Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Crowe, Jarjussey and Lakhmana.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 11 September 2014 (attached)

It was suggested that it had been agreed that additional information would be provided in relation to a question asked of Councillor Corthorne at the last meeting. Councillor Corthorne agreed to review the minutes with officers and ensure the written answer that had been requested was re-sent and included in the minutes.

 

It was agreed that under agenda item 6, Members' Questions, the words "by Blue Sky" be removed from Councillor Allen's supplementary question (question 6.3). 

 

RESOLVED: That, subject to the above amendment, the minutes of the meeting held on 11 September be agreed as a correct record.

The Mayor announced that, since the last meeting of full Council, her charity appeal had donated £1,700 to the Michael Sobell Hospice which provided funds for a tumble dryer, wi-fi and training session for GPs and hospital staff on palliative care.

 

The Mayor also announced that her chauffeur, Richard Wallace would be taking part in Trinity Charity's Big Sleep Out on her behalf and she urged Members to sponsor the event.

 

It was noted that the Mayor's Charity Quiz Night would be taking place on 19 November 2014.

i)        Urgent Implementation of Decisions

 

Councillor Puddifoot moved the recommendation as set out in the Order of Business. The motion was seconded by Councillor Simmonds and it was:

 

RESOLVED: That the Urgency decisions detailed in the report be noted.

 

ii)       Membership of Council Committees 2014/15

 

Councillor Puddifoot moved the recommendations as set out in the Order of Business. The motion was seconded by Councillor Simmonds and it was:

 

RESOLVED: That:

a)    Mr Rajiv P Vyas be appointed as independent Chairman of the Audit Committee for the remainder of the Municipal Year;

b)   The SRA for the Chairman of Licensing Sub-Committee be replaced with a SRA of £6,000 for the Vice - Chairman of the Licensing Committee;

c)    Substitute members of the three Planning Committees be drawn from the members of the Planning Committees and those Members who have undertaken formal Planning Committee training provided by the Council.

d)   Upon the recommendation of the Conservative Group the following changes be made to Committee Memberships 2014/15:

§  Hillingdon Domestic Violence Forum - Councillor Haggar to replace Councillor Barnes (with Councillor Barnes becoming a nominated substitute)

§  Social Services, Housing and Public Health Policy Overview Committee - Councillor Davis to replace Councillor J.Cooper.

§  Central and South Planning Committee - Councillor Yarrow to replace Councillor Hensley.

§  North Planning Committee - Councillor Duducu to replace Councillor Yarrow and Councillor Melvin to replace Councillor Higgins.

§  Major Applications Planning Committee - Councillor Yarrow to replace Councillor Hensley and Councillor Melvin to replace Councillor Higgins; and

e)    Upon the recommendation of the Labour Group the following changes be made to Committee Memberships 2014/15:

§  Social Services, Housing and Public Health Policy Overview Committee - Councillor Khatra to fill one vacancy.

§  Licensing Committee - Councillor Dhillon to fill one vacancy.

 

Members of the relevant Committees then stood and elected the following:

 

Social Services, Housing and Public Health Policy Overview Committee Councillor Bridges - Chairman

Councillor Barnes - Vice Chairman

 

Central and South Planning Committee

Councillor Edwards (Chairman)

Councillor Yarrow (Vice Chairman)

 

Major Applications Planning Committee

Councillor Edwards (Vice Chairman)

 

Audit Committee

Councillor Lewis (Vice Chairman)

 

iii)     Establishment of a Local Pension Board for London Borough of Hillingdon Pension Fund

 

Councillor Puddifoot moved the recommendation as set out in the Order of Business. The motion was seconded by Councillor Simmonds and it was:

 

RESOLVED: That the Head of Democratic Services be authorised to establish a Hillingdon Local Pension Board by 1 April 2015, in accordance with the following:

 

a)     The membership of the Board to comprise of:

•   3 elected Members (2 Con' & 1 Lab')

•   3 employee/scheme member representatives - scheme members to be asked for expressions of interest and then selected at interview by the Chairman and one other Member of the Pensions Committee and a Senior Officer, on the basis of capacity and/or experience.

 

b)     The Pensions Committee be reduced to 5 Members (3 Con' and 2 Lab')

 

c)     The Investment Strategy Sub Committee be abolished and the powers transferred to the full Pensions Committee which will continue to meet four times per year. To enable any urgent decisions to be taken, authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Finance, aligned with the powers already delegated to him in relation to Treasury Management. Any exercise of those powers would then be reported back to Pensions Committee.

