Agenda and minutes

The Mayor’s Chaplain offered prayer.

RESOLVED - That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 March 2014 be approved as a correct record.

There were none.

Councillor Bridget Perry the Deputy Mayor moved the following resolution:

“That we the Members of the Council of the London Borough of Barnet, hereby express to The Worshipful the Mayor, Councillor Melvin Cohen, our appreciation of the excellent service he has rendered to the London Borough of Barnet as its Mayor during the period May 2013 to May 2014, and for the friendly and conscientious way in which he has performed the duties of that office.

We offer him our sincere gratitude for the concern that he has shown at all times in promoting the welfare of the Borough and its residents, particularly for his willingness to support the many organisations and individuals who called on his time and services during his Mayoralty. 

We congratulate him on the success of his appeals for two charities; Firstly Kisharon, a charity which assists the Jewish Community by helping to provide support to people with learning difficulties and their families. Also  the Mayor of Barnet’s Armed Forces Welfare Fund which helps support members of the British Armed Forces who have suffered life changing injuries while on operations. The fund is primarily intended to provide assistance to service men and women with a connection to the borough or the two Territorial Army units based in Barnet.”

The foregoing resolution is to engrossed over the common seal of the corporation and presented to The Worshipful Mayor at the Annual Meeting.

There was none.

With the consent of the Worshipful the Mayor, Councillor Alison Moore read out the following statement.

“I understand that no Member of the Labour Group is currently in arrears with their Council Tax.

However I do understand that a Member of the Labour Group was alleged to have not paid their Council Tax by the due date. We obviously expect the highest standards from our Councillors and we are investigating the circumstances in order to take appropriate action. It would not be appropriate to name the individual at this stage.”

The questions, together with the answers provided and the text of any supplementary questions and answers, are set out in Appendix 1 to the minutes.

Councillor Richard Cornelius moved the Administration Business Item in his name. Councillor Lord Palmer moved Councillor Jack Cohen’s amendment. Councillor Ross Houston moved his amendment. Debate ensued. Upon being put to the vote, the amendment in the name of Councillor Jack Cohen was declared lost. Upon being put to the vote, the amendment in the name of Councillor Ross Houston was declared lost. Upon being put to the vote the Administration Business Item in the name of Richard Cornelius was declared carried. 

RESOLVED - Council welcomes the latest economic figures, which continue to tell a positive story about the nation’s progress. The forecast for growth in GDP in 2014 has been revised up to 2.7%, inflation has fallen to a four-year low of 1.7% and the deficit is down by a third. Council believes this is a vindication of the government’s approach, but recognises that there is still much to be done.

Council further welcomes the measures set out in the Budget, which will help the residents of Barnet:

·         Raising the Personal Allowance to £10,500 by next year – lowering income tax for hardworking people and complementing our local tax cutting policy.

·         Help for savers by increasing the ISA limit to £15,000 a year and abolishing the 10p tax rate on savings income.

·         Flexible pensions – allowing people to receive their pensions how and when they like, without punitive tax restrictions.

·         A 20% tax break on childcare for working households, worth up to £2,000 per year.

·         Frozen fuel duty, contributing to the fall in inflation and helping people with living costs.

Council particularly welcomes the mentions of Barnet in this year’s Budget and the government support announced for two of our major regeneration projects. Council believes this to be a reflection of the Conservative administration’s ambition, hard work and record for getting things done.

·         Grahame Park – investment for regeneration and new homes, channelled through the Mayor of London, which may allow the council to bring forward the rebuilding of the concourse by as much as three years, helping create a better living environment for residents.

·         Brent Cross Cricklewood – highlighted by the Chancellor as a key scheme. Government support will help the council deliver new homes and new jobs for the Borough. The council can now look to achieve an innovative funding scheme to deliver a new Thameslink Station to serve the area.

