Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Rebecca Challice and Councillor Paul Edwards.

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 7 March 2017 were agreed as a correct record, subject to a correction to the official announcements to note that Councillor Brian Salinger spoke in tribute to former Representative Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of Barnet Major Patrick O’Brien TD DL and Baroness Wall.

The Worshipful the Mayor welcomed back Councillor Zakia Zubairi following her accident, which was endorsed by Council. Councillor Zakia Zubairi spoke in thanks for Council’s best wishes during her recovery. 

The Worshipful the Mayor expressed his shock and sadness on behalf of Council following the recent terror attack at Westminster on 22 March.  He noted that Council’s thoughts and prayers were with the victims of the attack, the bereaved and those still anxiously awaiting news on the injured. He noted one of the injured in the attack was Barnet resident and policeman Kris Aves who had just attended a commendation ceremony and who had sustained very serious injuries. The Worshipful the Mayor expressed that the Council’s best wishes went out to him and his family.

The Worshipful the Mayor noted he had received a letter from the Mayor of the Berlin borough of Tempelhof-Schoneberg, Angelika Schottler, on this matter which he read to Council:

“Dear Mr Longstaff,

We are deeply shocked by the terror attack in London yesterday.

On behalf of the people of the Berlin borough of Tempelhof-Schoneberg I express my condolences to the victims and their families.

This strike on the anniversary of the Brussels attacks which claimed the lives of 32 people once again shows that radical extremists continue to have the ability and motivation to commit mass murder in Europe. We condemn all these horrific attacks in Europe.

This barbaric attack targeted the very heart of democracy in Westminster. However, it did not succeed because it will unite all of us against the scourge of violence and terrorism.

Yours sincerely

Angelika Schottler

Mayor”

The Worshipful the Mayor noted he had responded to Mayor Schottler to express his thanks on behalf of Council, and to note that he would be attending a service of Hope and Reconciliation at Westminster on 5 April where all London boroughs would be represented along with the Prime Minister, leaders of other faiths and the emergency services.

The Worshipful the Mayor noted he understood that other Members wanted to say a few words on this matter, and called on the Leader to speak, followed by the Leader of the Opposition.

Cllr Richard Cornelius and Cllr Barry Rawlings each spoke to express their views in solidarity with the sentiments expressed by The Worshipful the Mayor.

On request of The Worshipful the Mayor Council held a minute’s silence.

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that Council held a Civic Awards ceremony on 28 March to recognise exceptional people in the borough. He noted awards were presented to:

• Mr Andy Savage - In recognition of his service to the Avenue House Estate Trust and Friends of Stephens House and Gardens
• Mrs Chris Sykes - In recognition of her commitment and dedication to vulnerable elderly people in the borough
• Mr George Irons - In recognition of his services, commitment and contribution to the local area as Vice Chairman of the East Barnet Residents’ Association and the Champion of the Friends of Oak Hill Park  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Deputy Mayor moved the following resolution:

“At a meeting of the Council held at Hendon Town Hall on Tuesday 4 April 2017 it was resolved that we, the Members of the Council of the London Borough of Barnet, hereby express to The Worshipful the Mayor Councillor David Longstaff our appreciation of the excellent service he has rendered to the London Borough of Barnet as its Mayor during the period May 2016 to May 2017, 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 his two charities: Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice; and Dementia Club UK.”

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

There was none.

The questions, together with the answers provided, are set out in Appendix 1 to the minutes.

There were none.

There were none.

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

The recommendations as set out in the report were then put to the vote and were declared carried.

RESOLVED:

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

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

Councillor John Marshall, Chairman of the Constitution, Ethics and Probity Committee, moved that the item of the Committee on the Members Code of Conduct be deferred to the next meeting as the published report contained administrative errors. This was duly agreed.

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

The recommendations as set out in the report were then put to the vote and were declared carried.

RESOLVED: That Council approves the annual Pay Policy Statement for the financial year 2017/18 (Appendix 2).

Councillor Dean Cohen, Chairman of the Environment Committee, moved reception and adoption of the recommendations in the report. He also moved the following amendments which were tabled:

·         An amendment to recommendation 2 to change the Appointed Day for implementation of the adopted legislation from 10 July to 14 July.

·         An additional recommendation 4 ‘That authority be delegated to the Commissioning Director for Environment to exercise powers and functions under the Act from the appointed day’.

