Agenda item
TO RECEIVE WRITTEN QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL
The questions which have been received from Councillors to be put at this Council meeting are set out in the attached report. A maximum period of 30 minutes is allocated to this agenda item.
Minutes:
The following questions and in each case (except where indicated) a supplementary question were put and were responded to by the Mayor or relevant Executive Member or Committee Chair:-
8.1 Question from Councillor Sabina Akhtar
Can the Mayor provide an update on his work surrounding the opening of the Jack the Ripper ‘Museum’ – and in particular outline any efforts to address the deplorable way planning permission was sought?
Response by Mayor John Biggs
I am grateful for this question. Of course we have mentioned the matter and Councillor Akhtar will understand that the response to this has to be cautious because there are two unresolved planning matters in relation to the museum premises so I can’t in anyway be seen to be prejudicing or predetermining those.
The planning permission was granted on 1st October 2014 under delegated powers and among the documents submitted was a supporting document indicating that the vison for the proposed museum was to create displays that celebrate and tell the story of the women of the East End and their historic cultural and future contributions. It was on this basis that there were no objections received and the permission was granted.
The Council was made aware after the event that the building was actually being opened as a Jack the Ripper Museum and I think that most people would find that quite disgraceful. The fact in terms of planning law is that once it has opened as a museum, you can open a museum for tiddly winks and turn it into one for dinosaurs. Once it’s a museum it’s a museum in planning terms. But the question is whether there is other action we can take and I have carried out a number of actions that we can perhaps come to later if there is a thoughtful supplementary question about this.
Supplementary question from Councillor Sabina Akhtar
What representations has the Mayor received about this issue and what have you done in light of those representations?
Mayor John Biggs’ response to the supplementary question
I am grateful for this question even if that was a planted supplementary question. I think that it is very important that this matter is discussed in the Council Chamber because it is a grave concern to many people obviously women but obviously also all thoughtful people in our Borough who I think will be offended by this thing happening.
I have had a large number of letters and I am sure other Members have as well. I have received emails and a deputation from 38 Degrees that carried a petition of over 7000 signatures. There has been some detailed research by members of the public looking into this and suggesting to us ways in which the planning regime might have been broken.
I have written to the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport to ask them whether they might want to think about whether something that was permitted as one thing can be turned into another without there being any sanction or come back in terms of the planning or other regimes. We are looking at whether the Museum could be in breach of planning permissions. We are happy to meet with other members of the public. I would emphasise that any protest against this Museum we would expect to be lawful, peaceful, respectful and dignified but we need to be quite emphatic in my opinion as a citizen of this Borough in expressing our disapproval of what has happened here.
Finally we have instructed Counsel to look at whether the way in which the permission was sought could provide grounds for enforcement activity. Finally I should say that I have been written to by the owner of the museum threatening legal action against me and others. I wouldn’t say that I would be very happy to face legal action but I think that this is a very important matter of principle and that people in the Borough should be courageous in expressing their disapproval. We want to see lawful activity we want to see respectful activity in our Borough and we welcome that, but this is causing an affront to many, many people and I want it by some means or another to cease to operate.
8.3 Question from Councillor Amina Ali to the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Can the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee update the Council on the committee’s Transparency Commission and how it is ensuring that it engages with all councillors, across all parties?
Response by Councillor John Pierce, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Thank you for this important question Councillor Ali. The last Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting was held on 7 September. At this session we had the Mayor John Biggs come along to present his proposals on how he can make his decision making and his Cabinet more open transparent and accountable and I thank him for that. We also had Officers who brought forward proposals on s106 funding, CIL governance and the democratic structures and also the Council’s new engagement strategy and we had a representative from the Centre for Public Scrutiny.
Over the next month I want to do a survey of all Councillors to enable them to engage and give their views into the process that we are taking forward. We have already had some excellent ideas from Members in the opposite parties. Councillor Alam has brought forward proposals and suggestions for engaging with Trade Unions and they will present to the next meeting. Councillor Golds is going to bring forward proposals on how to enhance the role of Councillors in our community.
(No supplementary question was put)
8.4 Question from Councillor Chris Chapman
Will the Mayor inform the council as to the progress of his pledge to abolish East End Life, which continues to be published weekly?
Response by Mayor John Biggs
I think that I have referred to this matter twice, once tangentially when I said there are some decisions that seem to take time to work their way through the Council and the other where I said in my Mayor’s report, I have instructed that the frequency be reduced and that in parallel with that, a review of our communications strategy be urgently carried out so that we can find a way in which we will be compliant with the regulations set by government and our duty and need to communicate with members of the public of Tower Hamlets in an effective, frequent and reasoned way.
