Agenda and minutes

The Mayor declared a prejudicial interest in Item 9 as a former Director of the

Surrey Canal Sports Foundation and withdrew from the meeting during

consideration of the item. He declared a personal interest in Item 7 as an LGA

Board Member.

Councillor Mallory declared a personal interest in Item 7 as Chair of the Lee

Green Community Group and as Chair of Governors at Abbey Manor College

Pupil Referral Unit. He declared a personal interest in Item 9 as a Millwall FC

season ticket holder.

Councillors Hall, Sorba and Muldoon all declared a personal interest in Item 7

as elected governors of the NHS SLAM Foundation Trust. Councillor Hall

declared a further personal interest in Item 7 as a Board Member of Phoenix

Community Housing.

Councillor Kennedy declared a personal interest in Item 9 as a Millwall FC

season ticket holder.

Councillor Wise declared a personal interest in Item 7 as a Lewisham Homes

Director and as a Governor of Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Councillor Walsh declared a personal interest in Item 10 as a founder member

of the Bakerloo Line extension campaign.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on January 18 2017 be

confirmed and signed as a correct record.

No petitions were offered.

LGBT Month

The Council was addressed by Angela Eagle MP for Wallasey on the LGBT

month which was being strongly supported in Lewisham. In response, she

was thanked by Councillor Joan Millbank, the Cabinet Lead on Equalities,

who promised the Counci would continue to fight for social justice in the

borough.

Velvetina Francis RIP

The Mayor paid tribute to Tina Francis and all present observed a one minute

silence in her memory.

Hearts for the Arts Awards organised by What Next? And the National

Campaign for the Arts

The Chair announced Lewisham had won the first prize for Best Local

Authority Arts Project Encouraging Community Cohesion for our Meet Me at

the Albany project.

Syrian Refugees

The Chair announced that Lewisham had welcomed its first two Syrian

refugee families to the borough. Councillor Bonavia added that this should be

a day for celebration, with the Council providing a political will that seemed

absent at the national level.

Councillor Siddorn

On behalf of the Council, the Chair congratulated Councillor Gareth Siddorn

and his wife on the birth of their second child, a daughter, Clara Rose.

22 questions were received from the following members of the public which

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

and answers was circulated separately and can be viewed on the Council

website with the meeting papers.

6 questions were received from the following 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.

The Budget proposals were introduced by the Mayor who thanked staff across

all Directorates for their help in compiling the Budget. The Mayor confirmed

that he was proposing a Council Tax rise of 1.99%, which was the maximum

allowed without having to conduct a Local Referendum, but to that had to be

added the Governments mandatory additional 3.0% precept which was being

promoted as an answer to a perceived crisis in adult social care funding. The

Mayor said he felt the Government’s gesture was inadequate and the great

and escalating funding gap for adult social care needed to be addressed

properly at a national level.

The Mayor confirmed that he did not intend to vary the budget proposals he

had already fully set out at Mayor and Cabinet on February 8 and 15 and

which did not require further amendment following the very late notification of

the Local Government Finance Settlement earlier in the day.

A motion that the proposals be accepted was moved by the Cabinet Member

for Resources, Councillor Kevin Bonavia and seconded by Councillor Alan

Hall. There was then a general debate to which Councillor Coughlin,

contributed followed by a reply from Councillor Bonavia. During this general

debate on the budget the 5 minute limit on speeches for the Mayor and

Councillors Bonavia, Hall and Coughlin was suspended.

Once the debate was concluded, there was, in accordance with statutory

provisions, a recorded vote on the Mayor’s proposed Budget. The result of the

vote was as follows:

46 Votes In favour of the Mayor’s Budget Proposals

Councillor Obajimi Adefiranye

Councillor Abdeslam Amrani

Councillor Chris Barnham

Councillor P Bernhards

Councillor Chris Best

Councillor Kevin Bonavia

Councillor Bill Brown

Mayor Steve Bullock

Councillor Suzannah Clarke

Councillor John Coughlin

Councillor Liam Curran

Councillor Janet Daby

Councillor Brenda Dacres

Councillor Amanda De Ryk

Councillor Joe Dromey

Councillor Damien Egan

Councillor Colin Elliott

Councillor Alan Hall

Councillor Carl Handley

Councillor Maja Hilton

Councillor Simon Hooks

Councillor Sue Hordijenko

Councillor Mark Ingleby

Councillor Joyce Jacca

Councillor Stella Jeffrey

Councillor Liz Johnston-Franklin

Councillor Roy Kennedy

Councillor Helen Klier

Councillor Jim Mallory

Councillor Sophie McGeevor

Councillor David Michael

Councillor Joan Millbank

Councillor Hilary Moore

Councillor Pauline Morrison

Councillor John Muldoon

Councillor Rachel Onikosi

Councillor Jacq Paschoud

Councillor John Paschoud

Councillor Pat Raven

Councillor Jonathan Slater

Councillor Alan Smith

Councillor Luke Sorba

Councillor Eva Stamirowski

Councillor Alan Till

Councillor James-J Walsh

Councillor Susan Wise

Votes Against the Mayor’s Budget Proposals nil

Abstentions nil

RESOLVED that:

