Agenda item
TO RECEIVE QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL
(Maximum of 30 minutes allowed)
The questions which have been received are set out in agenda item 7.
Decision:
Councillor Tim Archer moved, Councillor Peter Golds seconded and the meeting agreed to suspend Procedure Rule 12.3 to enable an urgent question regarding Housing Associations to be put to the Lead Member for Housing and Development.
Councillor Tim Archer further moved and Councillor Peter Golds seconded, under Procedure Rule 14.1.3 to vary the order of business to enable the urgent question regarding Housing Associations to be asked as the first question. This procedural motion was lost and the urgent question was placed at item 7.28 on the agenda.
7.1 Question from Councillor Rachael Saunders to the Lead Member for Cleaner, Safer, Greener, Councillor Abdal Ullah re: anti-social behaviour in the Mile End East ward.
7.2 Question from Councillor Tim Archer to the Lead Member for Housing and Development, Councillor Marc Francis re: recruitment of senior officers for Tower Hamlets Homes.
7.3 Question from Councillor Abjol Miah to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Lutfur Rahman re: the Olympics.
7.4 Question from Councillor Stephanie Eaton to the Lead Member for Cleaner, Safer, Greener, Councillor Abdal Ullah re: Police stop and search activity.
7.5 Question from Councillor Rania Khan to the Lead Member for Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Dr. Anwara Ali re: the telecare scheme.
7.6 Question from Councillor David Snowdon to the Lead Member for Resources and Performance, Councillor Joshua Peck re: pay rates for contractors and temporary staff.
The above questions, and oral supplementary questions where put, were responded to by the relevant Lead Members.
Due to lack of time, questions 7 – 28 were not put. Written responses will be forwarded to the questioners.
(Action by John S. Williams, Service Head, Democratic Services)
Minutes:
Councillor Tim Archer MOVED and Councillor Peter Golds SECONDED “That Procedural Rule 12.3 be suspended to enable the following urgent question which is a matter of public policy involving the Council to be put to the Lead Member for Housing and Development:-
Peter Marsh, the Chief Executive of the Tenant Services Authority, the housing association regulator, has disclosed to Parliament and reported in the Guardian today that six medium to large housing associations were now in serious financial difficulty. Would the Lead Member please inform the Council if any of the Housing Associations in this borough are affected?”
The procedural motion was put to the meeting and was agreed.
Councillor Tim Archer further MOVED and Councillor Peter Golds SECONDED “That under Procedure Rule 14.1.3 the order of business be varied to enable the urgent question regarding Housing Associations to be asked as the first question.”
The procedural motion was put to the meeting was defeated. The additional question was therefore placed at item 7.28 on the agenda. The Lead Member for Housing and Development, Councillor Marc Francis, stated that he would be happy to provide a written response to the question following the meeting.
7.1 Question from Councillor Rachael Saunders to the Lead Member for Cleaner, Safer, Greener, Councillor Abdal Ullah
What measures is the Lead Member taking to deal with anti-social behaviour in Mile End East ward?
Response of the Lead Member:
A Reduction of ASB is a key priority for police Safer Neighbourhood teams working in partnership with Borough council teams.
The current Public Set Priorities are;
Eric Street Estate - ASB and drugs. The police have now completed their baseline survey and have started work, concentrating around Eric St, Hamlets Way and Mossford Street. Gangs of youths are the main concern along with drug dealing in and around the area. A drug warrant has recently been executed at a local address.
Leopold Est - ASB, drugs. This has been running for about 6 months and is due for a review.
Adopt a block system is in place.
The e3 night club is situated at the corner of Burdett Road and Bow Road. It was historically a major source of excessive noise nuisance and attracted a considerable amount of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the surrounding area late at night and in the early hours at weekends. The area is covered by CCTV cameras. Recently the cameras were instrumental in ensuring the closure of this night club. Following the closure of the club a resident’s satisfaction survey was carried out to assess the response of residents to the levels of ASB in the ward. The overwhelming response from residents to this survey was that the ASB has significantly reduced in the area. The cameras are also used to monitor the activity of groups of youths that congregate in Mile End Park by the bridge over Mile End Road. Mile End East Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) is contacted if there are any incidents of ASB. Community Safety Services work in close partnership with the SNT and the ASB Investigation Officer is co-located with them in Bow police station. This arrangement provides an effective local service for dealing with emerging trends in ASB in the ward.
Summary of oral supplementary question from Councillor Rachael Saunders:
I am grateful for the Lead Member’s answer and proud of the progress made on Safer Neighbourhood Teams and 17 new Police officers. Can the Lead Member say more about how the Council will empower local people to deal with the challenge on anti-social behaviour?
