Agenda item

a)    Public Questions (30 minutes)

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

 

b)    Leader and Cabinet Member Questions (105 minutes)

To receive questions from Councillors.

Public Questions

 

The Mayor explained that Croydon Question Time would commence with thirty minutes of public questions to the Leader and Cabinet members with preference being given to those with questions who were in attendance at the meeting.

 

Croydon resident, Ms Patricia Blyghton asked Councillor Campbell, Deputy Cabinet Member for Families, Health and Social Care about the reduction in Council funding to Croydon Accessible Transport (CAT) which was to come into effect from April 2020. Specifically, the Cabinet Member was asked to explain how elderly residents would access their social clubs once the reduction in funding had been applied.

 

Councillor Campbell thanked Ms Blyghton for her question. It was explained that discussions were taking place with CAT and that the organisation had been invited to participate in a competitive tendering process. Whilst CAT had acknowledged the need to restructure to become financially sustainable it hadn’t been successful in the tendering process. However, regardless of funding or tendering, the Council had offered CAT three mini buses to support its work. CAT was reviewing the offer with a response anticipated.

 

In her supplementary question, Ms Blyghton asked to be informed how many charities in the Borough had been affected by a similar reduction and/or loss in funding from the Council? Councillor Campbell was not able to provide a detailed response and committed to respond outside of the meeting.

 

Croydon resident, Mr Todd Smith noted that the Council had committed to the installation of 400 electric car charging points across the Borough by 2022. He asked Councillor King, the Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport & Regeneration (Job Share) if the Council was on schedule to deliver this commitment.

 

Councillor King thanked Mr Smith for his question and noted that if the Council was going to be successful in encouraging the switch to electric vehicles, it had to ensure the charging infrastructure was in place to make this feasible. Councillor King explained that by the end of 2020, 200 charging points would be installed with the locations for the remaining 200 being identified. It was also reported that the first 18 of 60 charging points had been introduced powered by street lighting columns.

 

In his supplementary question, Mr Smith highlighted how research had demonstrated that fully automated on-demand driverless cars cost four times less and freed-up parking space that could be used for food production. Mr Smith asked to know if the Council was exploring on-demand driverless vehicle projects. Councillor King agreed that there were real benefits to be gained from driverless vehicles and confirmed the Council was a participant in a pilot with the aim to be the beneficiaries of technological advances.

 

Croydon resident, Mr Daniel Lukes asked Councillor Collins, Cabinet Member for Clean, Green Croydon about plastic waste management and why the incineration of plastic was classified as recycling and reuse.

 

Cabinet Member Collins thanked Mr Lukes for his question and explained that this was not accurate; incineration was not classed as recycling. It was highlighted that recycling in Croydon was up to 47%, placing the Borough in top six in London. The only time that plastics would be incinerated was if they were included in residual waste collections. However, this was not classed as recycling despite ash from incineration being used to manufacture breeze blocks in addition to energy being reclaimed from the incineration process. The Cabinet Member stressed that all plastic items collected through the recycling process in Croydon were taken to a specialist recycling centre. Mr Luke was asked to clarify the source of the claim.

 

In his supplementary question, Mr Lukes clarified that the information about the incineration of plastics being described as recycling was taken from Veolia’s website. Councillor Collins highlighted that the commitment to incineration had been agreed by the last Administration and that he was not particularly supportive of this approach to waste management. However, incineration of some residual waste was still better than putting it all into the ground. The Cabinet Member highlighted the Environment Agency’s guidelines on emissions and that these had never been exceeded by the Beddington incinerator. In fact, the Mayor of London’s New Year firework display gave off more particles than the incinerator all year round. Councillor Collins expressed his preference for no particles and noted that as technology improved it was hoped this would be achieved. The incineration of some waste was described as the lesser of two evils.

 

Croydon resident, Mr George Hibbard asked Councillor King about the carbon footprint of local businesses and what the Council was doing to make them accountable and to encourage them to make reductions.

 

Councillor King thanked Mr Hibbard for his question and stressed the Council’s own commitment to reducing its own carbon footprint and emissions. The Cabinet Member explained that realising this commitment included working with local businesses and encouraging them to change. It was described how the Council was signposting information and funding for businesses to assist them to take action. This was in addition to both a Citizens’ Assembly and Climate Commission being established which would consult with residents and experts as a way of equipping the Council to deal with the challenges of environmental change.

 

Mr Daniel Lukes asked a question on behalf of Croydon resident Ms Clare Buchanan regarding the 11 large glass houses in Conduit Lane. These were described as a potential excellent resource for the community and Ms Buchanan sought to understand if there were any plans to bring them into community use.

 

Councillor King thanked Ms Buchanan for her question and explained that the Council was undertaking an overall review of its depot estate as part of its overall asset management and planning; once this had been completed the Council would look at the potential offered by the estate and how best it could be utilised. However, the Cabinet Member also noted that the Council was already taking action. The Green Fund provided £250K of funding for environment initiatives. This was being used to support initiatives such as Good Food Matters in New Addington, with community food growers providing access to healthy food.

