Agenda and minutes

Not required. 

The Mayor’s Chaplain to give a blessing. 

Father Witon of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St George Roman Catholic Church gave the blessing. 

The Mayor made the following announcements: 

 

She began by saying that October had again been one of the busiest months for the Mayoral team and that she would like to thank the officers, her consort, the deputy mayor, her consort for their support and for the people of Enfield for their invitations. 

 

1.               Past Engagements – these included:  

 

·       A Visit of Young People from Gladbeck (Enfield’s twin town in Germany) and Norway who had been looked after by Claire Whetstone and the Enfield Children and Young People’s Service.  The Mayor had attended a ceremony at an Enfield Town Football Match where during half time she had awarded them medals.  She said that it had been a pleasure to receive the children into the borough.  She had also been given an Enfield Football Club scarf, which had meant a lot to her as her brother had been an ardent supporter. 

 

·       Visit to Haven House Hospice (Woodford Green) – a heart wrenching visit which had bought to the Mayor’s attention the number of Enfield children that used their services.  The work of the hospice was invaluable and the people that work there were truly magnificent.  The Mayor thanked them for their hard work and support and said that she would also be inviting them to meet key councillors so that the Council could provide more support to their valued work. 

 

·       Looked After Children Event – accompanied by Councillor Glynis Vince with Councillor Orhan also in attendance. 

 

·       Park View House Residential Care Home Silver Sunday Tea Dance – an event involving live music and dancing which was tremendously helpful to elderly and isolated residents.

 

·       Mayor for Peace Meeting – an event to signify world peace - in times of great hardship and war across the world - with survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki who gave witness statements on their experiences.    Councillor Brett also attended. 

 

·       Launch of National Hate Crime Awareness Week at St Paul’s Cathedral – accompanied by Councillor Brett.

 

·       Black History Month the many celebrations beginning with the opening ceremony at Enfield Town Library and the closing ceremony at the Dugdale Centre.

 

·       Celebrations for One Hundred Hours of Volunteering – the Mayor said that it had been an honour to attend and be able to thank all those who had given up their valued time to support worthy causes and make a difference to so many people in need. 

 

·       London Mayor’s Association Annual Civic Service in Westminster Abbey which had been attended by many dignitaries and other London mayors. The Mayor said that it had been nice to see the pageant of so many London mayors, under one roof. 

 

·       Thanksgiving Civic Mass (Saturday 22 October 2016) The Mayor said that this to her was one of the most important events of her Mayoral Year.  She thanked all those who had attended, including all the clergy and the Mayors of Waltham Forest, Hackney, Haringey, Barnet and the former Mayor of Newham and for making this special occasion extremely memorable and especially poignant.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 2016 as a correct record. 

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 2016 were agreed as a correct record. 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors J Charalambous, Chibah, David Sanders, Erbil, Esendagli, Simon, Stafford, Stewart, Ulus and for lateness from Councillors Dines, Hurman and Rye. 

Members are asked to identify any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests relating to items on the agenda. 

The Monitoring Officer advised that she had granted dispensations for this meeting only to the following members in relation to item 12. 5 Motion in the name of Councillor Sarah Doyle on women’s state pension age.  She had granted this on the basis that sufficient members had disclosable pecuniary interests in the issue that not allowing dispensations would impede the transaction of the business of the meeting.  The dispensation enabled these members to take part in the discussion on this motion and vote. 

