Agenda and minutes

None.

The Worshipful the Mayor was present.

Ms Lisa Shendge was called upon by the Worshipful the Mayor and invited to speak to Council and say prayers.    

The minutes of the meetings held on 12 December 2017 were agreed as a correct record.

The Worshipful the Mayor thanked Members who attended the Holocaust Memorial Event.

The Worshipful the Mayor congratulated the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Mr Martin Russell, on the arrival of his first grandchild in December, a boy born on 16 December. He also congratulated the Council’s Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer, Anisa Darr, on the birth of her first child, a boy named Noah.

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that he had recently written to a number of Barnet residents to congratulate them on being recognised for their achievements and services to society in the New Year’s Honours list. Those who had been honoured were:

Medallists of the Order of the British Empire:

Adrian Mark Jacobs - Volunteer, Police Liaison, Metropolitan Police Service.  For services to Interfaith Relations and the community in the London Borough of Barnet

Miss Clare Beatrice McCarthy - Member, London and South Region, St John Fellowship.  For voluntary service to First Aid

Dr Chaim Olmer – For services to Holocaust Education

Mrs Freda Wineman – For services to Holocaust Education

Members of the Order of the British Empire:

AdetunjiAdeboyejo Akintokun – Director, Cisco Systems and Co-Director, Your Future, Your Ambition  For services to Young People from  Minority Ethnic Backgrounds in Science and Technology

Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Mordaunt Cohen, TD DL - For services to Second World War Education.

Shimon Fhima - Programme Director, HM Revenue and Customs. For services to Taxpayers

Bernd Koschland - For services to Holocaust Education

Mrs Moira Newton - For services to the Jewish Community in North London.

Neil Duncan Scott - Project Support Officer, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.  For public service.

Leonie Rachelle Lewis – Director and the Jewish Volunteering Network.  For services to the Jewish community.   

Sian John – Microsoft Executive Security Advisor.  For services to cybersecurity.

Officers of the Order of the British Empire:

Mrs Bernice Alda McCabe - Headmistress, North London Collegiate School, For services to Education.

The Worshipful the Mayor updated Members on arrangements for the ceremonial meeting to confer Freedom of the Borough on Saracens Rugby Club.  He stated that this follows the Council resolution on 12 December 2017.   He noted that the event would take place on 20 February at Hendon Town Hall with a 7pm start.   He thanked Members of Chipping Barnet and Finchley and Golders Green Area Planning Committees who had agreed to move their meetings that night to accommodate this event.   He requested that all Members of the Council hold the date and await a formal invitation.   He requested that a short turnaround noting that the RSVP date was 9 February.  He advised that it was important Members respond promptly to enable staff to manage event planning.

The Worshipful the Mayor reminded Council that he would hold an Inter-faiths service on 11 February at Mill Hill School at 3pm at which representatives of many faiths would participate and celebrate the diversity of religion in the Borough.  He invited everyone to attend.

The Worshipful the Mayor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

There was none.

Answers to the questions submitted were provided as a supplementary paper to the agenda.

Supplementary questions were then asked and answered within the allotted time given for the item.

The Leader, Councillor Richard Cornelius moved reception and adoption of the report. Debate ensued.

The recommendations as set out in the report were then put to the vote and unanimously agreed by Council.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the update report on progress of Barnet Children's Services Improvement Action Plan (Annex 1) be noted.

2.    That the Children’s Commissioners Report into Report into Children’s Social Care Services in the London Borough of Barnet (Annex 2) be noted.

3.    That the Statutory Direction from the Secretary of State for Education in respect of the London Borough of Barnet’s Children’s Services (Annex 3) be noted.

There were none.

Councillor John Marshall, Chairman of the Constitution, Ethics and Probity Committee, moved reception and adoption of the recommendations in the report. Debate ensued.

The recommendations as set out in the report were then put to the vote and unanimously agreed by Council.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Council approve the recommendations contained in the report from the Constitution Ethics & Probity Committee at Annexe 1A, and the track change versions attached at Appendix A to Appendix L.

2.    That the Monitoring Officer and Chief Legal Advisor be authorised to implement these revisions and publish a revised Constitution.

Councillor John Scannell Chairman of the General Functions Committee, moved reception and adoption of the recommendations in the report. Debate ensued.

The recommendations as set out in the report were then put to the vote and unanimously agreed by Council.

RESOLVED that Council approves the Annual Pay Policy Statement for the financial year 2018/19 as set out in Annex A to the report.

The recommendations as set out in the report were put to the vote and unanimously agreed by Council.

RESOLVED

1.  That the recommendation of the London Councils Leaders’ Committee for an overall level of expenditure of £8,668,000 in 2018/19, involving total borough contributions of £6,668,000 and a levy on Barnet of £292,953, be approved.