 

d)     Reports to the Local Pensions Board to either reflect decisions taken by Pensions Committee or be reports for noting already seen by Pensions Committee.

 

e)     Subject to guidance to be issued by the DCLG, the Pensions Board to meet quarterly in the month following Pensions Committee.

To consider the results of the review (attached)

Councillor Puddifoot announced that this item was to be deferred to allow for a further period of consultation.

7.1      Question submitted by councillor MELVIN TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR Social Services, Health and Housing - COUNCILLOR CORTHORNE

 

"Would the Cabinet Member please inform us of the work being done to assist tenants affected by the spare room subsidy changes to move into alternative accommodation and, where applicable, into employment?"

 

Councillor Corthorne advised that the spare room subsidy had been introduced in April 2013. All households affected had been contacted and provided with information on how the changes would impact on them and encouraged to contact the Council, consider downsizing options and to discuss the temporary resolution through a Discretionary Housing Payment. The number of households affected by the spare room subsidy was 924 in September comprising 524 Council tenants and 400 housing association tenants. The average weekly shortfall for these households was £20.23 and at 1 October 2014 109 of them were in receipt of Discretionary Housing Payments.

 

A financial incentive had also been made available to residents under the Home Release Reward Scheme. During the 2014/15 financial year, 37 households had been assisted in this way to move to new social letting which better met their requirements. This had released a total of 45 bedrooms. Two households had also used the Tenant Grant to Move Scheme which gave a grant of £500 to anyone who moved out of the Borough and gave up a dwelling with two or more bedrooms.

 

Councillor Corthorne noted that the Council had also been working with Jobcentre Plus who had been a regular presence in the Housing Needs Section working with households affected by welfare reforms. So far, over 100 people had been helped to find employment to meet the challenges caused by the benefits cap.

 

There was no supplementary question.

 

7.11    QUESTION SUBMITTED BY COUNCILLOR SWEETING TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR EDUCATION AND CHILDRENS' SERVICES - COUNCILLOR SIMMONDS

 

"In February 2013 a Cabinet report stated, 'Cabinet is asked to agree to receive in Autumn 2013 a report setting out the forecast demand for secondary school places over the next 10 years and to consider how need could be met.' In the Cabinet report of 19 December 2013 no options were outlined and it would appear that since then there have been no details as to how the additional secondary places could be delivered although the first places are required by September 2016. In view of the need for an additional 27 forms of entry of secondary places to be provided in Hillingdon over the next 8 years, when will the Council be publicising the options for increased secondary school capacity for September 2016 and up until 2022?"

 

Councillor Simmonds advised that discussions had commenced between officers and Head Teachers of Secondary Schools about expansion options. The Cabinet was being kept updated on developments and progress through Schools Capital Programme reports. It was noted that work to date had identified eight secondary school sites that could be expanded to provide an additional 13.5 forms of entry. This additional capacity would meet the forecasted demand for the next 4 years after which point substantial rebuilds would have to be considered. It was noted that options were being explored comprehensively and that issues and developments would be presented to Cabinet in due course.

 

Councillor Sweeting, by way of supplementary question, asked whether there were any plans for a new secondary school in West Drayton.

 

Councillor Simmonds acknowledged the work of Councillor Gilham on the issue of providing school places in West Drayton. He advised that various sites across the Borough were being explored including the provision of secondary school places within existing primary schools and the development of Free Schools. He reassured Members that the current Administration would not fail the children of Hayes or West Drayton.

 

7.2       QUESTION SUBMITTED BY COUNCILLOR J.Cooper TO THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL– COUNCILLOR PUDDIFOOT

 

"Earlier this year a small number of Council employees went on strike for a day. Would the Leader of the Council please confirm that these employees were not paid by the Council whilst on strike?"

 

Councillor Puddifoot confirmed that the 88 members of staff who had taken part in the action had not been paid whilst on strike.

 

Councillor J. Cooper, by way of supplementary question, asked how much money the Council had saved as a result of this.

 

Councillor Puddifoot advised that the Council had saved £13,053 but noted that it was not the Council's place to profit from industrial action. As such, these funds would be donated to the charity, Trinity.

 

7.6       Question submitted by councillor allen TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR Social Services, Health and Housing - COUNCILLOR CORTHORNE

 

"Could the Cabinet Member please inform Members how many disabled residents, both adult and child, are awaiting major/minor adaptations to their homes which will ultimately improve the quality of their lives?"

 

Councillor Corthorne advised that a review of the major and minor adaptations processes was currently underway with new processes being implemented. There were three core pieces of work that were central to this:

1.    A review of existing contracts to ensure robust contract management and work that met the required standards. This included the introduction of framework agreements for works such as stairlifts.