 

Again on behalf of Ms Buchanan, Mr Lukes used the opportunity of a supplementary question to ask about the Council’s plans to promote food resilience. Councillor King expressed his understanding of concerns regarding potential food shortages. However, it was explained that given the scale of the issue, should food shortages occur, this would be a matter for the Government nationally to address. It was again stressed that Croydon was undertaking a Citizens’ Assembly and Climate Commission to consider in-depth solutions to climate change but that it would be down to the Government to coordinate action to address food shortages on a national scale.

 

Croydon resident, Mr James Hogg, asked the Leader, Councillor Tony Newman, why there was no permanent display commemorating the battle of Arnhem in 1944 following the completion of the refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls.

 

The Leader thanked Mr Hogg for his question and took the opportunity to highlight the Council’s commemorations for Holocaust Memorial Day that had occurred earlier on the same day as Council. Councillor Newman noted the need to be ever vigilant. This had been demonstrated by the painting of Nazi symbols in a neighbouring Borough. However, it was explained that Councillor Lewis, the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport was not able to attend the meeting (it was noted he was on his honeymoon). On behalf of Councillor Lewis, the Leader explained that it was not being stated that there would not be a public display. Rather it had not been decided where this public display would be located. The Leader stressed the Borough’s very proud link with Arnhem which the Council was keen to reinforce. This was illustrated by the Mayor’s annual visit. It was explained that an announcement about a permanent display would be made.

 

In his supplementary question, Mr Hogg stated that it was a matter of public record that emails had been sent and Twitter used to request information regarding the display of the Arnhem artefacts. The Leader was asked if he thought it was acceptable not to respond when these were from those who had lost family members in the battle. The Leader stated that he did not think it was appropriate to expect a response through Twitter or other social media.

 

Croydon resident, Mr John Power asked Councillor Scott, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport & Regeneration (Job Share) about windfall housing target numbers. Mr Power noted that the planning inspectors had judged the Mayor of London’s housing targets to be unrealistic which had resulted in the Mayor reducing these including how they applied to Croydon. Mr Power therefore wanted to know why the higher housing target figures were still in operation and included in the Croydon Local Plan.

 

Councillor Scott thanked Mr Power for his question and explained that the draft London Plan had been sent to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government who had in return asked for a longer period of time to give this his consideration. The Cabinet Member highlighted that it was unlikely that his opinion would be known before the middle of February 2020 but stressed that the Secretary of State had previously indicated that London’s housing targets were too low. Consequently, it was unclear what the target housing figures would be for London overall and Croydon as part of this.

 

Councillor Scott stressed that the recent consultation on Croydon’s Local Plan utilised target housing figures over a 20 year period calculated using the standard methodology provide by national Government. The Cabinet Member explained that there was a need to look very carefully at how sufficient housing was provided in Croydon and that whilst he understood the concerns behind the question, he also understood the concerns of those who did not have a home.

 

In his supplementary question, Mr Power stated that the Council should have to take account of the views of all residents in a fair and balanced way. However, he felt that priority was being given to those who did not live in the Borough to the misery of existing residents. The Cabinet Member highlighted that as a responsible authority, the Council had to listen to all residents and not just those who shouted the loudest. Councillor Scott stressed that there was a housing crisis. Government was committed to building a million new homes over the course of the 2019 Parliament. Equally the Administration was committed to deliver the homes that the Borough needed. This included for the 95,000 children in Croydon’s schools who would grow-up to need homes and especially those who were living in overcrowded or temporary accommodation.

               

Having exhausted the questions from those in attendance at the meeting, the Mayor progressed onto public questions submitted by email.

 

Croydon resident, Mr Tim Coombe asked Councillor Scott, about the Council’s plans to protect areas of the Borough which had already been affected by flooding and were likely to see further floods as the climate crisis deepened.

 

Councillor Scott noted that the Council had statutory responsibility for managing the risk of flooding and that this involved working with key stakeholders such as Thames Water and the Environment Agency. It was described how the Council was following Government guidance on flood management. Areas at risk of flooding were being targeted to make them more resilient and whilst all would rather see no flooding this was impossible to stop. The need to protect the Borough from the risk of flooding was reflected in the Croydon Local Plan through a range of policies such as sustainable urban drainage to ensure that new properties did not cause further risk. Additionally, gardens and the green grid were being protected and tree planting was taking place to protect drainage. Emergency planning was also highlighted as a key aspect of flood protection. Opportunities for reforestation were mentioned with all land owners being encouraged to increase their planting. The Councillor closed by saying that everyone needed to be responsible and to work together.

 

Questions to the Leader

 

The Mayor invited the Leader, Councillor Newman, to make his announcements.

 

The Leader reminded Members of Council that at the point of the meeting, the UK was four days away from leaving the EU and that 33K Croydon residents were also EU citizens of which 11K had applied for settled status. Councillor Newman highlighted that detailed advice on Brexit was available through the Council’s website and reinforced that all those affected should seek advice sooner rather than later despite transitional arrangements remaining in place until the end of 2020.

 

The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Tim Pollard, reported that it was now believed the refurbishment of Fairfield Halls had cost £60m, a third more expensive than the original budget. Councillor Tim Pollard asked the Leader to clarify what the actual costs were of the refurbishment if this figure was not correct.

