Agenda and minutes

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interest they may have in any matter which is to be considered at this meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

Agreed.

Councillor Charles Fairbrass, the Leader of the Council, addressed the Assembly as follows:

“The reason for the existence of any Council is very simple, to provide local services for local residents, to encourage local business to grow and encourage new business to locate in the Borough and to work with our many partners such as the Metropolitan Police and Health Authorities in achieving these aims.  We also liaise with Central Government to achieve these aims.  Our work with the Metropolitan Police and the Health Authority, in particular, has resulted in improved health facilities and a lowered crime rate.

We have been doing this for many years and during the last four to five years have seen the practical results coming through.

The budget Councillor Bramley will be presenting tonight will continue this process of steady improvements by financing our services for the next year and providing an ambitious but achievable capital programme that will help in providing an even better future for all our residents, be they long term or recently arrived.  This Borough is used to growth, both in terms of its infrastructure and population.

Many of our current population are descendants of those who came here after World War 1 and some of us, such as Councillor Kallar and me, came here after World War 2.  There are, of course, much more recent arrivals such as three members of the opposition party.

We will be helping to boost the local economy by building two small business centres, one in the east and one in the west of the Borough; these will enable small firms to get a good start.

We will continue to work with our partners in Barking College and the University of East London, to give our residents further opportunities to develop new, or improve their existing skills.

This Borough will continue to grow, the momentum is there, and we are making sure that this will be of benefit to our long term residents, as well as those more recently arrived.

I refer now to housing, and at this point I wish to place on record my thanks to the Deputy Leader of the Council and one of our local MPs, Jon Cruddas, for their persistent pressure, over many years, on Central Government with respect to the supply of social housing for local residents.  No reasonable person can doubt that their work has led to the selection of this Council to form a Local Housing Company, working in partnership with others, that will provide a steady stream of homes for renting and homes for sale, that are affordable by local people who wish to be owner occupiers.

We are not waiting for this to happen but are moving on with our current home building programme which includes 530 new homes on the Linton’s site… During the last four years we, with our partners, have provided 1,301 new homes.  966 for rent and 335 for shared ownership, 70% of the shared ownership homes can be obtained  ...  view the full minutes text for item 84.

Joe Chesterton, Divisional Director of Corporate Finance and the Council’s Chief Financial Officer, introduced the report of the Corporate Director of Resources advising on the Council’s budget position and Council Tax for 2008/09, the adoption of the rolling three year medium term financial strategy, capital strategy and a capital programme and referred to the proposed amendment submitted by the Minority Party, together with his comments on the impact of the proposals.

Councillor Bramley, Lead Member for Resources, presented the budget proposals that were agreed by the Executive on 19 February 2008, reminding Members that preparing a budget of this nature is a year long process that begins immediately after the commencement of a new financial year.  Councillor Bramley referred to the Resource Monitoring Panel which meets monthly to review spending and savings plans approved for the year and at this point he thanked Chief Officers and Heads of Service for their co-operation and support in preparing this year’s budget and at the Resource Monitoring Panel meetings.

Councillor Bramley advised that Barking and Dagenham have received a grant settlement of £95m, up 5.5%, and a Direct Schools Grant of £135m, up 5.1%.  The Labour Group’s budget proposals for 2008/09 will mean an increase in Council Tax this year amounting to just 72 pence per week or less for 85% of the Borough’s population.  For this increase there will be additional spending of 7.2% this year, approximately £19m extra on Council services that serve the local community, and he drew Members’ attention to two items in particular:

·  An increase of £700,000 for supporting young vulnerable adults who have been in care in the transition to adulthood;

·  Investment in Children’s Services – the Council is investing £2.5m to support vulnerable young people in their development and future.  That is the reason the Council was Corporate Parent of the Year.  He pledged that the many young people looked after by the Council would not be let down and the Council would do everything they could to give them the same support as other children in the borough.

Councillor Bramley also referred to the proposed level of spending on capital projects of £452m over the next three years, which includes:

·  £182m earmarked for building schools for the future

·  A new school for Eastbury Primary School

·  £1.6m over the next two years for disabled adaptations

·  £97m over three years to deliver on the Housing Strategy

·  £18m for a new Becontree Heath Leisure Centre

·  £7m for parks and green spaces

In conclusion, Councillor Bramley said that the Labour Group’s budget builds on previous commitments to raising educational standards, a cleaner, greener and safer borough, regeneration and the expansion of the Council’s housing stock.  Above all it is a budget to support the vulnerable.  He concurred with comments made by the Leader of the Council in his earlier address to Members and commended the budget to the Assembly.