Perhaps I could also mention that I have in the meantime suggested that the editorial stance of the newspaper could be more liberal with a small ‘l’ in the sense of allowing different voices to be expressed in it and I have expressed a view that there should be a lower Biggs count than perhaps historical precedence might have suggested would have been the case with the previous Mayor with respect to him.
It is very tempting if you have a newspaper to put your picture in it and quotes from you every week but it’s important that the civic leader is represented in the media. But I want it to be, if it does continue to exist in the time being, a more pluralistic and informative newspaper. Although it is actually very good in many respects. There are excellent staff that help produce it.
Supplementary question from Councillor Chris Chapman
I thank the Mayor for his answer. I have had numerous emails from residents suggesting a supplementary question and I have decided to go with Doris from the Isle of Dogs. Doris asks does the Mayor feel that he is going far enough with these alterations bearing in mind his pre - election statement ‘I commit to you that if elected I will scrap East End Life and replace it with something more useful and not full of propaganda’.
Doris feels that should you wish to preserve a paper that has become synonymous with the mismanagement of public money that we saw under the now disgraced former Mayor of this Borough that it would do little to further you position at the forefront of a new era of integrity and transparency. It cannot be right that tax payers’ money should be used and the sum is £1.5 million to fund this paper and of course as you quite rightly identified during the campaign, it is a gross misuse of public money. Doris would like to know will you follow through with your pledge and demonstrate that unlike your predecessor you wish limited resources to be channelled into improving the wellbeing of our residents rather than shameless self advancement.
Mayor John Biggs’ response to the supplementary question
Well I’m not exactly noted for my shameless self advancement so I would like to think that it is taken as read that I am not going to use the Council’s resources to shamelessly self advance myself. I think I have probable got as far as I am going to get anyway so no more self advancement on the horizon. That’s my sense of humour by the way that takes a bit of getting used to, so I am constantly advised.
Doris is a big fan and I am pleased with that. She will obviously sense the irony that I have tried to introduce into the columns of East End Life and as a sensitive soul I am sure she spots it all the time. But in answer to your question, yes the review will have to lead to the ending of East End Life as we know it. Thank you.
8.5 Question from Councillor Danny Hassell
What is the Council doing to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in our borough?
Response by Councillor Amy Whitelock-Gibbs, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services
Thank you Councillor Hassell. As people in the Chamber will know I love talking about mental health it’s a very personal passion of mine so it’s quite a treat to talk about it twice in one evening. But seriously this is a really crucial issue around children’s mental health. We know in regard to children in Tower Hamlets there are lots of high risk factors for them experiencing mental health problems or poor mental health. We also know that half of people who have a mental health problem as an adult experience those symptoms before the age of 14.
So it’s crucial that we act early and that’s why the Council’s mental health strategy has children and young people’s mental health at its heart and with consultancy from Young Minds, a charity, we have done a whole system review of how we support children and young people across the Council, NHS, education, voluntary sector and working with service user representatives. That’s included co-producing some outcomes with service users and parents to develop a new contract and partnership model for these services.
This is a priority for public health but also for the NHS and at the Health and Wellbeing Board we have discussed the need to focus on CAMS, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services that are provided by the NHS. The government, people may know, has invested more money in that recently because of the gross underinvestment in this service. It really has been the Cinderella service of mental health which is in itself known as very poorly serviced historically under the last government, something welcomed that they have put extra money in. We reckon we will get something around £520,000 in Tower Hamlets and the plan is being developed at the moment and needs to be approved but looks at focusing on things like eating disorders, the role of psychological therapies and improving perinatal mental health services.
Supplementary question from Councillor Danny Hassell
Thanks very much for that comprehensive reply. I just wonder whether you also could also commit to the Council looking into what more could be done specifically working with schools to promote the emotional resilience of children in our Borough.
Councillor Amy Whitelock Gibbs, Cabinet Member for Health & Adult Services’ response to the supplementary question
Thanks Councillor Hassell and I am sorry that I am talking with my back to you. Councillor Saunders who leads for Education and Schools and I met officers just last week about children’s public health in general and we were pleased to learn about two programmes about mental health within schools - one around school nursing delivered by Compass Wellbeing who are a primary health phycology service, and one as part as the healthy lives in schools programme which brings mindfulness approaches into schools.
