Agenda item

To hear the Call-In of any decision made at the Cabinet meeting prior to this meeting or made by Cabinet Members, other Council Committees or a delegated officer and published within five working days of this meeting.

Members should bring their Cabinet agenda to the meeting.

Members should consider any other decisions published in the five working days before this meeting.

The purpose of this meeting is to decide whether to refer back any decision to the decision maker.

A general observation was made by Members that the Policy Overview Committees (POCs) had not had an opportunity to comment on a number of Cabinet reports because the Council’s meeting schedule meant that the Cabinet agenda was published after the POCs had met.   

The Democratic Services Manager explained that Policy Overview Committees had the opportunity to request information on Cabinet items which were detailed on the Cabinet Forward Plan.

Members asked that their concerns on this be noted.        

Members gave consideration to the Cabinet reports of 16 June 2011 and after careful consideration Members decided not to call-in any decision made by the Cabinet at their meeting.

However further information was requested on the following items:

Cabinet Agenda Item 5 - Sustain, Renew and Prosper - Hillingdon' Approach to Regeneration 2011-2016 

Members asked:

(1)  Why was consideration not given to pressing Transport for London (TfL) for an extension of the Metropolitan Line at Uxbridge to Heathrow?

(2) Why was consideration not given to lobbying the Mayor for London for his support for improving the north-south bus routes?

[Subsequent to the meeting, officers provided the following response:

“(1) Hillingdon, along with other authorities in west London continues to engage pro-actively with TfL on a range of medium and longer-term aspirations to improve the various rail networks within the area, and whilst many options may have theoretical attractions and in particular travel and general commuting benefits for many of our residents, there also needs to be a recognition of the need for a firm business case which would support the considerable investment needed by TfL for many of these schemes, and the need to mitigate any adverse environmental impacts.

A rail link between Uxbridge and Heathrow is a positive aspiration, but given that it would go through residential areas it would involve large scale compulsory purchase and or significant tunnelling.  This would require very high levels of investment, and funding to the level required is unlikely to be available for the foreseeable future. Given that the Government is presently committed to delivering Crossrail and HS2 over the next two decades it is unlikely that there would be Central government support for the initiative.   In addition, the Mayor's Outer London Commission report dated June 2010 stated that taking account of the likely shortage of funding for new infrastructure available in the short-term, that there should be an emphasis placed on making the current system operate more effectively rather than on new big transport projects which are not feasible.  The extension of the Metropolitan Line would be a major new project. 

The beauty of the Central Line extension from West Ruislip to Uxbridge is that the land already exists and therefore, it is a more realistic aspiration at this time.  It would be comparatively easier in engineering terms and consequently cheaper financially and this istherefore why the Council is lobbying TfL.  The extension is also supported by many of our Uxbridge town centre partners.

(2) The Council has lobbied strongly in relation to improving north South links, including high-level meetings which have taken place between Cabinet Members and TfL Directors.  The Council continues to work closely with TfL to improve public transport in the borough. Officers are continuing to lobby hard for better north-south links, but this is against the backdrop of limited investment by TfL in any new bus routes. More practical measures such as improved bus services from South Ruislip to Uxbridge are therefore being sought in the shorter term.  The proposed extension of the Central Line would be a significant improvement in respect of improving North / South links.  Additionally the Council has both submitted specific schemes and lobbied the Outer London Commission (which reports to the Mayor for London) in respect of improving North South bus links in particular.”

Members also asked that in relation to Cabinet Agenda Item 10 - Review of the Local List of Buildings of Architectural or Historic Importance and the Gazetteer of War Memorials, on page 147 Appendix 2: New additions to Local List - 2011 officers amend the wards for Apollo Building (should read Botwell) and The Stables (should read Yiewsley).

RESOLVED -    

1.      That the decisions made by Cabinet at their meeting on 16 June 2011 be endorsed and noted and no call-in be made of any decision. 

      2.   That officers be asked to provide responses to the issues outlined above.