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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX. View directions

Contact: James Haywood
020 8726 6000 x63319  Email: james.haywood@croydon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

11/17

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 203 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 30 October 2017 as an accurate record.

 

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 October 2017 were agreed as an accurate record.

 

12/17

Disclosure of Interests

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that it is a requirement to register disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and gifts and hospitality to the value of which exceeds £50 or multiple gifts and/or instances of hospitality with a cumulative value of £50 or more when received from a single donor within a rolling twelve month period. In addition, Members and co-opted Members are reminded that unless their disclosable pecuniary interest is registered on the register of interests or is the subject of a pending notification to the Monitoring Officer, they are required to disclose those disclosable pecuniary interests at the meeting. This should be done by completing the Disclosure of Interest form and handing it to the Democratic Services representative at the start of the meeting. The Chair will then invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3. Completed disclosure forms will be provided to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion on the Register of Members’ Interests.

 

Minutes:

There were none.

 

13/17

Urgent Business (if any)

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

 

14/17

Announcements

To receive Announcements, if any, from the Mayor, the Leader, Head of Paid Service and Returning Officer.

Minutes:

The Mayor thanked all those who had attended the Golf Charity Day, and also thanked the sponsors of the event and Deva Ponnoosami for the organisation of the day. It was announced that the next big event was the New Year’s Parade to which Tone Scaffolding had once again donated a vehicle and driver for the Croydon float.

 

Finally, the Mayor announced that Her Honour Justice Alice Robinson had recently been appointed as Resident Judge at Croydon Crown Court, and was present in the Chamber. The Mayor used her discretion to move agenda item 10 as the next item of business, so that Members could consider appointing HHJ Robinson as Honorary Recorder to Croydon.

 

The Mayor explained the role of Honorary Recorder and, it was noted that the outgoing Recorder, HHJ Warwick McKinnon, had been in the role for nearly ten years and was a Croydon resident himself. On behalf of the Council, the Mayor passed sincere thanks to HHJ McKinnon.

 

 

15/17

Recommendations of Cabinet or Committee referred to Council for decision pdf icon PDF 58 KB

To receive the attached report which summarises the business considered by the Mayoralty and Honorary Freedom Selection Sub-Committee, since the last ordinary Council Meeting and in so doing, deal with the recommendations on the following matter:

 

a)    Appointment of Honorary Recorder of the London Borough of Croydon

 

Minutes:

Councillor Newman informed the Council that the Mayoralty and Honorary Freedom Selection Sub-Committee had met prior to the meeting and had unanimously voted to recommend to Council that HHJ Alice Robinson be appointed as Honorary Recorder.

 

Councillor Newman moved the recommendation and Councillor Tim Pollard seconded the motion.

 

The recommendation was put to the vote and passed unanimously.

 

 

After the vote, the Mayor invited HHJ Robinson to address the Council.

 

HHJ Robinson thanked Members for conferring the honour and noted that the position had an ancient tradition that had been recognised as an important way to link local authorities with the judiciary. HHJ Robinson hoped to maintain the excellent relationship that her predecessor had built with the Council.

16/17

The Croydon Debate pdf icon PDF 81 KB

 

a)         Local Petition Debate: Save Matthew’s Yard

Minutes:

A local petition had been received and read as follows:

 

“Save Matthews Yard!

 

“I am concerned about plans for the demolition of the building at 5-9 Surrey Street which Matthews Yard is based in and that no alternative home has been found.

 

“Matthews Yard is an essential asset for many people in Croydon's community and has for 5 years been a springboard for grassroots groups and business including the Croydon Citizen, Croydon Tech City, Croydon International Film Festival, Soda Soda a theatre group for people with learning difficulties and hundreds more.

 

“I urge Croydon Council and the Mayor of London to support this worthwhile cause in any and every way possible as without it Croydon will undoubtedly be a much poorer place. This vital community asset must be preserved for the benefit of existing and future generations in Croydon.” 

 

 

The lead petitioner, Saif Bonar, introduced the petition. He stated that the campaign had no political affiliation and the hope was for cross party support. Matthew’s Yard had begun as a small premises with a limited budget and had grown to become an important cultural hub for the community. Campaigners were not looking for financial support, but for dialogue with the Council and the Greater London Authority. Mr Bonar then read out messages of support for Matthew’s Yard from local residents, that highlighted how important the venue was for the community.

