Agenda and minutes

Councillor Hall declared a personal interest in Item 5 as a Board Member of

Phoenix Community Housing.

Councillor Muldoon declared a personal interest in Item 10 as a Member of

the Shadow Advisory Board of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Councillor Morrison declared a prejudicial interest in Item 16 as a

remunerated member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meetings held on June 11 2014 be

confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Councillor Roy Kennedy presented a petition bearing 10 names from

residents of Otford Crescent calling on the Mayor to take urgent action to

repair both the footpath and road in Otford Crescent SE4.

Councillor Mark Ingleby presented a petition bearing 179 names from

residents of the Whitefoot Ward calling on the Council to prevent the

replacement and destruction of existing ornate 1930’s Victorian [sic] lamp-

posts and recognising SE6 as a potential conservation area.

Councillor Suzannah Clarke presented a petition bearing 1139 names from

Grove Park Ward residents and station users calling on the Council to

intercede with Network Rail to support an alternative “Access for All Plan” for

Grove Park Station.

74 questions were received from the following member of the public which

were answered by the Cabinet Member indicated. A copy of the questions

and answers will be circulated separately.

14 questions were asked by Members of the Council and written answers

were provided by the Members indicated.

1. Former Councillor Pegg

The Chair reported the death of former Councillor Alan Pegg. Following

tributes from the Mayor,and Councillors Wise, Muldoon and Mallory, all

present observed a one minute silence in his memory.

2. Queen’s Birthday Honours List

The Council noted the award made to Honourary Freewoman Erica Pienaar.

3. 24 Maths Competitions

The Chair reported on the outstanding success of Kender Primary School in

New Cross in all of the 24 Maths competitions and congratulated all the staff

and pupils who had been involved.

The Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Kevin Bonavia, pointed out

page 25 of the external auditors report should have referred to the financial

year ending in March 2014 and he then moved that the recommendations be

approved and this was seconded by the Chair of the Audit Panel, Councillor

Helen Klier, and it was:

RESOLVED that

(1) the adjustments to the financial statements in the Audit Findings Reports

be noted;

(2) the Action Plans set out in the Reports be approved;

(3) the Letter of Representation on behalf of the Council be approved;

(4) the Annual Governance Statement (AGS) be approved;

(5) the 2013/14 audited Statement of Accounts be approved.

The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Alan Smith, moved that the recommendation

be approved and this was seconded by the Chair of the Sustainable

Development Select Committee, Councillor Liam Curran and it was:

RESOLVED that the draft Planning Obligations SPD be approved for public

consultation in accordance with the Statement of Community Involvement.

The Chair of the Constitution Working Party, Councillor Alan Hall, moved

that the recommendation be approved and this was seconded by the Vice-

Chair of the Working Party, Councillor Susan Wise and it was:

RESOLVED that the proposed amendments to the Constitution as detailed in

Appendix 1 to the report be approved.

The Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Kevin Bonavia, moved that

the recommendations be approved and this was seconded by the Chair of the

Pensions Investment Committee, Councillor Mark Ingleby, and it was:

RESOLVED that

(1) the Council becomes a shareholder in the ACS Operator with the cost of

doing so borne by the Pension Fund,

(2) a Lewisham Councillor be appointed with the power to act for the local

authority in exercising its rights as a shareholder of the ACS Operator, and

(3) in the event of London Councils appointing the Mayor or any other

Lewisham councillor as an interim director of the ACS Operator, pending

authorisation by the FCA, that appointment be approved, noting that interim

directors may be replaced once FCA authorisation is formally applied for.

The Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Kevin Bonavia, moved that

the recommendations be approved and this was seconded by the Chair of the

Public Accounts Select Committee, Councillor Jamie Milne, and it was:

RESOLVED that in respect of the Local Government Association’s business

case for the creation of a Municipal Bonds Agency, the Council:

(1) subscribes for 25,000 ordinary shares of one pence each in the capital of

the Company in the First Fundraising for a consideration of £25,000

representing a price of £1 per ordinary share; and

(2) commits up to £200,000 to the Second Fundraising, subject, inter alia, to

agreement of satisfactory legal documentation.

An amendment received prior to the 5pm deadline the previous day was

accepted by the movers of the motion.

