Venue: Council Chamber - Civic Suite
Contact: Kevin Flaherty 0208 3149327
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Declaration of Interests PDF 204 KB Minutes: Councillor Tom Copley declared a personal interest in Item 11 as a private rented sector tenant. |
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Minutes: RESOLVED that the minutes of the meetings held on October 3 and October 10 2018 be confirmed and signed as correct records. |
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Minutes: The Chair welcomed to the meeting the new Young Mayor, Adam Abdullah and Deputy Young Mayor, Nike Ajijola.
The Mayor spoke to the item and congratulated the winning candidates on their success at the polls. He noted this would be the fifteenth year of the scheme and he pointed to the enduring success of the Young Mayoralty which he believed had been established as a permanent and valued feature of the Lewisham landscape and had attracted a consistently high calibre of successful candidates and interest, as shown by a record 58% turn out this year of eligible voters. He noted that Lewisham had initiated a scheme that had been widely copied both nationally and internationally.
He thanked the outgoing Young Mayor, and Deputy Young Mayor, Laurelle Henry and Edafese Erhenede, for their service in what was widely regarded as another successful and very busy year, including highlights such as attendance at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The new Young Mayor and Deputy Young Mayor then signed their Declarations of Acceptance of Office and an undertaking to abide by the Code of Practice for their respective roles which were witnessed by the Acting Chief Executive.
The outgoing Young Mayor, Laurelle Henry, addressed the meeting and thanked the Council for the opportunities given to her during her term of office which she regarded as a life changing experience. She said she would never have dreamed of addressing a public assembly a year ago but now felt confident and empowered. She gave particular credit to the support given by the Young Mayor’s team. She wished her successors every success in their year of office and offered to be available to give help and advice. |
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Minutes: Mr John Hamilton presented a petition bearing about 900 names The petition called upon the Mayor and Council to take immediate measures to ensure that all new housing being built is suitable for existing Lewisham residents and is made available for rent at truly affordable levels.
Councillor Paul Maslin presented a petition supported by 2,132 persons opposing the development of 1 Creekside into an 8 storey block of flats.
Councillor Liam Curran presented a petition supported by 58 persons from residents of Beaulieu Avenue, Longton Grove and Jews Walk requesting that Westwood Hill be included in the Council’s Principal Road Resurfacing programme for 2019. |
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Announcements or Communications PDF 8 KB Minutes: 1. Silver Award
The Chair received the award on behalf of the Council and invited Councillor Kevin Bonavia to explain further.
Councillor Bonavia explained that the award was in recognition of the Council’s work with former members of the Armed Forces and that there were 13,500 ex service personnel in the Borough to whom the Council owed a duty of care. He thanked all the staff across the Council who had added their diversity of experience in providing support to this sector.
2. Jai Hughes
The Chair reported that her ward in Bellingham had recently witnessed the horrific murder of a 15 year old youth, Jai Hughes. Sadly this was the latest in a series of such horrific acts in London and she proposed that the Council reflect on his death and the deaths of other victims with a silence of one minute.
All present observed a minute’s silence in memory of Jai Hughes and other victims of youth violence.
3. National President GMB
The Chair welcomed Barbara Plant, a Lewisham employee and National President of the GMB Union to address the meeting.
Barbara Plant thanked the Council for extending an invitation to her and recounted her strong links to Lewisham, having been born and educated here and then working as a Teaching Assistant and Council employee. She recounted the strong historical links between her Union and the Labour Party. She concluded by expressing the gratitude of her members for their later consideration of a motion on violence in schools and the proposed adoption of a violence at work checklist. She hoped other Boroughs would follow the lead and example set by Lewisham.
4. No Place Like Home Video
Councillor Bell submitted a video lasting 7 minutes 44 seconds which highlighted the seriousness of the homelessness problem in Lewisham. The video had been jointly produced by the Council and Lewisham Homes.
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Additional documents: Minutes: 67 questions were received from members of the public which were answered by the Cabinet Member indicated. In the time available 29 questioners were given the opportunity to raise supplementary questions.
A copy of the questions and answers was circulated separately and can be viewed on the Council website with the meeting papers. |
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Additional documents: Minutes: Before the commencement of members questions there was sustained disruption emanating from the Public Gallery. The Chair adjourned the meeting for approximately 30 minutes while the Gallery was cleared and order restored.
