The following Motions have been notified in accordance with the requirements of Council Procedure Rule 15, to be moved and seconded by the Members indicated:
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(1) Motion against Racism and Discrimination in Harrow
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To be moved by Councillor Marilyn Ashton and seconded by Councillor Jean Lammiman:
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“This Council deplores all forms of racism and discrimination. It urges people of all political viewpoints to stand together shoulder to shoulder to bring about a fairer society where everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, is able to get on in life and realise their full potential.
This Council notes that, according to Metropolitan Police data for the London Borough of Harrow, in the last two years: § There has been an increase in Anti-Semitic hate crime. § There has been an increase in racist and religious hate crime. § There has been a sharp increase in the number of homophobic crime incidents. § There have been continued incidents of disability hate crime, Islamophobia, and Transgender hate crime.
This Council strongly reaffirms its commitment to tackling racism and discrimination in all forms within the London Borough of Harrow. This Council resolves to increase its efforts in building a diverse, egalitarian, and cohesive community in light of the recent protests in response to the death of George Floyd.”
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(2) Harrow Council’s commitment to fighting systemic racism Motion
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To be moved by Councillor Adam Swersky and seconded by Councillor Angella Murphy-Strachan:
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“Council notes that:
§ The killing of George Floyd at the hands of American police has created a powerful global movement around the cause of tackling systemic racism in society § Despite recent advancements there are still deep structural inequalities within society. According to a 2018 study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, 35.7 percent of ethnic minorities were living in poverty § Black people are almost 10 times more likely to be stopped and searched according to the government’s own statistics and 40 times more likely under section 60 powers. § Black Caribbean and Mixed White/Black Caribbean children have rates of permanent exclusion about three times that of the pupil population as a whole § No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) conditions, which can drive families into homelessness and destitution, disproportionately impact people from BAME backgrounds § Only 60 families from the Windrush generation have been compensated for the mistreatment they experienced at the hands of the Home Office § A recent PHE report found that the BAME community have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, with those from BAME communities almost twice as likely to die as white people. There are also concerns that police powers, such as Section 60 orders, have been used disproportionately against people from BAME backgrounds Council recognises:
§ The Prime Minister’s recent announcement of a commission to look into racial disparities and inequality § The unimplemented recommendations from previous reviews § That now more than ever action is needed that goes beyond warm words Council welcomes:
§ The decision to light Harrow Civic Centre purple in commemoration of the tragic and wholly unnecessary death of George Floyd and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement globally § The steps taken by the Council so far to acknowledge the work that needs to be done, to engage with staff from BAME backgrounds, and to review at the highest levels the actions that must be taken to tackle racism in all its forms inside the Council and more widely in the Borough § The commitment in Harrow’s Borough Plan to tackling entrenched inequalities, which disproportionately impact people from BAME backgrounds Council calls on the government to:
§ To implement the recommendation from the review of Public Health England into the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities § Implement an action plan as requested by the Chair of the British Medical Association to reduce the risk of COVID-19 to BAME employees § Incorporate the teaching of Black history into the national curriculum § Radically ease No Recourse to Public Funds restrictions and remove them entirely for families with children under the age of 18 § Ensure that all Windrush families mistreated by the government are fully compensated by actively alerting those who have been affected § Implement the recommendations from the: - Lammy report - Angiolini review - Home Office Windrush review - McGregor-Smith review - Stephen Lawrence review - Marmot Review
Council resolves to:
§ Stand united against racism, injustice and racial inequalities, alongside and in solidarity with the Black community following the tragic death of George Floyd and recent events § Recognise the contributions that all communities, races and cultures have made to Harrow in the past and will continue to make in future § Commit to listening to staff and the wider community, including local Black organisations such as NOMAD and HASVO, to understand the experiences of racism and, specifically, to hear from our communities about the impact of COVID-19 in order to inform our future decision, § Commit to working with other public sector partners and trade unions to address biases towards the black community. § To give its support to the Black Lives Matter movement § To take immediate and long-term action to becoming an anti-racist Council by: - Improving representation of people from BAME backgrounds at senior levels, both officer and Councillor - Developing training and development programmes targeted at people from BAME backgrounds - Developing a mentoring programme for black council staff. - Collecting and analysing key workforce data, for example the ethnicity pay gap, and ensuring this is formally reviewed at an Employee Consultative Forum (ECF) meeting on a regular basis - Working with staff to develop appropriate forums that support a deeper and richer dialogue between BAME staff and Council leadership - Reviewing the recommendations of the Dal Babu report into Institutional Racism (2014) and progress against the 2014 action plan - Abolishing all-White panels and committees - Developing a mandatory learning programme for Councillors and staff on race, racism and unconscious bias - Reviewing local symbols, including statues and street names, to ensure we are commemorating history in a way that reflects contemporary values - Review and amend Council Policies which particularly impact on BAME residents - Celebrating the contribution of people from BAME communities to the past and future of Harrow through public art and other local symbols § To track progress against these actions and the wider issue through the Council’s performance monitoring processes § To report to Cabinet by November on progress against these actions.”
