Minutes:
Question 1
From Councillor Freeborn
Will the relevant Cabinet Member update the Assembly on what action the Council has taken in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy in north Kensington?”
Response
The Cabinet Member for Finance, Growth and Investment gave a detailed response outlining the work that had been undertaken which included:
· The Council had responded to requests from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for mutual aid;
· All fire risk assessments for Council-owned high rise residential buildings of eight stories or more had been reviewed;
· A review of all Council-owned high rise residential buildings with cladding had been undertaken;
· The Council had been liaising with owners/leaseholders who had responsibility for high rise residential buildings of more than five stories to ensure that any buildings with cladding were safe; and
· Home safety visits had been undertaken on all Council-owned residential blocks of more than five stories.
Question 2
From Councillor Haroon
Can the Leader explain what impact the result of last month’s General Election will have on the Council and local residents?
Response
The Deputy Leader, Councillor Twomey advised that there were both positive and negative outcomes for the Council and local residents following the General Election on 8 June 2017.
Councillor Twomey suggested that the election result was a vindication of Labour’s anti-austerity message, adding that since 2010 the Council had to save over £135m just to balance the budget, which could not continue going forward and the election result was the message sent to Theresa May.
The Council would welcome any let up in austerity measures however, in referencing the £1bn deal that Government had recently entered into with the Democratic Unionist Party, the Cabinet Member expressed concerns that the current Government could not be trusted.
Question 3
From Councillor Ahammad
Members will no doubt be as shocked and saddened as I was to learn that two of the perpetrators of the London Bridge terror attack lived in our Borough. Can the relevant Cabinet Member outline what the Council is doing to promote community cohesion in response to last month’s terrible events?
Response
The Cabinet Member for Equalities and Cohesion reiterated the proactive steps taken by the Council which the Deputy Leader had referred to earlier in the meeting.
The Cabinet Member commented that community cohesion was one of the targets in the Borough Manifesto and building on this, the Council were in the process of developing a Cohesion Strategy.
Several activities would be taking place in the borough through the coming months, including the summer events programme which would provide an opportunity for residents to come together and the “We Stand Together” conference due to take place in October 2017.
Question 4
From Councillor Miah
Will the relevant Cabinet Member update the Assembly on what progress is being made to stop illegal ‘road racing’ events from taking place in the borough?
Response
The Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety advised that the first Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) came into effect on 30 June 2017 which allowed the Council and police to ban activities such as:
· Speeding;
· Driving in convoy;
· Racing;
· Performance Stunts;
· Sounding horns (if public nuisance was caused);
· Revving engines; and
· Wheel Spins.
Question 5
From Councillor Chand
Following recent reports in the media that the Department for Work and Pensions is planning to close Dagenham Job Centre, does the Cabinet Member for Economic and Social Development share my concerns that this is yet another example of the Government withdrawing support for those who need it most?
Response
In response, the Cabinet Member for Economic and Social Development agreed this was a reduction in support to the vulnerable residents in the Borough and was disappointed that he had not received a response from the Department for Work and Pensions to his written request in February to explore opportunities to co-locate the Job Centre with Council staff.
Supplementary Question
Councillor Chand enquired as to whether the Cabinet Member would join Jon Cruddas MP’s campaign to save the Job Centre.
The Cabinet Member confirmed he would.
Question 6
From Councillor Quadri
Will the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement provide a progress update on the Council’s plans to develop a Good Neighbour Guide?
Response
The Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement advised that the Good Neighbour Guide was being developed over the summer to create a shared understanding of what it meant to be a resident in the borough and to encourage neighbours to come together.
Councillor Ashraf advised that residents were being asked to vote for their top five actions and were invited to add their own comments. The consultation was online and residents were being approached at the various festivals taking place over the summer.
The Cabinet Member confirmed the closing date for responses was 14 August 2017.