This is a really key issue and I know that Councillor Saunders and I will continue to prioritise the issue together across out portfolios, because it cuts across public health and education.
Procedural Motion
Councillor Amy Whitelock Gibbs moved and Councillor Rachael Saunders seconded, a procedural motion “that under Procedure Rule 14.1.3 the order of business be varied such that Motion 12.5 ‘Motion regardingLocal Authority Mental Health Challenge be taken as the next item of business.” The procedural motion was put to the vote and was agreed.
8.6 Question from Councillor Oliur Rahman
Can the Mayor give details of how often all Council managed parks are inspected and when was the last time inspections took place?
Response by Mayor John Biggs
The Council has a duty of care to people who use its facilities including its parks and there are regular regimes of inspection. In particular, Council managed parks with play equipment have a daily inspections with quarterly operation inspections and an annual external inspection and all inspections are up to date.
Supplementary question from Councillor Oliur Rahman
Yes. Thank you Mr Mayor for your response. After the tragic incident of Alexia I did write to the Corporate Director asking the same question asking for a copy of the reports and who actually carried out those reports. Unfortunately as of today I have yet to receive that information and I would ask you to instruct the Corporate Director to release that information as an elected Member of this Council I believe that I have the right to see that information.
Mayor John Biggs’ response to the supplementary question
I am very happy to take that request away but you will appreciate that that specific matter is sub-judice and is subject to investigations by the Health and Safety Executive and the Police. Obviously we are cooperating with those but we cannot prejudge those conclusions and the information that may be provided to them. So I am very happy to take this away and to write to you with a reply but obviously we need to be aware that the processing of events after this incident is not totally in our hands at present.
8.7 Question from Councillor Marc Francis
Will the Lead Member for Environmental Services set out the current estimate of food waste recycling in Tower Hamlets and proportion of properties in the borough currently benefitting from this service?
Response by Councillor Ayas Miah, Cabinet Member for Environment
Thank you Councillor Francis for your question. Currently the food waste collection service is offered to low rise properties and houses in the Borough. This comprises about 25,000 properties. In addition 5,000 flats have access to the communal food waste bin. Participation in the scheme varies greatly across the Borough. Most recent monitoring date indicates that on average 17% of households actively participate in the services. The Mayor’s manifesto committed to improving the recycling service for the residents in the Borough and as part of the procurement of the Council waste management service we will be reviewing all the recycling provision for residents with a view to improving the recycling service and the rates.
Supplementary question from Councillor Marc Francis
Thanks very much Councillor Miah for that really helpful and positive response. Can I ask him whether he agrees with me that the current level of food waste recycling in Tower Hamlets is not good enough and if that’s the case does he agree with me that’s because the vast majority of social housing isn’t covered by the scheme and amongst private rented and private owners only houses are covered by the scheme.
That being the case, will he therefore commit to consider extending the food waste recycling service to other housing associations such as Poplar Harca, Tower Hamlets Community Homes or East Thames and the other Housing Associations and also to introduce a pilot food waste recycling service to private owned and rented blocks in Tower Hamlets including in Bow East ward.
Councillor Ayas Miah,Cabinet Member for Environment’s response to the supplementary question
One of the challenges we have currently is recognising that we have 80% of high rise buildings and that providing those properties with food waste collection service can only be improving by working with the registered providers. Officers are currently developing the contracts and the specifications for the recycling and waste disposal service and the food waste collection service will play a key role in the new contract. So of course we will work together in the coming years and months to achieve the government target of compulsory recycling of 50% by 2020, we will work together to achieve this.
8.8 Question from Councillor Andrew Wood
Will the Mayor inform the council as to the current status of the South Quay Masterplan? Since it was launched in 2013 it has been repeatedly delayed, the last delay being welcome as the publicly published Masterplan was inadequate given the scale of challenges in the area. Residents are expecting an update on its status, proposed changes and when it might be published?
Response by Councillor Rachel Blake, Cabinet Member for Strategic Development
Thanks Councillor Andrew Wood. Can I take this opportunity to remind you of the status of an SPD. The status of an SPD is to shape development permitted through the local plan which has to be consistent with the London Plan, which we have already referred to, and the NPPF. The content of the revised South Quay Master Plan and the revisions will be along the lines that the Mayor referred to in terms of taking a pause and thinking about whether or not we are connecting infrastructure development and design within the South Quay Masterplan area enough to the scale of development.