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(3) Vote of Thanks Motion
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To be moved by Councillor Graham Henson and seconded by Councillor Angella Murphy-Strachan:
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“Council notes:
That the last few months have been extremely challenging for Harrow council and our borough as a whole. The Covid-19 pandemic has been unsettling and scary for all of us, as we have contended with the impact of the virus and the lockdown measures the government has taken to prevent its spread.
That council staff have been at the forefront of protecting our communities across our borough from the further spread of Covid-19 and the challenges of self isolating.
That council services were rapidly stepped up in Harrow and created new services to support the vulnerable and those most in need.
That our schools provided a safe haven for vulnerable children and for children of key workers, ensured the continuance of education through distance learning for all children, and maintained crucial pastoral support for many of our younger residents.
That in Harrow, there were nearly 13,000 people on our shielded list, with over 16000 outbound calls made. Our dedicated workforce provided critical services including adult social care staff working around the clock to support vulnerable residents and relieve the pressure on the NHS to those working in children’s services who ensured our younger residents were kept safe. Our environmental staff ensured waste was collected and our streets kept clean, our registrars worked with many bereaved families and homeless people moved to safer accommodation. Our support teams ensured we had the facilities our staff needed, and many staff moved jobs to support critical services and set up new emergency service to provide food and support to those residents who had been told to stay at home for 12 weeks due to severe health conditions.
That without the unstinting effort of Harrow council staff, their willingness to work 7 days a week for months on end, we would not have come through the crisis as we have.
And recognises the powerful partnership work across health and care, the police, the voluntary and community sector, faith, educational institutions, trade unions and many others. The long-standing strength of these relationships is good and robust and can be built upon in the future as we rebuild from this crisis to benefit Harrow residents and businesses for the future.
That the detail and scale of how the council responded has been published in three Cabinet reports, which are available at:-
Thursday 21st May 2020 – https://www2.harrow.gov.uk/documents/s165144/The%20Councils%20Response%20to%20COVID%2019.pdf
with the supporting documents available at:- https://www2.harrow.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=62767
Thursday 18th June 2020 –
Thursday 9th July 2020 -
Council resolves:
§ To record a formal vote of thanks and appreciation to Harrow Council staff for their unfailing commitment and effort to protect the residents and business of Harrow and provide the services that they desperately needed throughout the pandemic. Their unstinting effort and commitment that made such a difference to vulnerable members of our communities and those residents in desperate need is gratefully appreciated.” |
Minutes:
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(i) Motion against Racism and Discrimination in Harrow
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Motion in the names of Councillor Marilyn Ashton and Councillor Jean Lammiman:
“This Council deplores all forms of racism and discrimination. It urges people of all political viewpoints to stand together shoulder to shoulder to bring about a fairer society where everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, is able to get on in life and realise their full potential.
This Council notes that, according to Metropolitan Police data for the London Borough of Harrow, in the last two years:
§ There has been an increase in Anti-Semitic hate crime. § There has been an increase in racist and religious hate crime. § There has been a sharp increase in the number of homophobic crime incidents. § There have been continued incidents of disability hate crime, Islamophobia, and Transgender hate crime.
This Council strongly reaffirms its commitment to tackling racism and discrimination in all forms within the London Borough of Harrow. This Council resolves to increase its efforts in building a diverse, egalitarian, and cohesive community in light of the recent protests in response to the death of George Floyd.”
RESOLVED: That the Motion set out at (i) above be adopted.
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(ii) Harrow Council’s commitment to fighting systemic racism Motion
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Motion in the names of Councillor Adam Swersky and Councillor Angella Murphy Strachan:
“Council notes that:
? The killing of George Floyd at the hands of American police has created a powerful global movement around the cause of tackling systemic racism in society ? Despite recent advancements there are still deep structural inequalities within society. According to a 2018 study by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, 35.7 percent of ethnic minorities were living in poverty ? Black people are almost 10 times more likely to be stopped and searched according to the government’s own statistics and 40 times more likely under section 60 powers. ? Black Caribbean and Mixed White/Black Caribbean children have rates of permanent exclusion about three times that of the pupil population as a whole ? No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) conditions, which can drive families into homelessness and destitution, disproportionately impact people from BAME backgrounds ? Only 60 families from the Windrush generation have been compensated for the mistreatment they experienced at the hands of the Home Office ? A recent PHE report found that the BAME community have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, with those from BAME communities almost twice as likely to die as white people. There are also concerns that police powers, such as Section 60 orders, have been used disproportionately against people from BAME backgrounds
Council recognises:
? The Prime Minister’s recent announcement of a commission to look into racial disparities and inequality ? The unimplemented recommendations from previous reviews ? That now more than ever action is needed that goes beyond warm words
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Council welcomes:
? The decision to light Harrow Civic Centre purple in commemoration of the tragic and wholly unnecessary death of George Floyd and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement globally ? The steps taken by the Council so far to acknowledge the work that needs to be done, to engage with staff from BAME backgrounds, and to review at the highest levels the actions that must be taken to tackle racism in all its forms inside the Council and more widely in the Borough ? The commitment in Harrow’s Borough Plan to tackling entrenched inequalities, which disproportionately impact people from BAME backgrounds
