Issue - meetings
TO CONSIDER MOTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL
Meeting: 19/09/2012 - Council (Item 12)
12 TO CONSIDER MOTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PDF 129 KB
The motions submitted by Councillors for debate at this meeting, including eight motions deferred from the 11th July Council meeting due to time factors, are set out in the attached report.
Decision:
Procedural Motion
Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman moved, and Councillor Joshua Peck seconded, a procedural motion – “That under Procedure Rule 14.1.13 the meeting be extended to allow for the consideration of Motions 12.10 12.13 and 12.16”.
The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.
12.10 Mayoral apology to the Honourable Syed Ashraful Islam MP
Councillor Khales Uddin Ahmed moved, and Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman seconded the motion as printed in the agenda.
The motion as printed in the agenda was put to the vote and was agreed.
This Council notes:
- That the Mayor personally intervened to block an event on the 9th August with the Honourable Syed Ashraful Islam MP from taking place in the Council Chamber.
-
That following the Mayor’s decision the
Council was forced to offer to hire an outside venue for the
Speaker’s official function which would have come at
significant tax-payer cost.
-
That the Honourable Syed
Ashraful Islam MP is an elected
representative of a Commonwealth country and had been formally
welcomed in other London boroughs.
- The high level of community interest in Mr Islam’s visit and the many people who wanted to attend the event.
This Council believes:
-
That the Mayor did intentionally abuse his position
to attempt to block the Speaker of the Council from carrying out
his constitutional duties.
-
The Speaker of the Council is a prestigious role
steeped in a history which should be respected and that the office
holder should be supported to carry out their civic duty to serve
and represent the entire borough.
-
The Mayor failed to meet the standards expected of
him by residents and tarnished the reputation of the borough with
his petty actions.
-
The Mayor should make a public apology to all of the
Speaker’s guests, including the Honourable Syed Ashraful Islam MP,
for any offence he caused.
This Council resolves:
-
That use of the Council Chamber should not be a
matter for the Executive or subject to Executive decisions and that
all councillors should have access and use of the Council Chamber
for the purposes of carrying out their roles as elected
representatives
(Action by: Aman Dalvi, Corporate Director Development and Renewal)
12.13 Mattress Recycling in Tower Hamlets
Councillor Shiria Khatun moved, and Councillor Joshua Peck seconded, the motion as printed in the agenda.
The motion as printed in the agenda was put to the vote and was agreed.
DECISION
This Council notes:
-
That across the borough unwanted mattresses are
frequently fly-tipped in streets and public places at the detriment
of the natural environment and local residents.
-
The Mayor’s introduction of a £15 charge for bulk waste
collection in Tower Hamlets.
- That a number of other London Councils have in place schemes offering free mattress collection and recycling. Labour run Lewisham council for example recycles over 9000 mattresses each year resulting in 307 tonnes saved from landfill last year.
- 10 million mattresses are landfilled every year ... view the full decision text for item 12
Minutes:
Procedural Motion
Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman moved and Councillor Joshua Peck seconded, a procedural motion – “That under Procedure Rule 14.1.13 the meeting be extended to allow for the consideration of Motions 12.10, 12.13 and 12.16”.
The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.
12.10 Motion regarding Mayoral apology to the Honourable Syed Ashraful Islam MP
Councillor Khales Uddin Ahmed MOVED, and Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman SECONDED the motion as printed in the agenda.
Following debate, the motion as printed in the agenda was put to the vote and was agreed. Accordingly, it was:-
RESOLVED
This Council notes:
- That the Mayor personally intervened to block an event on the 9th August with the Honourable Syed Ashraful Islam MP from taking place in the Council Chamber.
-
That following the Mayor’s decision the
Council was forced to offer to hire an outside venue for the
Speaker’s official function which would have come at
significant tax-payer cost.
-
That the Honourable Syed Ashraful Islam MP is an elected representative of a
Commonwealth country and had been formally welcomed in other London
boroughs.
- The high level of community interest in Mr Islam’s visit and the many people who wanted to attend the event.
This Council believes:
-
That the Mayor did intentionally abuse his position
to attempt to block the Speaker of the Council from carrying out
his constitutional duties.
-
The Speaker of the Council is a prestigious role
steeped in a history which should be respected and that the office
holder should be supported to carry out their civic duty to serve
and represent the entire borough.
-
The Mayor failed to meet the standards expected of
him by residents and tarnished the reputation of the borough with
his petty actions.
-
The Mayor should make a public apology to all of the
Speaker’s guests, including the Honourable Syed Ashraful Islam MP, for any offence he
caused.
This Council resolves:
-
That use of the Council Chamber should not be a
matter for the Executive or subject to Executive decisions and that
all councillors should have access and use of the Council Chamber
for the purposes of carrying out their roles as elected
representatives
Procedural motion
At this point Councillor Alibor Choudhury moved and Councillor Kabir Ahmed seconded a procedural motion:- ‘That Procedure Rule 13.1 be suspended to enable an urgent motion regarding the position of Speaker of the Council to be debated.’
The Monitoring Officer advised the Council that the proposed urgent motion was not in order and the procedural motion was therefore not put to the vote.
Procedural motion
At this point Councillor Joshua Peck moved and Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman seconded a procedural motion:- ‘That under Procedure Rule 23.2, Councillor Alibor Choudhury be not further heard.’ The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.
12.13 Motion regarding Mattress Recycling in Tower Hamlets
Councillor Shiria Khatun MOVED, and Councillor Joshua Peck SECONDED, the ... view the full minutes text for item 12