Agenda item

(1)               Council Transparency Motion

To be moved by Councillor Barry Macleod-Cullinane and seconded by Councillor Susan Hall:

“This Council welcomes the proposals recently put forward by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), as part of its efforts to improve local government transparency and accountability.

This Council therefore commits itself to complying with the DCLG recommendations, and by 1^st January 2011 at the latest will publish and continue publishing online:

1.      Details in full of total cumulative spending over £500.

2.      Information on all staff earning over £50,000 per annum (including details of salaries, benefits, and expenses) and their job descriptions.

3.      Councillor allowances and expenses (in a real-time rather than annual format).

4.      Frontline service data, including rubbish and recycling rates, as well as council tax collection rates.

5.      Automatic energy reading to measure energy consumption and enable residents to monitor the council’s drive towards lower emissions and energy use.

6.      Full answers to Questions with Notice at Council meetings (to be published in the Council minutes).

None of the above shall include information that:

a)     Relates to a commercial arrangement in negotiation.

b)     Is not publishable under the data protection act.

c)      Relates to the protection of vulnerable adults and children.

This Council also pledges that this information will be published at zero cost to taxpayers, with its collation and presentation forming part of other processes the Council already carries out.

With some of this information already available, this Council further pledges to make itself even more transparent by requiring that the various strands of information be collected and brought together on the main council website – with a link from the frontpage – under the heading, “www.harrow.gov.uk /transparency” to make it easy for residents to find.

This Council believes that enacting these proposals will encourage financial responsibility, improve accountability, and be of substantial benefit to Harrow residents.”

(2)               2M Motion

To be moved by Councillor Susan Hall and seconded by Councillor Barry Macleod-Cullinane:

“This Council welcomes the decision of the new Government to scrap proposals for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. A third runway and the resulting 220,000 extra flights per year would have blighted the lives of Harrow residents through increased levels of congestion, aircraft noise and pollution.

This Council is and will continue to be a proud member of the 2M Group; the alliance of 19 London and various other borough councils concerned about the environmental impact of Heathrow Airport.

This Council looks forward to working with the 2M Group in the future, as it strives to improve the quality of those for residents affected by Heathrow Airport. In particular, this Council welcomes 2M's campaigns to:

- Encourage the new Government to create an independent regulator for noise and air quality, which the previous Government failed to deliver; and in fact agreed an exemption to quality standards for Heathrow Airport.

- Alert the new Government to the significant amount of work needed to reduce NO2 levels, as the UK is currently not expected to comply with recommended NO2 limits until 2020.

This Council believes that a better, more environmentally friendly Heathrow Airport is in the best interest of all Harrow residents, and therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to the 2M Group reaffirming our commitment to their goals.”

[Note:Under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 14.6, it is considered that the subject matter of this Motion refers to matters within the powers of the Cabinet and the Motion therefore stands referred to its next meeting.

It may be moved that such referral should not apply and any procedural motion moved and seconded to that effect shall be voted on without discussion].

(3)               Magistrates’ Court Motion

To be moved by Councillor Chris Mote and seconded by Councillor Susan Hall:

“This Council notes that, as part of proposals recently put forward by the Ministry of Justice to reorganise magistrates' and county court services in London, Harrow Magistrates' Court is recommended for closure.

This Council believes it is in Harrow's best interests for Harrow Magistrates' Court to remain open, and therefore instructs the Chief Executive to prepare, in conjunction with all political groups, a robust response as part of the Ministry of Justice consultation process.”

(4)               Kenton Road Motion

To be moved by Councillor Yogesh Teli and seconded by Councillor Vina Mithani:

“This Council notes that the removal of the right turning from Kenton Road into Kenton Lane has proven unpopular with residents, and that a petition on this issue was presented to the Mayor of London by Cllrs. Teli, Mithani and Zeid in March 2010. The removal of the turning has resulted in increased congestion and a larger number of vehicles travelling down the narrower back roads.

This Council therefore pledges to work with Brent Council – who maintain responsibility for the junction – to ensure that the right-turn is reintroduced, and to liaise with Transport for London to ensure that it is swiftly implemented once Brent has agreed to its reintroduction.”

[Note:Under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 14.6, it is considered that the subject matter of this Motion refers to matters within the powers of the Traffic and Road Safety Advisory Panel and the Motion therefore stands referred to its next meeting.

It may be moved that such referral should not apply and any procedural motion moved and seconded to that effect shall be voted on without discussion].