Agenda and minutes
Venue: Online 'Virtual' Meeting - https://towerhamlets.public-i.tv/core/portal/home. View directions
Contact: David Knight, Democratic Services Tel: 020 7364 4878 E-mail: david.knight@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Media
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WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS To receive any apologies for absence. Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair:
· Welcomed everybody to the meeting and informed those in attendance that this meeting is being recorded and will be available to view via the Council’s website by tomorrow morning; · It is important that these formal scrutiny meetings resume as the Council must continue to demonstrate transparency and openness in its decision-making, and include scrutiny as part and parcel of the Council’s operations for and on behalf of the residents of Tower Hamlets; · Following Government advice to avoid all but essential travel and to practice social distancing, this will be a virtual meeting. If during the meeting a technical error occurs with the transmission which cannot be resolved within a reasonable period of time, then the meeting will be closed and the remaining business will be deferred to a subsequent meeting of the Committee on a date to be determined, and notified by way of the publication of the agenda on the Council’s web site; · Congratulated Councillor Eve McQuillan appointment as the Cabinet Member for Planning and Social Inclusion; · Congratulated Councillor Sufia Alam who would be shortly taking up an appointment as the Mayoral Advisor for Community and Voluntary Sector, and to support young people post Covid-19. The Committee noted that as Councillor Alam was yet to take up her appointment she could still participate in tonight’s meeting. |
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DECLARATIONS OF DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY INTEREST PDF 215 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 Monitoring Officer.
Additional documents: Minutes: Nil items
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UNRESTRICTED MINUTES PDF 224 KB Additional documents: |
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Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 24th February 2020 Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair Moved and it was:
RESOLVED that on the basis of the information and advice received that the decision to close this service did not meet the threshold of a key decision.
The committee further discussed how it might be advisable for the council to conduct some of the exercises a key decision warrants, like public consultation or sign off by an appropriate Executive member when service proposed for closure are long standing, public facing or likely to produce a strong public reaction.
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REQUESTS TO SUBMIT PETITIONS To receive any petitions (to be notified at the meeting).
Additional documents: Minutes: Nil items
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COVID-19 COMMUNITY INSIGHT PDF 134 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: The Committee continued its review of the Borough’s response to COVID-19 with the aim of supporting Tower Hamlets efforts by:
1. Offering recommendations for areas to be improved. 2. Learning about the work being undertaken to respond to the pandemic; and 3. Reflecting upon local feedback received regarding the plans that have been put in place to support the Borough’s residents. The outcome of this review being to capture the response in Tower Hamlets (not just the Council’s) and to identify learning and appropriate actions to be taken forward should there be subsequent waves of the pandemic.
The report is intended to cover three key areas:
a. An assessment of how the Council has handled the response. b. An assessment of recovery phase; and c. What key challenges remain and how the Council can improve its future Pandemic Plan.
In addition, it will capture the work across all the scrutiny committees and the aim is to agree the report at September’s OSC meeting.
The Committee then heard from the following members from the community and in partner organisations to help provide an insight and to help the Committee get a better understanding of the impact of the Council’s response to COVID-19 on the community. The discussions on these presentations may be summarised as follows:
Pam Bhamra, Chair of Tower Hamlets Housing Forum and Director of Operations at Tower Hamlets Community Housing.
The Committee noted that Ms. Bhamra welcomed the partnership approach which has been delivered and valued involvement in the Pandemic Committee and Community Mobilisation Silver Group. She highlighted the importance of replacing and reinventing community centres with online activities and identified overcrowding in households as a key issue which has had a knock-on effect on people not isolating effectively, allowed the virus to spread more easily, and put a strain on home schooling. She also identified isolation and loneliness as key issues.
The Committee:
1. Indicated that it would wish to see how the Council and housing partners intended to provide long term support for homeless/rough sleepers residents who have been supported into hostels and temporary accommodation. 2. Wanted the Council to review the quality of its short-term accommodation, especially in instances where families with children have been placed in accommodation with shared facilities and amenities; and 3. Noted that the Housing and Regeneration Sub-Committee would be exploring some of these issues further at their meeting on the 13 July 2020.
Ian Parkes, Chief Executive of East London Business Alliance (ELBA)
Mr Parkes provided his feedback on the impact on businesses and the economy. He praised the strong partnership approach and the robust leadership role that the Council has taken. The Committee was pleased to note that ELBA have had no notifications of business closures or insolvency. However, it was noted that the key challenges for businesses are impending as most small businesses will not be able to keep running beyond 3 months if lockdown does not end reasonably quickly. Also, while there has been relatively little feedback from ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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UNRESTRICTED REPORTS 'CALLED IN' Nil items Additional documents: Minutes: Nil items |
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VERBAL UPDATES FROM SCRUTINY LEADS (Time allocated – 5 minutes each) Additional documents: Minutes: Item deferred |
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FORTHCOMING DECISIONS PDF 376 KB Additional documents: Minutes: Noted
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PRE-DECISION SCRUTINY OF UNRESTRICTED CABINET PAPERS PDF 226 KB To consider and agree pre-decision scrutiny questions/comments to be presented to Cabinet.
(Time allocated – 30 minutes). Additional documents: Minutes: As per attached appendices
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ANY OTHER UNRESTRICTED BUSINESS WHICH THE CHAIR CONSIDERS TO BE URGENT To consider any other unrestricted business that the Chair considers to be urgent.
Additional documents: Minutes: Nil items
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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. Additional documents: Minutes: As the agenda circulated contained no exempt/ confidential business and there was therefore no requirement to exclude the press and public to allow for its consideration.
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EXEMPT/ CONFIDENTIAL MINUTES Nil items Additional documents: Minutes: Nil items |
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EXEMPT/ CONFIDENTIAL REPORTS 'CALLED IN' Nil items Additional documents: Minutes: Nil items
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PRE-DECISION SCRUTINY OF EXEMPT/ CONFIDENTIAL) CABINET PAPERS To consider and agree pre-decision scrutiny questions/comments to be presented to Cabinet.
(Time allocated 15 minutes). Additional documents: Minutes: Nil items
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ANY OTHER EXEMPT/ CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS THAT THE CHAIR CONSIDERS URGENT To consider any other exempt/ confidential business that the Chair considers to be urgent.
Additional documents: Minutes: Nil items
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