Agenda and minutes

Venue: Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London NW4 4BG

Contact: Kirstin Lambert, Email: kirstin.lambert@barnet.gov.uk, 020 8359 2177 

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Reema Patel and Councillor Charlie O’Macauley.

2.

Elect a Member to preside if the Mayor is absent

Minutes:

The Worshipful the Mayor was present.

3.

Prayer

Minutes:

Ms Rosette Heidarieh of the B’hai faith was called upon by the Worshipful the Mayor to speak to Council and say prayers.

4.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that Members did not need to declare an interest in respect of any matter within the Budget Report which may only affect them in general terms. No interests were declared.

5.

Minutes of the last meeting pdf icon PDF 118 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of 30 January 2018 were agreed as a correct record, subject to the correction of Councillor Brian Salinger’s name.

6.

Official announcements

Minutes:

The Worshipful the Mayor wished a speedy recovery to chief executive John Hooton following the removal of his appendix. He then thanked all staff involved in the snow clearance following the previous week’s bout of extreme weather.

 

The Worshipful the Mayor announced he was very sad to announce the recent passing of several figures well known to the Barnet community.

 

Firstly he noted he was sad to announce the death of Chris Harmanda who was the husband of former councillor Katia David, at the age of 59.

 

He noted he was also sad to announce that the widow of former Hendon North MP John Gorst had passed away a few weeks ago.

 

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that Councillors had been advised of the passing of former Councillor Wayne Casey on 16 February at the age of only 54. He noted that some councillors wished to pay tribute. Councillor Jack Cohen, the Leader Councillor Richard Cornelius and Councillor Kath McGuirk then spoke in tribute to former Councillor Wayne Casey.

 

Council then observed a minute’s silence.

 

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that it was the final meeting before the local elections on 3 May and that those councillors who would be standing down this year were invited to address council. The following councillors gave farewell speeches:

 

Councillor Alon Or-bach

Councillor Devra Kay

Councillor Rebecca Challice

Councillor Tom Davey

Councillor Jim Tierney

Councillor Graham Old

 

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that the Council would be holding a Civic Awards ceremony on 25 April to recognise exceptional people in the borough and that councillors were very welcome to attend this event.

 

The Worshipful the Mayor noted there were several upcoming Mayoral charity events for which flyers had been distributed, and he hoped that some councillors would be able to attend some of these events.

7.

Any business remaining from last meeting

Minutes:

There was none.

8.

Resolution of Appreciation

Minutes:

The Deputy Mayor moved the following resolution:

 

“At a meeting of the Council held at Hendon Town Hall on Tuesday 6 March 2018 it was resolved that we, the Members of the Council of the London Borough of Barnet, hereby express to The Worshipful the Mayor Councillor Brian Salinger our appreciation of the excellent service he has rendered to the London Borough of Barnet as its Mayor during the period May 2017 to May 2018, 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 charity – Homeless Action in Barnet.”

 

This was duly agreed, with the foregoing resolution to be engrossed over the common seal of the corporation and presented to The Worshipful Mayor at the Annual Meeting.

 

9.

The Mayoralty for the Municipal Year 2018-2019

Minutes:

The Worshipful the Mayor called for nominations for election of Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet for 2018/19. He noted that there were two nominations for Mayor Designate. It was noted that the election of the approved Mayor Designate at Annual Council will be subject to the result of the local election on 3 May. It was noted that a vote for Mayor Designate must either be in favour of the Conservative Nomination, or in favour of the Labour Nomination and that votes would be taken on each.

 

Conservative Group Nomination

Councillor Melvin Cohen, duly seconded by Councillor Dean Cohen moved that Councillor Reuben Thompstone be proposed for the appointment of Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet at the Annual meeting of the Council on 22 May 2018.

 

Labour Group Nomination

Councillor Arjun Mittra, duly seconded by Councillor Alon Or-bach moved that the Councillor Alison Moore be proposed for the appointment of Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet at the annual meeting of the Council on 22 May 2018.

 

The Worshipful the Mayor advised Council that a vote was either in favour of the Conservative Nomination, Councillor Reuben Thompstone, or in favour of the Labour Nomination, Councillor Alison Moore. Upon the nominations being put to the vote, the Conservative nomination was declared carried.

 

Councillor Reuben Thompstone was nominated as Mayor Designate.

 

RESOLVED – That Councillor Reuben Thompstone was nominated as Mayor Designate

 

Councillor Reuben Thompstone thanked those present for his nomination and nominated Councillor Caroline Stock to be his Deputy Mayor Designate.

10.

Reports from the Leader pdf icon PDF 224 KB

Minutes:

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

 

The Leader noted the Electoral Commission had advised it was conducting a review of the wards in Barnet, and that the Council was required to give its view by the end of the month as to how many councillors the Council views it needs, how many wards they should be distributed in and whether they should be evenly distributed. The Leader noted the Administration would prefer to respond on behalf of all Members, and sought the support of the Opposition to note Council’s preference is to have 21 wards of 3 Members each distributed evenly around the borough. The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Barry Rawlings, confirmed that the Opposition Group supported this proposal.