2.  That the Director of Finance be instructed to inform the Chief Executive of London Councils accordingly.

The Head of Governance introduced the report and the supplement to the report.    Council noted that both the Chipping Barnet Area Planning Committee and the Finchley and the Golders Green Area Planning Committee had both changed meeting dates from 20 February to 22 February 2018.

RESOLVED:

1.            That the Council note the changes to the Calendar of Meetings as set out in Appendix A and as referred to in the preamble above.

2.            That Council makes appointment to the Local Pension Board as listed in Appendix B.

3.            That Council confirm the Chief Executive as statutory proper officer births, marriages and deaths until the new Head of Customer Strategy and Programmes commences employment with the Council.

4.            That Council note Mr Kevin Bartle has been appointed as Acting Director of Finance (Chief Finance Officer / Section 151 Officer)

There were no questions.

Prior to the consideration of Council Motions, Full Council agreed to suspend Full Council Procedure Rules and amended the time available for each speaker.

Councillor Brian Gordon moved the motion in his name. 

Councillor Paul Edwards moved the amendment in the name of Councillor Pauline Coakley Webb.   Debate ensued.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Pauline Pauline Coakley Webbwas put to the vote.   This was unanimously agreed.

Upon being put to the vote the substantive motion was unanimously agreed.

RESOLVED that:

Council notes that the Government is undergoing consultations regarding the

teaching of subjects of sex, sexuality and relationships in schools and Council

welcomes this educational initiative.

Council is aware that there are aspects of the teaching of sex, sexuality and

relationships that would conflict with the ethos of some faith schools.

Council very much recognises and values the diversity of faith schools within this Borough, notes the excellent achievements of many of them and would not wish to see these schools undermined.

Council calls on the Government to allow faith schools to deal with the teaching of the said subjects in a manner consistent with their religious ethos, including the promotion of tolerance and to ensure the safeguarding of children.

Council calls on the Government to ensure the Department of Education allows for this in its pending guidelines and to call on OFSTED inspectors to be sensitive and understanding of this when carrying out their inspections.

Councillor Barry Rawlings moved the motion in his name.  Debate ensued.  Upon being put to the vote the motion was unanimously agreed

RESOLVED that:

Council notes the collapse of the giant outsourcing firm Carillion earlier this month following financial problems, a number of profit warnings, the departure of its Chief Executive and a drastic plunge in its share price.

Council notes the uncertainty and concern this causes for thousands of Carillion's workers, the small businesses in its supply chain, the projects it was contracted to deliver, and the public who use the services it was contracted to provide.

Council notes LB Barnet's use of mass outsourcing contracts to provide critical back-office, regulatory and other services, and therefore requests that the Policy & Resources Committee receives a report on what contingency plans are in place should anything similar happen to outsourced services in Barnet.

Councillor Melvin Cohen moved the motion in his name.  Councillor Jim Tierney moved the amendment in his name. Debate ensued.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Jim Tierney was put to the vote.

Votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment was declared lost.

The motion in the name of Councillor Melvin Cohen was then put to the vote and recorded as follows:

The Motion was declared carried.

RESOLVED that:

Council expresses grave reservations about the content of the London Mayor’s Draft London Plan and its implications for Barnet. It is another example of this Mayor imposing inner London solutions on outer London problems.

The Draft Plan’s overarching theme is to cram as much small, high-density housing into as much available land as possible, even if this means building in people’s back gardens. To achieve this, the Draft Plan removes all reference to the housing density matrix and states that minimum space standards should not be exceeded. Council considers this hypocritical from a Mayor who so loudly condemned ‘rabbit hutch’ homes.

Council also notes the Draft Plan is entirely bereft of targets for family homes. Mayor Boris Johnson’s housing strategy, by contrast, had a target for 36% of affordable homes to be family sized — but the current London Mayor told the London Assembly this month he considered a two-bedroom flat to be a family home.

Council calls on the Leader to make known these objections to the London Mayor.

Councillor Kath McGuirk moved the motion in her name.  Councillor Hugh Rayner moved the amendment in his name.  Councillor Tim Roberts moved an amendment in his name.

During debate, Councillor Hugh Rayner moved, that under Council Procedure Rule 10.9 moved, "that the question be now put".  This was seconded by Councillor Reuben Thompstone.  Votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment in the name of Councillor Tim Roberts was put to the vote.

Votes were recorded as follows:

At least ten members called for a formal division on the voting. Upon the vote being taken, the results of the division were declared as follows:

The amendment was declared lost.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Hugh Rayner was put to the vote.

Votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment was declared carried. 

RESOLVED that:

Council notes a campaign has been launched to prevent the proposed conversion of North Finchley Post Office into a franchise and to maintain it as Crown Post Office. Council notes this will result in a reduced service with longerqueues and waiting times for customers.