 

 

Councillor Watson responded that Matthew’s Yard had transformed the local area, and had become a unique space at the vanguard of regeneration. The building itself was not well utilised and the owners were looking to regenerate it. The proposals were currently at the pre-application stage, and there was a desire to keep a similar space within the new scheme. Local spaces had agreed to take on groups likely to be displaced by the development process of the building and officers were working with other businesses to find alternative venues. The building had not been categorised as an asset of community value.

 

 

Councillor Mohan stated that Matthew’s Yard had been a citizen-led initiative established in response to the riots. In had become a creative workspace hosting a range of cultural activities and start-up businesses. It was claimed that the space was under threat because the administration was looking to demolish the building. Councillor Mohan claimed that the Leader had not responded to his written concerns about the loss of the site and that the administration had not taken action to support the venue.

 

 

Councillor Watson responded that the development proposals were at the pre-application stage and the administration was doing all it could to support Matthew’s Yard. It was claimed that the opposition were making party political points rather than proposing ways to support the venue. The good growth fund could not be utilised as the building was not categorised as an asset of community value.

17/17

Croydon Question Time pdf icon PDF 77 KB

 

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.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17/17

18/17

Member Petitions pdf icon PDF 92 KB

To receive notice of petitions presented by Members on behalf of local residents.

Minutes:

Councillor Clancy, introduced the submitted petition which read:

 

“Please stop the access restrictions coming into effect as of 4th September 2017 – Woodcote Primary School Coulsdon. Parents, carers and residents were not consulted about this scheme before implementing this pilot. We find this scheme to be grossly unfair and as a collective punishment.

 

“This area’s demographics necessitates the use of cars due to lack of accessible transport. Croydon Council is insisting children from age 3 walk, cycle and catch a non existing bus service to Woodcote Primary School.

The Council also recommends parking on surrounding roads who have similar access, congestion and other safety issues. So therefore have placed a band aid on these roads and this will exacerbate existing complaints.

 

“Will Cllr Stuart King provide us with a report which suggests this pilot scheme is plausible. Especially to Woodcote School who has zero safety breaches (no accidents) sustained on the restricted roads. Yet they must and should be trying to improve safety on Smitham Bottom and Woodcote Grove A237, which are in dire need of improvements. So in effect pushing vulnerable children out of a safe zone and onto an unsafe main road.

 

“Residents are also in disagreement as they do not wish to be restricted by permits to access their own homes.

 

“We urge the council to immediately halt the pilot and invite residents and parents to have a discussion with aim to satisfying all parties where possible.”

 

Councillor King responded that the pilot scheme was introduced due to concerns of unsafe conditions at the school gates. The consultation would conclude in March 2018 at which point the scheme would be assessed and a report taken to the Traffic Management Advisory Committee (TMAC) where it would be decided whether to continue the scheme or not.

 

Councillor Wentworth introduced the submitted petition which read:

“We call on Croydon Council to take urgent measures to deal with the high

volume of traffic and speeding problems in Bradley Road, Moore Road and

Woodend SE19.”

 

Councillor King responded that the most practical option was to restrict the road to a one way system. A commitment was made to add the road to the list of roads to be considered for such works, and that residents would be consulted on any proposals forthcoming.

 

 

Councillor Flemming, introduced the submitted petition which read:

“We the undersigned residents of Green Lane and surrounding areas call upon the Council and partner agencies to provide the following:

1. A greater visible police presence.

2. A permanent CCTV camera along Green Lane parade and surrounding side streets.

3. Resurfacing of the Green Lane parade and provision of street furniture.”

 

Councillor Ali responded to the first point in the petition, stating that the police provided a visible presence in target areas in the borough. The Police regularly bid for extra resources and the hope was that the increase in wards resulting from the boundary review could provide more access to policing resources.  Responding to the second point in the petition,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18/17

19/17

Council Debate Motions

To debate any Motions submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules.

Minutes:

At this point in the meeting Councillor Newman proposed, and Councillor Tim Pollard seconded, that the meeting be closed.

 

The motion was put to the vote and was carried unanimously.

20/17

Exclusion of the Press and Public

The following motion is to be moved and seconded where it is proposed to exclude the press and public from the remainder of a meeting:

 

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within those paragraphs indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.”

 

Minutes:

Not required.