Agenda item

 

a)         Public Questions (30 minutes)

To receive questions from the public gallery and submitted questions by residents in advance of the meeting.

 

b)         Leader and Cabinet Questions (105 minutes)

            To receive questions from Councillors.

The Mayor began the item with questions from Members of the public.

 

Michael O’Dwyer asked a question relating to 20mph speed limits. Councillor King responded that Transport for London (TfL) funded the 20mph limit scheme in Croydon at approximately £1.5million. It was stated that the scheme was popular with residents.

 

Michael O’Dwyer asked a supplementary question regarding enforcement and revenue from the scheme. Councillor King responded that the police held the legal powers to enforce the speed limits and had informed the Council that enforcement would continue in the same way in which 30mph limits were enforced. The revenue from fines went directly to the Treasury, not the local authority.

 

Tony Pearson asked for information on the New Addington leisure centre development.  Councillor Butler confirmed that the centre was on target for completion in 2018 and was a significant offer for the local community.

 

Tony Pearson asked a supplementary question regarding the site of the old leisure centre. Councillor Butler responded that various options were being considered for the site, and that one such option was the building of a health centre.

 

Joseph Lee asked for an update on the Blackhorse bridge works. Councillor King responded that this was a priority project for the Council and TfL and were necessary works due to the deterioration of the bridge. It was anticipated that the works would be completed by January 2019. 

 

Joseph Lee asked a supplementary question related to the updating of local residents on progress of the works.  Councillor King responded that residents were being kept updated in a number of ways including an on-site notice board and a regular email bulletin that went to Ward Councillors and residents who had indicated to be included on the circular.

 

Blake O’Donnell asked a question related to fly tipping in Norbury. Councillor Collins responded that there had been a good clearance rate in the area compared to the previous administration. Residents were encouraged to report fly tips and hotspots were monitored by officers to ensure offenders were prosecuted; this included covert surveillance operations in Norbury.

 

Blake O’Donnell asked a supplementary question on the impact the Don’t Mess With Croydon campaign was having in the area. Councillor Collins responded that the campaign was working and was encouraging residents to report incidents. It was stated that the opposition should provide ideas on how to tackle the issue and not just pronounce that the borough was bad.

 

Stuart Millson asked a question on parking permits in the Lower Church Street Area. Councillor King responded with detailed information on the permits issued to households in the vicinity.

 

Stuart Millson asked a supplementary question regarding proposed consultations with residents on the issue. Councillor King responded that the intention was to consult with residents in January 2018 and one solution was to integrate the area into the central controlled parking zone to ease the pressure on road parking.

 

Ian Leonard asked a question related to affordable housing proposals at the Longheath Gardens estate. Councillor Butler responded that the proposals for the site were 100% affordable housing.

 

Ian Leonard asked a supplementary question related to an alleged incident of Brick by Brick officers hiding their identities from local residents in the area Councillor Butler responded that she was not aware of the incident.

 

Calum Bardsley asked a question relating to the lease of the Boxpark site. The Leader responded that Boxpark’s lease was held by a private company and was not due for renewal for three and a half years. The Leader stated that he was confident that Boxpark would continue into the future.

 

Calum Bardsley asked a supplementary question related to the administration’s position on the night time economy in the borough. The Leader responded that the current administration was undertaking a lot of work for the night time economy offer in Croydon, from Boxpark to the redevelopment of Fairfield Halls.

 

Tamara Coleman asked a question on plans for improvement of street lighting in the Longheath Gardens estate.  Councillor Butler responded that specific areas of concern could be looked at to see what could be improved.

 

Tamara Coleman asked a supplementary question stating that some key pedestrian areas required improved street lighting. Councillor Butler responded that site visits could be undertaken along with the Ward Councillors to look at the issues identified.

