Agenda and minutes

Erdal Yapici performed a blessing in the form of music.

The Mayor welcomed everyone to the Chamber. 

The Mayor announced that his events had continued to gather speed.  He expressed his gratitude to many of the Enfield businesses who had come forward to donate money to his charity and took the opportunity to thank them formally for their generosity. 

The invitations to the Annual Gala Dinner on the 17^th March 2022 had been posted.  The Mayor stated that he was excited to be able to hold this event, especially as the last couple of years had been quite non-eventful in our calendars in respect of gatherings and social events.  He hoped to see as many as possible at the charity event where he was hoping to gather as much urgently needed donations as possible for the Enfield community. 

The Mayor announced that his charities for the year were the Felix Project, North Middlesex Hospital, Edmonton Eagles, Enfield Town Football Club and Nightingale Cancer Support. They were worthy recipients and he hoped to help them as much as possible. 

The Mayor’s charity website was also up and running.  A link had been circulated for perusal.  These had been personally donated by the Mayor and all sale proceeds would go towards the Mayors charity.

As this was the last Council meeting he would chair, the Mayor, wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone for the support he had received whilst he had been Mayor over the last two municipal years.  It had been a challenging time in many ways, in an ever-changing world.

The Mayor wished everyone and their families the very best and urged everyone to stay safe and healthy.

The receive and agree the minutes of the meetings held on the 26^th January 2022.

The minutes of the meetings held on 26^th January 2022 were AGREED.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Yasemin Brett, Ergin Erbil, Ergun Eren, Ayten Guzel, Saray Karakus, Dino Lemonides and Derek Levy.

Apologies for lateness had been received from Councillor Peter Fallart.

‘There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

The Mayor asked Jeremy Chambers (Director Law and Governance) to make a short statement on the declaration of interests’ requirements, in relation to agenda item 6 - Budget Report 2022/23 and Medium-Term Financial Plan 2022/23 to 2026/27 as follows: “in accordance with guidance from the Department for Communities and Local Government, there is no requirement for members to declare a disclosable pecuniary interest in relation to item 6.  The exception to this being any councillor who is two or more months in arrears on their Council Tax, in which case they will need to declare this and not take part in the vote.”  

The Director Law and Governance confirmed that there were no councillors who were two or more months in arrears’.  

Council will be asked to approve the budget for 2022/23 and the Medium Term Financial Plan for 2022/23 to 2026/27.

Cllr Maguire moved, and Councillor Caliskan seconded, the report. 

Cllr Maguire introduced the report and noted the following points:

• The report was to set the Revenue Budget and Council Tax for the 2022/23 financial year and updated the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) in the light of those decisions.
• The proposals were the culmination of the 2022/23 budget planning process.

·         A balanced budget was a legal requirement.

Cllr Laban, on behalf of the majority opposition group moved and Cllr Hockney seconded an alternative budget which would give additional savings of £16.389m.

The majority opposition made the following points:

• The alternative budget proposed to agree the recommendations subject to an additional investment of £2.689m to ensure the Borough was cleaner, safer and supported residents with the cost-of-living crisis, which would be financed by savings of an equivalent amount.
• The sustainable budget would provide an action plan to implement the following:

ØCleaner – restore weekly bin collections from September and increase fly tip CCTV cameras providing an additional 100 cameras.

ØGreener – additional planting of 3,000 street trees; electric charging points; air pollution monitors and investment in parks, buildings and maintenance.

ØSafer – Reinstatement of school crossing patrols; increase in road safety fund; expansion of CCTV coverage, additional Police Officers recharged to the Housing Revenue Account. In addition to a reduction to the build to change project.

ØCost-of-living – provide low-income households with energy efficient lightbulbs, freeze costs to residents and groups on fees and charges.

The administration, in response to the proposed alternative budget, made the following points:

• Efficiencies would be reduced.

• The budget was robust and resilient, one which allowed investment in the Borough.
• It was misleading to residents to state that the cost of living would reduce.
• The alternative budget would lead to privatisation of the Council services.

On being put the vote the amendment was lost.

The administration spoke to the substantive budget proposed and made following points:

• Councils across the country had faced severe cuts to their budgets in the last 12 months.
• The Covid-19 pandemic had added more to this challenge.
• An additional investment in social services and adult social care means that the Council is committed to provide services for the most vulnerable residents in the Borough.
• A Council tax freeze has been introduced, whilst the Council Tax Support Scheme continues.
• The temporary accommodation rents had been increased for the first time in a long time.  This accommodation protected the most vulnerable residents of the Borough.
• There were revenue savings of £500k.

·         For the capital programme to remain affordable the Council must keep within the self-imposed borrowing cap.

