Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: M71, 7th Floor, Town Hall, Mulberry Place, 5 Clove Crescent, London, E14 2BG
Contact: Amanda Thompson, Democratic Services Tel: 020 7364 4651, E-mail: amanda.thompson@towerhamlets.gov.uk
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Tim Archer, Ahmed Omer, and Lesley Pavitt, and Canon Michael Ainsworth.
Councillor Peter Golds was present as a substitute for Councillor Archer.
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST PDF 53 KB 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 Chief Executive. Minutes: Councillor Rabina Khan declared a personal and prejudicial interest in agenda item 5.1 on the basis that she was a Member of the Cabinet when the original decision was taken, and she left the room during the Committee’s decision making and voting on this item.
Councillor Stephanie Eaton declared a personal interest in agenda item 5.1 as she was the ward councillor.
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UNRESTRICTED MINUTES PDF 97 KB To confirm as a correct record of the proceedings the unrestricted minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on Tuesday 5 April 2011.
Minutes: The Chair Moved and it was:-
RESOLVED
That the unrestricted minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 5 April 2011 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record of the proceedings.
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REQUESTS TO SUBMIT PETITIONS To be notified at the meeting. Minutes: None.
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SECTION ONE REPORTS 'CALLED IN' |
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Report Called In - Disposal of 63a Sewardstone Road (The Stables) PDF 69 KB (Time allocated – 30 minutes)
Additional documents: Minutes: Further to her respective declaration of a personal and prejudicial interest, Councillor Rabina Khan left the room during the Committee’s decision making and voting on this item.
Mayor Lutfur Rahman who had not been present for the previous agenda item also left the room during this time.
Prior to the presentation of the call-in the Committee heard representation from the Grand Union Housing Co-operative (GUHC) who were proposing to purchase the property at market value.
Councillor Stephanie Eaton, on behalf of the call-in Members, then detailed the reasons for the Call-in, expressing her concern at the length of time it had taken a decision to reach Cabinet and the potential effect it would have on the current occupants of the site.
The Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Rabina Khan, supported by Aman Dalvi, Corporate Director, Development and Renewal, and John Coker, Strategic Housing Manager, responded on behalf of the Cabinet commenting that the option of the Council continuing the original process of disposal to GUC for the nominal sum of £1 was no longer legally possible as the Disposal Consents had been changed since that original decision. Property held in the HRA must be shown to achieve best value, and an open market sale would provide additional transparency to the disposal process.
Councillor Khan stated that the Service Head, Asset Management, considered that the most appropriate method of disposal in this case was by auction and the GUHC were welcome to make a bid.
In response to questions Councillor Khan advised that there was a combination of exceptional factors which had led to the failure of the 2001 decision not being implemented. These factors included the property being squatted, the development of the ALMO and lengthy court delays in gaining possession.
The original decision to dispose of the property for a nominal sum was arrived at on the basis that GUC would use 63a Sewardstone Road as office accommodation, and nominations would be provided to the council from a number of other properties made available through refurbishments resulting from the sale.
After considering the views and comments made by the Members presenting the call-in, the Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Rabina Khan, and the officers, the Committee
RESOLVED
to refer the matter back to the Cabinet with a request that further consideration be given to the following alternative course of action proposed by the call-in Members:
That a long leasehold interest in the property at 63a Sewardstone Road be sold to the Grand Union Cooperative based on market value at current designation taking into account their reasonable costs for maintenance and expenditure on the property, with nomination rights to the social tenancy of a 2/3 bedroom property.
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SCRUTINY SPOTLIGHT Mayor Lutfur Rahman has been invited to attend the meeting.
(Time allocated – 30 minutes)
Minutes: The Chair invited Mayor Lutfur Rahman, supported by the Council’s Chief Executive, Kevan Collins, to address the Committee in his first Scrutiny Spotlight as Executive Mayor.
Mayor Rahman thanked Members of the Committee for their excellent work over the past year, and stressed that the role of Overview and Scrutiny and their contributions had helped to ensure that residents got the excellent services they deserved.
The Mayor referred to the coalition government’s spending review and benefit changes which were negatively affecting a large section of local residents, especially those most vulnerable, and advised that despite these challenges, council tax had been frozen for the second consecutive year, key frontline services such as libraries, youth services and after schools facilities had been safeguarded, and Tower Hamlets was the only council in the country not charging for homecare.
A programme of transformation had been implemented which was designed to make the organisation more lean, flexible and citizen centred:
EMPLOYMENT
EDUCATION/ YOUTH
COMMUNITY SAFETY/ COHESION
· The taskforce and deployment of the 21 additional police officers is progressing. A management team from the Partnership has been formed - the Inspector for the team and 14 constables have been appointed.