 

Councillor Abdullahi

Councillor Anderson

Councillor Barry

Councillor Brett

Councillor A Cazimoglu

Councillor N Cazimoglu

Councillor Celebi

Councillor Chamberlain

Councillor B Charalambous

Councillor Delman

Councillor Dines

Councillor Dogan

Councillor Doyle

Councillor During

Councillor Ekechi

Councillor Esendagli

Councillor Fallart

Councillor Fonyonga

Councillor Achilleas Georgiou

Councillor Alessandro Georgiou

Councillor Hamilton

Councillor E Hayward

Councillor R Hayward

Councillor Hurer

Councillor Jemal

Councillor Jiagge

Councillor Jukes

Councillor Keazor

Councillor Laban

Councillor Lavender

Councillor Lemonides

Councillor Levy

Councillor Maguire

Councillor Milne

Councillor Neville

Councillor Orhan

Councillor AM Pearce

Councillor D Pearce

Councillor Pite

Councillor Rye

Councillor Savva

Councillor Sitkin

Councillor Smith

Councillor Stafford

Councillor Steven

Councillor Taylor

Councillor Uzoanya

Councillor Vince

 

Councillors Celebi, Chamberlain, Delman, Dines, Fallart, Alessandro Georgiou, E Hayward, R Hayward, Hurer, Jukes, Laban, Lavender, Milne, Neville, AM Pearce, D Pearce, Rye, Smith, Steven and Vince all declared non-pecuniary interests in Motion 12.6 In the name of Councillor Mary Maguire.  

 

Councillors Achilleas Georgiou, Dino Lemonides and Ahmet Oykener, as directors of the Housing Gateway Limited Board, declared non pecuniary interests in items 10 and 20 on the Housing Gateway Limited Budget Envelope Report. 

 

Councillor Charalambous moved and Councillor Taylor seconded as proposal under paragraph 2.2(B) of the Council procedure rules to change the order of items on the agenda so that the following would be dealt with as the next item of business:

 

Motion 12.5 In the name of Councillor Sarah Doyle

 

The change in the order of the agenda was agreed without a vote. 

Motion 12.5 in the name of Councillor Sarah Doyle

 

“The Council calls upon the Government to make fair transitional state pension arrangements for all women born on or after 6th April 1951, who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA) with lack of appropriate notification.

 

Hundreds of thousands of women had significant pension changes imposed on them by the Pensions Acts of 1995 and 2011 with little/no/personal notification of the changes. Some women had only two years notice of a six-year increase to their state pension age. Figures show that more than 15,000 women living in the London Borough of Enfield have had their State Pension receipt date moved to the ages of between 63 and 66 years old.

 

Many women born in the 1950's are living in hardship. Retirement plans have been shattered with devastating consequences. Many of these women are already out of the labour market, caring for elderly relatives, providing childcare for grandchildren, or suffer discrimination in the workplace so struggle to find employment.

 

Women born in this decade are suffering financially. These women have worked hard, raised families and paid their tax and national insurance with the expectation that they would be financially secure when reaching 60. It is not the pension age itself that is in dispute - it is widely accepted that women and men should retire at the same time.

 

The issue is that the rise in the women's state pension age has been too rapid and has happened without sufficient notice being given to the women affected, leaving women with no time to make alternative arrangements. The Council calls upon the Government to reconsider transitional arrangements for women born on or after 6th April 1951, so that women do not live in hardship due to pension changes they were not told about until it was too late to make alternative arrangements.

 

We call upon the Leader of Enfield Council to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in the strongest possible terms, urging that fair transitional arrangements are introduced forthwith.”

 

Following a debate, this motion was put to the vote and agreed unanimously. 

 

(A dispensation had been granted by the Monitoring Officer to enable members to take part in the debate and vote on this item, as listed under the minute for item 6.)

To receive the joint report from the Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care and the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services on the proposed refurbishment and re-provision work on the Enfield Highway Library Building.  (Report No:110)        (Key Decision Reference Number: 4335)

 

The report will need to be read in conjunction with Report No: 116 on the Part 2 agenda. 

 

Members are being asked to note the recommendations approved by Cabinet at their meeting on 20 October 2016 and to approve the addition to the council’s Capital Programme as in Recommendation 2.3 and as detailed further in the Part 2 report. 

This report was withdrawn. 

To receive a report from the Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care on the Enfield Adult Safeguarding Board Annual Report 2015-16.

(Report No:  95)

 

Council is asked to note the progress being made in protecting vulnerable adults in the Borough as set out in the annual report of the Safeguarding Adults Board.                                                               

 

Please note that this report has been referred on for information from Cabinet at their meeting on 19 October 2016 and has also been considered by the Health and Wellbeing Board. 

