During the meeting, the Council agreed to vary the order of business. To aid clarity, the Minutes are presented in the order that the items originally appeared on the agenda. The order the business was taken in at the meeting was as follows:

• Item 1 - Apologies for absence.
• Item 2 – Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.
• Item 3 – Minutes.
• Item 4 – Announcements.
• Items 5 – Petitions.
• Item 5.4  -  Petition debate and urgent motion regarding the Community Language Service
• Item 6 – Public Questions.
• Item 7 – Mayor’s Report.
• Item 8 – Members Questions

·         Item 9. 1  - Report from Cabinet: Substance Misuse Strategy 2016-19

·         Item 9. 2  - Annual Report to the Council by the Independent Person

·         Item 11.1 - Treasury Management Quarterly Update Report for Quarter Ended June 2016

·         Item 11.2 - The Roles of the Mayor and the Chief Executive and the delegation of powers

·         Item 12.1 – Motion regarding the Housing and Planning Act

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of:

·         Councillor John Pierce

·         Councillor Abdul Asad

·         Councillor Suluk Ahmed

Apologies for lateness were received on behalf of Councillors Joshua Peck and Marc Francis.

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.

Councillor Helal Uddin declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in Agenda Item 5.2, Petition relating to Poplar HARCA parking. This was on the basis that the Councillor’s employer had a working relationship with Poplar HARCA. The Councillor left the meeting for the consideration of this petition.

Councillor Abdul Mukit MBE declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in Agenda Item 5.4, Petition relating to cuts to community language services and Motion 12.2 on the same subject (not debated). This was on the basis that his wife was an employee of the community language service. The Councillor left the meeting for the consideration of the petition.

To confirm as a correct record of the proceedings the unrestricted minutes of the Ordinary General Meeting of the Council held on 20 July 2016.

RESOLVED:

1.            That the unrestricted minutes of the Council meeting held on 20 July 2016 be confirmed as a correct record and the Speaker be authorised to sign them accordingly.

The Speaker of the Council was delighted to announce that Councillor Oliur Rahman’s wife gave birth to their second child on Wednesday last week. On behalf of the whole Council, he passed on their many congratulations and best wishes to the whole family.

Mayor John Biggs referred to correspondence about an alleged child abduction in the Borough. He emphasised that it was not clear at this stage whether this incident had actually occurred as the Police had received contradictory reports. However, in any event, it was essential that the Council and schools safeguard children and managed any such incidences effectively. 

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

The deadline for receipt of petitions for this Council meeting is noon on Thursday 14 July 2016.

However at the time of agenda despatch, the maximum number of petitions has already been received as set out in the attached report.

One further petition has been received which collected more than 2,000 signatures and is presented for debate as set out in the additional report.

5.1       Petition relating Drug Dealing

Petition not presented due to the absence of the petitioner.

RESOLVED:

That the petition be referred to the Chief Executive and Acting Corporate Director, Communities, Localities and Culture, for a written response within 28 days.

5.2       Petition relating to Poplar HARCA parking

Doros Ullahaddressed the meeting and responded to questions from Members. Mayor John Biggs then responded to the matters raised in the petition. Whilst acknowledging that responsibility for setting the parking charges fell outside the remit of the Council, the Mayor reported that he and ward colleagues had  expressed concerns to the Chief Executive and the Chair of Poplar HARCA about the increase in the parking charges. He also reported that Poplar HARCA had indicated a willingness to review their position and the Administration would be making further representations to them again at that stage.

RESOLVED:

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

5.3       Petition relating to Old Ford Housing Association

John Forsteraddressed the meeting and responded to questions from Members. Mayor John Biggs then responded to the matters raised in the petition. He stated that he had met and exchanged correspondence with the Circle Housing Group and Affinity Sutton to discuss their plans to close the Old Ford Housing Association and centralise all services under its own management. He thanked all those involved in this work to date, especially Councillor Marc Francis for his efforts in dealing with the concerns and also for pushing for the outstanding repairs works to be carried out. The Administration would continue to escalate these particular concerns.