Council welcomes the fact that there are now three tiers of Conservative government (the council, the Mayor of London and Whitehall) all working together to ensure new homes and new jobs for Barnet and calls upon the administration to continue to collaborate with the other stakeholders in order to capitalise upon this Budget for Barnet and get on and deliver these schemes.

Councillor Alison Moore moved the Opposition Business Item in her name. Councillors Jack Cohen, Anne Hutton and Barry Rawlings moved their amendments.  Councillor Alison Moore accepted the amendments. Debate ensued. Upon being put to the vote the amendment in the name of Councillor Jack Cohen was declared lost. Upon being put to the vote the amendment in the name of Councillor Anne Hutton was declared lost. Upon being put to the vote the amendment in the name of Councillor Barry Rawlings was declared lost. Upon being put to the vote the Opposition Business Item was declared lost.

Councillor Joan Scannell, duly seconded, moved under Council Procedure Rule 6.3, that the order of business relating to Agenda Item 3 be varied so that Non-Executive Business Item 3.4 be heard first.  Upon being put to the vote, the Motion was declared carried.

RESOLVED – That the order of business be varied to allow Non-Executive Business Item 3.4 to be debated and voted upon in advance of votes being taken on the other Non-Executive Business Items on the Agenda.

Councillor Andrew Harper moved the Non-Executive Business Item in his name. Councillors Anne Hutton and Brian Coleman moved their amendments. Councillor Coleman accepted Councillor Brian Salinger’s request that Oakleigh School be included in his amendment. Upon being put to the vote the amendment in the name of Councillor Anne Hutton was declared lost. Upon being put to the vote the amendment in the name of Councillor Brian Coleman was declared lost.  Upon being put to the vote the Non-Executive Business Item in the name of Councillor Andrew Harper was declared carried.

RESOLVED - Council welcomes the latest Ofsted data which shows that 90% of Barnet’s schools are rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ and that these schools comprise 93% of all places. Council further welcomes the fact that Barnet has 47 schools rated as ‘Outstanding’, more than any other London Borough.

Council notes that more than 90% of our schools are rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ in each of the following areas: overall effectiveness; pupil achievement; behaviour; quality of teaching; and leadership.

Council further notes that in 2009 83% of our schools were ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ and welcomes the improvement over the last council cycle.

When the Conservatives took over control of the council in 2002, education services were in significant trouble. Council welcomes the fact that our schools are now seen as a huge strength of the Borough by parents and families. Council notes that:

·         90% of our schools are ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’.

·         Barnet is placed in the top 5% of local authorities nationally for GCSE results.

·         Barnet has 3 of the top 10 state secondary schools in the country, including those ranked first and second.

·         £55m has been invested in providing new school places. Council is set to add another 1300 places this year, meaning we will have created 7852 over the last five years.

Council recognises that Barnet’s diversity of schools including faith schools and grammar schools, alongside academies, exciting new free schools and LA maintained schools, is a large part of the success of our school system. Council asks the administration to commit to protecting the status of faith schools, grammar schools and free schools from those who would seek to remove them or undermine their models of education.

Council congratulates the schools, their Head Teachers, staff and pupils for their hard work and achievements and calls on the council to work with them to ensure that our children and young people continue to receive the very best education possible.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 23.5 the Non-Executive Business item in the name of Councillor Brian Coleman was referred directly to the Policy and Resources Committee for consideration and any necessary action.

Councillor Andrew Strongolou moved the Non-Executive Business Item in his name. In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 23.5, the item was vote on without discussion. Councillors Brian Coleman and Geof Cooke moved their amendments. Upon being put to the vote the Non-Executive Business Item in the name of Councillor Andrew Strongolou was declared carried.

RESOLVED - Council welcomes the significant local reductions in crime, with overall crime down 11% from February 2013 to February 2014. Council notes that Barnet has some of the largest reductions in burglary (down 21%) and robbery (down 33.5%) in London over the last year, meaning 747 fewer households were victims of burglary. Council further notes the substantial reduction in serious youth violence (down 18%) and knife crime (down 24%) and thanks the Police for their efforts in this regard.

