Agenda and minutes

The Worshipful the Mayor paid tribute to the sad passing of former Council Leader and Mayor of Barnet, Brian Salinger in December 2023.  Many Members had known Brian and worked with him in some capacity, as he served the borough of Barnet for more than 30 years.

The Worshipful the Mayor informed Council that in 2005, Brian was elected Leader of the Council and during this time he oversaw housing regeneration schemes on the borough’s four largest estates, and the Primary Schools Investment Programme which led to a number of primary schools being re-built.

He was first elected a Conservative councillor in 1986, representing Friern Barnet Ward and, after boundary changes, Oakleigh Ward. Prior to becoming Leader, he had also been the Cabinet Member for Housing and Environmental Health.

Brian retired at the end of his mayoral year 2017-2018 as the 53^rd Mayor of Barnet.

The Worshipful the Mayor then invited tributes from Councillors Richard Cornelius, Ross Houston, Mark Shooter, Ella Rose, Jennifer Grocock and Alison Moore.

The Worshipful the Mayor then asked the Council to stand for a minute’s silence to honour Brian Salinger.

The Worshipful the Mayor informed Council that she had written to the following to congratulate them on their recognition in the King’s New Years Honours:

Sir Gerald Maurice Ronson CBE who received the honour of Knights Bachelor;

Antony Kenneth Blackburn (DJ and Broadcaster Tony Blackburn) received an OBE for services to Broadcasting and to Charity;

Martin Henry Charles Russell DL who received an MBE for services to the community in the London Borough of Barnet;

Aryeh Leaman who received an MBE for services to young people and to the community in Hendon;

Barry Flack who received a British Empire Medal for services to the Jewish community in Mill Hill; and

Dr Michael John Worms who received a British Empire Medal for services to the community in Mill Hill.

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that although not a resident of Barnet it should be noted Justin Cohen, News Editor of the Jewish News, son ofthe late former Mayor and Councillor Melvin Cohen, had received an MBE for services to Holocaust Remembrance and to the Jewish Community.

The Worshipful the Mayor also informed Council of the extremely sad news of the death of our friend and colleague, Deacon Anthony Clarke who was a founder member of Barnet Multi Faith Forum and was always courageous and fearless in speaking out against prejudice and discrimination.

The Worshipful the Mayor noted that the very successful and well attended Holocaust Memorial Event took place on Sunday 28^th January 2024 at Middlesex University and expressed her thanks to everyone involved in organising this important event for the Council. She noted that speakers included the Chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust as well as the Rwanda High Commissioner and heard stories from students who had visited Auschwitz.

The Worshipful the Mayor expressed her pride in announcing that, following their Gold Award at the regional round of the National Concert Band  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

Apologies were received from Councillors Elliot Simberg, Sarah Wardle, Dean Cohen, Linda Lusingu and Laithe Jajeh.

The Worshipful the Mayor was present.

The Worshipful the Mayor invited Kashmala Amin, Avi Aggarwal, Meir Ross and Sejal Bobba, candidates in the current cycle of Youth Parliament and Youth Ambassador elections to say a few words.

Councillor Mittra declared a non-pecuniary interest in items 14.2 and 14.6 by virtue of employment.

Councillor Rawlings advised Council that he would leave the Chamber for the debate on the Deputation as he would be dealing with the asset of Community Value matter.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 17 October 2023 be agreed as a correct record.

None.

None.

*Councillor Barry Rawlings left the Council Chamber for item 9.*

*Councillor Michael Mire left the Council meeting at 7.45pm.*

The Head of Governance advised Council that the deputation had submitted the following supporting statement:

“We would like to address the council about our campaign to Save the Prince of Wales Pub in East Barnet. A pub has stood on this site since 1870 and is now under threat as Stonegate brewery is selling it. We are pleased to be standing alongside a campaign led by our local councillors to maintain this site as a pub and we would like the council to acknowledge the importance of this.”

Mr John Ireton was invited to speak on the received deputation.

Members asked questions of the deputation.