 

In response, the Leader stated he did not have the figure to hand but that the refurbishment of Fairfield Halls was being examined in detail by the Scrutiny and Overview Committee on Monday 10 February 2020.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Tim Pollard explained that he would welcome an approximate figure, to the nearest million, for the costs of the refurbishment and that Croydon residents needed to know how much had been spent on Fairfield Halls. Councillor Tim Pollard stated that he would continue to ask until the figure was disclosed and that he would be requesting a full independent public inquiry into the refurbishment and its costs.

 

In response, the Leader noted that Councillor Tim Pollard had not referenced any document in quoting figures about the refurbishment. Councillor Newman described the Borough’s cultural sector as very supportive including of Croydon’s recent bid for the London Borough of Culture. It was also noted that the Fairfield Halls were in the running for another national award, recognising that the refurbishment had been delivered at a very reasonable price.

 

Councillor Audsley noted that the effect of the climate crisis was likely to be transformational over the next decade and congratulated the Leader for the work that was being done by the Council to address environmental change. Councillor Audsley asked the Leader to detail what would happen next and how residents could get involved.

 

The Leader explained how the action that was being taken demonstrated the seriousness of the climate emergency. It was described how Croydon was the first to hold a Citizens’ Assembly, allowing a process for listening to the people of Croydon. Also, that Croydon was one of the first to announce a Climate Commission and that this would allow a longer piece of work to address climate change in Croydon. The Leader noted the work that had already been mentioned by other Cabinet Members in their response to questions at the meeting. For example, the increase in recycling, the introduction of electric charging points across the Borough and efforts to protect the Borough from the increased risk of flooding.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Audsley asked the Leader about his experience of addressing other emergencies and to detail the strengths that the Borough had to respond to the climate crisis. The Leader described how the power of the people in the Borough was being harnessed through the Citizens’ Assembly to work with the Council and inform its work. The Citizens’ Assembly and Climate Commission were described as making a powerful contribution with radical change needed which could not be imposed on the people of Croydon. It was important to work with residents to change behaviours. The Leader noted that the experience of flooding in the Borough demonstrated that the risks of climate change were very real.

 

Councillor Brew asked the Leader if he agreed that it was a failure of his leadership for the Pension Fund to have invested in a fund that comprised tobacco investments to withdraw a few weeks later at a cost to the Pension Fund of £300K.

 

In response, the Leader noted that the Pension Fund was in very good health being 93% funded and it had been a very clear policy decision not to invest in tobacco. The Leader noted that if this had happened then it had been corrected immediately.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Brew asked the Leader if he was saying that it did not matter if the Pension Fund had lost £300K. The Leader responded that any loss of funds mattered. However, that investment decisions were made with an element of risk.

 

With time remaining for questions to the Leader, the Mayor asked if there was any Administration Member with an additional question. Councillor Ryan was called by the Mayor and asked the Leader to join him in supporting businesses in Upper Norwood that were being forced out of business because they couldn’t trade any longer due to the effects of austerity and Brexit. The Leader confirmed his willingness to support Councillor Ryan and the businesses in his ward. It was highlighted that Councillor Shahul-Hameed, the Cabinet Member for Economy and Jobs, would be holding a conference for businesses in the Borough at the end of February 2020 focused on Brexit and providing support.

 

Pool 1

 

With the end of the time allocated for questions to the Leader, the Mayor signalled that he was moving on to questions to the Cabinet Members in the first pool. Councillors Butler, Hamida Ali and Shahul-Hameed were invited to make their announcements.

 

Councillor Butler, the Cabinet Member for Housing and Gateway Services, made her announcements.  The Cabinet Member informed Council of the  successful prosecution of the landlord of a property in Thornton Heath where a 13 year old, Kuzi Matope, had died following a house fire.  The judge had agreed entirely with the Council’s action. One of the criteria of the Landlords’ Licensing Scheme was fire prevention measures but neither of the smoke alarms in the property were working at the time of the fire. The landlord was to be listed on the register of rouge landlords. Councillor Butler reminded Members that the Council had made the decision to install sprinklers in all of its high rise properties following the Grenfell Fire. This meant that a serious fire in one property had resulted in the sprinkler head operating to contain the fire. The Borough Commander for the London Fire Brigade has written to the Cabinet Member to inform her that this had prevented the development of a full blown compartment fire where young children were living. This demonstrated that the action taken by the Council had led to a positive outcome.

 

Councillor Hamida Ali, the Cabinet Member for Safer Croydon, made her announcements beginning by echoing the comments of the Leader and expressing her shock at the loss of a young life in the Borough earlier on the same day as Council. The Cabinet Member described how the Council remained committed to the reduction of violence in the Borough. Councillor Hamida Ali noted that the Council meeting was being held on Holocaust Memorial Day and that an event had been held to demonstrate how the Council was standing together with residents against hatred and discrimination with the involvement of local schools. This had featured Safet Vukalic, as a guest speaker who was a survivor of the Bosnian Genocide, who had shared his own lived experience and had highlighted the failure to learn the lessons of history.

