Motion G: Progress since 2014
Proposer: Councillor Kober
Seconder: Councillor Reith
This Council notes:
· The Government’s continued austerity agenda which has seen 40% real terms reduction in government funding since 2010
· This has required the council to cut budgets and find savings totalling over £160m.
· At the same time we have experienced growth in demand for services - particularly in adults and children’s services, temporary accommodation and No Recourse to Public Funds
· Set out alongside the 2015-18 Medium Term Financial Strategy, we were determined that whilst the savings required made the context very challenging, we would not be in the business of managing decline
· As we approach the end of the current electoral cycle in May, it is important to reflect on the significant progress that has been achieved
· Working in partnership with central and regional government, neighbouring boroughs, our health and police partners, the voluntary and community sectors, we have made good progress against all five of the priority outcomes identified at the beginning of the electoral term.
This council further notes:
· The council has made great strides in giving all children the best possible start in life. In 2014 we pledged that education should be ‘outstanding for all’. Today 99% of the boroughs nursery, primary, secondary and special schools have met that standard.
· Today 50% of Haringey’s secondary schools are outstanding compared with 36% in London and 22% nationally
· Our children are also achieving at a higher level than most across the UK; in 2017, at A Level 37% of Haringey students achieved grades A* or A compared to 26% nationally
· Outcomes for Haringey’s most vulnerable children are improving: in 2016 our attainment scores for Looked After Children were among the highest for any borough in the country
· We have attracted new high quality education providers to the borough including the Harris Academy Tottenham, Ada - the national college for digital skills and the London Academy of Excellence
· Against a national backdrop of spending on adult services falling by 13.5% since 2010, Haringey has continued to prioritise protection of vulnerable adults. Close to 90% of adults in this group in Haringey reported that the council’s services make them feel ‘safe and secure’ - significantly higher than the 81% London average
· There has been investment in health services including a new GP practice in Tottenham Hale which the council worked hard to secure
· Through effective partnerships with community groups and close working with the police, fear of crime is 30% lower among residents
· We have worked to make Haringey safer for pedestrians and cyclists through the introduction of a borough wide 20 mph limit and more dedicated cycle lanes. There has been a 73% reduction in the number of fatalities and serious injuries on Haringey’s roads.
· As one of the first boroughs in the country to sign up to stretching carbon reduction targets, we have led the way in this area and continued to make good progress
· We have increased the number of Green Flag parks in the borough to 25 - the fourth highest in London
· Haringey is open for business. We have supported the borough to attract well over £1 billion inward investment and supporting businesses in locating, growing and creating jobs in Haringey
· We are on track to secure among the largest job growth of any London borough over the next 20 years
· Since the start of the term we have directly supported over 900 local people into jobs and apprenticeships
· Our STEM commission - the first in the country - has created a route map to connect Haringey’s young people to the opportunities of the new economy while the council’s support for the Fashion Technology Academy is training hundreds of adults a year in this fast growing sector
· We have delivered the first new council homes in Haringey for 30 years
· Hornsey Depot has been transformed into Smithfield Square - a mixed use development of over 400 homes - almost 50 per cent affordable - and a new supermarket
· Significant challenges remain in meeting housing need in Haringey with over 3,000 families in temporary accommodation and 9,000 on the council waiting list. We have attracted £500m public sector investment which has leveraged a further £3bn from the private sector to build new homes
· Almost 15 years on from initial plans, the council has given the green light to plans to redevelop the biggest brownfield site on Wood Green. Clarendon Square will deliver 1,700 new homes and 500 new jobs
· A £1bn High Road West Development in North Tottenham has been confirmed which will deliver 1,400 new homes, a new library Bd learning centre, community park and other facilities.
· The future of Grade II * listed Hornsey Town Hall has been secured through a multi-million pound refurbishment project to restore the Hall’s former majesty
· The £26m restoration of Alexandra Palace’s East wing and Victorian theatre is underway, largely funded by a £20m award from the Heritage Lottery Fund
This council resolves
· To pass a vote of thanks to the councillors, officers and partners that have worked to secure these outcomes for the borough.
Motion H: Policing
Proposer: Councillor Newton
Seconder: Councillor Connor
Council notes:
1. That figures from the Metropolitan Police indicate that rates of ‘violence and sexual offences’ in Haringey rose by 37% between September 2014 and September 2017.
2. That a number of young people in the borough have been victims of homicides in the past year and many more have been affected by other forms of violence.