Can I also just take this opportunity, after reminding you what the status of an SPD is, to say we really welcome a proper debate about the future of development on the Isle of Dogs and across the floor I think we share huge concerns about the role of certain housing associations, but what I don’t welcome is a disingenuous approach on this matter, because what you are talking about and some of the motions that you have put forward don’t really acknowledge the role of an SPD and I just think that we should start framing the debate that we have in this chamber around an honest debate on how we can best represent our residents.
Supplementary question from Councillor Andrew Wood
So I accept that the South Quay Masterplan is not going to solve everything and I think that one of the issues is residents don’t fully understand that and part of our role is tocommunicate that to them. The question that I would like to ask is that we have six major developments in the pipe line right now including 225 Marsh Wall, Alpha Square, South Quay Plaza 4 and Ballymore’s Cuba Street. Do you think that the work that you are doing is going to have any impact on those developments or will have an impact on what happens afterwards?
Councillor Rachel Blake, Cabinet Member for Strategic Development’s response to the supplementary question
I wish to respond partly very enthusiastically and partly very unenthusiastically to your supplementary. My enthusiasm is for the statement that you made is that you recognise the role of the SPD and I hope that it will mean that we can have a grown up conversation about this going forward.
My unenthusiasm, my lack of enthusiasm even, is that you know that we cannot possibly comment on current planning applications and how they may relate to planning policy. I would also just like to remind you about the way that the planning system works and remind you about the scale of the developments in Tower Hamlets and that you will be aware that the Mayor of London does have powers to look into planning applications in Tower Hamlets.
The Mayor of London has since June 2008 chosen not to intervene, chosen not to exercise some of the concerns that you might have wanted to raise with him on 5329 units. So Meridian Gate, South Quay Plaza, I’ve got the list - it is public information. So when we are talking about development in Tower Hamlets, when we are talking about development in your wards, can we be honest about where the powers for some of this intervention lies. If you want to start talking about why the Mayor of London hasn’t actually called in some of these then we would be really interested to talk about it. But let’s be honest about the status of an SPD, let’s be honest about who and where the influence lies in the scale of development in the Isle of Dogs and lets represent and stand up for the residents of the Isle of Dogs bringing forward decent infrastructure and decent homes for the people that actually need it rather than these motions and this drip, drip approach that you seem to be taking.
8.9 Question from Councillor Candida Ronald
What will the Mayor do to ensure a fair and transparent grants process which ensures that residents have confidence in the fairness of decisions taken by this council?
Response by Mayor John Biggs
Well obviously grants are currently considered as we have discussed already by the Commissioners and they have adopted a policy as well relating to that. In creating my Cabinet, I have appointed Councillor Rachael Saunders to have particular oversight in developing grants policy and the third sector strategy. I am expecting other Cabinet Members to get very actively involved in their areas particularly where they commission services from the third sector or have an interest in the grants regime.
I am meeting very regularly with the Commissioners to talk about how we can very politely encourage them to leave our Borough and to resume our control over the grants process. Part of that is about reassuring people locally that we have a grants regime in which they can have confidence and also about reassuring the government and the Commissioners who are here not of my choosing or not of my making to make sure there is a confidence and we can resume our proper democratic powers.
Supplementary question from Councillor Candida Ronald
Will you ensure that robust evaluation takes place on individual projects and also on programme streams as a whole?
Mayor John Biggs’ response to the supplementary question
I am tempted to say just yes, so the answer is yes.
I think for Overview and Scrutiny we need to scrutinise the grants policy as it’s evolving. We also I think need to make sure that proper evaluation through the grants unit can be properly seen as being independent of any undue influence by Members or by other people so we need to have a degree of independence there.
We need to have a clear responsibility for policy making through the Cabinet and through setting priorities and we need to have a transparent scrutiny of grant applications through the scrutiny process probably through the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. We have been talking to the Commissioners about how this may happen. I am hoping that in the next few months we will be able to put together a framework which will allow us to begin to resume control over our grants process.
I would not want to overly enthuse you of the prospect of the Commissioners going out the door tomorrow, but today we have met with them and today as part of the Best Value Improvement Plan they have asked me to start chairing the Best Value Board which the previous Mayor refused to have any engagement with. We have been highlighting our progress on meeting the objectives set by the Commissioners in consultation with the Councillors and the previous Mayor. Together, I think that we have a very real prospect of making progress on this.