 

Councillor Shahul-Hameed, the Cabinet Member for Economy and Jobs, made her announcements and highlighted the forthcoming summit entitled Going Global on 27 February 2020 which would focus on all that was happening around Brexit. The key themes were to be international opportunities and challenges with the Cabinet Member giving encouragement to all to attend. It was also detailed how the Council had smashed its objective of 100 Apprenticeships in 100 days. The first week of February 2020 was to be National Apprenticeship Week during which the Council would be leading celebrations with employers and trainers participating. A walk about had also been held in Coulsdon with the support of the organisation Save The High Street; the Council was working to help strengthen the Borough’s high streets and to support them to succeed.

 

Councillor Hale thanked Councillor Butler for her announcements noting that it was good to hear the work that was being done to keep residents safe. The Cabinet Member was then asked about the failure of Brick By Brick to register as a social housing provider. Specifically Councillor Hale wanted to know how many homes had their sale affected and when the situation would be rectified.

 

In response, Councillor Butler explained that it was inaccurate to describe Brick By Brick as having failed to have registered as a social housing provider as this was not a requirement. Rather what had become an issue was that only a limited number of mortgages could be offered where the provider was not registered. The Councillor stressed that it was of course the desire that residents would have a choice of mortgage providers and described how other options were being explored, such as renting, whilst registration was being pursued.

 

In her supplementary question, Councillor Hale described this as a worrying situation and that the Council had to date only provided three one bedroom Council homes. Also, that it was struggling to sell other high end properties and was building on the green belt. The Councillor called for a public inquiry into the operation of Brick By Brick and stated that the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Communities had been asked to investigate because residents wanted assurances about profits and the delivery of new homes. Councillor Butler asked why the Councillor was focusing on untruths rather than congratulating a company delivering good quality homes to those on the housing waiting list with its profits being used to build more. The Cabinet Member highlighted that Brick By Brick continued to be on target and was not struggling in the way being portrayed. The Borough’s huge housing need was stressed with 2,000 families in temporary accommodation at the time of the meeting. Additionally, Brick By Brick was very mindful of the environment in its approach to development. Consideration was given to existing trees on development sites with any that had to be removed replaced by more than was lost. Grateful residents were thankful for the homes being provided by Brick By Brick.

 

Councillor Fitzpatrick asked Councillor Butler to detail what was missing from the Conservative Party housing manifesto. In response, the Cabinet Member noted several areas that were a cause for concern. Those included proper investment in social housing with funding going directly to Boroughs to build social housing. Councillor Butler commented that there continued to be too strong a focus on home ownership and ongoing issues around Right To Buy. It was explained how there was a lack of understanding about the treatment of receipts through the Right To Buy scheme; not only did the Council lose the housing stock at a considerably discounted price additionally 70% of the money raised through sales went straight to central Government. Councillor Butler called for the Local Housing Allowance to be reformed to reflect the actual costs of renting in Croydon and welcomed the announcement that the freeze that had applied to this for four years was to end. The Cabinet Member also called for the ability of property developers to get out of supplying affordable accommodation by using valuations to be addressed and for more to be done on the issue of homelessness.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Fitzpatrick noted that it had been 12 months since the publication of the social housing green paper and that the public consultation on this had also long since concluded. It was also noted that a Social Housing Bill had not been featured in either of the two Queen’s Speeches since. Councillor Fitzpatrick emphasised that the Government appeared to be good at promises but not actions. Councillor Butler agreed; that whilst there has been lots of noise following the Grenfell Fire the momentum had been lost. The Cabinet Member called for proper action on a range of issues including Right To Buy, funding and private tenants’ rights.

 

Councillor Helen Pollard asked Councillor Butler to explain why more wasn’t done to find out how communities use green spaces before decisions were made regarding developments.

 

In response, the Cabinet Member explained that whilst this was attempted it was not always possible to find out in advance. Rather, on occasions, this information only came forward later.  Councillor Butler acknowledged how this had happened in Councillor Helen Pollard’s own ward and that as a result Brick By Brick had agreed to modify its plans.

 

In her supplementary, Councillor Helen Pollard highlighted that contacting the local councillor sooner might avoid residents’ anguish. It was noted that developments in Hawthorne Crescent and Covington Way, in Councillor Helen Pollard’s ward of Selsdon & Addington Village, were good examples of this situation. Councillor Butler described how both sites had been looked at and discussions held with residents. The Cabinet Member described how the Covington Way space was not being used and was opposite a large park. The scheme had been scaled back to allow space and trees to remain.

 

At the outset of his question to Councillor Hamida Ali, Councillor Mann also expressed his sympathies for the young person who had lost his life earlier on the same day as Council. Councillor Mann then asked the Cabinet Member what more could be done to protect Community Safety Officers.  It was noted that the Crystal Place and Upper Norwood ward had lost its Community Safety Officer, PC Brian Lewis, as a result of his very much deserved promotion. This also meant the loss of local intelligence which had proved beneficial in stopping the development of local gangs.  Councillor Mann asked what further incentives could be put in place to encourage Community Safety Officers to remain on local beats.

 

In response, the Cabinet Member highlighted that it was thanks to the Mayor of London that London had any local policing. It was explained that at a recent meeting with Sophie Linden, the Deputy London Mayor for Policing and Crime, the subject of Community Safety Officers had repeatedly been mentioned in addition to the quick churn at all levels of policing. It was described how this was being carefully monitored. Reassurance was provided that colleagues across London were raising this issue and would continue to do so.

