Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Alan Chapman, Peter Money and Jane Palmer. 

To note any declarations of interest in any matter before the Council

There were no declarations of interest in any matter before the Council. 

To elect a Mayor of the London Borough of Hillingdon to hold office from 11 May 2023 until his or her successor becomes entitled to act as Mayor.

i)       The retiring Mayor, Councillor Haggar, to provide a summary of her year in office.

ii)      Nominations for Mayor invited by the retiring Mayor – election (if necessary)

iii)     Retiring Mayor declares the result.

The Mayor stated that her Mayoral year had been a once in a lifetime opportunity which had included: the platinum jubilee celebrations; seeing three Prime Ministers take office; the hottest day on record; the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; the retirement of the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Mr Bruce Holder; and parties to celebrate to coronation of King Charles III.

A number of fundraising events had taken place over the municipal year including: a 5k run at Stockley Park; a Bollywood event; and a St Patrick's Day night.  The Mayor had raised £28k for her charities. 

The Mayor thanked her Consort, Mr Marios Kaikitis, and Escorts, Miss Ellie-May Haggar and Miss Pollyanna Haggar, for their support during her Mayoral year.  She also thanked her mother and the Mayoral team for the support that they had provided and to her Ward Councillor colleagues for covering the ward work over the last twelve months. 

Nominations were invited for a Mayor to hold office for the 2023/24 municipal year.  Councillor Ahmad-Wallana was nominated by Councillor Roy Chamdal and seconded by Councillor Gohil.  There were no further nominations. 

RESOLVED: That Councillor Shehryar Ahmad-Wallana be elected as Mayor for the 2023/2024 municipal year.

The Council adjourned for robing of the new Mayor at 7.48pm and reconvened at 8.02pm.

i)      The newly elected Mayor to make and sign the declaration of acceptance of office.

ii)     The Head of Democratic Services to declare the election of the Mayor to be complete.

The newly elected Mayor signed the declaration of acceptance of office.

To receive the Mayor’s appointment in writing of a Councillor of the Borough to serve as Deputy Mayor for the coming municipal year.

The Mayor informed the Council that he had appointed Councillor Colleen Sullivan as Deputy Mayor.

RESOLVED: That the Deputy Mayor for the 2023/2024 municipal year be noted.

To receive announcements from the new Mayor.

The new Mayor thanked Members for electing him to the position for the new municipal year.  He assured them that he would continue to put residents first during his Mayoral year and represent them with grace and dignity. 

He advised that his Mayoresses would be Mrs Amtul Would Wallana and Miss Tooba Wallana and his Escorts would be Ms Sabrina Cambiaso Tabar and Ms Fabiana Fawaz. 

The Mayor noted that his nominated charities for the year would be Halo Children's Foundation and the Al-Falah Institute.  He advised that he had appointed Imam Md Sirajul Islam as Chaplain for the year.

i)     Vote of thanks to the outgoing Mayor to be moved and seconded – vote.

ii)      Presentation of Past Mayor’s and Past Mayor’s Consort’s badges.

Councillor Edwards moved a vote of thanks to the retired Mayor, Councillor Becky Haggar, and her Consort, Mr Marios Kaikitis, and Escorts, Miss Pollyanna Haggar and Miss Ellie-May Haggar.  He advised that the Council would be matching the £28k raised by the retired Mayor, funded from the textile recycling. 

The vote of thanks was seconded by Councillor Curling.  Councillors Roy Chamdal, Corthorne, Lavery and O'Brien spoke in support of the vote of thanks to the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Haggar. 

The Mayor (Councillor Ahmad-Wallana) presented a Past Mayor's badge to Councillor Haggar and a Past Consort's badge to Mr Marios Kaikitis, Miss Pollyanna Haggar and Miss Ellie May Haggar. 

RESOLVED:  That the vote of thanks to the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Haggar, be agreed. 

8.1       APPOINTMENT OF THE CABINET

The appointment by the Leader of the Council of Councillor Bianco as the Deputy Leader, and the following Members as Cabinet Members, for 2023/2024 was noted:

8.2   REVIEW OF COUNCIL CONSTITUTION

Councillor Edwards moved, and Councillor Bianco seconded, the motion and it was:

RESOLVED:  That the recommendation of the Appointments Committee regarding the new definition of ‘Chief Officer’, be approved and the Constitution be updated accordingly.

To determine the number and size of Council Committees and allocate Members to serve on those committees based on the political balance of the Council where required.