 

Ian Cordery asked what assurances could be given that Brick by Brick would consult residents on identified sites for development. Councillor Butler responded that Brick by Brick followed government guidance on consultations and engaged with local communities with a variety of methods. Lessons would be learnt as more consultations were undertaken and improved upon.

 

Ian Cordery asked a supplementary question related to the commitment to consultations from Brick by Brick. Councillor Butler responded that the Council wanted residents to be a part of the schemes, such as the Longheath Gardens development.

 

Joanne Martin asked a question on the governance of Brick by Brick. Councillor Butler responded that it was an independent company with the Council as the sole shareholder. It therefore fell under the same regulations as any other development company, and proposals had to be approved by the Planning Committee like other schemes.

 

Philip Smith asked a question on litter bins on the High Street. Councillor Collins responded that big belly bins had been introduced on most high streets in the borough. The new waste contract would re-introduce afternoon clear ups and additional clear ups on Saturdays. There was also the introduction of time-banded waste collection for high street businesses.

 

The Mayor then moved the item to Councillor questions to the Leader.

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The Leader welcomed the announcement of the proposed £100million re-development of the Selhurst Park football stadium.

 

Councillor Tim Pollard asked a question on the London Plan proposals to introduce a presumption in favour of back garden developments. The Leader responded that the proposals were to address the need for affordable housing in London given the considerable growth in the city.

 

Councillor Tim Pollard asked a supplementary question on the lack of protection for back gardens in the London Plan. The Leader responded that the plans were a commitment to sustainable growth in London and that the opposition were attempting to make a scare story.

 

Councillor Audsley asked for information on how the London Living Wage (LLW) would be incorporated into the Westfield development.  The Leader responded that the LLW target should be 100% of all jobs created in the development. The Council was a LLW employer and would encourage all businesses in Croydon to sign up.

 

Councillor Audsley asked a supplementary question related to supporting LLW through consumers’ buying power. The Leader responded that shops signed up to the LLW should be supported and it was people power that could make a real difference.

 

Councillor Hopley asked what assurances had been received that the failings identified in children’s services were not happening in adults’ services. The Leader responded that in response to the Ofsted report, service delivery had been looked at across the Council and this included adults’ services. Despite the significant cuts to funding, issues were being addressed. It was further stated that adult social services were significantly underfunded, yet the opposition had voted against the precept to help fill the funding vacuum.

 

Councillor Hopley asked a supplementary question on assurances regarding the political leadership of the service. The Leader responded that the improvements for adults’ and children’s services would need additional funding; action was needed to address the issues, not words.

 

Councillor Lewis asked if the Leader would join with residents of New Addington in celebrating the engagement of Prince Harry. The Leader responded that he welcomed the news.

 

Councillor Lewis invited the Leader to join a New Addington street party organised by residents to celebrate the event. The Leader stated it was a wonderful idea and committed to attend the event.

 

Councillor Bonner asked if the Leader would write to the officers and organisations involved in the memorial events that had taken place across the borough for those affected by the 2016 tram disaster. The Leader responded that everyone involved would be formally written to and it was another example of the community coming together during adversity.

 

The Mayor added that she had written letters of thanks to all those involved in the memorial services.

 

 

The Mayor then moved the item to Councillor questions to the first pool of Cabinet Members.

 

Councillor Collins announced that the Council was introducing Christmas tree pickups for the 2017 festive period.

 

Councillor King announced that the High Court had refused an application to judicially review the Council’s decision to implement 20mph limits in the borough.

 

Councillor Hall announced that the recent national budget did not address the funding deficit for children’s and adults’ social services. This was compared with the administration introducing Council Tax relief for care workers and supporting vulnerable residents.

 

Councillor Hopley asked whether it was correct for the Pension Committee to mandate the use of a company whose parent company had been found guilty of fraudulent activity. Councillor Hall responded that the decision made at the meeting was to delegate the decision to the Executive Director of Resources in consultation with Councillor Hall and the Chair of the Pension Committee. It was right to consider all available options and to ask the right questions when coming to a decision.

