To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Lutfa Begum, Zara Davis, Ann Jackson and Fozol Miah.

To note any declarations of interest made by Members, including those restricting Members from voting on the questions detailed in Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act, 1992. 

See attached note from the Monitoring Officer.

Please see the minutes.

Councillor Stephanie Eaton declared a Pecuniary Interest in Item 12.9 (Motion – London Metropolitan University) and stated that she would withdraw from the meeting for that item.

Councillor Shafiqul Haque declared a personal interest in Item 12.14 as his son was employed as an apprentice within the Council.

To confirm as a correct record of the proceedings the unrestricted minutes of the extraordinary meeting of the Council held on 11^th July 2012; and the ordinary meeting of the Council also held on 11^th July 2012.

1. That the unrestricted minutes of the Ordinary and Extraordinary Council meetings held on 11 July 2012 be confirmed as a correct record and that the Speaker be authorised to sign them accordingly.

2. That the Restricted (Part II) minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 11 July 2012 be deferred for consideration at the next meeting.

The draft Restricted (Part 2) minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 11^th July 2012 were tabled.  Members did not consider that this allowed enough time for them to read and determine the accuracy of the draft minutes, and proposed that they be deferred to the next meeting.

Councillor Bill Turner expressed concern at the content of Councillor Ohid Ahmed’s written response to public question 6.2 at the 11^th July Ordinary Council meeting which was appended to the minutes of that meeting, and referred to threats alleged to have been made by another Councillor at a previous meeting.  Councillor Turner stated that no charges had been brought in relation to that matter and he invited Councillor Ahmed to withdraw the response.        

RESOLVED

1. That the unrestricted minutes of the Ordinary and Extraordinary Council meetings held on 11^th July 2012 be confirmed as a correct record and that the Speaker be authorised to sign them accordingly.

2. That the Restricted (Part II) minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 11^th July 2012 be deferred for consideration at the next meeting.

No announcements were made at the meeting.

No announcements were made at the meeting.

The Council Procedure Rules provide for petitions to be presented at each ordinary meeting of the Council.  The deadline for receipt of petitions for this Council meeting is noon on Thursday 13^th September 2012.  However, at the time of agenda despatch the maximum number of petitions for the meeting had already been received. 

The petitions for presentation to this meeting, including one petition that was submitted for the 11^th July Council meeting but was not presented at that meeting due to time factors, are set out in the attached report. 

5.1       Petition regarding ‘Attack on Bengali as a mother tongue teaching-learning at Langdon Park Secondary School’ (Petition from Ms Nahida Rahid, Ms Hayley Ali and others) – petition deferred from the Council Meeting on 11th July 2012.

This petition was not heard as the petitioners were unable to be present.

The Service Head, Democratic Services advised the meeting that officers would contact the petitioners and offer them the opportunity to present the petition at the next meeting if they wished.

(Action by: John S. Williams, Service Head, Democratic Services)

5.2       Petition from Mr John Baker and signed by approximately 1,000 persons against a waste transfer station in Ailsa Street, Poplar

Mr John Baker addressed the meeting on behalf of the petitioners and responded to questions from Members. The relevant Cabinet Member then responded to the matters raised in the petition.

DECISION

That the petition be referred to the Corporate Director, Development and Renewal, for a written response on any outstanding matters within 28 days.

(Action by: Aman Dalvi, Corporate Director Development and Renewal)

5.3       Petition from Mr Golam Mohammed Chowdhury, Betar Bangla and others regarding the Boishaki Mela

Mr Golam Mohammed Chowdhury addressed the meeting on behalf of the petitioners responded to questions from Members. The relevant Cabinet Member then responded to the matters raised in the petition.

DECISION

That the petition be referred to the Corporate Director, Communities, Localities and Culture for a written response on any outstanding matters within 28 days.

(Action by: Stephen Halsey, Corporate Director Communities, Localities and Culture)

Procedural Motion

Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman moved, and Councillor Joshua Peck seconded, a procedural motion – “That under Procedure Rule 14.1.3 the order of business be altered to consider Motion 12.18 Review of the Contract for the BaishakhiMela immediately”.

The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.

Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman moved, and Councillor Khales Uddin Ahmed 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:

-          The significant concern within the community at the way the 2012 BaishakhiMela was conducted, specifically over the process used to allocate stalls.

-          The media reports that 19 people were arrested for attempted visa fraud relating to the Mela.

-          The 2012 BaishakhiMela was the first under a 9 year contract awarded to the BoishakhiMela Trust.

This Council Believes:

-          The BaishakhiMela is a great cultural addition to Tower Hamlets offering a wide range of cultural experiences and economic benefits to the borough.

-          The BaishakhiMela should be an event open to be enjoyed by all and organised in the best interests of all in the community.

-          The reputation of both the borough and the Mela is damaged by reports of fraud and that the Council should do all it can to protect its reputation and support organisers to prevent such attempts.

-          Awarding the contract to run the Mela to  ...  view the full decision text for item 5.

5.1       Petition regarding ‘Attack on Bengali as a mother tongue teaching-learning at Langdon Park Secondary School’ (Petition from Ms Nahida Rahid, Ms Hayley Ali and others) – petition deferred from the Council Meeting on 11th July 2012.

This petition was not heard as the petitioners were unable to be present.

The Service Head, Democratic Services advised the meeting that officers would contact the petitioners and offer them the opportunity to present the petition at the next meeting if they wished.

5.2       Petition from Mr John Baker and signed by approximately 1,000 persons against a waste transfer station in Ailsa Street, Poplar

Mr John Baker addressed the meeting on behalf of the petitioners and responded to questions from Members.

Councillor Rabina Khan, Cabinet Member for Housing, then responded to the issues raised. She reassured residents that the Local Development Framework had only designated the site as having ‘potential’ for a waste disposal site and this did not mean it would be used for the purpose. The Council were examining alternatives but it had to satisfy the Greater London Authority (GLA) that it had considered waste provision requirements. Indeed officers had now met with GLA colleagues and she was pleased to announce that, subject to ratification, the Council would be able to remove this designation from the site as the GLA had accepted that other facilities provided sufficient provision.

RESOLVED

That the petition be referred to the Corporate Director, Development and Renewal, for a written response on any outstanding matters within 28 days.

5.3       Petition from Mr Golam Mohammed Chowdhury, Betar Bangla and others regarding the Boishaki Mela

Mr Golam Mohammed Chowdhury addressed the meeting on behalf of the petitioners responded to questions from Members.

Councillor Rania Khan, Cabinet Member for Culture then responded to the issues raised. She stated that the Boishaki Mela Trust was a limited company whose accounts could be accessed at Companies House. She also explained the robust, transparent processes put in place by the Council including audits of the processes now and previously by Deloittes. She acknowledged the importance of being aware of potential issues around human trafficking.

Finally she stated that more could be done to ensure the participation of local performers and that she would make recommendations for a review of how that could be achieved.

RESOLVED

That the petition be referred to the Corporate Director, Communities, Localities and Culture for a written response on any outstanding matters within 28 days.

Procedural Motion

Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman moved, and Councillor Joshua Peck seconded, a procedural motion – “That under Procedure Rule 14.1.3 the order of business be altered to consider Motion 12.18 ‘Review of the Contract for the BaishakhiMela’ immediately”.

The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.

12.18  Motion regarding Review of the Contract for the BaishakhiMela

Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman MOVED, and Councillor Khales Uddin Ahmed SECONDED, the motion as printed in the agenda.

Following debate, the motion was put to the vote and was agreed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

The questions which have been received from members of the public for this Council meeting are set out in the attached report.

A maximum period of 20 minutes is allocated to this agenda item.

6.1 Question from Mr Akther Zaman about the Leader of the Labour Group’s timesheets.

Procedural Motion

Councillor Helal Abbas moved, and Councillor Bill Turner seconded, a procedural motion – “That under Procedure Rule 14.1.14, Rule 13.1 be suspended to allow an urgent motion regarding Payments to Gulam Robbani to be debated.”

The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.

Councillor Helal Abbas moved, and Councillor Bill Turner seconded, the urgent motion [the text of the motion was as set out in the resolution below].

Following debate, the urgent motion as tabled was put to the vote and was agreed.