Following the questioning of the deputation, debate ensued. Following debate:

Councillor Richard Cornelius (Conservative) moved the following proposal from section 18.8 of the Council Procedure Rules: “To ask officers to prepare a report for the next meeting (of either Council or relevant committee) on the deputation.

Councillor Ross Houston (Labour) moved the following proposal from section 18.8 of the Council Procedure Rules: “To note the deputation and take no further action.”

Upon the Conservative proposal being put to the vote, the votes were as follows:

For: 17

Against: 38

Abstain: 1

Absent: 7

Total: 63

The Conservative Group proposal was therefore LOST.

Upon the Labour Group proposal being put to the vote, the votes were as follows:

For: 38

Against: 17

Abstain: 1

Absent: 7

Total: 63

The Labour Group proposal was therefore CARRIED and it was therefore RESOLVED to note the deputation and take no further action.

*Councillor Rawlings rejoined the Council Chamber.*

None.

None.

Councillor Rawlings rejoined the Council chamber.

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

None.

Councillor Clarke moved the motion in her name. Debate ensued.

Votes on the motion in the name of Councillor Clarke were recorded as follows:

For: 39

Against: 16

Abstain: 2

Absent: 6

Total: 63

RESOLVED that:

Council Notes that:

·         The positive impact of Universal Free School Meals in state-funded schools has been accepted by all major political parties for almost a decade.

·         It was for this reason that Universal Free School Meals in state-funded schools were introduced for Reception Year, Year 1 and Year 2.

·         Universal Free School Meals:

§  Reduce the impact of poverty

§  Help families during the cost-of-living crisis

§  Help reduce the impact that the withdrawal of benefits makes to parents who

§  move into employment from unemployment, ensuring that work truly pays.

§  Help educational outcomes.

·         That there is currently no additional support for those schools with particular dietary needs, such as Jewish schools, who need to supply kosher food.

·         That the current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, rolled out Universal Free School Meals in state funded schools in the capital for Years 3-6.

·         That the Mayor of London is providing those schools which do require extra support due to dietary requirements, such as Jewish Schools, to supply free school meals to Years 3-6 with additional financial support.

·         That the Mayor of London has extended the Universal Free School Meals initiative for Years 3-6 and has extended the additional support to those schools which require it.

Council Resolves:

·         To request that Cabinet take on the following actions:

• To thank all those who worked with the Mayor of London to ensure the original scheme provided extra support for those schools who faced additional financial pressures due to dietary requirements such as Jewish schools, which included the leadership of our local Jewish Schools and councillors from both parties in Barnet.
• To thank the Mayor of London for extending the scheme for Years 3-6 which will help thousands of Barnet families.
• To thank the Mayor of London for extending his additional funding for those schools that face an additional financial burden in delivering the initiative for Years 3-6 so that pupils at schools such as Jewish schools can similarly benefit.

·         To write to the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, on a cross-party basis calling on the Government to match the Mayor’s funding offer for Reception to Year 2, including an uplift for those schools facing an increased financial burden in delivering its Universal Free School Meals such as Jewish schools to ensure that this universal scheme is truly universal.

Councillor Grocock moved the motion in her name. Debate ensued.

Votes on the motion in the name of Councillor Grocock were recorded as follows:

For: 17

Against: 39

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

The motion in the name of Councillor Grocock was LOST.

Votes on the motion in the name of Councillor Schneiderman were recorded as follows:

For: 39

Against: 17

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

The motion in the name of Councillor Schneiderman was CARRIED.

RESOLVED that:

Council notes:

·         That the climate crisis is the single biggest policy challenge of today, with the risk that if we fail, this planet will be uninhabitable for future generations.

·         The resignation of Chris Skidmore from the House of Commons, former minister for energy and clean growth.

·         That Mr Skidmore has resigned over the Government’s policy of opening up new oilfields and opposing international organisations’ recommendations on how to tackle the climate crisis.

·         That Mr Skidmore stated: “Where the UK once led in promoting climate change action at COP26, it now finds itself opposing the International Energy Agency, the UNCCC, the Committee on Climate Change, in promoting the opening of new additional oilfields and licenses for extraction that will not take place at best until decades from now.”