 

Councillor Hopley asked for Councillor Hall’s opinion on ethical investment. Councillor Hall responded that organisations must be looked at very carefully and a cautious approach should be taken.

 

Councillor Mann asked a question related to the implementation of coffee cup recycling and water foundation installations. Councillor Collins responded that the new South London Waste Partnership contract included recycling education as part of the contract. Recycling needed to be made as simple as possible.

 

Councillor Mann asked a supplementary question on the Sutton incinerator. Councillor Collins responded that there were concerns over the air pollution generated by the site and that the Council would work with the Health Agency to ensure that strict controls were in place and that the air was properly filtered before being released.

 

Councillor Chatterjee asked a question on changes to the way fly tipping incidents were reported. Councillor Collins responded that the statistics were collated by the contractor and had been changed to reflect incidents of fly tipping more accurately.

 

Councillor Chatterjee asked a supplementary question on why year on year comparisons were not used. Councillor Collins responded that half year comparisons were utilised and the current figures were encouraging with more fines being issued and incidents down in all but three wards in the borough.

 

Councillor Canning asked for fly tipping figures in the Waddon ward. Councillor Collins responded that incidents in Waddon had fallen by nearly 30% and thanked the Ward Councillors for their support of the Don’t Mess With Croydon campaign.

 

Councillor Canning asked a supplementary question regarding allegations that opposition Councillors were suggesting that streets in the ward were messy when they were not. Councillor Collins responded that such behaviour disrespected the local resident champions of the campaign and the officers that monitored the contract. A lot of steps had been taken by the administration to improve the cleanliness of Croydon’s streets and it was alleged that the opposition were not offering anything but negative campaigning.

 

Councillor Buttinger asked what could be done about fly tipping at the corner of Lower Addiscombe Road and Blackhorse Lane. Councillor Collins responded that he had visited the site and that time-banded rubbish collections would be introduced. All businesses in the area were being communicated with by officers to ensure that proper trade waste licences were in place and adhered to.

 

Councillor Buttinger asked a supplementary question regarding car parking issues that were affecting the same area. Councillor Collins responded that the issue would be raised with the Director of Streets to look into.  

 

Councillor Wood asked, after the success of the scheme in Selhurst Ward, when the safe school parking initiative would be rolled out across the rest of the borough. Councillor King responded that consultation on the scheme would conclude in March 2018 at which point it would be assessed by officers and if appropriate a proposal would be presented to the Traffic Management Advisory Committee (TMAC).

 

Councillor Wood asked a supplementary question related to improving air quality in the borough. Councillor King responded that air quality was a major priority for the Council and part of the schools programme was to promote sustainable school journeys to help clean the air in the vicinity of schools. Central government was urged to provide national leadership on the issue and allow for London to bid for clean air funding.

 

Councillor Mohan asked if the Cabinet Member was happy with the one way systems implemented in Addiscombe. Councillor King responded that the measures had been widely discussed at the TMAC meeting for over two hours with considerable resident participation.

 

Councillor Mohan asked a supplementary question related to what long term solution was being considered. Councillor King responded that the long term solution would be encouraging residents to opt for environmentally friendly forms of transport, as the problem originated from too many cars being on the road. This strategy complemented the Mayor of London’s transport plan.

 

Councillor Audsley asked whether, as part of the Westfield development, consideration would be given to changing the name of the East Croydon rail station. Councillor King responded that the administration’s priority was to ensure the planning application for Westfield was secured and that homes and jobs were forthcoming.

 

Councillor Audsley asked a supplementary question related to long term plans to transform the town centre to be more cycle friendly. Councillor King responded that reports were due to upcoming Cabinet meetings which would set out the transport projects planned for the borough as well as a cycle strategy.

 

 

The Mayor then moved the item to the second pool of Cabinet Members.

