Issue - meetings
Budget Implementation 2013/14 (No 1)
Meeting: 17/04/2013 - Mayor's Executive Decision Making (Item 1.)
1. Budget Implementation 2013/14 (No 1) PDF 122 KB
Additional documents:
Meeting: 09/04/2013 - Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Item 5)
5 Budget Implementation 2013/14 (No 1) PDF 108 KB
Additional documents:
Minutes:
Please note that the order of business was varied by resolution of the OSC earlier in the proceedings in order to allow this item of business to be taken as the second item of substantive business (considered after agenda item 5.2), however for ease of reference OSC deliberations, and subsequent decisions taken, are set out below in the order detailed in the agenda.
Please note that composite “Special Circumstances and Reasons for Urgency” were agreed for this “Call In” at agenda item 5 above.
The Chair welcomed: Councillor Carlo Gibbs, one of seven Councillors who had “Called In” decision of the Mayor outside Cabinet (Decision Log Number 021 “Budget Implementation 2013/14 (No 1)” in accordance with the provisions of Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution. Also Councillor Alibor Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Resources, and Mr Chris Holme Acting Corporate Director Resources, who were in attendance to respond to the “Call-in”.
Councillor Carlo Gibbs presented the “Call-in”: summarising the reasons for “calling in” the Mayoral Decision, outlining the key concerns of the “Call-in” Members, and setting out the action sought from the OSC to address these. He also highlighted the additional point that Councillor Choudhury had indicated in his response to the “Call In” considered at agenda item 5.2 earlier in the proceedings, that Mayor considered the amendment to the Budget at Budget Council to have been politically motivated. To take a decision to change that would have political ramifications, and it must therefore be a ’key’ decision. By determining otherwise the Mayor had placed the Authority at risk of legal challenge
Councillor Alibor Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Resources, responded to the concerns raised by the “Call-in” Members and subsequently responded to questions from the OSC summarised as follows:
· Referring to the above point on political ramifications of the decision, made by Councillor Gibbs, he had not used the word political in its literal sense in the previous discussion.
· Legal advice made clear that the Authority could not lawfully place an artificial cap on statutory adverts, and it was wrong to suggest this.
· The reduction in the Budget for East End Life (EEL) would lead to redundancy of12 full time staff, and it was therefore subject to the Authority’s processes requiring consultation on such matters with staff and trades unions. The amendment to the Budget had no regard for this process. Also a high proportion of these staff were women and BME, a matter the Mayor took seriously.
· Due regard must be paid to the equality impacts of the proposals, and a full EQIA would need undertaken. Thought needed given to the people that accessed EEL, their reasons for doing so and the impact of closure.
· Financial and contractual obligations needed consideration eg the Authority had recently joined a London-wide print contract and the implications of breaking the contract needed assessed.
· The Authority had a duty to promote equality and social cohesion and used EEL to reach service users and the wider community and the Budget amendment did not take this ... view the full minutes text for item 5
Meeting: 26/03/2013 - Mayor's Executive Decision Making (Item 1.)
1. Budget Implementation 2013/14 (No 1) PDF 122 KB