At the meeting on 12 December, the council made a number of decisions. The council approved the adoption of a new Council Tax Support Scheme. Councillors voted to note the annual Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report. Councillors noted the political balance of the council, following the results of a by-election and the recent formation of the Independent and Green Group. Councillors voted to adopt an updated constitution, and approved a series of new committee appointments. Finally, councillors discussed and then voted to adopt two motions: one on giving refugees time to resettle, and a second on winter fuel allowance.

Giving Refugees Time to Resettle

This motion was brought to the meeting as a priority by the Labour group. The motion acknowledged the contribution made by refugees and migrants to Islington¹ and noted the borough's new Borough of Sanctuary status². Councillor Heather Staff moved the motion. She argued that the 28 day [move on](https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/what-we-think-needs-to-happen/how-to-stop-people-becoming-homeless-after-leaving-institutions/) period currently afforded to refugees was too short, and welcomed a new government trial of a 56 day move-on period:

My Christmas wish has, at least partly, and I say partly because it's a trial, it has come true

Cllr Staff noted that the council had been forced to house 247 newly granted refugees who had been unable to find housing within the 28 day move-on period. Councillor Sheila Chapman seconded the motion. She described a recent visit she had made with Cllr Staff to two asylum hostels in the borough:

Look, these buildings are not fit for purpose. One of them used to be a backpacker hostel. Some men are sharing up to eight to a room. Some men have been there for months and even in a few cases for years. They are given less than £9 a week to live on. They are not allowed to work. Some of those who arrived recently didn't have winter clothes or shoes fit for London in December. This is where 14 years of austerity and the hostile environment under the previous government has brought us.

Cllr Chapman noted that, as a [Borough of Sanctuary](https://cityofsanctuary.org/), the council had a responsibility to help asylum seekers. She said that the council was helping by funding law firms to provide advice to asylum seekers and providing other services:

The day after our visit, this Council launched a warm clothes drive so that those men who we met who arrived without warm clothes now have coats and waterproof shoes.

Cllr Chapman welcomed the cancellation of the Rwanda policy, the end of the use of barges for asylum seekers, and the trial of a 56 day move-on period by the new Labour government. She also noted that the council was looking at ways to take control of asylum accomodation from the Home Office:

This government have also indicated that they might be willing to hand over the running of asylum accommodation to local authorities, and we are ready for that.

Cllr Chapman finished her speech by describing the work the council was doing with local organisations to support refugees. In particular, she noted that the council was asking refugees to help it decide which organisations should receive money from its Borough of Sanctuary Grants Programme. Councillor Benali Hamdache spoke in favour of the motion, noting that he was a former refugee and welcoming the motion on behalf of the Independent and Green Group. Councillor Turan spoke in support of the motion, noting that the ancestors of all of the councillors in the meeting had been migrants and refugees:

They weren't always called refugees and asylum seekers.

Cllr Turan described his own experiences as a child refugee, and said that Islington's support of refugees helped them to integrate into Islington society. Councillor Gilgunn spoke in favour of the motion. He noted the number of refugees fleeing conflict and famine, arguing that:

war and famine will still go on Because that's the nature of imperialism and that's the nature of capitalism.

Councillor Pandor spoke in favour of the motion and described her experiences of helping Somali and Bosnian refugees access healthcare and benefits in Islington during the 1990s. The motion was passed unanimously.

Winter Fuel Allowance

Councillor Matt Nathan proposed the motion. He expressed concern about plans to means-test Winter Fuel Payments, noting that this could cause hardship for pensioners who are not claiming Pension Credit:

Colleagues when the government speaks of fiscal responsibility it is not the wealthy who shoulder that burden it's pensions huddling under blankets because their winter fuel allowance has been stripped away.

Councillor Nathan said that up to 2 million pensioners could be affected, and that 34% of pensioners in Islington lived in income-deprived households, meaning that Islington pensioners would be disproportionately affected by the cuts. He argued that the £22 billion funding gap cited by the government as the justification for the cuts could be filled by recovering the £19 billion in unpaid tax identified by HMRC. He drew a parallel between the motion and the actions of councillors in Poplar³ in the 1920s, who defied the law and were jailed in their fight to protect vulnerable people from poverty. He finished by stating that:

Labour austerity, in place of Tory austerity, is cold comfort for those who most need the Council's support.

Councillor Ward proposed an amendment to the motion. The amendment acknowledged the concern felt about the cuts but noted that the council would be providing financial support to pensioners who were not receiving Pension Credit:

This Labour-led Council believes in solutions. And that's why we campaign to save the Household Support Fund which the Tories threaten to axe.

The amendment noted the government's £1 billion commitment to the Household Support Fund⁴, and the council's decision to use this money to provide a £300 grant to pensioners who would lose out under the government's plans. Councillor Hamdache argued that:

Your amendment fundamentally doesn't understand why the universality of this payment is so important.

He argued that the winter fuel allowance was most needed during times of hardship, and that means-testing it would mean that many pensioners would be less likely to receive the payments. Councillor Nathan responded by saying that the government was failing pensioners by cutting their payments, arguing that:

The government's justification, a 22 billion funding black hole, is no excuse. As HMRC itself has admitted to 19 billion in uncollected taxes.