Council calls on the government to:
? To implement the recommendation from the review of Public Health England into the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities ? Implement an action plan as requested by the Chair of the British Medical Association to reduce the risk of COVID-19 to BAME employees ? Incorporate the teaching of Black history into the national curriculum ? Radically ease No Recourse to Public Funds restrictions and remove them entirely for families with children under the age of 18 ? Ensure that all Windrush families mistreated by the government are fully compensated by actively alerting those who have been affected ? Implement the recommendations from the: ? Lammy report ? Angiolini review ? Home Office Windrush review ? McGregor-Smith review ? Stephen Lawrence review ? Marmot Review
Council resolves to:
? Stand united against racism, injustice and racial inequalities, alongside and in solidarity with the Black community following the tragic death of George Floyd and recent events ? Recognise the contributions that all communities, races and cultures have made to Harrow in the past and will continue to make in future ? Commit to listening to staff and the wider community, including local Black organisations such as NOMAD and HASVO, to understand the experiences of racism and, specifically, to hear from our communities about the impact of COVID-19 in order to inform our future decision, ? Commit to working with other public sector partners and trade unions to address biases towards the black community. ? To give its support to the Black Lives Matter movement ? To take immediate and long-term action to becoming an anti-racist Council by: ? Improving representation of people from BAME backgrounds at senior levels, both officer and Councillor ? Developing training and development programmes targeted at people from BAME backgrounds ? Developing a mentoring programme for black council staff. ? Collecting and analysing key workforce data, for example the ethnicity pay gap, and ensuring this is formally reviewed at an Employee Consultative Forum (ECF) meeting on a regular basis ? Working with staff to develop appropriate forums that support a deeper and richer dialogue between BAME staff and Council leadership ? Reviewing the recommendations of the Dal Babu report into Institutional Racism (2014) and progress against the 2014 action plan ? Abolishing all-White panels and committees ? Developing a mandatory learning programme for Councillors and staff on race, racism and unconscious bias ? Reviewing local symbols, including statues and street names, to ensure we are commemorating history in a way that reflects contemporary values ? Review and amend Council Policies which particularly impact on BAME residents ? Celebrating the contribution of people from BAME communities to the past and future of Harrow through public art and other local symbols ? To track progress against these actions and the wider issue through the Council’s performance monitoring processes ? To report to Cabinet by November on progress against these actions.”
RESOLVED: That the Motion set out at (ii) above be adopted.
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(iii) Vote of Thanks Motion
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Motion in the names of Councillor Graham Henson and Councillor Angella Murphy Strachan:
“Council notes:
That the last few months have been extremely challenging for Harrow council and our borough as a whole. The Covid-19 pandemic has been unsettling and scary for all of us, as we have contended with the impact of the virus and the lockdown measures the government has taken to prevent its spread.
That council staff have been at the forefront of protecting our communities across our borough from the further spread of Covid-19 and the challenges of self isolating.
That council services were rapidly stepped up in Harrow and created new services to support the vulnerable and those most in need.
That our schools provided a safe haven for vulnerable children and for children of key workers, ensured the continuance of education through distance learning for all children, and maintained crucial pastoral support for many of our younger residents.
That in Harrow, there were nearly 13,000 people on our shielded list, with over 16000 outbound calls made. Our dedicated workforce provided critical services including adult social care staff working around the clock to support vulnerable residents and relieve the pressure on the NHS to those working in children’s services who ensured our younger residents were kept safe. Our environmental staff ensured waste was collected and our streets kept clean, our registrars worked with many bereaved families and homeless people moved to safer accommodation. Our support teams ensured we had the facilities our staff needed, and many staff moved jobs to support critical services and set up new emergency service to provide food and support to those residents who had been told to stay at home for 12 weeks due to severe health conditions.
That without the unstinting effort of Harrow council staff, their willingness to work 7 days a week for months on end, we would not have come through the crisis as we have.
And recognises the powerful partnership work across health and care, the police, the voluntary and community sector, faith, educational institutions, trade unions and many others. The long-standing strength of these relationships is good and robust and can be built upon in the future as we rebuild from this crisis to benefit Harrow residents and businesses for the future.
That the detail and scale of how the council responded has been published in three Cabinet reports, which are available at:-
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Thursday 21st May 2020 - https://www2.harrow.gov.uk/documents/s165144/The%20Councils%20Response%20to%20COVID%2019.pdf
with the supporting documents available at:- https://www2.harrow.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=62767
Thursday 18th June 2020 - https://www2.harrow.gov.uk/documents/s165333/The%20Councils%20Response%20to%20COVID%2019%20-%20Update.pdf
Thursday 9th July 2020
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Council resolves:
· To record a formal vote of thanks and appreciation to Harrow Council staff for their unfailing commitment and effort to protect the residents and business of Harrow and provide the services that they desperately needed throughout the pandemic.
· Their unstinting effort and commitment that made such a difference to vulnerable members of our communities and those residents in desperate need is gratefully appreciated.”
RESOLVED: That the Motion set out at (iii) above be adopted. |