Agenda item

(1)             Proposed Privatisation of London Fire Brigade Merton Control Room

To be moved by Councillor Navin Shah and seconded by Councillor Bill Stephenson:

“This Council notes that:

·         The Conservative-controlled London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA), supported by Mayor Boris Johnson, is proposing to privatise the 999 Control Room function and hand over the running of this essential component of one of London’s major emergency services to a private contractor.

·         A quarter of a million emergency calls are made to the London Fire Brigade Control Room each year requiring an immediate and considered response by the highly-trained professional Brigade staff.

·         No consideration has been given to any other option to provide the service, including an in-house bid, or to the financial implications of taking this route.

This Council is concerned that such a privatisation will:

·         Put the safety of our local Harrow residents at risk due to the lack of any risk assessment being carried out.

·         Outsource a vital service to a company whose primary focus, as a private enterprise, must be profit for its shareholders.

·         Have a detrimental effect on the speed of response from the Control Room and the quality of advice given to those at the scene of a fire.

·         Mean additional cost to Londoners in monitoring and ensuring the necessary high performance of the contractor.

·         Further demoralise staff who have not only identified savings of £1.5m but worked extended shifts during times of need, such as the recent riots in London.

This privatisation is typical of the Conservative-led Government’s attack on our cherished public services including our schools, armed forces and the NHS.  The outsourcing of major London Fire Brigade functions, including essential 999 services, means that Conservative ideology is being put before the interests of ordinary Londoners. Londoners not shareholders must come first.

Harrow Council therefore opposes the plan to privatise the London Fire Brigade’s 999 Control Room function and instruct the Chief Executive to write to Mayor Boris Johnson to use his powers of direction to stop LFEPA proceeding with the proposal and to seek support from local MPs, the London Assembly and council unions.”

(2)     Council Tax Motion

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

“This Council notes that every single London council is either freezing or cutting their council tax this year.

Additionally, this Council is aware of the difficult economic climate, and of the challenges faced by many residents in making ends meet.

Therefore, this Council commits, in principle, to freezing council tax for 2013/14 and 2014/15, with a view to cutting it if financial pressures allow.”

(3)     Whitchurch Pavilion and Playing Fields Motion

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

“This Council is concerned at the decision of the Executive to choose the Whitchurch Consortium as the preferred bidder to redevelop Whitchurch Pavilion and Playing Fields. It notes that:

·         While consultation with relevant ward councillors and local residents is now to be conducted, it was not carried out to a satisfactory degree in the run-up to selecting the Whitchurch Consortium bid as the preferred bidder.

·         Local residents have expressed significant concern regarding this development, with a public Call-In meeting held in December 2011.

·         In choosing the Whitchurch Consortium as the preferred bidder, the Executive relied on information obtained during a tendering process which began over 3 years ago.

·         There are a number of unanswered concerns regarding the impact of the development on traffic, security, noise pollution and local use of the amenity.

This Council therefore urges the Executive to reconsider its decision to proceed with the Whitchurch Consortium, and instead restart the tendering process in a more open and transparent fashion.”

[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].

(4)     HPCCG

To be moved by Councillor Krishna James and seconded by Councillor Sasikala Suresh:

“This Council notes with concern the risk that oversight of the Police and the Community Consultative work undertaken by HPCCG over the past 30 years will come to an end.  It is of real concern that no contingency plans have been made to ensure that the work continues.  It is important to note that the need for a systematic two way conversation between the community and its police service was recognised in Section 96 of the Police Act 1996; which requires ‘that arrangements be made in the Metropolitan Police District by the Metropolitan Police Authority, after consulting with the Commissioner, for obtaining the views of people in that area about matters concerning the policing of the area and for obtaining their cooperation with the police in preventing crime in the area’.

This Council instructs the Chief Executive write to Harrow’s 3 MPs, GLA Member and the Mayor of London and ask that they work to ensure that Harrow residents are able to engage with the Police and help keep Harrow one of the safest boroughs in London.”

(5)     Fairtrade

To be moved by Councillor Nana Asante and seconded by Councillor Sue Anderson:

“This Council notes the close working relationship that Harrow Fairtrade Campaign and Brent Fairtrade Network have developed over the past year.

This Council also notes that the Fairtrade Cotton Bunting Challenge aims to link Brent Town Hall and Harrow Civic Centre. 

In light of these links, this Council congratulates our sister borough Brent on achieving Fairtrade status and instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Leader of the Council and Brent Fairtrade Network offering Harrow’s best wishes for their celebration on 3^rd March 2012.”

(6)     NHS

To be moved by Councillor Krishna James and seconded by Councillor William Stoodley:

“This Council notes that the NHS bill currently going through Parliament is ill thought out and costly.  It is immoral to be wasting close to £1 billion at a time when austerity measures are being implemented in all areas of life, including this Council.  This Council notes with concern the risk to Patient Care being produced by this attack on the NHS.

Several Professional Health bodies, the Royal College of GPs, the Royal College of Nursing and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, have grave concerns regarding the reforms to the NHS.  Since these esteemed professional organisations have asked that the Bill be scrapped altogether, it can only mean that pushing through the reforms will lead to poor health care for Harrow residents.

This Council notes that the medical director of the largest commissioning cluster in the capital has said hospitals in north west London "will almost certainly" have to close. 

This Council wishes to record its clear support for the Royal College of GPs, the Royal College of Nursing and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists in their opposition to these market driven plans to privatise the NHS from the backdoor in the name of modernisation.

This Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the 3 MPs to express our concerns about the risk to the NHS and to ask that Harrow’s 3 MPs categorically reject these proposals and work to ensure that Harrow residents are guaranteed free health care at the point of use.”