3. The recent closure of two out of the three police stations in the borough.
4. The Metropolitan Police Service is currently rolling out changes to its structure, which will mean Haringey no longer has a designated command unit.
5. That the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service has stated that the number of police officers employed by the Metropolitan Police Service available for duty is projected to fall from the current level of around 30,000 to “between 27,500 and 28,000”.
6. That Haringey has seen a loss of youth centre provision.
Council believes:
1. The current policing situation in London is not providing young people with the security they deserve.
2. There are innovative approaches to reducing crime against young people, such as the Violence Reduction Unit run by Glasgow Police, that might be fruitfully explored in the context of London and Haringey. However, overstretched organisations tend to be reactive rather than proactive, and the funding difficulties of the Metropolitan Police are likely to prevent new approaches being trialled and implemented.
3. That this is not just an issue of policing but that further resources are needed for the police to work with partners to improve the safety of young people.
4. That the loss of youth centres has constrained the ability of public agencies in Haringey to reach out to potential young offenders and divert them onto a less destructive path.
Council resolves:
1. That the Leader and the Leader of the opposition will write to the Mayor of London and the Home Secretary urgently requesting them to provide the funding necessary to keep young people in Haringey safe.
Minutes:
The Mayor invited Councillor Kober to introduce the first motion.
In so doing, Councillor Kober referred to the challenges faced by the Council over the previous four years. She felt the importance of vision and ambition for the borough was key to ensuring the temptation to manage decline was avoided. She also highlighted the importance of partnership working, which meant that achievements could be made that the state could not alone. She thanked the Council’s officers for their work, and paid tributes to some of her colleagues.
Councillor Reith, in seconding the motion, drew attention to the list of achievements in the motion, at a time that there had been significant reductions to the Council’s budget. She reflected on some particular achievements in her ward, including the aftermath of the 2011 riots.
Councillor Strickland set out some of the particular challenges in relation to the regeneration of Tottenham and the progress on delivering affordable housing.
Councillor Engert criticised the motion as giving a misleading impression that the borough’s problems had been fully solved. She outlined some problems that faced residents and the Council, including housing, crime and the Council’s finances.
Councillor Jennifer Mann noted that people stood for the Council to make a difference to their communities, and highlighted a few achievements of the Council in the motion that she particularly welcomed.
Councillor Goldberg disagreed with Cllr Engert’s contribution, and outlined the unique circumstances faced by the authority over the past ten years and his support for the achievements made.
Councillor Kober then closed the debate, and the Mayor put the motion to the vote.
There being 41 votes in favour, 8 opposed, and no abstentions, the motion was AGREED.
The Mayor then asked Councillor Newton to move the second motion. In so doing, Cllr Newton set out some information about recent crimes, and the concerns they raised for residents. He noted the reduction in police officers and youth centres, and his concern at the pressure faced by the reduced police service.
Councillor Connor formally seconded the motion, and reserved the right to speak in the debate.
Councillor Morris referred to a weekend the previous month where three young people were victims of stabbings, including one Haringey resident that had been met by the Children and Young People in the course of an inquiry.
Councillor Ayisi welcomed the motion, and noted the context of reduced resources. He set out some areas that additional funding had been achieved through savings and investment, and some work undertaken by the Council in response to the recent increase in crime. He took the opportunity to re-state his support for the proposed joint Youth Zone project with OnSide.
Councillor Newton then responded to the debate, and urged all members to support the motion.
On being put to the vote, the Motion was AGREED unanimously.
RESOLVED
Motion G: Progress since 2014
This Council notes:
· The Government’s continued austerity agenda which has seen 40% real terms reduction in government funding since 2010
· This has required the council to cut budgets and find savings totalling over £160m.
· At the same time we have experienced growth in demand for services - particularly in adults and children’s services, temporary accommodation and No Recourse to Public Funds
· Set out alongside the 2015-18 Medium Term Financial Strategy, we were determined that whilst the savings required made the context very challenging, we would not be in the business of managing decline
· As we approach the end of the current electoral cycle in May, it is important to reflect on the significant progress that has been achieved
· Working in partnership with central and regional government, neighbouring boroughs, our health and police partners, the voluntary and community sectors, we have made good progress against all five of the priority outcomes identified at the beginning of the electoral term.
This council further notes:
· The council has made great strides in giving all children the best possible start in life. In 2014 we pledged that education should be ‘outstanding for all’. Today 99% of the boroughs nursery, primary, secondary and special schools have met that standard.
· Today 50% of Haringey’s secondary schools are outstanding compared with 36% in London and 22% nationally
· Our children are also achieving at a higher level than most across the UK; in 2017, at A Level 37% of Haringey students achieved grades A* or A compared to 26% nationally
· Outcomes for Haringey’s most vulnerable children are improving: in 2016 our attainment scores for Looked After Children were among the highest for any borough in the country
· We have attracted new high quality education providers to the borough including the Harris Academy Tottenham, Ada - the national college for digital skills and the London Academy of Excellence
· Against a national backdrop of spending on adult services falling by 13.5% since 2010, Haringey has continued to prioritise protection of vulnerable adults. Close to 90% of adults in this group in Haringey reported that the council’s services make them feel ‘safe and secure’ - significantly higher than the 81% London average
· There has been investment in health services including a new GP practice in Tottenham Hale which the council worked hard to secure
· Through effective partnerships with community groups and close working with the police, fear of crime is 30% lower among residents
· We have worked to make Haringey safer for pedestrians and cyclists through the introduction of a borough wide 20 mph limit and more dedicated cycle lanes. There has been a 73% reduction in the number of fatalities and serious injuries on Haringey’s roads.
· As one of the first boroughs in the country to sign up to stretching carbon reduction targets, we have led the way in this area and continued to make good progress
· We have increased the number of Green Flag parks in the borough to 25 - the fourth highest in London
· Haringey is open for business. We have supported the borough to attract well over £1 billion inward investment and supporting businesses in locating, growing and creating jobs in Haringey
· We are on track to secure among the largest job growth of any London borough over the next 20 years
· Since the start of the term we have directly supported over 900 local people into jobs and apprenticeships
· Our STEM commission - the first in the country - has created a route map to connect Haringey’s young people to the opportunities of the new economy while the council’s support for the Fashion Technology Academy is training hundreds of adults a year in this fast growing sector
· We have delivered the first new council homes in Haringey for 30 years
· Hornsey Depot has been transformed into Smithfield Square - a mixed use development of over 400 homes - almost 50 per cent affordable - and a new supermarket
· Significant challenges remain in meeting housing need in Haringey with over 3,000 families in temporary accommodation and 9,000 on the council waiting list. We have attracted £500m public sector investment which has leveraged a further £3bn from the private sector to build new homes
· Almost 15 years on from initial plans, the council has given the green light to plans to redevelop the biggest brownfield site on Wood Green. Clarendon Square will deliver 1,700 new homes and 500 new jobs
· A £1bn High Road West Development in North Tottenham has been confirmed which will deliver 1,400 new homes, a new library Bd learning centre, community park and other facilities.
· The future of Grade II * listed Hornsey Town Hall has been secured through a multi-million pound refurbishment project to restore the Hall’s former majesty
· The £26m restoration of Alexandra Palace’s East wing and Victorian theatre is underway, largely funded by a £20m award from the Heritage Lottery Fund
This council resolves
· To pass a vote of thanks to the councillors, officers and partners that have worked to secure these outcomes for the borough.
Motion H: Policing
Council notes:
1. That figures from the Metropolitan Police indicate that rates of ‘violence and sexual offences’ in Haringey rose by 37% between September 2014 and September 2017.
2. That a number of young people in the borough have been victims of homicides in the past year and many more have been affected by other forms of violence.
3. The recent closure of two out of the three police stations in the borough.
4. The Metropolitan Police Service is currently rolling out changes to its structure, which will mean Haringey no longer has a designated command unit.
5. That the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service has stated that the number of police officers employed by the Metropolitan Police Service available for duty is projected to fall from the current level of around 30,000 to “between 27,500 and 28,000”.
6. That Haringey has seen a loss of youth centre provision.
Council believes:
1. The current policing situation in London is not providing young people with the security they deserve.
2. There are innovative approaches to reducing crime against young people, such as the Violence Reduction Unit run by Glasgow Police, that might be fruitfully explored in the context of London and Haringey. However, overstretched organisations tend to be reactive rather than proactive, and the funding difficulties of the Metropolitan Police are likely to prevent new approaches being trialled and implemented.
3. That this is not just an issue of policing but that further resources are needed for the police to work with partners to improve the safety of young people.
4. That the loss of youth centres has constrained the ability of public agencies in Haringey to reach out to potential young offenders and divert them onto a less destructive path.
Council resolves:
1. That the Leader and the Leader of the opposition will write to the Mayor of London and the Home Secretary urgently requesting them to provide the funding necessary to keep young people in Haringey safe.