 

Councillor Jason Cummings asked Councillor Butler about the purchase of the Brick By Brick units at Longheath Gardens and whether the units had made a profit or a loss on that development.

 

In response, Councillor Butler explained that she was unable to give an answer in full at the meeting but that different properties received different subsidies. It was explained that more expensive properties aimed to raise funds for the development of affordable housing. The Councillor was invited to email the Cabinet Member following the meeting detailing the information he required.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Jason Cummings asked for further information on what were to happen if the development had made a profit. He suggest that this profit would be used to pay a dividend to the Council which would go into the revenue fund. However, since the money that would be used for purchasing those properties would have come from capital expenditure and Greater London Authority funding for the construction of affordable housing, Councillor Cummings questioned if it was permitted that money from those sources would end-up in the Council’s revenue account?

 

Councillor Hall, Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources provided a response. It was noted that the operation of Brick By Brick had been subject to scrutiny including the principal that affordable properties were subsidised by market properties and that this would more than outweigh any subsidy provided. The Cabinet Member stressed that this was an important income stream for the Council in addition to this providing so many homes for the Council including those that were 50% affordable.

 

Councillor Hay-Justice asked Councillor Shahul-Hameed what was being done to mitigate any effect of Brexit on businesses in Croydon.

 

In response, Councillor Shahul-Hameed described how she was worried about the implications of Brexit but that information was being widely sourced in order to help businesses understand the implications. It was described how London Hub and Coast to Capital had brought together a range of partners to provide resources and support. Additionally, the Council’s Economic Development Team was providing businesses with personalised advice and that the Going Global summit would be held at the end of February 2020. This had cross party support as well as the input of the Minister for London. The Cabinet Member described how the Council was proactively working with businesses to provide support for their resilience plans with information available through the Council’s website. It was stressed how joint working was being used to deliver on-going programmes to support business.

 

Councillor Perry asked Councillor Shahul-Hameed about the action she had taken to intervene and address the parking restrictions that were being introduced in Brighton Road to the detriment of businesses.

 

In response, Councillor Shahul-Hameed described how the Director of Public Realm had contacted those businesses affected with action being taken. The Cabinet Member asked Councillor Perry why he had waited until the Full Council meeting to raise the issue.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Perry stated that the Cabinet Member had two months during which to address with officers the concerns raised by residents. It was noted that the loading bays were now approved and going ahead despite the consequences of these having been brought to the attention of the Cabinet Member. It was described how there was a risk of a loss of business. Councillor Shahul-Hameed reminded Members that the Council had won a small business friendly borough award. It was described how businesses in the affected stretch of the Brighton Road had been contacted and that officers had been communicating with Councillor Perry. Additionally, the support for businesses available through the Council included business rate relief and small business grants.

 

Councillor Redfern raised a point of order with the Mayor and asked for his clarification on the time allotted to Cabinet Member announcements and each pool. The Mayor stated that each pool was allocated 30 minutes as indicated by the timer on the screen. Within this allocation, each Cabinet Member had up to two minutes to make their announcements. This was indicated by a timer on the screen. Whilst the Mayor ensured that there was adherence to these timings, he allowed Cabinet Members a few additional moments to finish their announcements or to answer a question for the sake of clarity at his discretion.

 

Pool 2

 

With the end of the time allocated to questions to the Cabinet Members in the first pool, the Mayor signalled he was moving on to questions to Cabinet Members in the second pool. Councillors Collins, Scott and Hall were invited to make their announcements.

 

Councillor Collins, Cabinet Member for Clean, Green Croydon made his announcements. It was explained how the Council was working with local businesses to recycle pet food pouches and how this was being supported by local voluntary groups. Andrew Dickson, Waste and Recycling Support Superviser, was specifically mentioned as the officer supporting this to happen with a bin being provided in Morrisons for collection and voluntary groups ensuring that this was emptied and the contents sent off to TerraCycle. The Cabinet Member reported that conversations were happening with other supermarkets to extend the scope of the initiative. The scheme was described as very worthwhile because it would prevent up to 100,000 packages from going into landfill.

 

Councillor Scott, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Regeneration (Job Share) made his announcements starting with the news that Stephen Tate had been appointed as Director of Growth, Employment & Regeneration. Also that the Reimagining Croydon’s Subways competition had received 54 entries with 34 shortlisted. It was anticipated that the final selection would be made with public involvement. The Fairfield development was continuing with a design team appointed and a public consultation coming forward; it was anticipated that the development would be completed in summer 2021. Finally, the Cabinet Member informed Council that the Local Plan consultation had received 1,000 responses which were being given very careful consideration. Additionally, as had been discussed earlier in the meeting, the London Plan had been submitted to the Secretary of State with a response not anticipated before 17 February 2020. This had been developed using cross party workshops that had looked at how many homes were needed and where they should be located.

 

Councillor Hall, Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources made his announcements. The Cabinet Member informed Members that the Council had published its pay gap data for the year up until March 2019. This had found that women were being paid more on average than their male colleagues and disabled employees more on average than their abled bodied colleagues. However, there still remained more work to do to address the ethnicity pay gap which had an average differential of 8.7%. Croydon retained the aspiration to be an inclusive and excellent employer and knew that the job was not yet done. The leadership programme and blind recruitment were just two ways in which this was being addressed.