7 questions were received from Councillors which were answered by the Cabinet Members indicated. A copy of the questions and answers was circulated separately and can be viewed on the Council’s website with the meeting papers. |
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Constitutional Review PDF 189 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Kevin Bonavia moved that the recommendation be approved and this was seconded by Councillor Joan Millbank. Councillor Hall raised a question about Rule J11 which was responded to by the Head of Law and it was then unanimously:
RESOLVED that the draft amended Constitution at Appendix 3 be approved and the changes to the Mayoral Scheme of Delegation therein be noted. |
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Interim Chief Executive Arrangements PDF 310 KB Minutes: Prior to the consideration of this item, Janet Senior, the Acting Chief Executive, notified the Chair of a personal and prejudicial interest in this item and she vacated the Council Chamber while it was considered.
The Mayor moved that the recommendation be approved and this was seconded by the Deputy Mayor.
Councillor Hall reported he had asked that a report be added to the Audit Panel agenda on the financial implications arising from the recruitment and departure of Chief Executive Ian Thomas but that he had been informed this was a personnel matter outside the remit of the Panel. He asked if the Acting Chief Executive could be asked to review the refusal that had prevented any intervention by the Audit Panel. Councillor De Ryk said she would be happy to ensure such a review was undertaken and it was then unanimously:
RESOLVED that
(1) note be taken that the Chief Executive, Ian Thomas, would be leaving the Council’s employment and that his last day of service would be 31 December 2018;
(2) note be taken that the Executive Director for Resources and Regeneration, Janet Senior, had been granted delegated powers to act as Chief Executive until 31st December 2018;
(3) from 1st January 2019, Janet Senior, Executive Director for Resources and Regeneration, be appointed as Interim Chief Executive. Such appointment will authorise the Executive Director for Resources and Regeneration to exercise all of the functions currently exercisable by the current Chief Executive, including those of Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer; and
(4) In recognition of additional duties, the Head of Organisational Development & Human Resources be authorised to agree an appropriate honorarium in respect of the additional duties associated with acting as Interim Chief Executive. |
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Minutes: Health & Safety Committee
Councillor Moore proposed and Councillor Millbank seconded the nomination of Councillor Best to the Committee. There being no other nominations, the Chair declared Councillor Best elected.
RESOLVED that Councillor Chris Best be appointed to the Health & Safety Committee. |
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Minutes: The motion was moved by Councillor Copley and seconded by Councillor Penfold. The motion was then put to the vote and declared to be unanimously carried.
RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:
“This Council notes that there are now around 30,000 households renting from private landlords in Lewisham, including a significant number of families with children.
This Council welcomes the campaign to end section 21 – the clause of the Housing Act 1988 that allows private landlords to evict tenants without reason.
We acknowledge that the threat of a no-fault eviction causes insecurity and stress for Londoners who rent privately and can discourage tenants from complaining about substandard housing.
We welcome the action taken by the Scottish government to restrict no-fault evictions.
This council resolves:
• To support Generation Rent’s campaign to abolish section 21 of the Housing Act 1988;
• To request that the Mayor publicly states his backing for the campaign, and writes to the government requesting this change in the law. |
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Additional documents: Minutes: The motion, as amended, was moved by Councillor Moore and seconded by Councillor Kelleher. The amended motion was then put to the vote and declared to be unanimously carried.
RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:
This Council notes:-
plastic and a plan or strategy in place to phase out its use needs to be created
Planet II’ and ‘Drowning in Plastic’, 8 million tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the world’s oceans each year
risks posed to animal and human health through the toxic chemicals present in plastics
plastic in the oceans will exceed that of fish
has a detrimental impact on our environment.
Lewisham Council resolves:
phasing out of the use of single and short term use plastics and in particular dealing with the following matters:
authority by the end of this term of office – May 2022
bottles, cups, cutlery and drinking straws), with allowances made for rigid straws to support those with disabilities needing them
phasing out of these plastics
replace the use of such plastics at events in the Borough and promote the use of re-useable or deposit scheme cups leading to this being a request or condition for the obtaining a licence for such events
as to the phasing out of the use of such plastics, as part of the Council’s approach to recycling, and environmental issues
to partner organisations and commercial enterprises in the Borough. As Lewisham Council became a Fair Trade Council, that it take steps to become a Plastic Free Council, beginning with the phasing out of single and short term use plastics.
