Procedural Motion

 

Councillor Asma Islam moved, a procedural motion “that under Procedure Rule 12.1.(c) the order of business be varied such that agenda item 12.4 Motion regarding London City Airport be taken as the next item of business to allow the Council to submits a formal response to the London City Airport Master Plan 2020-2035 consultation”. The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.

 

Due to time constraints, the Council agreed to move straight to the vote on Motions 12.1, 12.2, 12.3 and 12.5.

 

12.1 Motion regarding regarding cyberbullying and e-safety

 

The motion was put to the vote without debate and was agreed.

 

RESOLVED:

 

This Council Notes:

 

1.    Bullying and cyberbullying are two of the most serious issues facing children's and young people's lives.

2.    Research undertaken by the NSPCC has found:

a.    almost 1 in 4 of 8 to 11-year-olds and 3 in 4 of 12 to 15-year-olds has a social media profile;

b.    1 in 3 internet users are children;

c.    1 in 4 children have experienced something upsetting on a social networking site;

d.    around 1 in 8 young people have been bullied on social media;

e.    3 in 4 parents have looked for or received information or advice about how to help their child manage online risks;

f.     almost 1 in 4 young people have come across racist or hate messages online; and

g.    there were over 2,200 counselling sessions with young people who talked to Childline about online sexual abuse online in 2017/18 

3.    There are many forms of cyber-bullying including harassment, denigration, flaming, impersonation, outing and trickery, cyber-stalking, exclusion, bullying by spreading rumours and gossip, threatening behaviour, blackmail and grooming.

4.    Some of the triggers found in young victims include; low self-esteem, withdrawal from social activities, changes in appearance, weight loss, depression and even self-harm.

5.    It is currently impossible to know how many children are reporting content, what they are reporting and how these reports are dealt with. 

6.    The recommendation of the Children’s Commissioner to establish a Children’s Digital Ombudsman to media between under 18s and social media companies over the removal of content. 

7.    That parents, educators, and counsellors across UK are responding to this behaviour with new and innovative approaches.

8.    Here in Tower Hamlets the council’s Parental Engagement Team has developed workshops and courses which explore internet safety.  More than 200 parents and carers have attended a course or workshop delivered in school and community settings in 2018 – 19.  The PET has also recruited and trained 8 Safer Families Champions to promote key safeguarding messages to families. 

9.    Digital inclusion, including e-safety for young people is a strand in the Local Community Fund.

This Council Believes:

 

1. The impact of cyber-bullying and exposure to other inappropriate content online is a threat to a child's safety and wellbeing and if they are not handled swiftly it can cause long-term psychological damage that can affect everything from their personal relationships to their performance in school.
2. That in a digital age, the internet has significant advantages for young people future but that the disadvantages should not out weight the advantages.
3. Enabling children and young people to use technology safely is also about tackling wider issues related to safeguarding, such as reducing exposure to violent and other inappropriate content.
4. That the Tower Hamlets schools that have developed cyber bullying policies and advocated safe online policies, including comprehensive reporting procedures, are to be congratulated and supported.

 

This Council Resolves:

 

1.    To annually recognise the third Friday in June as the international ‘Stop Cyberbullying Day’ and to use this to raise awareness, working with organisations including the Cybersmile Foundation.

2.    To use the council’s website and other communication channels, including through the youth services and Young WorkPath to promote organisations and services available that offer support to young people suffering from cyberbullying.

3.    To support local schools to strengthen their own policies on cyberbullying and their reporting procedures for both teachers and young people.

4.    To continue to support and strengthen our work with parents so they are empowered to support young people to stay safe online.

5.    To support the proposal from the Children’s Commissioner to establish a Children’s Digital Ombudsman. 

 

 

12.2 Motion regarding Transport in Tower Hamlets

 

The motion was put to the vote without a debate and was defeated.

 

12.3 Motion regarding Improving diversity and inclusion in Tower Hamlets

 

The motion was put to the vote without a debate and was agreed.

 

RESOLVED:

 

Tower Hamlets is a rich and diverse borough. The 2018 election increased the diversity of our elected representatives, by gender and by ethnicity, further reflecting the make-up of our borough.

This council notes:

1. Diverse teams provide great benefits. This includes at a senior level where the knowledge, skills and experiences of people from different backgrounds is vital: complex challenges require multi-faceted solutions.
2. Diversity alone does not achieve success. Meaningful diversity, not tokenism, should be the aim. Inclusion creates a culture of openness and opportunity; diversity is an indicator of the success of inclusion programmes.
3. There are many barriers to inclusion and often organisational and societal structures will unintentionally prevent the progression of under-represented groups.