The Mayor considered that the proposed transfer conflicted with the Housing Association’s duty to provide locally managed and accountable services. Accordingly, his Administration would be making representations to that end and would be triggering the dispute resolution process of the Stock Transfer Agreement that covered some aspects of the concerns.

The Mayor also stated that he was willing to meet and work with the petitioners to secure a better outcome for the management of their housing and to ensure that the new landlord consulted the residents on their plans.

RESOLVED:

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

5.4       Petition Debate – Cuts to community language services

Jahed Chouddhury addressed the meeting on behalf of the petitioners. The Council then debated the matters raised by the petition and Councillor Asma Begum, Cabinet Member for Culture responded to the issues raised.

Councillor Asma Begum moved and Councillor Racheal Saunders seconded, a procedural motion “that under Procedure Rule 14.1.5, Rule 13.1 be suspended to enable an urgent motion regarding the Community Language Services to be considered”.

The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed

The Speaker adjourned the meeting at 7.50pm. The meeting reconvened at 8:00pm. The Speaker then adjourned the meeting again at 8:15pm and the meeting was reconvened at  ...  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.

The following questions and in each case (except where indicated) supplementary questions were put and were responded to by the Mayor or relevant Executive Member:-

6.2       Question from Asik Rahman

I was very impressed with the Mela this year. How many people attended the event – and what other feedback has the Mayor had?

Response by Councillor Asma Begum, Cabinet Member for Culture

The Mela was indeed a very impressive event. I am proud that Mayor Biggs and I were able to return it, not only back to Banglatown, but also back to being a cultural and family-friendly event rather than the overly-expensive and  commercialised version run under the previous administration. We estimate that around 40,000 people attended this year’s Mela. Those that came would have enjoyed a colourful parade down Brick Lane, amazing main stage acts by local and international artists. There was a catwalk and a family zone and a sport area.

(No supplementary question was put)

6.3 Question from Kevin Brady

When she became Prime Minister Theresa May said she would tackle “burning injustice” and inequality. Has the Mayor, as leader of one of the most deprived and unequal boroughs in the country, had any word from the Government to suggest they will stop the cuts to our council budgets?

Response by Mayor John Biggs

I think the indications so far are not good. I think every Prime Minister starts with a little bounce and a honeymoon and reaches out to everyone, but all the indications point towards Theresa May not being a great friend of local government. She doesn’t appear to be a fan of the devolution agenda, is making noises about resisting mayors in other parts of the country (people may have mixed views about that) and I don’t think she recognises that local government has been hit harder by spending cuts than other parts of the country and many, many very needy people depend on our services and that means that councils are having to make very hard decisions about how they balance their budgets with those tough decisions. Just to quote, or misquote, Ms May back at her, for her Brexit may mean Brexit, but it seems to me that, for her, fairness doesn’t mean fairness in local government spending.

Supplementary question from Kevin  Brady

It is clear that the government’s austerity policies resulted in significant pressures on the Council’s budget and you have had some difficult decisions about rate rises and cuts in services, but austerity has been about since 2010, whereas your administration is relatively new, could some of the impacts of the cuts have been mitigated if the previous administration had taken more decisive action?

Mayor John Biggs response to the supplementary question:

In my view that’s a very fair question and I’m disappointed that the Independent Group isn’t here to hear it as they are an echo of the former Mayor. I think the answer is that, if you look up and down the country, virtually  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

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, referring to his written report circulated at the meeting, summarising key events, engagements and meetings since the last Council meeting.

When the Mayor had completed his report and at the invitation of the Speaker the Leader of the Conservative Group then responded briefly to the Mayor’s report

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.

The following questions and in each case supplementary questions were put (except where indicated) and were responded to by the Mayor or relevant Executive Member:-

8.1 Question from Councillor Andrew Cregan:

The recent independent report into electoral fraud highlights a number of positive changes we have made to tighten up our electoral systems. Does the Mayor agree that while we have taken important steps to guard against electoral fraud, it makes a mockery of our democracy that we still have councillors whose election was benefitted by ‘corrupt and illegal practices’

Response by Mayor John Biggs:

Electoral fraud is a crime which affects everyone and I welcome any action which helps to crack down on those who set out to steal an election. There were some useful suggestions in the report – some were less useful.

