Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Lisa Rutter, Councillor Gill Sargeant and Councillor Dr Devra Kay.

The Worshipful the Mayor was present.

The Mayor’s chaplain, Reverend Tristan Chapman, offered prayers.

The following members declared an interest:

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 July 2016 were agreed as a correct record.

The Worshipful the Mayor paid tribute to the late Shimon Peres on behalf of Council, who had died on 28^th September 2016. The Worshipful the Mayor noted that Shimon Peres was the ninth President of Israel and served from 2007-2014. He further noted that he was also a Nobel Peace prize laureate, having been awarded the honour for his role in the efforts to create peace in the Middle East through the Oslo Accords. A book of condolence had been made available at the Town Hall following his passing. 

The Worshipful the Mayor informed Council that, further to the letter sent to the Queen wishing her Council’s best wishes for her 90^th birthday, Council had received a letter of thanks from the Queen.

The Worshipful the Mayor paid tribute to Sir Sigmund Sternberg, who had recently passed away aged 95. He noted that Sir Sigmund had been a renowned interfaith activist and philanthropist, and played a leading role in many Jewish communal institutions. He had been a long-time President of Reform Judaism, and the Sternberg Centre in Finchley – where the movement for Reform Judaism is based – had been named in his honour.

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that the Battle of the Somme Commemoration Service would be taking place on 6^th November 2016.

The Worshipful the Mayor informed Council that in respect to the planting of snowdrops, which is undertaken by the Mayor on an annual basis at local schools to recognise those children killed in the holocaust, arrangements were to be confirmed shortly.

The Worshipful the Mayor informed Council that he had recently attended the ‘Long Service Awards’, which recognised staff who had been working for the authority for an extended period of time. The Worshipful the Mayor, on behalf of Council, thanked those who had received the awards for the hard work they had done for, and contribution that they made to, the borough.

The Worshipful the Mayor, on behalf of Council, congratulated Councillor Adam Langleben who had recently got engaged. He congratulated Councillor Jess Brayne who recently got married. The Worshipful the Mayor also congratulated Councillor Rebecca Challice, who recently gave birth to a baby boy, who has been named Stanley.

The Worshipful the Mayor informed Council that the audio of the meeting would be streamed live through the council’s website, and that the recording of the meeting would be available following the meeting for a limited period of time.

The Mayor moved the following resolution:

That the Council of the London Borough of Barnet hereby place on record their sincere appreciation for the dedicated service to local government and to the residents of Barnet rendered over a period of 30 years by Councillor Jack Cohen.

Councillor Jack Cohen was Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet in the Municipal Year of 1999 to 2000, and has served as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats Group in the London Borough of Barnet from the years 1995-1999 and 2008 to date.

He has previously served as Chairman of the:

·         Town Planning and Research Committee (later became the Planning and Environment Committee)

·         Central Area Development and Protection Committee

·         Central Area Planning sub-committee (later known as the Finchley and Golders Green Development and Protection sub-committee)

·         Recreation and Operations Committee

·         Development and Protection Committee

·         Golders Green and Childs Hill Area Forum

Councillor Jack Cohen is currently a member of the Licensing Committee and has served on numerous other council committees including:

·         Golders Green Area Forum (Vice-Chairman)

·         Education Joint Consultative Committee

·         Education Committee

·         Standards Committee

·         Special Committee to deal with Constitution

·         School Organisation Committee

·         Policy and Resources Committee

·         Education and Children’s Scrutiny Committee

·         Policy and Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee

·         Cabinet Overview and Scrutiny Committee

·         Pension Fund Committee

·         Teachers Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committee

·         Chief Officers Appointments Committee

·         Direct Services Organisation Executive Committee

·         Public Works Committee

·         Corporate Joint Negotiation and Consultation Committee

·         Allotments Committee

·         Land and Buildings Executive Committee (later became the Economic Development and Land Committee)

·         Education Act 1980 Appeal Committee

·         Appeals Committee

·         Scrutiny Commission (Planning and Environment)

·         Works and General Purposes sub-committee (later became the Schools and General Purposes sub-committee)

·         Youth and Community Services sub-committee

·         Awards Appeals sub-committee

·         Business Management Overview and Scrutiny sub-committee

·         Corporate Health and Safety JNCC

·         Constitution, Ethics and Probity Committee

·         Child Minder and Residential Homes Management Committee

·         Ratification and Operations Committee

He has also served on various planning committees covering the Finchley & Golders Green constituency during his tenure, most recently having served on the Finchley and Golders Green Area Planning Committee.

He has also served on several panels, including: the Teachers and Lecturers Consultative Needs Panel; Special Educational Needs Panel; Teachers Grievance Panel; and Childminder & Residential Homes Management Registration Panel.

He also served on the Standing Advisory Committee for Religious Education.

He is currently a Local Authority Governor for St. Agnes Catholic Primary School.

Council extend their gratitude for his commitment to the residents of Childs Hill Ward and of the London Borough of Barnet and for his continued striving to represent their best interests.