 

The Cabinet Member also informed Council that the London Borough of Croydon Pension Fund had moved from being two thirds to 93% funded and this had been achieved without any investments in tobacco, fossil fuels or weapons.

 

Councillor Perry asked Councillor Scott why the Local Plan review had not considered the implications of a significant reduction in the target number of homes needed in Croydon resulting from the review by the Planning Inspectors.

 

In response, Councillor Scott reiterated that the target figures expressed in the Local Plan were generated using the standard methodology introduced by Government in 2019. This resulted in a target figure of 46,000 homes over 20 years whereas the Local Plan covered a period of 10 years and there remained the need to take into consideration the opinion of the Secretary of State which would be forthcoming.  The Cabinet Member highlighted that this had been explained on the first page of the Local Plan with the reasoning behind the figures stated clearly.  This also stated that there was awareness that the Mayor of London had changed the target housing figures in the London Plan.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Perry stressed that the variance in the figures was not insignificant and asked why the Cabinet Member had not used this opportunity to take stock. Councillor Perry stated that Councillor Scott was intent on imposing the higher target housing numbers. In response, Councillor Scott highlighted the need for each area to look at the range of homes needed. The Cabinet Member described how the Council was looking at housing need and that this had to be the key driver. This would be a lengthy process. It was noted that to meet the original figures proposed would require significant investment and infrastructure.

 

Councillor Fitzpatrick asked Councillor Hall what the people of Croydon most needed to hear from the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

 

In response, Councillor Hall stated that the people of Croydon most needed an end to austerity for local government in order that it could provide a full range of services and that local government had done a superb job over the last 10 years against a worsening financial backdrop. Whilst the Council had welcomed the announcement of increased funding from the new Government this had been wiped out by the London business rates pilot. The Cabinet Member called on a fair funding formula for local government.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Fitzpatrick referenced the revenue grant and adult social care funding contained within the draft fair funding formula, wanting to know that if those were carried out would they make a difference to the budget and austerity. Councillor Hall explained that on Adult Social Care this would lead to a possible £6m improvement. However, this was set against an underlying pressure of £10m. This was despite both innovation and preventative work in Adult Social Care as ways to manage costs. The Cabinet Member described the draft fair funding formula as helpful but not sufficient to relieve all pressures; whilst this was welcomed it was nothing like what was needed to maintain and improve services.

 

Councillor Hopley in her question to Councillor Scott highlighted that Friends groups were worried about the attack on green belt.

 

In response, Councillor Scott stressed that there was no attack anywhere. Rather including the option for some development on the green belt had been included in the Local Plan consultation following the suggestion being made by local residents’ associations reflecting their preference not to have intensification of their streets. Whilst the Cabinet Member expressed that his preference was against development on the green belt, he was aware of concerns about intensification.

 

Councillor Hopley used her supplementary question to highlight concerns regarding development on the green belt.  The proposal to build on Sanderstead Recreation Ground was referenced as worrying residents with it being noted that it was a very precious space. Councillor Hopley called on the Cabinet Member to provide assurance at the meeting that there would be no building on that site or any other green belt sites in the area.

 

Councillor Scott responded that he would not give such an assurance; the consultation on the Local Plan was in its early stages with many hundreds of representations having been received. It was stressed that it was owed to all that had participated to consider their views. The Cabinet Member expressed his hope that there would not be development on the green belt as he believed intensification was a better strategy. It was also explained that social infrastructure like schools were a good way of using the green belt; Croydon’s children needed schools and schools needed green spaces. It was preferable not to cram schools onto sites.

 

Councillor Mann asked Councillor King about the Croydon Living Streets initiative and how it would be possible to rollout Healthy School Neighbourhoods faster.

 

In response, Councillor King described how Healthy School Neighbourhoods was receiving lots of support and how this included the promotion of road safety to address rat runs and speeding. Healthy School Neighbourhoods would introduce a series of measures to promote a local traffic environment and traffic measures. The Cabinet Member highlighted that if the initiative was better funded it would mean it could be introduced quicker and more extensively.

 

Councillor Roche asked Councillor Scott why the Administration was continuing to allow building on community spaces and the green belt with a net loss of trees in the Borough. Councillor Roche asked how this would help achieve the Administration’s objective of a carbon neutral status.

 

In response, Councillor Scott stressed that the Borough was experiencing a housing crisis and that as a result the Council needed to find suitable spaces to build homes. It was explained that there was a focus on developing classic brownfield sites which were mostly located in the town centre and already being used. The Council was also working on delivering a major development on the Purley Way. However, not all the required homes could be provided by those locations. This meant that there was a need to replace large homes on larger plots to provide additional housing. The Cabinet Member emphasised that there was no net loss of trees in the Borough. Rather that there would be a net gain which was being delivered through initiatives such as the planting of many street trees.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Roche said that there were residents who had lost their green spaces, that there was growing concern about losing community spaces and that many would not agree about there having been a net gain in trees in the Borough. Councillor Roche wanted to know how the environment was going to be protected for future generations and how the Council would achieve its carbon neutral objective by 2030. Councillor Scott responded by stating that whilst the environment needed to be protected there was a need to get the balance right. It was explained that it was not possible to say that there would be no development on any green space as it was not possible to ignore those without a home at the time of the meeting or in the future. The Cabinet Member gave the example of the development at Kane Hill. This had been reworked to prevent the cutting down of trees. Rather the development had been reconfigured and therefore was more environmentally friendly.

