Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors R Wall, Sahota, Busuttil, Zissimos, Mohamed, Quansah and Sharma.

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Stafford.

Councillor Alexander was in attendance virtually.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Special Council meeting held on 11 July 2023.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Special Meeting held on 11 July 2023 were agreed as a correct record of the meeting.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2023.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Meeting held on 11 July 2023 were agreed as a correct record of the meeting.

The Mayor first conveyed his condolences to the family of Stephen Bowman, an employee of the Council who had passed away the week before the meeting. He also conveyed his condolences to the family of Glen Barnham, a former Councillor and Honorary Freeman of the Borough, who had passed away since the last meeting of the Council. Councillors Johnson, Ball and Gallant paid their respects to Glen and Council observed a minute’s silence.

The Mayor updated Council on his activities since the last meeting, as well as events and commemorations that were due to take place after the meeting, including:

·       The Queen had visited the Borough last month to attend a poetry event at Fielding Primary School and to open a new library.

·       The Mayor had laid a wreath at the Polish War Memorial, and had attended an event at Horsenden Hill to commemorate the invasion of Poland in September 1939.

·       There had been a number of faith and ethnic celebrations that had happened, including Janmashtami and Teeyan. The Mayor had attended local celebrations.

·       Important festivals and events that were approaching included Diwali, visit my Mosque Day and the three main Remembrance Sunday services in Ealing, Greenford and Southall.

·       The Mayor wished everyone who was racing good luck for the Ealing Half Marathon which was due to take place on the following Sunday.

There were no petitions from members of the public.

There were no petitions from members of the Council.

Maire Lowe has given notice that she wishes to ask the following question of Councillor Brett, Cabinet Member for Decent Living Incomes:

A fifth gambling establishment has recently opened on Acton High Street. Would the Council consider taking action to reduce the effect of these establishments on the more vulnerable residents?

Benjamin Allin has given notice that he wishes to ask the following question of Councillor Costigan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Action:

Elthorne Park Road has passed the high-level filter on the council’s traffic calming flowchart. A detailed localised study is therefore required. What will the study consist of, when will the study be concluded, and what criteria will be used to determine if the study shows traffic calming is required?

Ross Gilbert has given notice that he wishes to ask the following question of Councillor Peter Mason, Leader of the Council:

As a result of our FOI request, we’re aware of the Cabinet decision in September 2021 and that the officers recommendation in July 2022 was to proceed with our development. Can you tell us when a decision will be made, given there are over 10,000 applicants on the Housing Register?

Benjamin Allin asked the following question of Councillor Deirdre Costigan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate action:

Elthorne Park Road has passed the high-level filter on the council’s traffic calming flowchart. A detailed localised study is therefore required. What will the study consist of, when will the study be concluded, and what criteria will be used to determine if the study shows traffic calming is required?

Councillor Costigan responded to explain that she had met with local residents to understand their concerns and seek solutions. The solution suggested by local residents was a new Low Traffic Neighbourhood, which had previously been trialled (LTN 21) and was not feasible. Instead the Council has committed to launching a new concept – free-roaming urban neighbourhoods (FUN) and would be trialling this concept in the vicinity of Elthorne Park Road, in partnership with residents, in the coming weeks and months.

Councillor Mahmood asked Councillor Kamaljit Kaur Nagpal:

Can the portfolio holder provide give a short verbal update on her visit to Ealing’s Holiday and Activity Food Programme this summer?

Councillor Kamaljit Kaur Nagpal responded:

Last month I had the privilege of visiting our remarkable

HAFprogramme. I was accompanied by my colleagues, Virendra Sharma MP, Cllr Mohinder Midha, and Phil Cosby, Principal & CEO of Alec Reed Academy.

We visited two HAF sessions hosted at Alec Reed Academy: one being run by ENG, an inclusive mainstream provider, and one by Sport Works, who specialise in provision for children with Special Educational Needs.

I had the opportunity to witness the exceptional work being done by our two providers, it was great to see the programme in action!

What struck me during the visit was the genuine enthusiasm and active participation of the children and young people involved. At both locations, I saw children engaged in a variety of physical games and activities. It was heartwarming to not only see their energy and enthusiasm as they bonded with their peers, but to feel the undeniable sense of community and inclusivity at both locations. These activities not only promote physical health, but also foster social connections and a sense of belonging, which are invaluable for our young residents.

The children participating also received a nutritious lunch, ensuring that they had access to healthy food. That’s a particularly significant part of the HAF programme at the moment, as we know that more and more families are struggling with the huge inflationary increases in food prices at the moment.

Councillor Ball asked Councillor Kamaljit Kaur Nagpal:

Do you agree that the Government's response to the RAAC crisis has been woeful and that Rishi Sunak’s decision in 2020 as chancellor to halve spending on school rebuilding was lamentable? 

Councillor Kamaljit Kaur Nagpal responded:

Perhaps unusually for a question from Cllr Ball – I couldn’t agree more.

The Prime Minister’s decision to slash spending on school rebuilding is regrettable. This is a matter of utmost importance, and it is vital that we address it with the seriousness it deserves – something that the education secretary was clearly unable to bring herself to do.

It is outrageous that government has consistently cut funding for school buildings, and then has the gall to turn around and blame schools and local authorities for this latest scandal. It is a crisis stemming from the stroke of a pen in a Whitehall department 10 years ago, and now children all over the country are sat under ceilings that are held up with wooden props.

What sort of a message does this send children and young people about how they are valued in society? About how seriously they should take their educations?

And this was preventable. It is political choices that have brought us here, political choices made by not only Rishi Sunak as Chancellor but which also have to be owned by the Lib Dems as it was the coalition government which reviewed the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Councillor Mason moved and Councillor Costigan seconded the Council Plan Delivery Plan 2023-24.

Councillors Malcolm, Gallant, Haili, Anderson, Manro, Hersch, Kamaljit Kaur Nagpal, Tighe, Summers, Conti, Blacker, J Anand, Steed, Rai, Brett, Young, Donnelly, Knewstub, Ball, Mahfouz and Jassal responded to the motion.

Councillor Mason summed up the motion.

A vote was taken and it was

RESOLVED: That the Council Plan Delivery Plan 2022-23 is agreed.

Councillor Donnelly moved and Councillor Shaw seconded the Treasury Management Outturn 2022/23.

RESOLVED: That

1.     The treasury management activities and performance against targets for the period to 31 March 2023 are noted.

2.     The Council’s investment balance of £506.835 million as at 31 March 2023, of which £443,500m million invested with the Debt Management Office, is noted.

3.     The Prudential Indicators outturn for 2022/23, which were maintained within the limits set by full Council in March 2022, are noted.

There were no urgent key decisions exempted from call-in.

There were no appointments to Committees and other bodies.