 

This council further notes:

 

1. That diversity in senior management across local government nationally leaves much to be desired. According to the Local Government Leadership report produced by Green Park in October 2018 only two of London’s 32 Boroughs have BAME CEOs. Progress has been made in the representation of BAME people at Top 20 level in London Boroughs with an increase of 5.6% in 2017 to 10.5%. in 2018. Local authorities outside London average about 3%.
2. That the gender pay gap and the underrepresentation of women needs to be properly addressed; a significant gap still exists across the UK.
3. Research from the Fawcett Society highlights that of the council seats across the country that were up for election in 2018, 38% went to women, up just 3 percentage points on 2014 when these seats were last contested.
4. Improving diversity and inclusion takes time. Best practice factors include:
   1. Delivering training to decision makers and across the organisation
   2. Recruitment adverts that look for a range of experiences, not those traditionally filled by white men.
   3. Recruitment processes e.g. gender-neutral job ads; skills/competencies over experiences; blind CVs; diverse recruitment panels;
   4. Mentoring/coaching/training for talented individuals
   5. Promotion opportunities including safe environments for individuals to learn new skills and experiences
5. Tower Hamlets Council publishes data on the gender pay gap, as well as data in relation to the pay gap for other protected characteristics: BAME staff; staff with disabilities; and LGBT staff.

 

This council recognises the efforts made by this council to improve inclusion. However, we acknowledge that leadership roles across London and across our council and partners in the community often lacks the diversity that we wish to see. In 2019, we need to see a bigger step change.

 

This council wishes to see the same requirement extended to partners and suppliers where there is no statutory impediment.

This council believes we should be encouraging our local government colleagues across London, and our partners and community groups locally to improve inclusion by having senior management teams that reflect the diversity of our borough and city. This council welcomes the addition of a question asking about the existence and effectiveness of applicants’ diversity and inclusion policies in the Local Community Fund application. This council wishes to see a movement towards a model where such an improvement in inclusion becomes a key consideration in appointments and funding (where there is no statutory impediment in doing so).

 

This council resolves:

 

1. To annually request a range of inclusion statistics from partner organisations and funded community groups, with a focus on how inclusion is to be improved at a leadership level. The intention initially is that this is signals the importance of inclusion to the borough. The level and detail should vary depending on the size of the group.
2. To produce a plan to make diversity and inclusion key decision factors (focusing on senior management) in appointing suppliers and issuing grants. The plan should cover the medium-long term and consider how this can be achieved in line with procurement rules.
3. To lead by example and review the council’s own recruitment processes and development & training programmes to improve diversity and inclusion at a senior management level.
4. To require any headhunters/recruitment consultants to demonstrate how they will address diversity during the recruitment process and demonstrate how they address diversity in their own organisation.
5. To call on the Mayor of Tower Hamlets in his role at London Councils to push for the establishment of development programmes for BAME senior managers in London Local Government in order to address the current under-representation at senior level.
6. That the above should be reflected in the annual equalities workforce monitoring report action plan where applicable.

 

 

12.4 Motion regarding London City Airport

 

Councillor Val Whitehead moved and Councillor Ehtasham Haqueseconded the motion as printed in the agenda.

 

Following debate the motion was put to the vote and was agreed.

 

Tower Hamlets Council recognises the high impact of any increase in air traffic on carbon emissions and also on the lives of those who live in the flight path or will lose their homes to airport expansion. Following our earlier recognition of a Climate Emergency we therefore oppose the expansion proposals at Heathrow and the proposed increase in the number of flights allowed at City Airport and any extension to its hours of operation.

 

As an eco-friendly alternative to increased flights, Tower Hamlets residents have easy access to multiple railway stations and we believe the government should work to increase access and decrease the cost of rail travel for all.

 

We also believe that the concentration of flight paths from City Airport in 2016, which has a disproportionate effect on those affected, is unfair and should be reversed.

 

The council must ensure that it submits a formal response to the London City Airport Master Plan 2020-2035 consultation, including a copy of this motion in the response, and ensuring that residents are engaged in the consultation process.

 

12.5 Motion regarding a Serious Case Review of Radicalisation of Bethnal Green Academy Schoolgirls.

 

The motion was put to the vote without debate and was defeated.