2.    The testing of new ways of working for minor and major adaptations which was expected to streamline the existing processes as well as introduce key roles including a Clerk of Works and Project Manager to ensure timely delivery.

3.    A clearance of the backlog. There was currently a backlog of 46 minor adaptations with works underway or due to start on 34 of these cases. There was a total of 310 major adaptation cases (46 of which were children's) of which 37 had been allocated to contractors and another 21 were approved and awaiting a start date. A review of the performance data was integral to the adaptations review process that was currently underway.

 

The remaining 228 cases were being assessed using Occupational Therapy. Additional surveyor capacity had been put in place to accelerate this process and work was underway to identify further contractors who could complete the works.

 

Where there were social care needs arising directly from the need for adaptations, the Council was picking this up and liaising with residents to keep them informed.

 

Councillor Allen, by way of supplementary question, asked how long the review process would last for.

 

Councillor Corthorne advised that there had been significant delays in the review but that work was underway to make improvements. A progress report would be provided on this in 2015.

 

Subsequent to the meeting a written update was provided as follows:

 

Of the people on the waiting list as at 11 November 2014, there was an average wait time of 88 days following the Occupational Therapy site visit to works being allocated to a contractor to undertake the work.  The shortest waiting time is one day with the longest waiting time being 229 days. 

 

The timeframe for works varied depending on the type of work to be undertaken ranging from ramps through to extensions to dwellings.  The need to complete a financial assessment for eligibility for a disabilities funding grant can also build delays into the process especially when there were delays in the provision of information. It also depended on whether the framework agreement was used or quotes needed to be obtained to undertake works.

 

This process was now being streamlined for all new cases and a plan was in place to clear the backlog of cases, ready for allocation to contractors, by January 2015. 

 

7.3       Question submitted by councillor PALMER TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR Social Services, Health and Housing - COUNCILLOR CORTHORNE

 

"Would the Cabinet Member please update us on progress with housing void turnaround times?"

 

Councillor Corthorne advised that, since his September 2013 update to Council on this subject, there had been considerable improvement to the Housing Repairs Service due to significant investment in ICT, the streamlining of processes and new management structures. In particular, the procurement and introduction of new, compliant contracting arrangements for voids work had led to faster turnaround times and more efficient operations.

 

The number of voids at any one time was not necessarily the best measure of performance as this depended on the number of dwellings handed back at any one time which was beyond the Council's control. This would also depend upon those properties returned by the Fraud Team. Despite this, there had been a reduction from 150 to 30 void properties between the summer of 2013 and present. Furthermore, 68% of void repairs were now completed within 20 days whereas in 2013/14 only 23% were completed in this timeframe.

 

Councillor Corthorne informed Members that there would be significant changes in the structure of Housing Services with delivery becoming integrated into other service areas rather than remaining as a discrete operation. In order to deliver this, a phased approach would be adopted with services being moved to areas with which synergies had been identified.

 

There was no supplementary question.

 

7.7       Question submitted by councillor sansarpuri TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR Social Services, Health and Housing - COUNCILLOR CORTHORNE

 

"How many Hillingdon families are currently being housed in budget hotel accommodation such as Travelodge, in this Borough or elsewhere?"

 

Councillor Corthorne advised that, as at 1 November 2014, there were 2 single men being housed in this type of accommodation; one at Feltham one at Heathrow.

 

Councillor Sansapuri, by way of supplementary question, asked what was being done to address this issue.

 

Councillor Corthorne advised that the Council was seeking to improve the housing offer and reduce the turnaround of void properties in order to address this issue.

 

7.4      QUESTION SUBMITTED BY COUNCILLOR CHAPMAN TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR FINANCE, PROPERTY AND BUSINESS SERVICES – COUNCILLOR BIANCO

 

"Can the Cabinet Member tell me how many Green Flags the Borough now holds?"

 

Councillor Bianco confirmed that there were now 28 Green Flag Awards across the Borough which was an increase of 4 Awards on the previous year. He advised that Hillingdon had more Green Flags than any other Borough in the country and that there were further plans to increase this number in the coming year. He stated that this was a fact that Hillingdon residents would benefit from recreationally as well as one that they could be proud of.

 

Councillor Chapman, by way of supplementary question, asked where within the Borough the Green Flags were located.

 

Councillor Bianco advised that there were 12 Green Flags in the north of the Borough and 16 in the south. He provided a breakdown of Green Flag Awards by ward.

