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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

17/17

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 113 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2018 as an accurate record.

 

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2018 were agreed as an accurate record.

 

18/17

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.

 

19/17

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.

 

20/17

Announcements

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

Minutes:

The Mayor began the item with a minute’s silence for Len Chappell, a long serving Mayoral chauffeur and Macebearer, who had passed away since the last meeting.

 

The Mayor announced that the Mayoral Gala dinner and dance would take place at the Hilton hotel on 20 April. The Mayor also welcomed students from the Royal Alexander School who were present in the public gallery.

 

The Leader announced that the borough’s young people had recently elected a Young Mayor and Deputy Young Mayor, and congratulations were given to the successful candidates. There had been an encouraging visit from Ofsted inspectors; the findings of the visit were due to be published soon after the meeting. Thanks were passed on to all the staff and volunteers who had helped with the relief efforts in Waddon after the evacuations due to the gas leak.

 

The Mayor then invited the Leader to say some words for retiring and departing Councillors. The Leader spoke of Councillors from both sides of the Chambers, recognising their lengths of service and the commitment all had shown to their wards and the residents of Croydon.

 

The Mayor then invited the Leader of the opposition to speak on retiring and departing Councillors. Councillor Tim Pollard also recognised Members from both parties and detailed the many achievements those Councillors had made.

 

The Mayor then invited three retiring Members from each party to give valedictory speeches. Councillors Carole Bonner, Dudley Mead, Timothy Godfrey, Chris Wright, Mark Watson and Margaret Mead gave valedictory speeches, after which the Mayor moved a resolution on the following terms:

 

“That the Council tender its grateful thanks to those Members who have decided to retire at the end of the Municipal Year, and lifespan of the current Council, in recognition of their personal contributions to the work of the Council and the diligence with which they have performed their duties as elected Members.

 

And that this resolution be engrossed, sealed and presented by the Mayor and Chief Executive, on behalf of the Council, in a suitable form, to the following Councillors:

 

           Carole Bonner

           Mike Fisher

           Timothy Godfrey

           Dudley Mead

           Margaret Mead

           Andrew Rendle

           Mike Selva

           Donald Speakman

           Phil Thomas

           James Thompson

           Wayne Trakas-Lawlor

           Mark Watson

           John Wentworth

           Sue Winborn

           Chris Wright”

 

 

Councillor Newman moved the resolution and Councillor Tim Pollard seconded the resolution. The resolution was carried unanimously.

21/17

Croydon Question Time pdf icon PDF 66 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 the public.

 

Norman Young asked what awards Brick by Brick had won. Councillor Butler responded with the list of awards that the company had won as well as other awards that the company had been shortlisted and highly commended for.

 

Norman Young asked a supplementary regarding the awards being won before building had taken place. Councillor Butler responded that the awards recognised the design work prior to building the properties.

 

Tony Pearson asked how events marking the 100th anniversary of the armistice would be funded. Councillor Godfrey responded that the Council would work with its partners to deliver on the events.

 

Joseph Lee asked for an update on the Blackhorse Lane repair works. Councillor King responded that phase one of the works had been completed and the detailed design work was well under way with a target of beginning enabling works in June 2018.

 

Joseph Lee asked a supplementary on minimising disruption during the school holidays. Councillor King responded that officers were working with TfL to consult with schools in the area to ensure the limited time the bridge would be closed would avoid school opening times.

 

Sharon Swaby asked whether drainage issues in Shrublands had been addressed. Councillor King responded that officers were not aware of the issue but would look into it as soon as possible.

 

Leslie Curtis asked what the criteria was for refusal of planning applications, due to concerns of developers targeting the Riddlesdown area. Councillor Butler stated that the criteria was stated in the national policy framework, the London plan, and the Croydon Local Plan. The number of objections to an application was not a valid criteria for refusal.  The Council had to strike a balance between the objections of residents and the housing needs of residents.

 

Leslie Curtis asked a supplementary question regarding suggestions that developers were being guaranteed planning permission. Councillor Butler responded that the planning documents containing the criteria were publicly available which allowed individuals to identify what were grounds of refusal.

 

Ola Kolade asked what was being done to improve the children’s services since the Ofsted inspection. Councillor Flemming responded that an improvement board had been set up to hold the Council to account for improvements and that a significant amount of funding had been allocated for frontline improvements in the current budget and the 2018/19 budget. Peer support was also being received from Camden Council.

 

Tony Campbell asked a question regarding the protection of public parks and open spaces in the Local Plan. Councillor Butler responded that no protections had been lost as the 31 open spaces were protected both by the Local Plan and the national policy framework. A robust defence of the green spaces was submitted to the inspector however the inspector did not agree with the proposals.  

 

The Mayor then moved to Councillor questions to the Leader.

 

Councillor Tim Pollard asked whether the Leader would put an emergency halt on Brick by Brick developments to consult with residents. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21/17

22/17

Member Petitions pdf icon PDF 94 KB

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

Minutes:

Councillor Bernadette Khan introduced the submitted petition which read:

 

“Request for Resident Parking Permit

 

I'm writing this letter to you on behalf of the Keston Road residents in Thornton Heath. We are requesting the council to introduce the resident parking on our street. We don't have any parking spaces at all due to Mayday hospital staffs who are fully occupying our parking spaces with their cars on our street all day and night. Furthermore, behind our street (around Canterbury Road) there is already resident permit holders parking which has been enforced by the council, so those who live around Canterbury Road, also park their cars on our street.