Summary of Lead Member’s response:
There will in fact be 19 new Police officers and in addition, the THEO’s will also deal with low level incidents. Tower Hamlets has a no nonsense approach to anti-social behaviour. I would also draw your attention to the Community Safety Awards which are taking place on 27th January 2009.
7.2 Question from Councillor Tim Archer to the Lead Member for Housing and Development, Councillor Marc Francis
Will the Lead Member outline the recruitment strategy and approach to recruiting senior officers for the Tower Hamlets ALMO - Tower Hamlets Homes?
Response of the Lead Member:
Responsibility for recruitment to senior posts within Tower Hamlets Homes rests with the THH Board and decisions regarding the strategy and approach, and indeed the appointments, were made by the Board.
The Board chose to be supported throughout the process by the Joint Director of Human Resources (LBTH and THPCT), who advised on relevant issues and participated fully in the processes.
A search and selection consultancy from the Council’s Approved List was appointed to assist, following a short competitive exercise.
5 appointments were made, the Chief Executive and 4 Directors.
The Chief Executive was appointed first so that the new appointee could then participate in the process of appointing their management team.
All 4 Director posts were recruited to on the same timescale and appointments were made over two days on 10th and 11th November 2008.
The process for all appointments included an external advertisement and executive search.
A long list of candidates was drawn up for each post; each long listed candidate was then interviewed and tested against technical criteria.
Following this process a shortlist was agreed by the members of the Board delegated to do so.
Short listed candidates gave a presentation to and were interviewed by panels made up of THH Board members, advised as set out above.
Summary of oral supplementary question from Councillor Archer:
Given that the new Director of Strategy and two Board members worked for Hackney Homes, a failing one star Housing Association, what assurances can the Lead Member give that Tower Hamlets will not also suffer loses and poor management?
Summary of Lead Member’s response:
I am disappointed that members opposite are smearing an officer before he has even started the job. However, I am not surprised as even before I gave my answer, they have circulated a leaflet to constituents making allegations about the officer’s appointment. The most outrageous aspect of all this, is that they themselves were offered the opportunity to take a position on the Board of Tower Hamlets Homes and thereby a role in this recruitment process.
For the record, let me make it clear that the appointment was purely on merit and merit alone. The officer brings enormous experience to the role of Director of Strategy – experience gained from more than ten years working on housing issues in Hackney and across London. As with the other members of the Senior Management Team of THH, we have full confidence in the appointment.
7.3 Question from Councillor Abjol Miah to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Lutfur Rahman
Would the Leader of the Council agree that it is a scandal that the Games Plan, a 250 page report on the likely economic and sporting effects of the Olympics commissioned by the government and produced and signed off by Tony Blair in 2002, has remained largely secret until now, that its assessment that there would be no economic or sporting benefits from the Olympics is very worrying, that the fact that £550 million of lottery money which would have gone to grassroots sport has been siphoned off to pay for the two week Olympic event is a matter of grave concern as this is now adversely affecting grassroots sport in Tower Hamlets and would he seek an urgent meeting with Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, about these matters, following up a series of meetings that George Galloway has arranged with her and her office?
Response of the Leader of the Council
The report you cite, it states that:
“By staging the games in this part of the city the most enduring legacy of the Olympics will be the regeneration of an entire community for the direct benefit of everyone who lives there.”
To me this does not read as an admission that there will be no positive outcomes from the Olympics.
In a time if increasing economic uncertainty, the Olympics is providing jobs and training for our residents – especially in areas like construction, which are hardest hit by the recession. Cllr Alibor Choudhury can fill you in on some of the excellent work being done.
I am personally meeting with the leaders of the other four Olympic boroughs on a regular basis – the last meeting was less than two weeks ago – to help secure the Olympic legacy through a Multi Area Agreement which is allowing us to use Olympic money and Olympic opportunities to challenge housing, public realm and worklessness issues together.
To give just one example, the Thames Gateway Development Corporation has committed £9m to the High Street 2012 regeneration project and Design for London a further £4.5 million for public realm improvements and other interventions.
As for the accusation that money is being siphoned away from sports in the borough, I would invite you to read our plan for increasing young people’s participation in sport, which includes provision for:
· more and better borough-wide competitive events with an Olympic theme
· girls and women only swimming sessions
· Training staff to equip them to meet the needs of disabled young people
· creating one or more borough-wide annual disabled sports day
Or better still, I would invite you to look at the £3.3 million we are investing in rebuilding the popular but dilapidated Osmani Youth Centre and our bid for millions in lottery cash to turn the Haileybury Youth Centre into a world class facility with sports, education and outreach programmes to benefit the entire community.