 

7.8       QUESTION SUBMITTED BY COUNCILLOR eginton TO THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL– COUNCILLOR PUDDIFOOT

 

"As the Leader chairs the Health and Well Being Board which is responsible for working with Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), can he tell me whether he considers that the CCG is sufficiently aware of the needs of Hillingdon communities to enable it to plan and provide services in the future?"

 

Councillor Puddifoot advised that he, as the Leader of the Council, was the Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board which had taken over responsibility for public health activities from the NHS in April 2013. The Board was responsible for ensuring that health commissioners had the public health advice that they required but that it was not directly responsible for commissioning acute or primary care services. The Board had also taken on statutory responsibilities for compiling the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and, based on this, a Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

 

Councillor Puddifoot noted that he had spoken to the Chair of the Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group, Dr Ian Goodman who had confirmed that he believed they were in a position to provide good services to residents. It was noted that the CCG was in deficit through no fault of its own as debts had been transferred from its predecessor, the Primary Care Trust.

 

Councillor Eginton, by way of supplementary question, asked how there could be trust in the CCG when its website significantly misrepresented the racial makeup of the Borough.

 

Councillor Puddifoot responded that his trust was in clinicians and not in those who managed the website. 

 

7.5       Question submitted by councillor Gilham TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR Social Services, Health and Housing - COUNCILLOR CORTHORNE

 

"Would the Cabinet Member please provide details of the work of the fraud team to tackle illegal sub letting of council house stock, success to date in retrieving such dwellings and on their general housing fraud activity?"

 

Councillor Corthorne advised that the Corporate Fraud Investigation Team's initiative to tackle illegal sub-letting had commenced in 2011 and, to date, had recovered a total of 165 illegally sub-let and vacant Council properties. 35 of those properties had been recovered since April 2014; 9 three bed, 9 two bed and 15 one bed.

 

Councillor Corthorne noted that further proactive work to detect and investigate fraudulent cases included the Bungalow Project (520 over-55's properties visited) and the Fairlie House Project with visits to all 72 flats and 5 Notices to Quit issued.

 

New projects included data matching and further fraud awareness presentations to key housing staff and caretakers. Furthermore, Fraud Investigation Teams were continuing to engage with key stakeholders and information on Housing Fraud Activity had been publicised through posters in the Housing Needs Reception and in the local press.

 

From August 2014 investigations of suspicious new housing applications had been initiated. Since June the Team had also investigated 73 temporary accommodation cases and over 16 of these had resulted in eviction, the issuing of a warning or a complete discharge of duty from housing. 2 cases were also being prepared for criminal prosecution - one a new applicant for housing and the other an existing applicant placed in Bed and Breakfast accommodation.

 

Councillor Corthorne thanked officers for their work in this area.

 

Councillor Gilham, by way of supplementary question, asked the Cabinet Member to confirm that enforcement was taking place across the Borough and not just in Hayes and Harlington.

 

Councillor Corthorne confirmed that this morally repugnant and criminal activity was enforced throughout the Borough.

 

7.9       Question submitted by councillor morse TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR Planning, Transportation and Recycling - COUNCILLOR BURROWS

 

"How much has the cost of cleaning up fly-tipping risen since the closure of the Rigby Lane civic amenity site in Botwell Ward in November 2008 and the subsequent closure of the South Ruislip civic site also?"

 

Councillor Burrows confirmed that there had been no rise in the cost of fly tip removal since 2008. He stressed that the closure of the Rigby Lane Civic Amenity Site had been a decision voted for by Labour Councillors from other London boroughs.

 

Councillor Morse, by way of supplementary question, asked how many fly tips had been removed per ward since 2009.

 

Councillor Burrows stated that he did not have these figures available to him but that he would ask officers to provide them outside of the meeting.

 

N.B.This response was subsequently provided and can be found at Annex A.

 

 

7.10    Question submitted by councillor dheer TO THE CABINET MEMBER FOR Planning, Transportation and Recycling - COUNCILLOR BURROWS

 

"What steps are being taken to improve disability access for wheelchair users crossing the public highway to gain access to local facilities in West Drayton?"

 

Councillor Burrows advised that this was a broad ranging question as the exact facilities had not been specified nor was it clear whether West Drayton was being referred to as a Ward or as a town centre. However, he noted that, in West Drayton and Yiewsley, the Council had recently seen the completion of the first major Town Centre scheme in Hillingdon, which involved investment from a number of sources, including the Council's own Capital funds, Section 106 contributions and funding from the Mayor of London, which amounted to £2.4 million.