·         That Mr Skidmore adds “We should be taking the long term decisions for the future of our country that protect our citizens, our economy and our planet, not playing the short-term politics with achieves so little but does so much to destroy the reputation of the UK as a climate leader”.

·         That Barnet Council is playing its part in reducing the dependency on oil, by rolling out more than 1,000 electric vehicle charging points.

·         Barnet Council is continuing this policy despite some industry analysts expressing worries that the postponement of the Government’s proposed ban on the sales of new petrol cars would depress demand.

·         That it is important that, even if the central UK government signals to businesses and households that tackling change is falling down the agenda, other governmental organisations such as councils need to continue to communicate to employers and households that this issue is important to help drive behavioural change.

Council resolves to:

·         That despite the Conservative Government embrace of dirty fuels that put our future at risk and damage the UK’s reputation on climate change, to call upon the Cabinet to restate its mission of ensuring we are a Net Zero Council by 2030 and a Net Zero Borough by 2042.

Votes on the motion in the name of Councillor Prager were recorded as follows:

For: 56

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

The motion in the name of Councillor Prager was CARRIED.

RESOLVED that:

Council Notes that:

·         Blue Badges are regularly lost or stolen, and they are an easy target for thieves to steal.

·         Counterfeit paper Blue Badges are easily made.

·         Over 100 cases of Blue Badge fraud have been investigated by the borough in the past 18 months alone.

·         Three officers are employed full-time to investigate Blue Badge Fraud, who could be reallocated to support other CAFT investigations.

·         Most cases of Blue Badge fraud do not result in a conviction or a fine.

·         The rollout of additional CPZs across the borough alongside the ULEZ expansion is likely to create an increase in Blue Badge Fraud.

·         Haringey Council became the first council in the country to introduce Digital Blue Badges in November 2022.

·         Since the introduction of the scheme, Blue Badge thefts in Haringey have fallen by 65%.

·         The Metropolitan Police reported 528 incidents of Blue Badge thefts, which fell to 185 in the period when the Digital Badges were introduced.

·         In recent years Barnet has effectively introduced digital CPZ and pay-and-display permits, essentially establishing the infrastructure for digital Blue Badges.

Council Resolves:

·         To ask the Cabinet Member for Environment & Climate Change to:

·         Instruct officers to explore the implementation of a digital Barnet-focused scheme that also considers those who may not be technologically savvy.

·         Brief members on the progress of any implementation, and

·         If the system is to be implemented, report a full business case to Cabinet.

Votes on the motion in the name of Councillor Coakley-Webb and Councillor Beg were recorded as follows:

For: 39

Against: 0

Abstain: 18

Absent: 6

Total: 63

The motion in the name of Councillor Coakley-Webb and Councillor Beg was CARRIED.

RESOLVED that:

Council Notes:

·         All young people who leave care at 16, 17 or 18 are statutorily provided with some support from the local authority. This includes:

• Being assigned a Personal Adviser to help them in the transition to living independently
• Support with finding accommodation and with any costs of participating in education, training and employment.

·         That given the greater level of support at this crucial stage during the transition of care leavers to adulthood is needed, wider society also needs to play a part.

·         The Care Leavers Covenant sets five outcomes across the public and private sector:

1. Care leavers are better prepared and supported to live independently.
2. Care leavers have improved access to employment, education, and training.
3. Care leavers experience stability in their lives and feel safe and secure.
4. Care leavers have improved access to health and emotional support.
5. Care leavers achieve financial stability.

·         The Council has an extensive set of provisions available for care leavers including:

• Woodhouse Road Leaving Care Centre which provides:

§  Support for Employment, Education and Training

§  Support for both physical and mental health and wellbeing through

§  multiagency collaboration and accessibility.

§  Support to live independently through training and the support of Personal

§  Advisors, advocates and mentors.

§  A safe space to meet with other care leavers to celebrate achievements.

• Council Tax exempt to the age of 25
• Leaving Care Housing protocol with a commitment to no care leaver being made
• “intentionally homeless”.
• Life long offer of support and advice to all Barnet care experienced young people

·         The Council is developing a range of projects through its charity “Live Unlimited” and across departments to support care leavers, including work experience, apprenticeships, and training.

