive advised that in respect of his reports before the meeting for consideration, the report marked i. reported to Full Council decisions taken under urgency procedures and delegated authority and was for noting, and approval, and the report marked ii. sought approval of Full Council to agree that Councillor Marshall, due to ill health, would continue to be a member of the Council if she did not attend a meeting of this local authority by 2 January 2015,  and Full Council to agree that Councillor Marshall  would have until 2 April 2015 to attend a meeting of the authority, failing which she would cease to be a member, as defined in Section 85(2) of the Local Government Act 1972).

The Chief Whip moved and it was:

RESOLVED

i.              That the circulated report marked i reporting to Full Council decisions  taken under urgency procedures and delegated authority be noted, and agreed; and

ii.             That approval be given that Councillor Marshall, due to ill health, would continue to be a member of the Council if she did not attend a meeting of this local authority by 2 January 2015,  and then that Councillor Marshall  would have until 2 April 2015 to attend a meeting of this local authority, failing which she would cease to be a member, as defined in Section 85(2) of the Local Government Act 1972).

There were no matters to report.

The Chief Executive reported a variation to an appointment to an outside body.

The Chief Whip moved and it was:

RESOLVED

That the appointment to an outside body, as set out in the schedule attached to the circulated report, be approved.

At this point in the proceedings the Mayor reminded the meeting of the variation of the order of business to next consider Item 11 - deputations & Item 12 – public question together, then followed by Items 9, 10, 13, 14, 12,  then Item 15.

There were four deputations to address the meeting.

The first deputation was received from Ms Lucila Granada from the Coalition of Latin Americans in the UK.  

Members asked questions of the deputation and received responses thereto.

The Cabinet Member for Communities responded to the deputation.

The second deputation was received from Mr Quentin Given on behalf of Friends of the Earth.

Members asked questions of the deputation and received responses thereto.

The Cabinet Member for Planning responded to the deputation.

The third deputation was received from Mr Niall O’Connor on behalf of NUT.

The Leader, having been personally referred to during the deputation, responded to a number of the points raised.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Families responded to the deputation.

The fourth deputation was received from the Rev Paul Nicolson from Taxpayers against poverty.

Members asked questions of the deputation and received responses thereto.

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

The Mayor then advised that there was one public question evening from Ms Candy Fernandes – Chair of the Goan Community Centre.  The Mayor ask Ms Fernandes to  put her question to the Cabinet Member for Housing & Regeneration.

Ms Candy Fernandes – Chair of the Goan Community Centre put her question to the  Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing.

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing responded to the question.

The Mayor thanked the four deputees, and the public questioner for their attendance.

NOTED

The Chief Whip MOVED the recommendations in the report.

On a vote there being 45 for and 9 against it was:

RESOLVED 

i.       That having taken into account the Equalities Impact Assessment as detailed in Appendix B of the report, that the Council Tax Reduction Scheme agreed  for 2014/15, be not revised for 2015/16;

ii.        That the Scheme as summarised in Appendix A and set out in full in Appendix C of the report be continued to be implemented for 2015/16 with the principles being :

·           That  pensioners remain protected from any increase in the amount of Council Tax which they are liable to pay following the abolition of Council Tax Benefit (as prescribed by Central Government).  Pensioners will continue to receive the same level of support for the payment of Council Tax;.

·            That those in receipt of certain disability benefits are protected   from any increase in the amount of Council Tax which they are  liable to pay following the abolition of Council Tax Benefit.  Those in receipt of certain disability benefits will continue to receive the same level of support for the payment of Council Tax;

·            That for all working age claimants, the extent of Council Tax Support available will continue to be capped at 80.2% of Council Tax liability.  In other words, working age claimants will continue to receive the same level of Council Tax Support as 2013/14 and 2014/15, this amount representing a 19.8% reduction in the level of Council Tax Support available as compared with the amount of Council Tax Benefit received in 2012/2013; and

iii.        That authority to be given to the Chief Operating Officer and Assistant Director of Customer services to take all appropriate steps to implement and administer the Scheme.

