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.

Even though this is a Cabinet discussion and not a formal meeting, Members should still operate under the same rules as for regular Cabinet meetings.

There were no Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.

The Mayor announced:

·       That he had this week delivered laptops to local children who needed this support to help access their studies.

·       This morning he had visited Altab Ali House named in honour of Altab Ali who lived nearby. The building would be providing social housing.

·       He noted the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd and the impact this had had across the globe including within the borough. He called for a minute silence to remember him and to remind everyone of the changes we wished to see.

Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) to report on any issues  raised by the OSC in relation to unrestricted business to be considered.

Councillor Mohammed Pappu, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee addressed the discussion. He noted the tabled Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses on Agenda Items 4.1 (Liveable Streets Brick Lane) and 4.2 (Liveable Streets Old Ford Road West).

He also provided an update on the Committee’s meeting earlier in the which at which they had elected their Scrutiny Leads and established their sub-committees for the year. The Committee were looking to agree their work programme shortly and welcomed any feedback and suggestions to help shape this plan.

The Committee had also considered a number of items including:

·       A call-in on the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Inequalities Report which, whilst the Committee noted concerns, it did not refer the decision back to Cabinet. However, they would continue to monitor the issue.

·       A session looking at air quality and progress against the Council’s commitments.

·       Work on proposals to continue to improve the effectiveness and profile of Scrutiny at the Council.

The Mayor thanked Councillor Mohammed Pappu for his update.

(Under provisions of Section 30, Rule 59 of the Constitution).

Nil items.

Councillor Dan Tomlinson, Cabinet Member for Environment and Public Realm (Job Share) – Lead on Public Realm, introduced the report providing feedback from the Brick Lane Liveable Streets consultation. He noted the proposals set out in the report and highlighted the good support levels from the consultation from businesses and residents.

The Mayor heard from a number of contributors including:

·       Councillor Mohammed Pappu – including tabled Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses

·       Councillor Peter Golds

·       Councillor Puru Miah

A number of concerns were noted including; whether the proposals effectively supported all businesses apart from restaurants, whether there were suitable mitigation measures in place, danger of traffic displacement and the need to tackle air pollution in the area.

The Mayor noted the proposals set out and also that the changes were not as large as those elsewhere but that these options were seen as a good balance between different groups and that a number of mitigation measures were included as set out in the report. He noted that the consultation produced a positive result and that the scheme was a trial and would be monitored.

The Mayor welcomed the report and indicated that he was minded to approve the recommendations that were set out in the report.

Councillor Dan Tomlinson, Cabinet Member for Environment and Public Realm (Job Share) – Lead on Public Realm, introduced the report following a consultation exercise on liveable streets proposals for the Old Ford Road West area. The report set out details on the proposals which balanced the desires of different groups of residents to reduce traffic in some areas whilst keeping the borough moving. It was noted that the scheme would continue to be monitored and could be amended if needed.

The Mayor then heard a number of contributions including from:

·       Councillor Mohammed Pappu – including tabled Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses

·       Councillor Peter Golds

·       Local residents John Griffiths and Neil Thompson

During discussion of the report a number of issues were mentioned including:

·       The Equalities Impact Analysis

·       The Impact of road closures

·       The long-standing campaign to reduce traffic in the area

·       That discussions with local people had been extensive and would be ongoing

·       Investment in the public realm would make the area more pleasant for local residents.

·       Enforcement actions would be used where appropriate.

·       Emergency services were being consulted on the proposals and would gain the access to the area they needed.

The Mayor welcomed the report, thanked officers for their hard work on the project and indicated that he was minded to approve the recommendations that were set out in the report.

Councillor Danny Hassell, Cabinet Member for Housing, introduced the report which followed up on a previous Scrutiny Challenge session on the Council’s homelessness service particularly in relation to The Homelessness Reduction Act. He noted that there had been a lot of progress since the challenge session had taken place. The report set out a response to each of the recommendations from Scrutiny.

The Mayor welcomed the report on such an important issue. He highlighted that housing was a very challenging area given the high demand and that the Council would continue to look to tackle it. The Mayor indicated that he was minded to approve the recommendations that were set out in the report.

Councillor Candida Ronald, Cabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary Sector, presented a report on a proposed ‘Pass Through’ policy in respect of staff pensions for occasions when staff were transferred to partner organisations under TUPE arrangements. The Pass-Through policy allows the Council to share the pension risk with the partner organisation which therefore allows more small contractors to tender for services. It also ensured that staff continued to enjoy the same pension benefits as before. It was important to note the impact on council financial liability although in reality this was limited as the Council was already the guarantor for these sorts of pensions.

The Mayor welcomed the report and indicated that he was minded to approve the recommendations that were set out in the report.

The Mayor introduced a report setting out proposed nominations to outside bodies. He noted that the report had been published later than the main agenda but considered it a simple report to consider and that speed was important in confirming the nominations. He indicated he was minded to approve the recommendations set out.

The Mayor introduced the report on proposed Ceremony Fees and room fees and St George’s Town Hall. He explained that the building was being refurbished for use by the Registrars Service and it was important to have agreed fees and charges so that the service could advertise the rooms for booking. He welcomed the report, whilst noting that it had only been published shortly before the discussion. He stated that he considered it a straight-forward report and it was important to take the decision to provide certainty to residents looking to book ceremonies. He indicated he was minded to agree the recommendations set out in the report.

Should the Mayor in Cabinet consider it necessary, it is recommended that the following motion be adopted to allow consideration of any exempt/restricted documents.

“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)

Nil items.

Nil items.

Nil items.

Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) to report on any issues  raised by the OSC in relation to exempt/confidential business to be considered.

Nil items.

(Under provisions of Section 30, Rule 59 of the Constitution).

Nil items.

Nil items.