Council believes our partnership with the Police, through the Safer Communities Partnership Board, is vitally important in achieving and sustaining such falls in crime and in securing the Borough as a safe place to live, work and study. Council therefore welcomes the council’s collaboration with the Police in introducing the new and improved CCTV service and, alongside it, Automatic Number-Plate Recognition technology.

Council also believes that the public must have a strong partnership with our Police force. Council therefore recommends the extension of body-cams to Police Officers in Barnet, noting the positive effects such cameras would have for both the Police and the public. Body-cams would aid the collection of evidence and protect officers from false allegations of misconduct. Conversely, they would reassure the public and provide evidence in any allegations made against the Police. Council recognises that their use would need to be carefully regulated in order to protect civil liberties.

Council calls on the Administration to work with the Police towards these ends.

Councillor Pauline Coakley Webb moved the Non-Executive Business Item in her name. Councillors Brian Coleman, Kate Salinger, Barry Rawlings and Arjun Mittra moved their amendments. Upon being put to the vote the amendment in the name of Councillor Brian Coleman was declared carried. Upon being put to the vote the amendment in the name of Councillor Barry Rawlings was declared lost. Upon being put to the vote the amendment in the name of Councillor Arjun Mittra was declared lost.

At least ten Members called for a formal division on the voting on the amendment in the in the name of Councillor Arjun Mittra. Upon the vote being taken the results of the Division were declared as follows:

Upon being put to the vote the substantive Non-Executive Business Item as amended by Councillor Kate Salinger was declared carried.

RESOLVED - Council notes the recent celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of Friern Barnet Library and congratulates the library on its success in being transformed into a Community Library as well as its longevity.

Council believes that the Friern Barnet Community Library will enjoy a long and happy future, recognising the wonderful work achieved there by the trustees and volunteers.

Council looks forward to the review of the Asset Strategy which will enable Council to grant the library a long lease.

Council believes that this lease will be long enough to enable the library to secure the necessary funding to assist in its development.

Council therefore calls on the administration to consider the outcome of the review and act accordingly to support the library.

Councillor Rowan Quigley Turner moved the Non-Executive Business Item in his name. Councillor Brian Coleman moved his amendment. In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 23.5, the item was voted on without discussion. Upon being put to the vote the amendment in the name of Councillor Brian Coleman was declared lost. Upon being put to the vote the Non-Executive Business Item in the name of Councillor Rowan Quigley Turner was declare carried.

RESOLVED -  Council notes the latest performance figures for the Customer Support Group (CSG) and welcomes the fact that they show the One Barnet contracts are performing well and that services are improving. Council notes that:

·         Customer satisfaction with Customer Services has already increased by 15% to 74%.

·         There has been a 13% increase in the proportion of calls resolved at the point of first contact.

·         £3.4m in procurement savings have already been identified, ahead of the target.

·         86% of HR queries are resolved at the point of first contact, compared to 73% previously.

·         The collection rate for the Council Tax Support Scheme has exceeded its target by more than 10% and Business Rate collection now exceeds 99%.

Council recognises that delivering high quality services, in a climate of reduced funding, was the key driver behind the One Barnet transformation programme.

Council notes that the many bundles that make up One Barnet will deliver combined savings of £275m over ten years. Council welcomes the fact that 77% of savings so far have come from the back office and management costs. Council further notes that within the overall programme there are many different methods of service delivery:

·         In-house e.g. the new recycling service was brought back in-house and has seen tonnages increase substantially.

·         Outsourcing e.g. the CSG contract and Re joint venture. Together, they account for 8% of the council’s budget (formerly 11% pre-transformation). These contracts are set to deliver combined savings of £165m over ten years.

·         Shared services e.g. Public Health with Harrow. Barnet is now ranked 4^th nationally for tackling health inequalities.

·         Working with charitable trusts e.g. to deliver music services to schools.