RESOLVED that Council unanimously agreed the motion.

Following agreement of the motion, Councillor Jack Cohen was asked to come forward to the dais and receive a framed, signed velum from the Mayor. Councillor Jack Cohen then gave some words of thanks.

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.

There were none.

There were none.

Each of the reports from committees were dealt with under the relevant sub-item.

Councillor Dean Cohen, Chairman of the Environment Committee, moved reception and adoption of the recommendations in the report. Debate ensued.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Alan Schneiderman was put to the vote*:

* The Mayor noted that Councillor Eva Greenspan was not present when the vote was put, meaning that her vote would not be counted.

The amendment was therefore lost.

The recommendations as set out in the report were then put to the vote. Votes were recorded as follows:

The recommendations in the report were therefore declared carried.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Council approved the progression of the Alternative Delivery Model project towards the Revised Outline Business Case (OBC2), which will also be submitted for approval to a future Environment Committee.

2.    That Council approved the recommended options shortlist for further consideration in the Revised Outline Business Case (OBC2):

·         In-house service delivery with management support from The Barnet Group;

·         Transfer service delivery to The Barnet Group as a Local Authority Trading Company;

·         Outsource service delivery to an external provider(s);

·         Share service delivery with a neighbouring local authority.

3.    That Council approved a public consultation on the recommended options shortlist (as above) to inform the Revised Outline Business Case (OBC2).

The Mayor noted that the recommendations in the report should not just be to note the report, but to note and approve the report. Members were asked to consider this when determining the recommendations.

Councillor Brian Salinger, Chairman of the Audit Committee, moved reception and adoption of the recommendations in the report. Debate ensued.

The recommendations as set out in the report were unanimously agreed by Council, and were therefore declared carried.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Council noted and approved the Annual Report of the Audit Committee for 2015-16.

Councillor Brian Salinger, Chairman of the Local Pension Board, moved reception and adoption of the recommendations in the report. Debate ensued.

The recommendations as set out in the report were unanimously agreed by Council, and were therefore declared carried.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Council noted and approved the Annual Report of the Audit Committee for 2015-16.

There was one officer report which was dealt with under the relevant sub-item.

The Head of Governance introduced the report. He noted that since the publication of the agenda members had confirmed an additional date for the Assets, Regeneration and Growth Committee, which s 28^th November 2016.

It was further noted that there was a supplementary paper to the item, which laid out a proposed change to committee membership of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee – this was circulated to all members.

The recommendations as set out in the report were unanimously agreed by Council, and were therefore declared carried.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Council noted the changes to the Calendar of Meetings 2016/17 as outlined in Appendix A.

2.    That Council approved the change to the membership of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee as outlined in the supplementary Appendix B.

There were none.

Upon the commencement of the part 4 of the meeting, which took place after a scheduled break, Councillor Barry Rawlings, seconded by Councillor Kath McGuirk, immediately moved a motion that the ‘motions now be put’. During the time that this motion was raised, more members arrived into the Chamber. Under Full Council Procedure Rule 5.4 the Mayor ruled the motion out of order.

The Mayor then called on the Group Secretaries to state which motions they wished to put forward for debate.

The Labour Group Secretary stated that of the three motions put forward by the Opposition, the Opposition had chosen to debate the motion at 15.3 – the Opposition Motion in the name of Councillor Reema Patel (Social Care Crisis in Barnet).

The Conservative Group Secretary stated that they wished to debate the motion at 15.4 – the Administration Motion in the name of Councillor Richard Cornelius (STPs and local political involvement in health and social care integration).

The Mayor noted that under Council Procedure Rule 23.5 the Opposition Motion in the name of Arjun Mittra (agenda item 15.2) would be referred to the Policy and Resources Committee for consideration.

For the remainder of the meeting, Councillor Dean Cohen was not present.

Councillor Reema Patel moved the Motion in her name. Councillor Sachin Rajput moved his amendment. Debate ensued.

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

The amendment was therefore carried.

The substantive motion was then put to the vote. Votes were recorded as follows:

The motion was therefore carried, and the following was RESOLVED:

As Barnet's Graph of Doom so clearly expressed, there is a crisis in social care in Barnet caused by an increasingly ageing population with more complex needs, more demand for social care services and less funding to pay for it.

Demand for assessments and support under the Care Act is rising in Barnet, with 58,822 calls to Social Care Direct in 2015/16 – 14,433 more than the previous year, although so far this has not resulted in an increase in the number of service users.

Barnet has increased-cost pressures from residential care placements (there are 91 care homes in total in Barnet), delayed transfers of care from hospital and deprivation of liberty safeguards.

Because of the increase in demand for care services overall and the almost certainty of that increasing in future years, coupled with the unique nature of individual care needs, Barnet’s adults’ social care budget can be pushed into overspend due to circumstances out of its control – currently by around £4m.

As a result of limited social care resources across the country, predominately due to the reckless overspending of the last Labour Government in Westminster leading to austerity measures being required, there is arguably an adverse impact on stability and capacity in the social care workforce which has an effect on care quality. It is noted that social care providers and the NHS are also under pressure.