 

Councillor Audsley asked Councillor King what would be the impact on jobs as the Council shifted away from the use of fossil fuels.

 

In response, Councillor King acknowledged that Councillor Audsley was correct to raise the potential impact on jobs given the scale of the climate crisis. However, the Cabinet Member also described how this provided an opportunity with the Economic Development Team working right across the Council to ensure measures were in place to encourage green start-ups as the Council managed the transition towards carbon neutrality.  The Cabinet Member described how leadership would be provided across the Cabinet and illustrated by highlighting how Councillor Hamida Ali was ensuring the involvement of the community and voluntary sector and Councillor Hall was encouraging engagement with green companies through the Council’s contracts.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Audsley asked what things the Council could do within its powers to encourage more green start-ups.  Councillor King described how the Council was using its contracting powers. This was illustrated with the Highways Maintenance Contract which was fulfilled by Conway. It had been approached to support the Council’s sustainable agenda and was fulfilling the contract with a partly electric fleet. The Cabinet Member also highlighted the value that would be achieved through the Citizens’ Assembly and Climate Commission. These were bringing residents together with experts from outside the Borough. The Council did not have all the solutions and needed to work with others to explore what was possible.

 

 

Pool 3

 

With the end of the time allocated to questions to the Cabinet Members in the second pool, the Mayor signalled that he was moving on to questions to Cabinet Members in the third pool with Councillors Flynn and Campbell substituting respectively for Councillors Lewis and Avis. Councillors Flynn, Flemming and Campbell were invited to make their announcements.

 

Councillor Flynn, Deputy Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure & Sport made her announcements. The Councillor congratulated Councillor Lewis, the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure & Sport on his recent marriage. The Deputy Cabinet Member described how a delegation from Croydon had gone to the Greater London Authority to submit the Council’s bid for the London Borough of Culture 2021 entitled This Is Croydon. This was described as exciting, diverse and creative. An outcome from the bidding process was anticipated on 12 February 2020. The Cabinet Member thank all those from the Council who had helped facilitate at the last minute Stormzy’s performance at Boxpark. The opening of the leisure centre at New Addington was also welcomed.

 

Councillor Flemming, the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Learning made her announcements. The Total Respect training delivered on 21 January 2020 was highlighted with all Members being encouraged to attend one of the future sessions to benefit from learning about the care experience through the eyes of the child. The training was described by those who had already attended as a powerful and uplifting experience aimed at providing better opportunities for children and young people in service delivery. Young people were involved in the training itself. The Cabinet Member highlighted how this was supporting the objective to raise the bar to deliver outstanding outcomes, in addition to early intervention and prevention.

 

Councillor Campbell, the Deputy Cabinet Member for Families, Health and Social Care made her announcements.  The Council’s Dementia Team, which had been shortlisted for an LGC award, was thanked. It was noted that the results of the awards would be announced in March 2020. The Cabinet Member also announced that Richard Pacitti, the CEO of Mind Croydon, was retiring at the end of March 2020 and that he would be truly missed. The Mayor agreed to the Cabinet Member’s request that an event be held in the Town Hall to recognise Mr Pacitti’s contribution.

 

In her question to Councillor Flynn, Councillor Helen Pollard highlighted her support for the success of the Fairfield Halls to be the cultural heart of the Borough and asked the Deputy Cabinet Member to confirm the date on which the car park would be opened.

 

In response, Councillor Flynn noted that the forthcoming session at scrutiny which would focus on the Fairfield Halls development and at which Councillor Helen Pollard’s question would be answered.

 

In her supplementary question, Councillor Helen Pollard noted that she would be attending the Fairfield Halls session at scrutiny and expressed her surprise that the Deputy Cabinet Member was unable to answer her question which was reiterated.  Councillor Flynn promised to provide an answer to Councillor Helen Pollard’s question after the meeting.

 

In her question, Councillor Prince asked about the provision for looked after children to access facilities such as the Legacy Youth Zone.

 

Councillor Flemming explained that there was an annual £5 membership fee to access the Legacy facility and each young person paid 50p each time they visited. However, the decision was taken before the facility opened that all young people should have access and therefore funding had been made available from the Pupil Premium to fund looked after children.

 

In her supplementary question, Councillor Prince asked what more was being done to more widely publicise the facility. Councillor Flemming acknowledged that ways to promote Legacy were continually being explored and that whilst the facility offered ample space, it was always looking for volunteers to support its work and enable it to offer additional sessions and activities.

 

Councillor Gatland asked Councillor Flynn to give assurances that the money paid by Network Rail for its use of the South Croydon Recreation Ground during the replacement of the Sanderstead Road Bridge would be reinvested in the park to make good any damage and to improve the existing children’s play area.

