The Speaker of the Council, Councillor Shafi Ahmed in the Chair

The Speaker of the Council provided his update to the Council. He stated he had taken part in a variety of events. The highlights included:

·       Attending the National Hate Crime Week at St Paul’s Cathedral

·       London Mayor’s Association Civic Service at Westminster Abbey

·       A local badminton tournament

·       Opening night of Season of Bangla Drama

·       Haileybury Youth Centre

·       British Bangladeshi Who’s Who

·       Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday Commemoration Services

The Speaker offered his condolences to the Mayor Lutfur Rahman on the sad passing of Mr Mohammed Chand Miah, his uncle and a longstanding community activist, who had been pivotal in establishing the Stepney Shahjalal Mosque.

Procedural Motion

Councillor Mufeedah Bustin moved a procedural motion under Council Procedure Rule 11.2 that an urgent motion be considered in relation the LGBTQ+ rights and the Qatar World Cup. The motion was seconded by Councillor Peter Golds.

The Speaker of the Council, on taking advice from the Monitoring Officer, concluded the motion, whilst an important issue, did not meet the threshold to be considered an urgent motion and therefore did not accept the request.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of:

·       Councillor Amina Ali

·       Councillor Maisha Begum 

·       Councillor Ahmodul Kabir

·       Councillor Ayas Miah

·       Councillor Bellal Uddin

Apologies for lateness were received on behalf of:

·       Councillor Sabina Khan.

Members are reminded to consider the categories of interest, identified in the Code of Conduct for Members to determine; whether they have an interest in any agenda item and any action they should take. For further details, see the attached note from the Monitoring Officer.

Members are also reminded to declare the nature of the interest at the earliest opportunity and the agenda item it relates to. Please note that ultimately it is the Members’ responsibility to identify any interests and also update their register of interests form as required by the Code.

If in doubt as to the nature of an interest, you are advised to seek advice prior to the meeting by contacting the Monitoring Officer or Democratic Services.

Councillors Nathalie Bienfait, Asma Islam, Shubo Hussain, Rachel Blake and   Marc Francis declared non-disclosable non-pecuniary interests in Agenda Item 10.1 ‘Roman Road Bow Neighbourhood Plan – Post-Referendum Adoption’, as they lived within the area covered by the Plan.

Councillors Rachel Blake and Marc Francis declared non-disclosable non-pecuniary interests in Agenda Item 10.1 ‘Roman Road Bow Neighbourhood Plan – Post-Referendum Adoption’, as Councillor Blake’s brother and Councillor Francis’ brother-in-law was a member of the Roman Road neighbourhood forum.

Councillors Rachel Blake and Marc Francis declared non-disclosable non-pecuniary interests in Agenda Item 8 ‘Opposition Motion Debate’ as their children attended Chisenhale Primary School.

To confirm as a correct record of the proceedings the unrestricted minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Council held on Wednesday 5 October 2022.

RESOLVED:

That the unrestricted minutes of the Ordinary Council meeting held on Wednesday 5 October 2022 be approved and signed by the Speaker as a correct record of proceedings, subject to the following amendment:

·       Item 8 ‘Opposition Motion for Debate’ to amend the third bullet point under ‘The Council Resolves to’ to ‘To continue providing support for small and medium enterprises, including the recently announced £2million dividend for Tower Hamlets’ SMEs in the Mayor’s Covid Additional Relief Fund, benefiting 850 businesses across the Borough.’

·       Councillor Golds requested to update the 5^th October minutes to reflect his non-participation in Item 8.

Announcements from the Chief Executive

The Chief Executive, Will Tuckley provided his regular update to the Council meeting, highlighting the following issues:

·      Covid infection rates were low in London, but care needed to be taken as Tower Hamlets has lower rates of childhood immunisation and vaccinations for Covid and flu.

·      Denise Radley, Corporate Director, Health, Adults and Community will be taking extended leave in the new year. Directors Somen Banerjee, Warwick Tomsett and Ann Corbett will be covering the post on a rotational basis.

·      Mr Kevin Bartle, Interim Corporate Director, Resources and Section 151 Officer will be moving to new challenges in December 2022 new arrangements to cover the S151 role will be announced.

·      Victoria Park had won the Green Flags “People’s Choice” award.

·      The TH_IS campaign had been shortlisted for the City Nation Place award.

·      The Regeneration Team for DLR Underline Project had been shortlisted for the New London Awards.

·      Young leaders, Maryam Chowdhury founder of Beyond Bias was named London Youth’s Young Leader of the Year with Mohammed from Spotlight shortlisted for the Young Leader 2022 awards.

·      Carer’s Rights Day would be marked on 24^th November.

The Council Procedure Rules provide for a maximum of four petitions to be discussed at an Ordinary Meeting of the Council.

The attached report presents the received petitions to be discussed. Should any additional petitions be received they will be listed to be noted but not discussed.