Since the mass closure of Crown Post Offices began under the previous

Labour government, some 97% are now franchises, leading in many cases to longer opening hours and greater convenience for customers. Indeed, despite Labour members’ involvement in the campaign against the closure of East Finchley Crown Post Office in 2014, Council notes that the franchise is now open for longer. It is also open on Sundays, unlike North Finchley Post Office.

Council notes a Financial Times report on East Finchley Post Office, published on 15th August 2016, which described how “Customers appear satisfied with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.6

The Mayor requested the motion in the name of Councillor Reuben Thompstone be put to the vote.  This was unanimously agreed.

RESOLVED that:

Barnet has some of the highest-performing and most desirable schools in the country, built on foundations of educational excellence and a holistic approach to pupil welfare.

Council recognises this and invites good and outstanding schools in Barnet to use their experience and excellent processes — particularly in dealing with cyber bulling and the abuse of social networks — to contribute to LBC Radio’s Anti-Bullying Charter, led by presenter Nick Ferrari.

The Charter states that:

1.            Cyberbullying should be a compulsory part of PSHE education;

2.            Social media sites need to have clearer signposting to sources of support such as ChildLine, the Samaritans and other charities. These signposts should be clear and child friendly;

3.            We want to see strengthening of age verification measures for social media sites;

4.            All schools should have a secure area where pupils could call or email ChildLine if they are feeling victimised or bullied;

5.            Schools to host an annual session for parents to help understand how to help children who are being cyber-bullied.

Council calls on the Leader of the Council to write to Barnet’s good and outstanding schools encouraging them to adopt the Anti-Bullying Charter and contribute to best practice over its implementation.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Barry Rawlings was put to the vote.   Votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment was declared lost

The motion in the name of Councillor David Longstaff was put to the vote.  Votes were recorded as follows. 

The Motion was declared carried.

RESOLVED that:

Council is concerned about the loss of front desk services, the loss of a base for police officers and the reduced visibility of a police presence in the north of our borough. 

Labour closed Barnet Police Station’s front desk services on 14th December 2017.  The rest of the building will close in the coming months.

Almost every police officer serving the borough will be based at Colindale Police Station. This will significantly undermine the ability of local neighbourhood teams to operate effectively and efficiently in the areas for which they have responsibility.

Residents living in the east of the borough are also now as far from their only police station as they are to Edmonton’s — a half hour drive or hour’s bus journey… on a good day.

Council understands the Metropolitan Police Service need to make savings and operate efficiently, whilst maintaining public confidence and effectiveness. The closure of Barnet Police Station is not the way to do this. The full cost of closure, the replacement of secure facilities, IT and Communication infrastructure alongside the wasted travel time has not been fully calculated.

The police station reinforces to the public that there is a strong, visible and reassuring police presence and deterrent in the north of our borough. It is a place for officers to meet privately, write-up reports and to de-stress after harrowing events. It is also a building where other police services reside and officers are seen working in an active police station.

The previous London Mayor delivered efficiency savings and kept Barnet Police Station open. He also allocated £300 million of the £400 million savings the Mayor claims he has to make. Labour’s decision is unjustified and will put the public in harm’s way.

Council calls on the Leader of the Council to write to the London Mayor and ask him to re-evaluate his decision to close the station as it is putting Barnet residents’ safety at risk, the police officers’ safety and health at risk and increasing the fear of crime across Barnet.

The amendment in the name of the Leader, Councillor Richard Cornelius, was put to the vote.  Votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment was declared carried.   The substantive motion was then put to the vote and was unanimously agreed.

RESOLVED that:

Council acknowledges that two million Londoners experience poor mental health, which equates to 62,500 people in each borough, and that London’s suicide rate increased by 33 per cent from 552 to 735 incidents between 2014 and 2015 – the highest figure recorded by the Office for National Statistics since records began.

Council understands that employment for Londoners with a mental health problem is 31 per cent lower than the UK average and that the financial cost of mental ill-health is approximately £700 million for each London borough.

Council notes that overall rates of individual mental health problems are higher in Barnet than London and England, and the rate of detention for a mental health condition is significantly higher than the London or England averages. In light of this Council applauds the decision taken by the Government to create a Minister for Loneliness on the advice of the Jo Cox Commission on

Loneliness, as well as the £15 million extra mental health funding made available, but recognises we also have a role to play.

Council therefore reaffirms its commitment to approach mental health and wellbeing as a key priority and to work collaboratively with partners within and outside the borough to address and tackle mental ill-health across our communities.

To this end Council commits to investigating the case for supporting Thrive LDN, the mental health organisation led by the London Health Board, and how this could improve the mental health of Barnet residents.