Councillor Barnbrook then presented the Minority Party amendment to the budget as follows:

“The British National Party is presenting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 85.

Received a report setting out the Treasury Management Annual Strategy Statement, Treasury Prudential Indicators and Annual Investment Strategy.

Councillor Carpenter thanked the Divisional Director of Corporate Finance and his team for the report and said how much she appreciated the performance report which clearly demonstrated a great deal of hard work by him and his team, particularly the medium term strategy which she thought was a model of clarity.

Agreed:

(i)  An authorised borrowing limit of £150 million for 2008/09;

(ii)  The Treasury Management Annual Strategy and Annual Investment Strategy as set out in Appendix 1 of the report; and

(iii)  The Treasury Management Prudential Indicators for 2008/09 to 2010/11 as set out in Appendix A of the report.

Agreed to:

(i)  adopt the revised Standards for Members of the Public (Volunteers) Undertaking Council Activities as attached at Appendix 1 of the report for inclusion in Part E (Codes and Protocols) of the Council’s Constitution;

(ii)  approve the increase in membership of the Standards Committee from 2008/09 to five Independent Members and four Councillor Members enabling recruitment of the additional Independent Members to commence in advance of the regulations coming into force;

(iii)  endorse, in principle,  the Committee’s intention to establish at least two sub-committees to deal with complaints about Member conduct once the new functions take effect, each with two Independent Members and one Councillor Member (one of the Independent Members taking the Chair).  Membership on each occasion to be drawn up by the Corporate Director of Resources in liaison with the Chair of the Committee.  The Independent and Councillor Members who are not appointed to a particular sub-committee will act as reserve Members.

(iv)  the associated changes to the Council Constitution.

The Assembly supported in principle the proposals set out in the report and agreed the confirming resolution as attached at Appendix 1 to the report.

Approved the appointment of Mrs Lynda Rice as the Primary School Parent Governor Co-opted Member to the Scrutiny Management Board.

There were no appointments.

Motion 1

Support for initiative to buy private rented houses in the Borough

Moved by Councillor Liam Smith and seconded by Councillor Fairbrass:

“That this Council supports initiatives being made by the Labour Group to seek funding from government to allow Barking and Dagenham Council to buy back private rented houses in the Borough.

This new scheme would produce many benefits for the local community and for the neighbourhoods with high levels of poorly managed rented housing. In particular it will:

·  Help meet the local family housing needs for affordable rented homes from the Council, and especially help to get families into settled housing

·  Raise housing and environmental standards and allow the Council to manage the properties and the appearance of front gardens.

·  Tackle landlordism which will stop families from being moved around London and within the Borough where there are high rates of buy to let housing.  This would help in building a settled Borough with strong local communities.

·  Ensure children are able to attend the same school throughout their primary and secondary education if they wish to. 

·  Allow neighbourhoods to grow again with better social cohesion and where people will know their neighbours rather then a changing face every six months.

·  Stop other Councils from placing their homeless families in other London boroughs.”

Councillor Smith said the Labour Group wants to buy back all housing, not just Council houses but all private houses in the rented sector.  With regard to the funding, he is not asking for costs to be met through the Housing Revenue Account, he is asking for the money that Council tenants pay in tax of £17m per year, which will come back directly into housing services and be split between conversions and buying back properties.  Everyone will benefit from this and it will also generate extra income.

Councillor Barnbrook asked if Councillor Smith was aware that it would take an amendment to or an Act of Parliament to do this.  He also said that unscrupulous people will inflate prices to sell houses back to the Council.

The following amendment was then moved by Councillor Barnbrook and seconded by Councillor Bailey:

“That this Council will make annual contributions from revenue to purchase ex-council property as it becomes available on the market and as the Director of Finance advises are reasonable market terms.

This new scheme would produce many benefits for the local community and for the neighbourhoods with high levels of poorly managed rented housing. In particular it will:

·  Help meet the local family housing needs for affordable rented homes from the Council, and especially help to get families into settled housing

·  Raise housing and environmental standards and allow the Council to manage the properties and the appearance of front gardens.

·  Tackle the question of poor property management by landlords by enforcing the relevant sections of the Housing Act, local Bye-laws as appropriate, and by making an appropriate impact on market forces.  This would help in building a settled Borough with strong local communities.

·  Ensure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91.