Councillor Alev Cazimoglu moved and Councillor Rye seconded the report of the Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care presenting the Safeguarding Adults’ Board Annual Report 2015-16 (Report No: 95).

 

NOTED

 

1.               The report had been referred on for information from Cabinet at their meeting on 19 October 2016 and has also been considered by the Health and Wellbeing Board. 

 

2.               The thanks to Marian Harrington, the Chair of the Adult Safeguarding Board, who had served the board with dedication and passion over the past three years and was now standing down.   A replacement would be made at the meeting in December 2016. 

 

3.               The board had been statutory since April 2015 and worked as a strong, positive partnership of both statutory and other bodies. 

 

4.               During the year 2015-16 there had been 3,111 reports to the multi-disciplinary hub with 1,244 of these being raised to the Council.  Neglect and multiple-abuse, the most commonly reported allegations, were against people of trust including family members and paid workers.   

 

5.               The Council had a statutory duty to report on all safeguarding adult reviews.  Two of these reviews were completed during the year and a further two were in progress.     

 

6.               The success of “making safeguarding personal”, focussing on the person at risk, enabling a robust response.

 

7.               The endorsement of the Opposition to the comments made and the thanks to Marian Harrington for her work as Chair.  However there was some concern about:

 

a.     The worrying number of substantiated cases.

b.     That adult abuse lacked the higher profile of child abuse.

c.     The need to learn from the outcomes of the reviews

d.     To avoid complacency and make sure resources were available.

e.     There was a danger in only noting, as it was only a small step to something horrible happening. 

f.      Cruelty and neglect were a criminal activity but the penalties for them were derisory and should be increased substantially. 

g.     The issue was a major public concern and the people concerns should be represented. 

 

8.               The response of the Majority Group that abuse was an appalling act and we could never be complacent, it was essential to safeguard those at risk.

 

9.               The thanks to councillors for their contributions which the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care would take on board, making representations to work on the legislation to deal more appropriately with the issues.  Although a gold standard had been achieved, the Council was not complacent and would seek to improve.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 

AGREED to note the progress being made in protecting vulnerable adults in the borough as set out in the annual report of the Safeguarding Adults’ Board. 

To receive a report from the Director of Children’s Services on the Enfield Child Safeguarding Board Annual Report 2015-16.               (Report No:  96)

 

Council is asked to note the progress being made to safeguard children and young people and specifically note this report and the Enfield Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report which is attached as an appendix to this document.

 

Please note that this report has been referred on, for information, from Cabinet at their meeting on 19 October 2016, and has also been considered by the Health and Wellbeing Board. 

 

Councillor Orhan moved and Councillor Vince seconded the report of the Director of Children’s Services on the Enfield Adult Safeguarding Board Annual Report 2015-16. (Report No:  96) 

 

NOTED

 

1.               That the report had been referred on to Council, for information, from Cabinet at their meeting on 19 October 2016 and had also been considered by the Health and Wellbeing Board. 

 

2.               The Cabinet Member for Education, Children’s Services and Protection recognition of the enormous progress made and the thanks to the department for their work including the independent Chair Geraldine Gavin for her exceptional work.  Progress had been made in facilitating safe living with fathers, and strides in highlighting the issues of female genital mutilation and radicalisation of the young.  Some children suffered unimaginable difficulties due to the complex dangers of the ever changing world, including from knife and gun crime, neglect and addictions. 

 

3.               Working collectively with the partner authorities, creating a strong voice and ensuring funding were crucial. 

 

4.               Thanks were also made to Councillor Vince, Children and Young People’s Services, as well as Councillor Jemal for her work with the Child Sexual Exploitation Task Group. 

 

5.               The welcome of the joint working with Haringey in bidding for joint funding and working across borough boundaries.