·         A treasury management strategy has been introduced to provide finances which are well planned and executed.

·         The Council was a statutory authority and as such had to implement the Local Plan.

·         Whitewebbs had been leased, not sold.

The majority opposition made the following points regarding the substantive budget:

• Supportive of the Council Tax freeze.
• There were lower grants available compared to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

Council is asked to approve the 2022/23 Capital Programme and to note the 2023/24 to 2031/32 Ten Year Capital Programme as set out in Appendix 3 of the report.

Cllr Maguire moved and Councillor Caliskan seconded the report of the Executive Director Resources on the Capital Programme 2022/23 to 2031/32.

Cllr Maguire made the following points:

·         The ambitious capital programme would be a source of funding over the next ten years and would support the delivery of the Council’s services.

·         The capital programme was within the self-imposed borrowing cap.

·         Information on the capital schemes has been collected using the new Development Investment Financial Framework (DIFF) which has enabled a deeper analysis of the programme.

·         The Council’s treasury advisers have endorsed the capital programme as appropriate.

Cllr Laban moved an amendment and proposed and alternative budget, which was seconded by Cllr Hockney.

Cllr Laban made the following points:

• To agree the recommendations subject to the necessary adjustments to reflect investment in a cleaner, greener, safer borough that supports residents rising cost of living funded by reducing the planned Build the Change Civic Centre investment.
• Funding diverted from the Build the Change programme would also be used on front line staff and to increase fly tip CCTV camera resulting in an additional 100 cameras.
• Additional funding would be used to invest in the Borough.
• School Road Safety fund. A comprehensive strategy to implement more school streets, zebra crossings, 20 mph zones and walk to school schemes.  Youth buses would increase outreach facilities to youth and youth groups.

Cllr Hockney made the following points:

• Thousands of additional trees would be planted.
• Investment would be in improving roads and road safety and pavements.

The administration made the following points:

·           Investment in Information Technology would deliver better services to all residents but particularly the family hub to those who were vulnerable.

·                                   There would be investment in the Borough for now and in the future.

·                                   Enforcement action was and would be taken against fly tipping.

The majority opposition made the following points:

·         The alternative budget would:

ØIncrease the amount available for investment in the Enfield, an outer London Borough.

ØProvide investment in technology for alternative sources of power.

·         There was insufficient provision for air monitors to measure increased pollution in the Borough.

·         The administration should aim to borrow prudently to reduce the borrowing figures.

The minority opposition made the following points:

·      The administration had failed to be addressed housing needs of the most vulnerable residents of the Borough had failed to be addressed.

·      There had been insufficient investment in the Borough’s parks.

NOTED that the report was recommended to Council by Cabinet on the meeting held on 16th February 2022.

AGREED to approve the 2022/23 Capital Programme and to note the 2023/24 to 2031/32 Ten Year Capital Programme as set out in Appendix 3 of the officer’s report.

The Mayor invited those Members, who were not standing for re-election and who wished to do so, to speak.

The following Members thanked colleagues and staff at the Council for their support and referred to many events which had occurred during their term as a Councillor at Enfield Borough Council.

Councillor Terence Neville

Councillor Ian Barnes

Councillor Dinah Berry

Councillor Achilleas Georgiou

Councillor Mary Maguire

Councillor Glynis Vince

Councillor Elaine Heywood

Councillor Lee David-Sanders

Councillor Chris Dey

Council is asked to approve the HRA 30-year business plan, rents and business plan updates.

This item was noted under the guillotine arrangements.

The Council will be asked to approve the Treasury Management Strategy Statement.

This item was noted under the guillotine arrangements.

Council will be asked to approve the proposals for appointing the external auditor to the Council for the auditing of the Statement of Accounts and Pension Fund Accounts for the five-year period from 2023/24.

This item was noted under the guillotine arrangements.

Council is asked to designate Terry Osborne as the Monitoring Officer with effect from 1^st March 2022 until such time as a permanent appointment is made to the post of Director of Law & Governance and a further report is brought to Council.

This item was noted under the guillotine arrangements.

Members are asked to note the questions submitted for written response. Responses to the questions will be published the day before the meeting.

This item was noted under the guillotine arrangements.

To confirm changes to Committee memberships agreed since the last meeting.

Any changes received once the agenda has been published with be tabled on the Council update sheet at the meeting.

There were no amendments to the committee membership.

To confirm any changes to the nominations on outside bodies agreed since the last meeting.

Any changes notified after the agenda has been published will be reported to Council on the update sheet tabled at the meeting.

There were no nominations to outside bodies.

To note the date of the next Council meeting is 25 May 2022.

The next meeting of the Council is scheduled on the 25 May 2022.