Agenda item

(1)               Councillors’ Allowances Motion

To be moved by Councillor Graham Henson and seconded by Councillor Bill Stephenson:

“Council notes that it currently pays the third lowest level of basic allowance to Councillors across London at around three quarters the rate recommended by the London Councils Independent Remuneration Panel.

This Council further notes the agreement signed by the Council and the recognised trade unions on the modernisation of its employment terms and conditions of directly employed staff, and congratulates the Trade Unions and the Council staff on the mature way this agreement has been negotiated.

Council further notes that in future no member of staff will be paid below the London Living Wage, staff will be able to work in a much more flexible and mobile way according to individuals’ aspirations and the council’s needs, and that all staff will receive an extra day’s holiday.

Council further notes that staff paid more than £21,000 have agreed to take a pay cut of 1% cut from 1^st January 2013 and the highest paid a cut of 2.5%.

Council fully endorses the commitment made by the former Leader of the Council that any cut in salaries agreed by staff would be matched by an exactly similar measure for councillors’ allowances.

Council therefore resolves that from January 1, 2013 the Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA):

·                     For the Leader should be cut from £31,110 to £30,799 reducing the total remuneration by 1% from 39,270 to 38,959.

·                     For Portfolio Holders should be cut from £19,890 to £19690 reducing the total remuneration by 1% from £28,050 to £27,850.”

(2)               Support for Malala Yousafzai Motion

To be moved by Councillor Graham Henson and seconded by Councillor Bill Stephenson:

“Council notes that the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states that:

Article 19

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 26

(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

This Council wishes  to put on record its thanks to the Borough’s teachers and Council staff in the Children, Families & Schools Directorate who have worked relentlessly to ensure that high quality education is available to all children in Harrow regardless of gender. This Council notes that this right to education is not available everywhere.

With the support of the Council and  in particular Officers from the Children, Families & Schools Directorate, fifty seven of our schools, including some academies, are working together as full or associate partners of the leading edge Harrow Schools’ Improvement Partnership to collaborate and secure continuing improvement.

The value of partnership & community will continue to work with all our schools to secure an education system that does continuously improve and provide the best possible start for all of Harrow’s young people.

This Council deplores the shooting of Malala Yousafzai and her friends by the Taliban in Pakistan because they publicly fought for the right of every girl to go to school.

Council resolves to join the international call on all countries to fully implement the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, in particular, by outlawing discrimination against girls and in line with this fully supports the international campaign to ensure that the world’s 61 million out of school children are in education by the end of 2015

This Council instructs the Chief Executive to send messages of support to Malala Yousafzai, an amazing young woman, for her courage and bravery in fighting for the cause which she has championed, Harrow Schools and through the Council’s e-bulletins and other means to publicise the 10^th November which has been designated as a global day of action for Malala.”

(3)                Harrow’s Policing Motion

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

“The Council notes and calls for urgent action in respect of the following 

Joint Borough Command

The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) is promoting the sharing of Borough Commanders between the Boroughs of Harrow and Barnet.

Council is opposed to any such proposal as it would undermine the effectiveness of policing in Harrow and risk the safety of the people of Harrow. The Council urges MOPAC and the Mayor of London to withdraw this proposal.

New Policing Model for Harrow

Council is extremely concerned about the depleted Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) across in Harrow, the uncertainty of what the new policing model will comprise and the timetable for its implementation.

Safer Neighbourhood Boards (SNB)

Whilst MOPAC consults and puts forward its timetable for implementation of the proposed Safer Neighbourhood Boards, Council deplores the continuing failure to consult with residents on how to communicate and engage with them about local policing matters despite repeated calls to do from the Council itself as well as many other organisations such as HPCCG.

The Council instructs the Chief Executive to communicate the resolutions above to the Deputy Mayor of Policing and the Mayor of London, the local MPs and the GLA Member for Brent and Harrow.”

(4)                Change to Planning Laws and Regulations Motion

To be moved by Councillor Keith Ferry and seconded by Councillor Navin Shah:

“This Council notes with rising concern, the ill thought out reforms to the UK’s planning system, in particular the proposals to enable applicants to avoid local decision making by applying direct to the Secretary of State for planning permission; proposals to allow Planning Inspectors to unilaterally determine affordable housing levels within a development at a time of housing crisis and the changes to permitted development that will enable monster extensions to homes destroying amenity and value without planning permission, the changes of use from offices to residential without the necessary controls to keep employment, or minimum standards to safeguard occupiers or the means to secure necessary contributions to infrastructure such as schools and health.