(1) Council approves the recommendations shown below in respect of the

2017/18 Budget and notes the Mayor made no amendments after considering

the 2017/18 Budget update report on 15 February 2017;

Capital Programme

(2) the 2016/17 Quarter 3 Capital Programme monitoring position and the

Capital Programme potential future schemes and resources as set out in

section 5 be noted;

(3) the 2017/18 to 2020/21 Capital Programme of £336.6m be approved, as

set out in section 5 and attached at Appendices W1 and W2;

(4) debt totalling £282,759.34 be written off related to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 63.

Councillor Kevin Bonavia moved that the recommendations be approved and

this was seconded by Councillor Chris Barnham and it was:

RESOLVED that the Pay Policy Statement as attached as Appendix 1 be

approved.

The Mayor, Chief Executive, Executive Director for Resources and

Regeneration and the Head of Law all left the meeting during consideration of

this item.

Where a report is received less than 5 clear days before the date of the

meeting at which the matter is being considered, then under the Local

Government Act 1972 Section 100(b)(4) the Chair of the Committee can take

the matter as a matter of urgency if he is satisfied that there are special

circumstances requiring it to be treated as a matter of urgency.  These special

circumstances were stated to be as follows:

This report was not available for the original dispatch because was drafted in

part in relation to continuing allegations appearing in the press. The report

was urgent and could not wait until the next meeting of Mayor & Cabinet and

Council because there was an urgent need for the Council to consider

whether to establish an Inquiry to inspire public confidence as soon as

possible.

In proposing the recommendations, the Chair read out the following

statement:

“I propose that the Council establish an independent Inquiry into matters

relating to a proposed Compulsory Purchase Order of land at New

Bermondsey/Surrey Canal.  I am doing this so, that as a Council, we can

demonstrate our commitment to the highest standards of behaviour in public

life.

I'm proposing too that any Inquiry must be independent so that all parties and

members of the public can have confidence in the outcome.

A number of concerns have emerged and it is vital that the Council gets to the

root of these issues as quickly and thoroughly as possible - and establishes

whether anyone has acted improperly or inappropriately. I believe we can

only do this by establishing an Independent Inquiry.

If we accept the need for an Inquiry, we need to agree its scope and terms of

reference. I propose that they be as set out in paragraph 5 of the report. You

will see that as well addressing specific issues that have been identified as a

cause for concern, they would give the person conducting the Inquiry wide

discretion.  That person may look into any matter he/she considers

appropriate for investigation.

We also have to agree on the person to be appointed to conduct the Inquiry.

It must be someone truly independent with sufficient skill and experience for

the Inquiry to be robust.  The report proposes that we approach the Chair of

the Bar Council to nominate an independent and experienced QC. 

We must also decide to whom the final report should be made I propose that

we establish a New Bermondsey/Surrey Canal Inquiry Committee to receive

the report and make recommendations to full Council based on its findings.

This committee will also receive progress reports and monitor the costs

incurred.

We need to be realistic about the cost of this process. That's why I am

proposing that £500,000 be agreed as the budget for the Inquiry.

In relation to timescales, obviously we would want the Inquiry  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

The motion was moved by Councillor Curran and seconded by Councillor

Jeffrey. Following contributions from Councillors Walsh and Coughlin, the

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

RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:

“This council welcomes the new consultation by TfL on the Bakerloo Line and

further urges all interested parties to continue to push for an extension to

Hayes in order to benefit further all residents and communities along the

route.”

The motion was moved by Councillor Ingleby and seconded by Councillor

Smith. Following a contribution from Councillors Curran, the motion was then

put to the vote and declared to be unanimously carried.

RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:

“One of the key findings of the 2015 Sustainable Development Select

Committee Modern Roads Review was that cycling should play an important

role in delivering a modern roads network for Lewisham in the 21st century. 

Yet only 2% of journeys in Lewisham are made by bicycle at the moment –

lower than comparable boroughs - because LBL lacks high quality cycle

routes along any of its main distributor roads, and our one existing through

route, the Waterlink Way, will not support or deliver greater numbers,

especially at peak times.

The report's recommendations included several promoting cycling in the

borough, including:

•           That any future re-design of the Catford Gyratory (A205/A21)

incorporates the needs of cyclists and pedestrians from the beginning of the

process

•           That the Council considers the full range of different cycle-friendly road

designs that radically improve the safety and environment for cyclists 

including recently implemented exemplar junction schemes in other London

boroughs.

