Issue - meetings

An issues paper prepared by the Opposition Group is attached for consideration of Council.

The Council rules relating to Opposition Business are also attached for information.   

Councillor Smith introduced the issues paper, prepared by the Opposition Group.

1.              Issues highlighted by Councillor Smith were as follows: 

·         Despite being non-partisan and agreeing with the objectives of projects such as Meridian Water, developing the small housing sites and the desire to create more affordable housing, he felt that the current management of housing projects in the borough was inadequate with cost overruns, poor procurement, shortage of staff and lack of expertise. 

·         Concern about what he saw as serious failures in the management of the major works contract where some replacements were taking more than 87 weeks.

·         Anxiety about issues with the provision of Strategic Industrial Land (SIL) including timescales, since approval of the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan was still some way off. 

·         Concern about the impact the proposed increase in the number of affordable homes, from 35% to 50%, on the Meridian Water project and the dependence on house price rises.  These uncertainties he felt would impact on the attraction of the project to major development partners.

·         Concern about the relocation of the Angel Road Station which could end up being an expensive white elephant, for the Council, who might be unable to recoup the costs already expended. 

·         Concern that there had been no proper appraisal of the options or demonstration that the Meridian Water project would not make a loss.

·         The view that the leadership should get a proper grip on their regeneration projects for the benefit of Enfield residents, failure of which could undermine the Council’s whole position. 

2.              Councillor Oykener, Cabinet Member for Housing and Housing Regeneration, responded on behalf of the Majority Group highlighting:

·         That the Opposition failed to understand that the Council’s award winning housing development programme was progressing well.

·         The Opposition, during their 8 years in power, had not built any new Council homes.

·         The Labour administration was building: 118 new homes in Fore Street including shops and a community centre; they were balloting residents on the Snells and Joyce estates about creating thousands of new homes; at Meridian Water 10,000 new homes were planned; at the award winning Dujardin Mews development in Ponders End, 39 new homes had been completed, providing new houses for some of the borough’s poorest residents; Countryside properties were building 300 homes as part of phase one of the Alma Estate re-development and demolishing one tower block;  even more were planned for Phase two. 

·         The Council was building, not just homes, but communities.  The work on the Alma Estate had been recognised as best practice for involving people in the plans by the GLA.  New houses were also being built in the Electric Quarter, Ponders End, powered by Energetik, the Council’s renewable energy supplier.

·         In the west of the borough, at Enfield Town, Parsonage Lane and St Georges the percentage of affordable homes had increased from 40% to 55%.  More homes were included in the Enfield Master Plan.  At Oakwood, on the New Avenue Estate, 410 new homes were planned and 40  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8