14.1In the name of Councillor Rye:
“Enfield Council congratulates the officers supporting the scrutiny function over the past 10 years and achieving the CFPS award for excellence in 2010 and the MJ award in 2012 and the Association of Public Services Award also in 2012. Enfield Council undertakes to review the effectiveness of any new Scrutiny arrangements by commissioning an independent peer review to report by June 2015.”
14.2In the name of Councillor Neville:
“The Council welcomes the completion of the purchase of the Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. The Council notes that this is the first piece of potentially positive news in the chequered history of Chase Farm for a very long time!
The Council shares both, the Royal Free’s assessment that the site needs to be redeveloped and it’s acknowledgement that parts of the site are “no longer suitable for the delivery of modern health care”. The council is concerned however to see that the £100million of government investment in the site is actually delivered, and as quickly as possible. It looks forward to working with the Royal Free to secure this much needed and long overdue redevelopment, for the benefit of Enfield residents.”
14.3In the name of Councillor Stewart:
“This Council recognises the distress and costs brought on to Enfield residents because of the Home Secretary’s crisis at the Passport Office. This Council calls on the Passport Office to refund all those residents who had to incur extra fees and costs because of the Home Secretary’s poor management of the agency. The Leader of the Council should write to the Home Secretary to pass on our view.”
14.4 In the name of Councillor B.Charalambous:
“This Council notes the decision of the Department for Education to refuse to fund a primary school at Ashmole Academy and the impact this decision will have on school places in the borough of Enfield. This Council further notes the efforts of the Council to provide school places for the projected increase in population over the next decade and beyond and calls upon the Conservative led coalition Government to fully explain why it failed to fund Ashmole school, disappointing so many Enfield families with this decision.”
14.5In the name of Councillor Hamilton:
“This Council is calling on the three Enfield MPs to support the private members bill by MP Clive Efford to repeal the competition provisions in the coalition’s Health and Social Care Act. The bill will tackle Section 75 rules which force CCGs (Clinical Commissioning Groups) to put services out to market even if they do not want to.
This Council is dismayed by the fact that private providers have won the majority of tenders for services since the Health and Social Care Act came into force in April 2013, this shows that the Tory pledge that the NHS is not being privatised is untrue.
Therefore, we call on the three Enfield MPs to demand that the Tory
led coalition government repeals the competitive tendering
legislation in the Health and Social Care Act so that:
· CCGs are free to commission in the best interest of patients, as was promised before the passing of the Act and
· Scant NHS resources are used for front line patient services.”
Minutes:
1.1 Councillor B. Charalambous moved and Councillor Orhan seconded the following motion:
“This Council notes the decision of the Department for Education to refuse to fund a primary school at Ashmole Academy and the impact this decision will have on school places in the borough of Enfield. This Council further notes the efforts of the Council to provide school places for the projected increase in population over the next decade and beyond and calls upon the Conservative led coalition Government to fully explain why it failed to fund Ashmole school, disappointing so many Enfield families with this decision.”
During the debate on this item, the Opposition Group highlighted what they felt to be the need for a direct mandate to be provided for the Cabinet Member for Education, Children’s Services and Protection to write to the Secretary of State for Education to express support for a new primary school on the Academy site. As a result Councillor Neville then formally moved and Councillor E.Hayward seconded the following amendment to the motion:
Delete all the words after the first sentence and replace with:
“The Council mandates the Cabinet Member for Education, Children’s Services and Protection to write to the Secretary of State for Education expressing support for a new primary school on the Ashmole Academy site.”
The amendment was subject to a period of debate, during which Councillor Charalambous (in exercising his right of reply as mover of the original motion) advised that the Council would be writing to the Secretary of State for Education asking for the decision to refuse the application for funding to be reconsidered. The amendment to the motion was then put to the vote and lost, with the following result:
For: 20
Against: 36
Abstentions: 0
The debate then continued on the original (unamended) motion, during which Councillor B. Charalambous moved and Councillor Taylor seconded a further amendment, as follows:
To insert immediately after the word “explain” in the final sentence the words “and reconsider”.
Following a short debate the amendment was then put to the vote and agreed, with the following result:
For: 36
Against: 0
Abstentions: 20
The substantive motion (as amended and detailed below) was then put to the vote and agreed, with the following result:
“This Council notes the decision of the Department for Education to refuse to fund a primary school at Ashmole Academy and the impact this decision will have on school places in the borough of Enfield. This Council further notes the efforts of the Council to provide school places for the projected increase in population over the next decade and beyond and calls upon the Conservative led coalition Government to fully explain and reconsider why it failed to fund Ashmole school, disappointing so many Enfield families with this decision.”
For: 36
Against: 0
Abstentions: 20