Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2020 were confirmed as correct.

The Assembly noted with deep regret that following a long illness Dr Donald Hoskins, the former Head of the Music Centre at the University of East London (UEL) passed away in hospital on 30 November aged 88. His burial took place on 14 December near his birthplace of Six Bells, Abertillery in South Wales.

Councillors Carpenter and Ramsay spoke warmly of their memories of concerts performed by Dr Hoskins in Barking, while the Leader of the Council paid tribute to Dr Hoskins legacy.

The Assembly held a minute’s silence as a mark of respect.

The Leader will present his statement.

The Leader of the Council presented a verbal statement updating the Assembly on a range of matters since the last meeting, beginning by wishing all colleagues and residents a happy new year.  2020 was a difficult year and the Leader was encouraged to see the community spirit in the Borough was still strong.

Issues raised in the Leader’s Statement included:

The road to recovery from COVID-19: There were many roads to recovery in the Borough, highlights included a film studio training offer, continuing to lobby Government to fund new industries coming into the Borough, the recent opening of the NTT Data Centre, continuing to build new and affordable homes and continuing efforts to secure support for a cut and cover tunnel over the A13;

Support for Key Workers: The Key Worker car parking permit scheme would be continuing to help those working on the front line;

Finance: In noting the financial struggles of the Council and the high deprivation in the Borough, the Leader reminded residents to contact the Council if they were struggling.  The Leader thanked Councillor Jones and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for their hard work in scrutinising the forthcoming budget;

Commission for Samuel Garside House:  Sir Steve Bullock and Diarmaid Ward were independently commissioned to conduct a review of the fire at Samuel Garside House in June 2019.  The Samuel Garside House report was received by Cabinet on the 19^th January 2021 and the council was now in the process of calling on the Government to implement these recommendations;

Community Champion of the Year Award: The Leader congratulated Councillor Ashraf, who was awarded Community Champion for the Year at the end of 2020 from the LGIU;

Legal Team: The Leader gave special thanks to the Legal Team, who was awarded Best Contribution by an In-house Team at the LawWorks Awards 2020 for pro bono work with victims of domestic abuse in the borough; and

Young Mayor’s Challenge:  The Leader had been invited by the Young Mayor to take part in an 80’s dance challenge online.  Funding raised by the challenge would be going to the Young Mayor’s chosen charity, Refuge.

The Leader invited the Cabinet Member for Health Integration and Social Care to address the Assembly on the current COVID-19 situation.  The Assembly were advised the Cabinet Member that:

-  Currently, there 500 people with COVID-19 using the local hospitals at any one time.  This was placing extreme pressure on all services and those who were seriously ill had to be moved elsewhere.  Staff had shown amazing commitment and humanity throughout the pandemic, however the Cabinet Member confirmed that 370 people had lost their lives in the borough since the pandemic started; and

-  The Broadway Theatre would shortly become the first large vaccination centre in the Borough.  There were still vaccinations taking place at Parsloes Surgery and Barking Hospital.  Over 8000 people in the Borough had been vaccinated with 86% of care home residents having now had their first vaccine.

The Labour Group Secretary will announce any nominations to fill vacant positions on Council committees or other bodies.

There were none.

The Assembly received the Barking and Dagenham (BAD) Youth Forum and Young Mayor’s Annual report, introduced by the Head of Participation, Opportunity and Wellbeing, who was accompanied by representatives of the Youth Forum.

This report detailed the achievements of the BAD Youth Forum during the past 12 months outlining the work of each of the sub-groups, their aims and the impact of the work completed. 

The BAD Youth Forum was in its 19^th year. Its purpose was to provide young people with a formal platform to express their views and be ambassadors for young people locally. In February 2020, the Forum held its annual election, followed by a full Forum meeting and team building session.

Despite the restrictions and difficulties presented to the Forum by the pandemic, the Forum continued to work together in 2020 and updated the Assembly on their achievements:

Community Action Sub-Group:  As the first lockdown began, the Community Action Sub-Group was discussing its focus for the year.  The Sub-Group decided to focus on domestic abuse, raising awareness amongst young people, highlighting what domestic abuse was, the different types and where to get support.  The Sub-Group were consultees for the Barking and Dagenham Domestic Abuse Commission.

