To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received on behalf:

•         Councillor John Pierce.

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.

The Director of Legal and Interim Monitoring Officer advised that the Standards Advisory Committee on 4^th February 2021 agreed a general dispensation to all Councillors in respect of matters relating to the Council Tax and also on Housing where the Councillor (or spouse or partner) holds a tenancy or lease with the Council. Members did not therefore have to declare a DPI in respect of these matters.

Councillor Kahar Chowdhury declared a Non Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in agenda item 5, Budget and Council Tax 2021/22, in relation to any budget proposals that affected care services. This was on the basis of his wife’s employment in the care sector.

Councillor Denise Jones declared a Non Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in agenda item 5, Budget and Council Tax 2021/22, in relation to business rates, as she had a business in the Borough.

Councillor Ayas Miah declared a Non Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in agenda item 5, Budget and Council Tax 2021/22. This was the basis that family Members had businesses in the Borough In Tower Hamlets

There were none.

The Council Procedure Rules provide for a maximum of four petitions to be discussed at the Budget Meeting of the Council provided they are related to the Council’s Budget and Council Tax.

There are no petitions for consideration at this meeting.

There were none

To consider the proposals of the Mayor and Executive for the Council’s Budget and Council Tax 2021-22, as agreed at the Cabinet Meeting on 27 January 2021.

Mayor John Biggs moved, the budget and council tax proposals of the Mayor and Executive as set out in the agenda pack and the additional budget commentary motion as set out in the supplementary agenda. Councillor Candida Ronald seconded the proposals.

Councillor Peter Golds then moved and Councillor Andrew Wood seconded an amendment as set out in the supplementary agenda.

Councillor Rabina Khan then moved and Councillor Andrew Wood seconded an amendment as set out in the supplementary agenda.

Following debate, the amendment proposed by Councillor Peter Golds was put to a recorded vote and was defeated.

The amendment proposed by Councillor Rabina Khan was put to a recorded vote and was defeated.

The substantive budget and council tax proposals and additional budget commentary motion submitted by Mayor John Biggs were put to separate recorded votes and were agreed.

DECISION:

Additional Budget Commentary Motion:

The Council notes:

1.          This year’s budget has been particularly challenging . A decade of austerity, increasing demand and the coronavirus pandemic have hit our council hard and made balancing the books ever more difficult.

2.          However, despite Covid-19 and the significant uncertainty about our future funding position, the draft Budget protects frontline services and prioritises those in the greatest need including:

·         £3m to fund Free School Meals for all primary school children, one of only a small number of councils in the country to do this.

·         Additional funding for police officers and our council operated ASB service.

·         Our Tackling Poverty Fund providing financial support and advice for our most vulnerable residents.

·         Capital funding for hundreds of new council homes and three new secondary schools.

·         Protection for all of our Children’s Centres, the Brady and Kobi Nazrul centre.

·         A 100% council tax discount for the poorest in our community, one of the only places in the UK to offer this.

This Council believes:

1.          Covid19 has been a catastrophic event in the life of Tower Hamlets communities, and while much of the support people will need must come from Government, we should look at what we can do to help restore local well-being, and that we should also look to learn from our Covid-19 experiences how to create a more caring and people-centred approach to providing services and supporting people in our community. With the right focus this can be transformational.

2.          The flexibility created by increased New Homes Bonus income, plus some possible use of additional Covid-19 funds, means we can make additional one-off investment to fund an ambitious package of support to kickstart our community’s Covid-19 recovery, despite the challenges ahead and the need to resolve the problem of overspending and unfunded growth in our core budgets, requiring us  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.