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Council - Wednesday, 20th November, 2024 7.00 p.m.

November 20, 2024 View on council website Watch video of meeting
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Summary

At this meeting, the council debated three petitions from members of the public and two motions proposed by the political groups. The council unanimously voted to reject or significantly reduce a proposed Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for dogs and unanimously voted to adopt the Migrant Care Workers' Charter. The council also voted to adopt a motion asking for the reintroduction of Meals on Wheels. The council voted to change who chairs the council committees.

Best Value Inspection report

The meeting started with an announcement by the council's Chief Executive, Steve Halsey, that the government had published the findings of its Best Value Inspection into the council. He stated that he accepted the findings of the best value inspection report unreservedly and acknowledge[d] the need for urgent action to address the serious failings identified. He then went on to detail the council's response to the report, including the creation of an improvement plan which would be fully collaborated and cooperated on with the Government's representatives. The leader of the opposition, Councillor Sirajul Islam, expressed his regret at the contents of the report and said that the Labour group felt it was appropriate for our residents because they need to know what is in that inspection. He said that this report doesn't pull any punches. It talks about toxic culture. The council, or trust between councillors, officers, partners, has broken down. In his remarks the Mayor, Lutfur Rahman, said that he would be committed to this partnership approach and delivering in our honour improvement commitments.

Petition on proposed dog control PSPO

A petition was presented to the council asking for them to reject or significantly reduce a proposed Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for dogs. The petitioners wanted the council to reject proposals for mandatory leashing at all times, dogs to be excluded from certain areas, and a limit on the number of dogs that can be walked at once. They argued that these restrictions would harm the welfare of dogs, who need time off the leash for essential for their health and well-being. They also argued that the measures would harm community safety, that vulnerable dog owners would be disproportionately affected, and that the measures were counterproductive, leading to dogs becoming more aggressive and people being pushed out of parks. Councillors from both the Labour and Aspire groups asked the petitioners questions about the petition. In his response, the Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency, Councillor Shafi Ahmed, said that the council understand[s] that Tower Hamlets is a densely populated bar with very few households having access to their own gardens and that it is essential that we put measures in place to protect and the people from fair harm of public spaces they rely on. He stated that the consultation on the PSPO had just finished, and that the responses were being reviewed. The council unanimously voted to pass a motion submitted by the Labour group to reject or significantly reduce the proposed dog PSPO. The motion was seconded by Councillor Emily Lee.

Petition on the dockside path on the Isle of Dogs

The second petition was presented by Andrew Wood, who asked the council to work with the Canal & River Trust to improve the dockside path on the Isle of Dogs. Mr Wood said that the path had declined in quality over the last few years because bins had been removed, the path was not being cleaned regularly, and tree roots were creating a trip hazard. He said that the Canal & River Trust did not have the funds to properly maintain the path and that it is in your own interest as a council, if you want the affordable homes, because these people help pay for, if you want the sale from these new developments, you have to make the local area look nicer than it currently is. Councillors from both political groups asked Mr Wood questions about the petition, including how he thought the council could enforce the Canal & River Trust to look after the path, and whether Mr Wood had met with the Trust to discuss the problems he had identified. In response Councillor Shafi Ahmed said that the land is not under the jurisdiction of the local authority, and as such, we do not have legal or financial responsibility for its maintenance. He did say, however, that we are committed to supporting the canal river trust where we can. We recognize the importance of the land to our community and the use, and we are more than willing to meet with the trust to explore how we can assist them in managing and maintaining the area.

Petition on social housing in Tower Hamlets

The third petition was presented by Terry McGrenner, who asked the council to provide more social housing for residents. Mr McGrenner cited the development at Sydney Street in Stepney as an example of the council not providing enough social housing. He said that the development would only contain 175 social homes, out of a total of 407 new homes. He said that schemes such as the 506 agreements[^2] and the community investment levy[^3] must be abolished as they are both flawed systems and called for the repeal of the 1961 Land Compensation Act and the Right to Buy Act. He argued that this would allow the council to keep a large share of the planning gain through the increased man value scheme rather than developers keeping all of the potential profit. Section 106 agreements are legal agreements between local authorities and developers; they are linked to planning permissions and can be used to mitigate the impact of new developments. These agreements can be used to secure social housing as part of a development. The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) allows local authorities in England and Wales to raise funds from developers undertaking new building projects in their area. The money can be used to fund a wide range of infrastructure that is needed as a result of development. This can include new or safer road schemes, flood defences, schools, hospitals and other health and social care facilities, park improvements, green spaces and leisure centres. Councillors from the Labour group asked Mr McGrenner questions about what else the council could do to increase the supply of social housing in the borough, and about his claim that the council had misrepresented the number of social homes in the Sydney Street development. Councillor Kabir Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said that the planning process is a very technical area and that the key behind all of this is viability, Mr. Speaker. You must have the finances and the money to prop up the social homes. He said that the council had increased the amount of social housing in its new local plan to 40% of all new homes. He went on to say that unfortunately the reality of it is, the majority of our social housing has to come from private developers where we get the 106 agreements and the social housing in relation to that.