 

6.               The need to deal holistically with children at risk from child sexual exploitation, to ensure that there are no unintended consequences from House of Lords amendments to the current bill on child trafficking and that the Governments’ Child Abuse Enquiry was completed in a timely fashion. 

 

7.               The request that members view, like and follow the Children’s Safeguarding Board twitter feed and Facebook pages. 

 

8.               The support of the Opposition for the report and for the outstanding work of the Chair, Geraldine Gavin, but also concerns:

 

a.     That the report should include more detailed statistics so that trends could be identified, including numbers of cases, logging actions taken, prosecutions, the effectiveness of actions taken and more information from the Police on radicalisation and the work being done to fight ISIS. 

 

b.     About the staff leaving the related service and not being replaced. 

 

9.               The summing up of the Cabinet Member for Education, Children’s Services and Protection, that the work of the board should be celebrated and with thanks to members for their contributions, and a promise that the comments would be taken on board.  A huge amount of work had been done and some of it was set out at the back of the report. 

 

AGREED to note the progress being made to safeguard children and young people and specifically note this report and the Enfield Safeguarding Children Board Annual Report which was attached to the report as an appendix. 

To receive a report from the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services seeking approval for new Council borrowing to be on lent to Housing Gateway Limited.                                                      (Report No:  140)

(Key decision – reference number 4406)

 

This report will need to be read in conjunction with the Report No:  141 on the part 2 agenda. 

 

Please note that the Leader has agreed under the Cabinet urgent action procedure to recommend that Council approves the new borrowing as set out in the Part 2 report. 

Councillor Oykener moved and Councillor Lemonides seconded a report of the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services seeking approval for new Council borrowing to be on lent to Housing Gateway Limited. 

 

NOTED

 

1.               That the report would need to be read in conjunction with report number 141 on the part 2 agenda.  See also minute ???

 

2.               Housing Gateway Limited had been set up in 2014, in response to housing pressures in Enfield, to provide an alternative to nightly paid accommodation for homeless people.  So far savings of £1.3m had been achieved, with a further £1m per year anticipated.  The company had been set up with exemplary landlord standards: 85% of tenants had expressed satisfaction with the accommodation.  Properties had been purchased and refurbished, providing good quality accommodation with security of tenure which had also helped improve local neighbourhoods.  The policy had been a success and had achieved more than it had set out to do. 

 

3.               The concerns of the Opposition in relation to:

 

a.     The impact on first time buyers.   Some felt that Housing Gateway was being used to thwart the policy of increasing home ownership, by re-municipalising and buying back properties that were previously social housing. It was preventing first time buyers from purchasing property as they were not able to compete with the Council at a time of 14% increases in Enfield house prices: Enfield families were being forced out to cheaper areas outside London.

 

b.     The increase to the Council’s capital programme particularly as the Council already had a 7.9m overspend this year. 

 

c.     That Housing Gateway was not adding to the housing stock as no new units were being built.

 

d.     Although acknowledging that it was a useful temporary approach, the scale and scope of the current scheme was felt to be too large. 

 

e.     That homeless people should be housed in cheaper areas outside Enfield.

 

f.      It would be better to build new properties rather than buy existing stock. 

 

g.     The Conservative Government had acted to increase stamp duty and taxes on buy to let landlords. 

 

4.               The responses of the majority party that

 

a.     The Housing Gateway scheme had been set up in reaction to Government policy, which had led to the migration of people out of inner London, and also the withdrawal of Government funding. 

 

b.     Not enough homes were being built.  The problem was that the Government had not been able to manage the housing crisis.

 

c.     Not doing this would mean that the Council would have to cut other services.  Borrowing was being used to purchase assets which were appreciating in value and borrowing limits were being monitored. 

 

d.     Many former Council properties had been sold through the “right to buy” legislation, and then rented back to the Council at hugely inflated prices to enable the housing of homeless people.  This was costing the people of Enfield.   