·         Care experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives.

·         Despite the resilience of many care experienced people, society too often does not take their needs into account; care experienced people often face discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, relationships, employment and in the criminal justice system.

·         Care experienced people may encounter inconsistent support in different geographical areas.

·         As corporate parents, councillors have a collective responsibility for providing the best possible care and safeguarding for the children who are looked after by us as an authority.

·         That all corporate parents should commit to, hearing the voices of looked after children and young people and to consider their needs in any aspect of Council work.

·         That councillors should be champions of the children in our care and challenge the negative attitudes and prejudice that exists in all aspects of society.

·         The Council has adopted an approach to equalities is based on the Equality Act.

·         Care experienced young people experience multiple disadvantages.

·         That people with “protected characteristics” in equalities legislation such as disability or sex are protected by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

Votes on the motion in the name of Councillor Chakraborty were recorded as follows:

For: 39

Against: 17

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

The motion in the name of Councillor Chakraborty was CARRIED.

RESOLVED that:

Council Notes that:

·         For the last eight years, London has been led by a Mayor – Sadiq Khan – focussed on making the city cleaner, greener, safer and fairer.

·         That this agenda has continued despite:

o   The challenges of the Covid 19 pandemic to our health and transport systems

o   Boris Johnson’s botched Brexit hurting the city economically

o   A real terms cut to the Metropolitan Police of 27 per cent since 2012

• A real terms cut to Barnet Council over more than £100 million since 2010

·         That Sadiq Khan as Mayor has brought in free school meals for primary school age children and ensured those with particular dietary needs – such as Jewish schools who require kosher food – receive extra support, and has extended that policy for one more year. This has ensured additional support for more than a dozen schools in Barnet

·         That the Mayor has brought in a rate of council house building of a greater magnitude than any time since the 1970s, which, working with Barnet Council, fed through to this local authority recommencing expanding social housing at scale.

·         That the Mayor’s administration has overseen a halving in the amount of toxic air in central London and a reduction of one third in outer London at a time when the Conservative government is scaling back its climate change ambitions. This has included substantial falls in nitrous oxide in areas such as the Golders Green Bus station and Barnet High Street.

Council Resolves to:

·         Request that the Mayor does all that he can to bridge the shortfall in funding for the Metropolitan Police left by Government neglect, estimated by the Police’s own analysis as £240 million so that that we can see increased action on crime with results such as to the Clear Hold build pilot that arrested more than 160 suspects.

·         Keep transport fares as low as possible to support those hit by the Cost of Living Crisis, including on routes in Barnet

·         To continue to support the expansion of the number of electric buses and electric vehicle charging points, despite the Conservative Government rowing back on the electric vehicle agenda, given the impact that this has had on air quality in Barnet

Votes on the motion in the name of Councillor Phil Cohen were recorded as follows:

For: 39

Against: 16

Abstain: 2

Absent: 6

Total: 63

The motion in the name of Councillor Phil Cohen was CARRIED.

RESOLVED that:

Barnet Council notes:

·         The latest Local Government Settlement, stating what funding the Conservative government is willing to share with local government, outlines a £406 million cut to the Services Grant for local government.

·         hat this cut is due to be implemented despite higher-than-expected tax revenues. These higher-than-expected revenues are due to the inflation that followed the Conservative Government’s November 2022 budget pulling residents into higher tax bands, causing billions of pounds in additional taxes being levied on individuals.

·         That the Government’s calculations for how it expects local governments will deliver services to their residents assumes that local authorities will introduce the maximum increase in council tax allowed without holding a local referendum; and that that represents another attack on household finances as families face remortgaging rates which rocketed during the Liz Truss Premiership.

·         That there are also freezes to the new Homes Bonus and the Improved Better Care Fund, at a time of significant inflation.

·         That Barnet Council has faced real terms cuts of more than £100 million from the Conservative Government since 2010.

·         That the Local Government Association estimate that councils will face £4 billion shortfall by March 2025 on Conservative ministers’ current plans.