DECISION

This Council notes:

• The recently released FOI response from the Council which details payments made to and invoices submitted by Gulam Roggani during his time as a Mayoral advisor.

• The multitude of discrepancies between the timesheet invoices submitted by Mr Robbani and those of the councillors who he was claiming to meet, including:

• That the above examples of discrepancies are only 3 of 24 serious individual incidences over 4 months.

• That contractors working for the Council are monitored to ensure all of their claims are accurate and that in this case this monitoring and sign off was conducted by the Mayor’s office.

This Council Believes:

• That there are serious questions to answer regarding the scale and number of discrepancies between the timesheets submitted by Mr Robbani and those of the people he was claiming to meet.

This Council Resolves:

• To require that the Head of Paid Service request that the Corporate Fraud Manager investigates to ensure that all invoices have been properly claimed and paid and report back.

(Action by: Stephen Halsey, Acting Head of Paid Service)

6.2 Question from Mr Salah Uddin Salam about the Special Responsibility Allowance of the Chair of the Pensions Committee. (No supplementary question was put)

6.3 Question from Mr Scott Stuart about the Olympic legacy in Tower Hamlets.

6.4 Question from Mr Afzalur Rahman about the lack of trade in Brick Lane during the Olympics.

6.5 Question from Ms Shumi Shabiha on the armed forces parade.

6.6 Question from Junyied Ahmed Sundor on the proposed reduction in Councillors at Tower Hamlets Council.

The above questions and in each case (except where indicated) a supplementary question, were put and were responded to by the relevant Executive Member.

(Action by: John S.  ...  view the full decision text for item 6.

6.1 Question from Mr Akther Zaman about the Leader of the Labour Group’s timesheets.

I read in this week’s Private Eye that the Labour group leader had claimed on his time sheet for a party-political stunt, cleaning the streets. Is this true?

Response by Councillor Shahed Ali, Cabinet Member for Environment

It looked like a good gesture of Councillor Joshua Peck to go out with a bin bag out of the goodness of his heart. However having had a look it appears he did record this on his time sheet for that month.

Summary of Supplementary Question from Mr Akther Zaman

Looking at the work he listed on his time sheet that gives an hourly rate of £41/hr.  Is that a competitive rate for a street cleaner?

Summary of Councillor Shahed Ali’s response to the Supplementary Question

There are hard working people cleaning our streets every day of the year. They would find it disheartening that a Councillor is trying to give some peculiar statement that they are not doing their job correctly. Our workers get just under ten pounds an hour and do a brilliant job as shown by third party monitoring which showed that 97.7% of residents recently thought our streets were the cleanest they have been for a long time. I hope that Councillor Peck regrets his actions and he should pay that money back.

[Note: Following the above question and response, Councillor Joshua Peck rose to give a point of personal explanation.  Councillor Peck stated that he was not going to apologise for cleaning up an area that had not been cleaned for many months. He pointed out that he would not receive any additional allowance for this work and that many Councillors, and the Mayor, do not even publish timesheets.]

Procedural Motion

Councillor Helal Abbas MOVED, and Councillor Bill Turner SECONDED, a procedural motion – “That under Procedure Rule 14.1.14, Rule 13.1 be suspended to allow an urgent motion regarding Payments to Gulam Robbani to be debated.”

The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.

Urgent Motion re: Gulam Robbani’s Timesheets

Councillor Helal Abbas MOVED, and Councillor Bill Turner SECONDED, a tabled urgent motion as set out below.

Following debate, the urgent motion as tabled was put to the vote and was agreed.

RESOLVED

This Council notes:

• The recently released FOI response from the Council which details payments made to and invoices submitted by Gulam Robbani during his time as a Mayoral advisor.

• The multitude of discrepancies between the timesheet invoices submitted by Mr Robbani and those of the councillors who he was claiming to meet, including:

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

A maximum of five minutes is allowed for the Elected Mayor’s report, following which the Speaker of the Council will invite the respective political group leaders to respond for up to one minute each if they wish.

The Mayor made his report to the Council meeting. The Leader of the Majority group and Leaders of the Minority Groups each responded briefly to the Mayor’s report.

The Mayor made his report to the Council meeting, extending a welcome to all present.

