Agenda item

The Committee discussed potential review to undertake during 2010/11. Members said it would be timely to discuss the problems of the drug Khat, with the recent closure of “Khat Houses” in areas in the South of the borough. Khat was becoming a major problem with some communities and Members were aware of some women’s associations located within the borough who were facing difficulties at home due to problems related to Khat usage. Officers informed the Committee that Khat problems had recently been highlighted in the media and a review into the drug could lead to some very useful recommendations to help deal with the problem of the drug. Members narrowed down the scope of the review to the following main points:

·        Production – where the drug was grown, who grew it and how much it cost to produce it.

·        Importation – controls at Heathrow Airport

·        Distribution – where was the drug sold and how much was it

·        Usage – profile of the average user, social effects, health side effects and effects in relation to crime

·        Future – would it be possible to grow the drug in the UK and could this lead to expansion of use not only within communities renowned for consuming this drug now but more wide-spread usage.

·        How could the London Borough of Hillingdon help tackle the problem of Khat in the future?

Members discussed further topics for review. The Committee said a review of car parking might lead to some useful recommendation. Members said the review would need to be focused on a specific area of car parking, such as commuter parking. Officers were asked to provide a scoping report to the Committee at the subsequent meeting.

Members discussed other areas of interest to the Residents’ and Environmental Service Policy Overview Committee. Emerging themes were the provision of toilets available to the public and the availability of Community Centre meeting rooms available to use by small community organisations. In regards to the provision of public facilities, the Committee discussed the availability of toilets in town centres and high streets. Members considered the following areas:

·        What facilities are available to the public at the moment

·        Are Hillingdon residents able to use toilets in cafes, bars and clubs for free?

·        Are current provisions used by the public?

Members agreed that an update report on the current provision may suffice.

Members said that there were a large number of small public groups who met on a regular basis but had difficulties finding places to meet. Members considered the following themes:

·        How many rooms were available for the public to use in community centres within the borough?

·        Were these rooms fitted with toilets, kitchens and further amenities which may be needed?

·        Could the planning policy be reviewed to include a term in each contract when building blocks of flats or community flats that a room must be built within the building for community use?

·        Are some community centre meeting rooms only open to people of certain faith groups? If so, what can the Committee do to discourage this?

Members agreed that an update report on community centres may suffice.

AGREED:

The Committee agreed to consider two scoping reports at their meeting on 27 July 2010 and to decide on review topics at their subsequent meeting. Members decided to receive scoping reports on Khat and car parking at the next meeting. Update reports on community centres and the provision of public toilets may be considered by Committee later in the year depending on the workload of the Committee.