At a time of unprecedented uncertainty in the development sector, these changes are causing schemes to be delayed, whilst people wait and see, and will give rise to considerable anxiety to local communities being asked to accept new homes and development. Meanwhile, those parties, including Harrow Council, who seek to engage constructively in the realisation of community benefit from new development, are finding the uncertainty compounding, rather than supporting enterprise and growth locally. The proposals run counter to the government’s so called localism agenda and will instead allow important planning outcomes to be determined by Whitehall, rather than locally democratically elected Councillors.

This Council deplores the recent announcement by the Government that permitted development rights will be increased to allow house extensions of up to 8 metres to be built without local authority permission.

This Council agrees with the Local Government Association’s statement that “This policy potentially gives the green light to unsightly and out-of-place development without delivering a big enough boost to the construction industry to justify the potential damage”.

This Council notes that the Mayor of London has stated his opposition to this change in policy.

This Council resolves to oppose this measure and to opt out of the legislation if this is at all possible.

Council instructs the Chief Executive to communicate this motion to the Minister for Communities and Local Government, the Mayor of London, the three Harrow MPs and the GLA member for Brent and Harrow.”

(5)                Proposals to Re-organise the Health Service Motion

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

“Council notes with great concern the impact on the health of local residents of three major changes of health provision

·                     The totally under funded transfer of Public Health to the Council, although the transfer of Public Health to the Council is welcome.

·                  The totally under funded, top down, bureaucratic, centralized, ill-thought out system of GP Commissioning.

·                  The totally under funded proposals to re-organize hospital and specialist provision in North West London.

Council believes these proposals and the dramatic cuts to and privatisation of NHS services will have serious potential to negatively impact on the most essential care for people of Harrow. The Council is particularly anxious about the detrimental impact the changes would have on the Northwick Park Hospital given that there are no guarantees that any of the proposed changes will be properly funded.

The Council calls on the government to review its proposals so as to maintain the highest levels of medical services.

Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Mayor of London, the three Harrow MPs and the Brent and Harrow Assembly member asking them to support Harrow Council and Harrow residents by lobbying the Government to stop deep cuts and erosion of local medical care and services.”

(6)                Early Intervention Motion

To be moved by Councillor Victoria Silver and seconded by Councillor Mitzi Green:

“This Council recognises Harrow’s success in Early Intervention with the last Government's introduction of Sure Start Children's Centres and commends the current administration's innovative work.

The Council regards early intervention projects as incredibly important in both giving young children and young families the best start in life and in generating savings to the public sector in the longer-term through reduced levels of demand on public services.

Council notes that:

·                     the cut in funding this Council is set to receive from the Government’s Early Intervention Grant in 2012/13, particularly in relation to the services it is expected to deliver, and that residents rightly demand.

·                     the fears that further cuts to Harrow’s early intervention services may jeopardise all the work Harrow has achieved in this area.

·                     in the future this might mean there being higher levels of crime, reduced levels of educational attainment and extra demand on Harrow’s health services.

Council calls on all political group leaders to write to the Secretary of State to call on him to exempt Harrow from any cuts in its 2013/14 grant, so that Harrow may continue its Early Intervention work as a matter of urgency.”

(7)               Children’s Services Motion

To be moved by Councillor Susan Hall and seconded by Councillor Christine Bednell:

“This Council notes with serious concern the findings of recent inspections of Harrow's Children’s Services.

An OFSTED inspection of Harrow's safeguarding and children looked after service rated the performance as 'adequate', and also judged the capacity to improve as merely ‘adequate’.

The Core Case inspection of Harrow's Youth Offending Team said that Harrow's performance was ‘very disappointing’, and recommended ‘substantial’ or ‘drastic’ improvement in all areas of the service. This Council notes with additional concern that the Improvement Plan resulting from this inspection has taken over 10 months to produce.

This Council believes that safeguarding and protecting vulnerable children should be a top priority. This Council therefore requests that the portfolio holder for Children, Schools and Families present an update on the progress of both the YOT Improvement Plan before Council tonight, and that relating to the OFSTED report, to all Council and Cabinet meetings for the next 12 months.

Additionally, this Council requests a formal report at the next Cabinet meeting to explain the delay in producing the YOT improvement plan – given the inspection outcome was known in December 2011.”

(8)               London 60+ Card Motion

To be moved by Councillor Stephen Greek and seconded by Councillor Barry Macleod-Cullinane:

“This Council welcomes the decision made by the Mayor of London to introduce a 60+ Oyster card, reinstating free travel to Londoners over 60. We believe this recognises the hard work and contributions of these individuals to both London generally and to Harrow.

This Council also notes that this fulfils an election manifesto pledge, made by Boris Johnson to bridge the gap in entitlement to free travel for the over 60s, and is encouraged by reports of over 100,000 applications for the new passes – with over 10,000 more becoming eligible each month.

This Council resolves to inform eligible residents of this scheme whenever and wherever reasonably possible.”

[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].