Question from Councillor Bramley

“Can the Leader confirm that he has received a letter from Colonels Casstles and Morgan of the Essex Yeomanry and Essex Regiment Associations seeking donations toward the re-provision of the Essex Regiment Museum and for a gallery to be added to enable the Essex Yeomanry collection to be displayed publicly for the first time and will he be making a recommendation to the Council that we should respond positively to this appeal?”

Response from Councillor Fairbrass

Councillor Fairbrass confirmed that he had received the letter referred to by Councillor Bramley and was recommending that the Council make a donation of £1,000 towards this worthy cause, to which the Assembly agreed.

Question from Councillor Barnbrook

“The Council has publicised its use of £25,000 of Government funding to introduce talking CCTV as the local paper The Post says ‘telling you not to drop litter’.

On the 3rd February a 26 year old woman was brutally assaulted and raped in Curzon Crescent, Barking.

When will this Council learn that crime is not deterred or prevented by CCTV, whether silent or talking?  When will this Council accept that what local people need and want is real policemen on the street, freed of the handcuffs of political correctness and supported by respect for the law and deterrent penalties for crime?

If the Leader cannot answer this, would he ask his friend Mr Livingstone, and Lee Jasper.  Could he please let the people of Barking have a return to traditional policing methods and law enforcement by bobbies on the beat without kid gloves?”

  Response from Councillor Fairbrass

  “I am glad that Councillor Barnbrook recognizes the need for a visible policing presence on our streets.  He, like me, will be happy to note that in 2002 there were 301 police officers in the borough.  In 2005, police officer strength in this borough was 413 officers and Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) strength was 0.  By January of this year police officer strength had grown to 437, a total increase of 37.3%, and in addition we have 88 PCSOs in the Borough.  The Borough now benefits from a Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team in each of its wards with a focus on traditional policing methods, where the teams get to know their local communities and work with them to tackle the issues that matter locally.  I am pleased that the Council is working through its Neighbourhood Management and Community Safety Teams with these teams and know that local people are benefiting from seeing a more visible policing presence on our streets.  Clearly the falling crime figures for our Borough are proof of this Council’s commitment to addressing crime and of the progress we have made on this important agenda in the past two years.

CCTV was never designed to replace policing; it is yet another tool to assist them.  It does give us eyes across the borough 24/7, 365 days a year.  Between 5 November 2007 and 14 February 2008, a period of just 3  ...  view the full minutes text for item 92.

Question from Councillor Phil Waker

“Could the relevant Executive Member look at the feasibility of introducing an exclusion zone in relation to the drinking of alcohol in public in the area surrounding both sides of Dagenham East station, similar to that in force in Barking Town Centre?  This is because of ongoing problems that could once again get worse when a license is returned to a particular shop following a court decision that overturned a Licensing Board decision.”

Response from Councillor McCarthy

“I understand the concerns you have raised.  Initially our Licensing Committee revoked their licence, but, as you know, the local magistrates, when they reviewed our decision on appeal, decided to suspend the licence until the 5 March while the off-licence got their house in order.

Firstly I can assure you that our licensing enforcement and trading standards officers will be working closely with the Police to make sure the shop is trading correctly and, if problems happen, we will not hesitate to bring it back before the committee. 

I have also looked into the possibility of an alcohol free zone.  As you rightly suggest the zone in Barking has been a real success, and the Police officers form the local safer neighbourhood teams in Village and Eastbrook wards, as well as our neighbourhood managers, have confirmed that the community feel this is an issue that needs to be tackled.

What I have asked is that we now start the process of assessing the area for an on street drinking ban.  This will include a full crime mapping process, drawing up a Policing plan and completing consultation with local residents and traders.  I will ensure that the money to complete this is made available from the licence fees budget and I am hopeful that this will all be completed by the summer so we can have the greatest effect.”

The Chair announced that the next meeting of the Assembly due to be held on Wednesday, 2 April has been cancelled.  The next meeting will now be the Annual Assembly meeting on 14 May 2008.

Councillor Mrs Rush congratulated Team Gascoigne, comprising the Safer Neighbourhood Police, Enterprise and the Council’s Housing Services and Community Safety Team, on achieving first place in the Safer London Problem Solving Awards.

(* The Chair agreed that these items could be considered at the meeting in accordance with the provisions of Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972).

In accordance with paragraph 5.2 of Article 1, Part B of the Constitution, it was agreed that the meeting should continue beyond the 9.30pm threshold until all business was completed.