Agenda item

To consider the following Motions in accordance with Council Rules of Procedure No. 13

MOTION R (2006/07):

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

“This Council recognises the vital role played by private sector businesses towards the present and future economic well being of Haringey and its residents, and believes that more work needs to be done to make Haringey an attractive place to do business, and to foster an enterprise culture within the Council.

This Council therefore resolves to make 2007 the 'year of business' for the Council, pursuing with greater vigour the promotion of enterprise in the borough wherever possible, including through the production and promotion, through council publications, of business directories for the borough; the creation of a business services desk in the Council, with the establishment of identified business champions in appropriate council departments, and the development and promotion of a brand for Haringey as a great place to do business”.

MOTION S (2006/07):

Councillor Whyte has given notice that she will move in the following terms:

“This Council believes that the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which came into force on 1^st January 2005, is a significant and most welcome piece of legislation in empowering citizens and ensuring all forms of government and public bodies are effectively scrutinised and held to account. This Council celebrates the significant benefits of this legislation to the public which far exceed its administrative costs.

This Council believes that it is vital that the Freedom of Information legislation is better publicised throughout Haringey and that every step should be taken to ensure that this Council meets all relevant requests for information within the specified time requirements set out by the legislation.

This Council also opposes current proposals to significantly change, after a very short period of time, the administration of this significant legislation, especially relating to the dangerous proposal that unrelated requests by the same individual or organisation to an authority should be aggregated and refused if the aggregated cost exceed the specified financial limits. This Council believes this proposal could severely ration use of the Act by the local media and campaigning organisations.

This Council urges Haringey’s two Members of Parliament to defend the basic principles of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and to ensure that the harmful proposals as set out in the current consultation by the Department of Constitutional Affairs are opposed”.

MOTION T (2006/07):

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

“Council recognises that:

1. Crime and the fear of crime remain major concerns of residents of Haringey in particular fuelled by the persistence of so-called low level crime and antisocial behaviour, the shortage of police officers on the beat, and the difficulty in getting an adequate response to incidents from an overstretched police force;

2. The general public's confidence in safely visiting by day and night all parts of Haringey must be reinforced, in particular by tackling at source known centres of disorder;

3. Whilst partnerships arrangements have led to better co-ordination between agencies on law-enforcement within the Council's area, these are hampered by lack of resources and appropriate powers locally, and misdirected government policies nationally;

and notes that:

1. More police officers on patrol are urgently needed, and could be provided by switching the billions of pounds being wasted on introducing the Government's ineffective national ID Card scheme to police budgets;

2. Local communities should have more power to close pubs and clubs that cause trouble within the Haringey area;

3. The national 5-point 'We Can Cut Crime' campaign includes these proposals with others designed to reduce crime, reduce the fear of crime and improve the quality of life within the community, and ensure any victims of crime are properly compensated,

and therefore

Council resolves to:

1. Support the objectives of the national 'We Can Cut Crime' campaign;

2. Lobby the relevant Secretaries of State for the action proposed in that campaign, and for the additional powers and resources needed locally by the Council and the Police to deliver its objectives, and calls on local Members of Parliament to support the campaign, and to write to Ministers accordingly”.

Minutes:

MOTION R (2006/07):

It was moved by Councillor Mughal and seconded by Councillor Hoban that:

An amendment to motion R was moved by Councillor Amin and seconded by Councillor Cooke that:

Delete all after “Haringey and its residents,” in the first sentence, and insert

“and welcomes the Council’s clear focus on promoting enterprise and its string of successes in making Haringey a great place to do business.

This Council notes that our borough has levels of new business VAT registrations 16% above the London average and that rates of self employment in Haringey are rising, and welcomes the success of the Trade Local project which showed how increasing the supply chain opportunities for local business has benefited the local economy, with over 1,000 businesses in the borough engaged in the programme.

This Council welcomes the success of the 2006 Haringey City Growth Business Awards in attracting 300 businesses to the event, and looks forward to an equally successful ceremony on 8 March 2007, building on the considerable amount of work done to consolidate and improve the Council’s relationship with local business.

This Council welcomes the wealth of information to support businesses now being made available on the Council website and looks forward to the future development of this as a resource for local businesses. A new business lounge was recently launched at Wood Green Library, providing a range of services including access to cashflow and business planning software and dedicated one-to-one business advice and support.

This Council, mindful that physical regeneration must always be accompanied by social regeneration through new employment opportunities and new skills training, recognizes the crucial importance of partnership working with the local private sector to tackle worklessness in our borough through active intervention.

This Council therefore resolves to continue its policies throughout the term of this council and to launch a charter with local businesses, within the next four months, to encourage businesses to sign up to the Haringey Guarantee, providing an opportunity for employers to gain support in accessing a local committed and skilled workforce as well as providing local residents with job opportunities.”

The amendment was then put to the meeting and declared carried. There being 30 for, 0 against, and 25 abstentions.

The substantive Motion as amended was then put to the meeting.

A named vote was requested in respect of the Substantive Motion.

For: The Mayor (Councillor Adamou), the Deputy Mayor (Councillor Thompson), Councillors Adje, Amin, Basu, Bevan, Bull, Canver, Cook, Diakides, Dobbie, Dodds, Dogus, Egan, Griffith, Haley, B Harris, Jones, Khan, Knight, Kober, Lister, Mallett, Meehan, Patel, Peacock, Reith, Santry, Stanton and Vanier.

Against: Nil

Abstentions: Councillors Aitken, Alexander, Beacham, Beynon, Bloch, Butcher, Davies, Demirci, Edge, Engert, Gorrie, Hare, Hoban, Mughal, Newton, Oakes, Oatway, Portess, Rainger, Reid, Weber, Whyte, Williams, Wilson and Winskill.

Absent : Councillors Baker, C. Harris

The Substantive Motion was declared CARRIED.

MOTION S (2006/07):

It was moved by Councillor Whyte and seconded by Councillor Aitken that:

An amendment to motion S was moved by Councillor Basu and seconded by Councillor Reith that:

Delete all after“far exceed its administrative costs” (end of paragraph 1) and replace with:

“This Council is proud of its record in responding openly and fairly to legitimate Freedom of Information requests. We will continue to put resources into ensuring that the Council complies with the obligations set out by the legislation.

This Council notes the current Government consultation on the way in which those regulations could be improved for the vast majority of users of the new powers just two years after they were first introduced.

This Council believes that the more there is a culture of openness, the better decision-making is, and that when decisions have to be publicly explained, they are better taken.

This Council believes that the government’s legislation and the consultation now taking place will encourage the development of informed accountability at all levels of government and will have a positive and widespread effect on the delivery of public services.

Therefore this Council will urge the Department of Constitutional Affairs in its consultation on draft regulations to strengthen the operation of Freedom of Information requests and urges Haringey’s two MPs to defend the spirit, credibility and integrity of the Freedom of Information legislation”.

The amendment was then put to the meeting and declared CARRIED. There being 30 for and 25 against.

The substantive Motion was then put to the meeting and declared CARRIED.

There being 30 for, 0 against, and 25 abstentions.

Motion T was not heard due the lack of time.