Agenda item

To receive the report of the Council Leader, Councillor Claire Kober, on the Cabinet’s priorities for 2010/11.

The Committee received the Leader’s briefing on the Cabinet priorities for 2010/11, advance questions submitted by members and written responses.  The Leader introduced the briefing and emphasised the unprecedented challenge of budget cuts of approximately £8 million and capital spending cuts.  In response to questions the Leader informed the Committee that the Comprehensive Spending Review in October would provide firm details of the cuts.

The following was noted further to supplementary questions:

Re. Q6.The Leader confirmed that “site plans” within the Local Development Framework related to the site strategy and not the cessation of services.

Re. Q7. The Leader confirmed that the Council’s arms length management organisations such as Homes for Haringey were required to meet efficiency targets.

Re. Q10. The Assistant Director for Planning, Regeneration and Economy reported that, as funds were received more electric vehicle charging points would be installed across the borough starting with council-owned car parks.  There were currently 30 charging points and the use of these would be monitored.  Electric vehicle charging points were also being included as part of planning conditions for new developments.

Re. Q14. The Committee expressed concerns that the Council did not have the powers to enforce recycling by shops and licensed premises.  The Assistant Director of Planning, Regeneration and Economy explained that the Council currently had no powers to force businesses to buy collection services from providers who recycled rather than send to land fill. However strategically the North London Strategic Waste Authority was probably best placed to encourage waste collection companies to recycle business waste if they did not already do so.  It was reported that the Council had started sending information on new recycling and waste storage initiatives to local businesses.

A briefing note would be provided to members on what measures could be taken to encourage and coerce licensed and other business premises and their waste collection and disposal company to recycle appropriate business waste.

Re. Q15. The Committee requested a briefing note on how effective the car club scheme was, particularly in deterring residents from purchasing their own cars and whether provision was made for people who only drove automatic vehicles and what percentage of users this was. The Leader advised that there were plans to develop the car club scheme further to ensure that all residents would be within walking distance from a car pick-up point.

Re. Q16. The Leader advised the Committee that severe financial constraints on Transport for London budgets may  mean a reduction in buses in Haringey.

Re. Q20. The Leader emphasised the importance of the government giving local authorities more power to regulate the licensing of premises.  Work was being conducted in Haringey to reduce the number of fast food premises near schools.

Re. Q26. Committee members emphasised that pressure needed to be put on the PCT to ensure that all residents had access to polyclinics in future.  It was noted that the provision of health services for the future could change further to a forth coming government white paper on health policy.

Re. Q30 The Committee requested a briefing note from the Chief Executive giving more information on the integrated leadership model for the strengthening of joint working and integration of Haringey Council and NHS Haringey including details on equalities.

Re. Q41. The Committee highlighted the discrepancy in the PCT’s and the Council’s estimations of the population of Haringey (285k and 225k respectively). The Chief Executive agreed to provide formula and figures detailing the loss of resources to the Council (per ten thousand residents) as a result of the difference.

Re: Q42. The Committee noted that under new legislation to be issued in 2011/12 the Council will be financially penalised for wasting energy.

The Committee noted that green flag status had been obtained for all 16 parks managed by LB Haringey.

In response to the Committee questioning what the Council’s policy on annual bonuses for teaching and non-teaching staff was, the Leader stated that teaching staff payments were dealt with by individual schools within their budgets.  It was noted that the Council did not pay bonuses for non-teaching staff.

In response to the Committee asking if the adverse judgement in the Wards Corner appeal had wider implications as to how decisions were made, and strategies developed across the Council, the Leader stated that the judgement had not been solely about council processes but had been clear that a specific community had been affected by the Wards Corner development, therefore the Race Relations Act had been engaged.

RESOLVED

i.          That the report on the priorities for 2010/11 as determined by the Cabinet be noted.

ii.         That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee’s active participation in research and policy through its formal reviews and consideration of the Forward Plan be confirmed.