Live from the Council

The report starts at the bottom of this post: new paragraphs are being added at the top.

20.34  With two minutes left, Cllr Oli Rahman moved that the order of business be changed so the Council could discuss a motion on Safeguarding the community against extremism.  No one agreed to take it.  The meting has closed.

22.30  There have been a few formal items nodded through.   Cllr Craig Aston is moving a motion to set up a Constitutional Working Group to look at how the Council works.  He is having a couple of digs at Mayor Lutfur Rahman, meeting applause from the Labour benches.  Labour and the Tories voted for the motion, with the rest abstaining.

22.22  Given a late start and a couple of brief adjournments, we are due to finish in 17 minutes.  We are now taking the Overview & Scrutiny Committee report, which is being given by Cllr Jon Pierce.  He is listing what was done.  Cllr Golds is also having a few words.

22.19  Cllr Andrew Cregan has asked the Deputy Mayor (Cllr Rachael Saunders) to outline priorities for Education and Children’s Services this coming year.  Cllr Saunders announced that her key priorities will be… this is too fast to hear!  She did say she will retain the Educational Maintenance Allowance.  Cllr Cregan must have heard this: he welcomed the response and asked how Cllr Saunders could work to improve George Green School.  Cllr Saunders says she has already met the headteacher.

22.15  Cllr Ohid Ahmed asked why a major staff conference was held in Ramadan – with refreshments being provided.  Cllr David Edgar is replying: he says, because Human Resources falls within his remit.  He said that this conference was booked before the mayoral election took place and was advertised to mayoral candidates and Group leaders, with no concerns being expressed.  The Chair of the Muslim staff group was consulted.  Staff rated the conference highly and found it a helpful event.  (John Biggs is nodding.)  Cllr Ahmed says Cllr Khan (mayoral candidate) was not consulted and nor was he.

22.14  Cllr Helal Uddin has asked if John Biggs will attend O&S.  The answer is yes.

22.12  Cllr Julia Dockerill asked if John Biggs would support a council community centre or Idea Store in St Katharine’s & Wapping ward.  John Biggs is saying the Council accommodation is being reviewed – and he seems to have said that he has just moved to Wapping.  Cllr Dockerill asked for a list of all council owned premises in her ward and John Biggs says he would like to see such a list too, so he will provide one.

22.10  Cllr Denise Jones is noting that John Biggs has promised to reduce the physical size of his office and asked how many advisers John Biggs will have.  John Biggs is saying that structures are still being finalised but he feels that Mayor Lutfur Rahman used to have almost a parallel advisers’ system – but he will use advisers in Council departments and hopes to saying in the region of £250,000.

22.08  Cllr Rabina Khan has asked whether John Biggs will grant a CPO to East End Homes if they wanted to demolish parts of the Holland Estate.  Cllr Rachel Blake has answered this one!  She said any approach for a CPO would have to be considered carefully, but if it was along the lines currently being considered then it was unlikely.  Cllr Blake is saying that any approach would  have to be considered and a decision taken on its merits: it is strange that she appears to understand the nature of this decision at this point of the agenda, but other members of her Group did not when similar matters were discussed earlier on.

22.05  Cllr Sabina Akhtar has asked the Chair of Overview & Scrutiny what he will be prioritising this year:  Cllr Pierce says it will be “transparency”.  Next Monday he is launching a “Transparency Commission” to work with councillors and residents to develop proposals for the mayor to consider.  Cllr Akhtar has asked who is coming to the next O&S.  Cllr Pierce is minded to ask journalists Ted Jeory and “I Love Wapping” to come and tell the committee how they worked to hold the last administration to account.  There will also be officers who work on Licensing and Planning to talk about how to make their work more transparent, and viability assessments being public, and freedom of information.

22.04  Cllr Abjol Miah has asked whether the Council will retain the low cost burial service.  Cllr Sirajul Islam (welcoming Cllr Miah as a new independent councillor) says there are no plans to change.

21.59  Cllr Rajib Ahmed wants to know how John Biggs will be transparent.  John says he has done a written report to this Council and went to O&S.  He will be working with the Chair of O&S to write a report over the summer to improve processes on transparency.  Cllr Rajib Ahmed is pleased that John Biggs is speaking so much at the Council.  He is making some convoluted point about this being different from what Mayor Lutfur Rahman did.  He is now saying that Mayor Lutfur Rahman stopped the Speaker carrying out his duties: will John change this?  John says that the dignity of the Council is represented by the Speaker and how the Speaker moves around the Borough.  So John Biggs is reducing the size of his own Executive Mayoral office and is reinstating the mayoral parlour as a place where receptions can be held.

