Agenda item

Motion N (2010/11)

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

Fair Votes Motion

This Council supports moves to change our parliamentary voting system, which will see Haringey’s Members of Parliament elected under a fairer system. 

Council calls on the Returning Officer to take steps to promote participation in the Referendum.

Motion O (2010/11)

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

Rogue Landlord Motion

This Council notes:

• A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) showing that of those officers working on housing enforcement in the private rented sector, nine out of ten had encountered landlords engaging in harassment or illegal eviction, and 78% had dealt with landlords who persistently refuse to maintain their property to a safe condition
• It is only a minority of private landlords that are threatening and abusive to their tenants

• The damage rogue landlords can have on vulnerable tenants and the wider community
• The lack of protection for tenants if they make a complaint against a landlord
• Local authorities can serve an improvement notice or prohibition order where housing conditions fall below an acceptable standard. If the landlord fails to comply they can be prosecuted.
• Harassment and illegal eviction are criminal offences. Local authorities can prosecute landlords who commit these crimes.
• Shelter’s recent survey with the CIEH, shows 66% of Environmental Health Officers working in the private rented sector said that in their area no landlords had been prosecuted in the last 12 months for failure to comply with an order under the 2004 Housing Act, although over 40% said that under a quarter of such orders issued by their local authority had been complied with.

The Council resolves

·        To take a zero tolerance approach to rogue landlords

·        To use the full range of tools and powers at our disposal to tackle rogue landlords

·        To carry out regular housing conditions surveys, focusing on areas in which the stock is poorly maintained and the level of private renting is highest.

·        To use in instances where the Councils becomes aware of rogue landlords operating in low demand areas, to consider using power to introduce a selective licensing scheme.

·        To back up their enforcement policies with adequate resources to make them enforceable as the cost of rogue landlords’ activities will be picked up in other ways, such as a higher number of tenants requiring homelessness assistance.

·        To take advantage of the provisions of the 2004 Housing Act, which allows a recoup of costs by charging the landlord.

Motion P (2010/11)

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

Council welcomes

• The news that the Government has committed itself to the key Liberal Democrat pledge of providing more social housing by scrapping the Housing Revenue Account subsidy system.
• In particular it welcomes the council retaining all receipts from Right to Buy sales and the council retaining all money from rents in their area, rather than seeing the rent income and most of the Right to Buy receipts going to Whitehall.

Council recognises

• It will mean a much-needed boost for repair and maintenance of existing council properties, and for the building of new social housing.
• It congratulates all who worked hard for this change in approach, including the Local Government Association and all others involved with the "My Rent went to Whitehall" campaign, and sees the announcement as another good example of Liberal Democrat influence inside the Coalition Government.

This Council resolves to:- 

• Condemn the previous Labour Government for its 13 year long failure to reform the HRA system which meant few council homes being built and a continued backlog of repairs needed to council-owned housing stock across the country.
• Request the Chief Executive to write to the LGA commending them and partner organisations for their hard work and success with the “My Rent Went to Whitehall’ campaign
• Request the Chief Executive write to the Coalition Government welcoming its commitment to scrap the HRA system

Motion Q (2010/11)

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

Sustainable Transport

This Council Notes:

·        Cuts of £1.7bn to London’s bus services and £16m cut to London Underground.

·        Boris Johnson’s decision to axe plans to make London Underground step free and close 400 ticket offices across the capital.

·        Under Tory Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, bus fares have already increased by 20% last year, with further planned Tube and bus fares increases of approximately 7%.

·        The Coalition’s decision to impose revenue savings of 21% to the Department of Transport, 28% cuts to TFL budgets, reduction of thebus subsidy by 20% and cuts of local government resource grants by 28%.

·        The scrapping of the Western Congestion Charge resulting in a Transport for London revenue loss of £55 million per annum

·        The low car ownership in the east of borough, and the subsequent importance of public transport

·        The successful completion of Labour’s manifesto pledge to establish a Sustainable Transport Commission.

·        The Labour manifesto commitment to continue educational and awareness raising work on sustainable transport.

·        Ongoing work to extend the successful car club, to reduce private car use in the borough.

This Council Believes:

·        That cuts to transport funding do not represent a “soft cut” and severely undermine our capacity to tackle climate change.

·        Increased costs of public transport will place residents under greater financial strain.

·        Reducing private car usage should continue to be a priority.

·        Income from the Western Congestion Charge could have been invested in services or used to keep bus and tube fares down

This Council Resolves:

• To lobby the Tory Mayor of London, and Coalition Ministers to reconsider these plans.
• To continue to work towards our goal of reducing carbon emissions in spite of swingeing cuts to Local Government funding.

Due to the late hour Motions N, O, P & Q were not considered.