Councillor R Mills moved, and Councillor Davies seconded, the motion as set out on the Order of Business and it was:

ReSOLVED: That the appointment of Committees, Sub-Committees and their memberships, as set out in Minute Annex A, be approved.

To receive the annual report.

The Council received a report detailing the work covered by the Select Committees in 2022/23.  It was moved by Councillor Bridges, seconded by Councillor Denys, and:

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.

In accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, to receive, without comment, a statement from the Leader of the Council.

The Leader of the Council advised that it had been a notable year for the nation with political turmoil and events that had resulted in the cost-of-living crisis.  The last twelve months had been steady for the Council with the submission of a balanced budget and plans to rebuild reserves.  A £21m savings plan had been fully developed for 2023/2024 whilst also ensuring that Hillingdon residents paid £500 less Council Tax than the national average.  The Leader gave assurance that the Borough's weekly free waste and recycling service would be continued this year, even though he recognised that the country's economic situation was likely to continue.

Good progress had been made in delivering the Council Plan and Hillingdon had been rated top in terms of offering parents their first choice of primary school and had facilitated and funded street closures for 180 street parties. 

With regard to housing, a programme of improvements continued to be delivered, with the Council on track to deliver 100 additional Council houses over the four-year term.  Work continued to improve housing standards and £1.5m had been secured to help prioritise safety and thermal efficiency and address fuel poverty.  735 new boilers had been fitted in Council properties over the last year, with a further 1,752 new boilers expected to be installed in the next year.  78 properties had also been recovered by the Counter Fraud Team. 

With the refreshed Public Space Protection Orders, enforcements had been strengthened and publicised.  Baroness Casey's Report on Misconduct had identified unacceptable behaviour in the police force and highlighted the neglect of police commissioners.  In London, local authorities had been vocal about the tri-borough arrangements and measures had now been introduced to appoint a Superintendent for each borough.  The Metropolitan Police Service's estates strategy was also being paused and the decision to close Uxbridge Police Station would be reviewed. 

Other achievements of the Council over the last year included:

·         securing an additional four Green Flags, taking the total to 67;

·         planting 17k trees;

·         installing green screens at 13 schools;

·         installing a memorial at Breakspear Crematorium to remember those who had died during the pandemic;

·         £1.5m investment in Hillingdon Sports and Leisure Centre and Highgrove Pool;

·         'topping out' at the West Drayton leisure development (the installation of the final beam in the new structure);

·         the £4m restoration project at Cranford Park;

·         work in preparation for the planning application for a new water sports and outdoor activity centre; and

·         replacement of 625 street light bulbs.

In the 2021 Census, Hillingdon had been identified as having a greater population growth than the England average and the sixth highest in London.  The population of the Borough was getting older and there had been a reduction in the number of people aged 15-30.  The majority of households did not have children and one in four households had just one person living there, but one in ten households included multiple families.  In 2011, one quarter of the population had been Asian; in 2021, this had increased to one third.  80% of Hillingdon residents were British. 

During the last year, the Mayor of London had announced that he would be expanding the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to all outer London boroughs.  The Council had recognised that this would have a negative impact on Hillingdon residents that outweighed the perceived benefits.  It would affect the mobility of many elderly residents which would potentially increase their isolation and impact on social care costs.  The proposals would impact on the recruitment and retention of staff and reduce the footfall in Uxbridge.  Permission had been given for a judicial review of the ULEZ expansion proposals on two grounds, with a ruling awaited on a further two grounds. 

The Council continued to pursue savings and efficiencies as a priority.  Having reviewed the senior management structure, a review was now being undertaken of middle management costs and effort was being made to reduce the annual running costs of the authority.  An improved family and youth service offer had been developed and the community safety service was being rebuilt in conjunction with the police to encourage greater transparency and information sharing with joint tasking. 

Moving forward, a range of work had been planned which included:

·         £13.7m of Government funding secured to improve the thermal efficiency of the Civic Centre and some other buildings;

·         the introduction of a new waste and recycling service for flats; and

·         new electric vehicle (EV) charging points in the Borough.

The Leader noted that much separated the political groups but that there was also a lot that united them too.  Both groups were unanimous in their commitment to serve residents and there might be times when the administration would use the ideas of the opposition.  He paid tribute to the Council's Corporate Management Team and officers who delivered the vision set by Members and to all Councillors for the work that they did to make the Council great.