21.58  Cllr Andrew Wood asked if the new schools due to be built on the Island as a result of development will be free schools or academies, which is the only way new schools can be built these days.  He is pleased John Biggs has already visited the Canary Wharf Free School.  Cllr Rachael Saunders has replied: something about it is all too soon to tell but the equality of education is the most important.

21.57  Cllr Amina Ali has asked how many community events John Biggs attends: he tries to go to one a day, but this is in the report.

21.56  Cllr Oli Rahman asked John Biggs if he supports Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s “Whitechapel Vision”.  John Biggs has said he supports the general vision but not necessarily moving the Town Hall to the old Royal London Hospital site – if the figures work out better, it could move back to the old Town Hall in Patriot Square.

21.55  Cllr Danny Hassell asked if the Mayor will continue to do extensive written reports: John Biggs says he will, and he will work with the Constitution Working Party to see how things can be done best.

21.52  Cllr Peter Golds also backs Jeremy Corbyn.  He thanks John Biggs for visiting the Isle of Dogs.  He looks forward to Overview & Scrutiny Committee being taken more seriously and questioning John Biggs in the Committee’s Challenge Sessions.  He is pleased there were no appeals against Licensing Committee decisions last year and hopes John Biggs will visit the Committee and see how well it and its officers works.

21.51  Cllr Oli Rahman now gets a minute to speak as Leader of the main opposition party.  He cannot remember calling John Biggs “right wing” – but notes that the Labour Party is busy trying to be at least as right wing as the Tory Government most of the time and hopes Jeremy Corbyn will be elected Leader and save the Labour Party.  He just wonders if John Biggs will be transparent on the Rich Mix business.

21.46  Now we are on the Mayor’s report.  John Biggs has done an extensive written report, which is in the agenda.  The Tories moved that he should have eight minutes to speak (rather than 5, as in standing orders) with Group Leaders having more time too.  This was defeated.  John Biggs is now saying that the Council needs to look at its structure and examine how the mayoral model will work best.  He has added that, for example, Cllr Rabina Khan has made some good points this evening and he welcomes this – and councillors are not there to assassinate each others’ characters even if they have to confront each other at election time.  He has asked various councillors to look into this and into other subjects: Cllr Siraj Islam on Welfare Reform; and Cllr Rachel Blake into affordable housing.  He is trying to be pragmatic (even if Cllr Oli Rahman would call this “right wing”), but he has principles such as providing genuinely affordable housing and standing up for those affected by changes in government policy on benefits.  He believes the debate has been of good quality this evening and this should continue.  (Other may of course call this “anodyne”.)

21.42  John Allison has asked John Biggs how many regeneration schemes are on site, schemes which may provide social housing.  John Biggs says about half a dozen.  John Allison says would John Biggs join him in congratulating Cllr Rabina Khan for her efforts in getting so many schemes off the ground.  John Biggs is saying that he congratulates Cllr Khan for some of her comments and suggestions, but she is associated with some things he doesn’t agree with.  He has gone on to say that there are housing schemes which are labelled as “affordable” but which are not “affordable” and the Council should look at its policies on this.  He has not referred to the fact that “affordable” rents are set and enforced by the Government – and by London Mayor Boris Johnson, whom John Biggs is supposed to be scrutinising as one of his two full time jobs.

21.35  Cllr Oli Rahman has asked to vary the order of business to take a motion on welfare reform.  Councillors are reading it as it is being tabled.  It criticised the Borough’s MPs for not voting against the Welfare Bill.  Independent councillors are willing to take it: Labour is not.

21.31  Question 6.4 fell as the questioner was not present.  Now Shuily Akthar is asking how many children received free school meals since Mayor Lutfur Rahman introduced them.  Cllr Rachel Saunders is getting a rare chance to speak: as usual, she is going through her answer to quickly it is impossible to follow what she is saying.  She has basically said that the Council cannot provide the numbers, and that free school meals are a Labour policy which Labour forced Mayor Lutfur Rahman to implement.  Shuily asked if Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s University Grants will continue: Cllr Saunders says they are being reviewed.

21.29  Geoff Juden is now asking whether it was wise for Transport for London to knock down 29 trees as part of its renovation of Mile End Road.  John Biggs is replying again.  He heard about this issue when he was on the GLA.  He believes that the Council is pressing Transport for London to find places to plant alternative trees.  Geoff suggests that the Council involves community organisations involved with horticulture: it is not just a case of replacing trees but of having a proper planting programme.  John Biggs agrees.

21.28  The second question is from Dean Morrison who is asking for his organisation (a leaseholder organisation) to be given premises and funds.  Cllr Siraj Islam says that he is happy to look at ways of supporting TH Leaseholder Association, but not by giving them right to buy receipts (as the question has asked).