 

e.     When buying properties, the council was mainly competing with other councils, buy to let landlords and property speculators, not first  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To receive a report from the Chief Executive on behalf of the Electoral Review Panel recommending a Council response to the Boundary Commission for England’s 2018 review of Parliamentary constituency boundaries as they affect Enfield.                                         (Report No: 125)

 

Council are asked to consider whether the representations set out in paragraph 3.8.1 of the report should be submitted to the Boundary Commission for England. 

Councillor Jemal moved and Councillor Hurer seconded the report of the Chief Executive on behalf of the Electoral Review Panel on the Boundary Commission for England’s 2018 Review of Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries. 

 

NOTED

 

1.               The Electoral Review Panel had held a positive and constructive meeting and reached agreement on a proposed response to the consultation.  They had agreed that the proposals were not in the best interests of Enfield and that they broke current cultural and transport links.  Five different MPs would have an interest in the borough instead of the current three.  This would increase administrative complexity.

 

2.               Enfield was a growing borough, with an increasing population, but these proposals would lead to a reduction in the number of MPs with a clear interest in the borough.

 

3.               That the company referred to in the second bullet point, on page 139 of the agenda pack, was Govia Thameslink not Transport for London as stated.  

 

4.               It was strange that the Government was proposing to reduce the number of MPs, elected representatives, in the House of Commons when they had recently increased the number of unelected representatives in the House of Lords.  This is a democratic deficit. 

 

5.               Thanks to all the members who contributed to the review.

 

6.               The support of the Opposition for the response being put forward but some concern that more detailed alternative proposals maintaining the integrity of the borough could not have been developed.  Giving five different MPs a stake in the borough was felt to be a dilution of democracy.  The commission had also ignored local ties.

 

7.               Individual responses could also be submitted, up until 3 December 2016. 

 

8.               The Boundary Commission had had an unenviable task but it was felt that it had failed to come up with reasonable proposals.  Enfield population was predicted to grow to over 400,000 (up from 324,000) by 2032 so it was feared that the constituency figures would be out of date almost as soon as they were published.  Using 2015 population figures had already discounted the 2 million extra voters who had registered before the EU referendum. 

 

Following the debate, the report was put to the vote and agreed unanimously. 

 

A ten minute comfort break was held at this point in the meeting. 

Councillor Charalambous moved and Councillor Taylor seconded a proposal under paragraph 2.2(B) of the Council procedure rules to change the order of items on the agenda so that the following would be dealt with as the next items of business, in this order:

 

Motion 12.6 In the name of Councillor Mary Maguire

Motion 12.2 In the name of Councillor George Savva

Motion 12.4 In the name of Councillor Anne Marie Pearce

 

The change in the order of the agenda was put to the vote and agreed with the following result:

 

For:  31

Against:  19

Abstentions:  0 

12.1    In the name of Councillor Terry Neville:

 

“The Council notes that on 22 September this year former Labour Councillor Nesimi Erbil was convicted at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court of an offence under section 4, Public Order Act 1986 and was given a six week custodial term, suspended for two years and ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £1080. The conviction is his third in a year following upon two convictions for fraud at Southwark Crown Court last September, and the Council believes that because of this he is entirely unsuitable to continue as a councillor and calls upon him to resign forthwith.”

 

12.2    In the name of Councillor George Savva:

 

“This Council would welcome a new stance by the Government to increase infrastructure spend (as widely reported) to boost the economy, in contrast to the austerity position of the last leader of the Conservative government.

 

This Council therefore resolves to:

 

1.              Inform residents of the impact of the Government’s austerity measures upon their well-being.

 

2.              Encourage the Government to increase funding of local authorities as the ideally positioned public bodies to best serve local people to increase their well-being and to develop the local infrastructure.

 

3.              Ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Prime Minister bringing to her attention that there should be fair funding for Enfield Council and the added value that this Council can bring for the residents of Enfield.”

 

12.3    In the name of Councillor Joanne Laban:

 

“This Council agrees with the Prime Minister's conference speech in which she remarked that the Labour Party is now the 'nasty party' of British politics.  This is even truer locally when you look at the Labour Council's persecution of a group which supports the poorest and most vulnerable in our borough.”