 

Councillor Burrows advised that the scheme had transformed the roads and footways between Falling Lane and Swan Road and its development had involved a great deal of planning and consultation with a wide range of local people. Consideration of safe and proper wheelchair-friendly crossings both for the main high street as well as side roads was part of the planning process. Furthermore, the scheme had been developed in conjunction with Hillingdon's Mobility Forum which was continuing to work with the Council to improve access for vulnerable groups.

 

The Council has also been working with the Mayor of London and Transport for London and engaging in an ongoing programme of bus stop improvement works across the Borough. In the West Drayton area, routes such as the 222 and U5 had already benefitted from this investment. It was noted that, although this was not about wheelchair users, access to bus services did make it easier for vulnerable people to be mobile.

 

Councillor Burrows also noted that West Drayton Station would soon benefit from an unprecedented level of investment through the Crossrail project. The Council had been working with key stakeholders in this development to ensure that the new station would be fully accessible for everyone. Improvements could extend beyond the station itself as the Council had bid for additional funding to transform the areas surrounding the station. The outcome of the bid would be known by the end of November 2014.

 

Councillor Dheer, by way of supplementary question, asked how much would be available in the budget for future improvements to wheelchair access.

 

Councillor Burrows advised that he did not currently have this information available to him and that he would provide it outside of the meeting.

 

N.B. The response was subsequently provided as follows:

 

There is not just a single budget dedicated purely to 'to improve disability access to cross highways and / or gain access to local facilities in the Borough' as every new road-related scheme is considered with accessibility right at the core of the proposals.

 

There is a dedicated sum of £100,000 allocated within TfL's Local Implementation Plan (LIP) budget specifically for measures to improve the convenience and safety with which disabled people can move around the Borough. This budget is managed by the Council's Accessibility Officer. Projects are identified through the Mobility Forum or through specific requests made by disabled people.

 

In addition to this the Accessibility Officer is involved in shaping other highways and transport schemes to improve transport mobility and accessibility across the board. Such schemes include town centre schemes with measures to improve the mobility and accessibility of disabled people as an integral part of those schemes. Groups representing disabled people are consulted throughout the design process. In 2013/14 the budget for this included a TfL LIP contribution to town centre work in Yiewsley & West Drayton, Hayes, Ruislip Manor and Northwood Hills of £1,021,382. On top of this there was GLA investment in Northwood Hills specifically of £875,500 and at Ruislip Manor of £1.1M.

 

Other measures that benefit wheelchair users include the following:

·         School Travel Plan Road Safety Schemes - road safety measures in around schools including crossing facilities: £467,676

·         Bus Stop Accessibility - measures to make bus stops accessible for all such as raised kerbs, removal of clutter: £314,545

·         Pield Heath Cycle Track - cycle track at a Special Educational Needs School: £225,000

·         Public rights of way - resurfacing to make footways accessible for all: £103,456

·         Programme of footway improvements: £100,000

 

The Council also has a dedicated Road Safety Budget amounting to £250,000 per annum from its own capital reserves which is designed to tackle issues of concern using ideas raised by residents. Again these schemes are aimed to benefit all road users.

Prior to the debate, Councillor Puddifoot requested the meeting's permission to insert a comma between "jobs" and "that" in the final paragraph of the motion. The meeting consented to this amendment.

 

Councillor Puddifoot moved the amended motion. The motion was seconded by Councillor Simmonds and, following debate (Councillors Curling, Sansapuri, Khursheed, Gilham, Money, Eginton, D. Mills, Morse and Khatra) was put to the vote and it was unanimously:

 

RESOLVED: That this Council:

 

a)    Notes the continued threat of the privately  owned  Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd, and its public relations organization “Back Heathrow”, that they will close Heathrow and create unemployment if they are not allowed to build a third runway at Heathrow.

 

b)   Notes that, for the avoidance of doubt, neither the Council or the Mayor of London can determine if the airport remains open or closes and that the only body with the legal authority to make that decision is Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd.

 

Reflecting on the results of the 2013 borough-wide referendum in which our residents voted overwhelmingly against expansion plans at Heathrow and the 2014 local election results which returned an administration totally committed to fighting expansion at Heathrow, Council resolves to:

 

a)    Continue to oppose the expansion at Heathrow and its devastating effect on the lives and wellbeing of our residents and to ensure that the Davies Commission and other interested parties give full consideration to the negative impact of Heathrow expansion, including the health implications for Hillingdon residents and others and the negative economic impact arising from the massive disruption that a third and more runways would cause to other vital infrastructure in West London.

 

b)   To deal appropriately with the spurious threats and claims made by Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd or any of its public relations organisations, including the threat to jobs, that they have funded in the Back Heathrow campaign.