21.22  We are now taking questions from the public.

21.22  The first question is from Kathy McTasney, who has caught the Council removing disabled people’s individual parking bays.  John Biggs is answering.  He believes the policy was set a long time ago and in 2000 it was agreed that there would be reviews.  He thinks there should be reviews and reviews of the reviews so people can appeal.  He is telling Kathy that she has got it wrong: there is no widespread withdrawal of personal bays but just some reviews.  Kathy is pointing out that this is not what happened in her case.  John Biggs has agreed to go away and review the policy and he believes that the previous mayor may have pushed for bays to be reviewed in order to get more general bays.  Kathy invited John to visit her to find out the facts.

21.03  Andy Erlam is now presenting a petition which has secured more than 2,000 petitions and is therefore entitled to have an 18 minute debate.  Mr Erlam is one of the four petitioners who brought an election petition against Mayor Lutfur Rahman.  Formal advice in the agenda points out that the Council cannot over-ride a decision of the Mayor.  Cllr Siraj Islam is proposing an emergency motion asking John Biggs to reconsider the decision made by the previous Mayor.

20.58  Cllr Marc Francis is speaking now.  He thinks it is shocking when we don’t hear the whole truth.  He recalls being Lead Member for Housing in 2008: it was frustrating working with Island Homes and its successor bodies then and remains so.  He remembers that the Council did not put many of the promises made to tenants (in the Offer Document) in the Transfer Document (which is legally enforceable).  He points out that Conservative Ministers did not intervene when OHG took over Island Homes in 2012.  (He hasn’t mentioned that he himself secured the intervention of Labour Housing Minister Margaret Beckett, and that was not successful either.)

20.56  Cllr Ohid Ahmed is saying that his group generally supports the motion.  He is pointing out that John Biggs’s recent promise to use the Council’s power to refuse CPOs to bring OHG to line is not in the motion.

20.55  Another Conservative Councillor is speaking, saying that OHG has a poor record in running some of the new blocks it owns.  He believes there are good examples of resident-led estates being developed across London and this should be followed.

20.41  Cllr Rachel Blake has apparently had OHG residents talking to her too.  She is concerned about OHG plans to develop the Isle of Dogs.  She feels that OHG betrayed the trust tenants placed in them.  She believes the motion sends a strong message to OHG that there is space on the Island, but OHG has to give a decent service.  Residents have told her they want more homes for their children and other members of their community and recognise this means redevelopment.

20.49:  Cllr Rabina Khan is now saying that the stock transfer did not contain enough safeguards.  She feels the motion should include service charges.  She pointed out that OHG failed to deliver promises they made at O&S, and that OHG was struck out as a preferred partner in 2010.

20.47  Cllr Josh Peck is now speaking about poor service from OHG.  He is noting that OHG refused to attend the Overview & Scrutiny last year, until he had gone to a public meeting OHG had held at Labour Party Conference and embarrassed them in public.

20.42: Cllr Golds is moving a friendly amendment that the Council should support having a meeting with the Housing Minister (the Minister is apparently amenable to this).  Cllr Golds is quoting various horror stories from his time dealing with OHG residents: unfortunately, the one about the TV cable is not accurate.  Cllr Chapman, another Conservative Councillor, is trying to second the motion (which has been seconded already) and welcomes it as building on the work of the Conservative councillors on the Island.  Cllr Chesterton has accepted the amendment, but suggests additional housing associations who perform poorly should also be discussed.

20.35  Some Councillors have left.  Cllr Dave Chesterton is now moving his emergency motion.  The motion gives a great deal of history and lists some actions it wants the Mayor to take.  Cllr Chesterton is running through various problems with OHG: too quickly to record as he speaks.  He has rather confused the consultation process (which was supposed to be on service standards, not on planning).  He thinks OHG have misled tenants on whether they have plans: but the sentence he quoted is entirely true (this is how OHG often do things – speak the truth but avoid mentioning further detail.  He is astonished at some of the rents OHG charges: but these are rents which the Coalition Government put in place and are widely used by social landlords.  He calls for the Council to take legal action to enforce the Transfer Agreement: but the Labour Council in 2008 got legal advice on doing this and concluded it was not possible.  There is a great deal of wishful thinking in this motion.  If Labour was so opposed to OHG’s poor services, why did they transfer the estates in the first place?

20.25  Cllr Dave Chesterton has now moved an emergency motion.  We are now having a long debate about whether councillors who have a relationship with OHG (e.g., they are a tenant or a leaseholder or married to one or are on the board) are entitled to be in the room while the motion is discussed.  The Council’s Monitoring Officer is generally saying they cannot, and Cllrs Joshua Peck and Marc Francis are disagreeing with him.  Cllr Oli Rahman is now pointing out that Cllr Denise Jones was allowed to be present during a Cabinet debate on the Rich Mix Centre, though she is a Board Member of it.  The Monitoring Officer is holding his ground.  Cllr Rachael Saunders is saying that there is a difference between being on the Board of a Housing Association and being a tenant or leaseholder of it.  The Monitoring Officer continues to hold his ground and believes that the Council’s Code of Conduct was not updated when the law changed.