 

12.4    In the name of Councillor Anne Marie Pearce:

 

“This Council is concerned that with the rise in population in Enfield, ever increasing demands are being placed on our local health services. Successive governments have failed to recognise that 'fair funding' has not supported local health services to the necessary levels. In comparison with neighbouring boroughs in the North Central London Sector, Enfield is under-funded. For example, Camden, with a population of 260,000 gets an NHS grant of £372 million, while Enfield receives £10 million less with the higher population of 320,000.

The Council instructs the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care together with the Shadow Cabinet Member to write jointly to the Secretary of State for Health requesting him to review the funding mechanism and allocate available monies in a more equal manner across London. The Council also calls upon Enfield’s three Members of Parliament to support the Council in seeking a revision of the formula.”

12.5    In the name of Councillor Sarah Doyle:

 

“The Council calls upon the Government to make fair transitional state pension arrangements for all women born on or after 6th April 1951, who have unfairly borne the burden of the increase to the State Pension Age (SPA)  ...  view the full agenda text for item 15.

1.1           Urgent Motion

 

Council was asked to note that the Mayor had agreed to accept an urgent motion under Part 4 paragraph 11.6 of the constitution. 

 

The decision was accepted as urgent, as notice as under Part 4, Paragraph 11 could not reasonably have been given for the following reasons: 

 

Motions for this Council meeting should have been submitted by Friday 28 October 2016 and Councillor Chibah’s first email on the subject was dated 2 November 2016.  This explaining why the matter could not have been dealt with within the normal timescales. 

 

The reason why it was essential that this matter should be considered at this Council, and not delayed, was because there were four further scheduled meetings of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee before the next Council on the 25 January 2017 and it was felt that the matter should be considered before these meetings. 

 

Motion in the name of Councillor Terry Neville

 

Councillor Neville proposed and Councillor Alessandro Georgiou the following motion: 

 

“This Council is concerned to note that Councillor Katherine Chibah, a permanent member and Vice Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee (OSC) has missed meetings on 30 June, 3 August, 4 October (the latter called to consider the council’s projected revenue overspend), and 11 October. She has also now indicated that because she has been involved in the American elections she will not be here to consider several call-ins on the scheduled meeting date of the 10 November.

 

Council is even more concerned to note that in seeking to obtain a substitute for her at the meeting on 10 November, Councillor Chibah wrote to Councillors Maguire, Nesil Cazimoglu and Jemal, an email which included the following words:

 

“ the Tories are absolutely playing silly games with these latest vexatious call-ins so we need someone who can give them a hard time and direct questions at them rather than at the Cabinet Member concerned………. so any of you would be perfect….”

 

In so doing Councillor Chibah displays a complete failure to understand the statutory and constitutional independent role of members of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee which is particularly alarming given she is the elected Vice Chair, and by this action she renders herself wholly unsuitable to be a member of the OSC. Council therefore resolves to terminate her appointment as a member of the OSC and instructs the majority party to nominate a successor.”  

 

Following the moving and seconding of the motion, Motion 14.11 (a) (ii) - that the question now be put - was moved by Councillor Charalambous as the Councillor referred to in the motion was not present.  This was seconded by Councillor Taylor.  The procedural motion was put to the vote with the following result: 

 

For:  32

 

Councillor Abdullahi

Councillor Anderson

Councillor Bakir

Councillor Barry

Councillor Brett

Councillor A Cazimoglu

Councillor N Cazimoglu

Councillor B Charalambous

Councillor Dogan

Councillor Doyle

Councillor During

Councillor Ekechi

Councillor Fonyonga

Councillor Achilleas Georgiou

Councillor Hamilton

Councillor Hassan

Councillor Hurman

Councillor Jemal

Councillor Jiagge

Councillor Keazor

Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

13.1    Urgent Questions (Part 4 - Paragraph 10.2.(b) of Constitution – Page 4-9)

 

With the permission of the Mayor, questions on urgent issues may be tabled with the proviso of a subsequent written response if the issue requires research or is considered by the Mayor to be minor.