5.1 Petition regarding Road Closures

The petition was deferred to a future Council meeting.

5.2 Petition regarding improved street cleaning

Shaheda Najmeen, Saiful Rahman, Yusra Muhammad and Idris Chowdhury addressed the meeting on behalf of the petitioners and responded to questions from Members. Councillor Kabir Hussain, Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency responded to the matters raised in the petition. Councillor Kabir Hussain said street cleaning was a top priority for the administration and they were working in partnership to address issues relating to refuse build-up and uncollected bins. He said it was important for residents to report incidences of non-collection so the evidence could used to identify bottlenecks.

RESOLVED

1.    That the petition be referred to the Corporate Director, Place for a written response within 28 days.

The Council’s Constitution provides for the Elected Mayor to give a report at each Ordinary Council Meeting.

A maximum of six minutes is allowed for the Elected Mayor’s report, following which the Speaker of the Council will invite the leaders of the opposition groups to respond for up to two minutes each should they so wish. Following those contributions, the Mayor may reply for up to two minutes.

Mayor Lutfur Rahman presented his report to the Council.

The Opposition Group Leader, Councillor Sirajul Islam then responded briefly to the Mayor’s report.

Mayor Rahman provided concluding remarks

To debate a Motion submitted by the Administration in accordance with Rules 11 and 13 of the Council’s Constitution. The debate will last for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Councillor Maium Talukdar moved and Councillor Musthak Ahmed seconded the motion as printed in the agenda.

Councillor Sabina Akhtar moved and Councillor Sirajul Islam seconded the following proposed amendment as set out in the supplementary agenda.

Additions underlined

Deletions struck through

This Council notes: 

- That education is something that has always been close to the heart of the current Mayor’s everyone’s vision for Tower Hamlets, since entering public office, and serves as the bedrock for thousands to progress and escape poverty. 

- That during his previous term, the current Mayor introduced free school meals for all primary school children from an initiative spearheaded by the Labour Group at the time; introduced the Mayor’s Education Maintenance Allowance; introduce the Mayor’s University Bursary; invested millions in extracurricular youth services; and continued and enhanced a community language scheme to promote second language skills across the Borough’s communities. Several new schools were also built, including St Paul’s Way and Bow School, and countless others were improved as part of the Mayor’s £380million Building Schools for the Future programme. 

- That Tower Hamlets had has some of the best urban schools in the world due to a strong partnership between school staff, pupils, parents and the Council under the previous Labour administration Mayor’s last administration, with wholesale refurbishment, expansion and rebuilding taking place. 

- That despite this historic investment and prioritisation of education in Tower Hamlets, the previous administration stripped back and reversed several of these initiatives, leaving education services in the Borough under-resourced, lacking in investment and care, and undervalued. 

- The previous Labour administration oversaw strong investment in schools across Tower Hamlets where the education, development and wellbeing of local children was always Labour’s first priority. Under Labour, schools in Tower Hamlets were rated among the best in the country, with 97% of children going to either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ school. This was in large part because of the great work of the school staff and the close partnership between schools and the council. Labour also had a programme called ‘Building Schools for the Future’ which helped realise the borough’s aim of accelerating education across all schools. 

- The previous Labour administration also prioritised the health of local children in Tower Hamlets by rolling out the Daily Mile to all schools, an initiative where children run or jog at their own pace for 15 minutes a day to improve the physical and mental health of the schoolchildren. In 2021, the Mayor of London released the latest list of Healthy Schools London award winners which revealed Tower Hamlets to be the most successful borough in London for health and happiness. 

- That education in the Borough has not accelerated as it should have over the past seven years. Tower Hamlets is behind Islington, Newham, Southwark, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Lewisham and Lambeth for the % of students staying in education post-18. This is unacceptable. 

- That children in Tower Hamlets are so much more than being defined by being sent to either  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To debate a Motion submitted by the Opposition Group in accordance with Rules 11 and 13 of the Council’s Constitution. The debate will last for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Councillor Asma Begum moved and Councillor Amy Lee seconded the motion as printed in the agenda.

Councillor Kabir Ahmed moved and Councillor Saif Uddin Khaled seconded a proposed amendment to the motion as printed in the tabled papers supplement.

Additions underlined

Deletions struck through

This Council notes that:

·       Tower Hamlets has one of the highest levels of motor vehicle traffic in the country, partly due to vehicles travelling through the borough, and the average lung capacity of a child in Tower Hamlets is up to 10 per cent less than the national average. This demonstrates that the imposition of School streets has not directly improved the negative impact of pollution of the children of the Borough.? 

·       The Air Quality Action Plan 2022-2027 was presented at a meeting of the Mayor’s Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 26^th October 2022 which stated in its research that ‘studies, including one carried out in Tower Hamlets, show that children’s health is being negatively affected living in highly polluted areas. Children in Tower Hamlets have reduced lung function, which they may never recover.’ 