(7)     Step Free Access to Stations

To be moved by Councillor Sue Anderson and seconded by Councillor Bill Phillips:

“This Council congratulates Campaigners who have continued to keep the issue of step free access at Harrow’s stations in the public eye.  This Council instructs that the Chief Executive write to the Mayor of London to remind him that Harrow residents would like the necessary investment to be made in public transport infrastructure so that residents can enjoy step-free access to local stations.”

(8)     London Living Rent

To be moved by Councillor Nana Asante and seconded by Councillor Thaya Idaikkadar:

“This Council notes with concern the negative impact of Housing Benefit changes on Harrow residents and urges that Harrow’s 3 MPs campaign to ensure that Harrow residents are able to work and live in the borough.

This Council affirms the importance of family and community and wishes to place on record its support for the London Living Rent which would ensure that no one pays out more than 1/3 of their wages on rent enabling families to stay together and strong communities to be built in the borough.

This Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to Harrow’s 3 MPs and ask that they support the London Living Rent so that it becomes part of legislation.”

(9)     Carers in Harrow

To be moved by Councillor Margaret Davine and seconded by Councillor Victoria Silver:

“This Council Celebrates:

·         The valuable role performed by over 2000 carers in Harrow, in the majority of cases without any financial help from the public purse. 

·         The contribution of Harrow Carers, Crossroads and other partners in the Voluntary Sector that provide support and services, commending the valuable work they do in supporting carers and in highlighting their needs.

This Council further congratulates:

Our Council officers, especially those in the Carers Teams, for their continued commitment to supporting carers, as the Council prepares to roll-out Personal Budgets for carers in April 2012  -  also welcomes the initiative by Lincolnshire City Council, Plymouth City Council and others who have appointed a 'Carers Champion' with cross-cutting responsibilities, across all departments; and we call on Harrow Council to follow this excellent example and appoint a similar champion in Harrow to promote better respite, care, respect and access to innovative support services for all of our carers.”

(10)   Whitchurch Lease Motion

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

“This Council notes that, as part of the Invitation to Tender produced for the redevelopment of Whitchurch Pavilion and Playing Fields, a 30-year lease was offered to potential developers.

It has now been confirmed, by both officers the Portfolio Holder for Major Contracts that, leases of 99, 120 and 125 years are being considered.

This Council does not believe that tripling the length of the lease on a community asset, without consultation with residents, councillors, or indeed any apparent form of announcement, represents poor governance and a lack of transparency.

This Council therefore urges the Portfolio Holder to reconsider the decision to extend the lease offered to any potential developers, and to consult with residents and ward councillors to determine an appropriate lease length.”

[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].

(11)   Mayor of London Motion

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

“This Council notes that, since the election of the present Mayor of London in 2008, he has delivered the following for Harrow and its residents:

·         A frozen Mayoral precept for 3 years and a cut this year – following a 152% increase over the previous 8 years – saving Harrow households over £440.

·         Over £2.5 of funding from the Outer London Fund to invest in the promotion and regeneration of Harrow Town Centre and North Harrow.

·         35 more police officers, 7 more PCSOs, and 72 more Special Constables, with the introduction of single police patrols leading to over 3,000 more patrols each year. The number of police across London as a whole has increased by 1,000, with Special Constables nearly doubling to almost 5,000.

·         A 6% overall fall in crime, with 24% and 21% decreases in robberies and youth crime respectively.

·         Nearly £1 million of Transport for London investment in Harrow’s roads and pavements.

·         The expansion and improvement of 12 bus routes, with 3 more added.

·         The planting of over 500 new trees, which is more than in almost any other London borough.

This Council therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Mayor of London and London Assembly to express our gratitude for his investment and continued interest in and support for Harrow.”

(12)   RAF Northolt

To be moved by Councillor Bill Stephenson and seconded by Councillor Nana Asante:

“This Council is appalled to learn from a leaked report in the Guardian newspaper (Wednesday, Jan 25) that ‘The Ministry of Defence is thinking of selling off one of its oldest and most internationally renowned airports, RAF Northolt, and that ‘… there have been high level talks in Whitehall about whether the airfield could even become a satellite for nearby Heathrow.’ 

This Council notes this is not the first time that this has been suggested and each time, it has been overwhelmingly rejected by local residents for all the reasons for which the Government rejected the third runway at Heathrow Airport – noise, pollution and traffic congestion. 

This Council believes that this ‘stealth’ expansion of Heathrow through the sale and redevelopment of RAF Northolt would be a disaster for residents in Harrow and across West London. 

This Council calls on the Government to issue an immediate statement withdrawing this suggestion and instructs the Chief Executive to enlist the support of Harrow’s three MPs, the Brent and Harrow GLA member and other neighbouring local authorities, MPs and GLA members to oppose this catastrophic proposal.” 

(13)   Council Tax

To be moved by Councillor Bill Stephenson and seconded by Councillor Nana Asante:

“This Council notes the one-off payment from Government, for a second year in a row, to freeze Council Tax, equivalent to a 2.5% increase in taxes, but notes with grave concern that the Government has not offered to continue this in 2013/14 and beyond to help Harrow residents. 

This Council further notes with grave concern that residents are facing a real squeeze with wage freezes and spiralling energy costs.  This Council also recognises the challenge the Council faces next year in budgeting with its commitment to protect services on which our residents depend. 

This Council calls on Government to provide funding to Local Authorities for a Council Tax freeze in the next financial year – 2013/14 and requests that the Chief Executive writes to Harrow’s three MPs to use their influence in urging the Government to rethink its plans to force a reduction in Council tax benefit (CTB) which will hit the most vulnerable groups in Harrow.”