 

Please note that the Mayor will decide whether a question is urgent or not.

 

The definition of an urgent question is “An issue which could not reasonably have been foreseen or anticipated prior to the deadline for the submission of questions and which needs to be considered before the next meeting of the Council.”

 

Submission of urgent questions to Council requires the Member when submitting the question to specify why the issue could not have been reasonably foreseen prior to the deadline and why it has to be considered before the next meeting. 

 

13.2    Councillors’ Questions (Part 4 – Paragraph 10.2(a) of Constitution – Page 4 - 8)

 

The list of 40 questions are attached and the responses will be published on Tuesday 8 November 2016, the day before the Council meeting in accordance with the Council procedure rules. 

1.1           Urgent Questions

 

The Mayor agreed to accept the following as an urgent question to Council:

 

Question from Councillor Neville to Councillor Taylor (Leader of the Council): 

 

“Does Councillor Taylor believe it is acceptable for Councillor Chibah, as Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the membership of which attracts an additional Special Responsibility Allowance of £8,600, to manage attendance of only 37.5% of all meetings of that committee since May 2016, and what steps does he propose to take to ensure that council tax payers get value for their money from her membership of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee?”

 

A written response would be provided by the Leader after the meeting. 

 

1.2           Questions by Councillors

 

NOTED

 

1.               The forty questions on the Council agenda and written responses provided by the relevant Cabinet members.

14.1    Review of Council Proportionality Arrangements, following a change in political balance on the Council

 

To receive a briefing paper from the Director of Finance, Resources & Customer Services, advising members of a change in the political balance of the Council and associated review of the proportionality arrangements relating to the allocation of seats on the committees, joint committees and panels that have been set up for discharge of the Council’s functions.

 

14.2    Other Changes to Committee Memberships

 

To confirm any changes to the committee memberships. 

 

Please note any changes received once the agenda has been published will be tabled on the Council update sheet at the meeting.

1.1     Review of Council Proportionality Arrangements, following a change in political balance on the Council

 

AGREED to note the change in the political balance and proportionality on the Council and the proposed changes in committee membership set out below. 

 

1.2     Changes to Committee Memberships

 

AGREED to confirm the following changes to committee memberships:   

 

• Edmonton Partnership Working Party – The appointment of Councillor Savva.

 

• Licensing Sub Committee – The appointment of Councillor Bambos Charalambous and the removal of one of the Labour vacancies in accordance with the Proportionality Review.  

 

• Staff Appeals Panel – The removal of one of the Labour vacancies in accordance with the Proportionality Review. 

To confirm the following changes to the nominations on outside bodies.

 

Edmonton United Charities – Councillor Celebi to remain a member and Councillor Steven to be removed due to changes to the Edmonton United Charities terms of reference. 

 

Please note any other changes notified once the agenda has been published will be tabled on the Council update sheet at the meeting. 

AGREED to confirm the following changes to the nominations to outside bodies: 

 

• London Housing Consortium – Councillor Ahmet Oykener to be appointed as agreed at Cabinet on 15 June 2016 and also Councillor Jansev Jemal.   

 

• Enfield Independence and Wellbeing Limited - Councillor Alev Cazimoglu (Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care) and Lorraine Davis (Assistant Director Adult Health and Social Care) to be appointed to the Executive Board.

 

• Edmonton United Charities – Councillors Erin Celebi, Suna Hurman and Andrew Stafford to remain members and Councillors Ali Bakir and Jim Steven to be removed, due to changes to the Edmonton United Charities Terms of Reference. 

 

 

 

None Received. 

None received. 

To note that the date of the next meeting of the Council will be held on Wednesday 25 January 2017 at 7pm at the Civic Centre. 

The date of the next Council meeting will be held on Wednesday 25 January 2016. 

To consider passing a resolution under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 excluding the press and public from the meeting for any  items of business moved to the part 2 on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in those paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006) as listed on the agenda.