 

Apart from this car repair centres and MOT Service stations such as Bharadia Autos in Oakwood Road, Thornton Heath Motors in May day Rd, J & A Autos in Canterbury Rd and Auto Tech in Lancing Rd. As you can imagine the difficulty of us going through the parking nightmare in our street daily, most of them who live in this street are families with children studying either in primary school or secondary school. In order to get our children into the car, we are walking two streets away from our house!! There were many occasions in the past we couldn't find any parking space at all and on those days so many of us parked on the double yellow lines because there was no more parking space left in our street!! Simply it is frustrating to the residents not only for the school runs but also for the essential day to day life.

 

So we Residents of Keston Road (majority of them) had a detailed discussion, eventually we all mutually arrived at a conclusion that residents permit holders parking is the only way to going forward to solve our parking problem. Also we strongly believe that this should be implemented by the council as early as possible in order to reduce the disruption and hardships we are currently experiencing.”

 

Councillor King responded that Keston Road had been added to future sites to be considered for a controlled parking zone and a consultation would take place in the summer of 2018.

 

Councillor Kabir introduced the submitted petition which read:

 

“We the residents of Quadrant Road and Brook Road, Thornton Heath, would request that due to the high levels of traffic which use Quadrant Road and Brook Road as short cut to avoid Brigstock Road, which results in grid lock during rush hours because the roads are not wide enough for two-way traffic, which then results in accidents and road rage.

 

We therefore request that the Council adopts a one-way system to alleviate these problems.”

 

Councillor King responded that both roads were included in the current work programme for investigation and a consultation would take place in the summer of 2018.

 

Councillor Margaret Mead introduced the submitted petition which read:

 

“We, as the residents of Addington Village, request that Croydon Council look at options to address the significant increase in street parking that has  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22/17

23/17

Council Debate Motions

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

Minutes:

The Mayor started the item with the first motion which read as follows:

 

“This Council recognises the achievements of this administration including delivering, the London Living Wage, Private landlords licensing scheme, Don’t Mess with Croydon, Pride Festival, White Ribbon Borough, Fairfield Halls regeneration, Improving Schools, Choose your future, Investment in services for older people, affordable housing for local people and much more, Croydon is a place that all our residents are increasingly proud of.

However there is still much more to do to secure Croydon’s long term future, and our town cannot afford to go back to the years of cuts, closures and austerity.”

 

Councillor Newman, proposing the motion, stated that tough decisions were made to re-establish strong fiscal management of the Council finances after the last administration. This had provided for the funding of numerous projects that had been launched over the previous years. It was stated that the administration had delivered on health, housing, support for young people, and schools; promises that were made were kept, and the pledges moving forward would be made for the benefit of all residents.

 

Councillor Ali seconded the motion and reserved her right to speak.

 

Councillor Hale, speaking against the motion, stated that the achievements by the administration were disappointing and had failed to consult with residents along the way – particularly in relation to planning matters. It was stated that residents had lost faith in the planning system, with green spaces being sold off and the character of local areas being changed with blocks of flats replacing family homes. It was stated that the interests of developers were being put ahead of residents.

 

Councillor Creatura stated that a number of the administration’s achievements had been disappointing. No landlords had been prosecuted under the licensing scheme, fly tipping had increased significantly in the borough, and the Fairfield Halls redevelopment had been delayed. There had been a lack of affordable housing built and no council homes at all. It was further claimed that the administration had taken credit for schemes launched by the previous administration.

 

Councillor Ali stated that the administration had supported all residents and not just a few. It had improved the living standards of housing and was ambitious in its cultural work alongside partners.  Despite government cuts, the administration had delivered significant investment in the borough. It had also led campaigns for residents that usually go unheard, such as the white ribbon campaign against domestic violence. Despite the government cuts to the police, the administration had introduced community budgets and structural funding for the voluntary sector – unlike the previous administration who had cut funding to the voluntary sector. It was stated that the adminstraiton had implemented a range of measures to support residents – from the London Living Wage campaign to fire safety improvements in the Council’s tower blocks.

 

The Mayor then put the motion to the vote and it was carried.

 

The Mayor then moved to the second motion which read as follows:

 

“The closure of Fairfield Halls.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23/17

24/17

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

To consider the recommendations made by the Mayoralty and Honorary Freedom Selection Sub-Committee since the last ordinary Council Meeting relating to the following matters:

 

a)         Nomination of Mayor of Croydon 2018/19

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Newman moved the recommendation that Councillor Bernadette Khan be invited to allow her name to be submitted to the Annual Council meeting on 23 May 2018 for election to the office of Mayor for the Council Year 2018/19. Councillor Butler seconded the recommendation.

 

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

 

The Mayor invited the Leader of the opposition to announce their candidate for Mayor if elected as the majority party after the election. Councillor Tim Pollard confirmed that the opposition’s candidate for Mayor would be Councillor Badsha Quadir. 

25/17

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:

This was not required.