Young Mayors Sub-Group:  The Young Mayor had picked Refuge for their chosen charity for 2020.  The Young Mayor attended many different events and spoke at the Women’s Empowerment Month Launch.  The Young Mayor held regular monthly meetings with the Leader of the Council to discuss issues for young people.  Despite the difficulties faced, the Young Mayor’s Fundraising activities continued to go ahead with items such as walking up Mount Everest in their own homes.  One of the forum members was a victim of a serious car accident in 2019 and it took him a long time to learn how to walk again.  As a personal challenge the forum member challenged himself to walk as far as he could to raise money for Refuge.  To date the forum had raised £1006 in 2020.

Young Inspectors Sub-Group:  Young Inspector training began in March 2020 however due to the first lockdown, it was cancelled along with any planned inspections.  Instead, the Sub-Group worked with Youth Councils in Havering and Redbridge to prepare a survey asking young people about their experiences in lockdown.  A second survey was undertaken during the second lockdown in November 2020.  The results indicated that there had been a significant impact on young people’s mental health- more than 1 in 4 young people said they were not feeling good and young people expressed concern about pressures in education, which was the biggest concern of all.  The Sub-Group wanted to discuss the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and met with Barking and Dagenham BLM group who were very inspiring and also attended a workshop they hosted.

The Forum took part in other events during the year, including eight consultations, held two Youth Independent Advisory Group meetings and was represented by two members on the London Youth Assembly.

The Chair of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

Further to a report considered by Assembly in July 2020 (minute 16 refers) on the Council Size proposal of 51 councillors, the Director of Law and Governance presented a further report on Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) Ward Boundary Review 2020.

The LGBCE being ‘minded to’ support the Council’s submission, undertook a public consultation exercise, seeking a wide range of local views with reasons as to the Borough’s ward boundary pattern, including the number and names of proposed wards, together with the number of councillors per ward. The consultation exercise ran for seven weeks and concluded on 11 January 2021.  The Council, as a statutory consultee, was invited to make a submission.

A prospective ward boundary map was drawn up with supporting information, proposing the creation of nineteen wards, made up of a combination of 2 and 3 Member wards, and which given the 11 January 2021 deadline to respond, was presented to the LGBCE as the Authority’s in principle view as to its favoured ward pattern arrangements, subject to approval by the Assembly at this meeting.

The Assembly resolved to:

(i)  Agree the proposed ward pattern for the Borough of nineteen (19) wards made up of a combination of 2 and 3 Member wards based on the configuration detailed in ward boundary map set out in Appendix 3 with additional information as set out in Appendix 4 (location of schools), Appendix 5 (location of places of worship) and Appendix 6 (supporting information for each of the 19 proposed wards), and which includes reference to the creation of two new wards named Creekmouth and Roding, and

(ii)  That the decision be reaffirmed with the LGBCE.

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Core Services presented a report on the proposal to retain the existing Council Tax Support (CTS) Scheme and a £50,000 discretionary hardship fund, in order to continue to support local residents who found themselves in exceptional hardship.

Members noted that the Council’s CTS scheme required minor administrative changes to improve its clarity and general administration and assist in reaching those that are entitled to support. The scheme requires updating so it is aligned better, is more compatible and has greater clarity in its interactions with Universal Credit as this caseload continues to increase, replacing existing legacy welfare benefits.

The Assembly resolved to agree that the Council Tax Support Scheme implemented for 2020/21 be retained for 2021/22, subject to the administrative changes detailed in section 2 of the report which improve clarity, align with other welfare benefits, primarily Universal Credit, and enhance access for those eligible for entitlement.

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) presented an Annual Report highlighting the work of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 2019/20.

The Chair of (OSC) advised that the year had begun by meeting with Cabinet Members, directors and officers to find out more about their thoughts around key issues, which also helped to guide the Committee in developing a meaningful work programme.  The Chair of OSC took the opportunity to personally thank Cabinet Members for allowing OSC to work so closely with them.

OSC covered a wide range of items during 2019/20 ranging from the Council’s 2019 Air Quality Action Plan through to how the Council was developing its Local Offer for care leavers.  The Committee undertook two in-depth Scrutiny reviews, ‘Improving Household Waste, Recycling and Street Cleansing’ and ‘Ambition 2020 and its Early Impact’.  During the year, the Committee also undertook pre-decision scrutiny on issues such as the Voids Improvement Plan and the draft Housing Allocations Policy, as well as worked to provide extra value, such as through providing a forum for Borough representatives to talk to the Police on crime and disorder.