This Council believes:
That Lewisham should be part of the wider movement to phase out the use of single and short term use plastics, and in so doing, become a Council that does not use single-use or short-use plastic wherever possible. |
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Minutes: The motion was moved by Councillor Best and seconded by Councillor Howard. The motion was then put to the vote and declared to be unanimously carried.
RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:
The public health grant funds vital services and functions that prevent ill health and contribute to the future sustainability of the NHS. Local authorities are responsible for delivering most of these services, but their ability to do so is compromised by public health grant reductions and the broader funding climate.
In 2018/19 and 2019/20 every local authority will have less to spend on public health than the year before. Taking funds away from prevention is a false economy. Without proper investment in public health people suffer, demand on local health services increases and the economy suffers. Poor public health costs local businesses heavily through sick days and lost productivity . Unless we restore public health funding, our health and care system will remain locked in a ‘treatment’ approach, which is neither economically viable nor protects the health of residents.
The Government is looking to phase out the Public Health Grant by 2020/21. Thereafter, they plan to fund public health via 75% business rates retention . Whatever the model, it is vital that local authorities have enough funding to deliver the functions and services they need to provide. Deprived areas often suffer the worst health outcomes, so it is also vital that areas with the greatest need receive sufficient funding to meet their local challenges .
Lewisham Council notes that:
• Around four in ten cancers are preventable, largely through avoidable risk factors, such as stopping smoking, keeping a healthy weight and cutting back on alcohol .
• Smoking accounts for 80,000 early deaths every year and remains the largest preventable cause of cancer in the world .
• Smoking-related ill health costs local authorities £760 million every year in social care costs .
• Additionally, obesity and alcohol account for 30,000 and 7,000 early deaths each year respectively.
• All three increase the risk of: cancer, diabetes, lung and heart conditions, poor mental health and create a subsequent burden on health and social care.
This Council believes that the impact of cuts to public health on our communities is becoming difficult to ignore. This case becomes more pressing given the Government’s consideration of a 10-year plan for the NHS. For this reason, we support Cancer Research UK’s call for increased and sustainable public health funding. This Council calls on the Government to deliver increased investment in public health and to support a sustainable health and social care system by taking a ‘prevention first’ approach. In turn, Lewisham Council will continue to support and fund public health initiatives to the best of our abilities - to prevent ill-health, reduce inequalities and support a health and social care system that is fit for the future.”
[1]DCLG. Public health grants to local authorities: 2018 to 2019. [1] Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Ready Reckoner: 2018 edition. |
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Minutes: The motion was moved by Councillor Hall and seconded by Councillor Gibbons. The motion was then put to the vote and declared to be unanimously carried.
RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:
“On the 1st December 2018 it is World AIDS Day. This day is supported by UNAIDS internationally and the National AIDS Trust in the UK, along with regional and local organisations.
HM Government set out its "Prevention is better than cure" health strategy on 5th November 2018. The Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock MP states that we need to see a greater investment in prevention - to support people to live longer, healthier and more independent lives, and help to guarantee our health and social care services for the long-term.
However, this Council notes:
Kat Smithson, Director of Policy and Campaigns at NAT (National AIDS Trust) said: “We welcome the Secretary of State's aim to renew the focus on prevention within our health and care system. But, if you read between the lines, what is being described in this strategy are those very services that could and should be provided through the public health system that, at the moment, cannot meet need because it has been starved of resource.
"The ambition of this strategy cannot be reconciled with the £700 million cut to the local public health grant in this spending review period.
"We look forward to seeing more in the upcoming Green Paper on prevention - we urge the Secretary of State to use this as an opportunity to commit to, and invest in, public health services as a vital component of our health and care system that has been sidelined for too long.
“Yes, we need to focus on prevention. But, there’s an obvious solution - don’t cut the very services that do this as their bread and butter. Restore public health funding.”
Therefore, this Council resolves to:
1. Send a message of support to the National AIDS Trust on World AIDS Day to support the campaign to End AIDS 2030
2. Request that the Director for Public Health draft a response to the forthcoming Green Paper asking for Public Health funds to be restored
3. These responses be published.
Note: “End AIDS 2030” is a UN initiative that NAT are supporting this year see:
http://www.worldaidsday.org/2018-campaign/
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Minutes: The motion was moved by Councillor Barnham and seconded by Councillor Kalu. 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 excellent and committed members of staff working in our schools.