 

The Leader then noted a proposed response to the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) consultation on the Fair Funding Review had been tabled around the Chamber. He sought the support of the Opposition for the Chief Executive to provide a written response to the DCLG on behalf of Council, by the end of the week. The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Barry Rawlings confirmed the Opposition’s support for the proposed response. Debate ensued.

 

Councillor Richard Cornelius then moved a motion for council to agree the proposed response as tabled. The motion was seconded and unanimously agreed.

 

RESOLVED,

 

That Council notes:

 

1.      Government is currently consulting on their proposals for revision to the way local government is funded; the consultation is known as the Fair Funding review.

2.      In the summer of 2017, the Outer London Boroughs jointly commissioned an independent piece of research into their funding position under the current system of revenue support grant funding and their budget pressures.  This showed that:

·         Relative to Inner London, spending power for Outer London will be 19% lower in 2019/20, or lower by £161 per resident.

·         Relative to the rest of England, Outer London’s spending power will be 9% lower, or lower by £63 per resident.

·         The difference from Inner London is mostly due to the Outer London Boroughs’ lower levels of funding in the form of grants and retained business rates, though this is partly offset by higher council tax revenue.

That Council instructs the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition, to respond to the Fair Funding review making the following points:

1.    Barnet, and other similar London Boroughs, are unfairly funded and therefore the council welcomes the review.

2.    That plans to simplify the formula, focussing on the most important cost drivers are welcome

3.    That the formula should be based on refreshed population estimates, taking account of transience and population movement

4.    That journey times are a more appropriate proxy of additional costs than rurality, as this allows impacts of urbanity such as congestion and lower speed limits to be considered consistently

5.    That deprivation, taking account of housing costs, should be a common cost driver.

6.    That area cost  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Petitions for Debate (20 minutes)

Minutes:

There were none.

12.

Report of Policy and Resources Committee - Business Planning 2018-20 pdf icon PDF 249 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Richard Cornelius, Chairman of the Policy and Resources Committee, moved reception and adoption of the recommendations in the report. Councillor Barry Rawlings moved his amendment. Councillor Jack Cohen moved his amendment. Debate ensued.

 

The Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 and Council Procedure Rule 12.4 requires that voting relating to the budget and Council tax be recorded. In accordance with this requirement, voting on the budget decisions was as follows:

 

Upon being put to the vote, the Labour Alternative Budget was declared lost. Voting on the Labour Alternative Budget:

 

 

 

For

Against

Not Voting

Absent

Maureen Braun

ü

 

 

Jess Brayne

ü

 

 

 

Rebecca Butler

ü

 

Pauline Coakley Webb

ü

 

 

 

Dean Cohen

 

ü

 

 

Jack Cohen

 

ü

 

Melvin Cohen

 

ü

 

Philip Cohen

ü

 

 

 

Geof Cooke

ü

 

 

 

Alison Cornelius

 

ü

 

 

Richard Cornelius

 

ü

 

 

Tom Davey

 

ü

 

 

Val Duschinsky

 

ü

 

 

Paul Edwards

ü

 

 

Claire Farrier

ü

 

 

 

Anthony Finn

ü

 

 

Brian Gordon

ü

 

 

Eva Greenspan

ü

 

 

Rohit Grover

 

ü

 

 

Helena Hart

ü

 

 

John Hart

ü

 

 

Ross Houston

ü

 

 

 

Anne Hutton

ü

 

 

 

Andreas Ioannidis

ü

 

 

 

Devra Kay

ü

 

 

Sury Khatri

 

ü

 

 

Adam Langleben

ü

 

 

 

Kathy Levine

ü

 

 

David Longstaff

 

ü

 

 

Kitty Lyons

ü

 

 

John Marshall

 

ü

 

 

Kath McGuirk

ü

 

 

Arjun Mittra

ü

 

 

 

Alison Moore

ü

 

 

 

Ammar Naqvi

ü

 

 

 

NagasNarenthira

ü

 

 

 

Charlie O’Macauley

 

 

ü

Graham Old

 

ü

 

 

Alon Or-Bach

ü

 

 

Reema Patel

 

 

ü

Bridget Perry

 

ü

 

 

Wendy Prentice

 

ü

 

 

Sachin Rajput

 

ü

 

 

Barry Rawlings

ü

 

 

Hugh Rayner

 

ü

 

 

Tim Roberts

ü

 

Gabriel Rozenberg

 

ü

 

 

Lisa Rutter

 

ü

 

 

Shimon Ryde

 

ü

 

Brian Salinger

 

ü

 

 

Gill Sargeant

ü

 

Joan Scannell

 

ü

 

Alan Schneiderman

ü

 