ENVIRONMENT
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PARTNERSHIP SCRUTINY SPOTLIGHT Mr Paul Ricketts, Borough Commander, has been invited to attend the meeting.
(Time allocated – 30 minutes)
Minutes: The Chair welcomed Paul Ricketts, Borough Commander, and Gavin Dooley from the Council’s Community Safety team, to the Committee’s first partnership scrutiny session.
The Chair advised that anti-social-behaviour (ASB) and the fear of crime was a priority for residents, and had been identified as the greatest area for public concern in the Annual Residents Survey.
Commander Ricketts referred to the latest individual crime statistics for Tower Hamlets which unfortunately had increased from the previous year, however these were still considerable lower than those of 5 years previously.
ASB could not be tackled in isolation as drug crime for example often led to other types of crime such as burglary and robbery. The impact of the recession on individuals wellbeing could also be linked to the rises in crime.
Commander Ricketts outlined the following future challenges and opportunities:
• The impact of the Comprehensive Spending Review – 20% cuts in resources • MPS TP Change programme • Safer Neighbourhood Review • Public Access Review (Front office reductions) • Community Safety Partnership restructure (VOLT) • Localisation Agenda and the relocation of co-enforcement officers within the community • Partnership Task Force (ASB and Drugs harm reduction)
Mr Dooley reported that improved partnership working had resulted in:
• Borough-wide drinking control zone • Saturation Policy for Brick Lane town Centre • Introduction of multi-agency group to deal with entrenched street drinkers & drug users • Improved performance regarding reported crime & ASB • Improved Annual Residence Survey results
Mr Dooley further advised that the Tower Hamlets Enforcement Officers (THEOS) would focus on:
• Youth related anti-social behaviour • Street Drinking & disorder • Dog fouling • Littering, graffiti and fly-posting • Illegal street trading
In response to questions Commander Ricketts advised that although 24hr police stations provided reassurance for people, there was also a need to keep officers on the streets, however other options such as neighbourhood surgeries would help close the gap. The feasibility of a new custody suite at Limehouse police station was currently being assessed, as well as a police presence at the Royal London Hospital. While uniformed officers were generally considered to be a deterrent to crime, this had to be weighed up against the whole range of crime that was tackled by plain-clothed officers.
The Chair thanked Commander Ricketts and Mr Dooley for their attendance and response to questions.
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SCRUTINY MANAGEMENT |
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Scrutiny Challenge Session: Customer Care - Tower Hamlets Homes Housing Repairs Service PDF 119 KB (Time allocated – 10 minutes)
Minutes: The Chair introduced the report detailing the outcome of the scrutiny challenge session on the repairs service offered by Tower Hamlets Homes.
The session was structured to allow for dialogue between those who were raising concerns and those providing the repairs service. Residents and Councillors used the time to discuss their concerns and made suggestions for addressing these.
The Chair Moved and it was
RESOLVED
That the recommendations contained within the report be agreed.
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Public Perceptions of Parking - Report of the Scrutiny Working Group PDF 172 KB (Time allocated – 10 minutes)
Minutes: The Chair introduced the report and recommendations of the Public Perceptions of Parking Scrutiny Working Group, the aim of which had been to develop a more sophisticated understanding of residents concerns about parking issues.
The Chair moved and it was
RESOLVED
(1) That the report be agreed.
(2) That the Service Head for One Tower Hamlets be authorised to amend the draft report before submission to Cabinet, after consultation with the Scrutiny Lead for A Great Place to Live.
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Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2010/2011 PDF 53 KB (Time allocated – 10 minutes)
Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair introduced the report which provided a summary of the work undertaken by the Committee and Scrutiny Lead Members during the municipal year 2010/1, and formed the basis of the Overview and Scrutiny Annual report that would be reported to a future Council meeting.
The Chair Moved and it was:
RESOLVED
1) That the report be submitted to Full Council.
2) That the Service Head, One Tower Hamlets be authorised to amend the final report before its submission to Council, after consultation with the Chair and relevant Scrutiny Leads.
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PRE-DECISION SCRUTINY OF SECTION ONE (UNRESTRICTED) CABINET PAPERS (Time allocated – 5 minutes). Minutes: None received.
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EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC In view of the contents of the remaining items on the agenda the Committee is recommended to adopt the following motion:
“That, under the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting for the consideration of the Section Two business on the grounds that it contains information defined as Exempt in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972.”
EXEMPT/CONFIDENTIAL SECTION (Pink Papers)
The exempt committee papers in the agenda 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. Minutes: The Chair Moved and it was: -
Resolved:
That in accordance with the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting for the consideration of the Section Two business on the grounds that it contained information defined as exempt or confidential in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government, Act 1972.
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