He looked back over the summer’s sports and celebrations at the Olympics and Paralympics and of the unparalleled success of the British team. He paid tribute on behalf of all residents of Tower Hamlets to all the athletes who had taken part and in particular to Team GB.

He highlighted how the games could inspire a generation of young people in the borough showing that a disadvantaged background could be overcome. He also noted how the Paralympics had changed the perception of disability and disabled sports. It was important to secure a legacy for the borough and that significant investment had been secured on the back of the games.

He thanked the young people who participated in the opening and closing ceremonies and the armed forces for stepping into the breach at the last moment, noting that you could always count on public servants.

Turning to other matters the Mayor briefly reported on a number of issues including:

·        His support for campaigners calling for a fresh review of the 1943 Bethnal Green tube disaster.

·        How government policies were continuing to hit residents and his backing for the national TUC march.

·        Fantastic local GCSE results, bucking the national trend. He also attached the proposals for abolishing GCSEs as ill thought out and called for better consultation.

·        That an additional 175 primary school places had been provided to help ensure children had the best possible chances.

The Leader of the Majority group and Leaders of the Minority Groups each responded briefly to the Mayor’s report.   In the absence of Councillor Fozol Miah (Leader of the Respect Group), Councillor Harun Miah responded on behalf of that group).  All endorsed the Mayor’s thanks to those who had contributed to the success of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

[Note – following the Mayor’s Report, and as proposed by Councillor Harun Miah during his response, the Council held a minute’s silence in memory of WPCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone who had been shot dead whist on duty in Manchester.]

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.

8.1       Question from Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman on the promotion of the ‘Curry Capital’ during the Olympics.

8.2       Question from Councillor David Snowdon about the new ‘Paths to Gold’ smartphone app.

8.3       Question from Councillor Carlo Gibbs on the medium term budget outlook.

8.4       Question from Councillor Fozol Miah on the withdrawal of London Metropolitan University’s licence.

The questioner was not in attendance so this question fell.

8.5       Question from Councillor Sirajul Islam on work undertaken to bring properties up to Decent Homes standards.

8.6       Question from Councillor Craig Aston regarding Barbican College who were occupying the old Poplar Town Hall.

8.7       Question from Councillor Amy Whitelock about action being taken to tackle child sexual exploitation.

8.8       Question from Councillor Harun Miah regarding the interview process for Work Capability Assessments (No supplementary question was put).

8.9       Question from Councillor Ann Jackson about the situation relating to One Housing Group.

The questioner was not in attendance so the question fell.

8.10 Question from Councillor Peter Golds about the Armed Forces event on Sunday 12 August.

8.11 Question from Councillor Khales Uddin Ahmed on the reduction in flower beds. (No supplementary question was put)

The above questions and in each, except where indicated, a supplementary question were put and were responded to by the relevant executive Member.

The remaining questions 8.12 to 8.21 were not put due to lack of time. Written responses will be provided.

(Action by: John S. Williams, Service Head, Democratic Services – to arrange written responses).

8.1       Question from Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman on the promotion of the       ‘Curry Capital’ during the Olympics

What steps did the Mayor take to promote Curry Capital during the Olympics? What was the total budget allocated to promoting Curry Capital and Brick Lane and will the Mayor provide a breakdown of what this budget was spent on?

Response by Councillor Rania Khan, Cabinet Member for Culture

The Mayor was successful in ensuring Brick Lane and Spitalfields received the honour being designated Curry Capital 2012.  This was in addition to ensuring local businesses had an opportunity to access the procurement processes set out by Locog.

As already set out in the public questions there was no external funding given to the council to promote Curry Capital 2012.  Tower Hamlets Council had to identify resources from existing funds which was also used to promote other businesses. This was done following consideration  by the Mayor of the need to promote Brick Lane and Banglatown Brick Lane as a key visitor destination.  Brick Lane was featured widely in media as diverse as the New York Times to China Daily.

Summary of Supplementary Question from Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman

Is the Mayor aware that some businesses are now at threat of closure because of his failure to properly promote Brick Lane?

Summary of Councillor Rania Khan’s response to the Supplementary Question

I am saddened to hear about any businesses potentially closing down however I disagree about the cause. A major cause was the failure of the Mayor of London in scaring off people from going out in London during the Games.