Mark Shooter

 

ü

 

Agnes Slocombe

ü

 

 

Stephen Sowerby

 

ü

 

Caroline Stock

 

ü

 

 

Daniel Thomas

 

ü

 

 

Reuben Thompstone

 

ü

 

 

Jim Tierney

ü

 

 

 

Laurie Williams

ü

 

 

 

Peter Zinkin

 

ü

 

 

ZakiaZubairi

ü

 

 

 

For:                28

Against:         32

Abstain:          1

Absent:           2

 

TOTAL:          63

 

Upon being put to the vote, the Liberal Democrat Alternative Budget was declared lost. Voting on the Liberal Democrat Alternative Budget:

 

 

For

Against

Not Voting

Absent

Maureen Braun

ü

 

 

Jess Brayne

 

 

ü

 

Rebecca Butler

 

ü

Pauline Coakley Webb

 

ü

 

Dean Cohen

ü

 

 

Jack Cohen

ü

 

 

Melvin Cohen

ü

 

 

Philip Cohen

 

ü

 

Geof Cooke

 

ü

 

Alison Cornelius

ü

 

 

Richard Cornelius

ü

 

 

Tom Davey

ü

 

 

Val Duschinsky

ü

 

 

Paul Edwards

 

ü

Claire Farrier

 

ü

 

Anthony Finn

ü

 

 

Brian Gordon

ü

 

 

Eva Greenspan

ü

 

 

Rohit Grover

ü

 

 

Helena Hart

ü

 

 

John Hart

ü

 

 

Ross Houston

 

ü

 

Anne Hutton

 

ü

 

Andreas Ioannidis

 

ü

 

Devra Kay

 

ü

Sury Khatri

ü

 

 

Adam Langleben

 

ü

 

Kathy Levine

 

ü

David Longstaff

ü

 

 

Kitty Lyons

 

ü

 

John Marshall

ü

 

 

Kath McGuirk

 

ü

Arjun Mittra

 

ü

 

Alison Moore

 

ü

 

Ammar Naqvi

 

ü

 

NagasNarenthira

 

ü

 

Charlie O’Macauley

 

ü

Graham Old

ü

 

 

Alon Or-Bach

 

ü

Reema Patel

 

ü

Bridget Perry

ü

 

 

Wendy Prentice

ü

 

 

Sachin Rajput

ü

 

 

Barry Rawlings

 

ü

 

Hugh Rayner

ü

 

 

Tim Roberts

 

ü

Gabriel Rozenberg

ü

 

 

Lisa Rutter

ü

 

 

Shimon Ryde

ü

 

 

Brian Salinger

ü

 

 

Gill Sargeant

 

ü

Joan Scannell

ü

 

Alan Schneiderman

 

ü

Mark Shooter

ü

 

Agnes Slocombe

 

ü

 

Stephen Sowerby

ü

 

Caroline Stock

ü

 

 

Daniel Thomas

ü

 

 

Reuben  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Report of the Monitoring Officer - Members Allowance Scheme 2018-19 pdf icon PDF 241 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Worshipful the Mayor introduced the report. Following consideration of the report the recommendations in the report were put to the vote and the votes were declared as follows:

 

For:                32

Against:         29

Abstain:         0

Absent:          2

 

TOTAL:          63

 

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.    That Council have regard to the recommendations of the Independent Panel on the Remuneration of Councillors in London as attached as Appendix A.

 

2.    That Council approve the Members’ Allowances Scheme 2018/19 attached as Appendix B with effect from 1 April 2018.

14.

Report of the Head of Governance pdf icon PDF 222 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Head of Governance introduced the report. He noted the item set out at agenda item 13.2 detailed changes to the calendar of meetings for the municipal year 2017-18. He noted two further changes since agenda publication: the Adults and Safeguarding Committee scheduled for 5 March was cancelled, and the Hendon Area Committee of 28 February was re-scheduled to 8 March.

 

The recommendations as set out in Appendix A were put to the vote and were unanimously agreed.

 

RESOLVED - That the Council note the change to the Calendar of Meetings.

 

 

15.

Report of the Strategic Director for Children & Young People - Corporate Parenting Advisory Panel pdf icon PDF 259 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman of the Children Education Libraries and Safeguarding Committee, Cllr Reuben Thompstone moved reception and adoption of the report. Debate ensued.

 

On the recommendations in the report being put to the vote they were unanimously carried.

 

RESOLVED – That Council:

 

1.    Agrees that the Corporate Parenting Advisory Panel becomes an informal working group. 

 

2.    Agrees that, subject to recommendation 1 being agreed, that Council nominates Members to be appointed to the Panel in accordance with the membership requirements in the Panel’s revised terms of reference.

 

3.    Notes the proposed Terms of Reference as set out in Appendix 2 of the report.

 

 

16.

Questions to Council Representatives on Outside Bodies

Minutes:

There were none.