Following a brief introduction of the circulated report by Councillor Goldberg – Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Social Inclusion, and Sustainability, a further overview by Councillor Doron – Cabinet Advisor on Carbon Reduction, a response from Councillor Hare, Minority Group spokesperson for environmental matter, and a brief summary from Councillor Goldberg, it was:

RESOLVED

i.              that the transparent progress being made by the Council and other organisations, in order to support work towards a 40% carbon reduction target by 2020 and associated local and economic benefits of this activity be noted; and

ii.            that the issues and comments raised by the Fourth Annual Carbon report be noted and the Council’s full support be given to implementing the recommendations of the Carbon Commission and that all Members provide their full support to leading action in their local community.

a)    Corporate Committee Report No 2 – 2014/15

a.    Corporate Committee Report No 2 2014/15

Councillor Meehan – Chair of the Corporate Committee briefly introduced the report of the Corporate Committee of 29 September 2014 in respect of the Treasury Management June 2014 Quarterly Activity & Performance Update and  MOVED the adoption of the recommendations contained therein.

RESOLVED

That the Treasury Management June 2014 Quarterly Activity & Performance Update be noted.

The Chief Executive outlined the procedure for the Haringey Debate.

The Leader of the Opposition – Cllr Elliott introduced the debate topic.

The Mayor welcomed Lynette Charles of Mind in Haringey.

Lynette Charles then addressed the meeting for a period of 10 minutes.

Following Lynette Charles’saddress, the Mayor thanked her,  and she received a round of applause.

The Mayor then advised that the debate time would be for approx 45 minutes with a maximum of 3 minutes speaking time for each speaker.

A debate then took place.

Councillor Morton – Cabinet member for Health and Well Being responded to the debate.

Councillor Connor then summarised and concluded the debate. The Mayor then closed the debate and thanked members for their contributions.

PUBLIC QUESTION 1 TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR HOUSING AND REGENERATION FROM CANDY FERNANDES – CHAIR OF GOAN COMMUNITY CENTRE:

 SEE ATTACHED MARKED A

ORAL QUESTION 1 - TO THE Cabinet Member for CHILDREN AND FAMILES FROM COUNCILLOR MORRIS:

In November last year you confirmed that there were two serious case reviews being conducted by the Local Safeguarding Children Board, when will those case reviews be published?

ORAL QUESTION 2 - TO THE Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration FROM COUNCILLOR JOGEE:

Given the significant housing crisis in London, can the Cabinet Member tell us what steps the Council is taking to address the issue in Haringey?

ORAL QUESTION 3 - TO THE leader of the council FROM COUNCLLOR CARTER:

Following the recent supreme court ruling against the council, what action are you taking to ensure that in future consultations are not ‘misleading’ and do not  imply ‘that there were no possible alternatives to that choice.’

ORAL QUESTION 4 - TO THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL  FROM COUNCLLOR Peacock:

Can the Leader update Members on the outcome of discussions with Birkbeck, University of London, to provide courses in the borough?

ORAL QUESTION 5 - TO THE Cabinet Member for ENVIRONMENT FROM COUNCILLOR engert:

Do you think it is acceptable that in 2013/14 Haringey had the third highest number of fly-tipping incidents in London?

ORAL QUESTION 6 - TO THE Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Social Inclusion and Sustainability FROM COUNCILLOR Wright:

Can the Cabinet Member tell us how many children are likely to benefit from the Council’s landmark £20 Credit Union account scheme?

The Mayor agreed to the admission of this report as urgent business. Under Standing Orders, notice of questions was not requested until eight clear days before the meeting, following which matters raised had to be researched and replies prepared in order to be given at the meeting.

There were 6 oral questions and 9 for written answer. Oral Questions 3-6 were not reached for which written answers would be provided.

NOTED

MOTION E  -  2014/15

Councillor Morton has given notice that he will MOVE the following MOTION:

Organ Donation

This Council notes:

·         Three people die every day in the UK whilst waiting for an organ transplant and many others lose their lives before they even get on to the transplant list.

·         There is a serious shortage of organs and the gap between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant is increasing.