8.2       Question from Councillor David Snowdon about the new ‘Paths to       Gold’ smartphone app

Regarding the borough's mobile phone 'App' entitled 'Paths To Gold', seemingly produced by an outfit called Captive Minds on behalf of Tower Hamlets Council, may I please be informed:

A) Whether this application was in fact written by Tower Hamlets, and if so, who authorised expenditure on it?

B) How much was spent on this 'App'? Please detail both in house and out of house costs, and who the contractors were.

C) What was the rationale for developing it?

D) What benefits are expected to accrue to Tower Hamlets Council or the Borough more widely?

E) Was this 'App' linked to a payment of £54,000 by the Communications Team for Software to Captive Minds Communications Group in May 2012, as published on the Tower Hamlets website: http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgsl/800001-800100/800043_transparency/payments_to_suppliers-1.aspx If this payment is not linked to this 'App', what was it for?

Response by Councillor Alibor Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Resources

The Council has developed the App for smartphones to promote the borough. It is designed to help promote the borough’s attractions which will benefit from the increased exposure the Olympics has brought to Tower Hamlets and East London in general.

Captive Minds is a Tower Hamlets based business who built the App and generated some of the content at a cost of £54,000.  The App has been accessed 7,000 times  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To adopt the Fish Island Area Action Plan (AAP) as a Development Plan Document (DPD). 

Following full Council approval in May 2012, the Fish Island AAP submission version was submitted to the Secretary of State to undertake an Examination in Public (EiP).  The Secretary of State appointed an Independent Inspector to undertake the EiP from 18^th to 25^th July 2012.   

Following the EiP it is anticipated that the Inspector will conclude that the AAP provides an appropriate basis for the planning of Fish Island until 2025; and that subject to a number of minor modifications to meet legal and statutory requirements (including modifications that the Council consulted on following the EiP) the AAP is ‘sound’.     

The report of the Corporate Director, Development and Renewal, including the schedule of proposed minor amendments, is attached and the Inspector’s Decision Statement, which is expected to be received imminently, will be circulated to members ahead of the Council meeting.

The Council considered the report on the adoption of a Fish Island Area Action Plan as part of the Local Development Framework.

DECISION

1        To agree the Inspector’s Decision Statement, including his main modifications relating to FI AAP.

2          To adopt the FI AAP, including the Inspectors main modifications, as a Development Plan Document which forms part of the Council’s LDF.

3          To agree a number of minor modifications which were suggested by Officers as part of the proposed modifications, (appendix 1 of the Full Council report). These modifications do not affect the soundness to the FI AAP and have not formed part of the Inspector’s main modifications, but are required for accuracy. These minor modifications are summarised below:

·        Amend paragraph 1.21 and 1.28 to update the status of the ODA planning application for Fish Island East and the London Mayor’s  Olympic Legacy Supplementary Planning Guidance (OLSPG);

·        Amend reference in figure 4.1 “Waterfront character predominantly residential character” to extend to the LIL waterfront boundary.

·        Include photographs on page 82 to illustrate active waterway uses;

·        Amend the size of Opportunity Site 1 (White Post Lane from “0.5Ha” to “0.1Ha of which is in Tower Hamlets”, and;

·        Update paragraph 6.40 reference to British Waterways to state ‘‘Canal and River Trust’’.

(Action by: Aman Dalvi, Corporate Director Development and Renewal)

The Council considered the report of the Corporate Director, Development and Renewal as included in the agenda papers (with additional appendices included in the supplementary pack), recommending the adoption of a Fish Island Action Plan as part of the Local Development Framework.

Councillor Rabina Khan MOVED and Councillor Ohid Ahmed SECONDED the recommendations contained in the report.

Following discussion, the recommendations were put to the vote and were agreed unanimously. Accordingly, it was: -

RESOLVED

1        To agree the Inspector’s Decision Statement, including his main modifications relating to FI AAP.

2          To adopt the FI AAP, including the Inspectors main modifications, as a Development Plan Document which forms part of the Council’s LDF.