In the light of these recommendations, and of the acknowledged need to

increase significantly cycling's modal share in Lewisham it is proposed that

the council work on a plan with TfL for the development of a safe segregated

cycle route through the borough along the A21, running from Downham to

Deptford, connecting to the Cycle Superhighway 4 on the A200 (and

Quietway 1). 

This route will help to link up existing cycle routes through the borough to the

east and west, such as the Waterlink Way, CS4 and LCN 22.

This single route would not only provide a fast and effective link for those

cycling to central London, but would also better connect  the communities of

Lewisham to its main town centres, as well as neighbouring boroughs of

Greenwich, Southwark and Bromley. The consideration of the route will

provide the strategic focus and backbone necessary for delivering a cycling

vision for Lewisham, based on place-making.

Given the Mayor of London’s recent promise to spend £770m on cycling

initiatives, the Council asks the Mayor and Deputy Mayor to actively chase

these opportunities for funding and joint working with TfL to create the

strategic A21 cycling artery that will drive the vision of Lewisham’s cycling

offer to London.”

The motion was moved by Councillor Walsh and seconded by Councillor

Jacca. 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 the Lewisham Jobcentre Plus  (Rushey Green site)  is under treat

of closure by April 2018 after the DWP announcement on 26th January

•           That new premises are needed by 2018 as current lease is ending 

•           That DWP announcement affect one in ten Job centre nation wide

•           These changes will affect over 3000 local residence who current use

this Job centre as claimants

•           Claimant Commitment to work a 35 hour week under Universal Credit

may lead to additional people  needing to attend  Jobcentre plus

This Council believes –

•           That the centre of Lewisham needs a Job centre to ensure that our

local residences have accessible and easy access DWP services

This Council resolves-

•           To Support the Public and Commercial Services Union’s “Lewisham

Needs a Jobcentre” campaign.

•           For appropriate council officers to liaise DWP to support them to find

alternative premise in the centre of the borough

•           Investigate the possibility of co-location with appropriate council

service.”

The motion was moved by Councillor Dromey and seconded by Councillor

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

carried.

RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:

“The Council notes:

-           That New Cross Post Office is under threat of closure. The Post Office

announced on 10th January that it would be closing and franchising 37 Crown

Post Offices across the country, including the New Cross branch. 

-           That these closures would lead to the loss of over 400 job nationwide,

and they follow the announcement of 62 planned closures in 2016.

-           That New Cross Post Office is well used by, and valued by the local

community. Over a hundred people attended the demonstration and nearly

700 people have signed our petition to Save New Cross Post Office.

-           Independent research shows that franchised Post Offices offer poorer

disabled access, longer queuing times, worse customer service and fewer

staff, often on minimum wage.

This Council believes

-           That the closure of New Cross Post Office is bad for our community. It

would downgrade vital services to our local community.

-           That the closure of New Cross Post Office is bad for our local

economy. It would have a detrimental impact on businesses on New Cross

Road and the local economy.

-           That the closure of New Cross Post Office is bad for postal workers. It

would lead to good quality, skilled jobs on decent pay being replaced by

insecure and low-paid work.

This Council resolves

-           To affirm our opposition to the closure of New Cross Post Office.

-           To offer our support to the local Save New Cross Post Office

campaign, and to the CWU’s campaign against the closure of over 100 Post

Offices.

-           For the Mayor to write to Margot James MP, the Minister responsible

for the Post Office, to raise our concerns about the potential franchise of New

Cross Post Office.

-           For the Mayor to write to Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of the

Post Office, calling on her to reverse the decision and protect our much-

valued Post Office.”

The motion was moved by Councillor Clarke and seconded by Councillor

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

carried.

RESOLVED that the following motion be agreed:

“This Council resolves to establish a time-limited all-party Working Group to

examine barriers to those wishing to enter politics as an elected member and,

once elected, the barriers to remaining in post or progressing.

This Council notes;

•           In 2014 32.7% of councillors and 18.8% of elected mayors were

women.  13.1% of council leaders were women. In London 25% of Councils

are led by women. 

•           There is no consistent reporting of the barriers and equality issues

facing Councillors and how many are affected.

•           Councillors have raised numerous concerns regarding the role of a

Councillor including, but not exclusively: hours and the range of

responsibilities, anti-social hours, financial issues including loss of benefits,

and caring and disability issues.

This Council agree the following terms of reference:

•           The Group aims to identify and investigate the various barriers that

exist for individuals wishing to apply for, or undertaking the role of Councillor,

and to put forward recommendations to Full Council on how to address them.

•           The Group will focus on barriers in each equality stream.

•           The Working Group will bring a report to Council by September 2017.

•           The Group will have the power to invite expert witnesses and to

request relevant officers to attend meetings.

•           The Group will require appropriate officer time and resources to

support its work.”