·         Engaging the community e.g. the Community Coaches scheme, which worked with residents facing significant life challenges and managed to reduce healthcare costs by 73% and homelessness by 80% within the first target group.

Council recognises that all these models focus on improving services whilst delivering efficiency.

Council recognises that funding challenges will continue for many years and therefore calls upon the council administration to continue in its drive to improve services and cut costs.

There was none.

There was none

The Worshipful the Mayor in accordance with the Constitution moved that the period for the transaction of business be extended to 10:30pm.

The Worshipful the Mayor, Councillor Melvin Cohen (Chairman of the Constitution, Ethic and Probity Committee) introduced the report and moved adoption and reception. Councillor Joan Scannell moved the following corrections to the report.

1.         Page 8 - 4.4.18: currently reads

“Chief Officers, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer (section 151 officer), should be encouraged to explore all feasible.”

Amendment: Delete ‘be encouraged’

Revised wording;

 “Chief Officers, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer (section 151 officer), should to explore all feasible.”

2.         Page 11 - Appendix 1, Table A: currently reads

Appendix 1, Table A (2nd bullet point) Amend to read “Transactions between £25,000 and £100,000…..

Amendment: change £25,000 to 25,2001

Appendix 1, Table A (2nd bullet point)  Amend to read “Transactions between £25,001 and £100,000…..

3.         Page 11 - Appendix 1, Table A:

After ‘….in consultation with the Chairman of the appropriate Committee…’

Add: ‘This should apply to all sections of the table’

Subject to the above corrections, upon being put to the recommendations were declared carried.

RESOLVED - That subject to the corrections above the recommendations of the Constitution, Ethics and Probity Committee as set out in the report dated the 24 March 2014 be approved.

1.         COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT VEHICLE FOR LONDON PENSION FUNDS

The Head of Governance introduced the item. Debate ensued. Councillor Lord Palmer, seconded by Councillor Jack Cohen moved an amendment that the item be referred back to the Pension Fund Committee for further consideration. In view of Councillor Lord Palmer’s proposal, Councillor Brian Coleman confirmed he was withdrawing his amendment. Upon being put to the vote, the amendment was declared lost. Upon being put to the vote the recommendations as set out in the report were declared carried.

            RESOLVED - That the Council

1.         Agree to become a shareholder in a private company limited by shares which will be incorporated to be the Authorised Contractual Scheme Operator (the ACS Operator”) of the Common Investment Vehicle;

2.         Contribute £1 to the ACS Operator as initial capital;

3.         Agree to join the London Boroughs “Pensions CIV Joint Committee”, to be formed under section 102 of the Local Government Act 1972 and to delegate to such Joint Committee those functions necessary for the proper functioning of the           ACS Operator, including the effective oversight of the ACS Operator and the appointment of Directors.

2.         CHANGE TO HR REGULATIONS

            HR Regulations

Under section 2.2 of the HR regulations included within the Constitution titled “varying terms and conditions of employment” after the first paragraph to insert:

“Where an Individual Market Factor Supplement is to be included for a position on grades LBB1 to LBB7 The Head of Paid Service, Directors or Assistant Directors must consult with the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and record the results of that consultation through a Delegated Powers Report”.

RESOLVED - That Council note the change to section 2.2 of the HR Regulations as outlined above.

There was none

1.         From Councillor Brian Coleman

Was Councillor Coakley-Webb happy with the way the Trustees at their autumn meeting went about appointing a Foundation Governor for QE Boys School?

Response from Councillor Pauline Coakley Webb, Council Representative Endowment Fund of the Schools of Queen Elizabeth the First, Barnet.

The vote was democratic and that is what democracy is about.

2.         From Councillor Brian Coleman

Will he update Council on the business conducted at the last meeting of NLWA on Feb 13th, assuming he bothered to attend?

Response from Councillor Dean Cohen – Council Representative on the North London Waste Authority.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the last NLWA meeting due to a family commitment abroad. If any member is interested at seeing what was discussed at the meeting they are perfectly entitled to look at the minutes online.