3          To agree a number of minor modifications which were suggested by Officers as part of the proposed modifications, (appendix 1 of the Full Council report). These modifications do not affect the soundness to the FI AAP and have not formed part of the Inspector’s main modifications, but are required for accuracy. These minor modifications are summarised below:

·        Amend paragraph 1.21 and 1.28 to update the status of the ODA planning application for Fish Island East and the London Mayor’s  Olympic Legacy Supplementary Planning Guidance (OLSPG);

·        Amend reference in figure 4.1 “Waterfront character predominantly residential character” to extend to the LIL waterfront boundary.

·        Include photographs on page 82 to illustrate active waterway uses;

·        Amend the size of Opportunity Site 1 (White Post Lane from “0.5Ha” to “0.1Ha of which is in Tower Hamlets”, and;

·        Update paragraph 6.40 reference to British Waterways to state ‘‘Canal and River Trust’’.

There was no business under this heading.

There was no business under this heading.

Procedural motion

Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman moved and Councillor Joshua Peck seconded a procedural motion:- ‘That under Procedure Rule 14.1.3 the order of business be changed so that after items 11.1 and 11.2, the Council shall debate motion 12.10, then motion 12.13, then motion 12.16 and then the other agenda items in the printed order.’  The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.

To follow.  The Appointments Sub-Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday 17^th September 2012.

DECISION

1        That the Council note the proposed process and timetable for the recruitment of an interim Chief Executive as at section 4.2 of the report.

2        That accordingly the interim appointment of Stephen Halsey as Head of Paid Service be extended subject to his agreement until 29^th November 2012 or until a new Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service takes up post, whichever is sooner.

3        That the Job Description and Person Specification for the recruitment of the Chief Executive be agreed as attached at Appendix ‘A’, and that the salary for the role remain as previously agreed.

4        That the post of interim Chief Executive be recruited to on the basis of a fixed term contract to 1^st November 2014.

(Action by: Stephen Halsey, Acting Head of Paid Service)

The Council considered the tabled report of the Appointments Sub-Committee on progress and the proposed process for recruiting an Interim Chief Executive.

Councillor Joshua Peck MOVED and Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman SECONDED the recommendations contained in the report.

Following discussion, the recommendations were put to the vote and were agreed. Accordingly, it was:-

RESOLVED

1        That the Council note the proposed process and timetable for the recruitment of an interim Chief Executive as at section 4.2 of the report.

2        That accordingly the interim appointment of Stephen Halsey as Head of Paid Service be extended subject to his agreement until 29^th November 2012 or until a new Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service takes up post, whichever is sooner.

3        That the Job Description and Person Specification for the recruitment of the Chief Executive be agreed as attached at Appendix ‘A’, and that the salary for the role remain as previously agreed.

4        That the post of interim Chief Executive be recruited to on the basis of a fixed term contract to 1^st November 2014.

To note a report (attached) on any Executive decisions precluded from ‘call-in’ on grounds of urgency since the last Council meeting, in accordance with the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules at Part 4.5 of the Council’s constitution.

DECISION

That the report be noted.

The Council received the report of the Service Head, Democratic Services reporting on the preclusion from ‘Call In’ of the decision taken at the Cabinet meeting on 25^th July 2012 regarding the One Housing Group.

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

The motions submitted by Councillors for debate at this meeting, including eight motions deferred from the 11^th July Council meeting due to time factors, are set out in the attached report.

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 9^th 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.

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 9^th 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.

In view of the content of the remaining items on the agenda, the Council is recommended to adopt the following motion:

“That, under the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 as amended, the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that the business to be transacted contains information defined as Exempt in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.”

EXEMPT/CONFIDENTIAL SECTION (PINK)

The Exempt/Confidential (pink) papers for consideration at the meeting will contain information which is commercially, legally or personally sensitive and should not be divulged to third parties. If you do not wish to retain these papers after the meeting please hand them to the Committee Officer present.

No motion to exclude the press and public was considered.

No motion to exclude the press and public was considered.

To confirm as a correct record of the proceedings the exempt (restricted) minutes of the extraordinary meeting of the Council held on 11^th July 2012.

The minutes were deferred for consideration at the next meeting.

The exempt minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 11^th July 2012 were deferred for consideration at the next meeting (see item 3 above).