Apologies for absence were received on behalf of:

·         Councillor Shahed Ali (Cabinet Member for Environment)

·         Councillor Rabina Khan (Cabinet Member for Housing)

·         Councillor Rania Khan (Cabinet Member for Culture)

·         Councillor Oliur Rahman (Cabinet Member for Children’s Services)

·         Robin Beattie (Service Head Strategy and Resources, CLC)

None were declared.

The unrestricted minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 5 February 2014 are presented for information.

The unrestricted minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 5 February were noted.

To receive any petitions.

Nil items.

Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) provided an update on the discussions that had taken place at their meeting last night.

In particular he noted:

·         Disappointment expressed by OSC Members on the Mayor’s reported lack of confidence in the OSC and by his unavailability to attend OSC meetings.

·         That a report on Poplar Old Town Hall would be considered once the district auditor had reported.

·         There had been a some discussion on a potential new burial site but that this was limited as officers had been unable to provide details of the site due to commercial sensitivity.

·         A report on the Executive Mayor’s Car had been considered and would be presented to Council on 26 March.

·         A scrutiny review on school places would be presented to Cabinet in due course.

Finally, he reported that the OSC Annual Report would be submitted to Council on 26 March and he thanked officers for their support of the Committee over the year.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Uz-Zaman for his presentation.

The clerk advised that no requests had been received to ‘call-in’ for further consideration, by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, any provisional decisions taken by the Mayor in Cabinet at the meeting held on 5 February 2014.

DECISION

1. To approve the extension of current Highways Contracts outlined in paragraph 3.1of the report, for a maximum of 3 months.

2.    To authorise the Service Head - Legal Services to execute all necessary contract documents to implement this decision.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITIES, LOCALITIES AND CULTURE (S. HALSEY)

(Head of Waste Strategy, Policy and Procurement (F. Heyland)

(Head of Transport and Highways (M. Cooper)

Councillor Ohid Ahmed, Deputy Mayor, introduced the report. He highlighted the procurement processes involved and that the requirement to deliver additional community benefits meant further officer work had been required.

The Mayor accepted the report and agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1. To approve the extension of current Highways Contracts outlined in paragraph 3.1of the report, for a maximum of 3 months.

2.    To authorise the Service Head - Legal Services to execute all necessary contract documents to implement this decision.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

DECISION

1. To approve the award of contract to the recommended bidder for each service as listed below:

2.    To authorise the Corporate Director of Education, Social Care and Wellbeing, after consultation with the Service Head - Legal Services, to agree the final terms and conditions of the contract for each service;

3. To authorise the Service Head - Legal Services to execute all necessary contract documents to implement this decision.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, EDUCATION, SOCIAL CARE AND WELLBEING (R. McCULLOCH-GRAHAM)

(Service Head Commissioning and Health (D. Cohen)

(Programme Director Special Projects (K. Burns)

Councillor Abdul Asad, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, introduced the report. He highlighted the recommendations proposed and the details set out in the report.

The Mayor welcomed the report, noted the Exempt/Confidential report on the matter later on the agenda and agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1. To approve the award of contract to the recommended bidder for each service as listed below:

2.    To authorise the Corporate Director of Education, Social Care and Wellbeing, after consultation with the Service Head - Legal Services, to agree the final terms and conditions of the contract for each service;

3. To authorise the Service Head - Legal Services to execute all necessary contract documents to implement this decision.

DECISION

1. To agree to the extension of the existing contract to provide sexual and reproductive health services until October 2014.

2. To authorise the Service Head - Legal Services to execute all necessary contract documents to implement this decision.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, EDUCATION, SOCIAL CARE AND WELLBEING (R. McCULLOCH-GRAHAM)

(Associate Director of Public Health (C. Lovitt)

Councillor Abdul Asad, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, introduced the report.

The Mayor welcomed the report and highlighted the need to ensure a comprehensive procurement process was undertaken. He agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1. To agree to the extension of the existing contract to provide sexual and reproductive health services until October 2014.

2. To authorise the Service Head - Legal Services to execute all necessary contract documents to implement this decision.

DECISION

1. To consider and agree the wording of the Mayor’s Charter of Child Rights and support the launch of the child rights commitment in Tower Hamlets.
2. To agree the Council will be a signatory of the Charter
3. To agree for the charter to be publicly launched, with partner organisations who are also signing the charter and agreeing to promote and embed child rights within their organisations.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, EDUCATION, SOCIAL CARE AND WELLBEING (R. McCULLOCH-GRAHAM)

(Transformation Manager, Education, Social Care and Wellbeing (A. Walters)

(Strategy, Policy and Performance Officer E. Kuper Thomas)

The Mayor introduced the report highlighting how welcome and beneficial the plans would be. He agreed the recommendations as set out in the report.

RESOLVED

1. To consider and agree the wording of the Mayor’s Charter of Child Rights and support the launch of the child rights commitment in Tower Hamlets.
2. To agree the Council will be a signatory of the Charter
3. To agree for the charter to be publicly launched, with partner organisations who are also signing the charter and agreeing to promote and embed child rights within their organisations.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

RESOLVED

That pursuant to regulation 21(1)(b) of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2000, the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting:

(a)  As it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted in Section Two of the agenda, that if members of the public were present during consideration of this business there would be disclosure of exempt information.

• Exempt information is defined in section 100I and, by reference, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (“the 1972 Act”). To be exempt, information must fall within one of the categories listed in paragraphs 1 to 7 of Schedule 12A, must not fall within one of the excluded categories in paragraphs 8 and 9 and the public interest in maintaining the exemption must outweigh the public interest in disclosing the information.
  • Agenda item 14 “Exempt/Confidential Minutes” contained information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). In particular information relating to the financial affairs of the Council.
  • Agenda item 19.1 “Award of Contracts for Various Social Care Services” contained information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). In particular information relating to the financial affairs of the Council.

(b)  As although there is a public interest favouring public access to local authority meetings, in this case the Cabinet concluded that given the information contained in the above listed reports that the  public interest in maintaining the exemption on the information outweighed the public interest in disclosing it.

The exempt / confidential minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 5 February 2014 are presented for information.

The Exempt/Confidential Minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 5 February 2014 were noted.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

DECISION

1.    To note the report.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, EDUCATION, SOCIAL CARE AND WELLBEING (R. McCULLOCH-GRAHAM)

(Service Head Commissioning and Health (D. Cohen)

(Programme Director Special Projects (K. Burns)

The Mayor noted the contents of the report.

RESOLVED

1.    To note the report.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.