·         Transplants are very successful and the number of people needing a transplant is expected to rise steeply due to an ageing population, an increase in kidney failure and scientific advances which mean that more people are now able to benefit from a transplant

·         The consent rate for organ transplants is one of the lowest in Europe, with four in ten families saying no to allowing their loved one’s organs to be donated. This is exacerbated because many people have not recorded their wishes about donation or discussed it with their families in advance.

·         One donor can save the life of several people, restore the sight of two others and improve the quality of life of many more. Each year 3,500 people give organs - saving and transforming lives.

·         In 2015 the Human Transplantation Wales Act will introduce a soft opt-out system for consent to deceased organ and tissue donation in Wales to increase the number of organs and tissues available for transplant. A similar system has been recently proposed in the Scottish Parliament.

This Council resolves:

• To promote and support organ donation in partnership with Whittington Health, Haringey/Islington Council and NHS Blood and Transplant. - This partnership is the first of its kind between local councils and an integrated care organisation and is a further mark of our commitment to deliver for our community.

• To raise awareness to enable more people with life threatening conditions to benefit from organ donations from people whose lives have been cruelly cut short.

• To encourage the Government to investigate implementing a nationwide soft opt-out organ donation system in line with the model which is due to be introduced by the National Assembly for Wales.

MOTION F - 2014/15

Councillor Elliott  has given notice that she will MOVE the following MOTION:

Mental Health

This Council notes that:

• Mental health issues will affect 1 in 4 people at some point in their lives.
• That 54,000 people in Haringey will suffer from mental health issues.
• 2,413 young people in Haringey will be affected by mental health issues.
• Mental health issues shorten life expectancy by 15 to 20 years.

This Council is concerned that the funding for the advocacy service run by Mind in Haringey is due to end in December after 23 years. This Council is also concerned that this could leave a gap in this vital service until the tendering process is complete.

This council further notes that the Liberal Democrats in Government:

• have announced £120 million of extra funding for mental health
• have introduced waiting times for  ...  view the full agenda text for item 53.

Due to the late hour the Mayor advised that MOTION E only would be considered.

MOTION E- 2014/15

Councillor Morton MOVED the following MOTION E:

Organ Donation

This Council notes:

·         Three people die every day in the UK whilst waiting for an organ transplant and many others lose their lives before they even get on to the transplant list.

·         There is a serious shortage of organs and the gap between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant is increasing.

·         Transplants are very successful and the number of people needing a transplant is expected to rise steeply due to an ageing population, an increase in kidney failure and scientific advances which mean that more people are now able to benefit from a transplant

·         The consent rate for organ transplants is one of the lowest in Europe, with four in ten families saying no to allowing their loved one’s organs to be donated. This is exacerbated because many people have not recorded their wishes about donation or discussed it with their families in advance.

·         One donor can save the life of several people, restore the sight of two others and improve the quality of life of many more. Each year 3,500 people give organs - saving and transforming lives.

·         In 2015 the Human Transplantation Wales Act will introduce a soft opt-out system for consent to deceased organ and tissue donation in Wales to increase the number of organs and tissues available for transplant. A similar system has been recently proposed in the Scottish Parliament.

This Council resolves:

·         To promote and support organ donation in partnership with Whittington Health, Haringey/Islington Council and NHS Blood and Transplant. - This partnership is the first of its kind between local councils and an integrated care organisation and is a further mark of our commitment to deliver for our community.

·         To raise awareness to enable more people with life threatening conditions to benefit from organ donations from people whose lives have been cruelly cut short.

·         To encourage the Government to investigate implementing a nationwide soft opt-out organ donation system in line with the model which is due to be introduced by the National Assembly for Wales.

Councillor Connor seconded the MOTION.

On a vote there being 55 for and nil against the MOTION was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED

This Council notes:

·         Three people die every day in the UK whilst waiting for an organ transplant and many others lose their lives before they even get on to the transplant list.

·         There is a serious shortage of organs and the gap between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant is increasing.

·         Transplants are very successful and the number of people needing a transplant is expected to rise steeply due to an ageing population, an increase in kidney failure and scientific advances which mean that more people are now able to benefit from a transplant

·         The consent rate for organ transplants is one of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.