• The concerns raised by workers in schools across the country regarding aggressive or violent behaviour from both adults and children. This can include teaching assistants, maintenance staff, cleaners, cooks, secretaries and other support personnel who can all face abuse, threats and aggression in the workplace.
• The government agency responsible for workplace health and safety is the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines work related violence as: “Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances related to their work.”
• The work the General Trade Union (GMB) has undertaken to raise awareness of the health and safety of children and adults in schools and the impact violence has on the wider community.
• The GMB has created a ‘violence at work’ checklist which includes workplace environment design, policies and procedures and training guidelines for schools to improve the protections in place to promote a safe working and learning environment for everyone.
This Council believes:
• That no worker should face violent or threatening behaviour in the workplace
• That violence in schools is no difference to any other health and safety risk and should be treated accordingly.
This Council calls for:
• A continued awareness in schools of the risks that both adults and children face and the appropriate mechanisms to be used when reporting violent behaviour
This Council will:
• Support the GMB’s campaign to prevent violence in schools”
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Minutes: The motion was moved by Councillor Barnham and seconded by Councillor Kalu. The motion was then put to the vote and declared to be unanimously carried.
RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:
“Following austerity-based ideological budget cuts made by central Government, Lewisham Council notes:
• Recent analysis published by the Local Government Association revealing that local councils in England face a funding gap of almost £8 billion by 2025. £3 billion of this black hole is on investment on spending on children’s services. It is noted that plugging this gap would just keep services standing still and does not include any funding needed to improve services or reverse cuts made to date.
• Statistics released by the Department for Education which show that compared with 2016, England’s schools have 137,000 more pupils but: 5,400 fewer teachers; 2,800 fewer teaching assistants; 1,400 fewer support staff; and 1,200 fewer auxiliary staff.
• Lewisham schools’ funding has reduced by 4.8% per pupil between 2015/16 and 2018/19 at a time when costs for schools have risen, with increases in national insurance costs and general inflation.
• In real terms our schools have become £22.6m worse off in real terms during this time, which means less money to spend on teachers, support staff and all the other costs of running schools.
• A failure to fund the new teachers’ pay award would leave our schools even worse off to the tune of £2.9m.
Lewisham Council opposes these central government cuts which threaten the continued provision of high quality education in our borough.
Lewisham Council resolves:
• To resist the Government’s ongoing cuts to school budgets and call for more funding to be invested in education.
• To call on the Government to fully fund the pay increase for teachers that is recommended by the School Teachers’ Review Body.
• To support the campaign led by the School Cuts alliance of education unions against the cuts to education funding.
• To call a meeting of school governors, trade unions and parents to discuss the Council’s position on these matters and coordinate a response.
• To lobby the Secretary of State for Education and the Chancellor for the resources needed to give all children and young people in Lewisham the best start in life. |
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Additional documents: Minutes: The motion, as amended, was moved by Councillor Reid and seconded by Councillor Howard. Following a contribution from Councillor Adefiranye, the amended motion was then put to the vote and declared to be unanimously carried.
RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:
Lewisham council is proud to be awarded the white ribbon status from White Ribbon UK. The White Ribbon campaign is a global movement, active across 60 countries, working to end male violence against women and children.
This council will promote the White Ribbon Principles, seek to recruit and train Ambassadors and Champions from within its Members and staff to root out violence and aggression against women in our society.
This council encourages all to take the White Ribbon Pledge to never commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women.
White Ribbon Principles:
• Wear a white ribbon and encourage others in the community to do the same. • Talk about the Campaign to colleagues, friends and family. • Encourage groups and organisations that you work with to be involved • Promote the Campaign in media and social media opportunities • Help identify other potential White Ribbon Ambassadors • Abide by the White Ribbon Campaign Policies • Understand the issue of male violence against women and girls, and men’s and boy’s roles in preventing it. • Encourage men and boys to take a stand against male violence against women and girls. • Actively oppose the gender inequalities and stereotypes and underpin male violence. • Help raise the profile and influence of the White Ribbon Campaign nationally and locally.
The meeting closed at 10pm |