 

Councillor Godfrey announced that the bid to become the London Borough of Culture had been submitted and that it was an excellent opportunity to support the cultural growth and regeneration of Croydon.

 

Councillor Flemming announced that a successful young persons’ takeover of the Council had taken place and was part of the process of getting young people involved in local democracy. It was further announced that the improvement board plan was due to be discussed at the scrutiny committee the day after the Council meeting.

 

Councillor Gatland asked what steps had been taken to improve Children’s Services since the Ofsted report. Councillor Flemming responded that regular meetings had been held with officers and progress against the plan was reviewed to ensure that the service was moving in the right direction. The Cabinet Member had recently attended a trip to Dudley to look at how that Council had undertaken its improvement journey.

 

Councillor Gatland asked a supplementary question on whether residents could have confidence in the Cabinet Member’s leadership after the Ofsted findings. Councillor Flemming responded that a number of actions had been implemented since the report findings and that she was fully committed to ensuring significant improvement in the service.

 

Councillor Mann asked what steps were being taken to ensure that the Christmas festival in Ashburton took place with minimal disruption to local residents. Councillor Godfrey responded that a number of measures would be in place to deal with issues such as residential road parking and noise pollution from generators. The Councillor was invited to report any further issues directly to the Cabinet Member or officers.

 

Councillor Mann asked a supplementary question related to the opening of the redeveloped Ashburton Hall. Councillor Godfrey responded that the opening was a hallmark of the new administration and that the hall would be a showcase for the whole borough.

 

Councillor Bennett asked what was being done to reduce the high caseloads of social workers. Councillor Flemming responded that additional support had been embedded to identify and relieve areas of the service with high caseloads. Officers were also looking at long term sustainable support options.

 

Councillor Bennett asked a supplementary question pertaining to concerns that had been raised with her by social workers on the high volume of caseloads. Councillor Flemming responded that certain sections of the service had high caseloads and support was being targeted at those areas.

 

Councillor Lewis asked for an update on the submission for Croydon to be the London Borough of Culture. Councillor Godfrey responded that the administration had made the Council take culture seriously, with changes such as the Cabinet Member portfolio focus, the appointment of a Director of Culture and the redevelopment of the Fairfield Halls.

 

Councillor Lewis asked a supplementary question regarding what the Cabinet Member hoped his legacy would be. Councillor Godfrey responded that a number of initiatives had brought cultural communities together and that the message was getting out that Croydon was the place to be for culture.

 

Councillor Hopley asked a question relating to concerns over the constitutional changes to the Health and Wellbeing Board. Councillor Woodley responded that the concerns raised were unfounded and that clear guidance had been provided at the recent Board meeting, with a clear strategy and work programme.

 

Councillor Hopley asked a supplementary question pertaining to the alleged politicisation of the board to the detriment of the voluntary sector.

 

Councillor Shahul-Hameed, responding as Chair of the Board, stated that Councillor Hopley’s concerns had not been raised at the recent Board meeting, and that the Board was developing a strategy and action plan.

 

 

Councillor Wood asked for an update on the progress of the Legacy Youth Zone. Councillor Flemming responded that work was expected to start on site in January 2018 and that the plans were for the centre to be open every day and evening, with young people involved in shaping the plans.

 

Councillor Wood asked a supplementary question related to safe travel for young people attending the facility. Councillor Flemming responded that young people had raised safety as a key issue for them. A report was due to be presented to Cabinet in January 2018, where full details of transport and other matters would be detailed.

 

Councillor Hollands asked a question related to senior Members of the Majority group expressing disappoint at the Thornton Heath leisure centre. Councillor Godfrey responded that residents had been unhappy with the service as was the administration; a strong bidding process for a new operator was to be set up. That would ensure that a quality operator would be in place for the facility.

 

Councillor Rendle asked a question related to an All-Party Parliamentary Group report expressing headteachers’ concerns over support for autistic children in schools. Councillor Flemming responded that teachers and assistant teachers needed more support in schools and that the issue needed support across both parties.