In Tower Hamlets we have made significant changes to tighten up our voting systems since 2014. I'm glad to see this report recognising that good practice and recommending many of those changes be adopted more widely.

The report makes clear that the previous Mayor and his colleagues’ abuse of the electoral system was a criminal act.

What concerns me most is that not only was nobody prosecuted, but many of the candidates who benefitted from Lutfur Rahman's corrupt practices remain councillors in this chamber and remain unrepentant. In my opinion that is a disgrace.

The law should clearly be changed so that anyone benefitting from a corrupt election, particularly if they stand for a party which is then abolished because of that corruption, is removed from office or at least forced to re-run the election.

Supplementary question from Councillor Andrew Cregan:

Important work has been done but I would further commend your personal effort in cleaning up politics in this borough after the foul slurs and baseless attacks you were subjected to in 2014 by Tower Hamlets First. I would also commend the personal efforts of a member of the gallery who did far more than most at a great personal risk and did the borough an immeasurable service in delivering a post Lutfur Rahman era. So does the Mayor agree with me that this important task will only be fully complete when the rabble opposite, the shower of petulance are removed from this chamber permanently? 

Mayor John Biggs’ response to the supplementary question:

The answer to your question is yes. We do need to clean up the borough. We need to have people in this chamber who respect the rules of democracy, who respect each other in debate, who stand up without favour and any nervousness to champion the causes they passionately believe in. I think it is also important to say and you did mention that there might be someone in the public gallery, that we should pay our respect to the four petitioners who took the election petition and we should be alarmed by the headlines. If you read my written report, you will see that I am going to write to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive the report of the Chief Executive (and Acting Corporate Director, Communities, Localities and Culture) submitting the proposed Substance Misuse Strategy 2016-19 for approval.

This report was agreed at the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday 26 July 2016.

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive (and Acting Corporate Director, Communities, Localities and Culture) submitting the proposed Substance Misuse Strategy 2016-19 for approval.

The recommendations set out in the report were put to the vote and were agreed. Accordingly it was:

RESOLVED:

That the Council note:

1.            That the Substance Misuse Strategy 2016-2019 is part of the Crime

and Disorder Reduction Strategy in Tower Hamlets (the Community Safety Plan);

2.            That as the Substance Misuse Strategy 2016-2019 is part of the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy then pursuant to the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules, the Mayor as the Executive has responsibility for preparing the draft strategy for submission to the full Council to adopt;

3.            That the draft Substance Misuse Strategy 2016-2019 and Action Plan have been approved by strategic partners for adoption by their respective organisations;

4.            That at the Cabinet meeting on 26^th July 2016 the Mayor approved the draft Substance Misuse Strategy 2016-2019 and recommended it to full Council for adoption;

That the Council approve:

5.            The adoption of the Substance Misuse Strategy 2016-2019

To receive the Annual Report for 2015/16 of the Independent Person appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Localism Act 2011.  The Annual Report is attached to the covering report of the Corporate Director, Law, Probity and Governance.

.

The Council considered the Annual Report for 2015/16 of the Independent Person appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Localism Act 2011.

The recommendation set out in the report was put to the vote and was agreed. Accordingly it was:

RESOLVED:

1.         To note the content of the report.

There was no business to transact under this agenda item.

To receive the report of the Corporate Director, Resources in relation to the Council’s borrowing and investment activities from the start of the financial year 2016/17 to 30 June 2016. The report is attached.

The Council considered the report of the Corporate Director, Resources in respect of treasury management activities for the quarter ending 30 June 2016.

The recommendations set out in the report were put to the vote and were agreed. Accordingly it was:

RESOLVED:

1.            That the Council note the contents of the treasury management activities and performance against targets for quarter ending 30 June 2016;

2.            That the Council note the Council’s investments which are outstanding as at 30 June 2016 as set out in Appendix 1 of the report. The balance outstanding at that time was £452.95m which includes £73m, pension fund cash awaiting investment in early July;

3.            That the Council agree to increasing investments over a year monetary limit from £50m to £100m as set out in section 3.12.3 of the report.