The recommendations as set out in the report and amendments as tabled were then put to the vote and were declared carried.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Council adopt Section 16 of the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2003 (“the Act”) so as to give effect to highway enforcement powers concerning unauthorised vehicle crossings over footway and verges for the benefit of public safety;

2.    That Council fix a day on which Section 16 of the London Local Authorities and Transport for London Act 2003 will come into operation. The Appointed Day for implementation of the adopted legislation should be 14^th July 2017 pursuant to Section 3 of the (Act); and that the resolution and associated public notices be published in accordance with Section 3 of the Act.

3.    That Council note that, by adoption of this legislation, crossovers should not be enforced where they are redundant. 

4.    That authority be delegated to the Commissioning Director For Environment to exercise powers and functions under the Act from the appointed day.

The Governance Team Leader introduced the report. He noted that the item set out at agenda item 13.1 detailed a nomination to a vacancy on an outside body (the Arts Depot Trust Ltd).

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that Appendix A set out the Administration nomination to the vacancy, Councillor John Hart. The Opposition Group Secretary, Councillor Ammar Naqvi moved that Councillor Anne Hutton be appointed to the vacancy, which was duly seconded.

On the Opposition nomination of Councillor Anne Hutton being put to the vote the votes were declared as follows:

The Opposition motion was declared lost.

On the Administration nomination of Councillor John Hart being put to the vote the votes were declared as follows:

The Administration motion was declared carried.

RESOLVED: that Council appoint Councillor John Hart to fill the vacancy in the Arts Depot Trust Ltd for a term of 3 years.

There were none.

Under Council Procedure Rule 23.5 the Motion in the name of Councillor John Marshall was put to the vote without debate and was agreed unanimously by Council.

RESOLVED –

Safety of the Ossulton Way/ Kingsley Way/A1 Junction

Council calls for an urgent meeting between Transport for London, officers of our Highways Department and local councillors to assess and improve the safety of the Ossulton Way/ Kingsley Way/A1 Junction.

Under Council Procedure Rule 23.5 the Motion in the name of Councillor Dean Cohen and the amendment to the Motion in the name of Councillor Adam Langleben, were put to the vote without debate

The amendment in the name of Councillor Adam Langleben was put to the vote, and the votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment was declared lost.

The motion in the name of Councillor Dean Cohen was then put to the vote, and the votes were recorded as follows:

The motion was declared carried.

RESOLVED:

Mayor Khan: Tackle Illegal Air Pollution on Our Trunk Roads

Council calls on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to explain what action he will take to reduce the unacceptable, unlawful, and harmful levels of NO2 around Barnet schools sited near roads administered by Transport for London.

A study commissioned by the Mayor found the air around 15 Barnet schools to be polluted with NO2 above the legal limit of 40 µg/m³. All schools but one were sited either on or around five TfL administered roads; the North Circular Road (A406), Edgware Road/West Hendon Broadway (A5), the M1, Brent Street (A502), and Watford Way/Hendon Way (A41).

To date this Council has introduced free green parking permits to drivers of electric cars, installed new charging points, and tabled the introduction of a diesel surcharge for Controlled Parking Zones later this year. We have also erected a ‘green wall’ around St Joseph’s Catholic Primary – one of the 15 schools affected by illegal levels of NO2.

We can and will do more, but the effects of our efforts will be limited while dangerously high levels of nitrogen continue to be belched from vehicles using TfL administered trunk roads. The Mayor’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, while welcome, uses the North Circular as its outermost border and therefore will not include West Hendon; the ward most severely affected by NO2 emissions.

Councillor Brian Gordon moved the Motion in his name. Councillor Kath McGuirk moved the amendment in her name. Debate ensued.

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

The amendment was declared lost.

The motion in the name of Councillor Brian Gordon was put to the vote, and the votes were recorded as follows:

The motion was declared carried.

RESOLVED:

Mayor Khan: Redress Barnet’s Policing Deficit

Council calls on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to redress the policing deficit in the London Borough of Barnet by providing the officers our taxpayers have already paid for.

Crime is rising in Barnet. The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) has itself recorded Barnet as the burglary capital of London. Gun crime is rising faster than in any other London borough and, last year, Barnet accounted for one sixth of all gun-related deaths in the capital.

Against this Barnet – the largest borough by population – has the fewest police officers per capita. Based on GLA statistics for 2016, there are 736 residents per police officer in Barnet, where the average for London boroughs, excluding Westminster is 529.  With Barnet taxpayers making the single largest precept contribution to the Metropolitan Police budget, the borough’s policing costs them £54,803.39 per officer, where the London average is £35,603.75.