·       The previous Labour administration introduced 26 School Streets across the borough, an initiative to improve air quality for children by reducing car traffic around schools. This policy was largely successful, resulting in a 30% reduction in pollution near schools and there are now 547 School Streets across nearly every London borough. did little to invest in education.

·       In his transformative Manifesto, Mayor Lutfur Rahman, pledged to open the roads and get the Borough moving, removing restrictions that impacted the poorest and most vulnerable in Tower Hamlets. 

·       However, this administration has also demonstrated that it is a listening administration, evident in the decision to retain the Wapping?Bus Gate. It will also listen – where there is overwhelming support – to calls to retain the school streets infrastructure.? 

·       After a thorough consultation and a local campaign headed by parents, teachers and young people in the area, a School Street was installed at Chisenhale Primary School in order to prevent excess car pollution and keep the local schoolchildren and residents safe. 

·       Despite the scheme having proved successful with large community support, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets has announced that he will remove the School Streets without prior consultation. 

This Council believes that: 

·       The local community has made it clear that they want to keep the School Street at Chisenhale Primary School, and their concerns must be heard. 

·       This overwhelming support for the retention of the Chisenhale?school street scheme has not been forthcoming, with a well-organised?minority pushing their agenda the hardest.?? 

·       That large numbers of residents have contacted the Mayor?voicing their support for the Scheme’s removal, and that therefore it’s removal following the lapsing of the Experimental Traffic Order – which Labour?Councillors?acknowledged was temporary at the time – is more than justified.?? 

This Council therefore resolves: 

·       To call on the Mayor of Tower Hamlets to immediately reverse the decision to close the School Street at Chisenhale Primary School. 

·       To  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To consider, under the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework, the report submitted by the Executive proposing the Council’s Gambling Policy for 2022-25.

The Council considered the report of the Executive setting out a proposed gambling policy for 2022-2025.

RESOLVED

1.             To Approve and adopt the Gambling Policy for 2022-25.  

To consider the report of the General Purposes Committee on the Implementation of Special Severance Payments Regulations.

The Council considered the report of the General Purposes Committee setting out recommendations for implementation of special severance payments.

RESOLVED

1.    To note the revised process for Special Severance Payments. 

2.    To consider the revised 2022/23 pay policy statement and agree the policy for adoption.

3.    To delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Director of Workforce, OD and Business Support and the Chair of the General Purposes Committee and Monitoring Officer, any further minor changes to the 2022/23 pay policy statement.

To consider the report of the Corporate Director, Place on adoption of the Roman Road Bow Neighbourhood Plan.

The Council considered the report relating to Roman Road Bow Neighbourhood Plan.

RESOLVED

1.    To note the result of the Roman Road Bow Neighbourhood Plan referendum and adopt the neighbourhood plan, in line with the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, Section 38A.

To consider the report of the Corporate Director, Place on the Identification of Contaminated Land.

The Council considered the report relating to the identification of contaminated land.

RESOLVED

1.    To adopt the strategy for the identification of contaminated land.

2.    To delegate to the Corporate Director of Place authority to make any amendments to the policy deemed necessary following consultation with the Director of Legal.

To consider the report of the Director of Legal and Monitoring Officer seeking the appointment of two Co-optees to the Standards Advisory Committee.

The Council considered the report proposing nominations to the Standards Advisory Committee.

RESOLVED

1.    Appoint Elizabeth Marshall and Syed Uddin as Co-opted Members of the Standards Advisory Committee for four-year terms, expiring on 17 November 2026.

To consider the report of the Director of Legal and Monitoring Officer on proposed amendments to the Member Allowances Scheme.

The Council considered the report relating to the Member Allowances Scheme.

RESOLVED

1.    To Agree the following changes to the Member Allowances Scheme for 2022-23 effective immediately.

                        i.         Removal of the Mayoral Advisors Special Responsibility Allowance

                       ii.         Clarify that a maximum of one Deputy Mayor Special Responsibility Allowance can be allocated.

To consider an urgent report of the Director of Legal and Monitoring Officer under Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

Ms Janet Fasan, Director of Legal and Monitoring Officer explained this urgent report had been added to the agenda, as it required the decision notice issued on the 2^nd November 2022 to be quashed because the planning decision had not followed due process.

The Council considered the urgent report relating to the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

RESOLVED

1.    To seek the quashing of the Decision Notice issued on 2^nd November 2022, in respect of planning application PA/21/02703. 

The questions which have been received from Councillors to be put at this Council meeting are set out in the attached report.  A maximum period of 30 minutes is allocated to this agenda item.

No questions were put due to lack of time.

Due to the lack of time, the questions were not considered and written responses will be provided. The written responses are attached at Appendix A.

No motions were considered due to lack of time.