Agenda item

Motion 1 in the name of Councillor Edward Smith

 

This Council agrees to resist residential developments on Tube Station car parks in Enfield that are not in conformity with the existing local plan on the grounds that these car parks encourage commuters to use public transport.

Motion 2 in the name of Councillor Maria Alexandrou

 

Cervical screening is a way for women to protect themselves from cancer. The sad reality is that fewer women are now having cervical screening. Last year 1.3m women didn’t attend NHS screenings. There are 3,200 new cases of cervical cancer every year and of those 870 women die from it.

 

According to CANCER RESEARCH UK 99.8% of cases are preventable. When Jade Goody fought her cancer battle, nearly 80% of women went for smear tests.10 years later, only 72% of women go. If this rate falls any lower, the rise in deaths will shoot up. In the case of Jade Goody, she ignored letters about her abnormal cells. She needed to go to hospital for surgery to remove those abnormal cells, surgery which most probably would have saved her life.

 

Many young women in their 20s and 30s are dying from cervical cancer and the tragedy is they are leaving behind their partners and young children.  We need to encourage everyone to look after their health and have regular check-ups.

 

Enfield Council therefore agrees to work together with other agencies for a local campaign on cervical cancer awareness and encourage women to attend that important screening test. It only takes 5 minutes at the doctor’s surgery and this test can save your life.

 

Motion 3 in the name of Councillor Aramaz

 

Enfield Council recognises that the Covid 19 Pandemic has disrupted the economy significantly.  Lockdown measures have meant that the UK economy had shrunk over 20% by the end of August 2020 in comparison to the previous three months.

 

This will inevitably mean that certain reforms must be made to the economy in order to avoid exacerbating the economic crisis. 

 

Since 2010, austerity measures were introduced and quantitative easing was used to stimulate the economy unsuccessfully.  By 2016, up to £445 billion was created and given to the financial markets whereby a minuscule 8% of the wealth trickled down to the real economy, toppling the trickle-down economics argument. In June 2020, this figure now stood at a total of £745billion.

 

Realistically, quantitative easing should be used not to aid the financial markets but to aid the real economy by investing into building homes, developing infrastructure and creating jobs.

 

Currently, Enfield Council finds itself at breaking point because of austerity measures introduced by the government.  Since 2010, the Council has lost more than 60% of its budget in real terms and cannot survive anymore. 

 

Therefore, Enfield Council demands that the government does not reintroduce austerity measures post-pandemic and instead embraces the opportunity to change society for the better by investing in the real economy.

 

Motion 4 in the name of Councillor Aramaz

 

The Council recognises that there are a huge number of Alevi and Kurdish people in the borough. It is acknowledged by the British Alevi Federation that the London Borough of Enfield has the highest amount of Alevis and Kurdish people living in one area in the United Kingdom.

 

Enfield public bodies do not currently have enough information about Alevis. More data would help inform the approach of the education, health, local government and general support towards the Alevi community. Lack of inclusion in the census indicates an underestimation and insufficient recognition of the Alevi community as well as inadequate resources directed towards them.

 

Enfield Council supports the campaign by the British Alevi Federation to include Alevism in the census. Data about minority groups is vital because underreporting could allow discrimination to go unnoticed.

 

Therefore, in order to not disenfranchise those that identify themselves as Alevi or Kurdish, Enfield Council will ask officers to explore the possibility to select Alevism as an independent faith option and Kurdish as an independent ethnicity option, when compiling council forms. Enfield Council should also explore the possibility of including other ethnic group as a category on council forms.

 

Motion 5 in the name of Councillor Hamilton

UNIONS and health professionals have condemned the government’s abolition of Public Health England (PHE) to replace it with an NHS management body.

The government’s decision followed Public Health England's criticism of the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and other issues.

They are replacing PHE with a National Institute for Health Protection.  The institute has been created without consultation and with no clear plans for the future of the NHS. It raises the risk of further private-sector encroachment on the service.

We are in the middle of a pandemic which is having a devastating effect on the economy and the nation’s health and instead of dealing with it the government is abolishing the very body responsible for public health.

We, the London Borough of Enfield urge the government to reverse this decision, to maintain Public Health England  to ensure that we have a binding commitment to  resource the national public health system with sufficient capacity, resilience and access to data, research and analysis over the long term to address all domains of public health effectively.

The decision to abolish PHE and set up the National Institute for Health Protection without consulting unions and considering the staff is another reckless move by this incompetent government.

Motion 6 in the name of Councillor Maguire

 

This Council notes the huge financial impact of the cost of dealing with the Covid 19 pandemic and statements from Government ministers that they would reimburse councils for those additional costs. Additional expenditure, loss of income and the impact on the savings programme is forecast to cost us a total of £64.3m. Funding received from the Government so far does not meet those additional costs.

 

This Council further notes that in the 10 years since 2010, funding from the Government has been cut by 60%, while demand for services has been increasing. Despite that, Enfield council had set a budget in February that was resilient and sustainable. The Council and Enfield residents should not be expected to shoulder the burden of the extra costs of dealing with Covid.

A large number of our residents and businesses have been adversely affected by the lockdown and it will take them a long time to recover.