·         That the Leader of the Local Government Association, Shaun Davies, described the Government Local government settlement as 'unthinkable' and that “No council is now immune to the growing risk to their financial sustainability.

·         That Cllr Barry Lewis, Finance lead for the County Council Network and Conservative Leader of Derbyshire County Council said that the Government's decision on local Government funding was ' bitterly disappointing' and that 'councils will have no choice but to implement more severe reductions to services.'

·         The Conservative Leader of Surrey County Council, Tim Oliver, has described the latest Government local Government settlement as 'worse than austerity’.

·         That Brent Conservatives joined with Brent Liberal Democrats, joined with the Brent Labour administration in stating that the latest settlement will ‘do little to address the pressures than council are facing’ and how ‘disappointed’ they are that the Government have ‘failed to refer to the long-standing concerns made by local authorities concerning the surety of long-term funding or the immediate impact of historically high inflation rates.’

·         That Brent Conservatives, alongside their Labour and Liberal Democrat colleagues, called on the Government to review its Local Government funding settlements as the result of its current policy are ‘deep cuts to council services [that] are only likely to place pressure on other areas of public spending, such as the NHS, which are already in crisis.

Council resolves to:

·         That the Leader should write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking for a review of the Local Government Settlement, and that he should ask if the leader of the Conservative Group will co-sign

Votes on the motion in the name of Councillor Coakley-Webb were recorded as follows:

For: 39

Against:0

Abstain: 18

Absent: 6

Total: 63

The motion in the name of Councillor Coakley-Webb was CARRIED.

RESOLVED that:

Council notes that:

·         In 2022 the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) final report on children’s social care reiterated several important issues that Barnet Council has been raising with the Conservative government for many years, specifically access to and costs of suitable placements for children in care, all while the largest providers make “materially higher profits”.

·         Their report shares our concern that “children are not consistently getting access to care and accommodation that meet their needs”.

·         Local authorities, as the sole purchasers of placements, pay thousands of pounds a week for placements for children in their care. Yet providers can pick and choose which referrals to accept and at what cost due to demand outstripping supply.

·         The report rightly highlights the important role national government needs to play in contributing to these challenges being addressed.

·         With concern regarding levels of risk in the system due to rapid changes in ownership and considerable levels of borrowing and debts held by some private companies. Should any of these providers fail, no single local authority could step in, and it would be children who suffer the greatest consequence. As the CMA notes, the current level of risk of disruption to children’s accommodation and care is unacceptable.

·         Children’s services have long operated in a mixed economy with a range of providers involved in the delivery of services locally. However, multi-million pound mergers between providers are becoming increasingly common as is the use of private equity.

·         Since the publication of the CMA no tangible action has been taken by Government to address profiteering in the children’s sector.

Council agree:

·         Profiteering using public money based on meeting children’s needs is unacceptable.

·         To the aspiration of a not-for-profit model for children’s placements

·         To call on all political parties to, nationally, within their manifestos for the upcoming general election, commit to the introduction of legislation which prevents for-profit operations or as a minimum, caps the level of fees chargeable in fostering and residential services.

Votes on the motion in the name of Councillor Sargeant were recorded as follows:

For: 56

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

The motion in the name of Councillor Sargeant was CARRIED.

RESOLVED that:

Council Notes that:

• That Middlesex University Alumni won the most recent series of University Challenge.

• That to do so they defeated the University of Leeds, Bangor University and corpus Christi, Oxford, overwhelmingly 175 to 80.

• That the winning team consisted of David Heathcote, Lola Young, Heather Philipson and David Hepworth

Council Resolves to:

• To Congratulate the Middlesex University Alumni on its triumph, and restate how proud we are of Middlesex University for serving generations of students.

• That Middlesex University should be made aware of this motion.

The Worshipful the Mayor introduced the report. Councillor Coakley-Webb moved the receptionand adoption of the recommendations in the report. Debate ensued.

On the recommendations on the report being put to the vote, the votes were as follows:

For: 57

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 5

Total: 63

RESOLVED that Council:

Notes the report to ensure understanding of their statutory role as

corporate parents and to be aware of progress and challenges for services to children in our care and care experienced young adults.