The amended motion was moved by the Mayor, who informed members that

the Council was obliged to consider an independent review of the Scheme of

Allowances every four years but that it was not bound to accept the review’s

outcomes. Given the enormity of the Council’s budgetary challenges, the

Mayor advised the Council that it would not be appropriate to generally accept

recommendations that paid higher allowances. The Mayor’s proposal was

seconded by Councillor Alan Hall, who noted that the independent review by

Sir Rodney Brooke CBE had mentioned that his post of Chair of Overview &

Scrutiny was proposed for the largest increase. Following a contribution from

Councillor John Coughlin, who supported the recommendations as amended,

it was:

RESOLVED that:

Having regard to the advice of the London Councils remuneration panel and

the advice of Sir Rodney Brooke, and to the guidance issued under the Local

Government Act 2000, and having considered the recommendations

contained in the reports at Appendix 2 and 3, a scheme of members’

allowances be approved in accordance with Sir Rodney Brooke’s

recommendations with the following amendments:

(a) Basic allowance be set at £9,812 to all councillors

(b) Special responsibility allowances to be paid as follows:-

Mayor                                                                         £77,722

Deputy Mayor                                                           £40,600

Other Cabinet members                                         £15,298

Chair of Council                                                      £ 6,130

Chair, Overview and Scrutiny                               £12,260

Select Committees                                                  £ 6,130

Chair Strategic Planning Committee                   £9,195

Chair other Planning Committees                       £ 6,130

Chair Licensing Committee                                   £ 6,130

Leaders of political groups with 15 or more members

or Chair of the majority group                                £ 5,275

Leaders of political groups with more

than three but fewer than fifteen members        £ 3,165

Majority party whip                                                   £ 5,275

Chair Standards Committee                                  £ 1,000

(c) The co-optees' allowance to be set at £600.

(d) To not accept the updating of the scheme should continue for four years in

accordance with the rate by which JNC salaries are changed in the preceding

year.

(e) the basic and special responsibility allowances should cover travel in the

borough and subsistence within the Greater London area.

(f) The co-optees’ allowance remain at £600

(g) Members should be entitled to claim the same  allowances for travel

outside London as officers.

(h) In special circumstances (e.g. for the care of a severely disabled person)

the Council should reimburse a higher rate of dependant’s carers’ allowance

where this can be justified.

(i) Except as recommended for amendment by Sir Rodney Brooke, the current

Members Allowances scheme remain in place; and

(j) any changes to the Members Allowances Scheme be backdated to the

beginning of the 2014/15 municipal year.

            Appointments to Planning Committees

RESOLVEDthat the following changes be made to Planning

Commitees:

(1) Planning Committee A

Cllr Joan Reid to replace Cllr Hall

(2) Planning Committee B

Cllr Brenda Dacres to replace Cllr Curran

Appointments by the Mayor

RESOLVED that the following appointments agreed by the Mayor be noted:

The Chair of Council moved that the recommendation be approved,

and this was seconded by the Vice Chair, Councillor Joan Reid.

RESOLVED that the actions taken by the Chair or Vice Chair of Council be noted.

The motion was moved by Councillor Jeffrey and seconded by Councillor Bell.

There was then a debate to which the Councillors Coughlin and Roy Kennedy

contributed. The motion was then put to the vote and declared to be

unanimously carried.

RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:

“While many ordinary people face falling household income and rising costs of

living, some multinational companies are avoiding billions of pounds of tax

from a tax system that fails to make them pay their fair share. Local

governments in developing countries and the UK alike would benefit from a

fairer tax system where multinational companies pay their fair share, enabling

authorities around the world to provide quality public services. The UK

government must listen to the strength of public feeling and act to end the

injustice of tax dodging by large multinational companies, in developing

countries and the UK.”

The motion was moved by Councillor Hall and seconded by Councillor Daby.

The motion was then put to the vote and declared to be unanimously carried.

RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:

“This Council notes the Mayor’s desire to change decision-making at the

London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) by reducing the

number of elected members LFEPA by four, replacing them with his

appointees.This Council believes the Mayor’s proposal weakens the

democratic principle of the LFEPA and that it should be elected members

accountable to Londoners who have a mandate to make the decisions about

fire and emergency planning in the Capital. Given the threat that the Mayor’s

proposals present to democratic decision-making at the LFEPA, and the

potential impact this could have on the safety of Londoners, this Council

calls on the Mayor to withdraw these proposals, which have just been

consulted on.”

The meeting closed at 9.47pm