Motion on pensioner health through eating and meeting

Councillor Maium Talukdar proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor Kabir Ahmed, asking for the council to investigate reintroducing the Meals on Wheels scheme and luncheon clubs for pensioners. Councillor Talukdar said that during COVID I had the honour of volunteering on dial of dogs. We've distributed over 65,000 meals on dial of dogs, and we've seen and we've witnessed how vital this service is to the elderly residents, including many Councillors on this side volunteer. He said that he was pleased to put forward this motion and that it takes the spirit of Mayor's Manifesto, serving the community and to develop it. Councillor Marc Francis said that he was really pleased to take part in this debate but that there's lines in this motion that are clearly directed as a political attack. He went on to argue that the motion's claims about cuts to services under the Labour administration ignore the wider economic situation. The mayor responded to this by saying they don't like criticisms. I accept criticisms. I want to improve. Councillor Francis responded by saying that that really was what the best value inspectors were talking about in their report. In terms of what we agree with, I should start by talking about the winter fuel allowance. Councillor Nathalie Bienfait spoke in favour of the motion, saying that she was extremely pleased that the Administration is looking into reinstating the Meals on Wheel service. She said that this would allow the council to provide food that is more culturally appropriate, that meets the needs of residents of different faiths and cultures. She said that she knew that there are similar issues experienced by Jewish residents who require kosher food and that the provision of ready meals was no replacement for a daily visit from someone that you see regularly. Councillor Peter Golds spoke in favour of the motion, saying that it is the awful, awful loneliness of older people that needed to be addressed. He said that he knew of many older people for whom the only social contact many older people have is something like a luncheon club. He went on to say that the importance is resuming the luncheon club, for many of these people I'm sure it's not the desperation of the food, it's actually going there and having a couple of hours with another, with a group of people they can relate to. Councillor Abdal Ullah said that it was a great idea in principle but suggested that the council explore delivering the service through an intergenerational model, involving school children. Councillor Ahmed Durfan argued that the prudent budget gave us the room to introduce support for our elders so they can meet and eat. Two very important things, food and social contact. Councillor Sabine Akhtar spoke in favour of the motion, saying that the eating and meeting initiative for pensioners and town hamlets would be a program aimed at addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing our old residents such as nutrition, social isolation and mental wellbeing. Councillor James King said that local food initiatives are a great testament to our community but expressed concern about the sustainability of the council's funding for such projects. Councillor Kabir Ahmed said that heating or eating is a phrase that's used way too commonly now and that we as responsible Councillors in this Council, Tower Hamlet's Council, do we have to accept that as the norm? This motion proves that we don't have to accept that. It's not heating or eating, we can give heating and eating for our vulnerable residents. The motion to investigate reintroducing Meals on Wheels and luncheon clubs was carried.

Motion to adopt the Migrant Care Workers' Charter

Councillor Amy Lee proposed a motion, seconded by Councillor Asma Islam, asking the council to formally adopt the Migrant Care Workers’ Charter. Councillor Lee argued that since the introduction of the Health and Care Worker visa, [t]here has been a marked increase in reports of modern slavery and exploitation of migrant care workers within the sector. She went on to say that the motion was pretty simple, it's about boosting workers' rights fundamentally. Councillor Abu Talha Chowdhury proposed an amendment to the motion, seconded by Councillor Ahmodul Kabir. Councillor Chowdhury said that he would like to start by thanking opposition colleagues for bringing this motion forward. It's an issue that I'm deeply passionate about and support mainly with some friendly amendments. The amendment sought to commit the council to working with the Met Police to develop a joint strategy on modern slavery, require employers to publish annual modern slavery statements, appoint an officer to ensure ethical practice by providers and investigate possible instances of trafficking in the care sector, and become a licenced Home Office sponsor for migrant care workers. It also sought to commit to guaranteeing that no care workers are employed on zero-hours contracts and that providers must offer contracts for between 16 and 32 hours a week. Councillor Lee said that she was happy to accept the amendment. Many councillors from both political groups spoke in favour of the motion and the amendment, including Councillor Nathalie Bienfait who argued that the motion was about ensuring the dignity of those workers who came to the UK seeking opportunity. Councillor Abdal Ullah cited his experience of finding a certificate of sponsorship company operating out of a non-existent address to demonstrate the need for the motion. He said that he went to the address with the Mayor and that we searched for the location together without success. Councillor Amina Ali shared her experience as a journalist going undercover as a migrant worker to expose abuses in the garment industry. She said that to think that migrant workers have still been exploited today in this country is absolutely working. And the care sector is one of those sectors where people suffer in silence. The motion, including the amendment, was carried unanimously.

Committee chairs

The Aspire group requested that the agenda item on the appointment of committee chairs be moved forward so that it could be voted on before the meeting reached its time limit. The Labour group objected to this, arguing that it was not our understanding that there was a process for doing this. The speaker accepted the Aspire group's justification for moving the agenda item forward and went on to conduct a vote on whether the item should be moved. The motion was carried. Councillor Asma Islam, seconded by Councillor Amy Lee, proposed a motion to remove and reappoint the chairs of committees. Councillor Islam argued that the learnings from the LGA report, the best value inspection report and the change of makeup, um, it's, it will be good for this council to take a vote on who chairs these committees. Councillor Lee said that the motion was necessary because the makeup of the council has changed and the makeup of the committees needs to reflect that. The motion was passed. The council then voted on the appointment of chairs for each committee, with the Aspire group securing the majority of positions. The vote on the chair of the audit committee was tied twice. The speaker then cast his deciding vote in favour of Councillor Mufeedah Bustin, the Labour group's nominee. The Aspire group requested that the agenda item on the proportionality and allocation of places on committees be deferred to the next meeting, so that the political groups could discuss how to allocate places on committees. This motion was carried. The council then voted to approve the remaining reports on the agenda without discussion.

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