 

(Members are asked to refer to the part two agenda)

AGREED in accordance with Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972 to exclude the press and public from the meeting for consideration of Item 1 listed on Part 2 of the agenda on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

To receive a joint report from the Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care and Finance, Resources and Customer Services on the refurbishment and re-provision of Enfield Highway Library Building.             (Report No:  116)

   (Key Decision Reference Number 4335)

 

The report will need to be read in conjunction with Report No: 110 on the Part 1 agenda. 

 

Members are being asked to note the recommendations approved by Cabinet at their meeting on 19 October 2016 and to approve the addition to the council’s Capital Programme as in recommendation 2.2 and as detailed further in the Part 1 report. 

This report was withdrawn. 

To receive a report from the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services seeking Council approval for new Council borrowing to be on lent to Housing Gateway Limited.                                   (Report No:  141)

(Key decision reference Number 4406)

 

The report needs to be read in conjunction with the Report No: 140 on the part 1 agenda. 

Councillor Lemonides moved and Councillor Oykener seconded the part 2 report of the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services on the Housing Gateway Limited Budget Envelope. (Report No: 141)

 

NOTED

 

1.               This report was considered in conjunction with the part 1 report number 140.  (See also Minute )

 

2.               Most of the issues had already been addressed during the earlier discussion on the part 1 report.

 

3.               The Council was also planning to build 10,000 new homes and to create new sustainable communities.

 

4.               The financial model was currently being reviewed to see if more savings could be made. Research on ways to extract capital value, without making people homeless, was taking place but the Council needs to be aware of the human misery which was continuing.  There were currently over 1,700 people in overnight temporary accommodation. 

 

5.               The concerns of the Opposition in relation to the rise in the amount of borrowing, the cost of this borrowing and the possibility that interest rates would rise which could have a large impact on the borough and might result in further cuts to services or increases in Council tax. 

 

6.               The majority party response that the Council had not exceeded its safe borrowing limits and that if there were problems with the scheme, the Council would always be able to sell the properties, assets which were increasing in value all the time. 

 

The recommendations in the report were put to the vote and agreed with the following result:

 

For:  31

 

Councillor Abdullahi

Councillor Anderson

Councillor Bakir

Councillor Barry

Councillor Brett

Councillor A Cazimoglu

Councillor N Cazimoglu

Councillor B Charalambous

Councillor Dogan

Councillor Doyle

Councillor During

Councillor Ekechi

Councillor Fonyonga

Councillor Achilleas Georgiou

Councillor Hassan

Councillor Hurman

Councillor Jemal

Councillor Jiagge

Councillor Keazor

Councillor Kepez

Councillor Lemonides

Councillor Levy

Councillor Maguire

Councillor McGowan

Councillor Orhan

Councillor Oykener

Councillor Pite

Councillor Savva

Councillor Sitkin

Councillor Taylor

Councillor Uzoanya

 

Against:  19

 

Councillor Celebi

Councillor Chamberlain

Councillor Delman

Councillor Dines

Councillor Fallart

Councillor Alessandro Georgiou

Councillor E Hayward

Councillor R Hayward

Councillor Hurer

Councillor Jukes

Councillor Laban

Councillor Lavender

Councillor Milne

Councillor Neville

Councillor AM Pearce

Councillor Rye

Councillor Smith

Councillor Steven

Councillor Vince

 

Abstentions: 0

 

AGREED

 

1.               To approve new borrowing by the Council in 2016-17 of up to £21.44m and to on lend this to Housing Gateway Limited (HGL) in accordance with the facility letter to allow the purchase of additional units.  This will require an addition to the existing capital programme fully funded by repayments from HGL.

 

2.               To note that the Leader had agreed under the Cabinet Urgent Action procedure to recommend that Council agree the additional loan of £21.44m to HGL, funded by new borrowing. 

 

3.               To note that savings were expected to be achieved from the reduction nightly paid accommodation.  These would help to contain the forecast cost pressure in temporary accommodation budgets.