 

In response, Councillor Flynn provided reassurance that this had been raised with officers and it had been confirmed that money paid for the hire of the land would be used to make good any damage and improve the children’s play area.

 

Councillor Gatland welcomed the Deputy Cabinet Member’s response and used her supplementary question to call for a local green space protection champion. Councillor Flynn invited Councillor Gatland to jointly conduct a visit to the South Croydon Recreation Ground.

 

Councillor Skipper congratulated Councillor Flynn on the organisation of a coming home gig for Stormzy with just 48 hours’ notice. The Councillor stated Croydon was proud to celebrate and host a local artist and that the Council would not support censorship of Bashment music. The Deputy Cabinet Member concurred with Councillor Skipper and expressed her own pride and delight at the successful event.

 

Councillor Hoar asked Councillor Flynn when previous assurances that Section 106 monies would be spent on designated parks would be fulfilled. Councillor Hoar wanted to know when works would start and finish. Councillor Flynn asked Councillor Hoar to supply his question in detail to which a response would be provided after the meeting.

 

Councillor Woodley asked Councillor Flynn to outline the facilities available in the New Addington community leisure centre that opened to the public in January 2020.

 

In response, Councillor Flynn described that the new leisure centre included two swimming pools, a state of the art gym and meeting space making it a leisure centre for everyone that would engage residents from across the local community.

 

In her supplementary question, Councillor Woodley described how she had been informed by Greenwich Leisure Ltd, the operators of the New Addington Leisure Centre, that its healthy weight workshops had the highest level of referrals from GPs in Croydon. Councillor Woodley highlighted that this was another example of the Administration keeping its promises as detailed in the Health and Wellbeing Plan. Councillor Flynn agreed and described how she had met with local business owners who had also been very positive about the new leisure centre and the benefits it would provide.

 

In her question to Councillor Campbell, Councillor Hopley described how the Health and Wellbeing Board had been contacted by a gentleman experiencing difficulties accessing services. Councillor Hopley noted his had been a complicated case but that he had been waiting for a wheelchair for nearly three years having been passed from service to service. Finding a solution for supporting him was stressed with Councillor Hopley asking Councillor Campbell to guarantee to provide a solution.

 

In response, Councillor Campbell emphasised that the Council had been supporting and listening but that it was not appropriate to discuss an individual resident’s care at a meeting of Council.

 

In her supplementary question, Councillor Hopley asked about the wider principal of a holistic approach to Adult Social Care. Councillor Campbell was asked to clarify the policy for those in need. Councillor Hopley called for the end of policies that disadvantaged the elderly and rather for the elderly to receive the support they needed. In response, Councillor Campbell highlighted the 76% cut to local authority funding due to austerity and how £1.5m had been spent bringing sheltered homes back in-house and under the direct control of the Council to ensure residents were looked after to a high standard. Councillor Campbell stressed that the cuts to local government budgets had come from Councillor Hopley’s Government and that the Administration was doing its best with the resources available.

 

Councillor Mann used his question to Councillor Flynn to highlight that the Crystal Palace International Film Festival, from 5 – 28 March 2020, would feature the comedian Johnny Vegas. In response, Councillor Flynn noted that this was another demonstration of Croydon’s cultural vibrancy and called for this to be celebrated and supported given the wide benefits this brought to the Borough and its residents.

 

In his supplementary question, Councillor Mann noted that such events were only possible through the use of flexible public facilities and asked Councillor Flynn about plans to better equip public buildings in order to ensure they were fully used. In response, Councillor Flynn described how she was a fan of the Stanley Halls highlighting the flexibility and diversity of the venue. The Deputy Cabinet Member agreed that there was a need to invest in the Borough’s libraries and other community facilities.

 

With time remaining for questions to the Cabinet Members in Pool 3, the Mayor asked if there was an Opposition Member with an additional question. Councillor Gatland was called forward by the Mayor who asked Councillor Flemming why she had not mentioned the anticipated Ofsted inspection as part of her announcements.

 

Councillor Flemming gave her thanks to Councillor Gatland for the opportunity to mention the Ofsted inspection for which there had not been time in her announcements.  The Cabinet Member anticipated how this would be featured in more detail at the Council meeting on 2 March 2020 by which time the feedback from the inspection would have been received. It was noted that the inspectors would be onsite the week following the Council meeting and that the inspection would be conducted under a new framework that was introduced in 2019. This sought to look at services in a different way with a focus on front line practice and the voice of the young person.

 

Councillor Fraser asked Councillor Campbell about the additional 147 care staff who had transferred to become Croydon Council staff in January 2020. Councillor Fraser asked if these new Croydon staff would have their pay raised to meet the London Living Wage, noting how important it was to pay staff well in order to ensure their retention and to provide high quality care.

 

Councillor Campbell agreed with Councillor Fraser and described how a fair day’s pay should be provided for a fair day’s work. This reflected the Administration’s decision in 2014 to become a London Living Wage employer which formed part of the Council’s Good Employer Charter. The Deputy Cabinet Member stressed that being a London Living Wage employer was the right thing to do in order to drive up quality and standards.

 

With an end to the time allocated to questions to the Cabinet Members in the third pool, the Mayor brought Croydon Question Time to a close.