The programme for 2020/21 included updates into the recommendations arising from the ‘Improving Household Waste, Recycling and Street Cleansing’, and ‘Ambition 2020 and its Early Impact’ scrutiny reviews, reviewing the Barking and Dagenham response to Covid-19 alongside a full and engaging work programme.

The Chair of OSC thanked Leanna McPherson, Masuma Ahmed and Claudia Wakefield, Mark Tyson and Fiona Taylor for their ongoing support.

The Chair of the Health Scrutiny Committee (HSC) in 2019/20 then presented an annual report highlighting the work of the Committee in 2019/20.

The Member took the opportunity to remind all Members of the importance of health scrutiny, recognising and acknowledging the enormous strain that the NHS, local authorities and local residents were under at this unprecedented time.

The Member highlighted Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust’s (BHRUT) deficit in 2019-2020, £65 million, and the forecasted deficit for 2020/2021, £100 million, which was of grave concern to the Committee.  The forecasted deficit was before Covid-19.

HSC looked at the Trust’s response to research by Health Education England and the General Medical Council that found widespread discontent among junior doctors within the Trust. Of the nine recommendations they made, four had been implemented. The Trust assured HSC that the remaining five would be progressed to ensure the concerns of junior doctors would be addressed.

It was also reported to the Assembly that the health commissioning model would move to a single North East London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which will come into force on 5 April 2021 – the Committee sought assurance from BHR CCGs, that the governance of this model would ensure that local needs would be addressed via locally focused boards and that the Committee’s representations would be fed into their design.

The Assembly were also updated on the recommendations following the reviewing into Childhood Obesity, which was undertaken in 2018/19.

Moving forward, the Health Scrutiny Committee faced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

Motion 1 – Responsible Use of Fireworks

Proposed by Councillor Princess Bright and Seconded by Councillor Chand

“Fireworks are used throughout the year to mark different events. This council welcomes the use of fireworks to celebrate cultural and community events, whilst also recognising the need for regulation in order to support vulnerable people and animals.

The unpredictable, loud and high intensity noises that many fireworks make can cause fear. For example, studies have found fireworks to be the most common cause for fear responses in dogs , and it is estimated that 45 percent of dogs show signs of fear when they hear fireworks . A New Zealand survey recorded 79 percent of horses as either anxious or very anxious around fireworks or over the Guy Fawkes Day period.

Debris produced by fireworks, if found on the ground, can also pose a hazard to animals, such as horses and farm livestock. Although there is limited direct evidence, it is also likely that fireworks and their debris will cause disturbance to wildlife, and are likely to cause suffering or distress, depending on the distance from the explosive and the noise level.

This Council resolves:

-  to require all public firework displays within the local authority boundaries to be advertised in advance of the event, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals and vulnerable people

-   to actively promote a public awareness campaign about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare and vulnerable people – including the precautions that can be taken to mitigate risks

-   to write to the UK Government urging them to introduce legislation to limit the maximum noise level of fireworks to 90dB for those sold to the public for private displays

-   to encourage local suppliers of fireworks to stock ‘quieter’ fireworks for public display.”

A number of Members of the Assembly spoke in support of the motion.

The motion was carried unanimously.

Motion 2 – Union Learning Fund

Proposed by Councillor Mullane and Seconded by Councillor Paddle

“This council notes:

1.  On Tuesday 6 October, the TUC received a letter from the Department for Education saying that ministers have decided to end the Union Learning Fund from March 2021.

2.  The Union Learning Fund (ULF) was set up in 1998 to support trade unions to widen access to learning and training in workplaces for both union members and non-members. The fund supports workplace projects across England, and is coordinated by the TUC.

3.  Each year around 200,000 workers are supported into learning or training with union support through the ULF and the TUC. These learners undertake all sorts of job-relevant learning and training, including basic literacy and numeracy, ICT skills, apprenticeships and traineeships, vocational training, continuing professional development and many other informal and formal courses.

4.  In 2019–20, the ULF was worth £12m. If upheld this decision will effectively end union-brokered skills training, and will undermine key government skills and retraining priorities at a crucial moment for our economy.

This council understands that:

1.  Union  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

There were none.