Agenda item
URGENT MOTIONS
Minutes:
The Council agreed to suspend Procedure Rule 13.1 to enable the following urgent motion to be debated without notice:
13.1 Motion Regarding the Ian Mikardo school.
Mayor John Biggs, moved and Councillor Sirajul Islam seconded, the motion as tabled.
Councillor Oliur Rahman moved, and Councillor Rabina Khan seconded a friendly amendment to the motion as set out below:
This Council requests the Executive Mayor to:
1. whilst we recognise that there has been an investigation, there needs to be a public enquiry taking into consideration the feelings and experiences of parents and members of the local community as to how they feel and to learn lessons from this episode.
2. prepare a statement explaining that schools are responsible for appointing their own staff and that the Council and police will always work to protect ethnic minority and other relevant communities from hate crimes, and circulate this widely to local residents. The statement should acknowledge that parents have right to be assured that staff at the school which their children attend are appointed in a proper manner. This statement should be publicised fully using all communication channels.
3. to write to all school governors in the borough pointing out the sensitivity which should be exercised when considering appointing people convicted of serious offences, and especially those with a racist element, and to ensure that this need is communicated to all new LEA governors when they are appointed in the future, and a report provided to the relevant committee of the Council for information and any appropriate legal and professional input.
4. to write to all schools in the borough to advise them of this resolution.
5. to follow the example of the late Jo Cox MP, who said that her multi-ethnic community had more in common than it had division, by promoting community harmony in Tower Hamlets and having no truck with any actions which would cause distress and promote disharmony.
Mayor John Biggs indicated that he accepted paragraphs 2-5 of the amendment and altered the substantial motion accordingly.
Following debate, the motion as amended was put to the vote and was agreed.
RESOLVED
This council notes:
· Three individual motions were tabled at the Council meeting related to the appointment of an individual at Ian Mikardo school.
· The Mayor has made a full statement to Council and published a detailed report setting out the findings of the investigation carried out by officers in to the appointment and the role the council played.
· That the appointment of the individual in question by Ian Mikardo school was a matter for the school.
· That representatives of different political groups on the Council have expressed their personal views about the appointment, including the Mayor who has stated that had the decision been down to him, he would not have approved the appointment.
· That Ian Mikardo School has been judged as excellent, provides a vital service to some of our most vulnerable youngsters, and its transformation has happened under its current head teacher.
· The council currently has no legal power to object to school appointments on community cohesion grounds.
This Council believes:
· That the events of 2001 remain raw, and that our thoughts should be with the family of Shiblu Rahman who have inevitably found the renewed attention on his the murder distressing.
· That the fear of racial violence, and the scars of experience, while clearly events have moved on and confidence has grown, remain real for members of our BME communities.
· That we strongly believe in rehabilitation but that this does not reduce the feelings of pain in victims of crime. For this to happen there needs to be a far more comprehensive process of reconciliation. The Council cannot do this on behalf of others but we can and should strongly signal the importance of bridge building through steps such as outreach, confidence building and restorative justice.
· That councillors and the Mayor in particular should offer leadership on issues of public interest and concern.
· That the leadership team and governors at Ian Mikardo should take account of the understandable community concern this information has caused and continue its dialogue with local residents, parents and staff to resolve the concerns. We welcome the moves towards greater outreach and communications from the school.
· That there is no justification for vandalism and damage to school buildings and that such actions serve no purpose and should be wholly condemned.
This council resolves:
To welcome and endorse the Mayor’s actions tightening up the rules around controversial school appointments by requiring , where a DBS check for a maintained school appointment returns a serious conviction, the Corporate Director of Children’s Services, after consultation with the relevant Lead Member or the Mayor, where necessary, to express the clear view of the authority on the appointment, including the impact on community cohesion.
To reaffirm that we will always be intolerant towards racism and racial violence and that Tower Hamlets is no Place for Hate.
This Council requests the Executive Mayor to:
· prepare a statement explaining that schools are responsible for appointing their own staff and that the Council and police will always work to protect ethnic minority and other relevant communities from hate crimes, and circulate this widely to local residents. The statement should acknowledge that parents have right to be assured that staff at the school which their children attend are appointed in a proper manner. This statement should be publicised fully using all communication channels.
· to write to all school governors in the borough pointing out the sensitivity which should be exercised when considering appointing people convicted of serious offences, and especially those with a racist element, and to ensure that this need is communicated to all new LEA governors when they are appointed in the future, and a report provided to the relevant committee of the Council for information and any appropriate legal and professional input.
· to write to all schools in the borough to advise them of this resolution.
· to follow the example of the late Jo Cox MP, who said that her multi-ethnic community had more in common than it had division, by promoting community harmony in Tower Hamlets and having no truck with any actions which would cause distress and promote disharmony.