Agenda item

15.1    Urgent Questions (Part 4 - Paragraph 9.2.(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.  A supplementary question is not permitted.

15.2    Councillors’ Questions (Part 4 – Paragraph 9.2(a) of Constitution – Page 4 - 8)

The list of forty eight questions and their written responses are attached to the agenda.

1.1           Urgent Questions

The following urgent question was received and the following response provided: 

Question from Councillor Neville to Councillor Taylor

1.a     Does he agree with me that the report from Lord Adonis’ National Infrastructure Commission on Crossrail 2, is an extremely welcome development for Enfield and for London as a whole.  It will particularly assist the eastern corridor and has the potential to transform Enfield both economically and geographically, making the borough an even better place to live and/or work.

1.b     Does he agree with me that the Chancellor’s budget statement agreeing to the next stage of funding is to be welcomed but that it is now in Enfield’s best interests to seek to secure the optional spur route to New Southgate which will offer maximum benefits to both Enfield and Barnet and should be vigorously pursued?

Reply from Councillor Taylor

Could I thank Councillor Neville for his question and I am pleased that he supports the principles behind Crossrail 2 (CR2).

I am clear that transport improvements are a necessary catalyst for beneficial growth and improvement. That is why I agreed to serve on the West Anglia task force chaired by Sir Alan Haselhurst. Getting an initial improvement in the line as a result of this work will dramatically assist the case for CR2 and good progress has been made in making the case.

In response to question 1.a:        

The Council is supportive of the central finding of the infrastructure Commission’s independent report that Crossrail 2 should be taken forward as a priority, subject to the wider recommendations within the report. The Commission recommended that sufficient development funds should be released so that a hybrid Bill for Crossrail 2 can be prepared, beginning with a revised business case to be submitted by March 2017.

Crossrail 2 has the potential to bring transformational physical and economic change across a significant part of Enfield and north London. It would help regenerate some of London’s most deprived communities and support the delivery of thousands of new homes and jobs.

Enfield has the capacity to grow and improve if the essential supporting transport and other social infrastructure are in place. The Council has commenced a review of its Local Plan to respond to the predicted and unprecedented rate of population growth and the need for new homes, infrastructure and jobs. 

The Council has been at the forefront of proactive engagement in contributing to the ongoing case building for Crossrail 2 and is working closely with the Mayor's Crossrail2 Growth Commission to explore further the potential for growth in the borough arising from Crossrail 2. The commission is due to visit us for a fourth time in April.

In response to question 1b:         

The Council welcomes the Chancellor’s announcement of an £80 million contribution to preparing the business case for Crossrail 2 but it falls short of the total funding required. This amount is required to be matched by Transport for London from various funding streams.

Given the recommendations of the National Infrastructure Commission to delay the delivery of the north western spur to New Southgate from 2030 until 2034 on viability grounds it is in best interests of residents for us to work closely with adjoining authorities to promote the New Southgate spur, which has been supported by Transport for London (TfL) for strong technical reasons.

Cross-borough meetings (Barnet/Enfield/Haringey) to discuss growth assumptions at New Southgate linked to Crossrail 2 are continuing, working in coordination with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and TfL Crossrail 2 project team. We believe that the New Southgate line is essential for improved rail access into central London and to reduce pressure on the existing tube services.

Discussions are about the range of challenges for releasing the growth potential in the area, especially in terms of coordinating the timing/phasing of growth with the delivery of infrastructure, the mechanisms available to control such growth and the challenges associated with cross-borough planning. The GLA suggested that the New Southgate area could be established as an Opportunity Area in the next iteration of the London Plan, which could help address some of these issues.

We have already set up a meeting with the Chief Executives of Barnet and Haringey and a cross borough officer working group will meet this week to build upon our previous submissions.

I trust that I can rely upon the continued support of the Opposition on CR2 and that in due course it will bring the benefits we all anticipate.

No supplementary questions were permitted. 

1.2           Questions by Councillors

NOTED the forty eight questions and their written responses provided by the relevant Cabinet members. 

Additional information provided in response to Question 23