Everyone agrees that the situation is not sustainable.

In a recent statement responding to the Care Quality Commission’s State of Care 2015/16 report which finds that the sustainability of the adult social care market is approaching a tipping point, Margaret Willcox, Vice-President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, said:

“We have been arguing for some time now that adult social care needs to be given adequate recognition and resourcing. Services are being cut and the outlook for future care is bleak. We are at a tipping point where social care is in jeopardy and unless the Government addresses the underfunding of the sector, there will be worrying consequences for the care market, the NHS and, most importantly, for older and disabled people, their families and carers."

Council believes that a decent society provides the necessary resources to care for its older and disabled people.

Council welcomes the possibility of additional funding through the social care precept, but notes that in one year the maximum barely covers the current local overspend in adult social care, and will not cover future demand for services.

Council therefore asks  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

Councillor Richard Cornelius moved the Motion in his name. Councillor Phil Cohen moved his amendment. Debate ensued.

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

The amendment was therefore carried.

The substantive motion was then put to the vote. Votes were recorded as follows:

The motion was therefore carried, and the following was RESOLVED:

Council notes, with some concern, the significant demographic changes that are creating pressures for adult social care and health services in the North Central London (NCL) region and more widely.

For example, Council notes that in Barnet the over-65 population is forecast to grow three times faster (at 34.5%) than the overall population from 2015 to 2030, with the over-85 population set to increase by two-thirds (66.6%) during that time.

Council notes that residents are not only living longer, but longer with complex needs and disabilities. There has been a rapid increase in the number of people living with dementia in the borough and, with over 3,000 beds in residential units, Barnet continues to be a large net importer of people in need of care.

Council recognises the imperative of not only meeting such demand challenges but ensuring those residents are able to access the quality care required to meet their needs.

Council further recognises the relationship between the care sector and the health service and notes that, despite the £12bn in additional funding supplied to the NHS by the government, many areas like North Central London (of which Barnet is a part) are facing substantial deficits in the coming years unless action is taken.

Council notes the Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) produced by the local health service to consider its challenges and how to address them.

Council believes that greater integration between health and social care must be a key part of the solution and that local authorities should be able to play a more leading role than they are currently afforded.

Council believes that the interests of residents, patients and taxpayers, would be better served by increased local political involvement. Whilst welcoming the ambitions of the NCL STP to work in partnership to transform services, improve patient outcomes and tackle the large forecast deficits,

Council believes it would benefit from greater input and scrutiny from the council, its elected members and the public.

Council, therefore, calls for the STP to be made open for political and public consideration and for it to be discussed and scrutinised at the Health and Wellbeing Board, the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the subsequent Policy and Resources Committee.

Council also asks the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition to write together to the Secretary of State for Health to call for more meaningful local political involvement at the earliest stage in the integration of health and social care and the response to the financial and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

Under Council Procedure Rule 23.5 the Motion in the name of Councillor Phil Cohen, and the amendments to the Motion in the name of Councillor Phil Cohen and Councillor Alison Cornelius, were put to the vote without debate.

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

The amendment was therefore lost.

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

The amendment was therefore carried.

The substantive motion was then put to the vote. Votes were recorded as follows:

The motion was therefore carried, and the following was RESOLVED:

Council notes the Government’s proposed changes to the funding of community pharmacies following an initial consultation.

Council notes the plans would see an overall cut to community pharmacy funding of 4% for 2016/17 and 3.4% for 2017/18, but notes the list of exemptions including those that are located in the 20% most deprived areas in England or are more than a mile from another pharmacy.

Council recognises that the overall pharmacy spend has increased by 40% over the last decade to £2.8bn and that over the same period the number of pharmacies has increased by over 18%. Council notes that 40% of pharmacies are now in clusters of three or more within ten minutes’ walk of each other and that the average pharmacy now receives nearly £1m per annum for the NHS goods and services it provides, of which around £220,000 is direct income. Each pharmacy currently receives an establishment fee of £25,000 irrespective of size or location.

Council acknowledges that pharmacists make a very valuable contribution in treating minor ailments and giving sound advice - quite apart from their role in dispensing medication - and that this means fewer patients have to go to either their GP or A&E. Council believes community pharmacies should be fairly funded for the vital work they do.

Council notes that this issue was discussed at the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC) in May and that consensus was not reached on whether the Committee should reply to the consultation as one, as not all the committee members could agree the wording, in its entirety, of the submission that Cllr Cohen proposed on the evening. However, it was agreed that individual members or political Groups could make submissions independently.

Council further notes that it was agreed that the Committee would fulfil its function of scrutiny by considering the Government’s post-consultation proposals.

Council therefore calls on the HOSC to consider the issue of community pharmacy funding at an appropriate future meeting, in line with what had been agreed at its May meeting.

Under Council Procedure Rule 23.5 this motion was referred to the Policy and Resources Committee for consideration.

There were none.