Summary of oral supplementary question from Councillor Abjol Miah:
Can the Leader provide us with the evidence of the legacy and in relation to housing what percentage of the properties from the Olympics this borough will receive and what will be given to other boroughs and what assurances can he give that the borough will not receive “the crumbs”?
Summary of Lead Member’s response:
By definition the legacy will come after the Games. I am fully committed to obtaining the maximum benefits for this borough in housing, jobs and public realm, across the three themes of the multi-agency agreement entered into by the 5 boroughs with the Government.
7.4 Question from Councillor Stephanie Eaton to the Lead Member for Cleaner, Safer, Greener, Councillor Abdal Ullah
Could the Lead Member comment on the recent increase in the number of people in the Borough stopped and searched under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994) which are permitted only where an officer believes that serious violence may take place or that persons are carrying dangerous instruments or offensive weapons without good reason?
Response of the Lead Member
The use of this power is only granted by officers of the rank of Superintendent or above, or as a result of urgent operational need by an Inspector – All cases are based on intelligence that give grounds for an authority.
Operation Blunt (knife crime) has been the main driver in the use of stop and search to remove knives from the streets, and to arrest offenders.
The high number of young people being murdered in London as a result of knife crime demanded an appropriate response.
The Metropolitan Police introduced a rapid response task force in the summer. This team can be called upon by boroughs across London to tackle youth violence and use stop and search as a tactic. The team have worked in this borough.
So far this year, youth violence is currently down by 20% and knife crime is down by 12% in Tower Hamlets.
Summary of oral supplementary question from Councillor Stephanie Eaton:
Asian people are three times more likely to be stopped and searched in this borough than white people. Yet in 90% of cases no action is taken. Does the Lead Member think that this is proportionate?
Summary of Lead Member’s response:
I have personally chaired a Task Group and I am aware that intelligence lead policing has prevented deaths. Searches must always be carried out in a professional, courteous and dignified manner and I believe this has been the case.
7.5 Question from Councillor Rania Khan to the Lead Member for
Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Dr. Anwara Ali
How many people have taken advantage of the telecare scheme since charges for use were abolished in September 2008?
Responseby the Lead Member
In the first two months since the free service was introduced on 1 October 2008 (0ctober – November), 211 telecare installations were completed. This compares to a total of 198 installations in the previous six months.
No supplementary question was asked.
7.6 Question from Councillor David Snowdon to the Lead Member for Resources and Performance, Councillor Joshua Peck
Could the Lead Member please outline what steps are taken to ensure that pay rates agreed with contractors and temporary staff through individual negotiations – as per his written answer to my question at the last Council meeting – represent good value for money?
Response of the Lead Member
The steps which have been taken to ensure value for money in respect of temporary staff engaged through agencies have been:
· A corporate contract for a managed service was established in 2006. Under this contract, all assignments are processed through the service provider, who manages the supply chain of staffing agencies.
· On establishment of the contract, the service provider immediately decreased the charge rate by a minimum of 2% across the board on existing assignments.
· At the start of the contract, and on an ongoing basis since then, the service provider has run agreed pay rates for specified posts, which is based on a comparison of every pay rate with other London Borough rates to ensure that they are sufficiently attractive to candidates, and also offer value for money for the Council.
· The pay rates for defined roles are usually based on the permanent equivalent salary.
· There are some specialist roles for which it is not possible to use established posts as a reference point, and in these cases, the hourly or daily payment must be based upon a rate agreed between the relevant manager and the candidate concerned.
· Corporate Management Team monitors expenditure on temporary staff on a quarterly basis, and Corporate Directors are responsible for reducing the numbers of temps in their Directorates. This typically involves scrutiny at Directorate Management Teams.
Summary of oral supplementary question from Councillor David Snowdon:
Does the Lead Member consider that the information about hourly rates paid to agency staff contained in a letter that I have received from the Joint Director of Human Resources, showing rates of up to £130 per hour equivalent over £211,000 per annum, represent good value?
Summary of Lead Member’s response:
Without the full details, I cannot comment on individual cases but these are not normal rates of pay. The Council have a target to reduce the number of agency staff used and I would be happy to look into the figures mentioned if provided with a copy of the letter.
In accordance with Rule 12.10 (expiry of time limit), questions 7.7 to 7.28 were not put. Written responses would be forwarded to the questioners.
Supporting documents: