Agenda item

[Report of the Chief Executive. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Corporate and Civic Services]

This report sets out a series of recommendations for the council, Mayor, national government and partners; including the police, voluntary community sector (VCS) and schools, designed to affect change and increase equality and fairness across the borough.

 [Cllr Mark Blake returned at 19.56]

The Leader of the Council introduced the report which put forward the final report of the Haringey Fairness Commission. This set out the Commission’s recommendations to national government, the Council and other partners, about what they should do to tackle inequality and unfairness in Haringey (and elsewhere).

The report marked the culmination of an intensive process as part of which the Council had spoken to more than 1,500 residents, partners and stakeholders about their perceptions and lived experience of inequality and unfairness. The Leader thanked the co-chair, Paul Watt and the other Commissioners, all the people who shared their views in meetings, focus groups or in written submissions. The Leader also thanked all the Commissioners who contributed their valuable time and expertise, and who had helped shape the final report.

The Leader commented on the scale and the complexity of some of the issues the Council were seeking to tackle which meant that work to address them would take time, and that sustained effort would be needed for the Council to see the progress aspired to. However, by pulling together and pooling resources and energies, then the borough could start to chip away at the causes of unfairness in the borough.

RESOVED

1. To receive the Haringey Fairness Commission Report (attached as Appendix 1) and to publicly thank Commissioners for all their hard work and everyone who contributed to the Report.

2. To agree to receive an officer report in the summer setting out the Council’s proposed response to the Haringey Fairness Commission’s recommendations.

3. To note the recommendations to partners, the Mayor and national government set out in the Haringey Fairness Commission report (Appendix A).

Reasons for decision

The Commission’s final report sets out a series of recommendations to the Council (some of which are also directed at partners, the Mayor and national government). The Council now needs to consider these recommendations, including assessing the resource that would be needed to implement them. This assessment is important in ensuring that implementation plans set out a meaningful set of actions which will help to address the issues of unfairness identified by the Commission, making the best possible use of the Council’s levers, resources, and partnerships.

It is proposed that the resulting assessment should come back to Cabinet (in summer) including timescales on which key milestones will be achieved and proposing key performance indicators (KPIs) which can be used to assess progress.

The Commission’s final report also sets out a series of recommendations aimed at partners, the Mayor and national government. This report recommends that Cabinet notes these and gives approval for officers to put in place plans for lobbying, campaigning and influencing work related to them which will be set out in the next Cabinet report.

Alternative options considered

Accept the Commission’s recommendations without a process of assessing implications and strategic opportunities

The Council needs to respond to the Commission’s recommendations with a meaningful programme of activity that is reflected in the organisation’s strategic priorities and corporate delivery plans. Time is therefore needed to assess the recommendations and develop deliverable plans of action that will result in progress, help to build residents’ trust in the Council and generate ongoing interest in, and commitment to, activity to tackle unfairness in the borough amongst residents, partners and other stakeholders.

Reject the Commission’s report

The Council shares the Commission’s commitment to urgently addressing the causes of unfairness and inequality in the borough and appreciates that the Commission’s work is based on intensive process of engagement with a wide range of residents and partners. It understands that recommendations are firmly grounded in the lived experience of Haringey’s residents and the recommendations developed by Commissioners with significant knowledge and expertise.

On this basis rejecting the Commission’s report is not viewed as being a credible or desirable option.