The Head of Governance introduced the report asking Council to note the report, the treasury activity and performance updates against the prudential indicators and to approve an increase to the council’s Operational Boundary and Authorised Limit for External Debt to £1,259m to reflect the council’s current expectations around use of reserves over 2023-24 and capital expenditure requiring prudential borrowing.

On the recommendations in the report being put to the vote, the votes were recorded as follows:

For: 39

Against: 18

Abstain: 1

Absent: 5

Total: 63

RESOLVED that Council:

1.   Note the report, the treasury activity and performance updates against the Prudential Indicators.

2. Approve an increase to the council’s Operational Boundary and Authorised Limit for External Debt to £1,259m to reflect the council’s current expectations around use of reserves over 2023-24 and capital expenditure requiring prudential borrowing.

The Head of Governance introduced the report asking Council to approve the Youth Justice Plan in Appendix 1 for the years 2023/24 and 2024/25.

On the recommendations in the report being put to the vote, the votes were recorded as follows:

For: 56

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

RESOLVED that Council:

Approve the Youth Justice Plan in Appendix 1 for the years 2023/24 and 2024/25.

The Head of Governance introduced the report which asked for Council to approve the revised Gambling Statement of Principles 2024.

On the recommendations in the report being put to the vote, the votes were recorded as follows:

For: 57

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 5

Total: 63

RESOLVED that Council:

Approve the revised Gambling Statement of Principles 2024.

The Head of Governance introduced the report, outlining the various administrative matters for Council’s agreement.

On the recommendations in the report being put to the vote, the votes were recorded as follows:

Appendix A:

For: 56

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

Appendix B:

For: 39

Against: 0

Abstain: 18

Absent: 6

Total: 63

Appendix C:

For: 39

Against: 0

Abstain: 18

Absent: 6

Total: 63

Appendix D:

For: 57

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

Appendix E:

For: 57

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

Appendix G:

For: 57

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

RESOLVED that Council:

1. That Council approve the change to committee appointments in Appendix A.

2. That Council approve the appointment to an Outside Body in Appendix B.

3. That Council approve the appointment of Advisers to the Adults & Health Overview & Scrutiny Sub-Committee in Appendix C.

4. That Council approve the officer appointment to the Pan London Vehicle for Children’s Complex Commissioning Ltd (PLV) in Appendix D.

5. That Council note and approve Appendix E (Calendar of Meetings for 2024/25) and including the revisions to previously agreed dates in the period May to July 2024.

6. That Council approve the designation of Ms Jyotika Dabasia as the Chief Finance Officer for the period 8th February to 26^th February 2024 and Mr Kevin Bartle as the Chief Finance Officer from 27th February 2024 for a period of up to a year.

7.  That Council agree the changes to additional committee appointments as outlined in the table in Appendix G.

The Head of Governance introduced the report, noting the political balance of the Council now being:

·         40 members of the Labour Group

·         21 members of the Conservative Group

·         2 Independent members

Council were also asked to agree to the allocation of seats as set out in the tables in Appendix A in order to comply with the political balance regulations requiring seats to be allocated proportionately to the political groups on Council.

Council were also asked to note that the number of seats for the Strategic Planning Committee as been reduced from 10 to 9 seats (6 being Administration seats and 3 being Opposition seats) to achieve political balance overall.

On the recommendations in the report being put to the vote, the votes were recorded as follows:

For: 56

Against: 0

Abstain: 1

Absent: 6

Total: 63

RESOLVED that:

1. That Council note the political balance of the Council is:

? 40 Members of the Labour Group

? 21 Members of the Conservative Group

? 2 Independent Members

2. Council agree the allocation of seats as set out in the tables in Appendix A in order to comply with the political balance regulations requiring seats to be allocated proportionately to the political groups on Council.

Council moved a motion to exclude the press and public on the basis that the exempt items will involve discussion of confidential information. The public gallery was cleared.

The Head of Governance introduced the report, outlining the recommendations as set out in the exempt report.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 18.5 (Recorded Vote by Division). 10 Members present at the meeting demanded a recorded vote on this decision.

RESOLVED that Council approve the recommendations set out in the exempt report.