20.06: Arthur Coppin is now presenting a petition on behalf of residents of One Housing Group (OHG) on the Isle of Dogs.  It is asking the Council to make One Housing Group clarify what its plans are and to ensure that any plans for the four estates protect the existing communities. This is a bit silly of the residents, as planning decisions have to be taken on a “quasi judicial” basis.  If any councillors indicate they support the residents, they won’t be able to vote on the planning applications.  If any Group formally supports residents, the whole Group could be ruled out.  By putting a petition like this, the residents could give One Housing Group grounds to say that the Council should not decide its eventual planning application and that the decision should go straight to the Secretary of State.  Cllr Creegan has just said that he supports the residents’ petition.  It is not clear  how many OHG residents have been informed that these people are bringing a petition, or on what basis it is being brought.  Cllr Oli Rahman has said that he is an OHG tenant and has this evening received a letter stating that the consultation has been concluded. Perhaps he is confusing the consultation on OHG service standards with a consultation on the intended planning application.  He is asking Arthur if the petitioning residents have any contact with the Board Members.  He has also asked John Biggs if he has met OHG since the mayoral election.  Arthur the resident says OHG has not consulted any residents and he thinks the OHG letter which came out today may be because of the petition tonight.  He wants the Council to tell OHG to stop their secrecy and to consult residents openly.  He wants an undertaking that the Council will not consider any planning applications unless there is open consultation: the Council cannot, of course, give any such undertaking – that would be quite unlawful.  John Biggs is now answering the petition.  He says he did meet OHG some time ago, in his role as a GLA member.  He has now received a request to meet the Chief Executive of OHG.  He supports the residents and has concerns about OHG who, he thinks, give a poor service and act in bad faith.  He wants to see RPs throughout the borough do better.  He believes that OHG need the Council to support their plans – because OHG would need the Council to consent to some compulsory purchase orders.  This is extraordinary!  John Biggs has announced in full Council that the council will use its CPO powers to influence the planning process because it disagrees with the applicant.  Surely this must be unlawful – or at least (Council meetings are recorded and the recording are publicly available) give OHG grounds for appeal against any failure to grant CPOs.

 

20.00  Mr Muhammad Haque (and others) has presented a petition calling on the Council to do better.  Cllr Ohid Ahmed has made some comments – but then got heckled as his comments do not constitute a question.  Cllr Oli Rahman asked whether it was a good use of money to appoint a very expensive Chief Executive.  John Biggs has now made a reply: a meandering comment claiming that he will look at transparency of Council processes.

 

19.55 The next item on the agenda is public petitions.

The first is from residents of Lister and Treves Houses, who want the Council to hurry up and do major works to their blocks.  There has been a bit of a knockabout – with Labour councillors such as Jon Pierce and Danny Hassell inviting the petitioner to say that the previous Cabinet Member for Housing (Cllr Rabina Khan) should have done better and delay is all her fault; while the petitioner has said that Cllr Khan was the only councillor to come down and give them consistent help.  The new Cabinet Member responsible for Housing (Cllr Siraj Islam) has trotted quickly through a reply that it was difficult to follow but included the news that there will be a report later this year. The deep and bitter irony is that after four years of Labour baying at Mayor Lutfur Rahman for not answering questions in person, but getting Cabinet Members to answer questions relating to their portfolio – John Biggs is sitting silent on the top table, and his Cabinet Member responsible for the matter has given then answer…

 

19.30  Here we are back at the Council. John Biggs is sat on the top table: we’re not sure if he has intentionally sat on the right hand side (Mayor Lutfur Rahman used to sit on the left).

We have begun with something of a farce – thanks in the main to the chairing of the meeting by the Speaker.  Cllr Oliur Rahman moved an emergency motion calling on the Council to give support to the family of the little girl who died in Mile End Park last week.  The Speaker forgot (we assume) to ask him to clarify first why the Council should take the motion as an emergency (so the Council could vote on whether to take the emergency motion) – and Cllr Oliur (who should have realised what he was supposed to do, even if the Speaker was not explicit) moved the actual motion.  At this point John Biggs intervened and said the procedure was quite wrong.  We expected him to explain that there should first be a decision on whether the motion was an emergency: but instead he just said it was a silly motion because the Council was already co-operating with the Health and Safety Executive.  The Labour Councillors then voted against taking the motion.  It will be interesting to see whether John Biggs continues to eclipse Cllr Rachel Saunders (previously – and still? – Leader of the Labour Group), who used to run Labour operations at Council meetings before.