He noted that the council's actions were necessary because the government had cut vital support to vulnerable pensioners. Councillor Ward defended the amendment. He stated that the council had to follow the law, and argued that the Green-led opposition group had previously opted out of making decisions to support pensioners by abstaining during budget votes. He finished by saying that:

The Labour government have inherited a huge mess, a huge hole in the public finances. And despite this issue, with the Household Support Fund we have managed to plug the gap.

The amendment to the motion was passed, and then the amended motion was also passed.

Council Tax Support Scheme 2025/26

Councillor Diarmaid Ward moved that the council adopt a new Council Tax Support Scheme for 2025/26. Cllr Ward described the scheme as an essential safety net, noting that it had resulted in 8,000 people in the borough no longer having to pay council tax. Councillor Gulcin Ozdemir, on behalf of the Independent and Green Group, welcomed the scheme and praised the council officers who had developed it. Cllr Ozdemir said:

And I would like to just very quickly note, as well, which is that I'm really proud of the opposition's motion, which was in the previous full Council, which asked to explore the support that can be provided to larger families and the work that is forthcoming next year, which I'm looking forward to the report on.

The scheme was passed unanimously.

Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report

Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz moved that the council note the Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report. There was no discussion and the motion was passed unanimously.

Political Balance and Proportionality

Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz moved that the council note the political balance of the council. She noted that the council was made up of 44 Labour councillors and 7 councillors in the Independent and Green Group. The motion was passed unanimously.

Constitution Update

Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz moved that the council vote to adopt a number of amendments to the constitution. She noted that the main changes were to the Members' Code of Conduct and to the Members' Allowances Scheme. There was no discussion and the motion was passed unanimously.

Appointments Report

Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz moved that the council vote to adopt a series of new committee appointments. There was no discussion and the motion was passed unanimously.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Councillor Benali Hamdache proposed the motion. He noted that the council had declared a climate emergency in 2019 and had committed to make Islington a net zero borough by 2030, but that recycling rates had fallen to their lowest point in 15 years. Councillor Hamdache said that:

Waste isn't just something that happens in our bins. What we throw away is a substantial contributor to methane gases and carbon emissions.

He noted that over half of London boroughs had ended weekly bin collections and argued that:

By trialling fortnightly collections in selected wards, we can explore whether this model would work for us, improving our recycling rates and learning what works and what doesn't work.

He also called on the government to strengthen the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme to reduce unnecessary packaging, saying that it was:

really vital that Mary Creagh doesn't allow our corporates to water down this scheme into nothing.

Councillor Rowena Champion proposed an amendment to the motion. The amendment noted that Islington already had higher recycling rates than a number of neighbouring boroughs:

So in 2023-24, we had a higher recycling rate than both of those, and also Haringey, who have a fortnightly bin collection, but also, and absolutely crucially, we had a much lower waste per household than every single of the North London Waste Authority boroughs, apart from Camden, who were slightly above us.

Cllr Champion said that the council was working to improve its recycling rates and argued that:

Looking for nightly bin collections, as I say, you know, this is not something we're ignoring. You know, people have, you know, the DLA wants us to do it, but actually we have been looking at it. And frankly, there is very, very little evidence that this will move the dial for us. And it also will have massive consequences in terms of cost, in terms of actually, you know, wheelie bins on streets.

Councillor Russell said that she would be voting to adopt the amendment, noting that the council's waste and recycling plan stated that:

it is right to explore the feasibility of weekly collections of dry recycling and food waste with fortnightly collections of residual waste.

Cllr Russell said that she hoped that the council would learn from the successes and failures of neighbouring boroughs and argued that fortnightly collections should be explored further. Councillor Hamdache welcomed the amendment and said that:

We've got lots of praise for the ambition of Labour Council and I totally understand it is a shared ambition. Take this as the ambitious encouraging the fellow ambitious.

Cllr Hamdache criticised the government for axing a £28 billion investment in green technology and argued that the council should be given some of the £3.6 billion committed to carbon capture and storage to help improve its recycling rates. He also noted that Islington had more [low traffic neighbourhoods](https://www.islington.gov.uk/roads/people-friendly-streets/low-traffic-neighbourhoods)[^6] than either Hackney or Camden, arguing that these reclaimed spaces could be used for innovative recycling facilities:

Can we think creatively about build-outs? Can we look to European countries that we all go to so often and see really interesting collective opportunities that we just go, why can't England get anywhere near that?

Cllr Hamdache suggested that the council look at using build-outs to store waste before collection. Councillor Champion responded that the council was looking at how best to use its road space. She said that she had started looking at fortnightly bin collections in 2017, but that:

there is a real, really significant issue with lack of space for our residents.

Cllr Champion noted that 50% of the borough is made up of estates, where fortnightly collections were unlikely to be feasible. She said that the council had to find a coherent service for all residents and that:

having clean streets, accessible pavements, is very, very, very much more, much part of the vision that we have for Islington.

The amendment to the motion was passed and then the amended motion was also passed.