 

The Mayor then moved the item to the final pool of Cabinet Members.

 

Councillor Ali announced that a Public Safety Protection Order (PSPO) would soon be in force in the town centre after consultation with residents.

 

Councillor Perry asked a question pertaining to the Mayor of London’s planned changes to back-garden development. Councillor Butler responded that the opposition was using emotive language on the matter, and that the Council would respond to the consultation on the plans.

 

Councillor Perry asked a supplementary question on whether the Council would oppose the proposals. Councillor Butler responded that the plans would be looked at in detail however there was recognition for the need for more homes in London.

 

Councillor Canning asked for an update on the success of the landlord licensing scheme. Councillor Butler responded that it had been a success and that a report would be submitted to a future Cabinet meeting outlining the statistics.

 

Councillor Canning asked a supplementary question on the positive effect the scheme had made to a Waddon resident. Councillor Butler responded that she would pass on thanks to the officers involved and that the preference was to work with landlords to provide improved homes rather than to depend solely on prosecutions.

 

Councillor Dudley Mead asked a question around concerns arising from the published financial accounts of Brick by Brick. Councillor Hall responded that the published accounts reflected early stages of the development programme. The next set of accounts would provide a more accurate reflection of the assets of the company, as development works on some sites would be completed.

 

Councillor Dudley Mead asked a supplementary question pertaining to concerns on the governance structure of the Brick by Brick company. Councillor Hall responded that it was the central government restrictions on councils’ abilities to build council homes that necessitated the setting up of organisations such as Brick by Brick to provide affordable housing.

 

Councillor Clouder asked a question on youth knife crime and whether there was support for the Central Croydon MP’s parliamentary work on the issue. Councillor Ali responded that she supported the work of the MP and that the Council was taking actions across the borough to tackle the issue of knife crime. That action included working with partners such as schools and community organisations, and bidding for funding to undertake further programmes and initiatives.  

 

Councillor Helen Pollard asked a question relating to the planning process when considering the protection of green spaces in the borough. Councillor Butler responded that there were local protections for such spaces as well as protections under the London Plan and government regulations.

 

Councillor Helen Pollard asked a supplementary question pertaining to how evidence was considered when deciding on development on such spaces. Councillor Butler responded that the methodology applied was the same as under the previous administration.

 

Councillor Rendle asked how anti-social behaviour would be tackled in the context of further government cuts to the Metropolitan Police. Councillor Ali responded that the cuts were a concern particularly in the context of the rise in violent crime in London. Ward budgets were being used to tackle anti-social behaviour such as in Ashburton Ward which had been a success.

 

Councillor Gatland asked a question pertaining to a planning application at Coombe Road playing fields.

 

The Chief Executive advised that Part 4A of the Constitution disallowed questions related to a live planning application.

 

Councillor Gatland asked whether the Cabinet Member was satisfied with the planning process. Councillor Butler responded that she was satisfied with the process and that it adhered to requirements as stated in legislation.

 

Councillor Pelling asked a question on work undertaken to protect residents from potential vehicular terrorist attacks. Councillor Ali responded that the Council was working with Police counter terrorism command and organisers of events in Croydon were required to consider the issue, such as Crystal Palace Football Club on match days.

 

Councillor Pelling asked a supplementary question on how the growth fund could be used to promote further work on the issue. Councillor Ali responded that a report would be presented to a future meeting of the Cabinet describing in detail what was being undertaken.

 

Councillor O’Connell asked a question on the proposed merger of borough commands in London by the Metropolitan Police. Councillor Ali responded that the proposals were in response to the scale of the cuts by central government on Police budgets, and that the Council had raised concerns over the proposals.

 

Councillor O’Connell asked a supplementary question as to whether the proposals were being considered regardless of the budget cuts. Councillor Ali responded that the proposals were a response to the cuts to Police budgets.