In order to achieve the London average of 529 residents per officer, Barnet would need an additional 205 officers from the Mayor, bringing its total to 728. Given this Council has been repeatedly criticised for aiming for London averages, this ought not to be an unreasonable request.

However, with due regard to the Mayor’s concerns about budgetary pressures on the Metropolitan Police, Council instead calls upon the Mayor to provide 15 additional Police Constables at no cost to the borough.

Councillor Barry Rawlings moved the motion in his name. Councillor Daniel Thomas moved the amendment in his name, and Councillor Alon or-bach moved the amendment in his name. Debate ensued.

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

The amendment was declared carried.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Alon or-Bach was put to the vote. Votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment was declared lost.

The substantive motion as amended by Councillor Daniel Thomas was then put to the vote. Votes were recorded as follows:

The substantive motion was declared carried.

RESOLVED:

Standing up for the right of Barnet’s EU citizens to stay in the UK

Barnet has around 40,000 EU citizens who have made their home in the borough.

Many of these EU citizens have lived in Barnet for most of their lives. They contribute to the local economy and the local community, and help make our borough the diverse place it is. They would be a significant loss to Barnet in the unlikely event they were forced to leave.

There are also around 900,000 British citizens living in the EU, many of whom will be from Barnet, who have received no assurances from European Union officials or European heads of government on their status following Britain’s exit from the EU.

Council notes that on 17th January 2017, the Prime Minister set out twelve principles to guide the UK's Brexit negotiations. One of those principles stated:

"Fairness demands that we deal with another issue as soon as possible too. We want to guarantee the rights of EU citizens who are already living in Britain, and the rights of British nationals in other member states, as early as we can.

“I have told other EU leaders that we could give people the certainty they want straight away, and reach such a deal now.

“Many of them favour such an agreement – 1 or 2 others do not – but I want everyone to know that it remains an important priority for Britain – and for many other member states – to resolve this challenge as soon as possible. Because it is the right and fair thing to do."

We agree with the sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister in her letter to European Council President Donald Tusk that:

"We should remember that at the heart of our talks are the interests of all our citizens. There are, for example, many citizens of the remaining member states living in the United Kingdom, and UK citizens living elsewhere in the European Union, and we should aim to strike an early agreement about their rights.”

This Council recognises it is in the mutual interests of all parties to come to such an agreement, and that it would be reassuring  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

Under Council Procedure Rule 23.5 the Motion in the name of Councillor Adam Langleben and the amendments to the Motion in the name of Councillor Dean Cohen and Councillor Alison Moore were put to the vote without debate.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Dean Cohen was put to the vote, and the votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment was declared carried.

The amendment in the name of Councillor Alison Moore was put to the vote, and the votes were recorded as follows:

The amendment was declared lost.

The substantive motion as amended by Councillor Dean Cohen was then put to the vote, and the votes were recorded as follows:

The motion was declared carried.

RESOLVED:

Tackling air pollution around Barnet schools

Council notes that according to a recent study commissioned by Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, fifteen schools in Barnet are located near areas where the toxic pollutant Nitrogen Dioxide NO2 is at or has breached EU legal limits of 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air.

The fifteen schools where air tests showed 40 micrograms, or more, of NO2 per cubic metre of air are:

Wentworth Tutorial College (52 micrograms per cubic metre)
Beis Soroh Schneirer (47.8)
Rhodes Farm School (47.5)
Torah Vodaas (47.1)
Mapledown School (46.5)
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (46.1)
Ayesha Community School (45.1)
Unity Girls High School (45.1)
Beis Medrash Elyon (44.7)
Wessex Gardends Primary School (43.1)
Whitefield School (41)
Tudor Primary School (40.7)
Beis Yaakov Primary School (40.6)
Hasmonean Primary School (40.1)
The Orion Primary School (40)

Council also notes that children are more vulnerable to the effects of pollution, and there is a link to increased asthma and severity of asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Council further notes that thousands of deaths are caused by pollution each year in London and that MPs have called the problem a public health emergency.

Council acknowledges that Barnet council has been awarded the Cleaner Air Borough accreditation, which is part of the Mayor of London's Local Air Quality Management Framework (LLAQM), and that the accreditation is awarded to boroughs for effectively monitoring and reducing air pollution.

Council asks the Environment Committee to urgently investigate what measurable outcomes have resulted from LB Barnet's Air Quality Action Plan over the last year, and to come up with recommendations for the Mayor of London to implement, in order to improve the air quality around these fifteen schools and across the borough.

There were none.