 

In this period of economic uncertainty, what we need is the certainty of funding from the Government on a long-term, sustainable basis so that we can plan and budget with confidence. It is alarming, therefore, to hear rumours that the comprehensive spending review later this year will just cover one year. That will only add to the uncertainty. We call on the Government, therefore, to commit to funding the costs of Covid and to delivering long-term funding stability for this and other councils. 

 

Motion 7 in the name of Councillor Savva

 

Enfield condemns in the strongest possible way the unlawful killing and continued unfair treatment of Black lives. Racism has no place in Enfield or elsewhere in this Country and the World.

 

Those found to exercise or practice racism, if found guilty, should be punished with jail and or fines. 

 

Motion 8 in the name of Councillor Uddin

 

London Borough of Enfield is concerned about the impact of COVID-19 virus on all communities. However, we recognise that COVID-19 had disproportionately impacted our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.

 

Early on in the pandemic the Public Health team at Enfield Council was one of the first London Boroughs that carried out local data analysis to better understand who in our borough was being impacted by the virus.

 

1.            Death certificate data obtained from Enfield Registry demonstrated that people whose origin is from Somalia, Muslim, Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Ghana and Turkey had a high proportion of COVID-19 deaths.

 

2.            Local Enfield analysis observed that, 674 deaths of Enfield residents were reported between 15th March and 5^th May 2020 and 299 excess deaths (relative to previous years) were related to COVID-19.

 

3.            A high proportion of people who died from COVID-19 in Enfield were born in Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Asian (South Asian, East Asian) and African-Caribbean countries.

 

4.            Furthermore, certain occupational groups including drivers (bus, taxi), carpenters, health and social care professionals, childminders and careers had a higher risk of death due to COVID-19. People from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are more likely to work in these roles.

 

The impact on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities across the country has become increasingly clear with statistics from the Institute of Fiscal Studies and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing clear disproportionality. ONS figures show that black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than white men and women, after taking into account age and socio-demographic factors.

 

Enfield Council welcomes Public Health England’s recently published seven-point plan on how to better protect black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities from COVID-19. The Council urges / calls on the government to urgently implement the recommendations, before any future waves.

 

Motion 9 in the name of Councillor Caliskan

 

As of the 16th September 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of Covid-19 related deaths in Enfield was 392. According to NHS Digital, the number of Covid-19 cases in Enfield between 31st August and 13th September was 169. The real figures may well be a lot higher.

 

National and local data is indicating that the country may well be heading towards a second wave.

 

Enfield Council is concerned that the national testing system is not working fully and that Enfield residents have struggled to secure a test in recent weeks. The country desperately needs a functioning test, trace and isolate system if we are to prevent a devastating second wave.

 

Enfield Council calls on the Government to urgently fix the testing system and ensure that there is both testing and laboratory capacity to ensure everyone in our community, including those in care homes, are able to access a test and receive the results quickly.

 

The impact on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities across the country has become increasingly clear with statistics from the Institute of Fiscal Studies and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing clear disproportionality. ONS figures show that black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than white men and women, after taking into account age and socio-demographic factors.

Enfield Council welcomes Public Health England’s recently published seven-point plan on how to better protect black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities from COVID-19. The Council urges / calls on the government to urgently implement the recommendations, before any future waves.

Motion 10 in the name of Councillor Joanne Laban

 

The chamber gives heartfelt thanks to the Enfield Council staff involved in the response to the Covid19 pandemic. 

 

Motion 11 in the name of Councillor Joanne Laban

 

The Council supports the provision of meat options at its events and to exclude them is discriminatory against meat eaters. This chamber agrees that all Enfield Council events where catering is provided should include meat, vegetarian and vegan options to show its commitment to inclusivity.

 

Motion 12 in the name of Councillor Edward Smith

 

This Council agrees to review its recently published Climate Change Action Plan which set a target for the Council achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 because it is flawed and was not subject to adequate consultation for such an important and far reaching project. 

 

Councillor Caliskan proposed and Councillor Uddin seconded the following motion: 

 

As of the 16th September 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of Covid-19 related deaths in Enfield was 392. According to NHS Digital, the number of Covid-19 cases in Enfield between 31st August and 13th September was 169. The real figures may well be a lot higher.

 

National and local data is indicating that the country may well be heading towards a second wave.

 

Enfield Council is concerned that the national testing system is not working fully and that Enfield residents have struggled to secure a test in recent weeks. The country desperately needs a functioning test, trace and isolate system if we are to prevent a devastating second wave.

 

Enfield Council calls on the Government to urgently fix the testing system and ensure that there is both testing and laboratory capacity to ensure everyone in our community, including those in care homes, are able to access a test and receive the results quickly.

 

The impact on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities across the country has become increasingly clear with statistics from the Institute of Fiscal Studies and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showing clear disproportionality. ONS figures show that black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than white men and women, after taking into account age and socio-demographic factors.

Enfield Council welcomes Public Health England’s recently published seven-point plan on how to better protect black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities from COVID-19. The Council urges / calls on the government to urgently implement the recommendations, before any future waves.

 

During the debate Councillor Caliskan proposed and Councillor Anolue seconded a proposal to extend the time allowed for the discussion of motions for 5 minutes.

 

This was agreed without a vote.

 

At the end of the debate, the motion was unanimously agreed. 

 

The following motions lapsed under the guillotine arrangements:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,10 ,11 ,12.