4.            That the Council approve increasing monetary limit and duration of part nationalised banks from £25m and 3 years to £50m and 5 years as set out in section 3.12.4 of the report.

To consider the report of the Interim Service Head, Legal Services and Deputy Monitoring Officer proposing changes/clarifications to the Constitution in relation to the powers and duties of the Mayor and Chief Executive.

The Council considered the report of the Acting Corporate Director, Law Probity and Governance and Deputy Monitoring Officer proposing changes/clarifications to the Constitution in relation to the powers and duties of the Mayor and Chief Executive.

The recommendations set out in the report were put to the vote and were agreed. Accordingly it was:

RESOLVED:

1.            That the Council note and approve the additional clarity to the roles of the Mayor and the Chief Executive;

2.            That the Council agree the proposed constitutional changes set out in paragraphs 3.8 to 3.13 and Appendices 2 to 4 of the report and that the Constitution be revised accordingly.

The motions submitted by Councillors for debate at this meeting are set out in the attached report.

Councillor Danny Hassell moved and Councillor Rachael Saunders seconded, a procedural motion “that under Procedure Rule 14.1.3 the order of business be varied as follows:

·         Item 12.1 -  Motion regarding the Housing and Planning Act.

·         Item 12.4 -  Motion regarding Increasing Organ and Blood Donation in Tower Hamlets.

·         Item 12.6 -  Motion regarding Electoral Petition Costs.

·         Item 12.3 -  Motion regarding the 2016 Carbuncle Award.

·         Item 12.7 - Motion regarding pollution near schools.

·         Item 12.5 -  Motion regarding the future of the Tower Hamlets Youth Service. 

The motion was put to the vote and was agreed.

12. 1   Motion regarding the Housing and Planning Act

Councillor Andrew Cregan moved and Councillor Sirajul Islam seconded the motion as printed in the agenda.

Following debate, the motion was put to the vote and was agreed. Accordingly it was:

RESOLVED:

This Council Notes that:

1.         The Housing and Planning Act (‘the Act’) received Royal Assent on 12th May 2016.

2.         The Council debated and supported a motion (20th January 2016) which called on the Mayor and all Councillors to actively campaign to highlight the disastrous consequences of the then Bill; and called on the Mayor to give full consideration to finding meaningful, genuinely affordable housing solutions for Tower Hamlets.

3.         The Mayor and/or Cabinet Members have subsequently attended public meetings organised by ‘Kill the Bill’ on the Cranbrook, Collingwood, Ocean estates and outside Albert Jacob House and confirmed their commitment to attend others as invited.

4.         LBTH Officers have attended public meetings on Collingwood and Ocean estates to set out the technical aspects of the Act.

5.         The Mayor launched the Housing Strategy consultation which closed on 31st July

6.         East End Life, Our East End, and 24 Hour Housing have all published articles setting out the Mayor’s opposition to this Act and his response to the impact.

7.         An all members briefing on the Draft Housing Strategy including the impact of the Housing and Planning Act was held on 2nd June 2016.

8.         The Housing and Regeneration Mayors Question Time in Poplar included an officer briefing for residents on the Housing and Planning Act.

9.         An article in THH newsletter and information has been circulated to all RPs for their newsletters.

10.      The Tower Hamlets website features a detailed summary of the Act and the impact on Tower Hamlets at http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/housing/Housing_and_Planning_Act.aspx

11.      LBTH has responded to Government consultations on details of the Act and responses are available at http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/lgnl/housing/Housing_and_Planning_Act.aspx

12.      In order to fully prepare for the impact of the Act, further guidance is required from Government regarding the implementation.

13.      The Council is organising a Housing Strategy Conference for residents on 1st October 2016 to discuss the Council’s future Housing Strategy, responding to the Housing and Planning Act.

This Council believes that:

1.         The Housing and Planning Act represents a Conservative attack on the diverse communities in Tower Hamlets and it will significantly impede the council’s ability to provide adequate affordable housing for families in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.