I think while I have the floor it is very important and this is quite a complicated issue, the Commissioners have asked to speak to Cabinet Members. I think it would be helpful if they spoke to back bench Members as well, they have got some very useful insights into the importance of changing the culture in the way in which we make decisions in the Council. This is not me picking on the previous Mayor, you may say for a change. I am not picking on the previous Mayor, I am picking on the culture of the Council and this is probably true of a lot of old fashioned Councils that need to creep into the 21th Century, where personal connections played an undue role in the decision of grants.
I think we need to change the culture in which we manage our relationship with third sector organisations because they play such an important role and because we are selling our people short in the Borough if we allow anything different from that to happen.
8.10 Question from Councillor Shahed Ali
What is the total area – in sq metres - given to the Conservative Group Office and Independent Group Office under the Mayor John Biggs new renovation plan for the first floor? Has the space allocation based upon proportionality of members i.e. 15 Independent Group members compared to 5 Conservative Group members as is with committee positions, or has the allocation been based upon 'returning the favour' to the Conservative party for 'borrowed votes' in the 2015 mayoral election as stated by the Conservative Group leader, Cllr. Peter Golds?
Response by Councillor David Edgar, Cabinet Member for Resources
Thank you Mr Speaker. The starting point for the moves that have taken place over the last few weeks was to make sure that all Members of the Council have adequate space to do the work that they have been elected to do and discharge the responsibilities they have been given. I think that it is interesting to note that as part of that rearrangement, the amount of space that the current Mayor has is 43sqm compared with the 95sqm that was occupied by the previous Mayor. So a very, very significant cut in the amount of space occupied by the Mayor.
In looking at the reorganisation there were a number of issues that had to be taken into account - achieving the most economic solution, thinking about the limitations that there are on the available space, the mechanical and electrical works. All of those things had to be thought about. But in answer to the specific question, the Conservative Group space allocation is 45.36sqm, I am told, and the Independent Group space allocation is 41.33sqm. So clearly in response to two points that was not based on proportionality but neither was it based on returning of favours. I think the point that’s quoted in the question about borrowed votes I think makes reference to a comment that Councillor Golds made at the count if I recall it right. But I am absolutely confident that the votes that John Biggs received in that Mayoral election were all from people who thought that he would be the very best person to do the job.
Supplementary question from Councillor Shahed Ali
Thanks for your answer David. I think Mayor John Biggs should take particular note of this as since your election we have all been talking about promoting a spirit of equality, a spirt of fairness, a spirt of openness and I think it goes to say without doubt and I would be very surprised if you were not to concur with me, I feel very disturbed by the fact that you feel it’s appropriate for 15 elected Members of this Council, who have been elected by a very large proportion of the community and also have an important duty to carry out as elected Members in opposition. For that we obviously require appropriate space which allows all the Councillors to come in, as and when they choose, so that they can carry out their duties to the satisfaction that the residents of this Borough deserve.
I think it is fair to say that I am completely bewildered by how, whoever decided could possible think that it is acceptable, to allow a minority group of five Members to occupy more space. It might sound like 45 and 41 but when you put that into square feet you are talking about 60ft more space. So the Tory Group, who have only five bodies, they cannot possible have more than five bodies who need to use that space, when we have 15 bodies on this side, the largest opposition group in this Council have been merely afforded less space, 50 - 60 square foot less space than the Conservative Group. I believe that that is outrageous.
Do you believe in the spirit of what I have just said that it may have been unfair to allocate the amount of space afforded to us in comparison with the amount of space that you have clearly afforded to a minority group of five Councillors and will we see this revised?
Councillor David Edgar, Cabinet Member for Resources’ response to the supplementary question
I have not had a conversation with officers about the detailed scheduling of this but clearly there are constraints if you want to spend as little money as possible and this was an office reorganisation which, as the Mayor explained in his report, was a much, much cheaper one than the one that took place a number of years ago.
I think the Independent Group needs to really also consider whether or not the number of spaces available in that room is really inadequate for the day to day work, the number of people able to come in during the day and I think it also important to recognise that there is next door to the room that they have, what is called a Conversation Room. There is a space there which is not allocated specifically to any group and is available to Councillors, if more Councillors are in and wish to meet, and there is also the Councillor meeting room. So I suspect that in practical terms and day to day terms, the space is adequate and that there are additional rooms available if Councillors from any group actually need to meet and have broader discussions.
Question 8.2 was not put due to the absence of the questioner. The remaining questions 8.11 - 8.16 were not put due to a lack of time. The Service Head, Democratic Services stated that written responses would be provided to the questions. (Note: The written responses are included in Appendix ‘A’ to these minutes.)
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