Agenda and minutes

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 14^th October 2024.

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 14^th October 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.

Councillor Jirira declared that in relation to the Themed Debate agenda item she was employed by an NHS organisation.  

Broadcast of the meeting

The Mayor announced that the meeting was being broadcast to the internet and may be filmed by members of the press or public.  Those speaking at the meeting were deemed to be agreeing to been recorded and broadcast.

Death of former Councillor Hamish MacGibbon 

Councillors Callaghan and Simon paid tribute to Hamish MacGibbon, after which those present observed one minute’s silence in his memory.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Apak, Bautista, Burrage, Cooper, Mulholland, Rahman, Russell and Simpson. 

Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Atolagbe and for leaving early from Councillor Ali. 

Requests to address the Council or to present a petition on a matter in which the authority has functions or which affects the area of the authority must be made in writing to the clerk named on the front of this agenda by 12 noon three working days before the meeting.

The Mayor confirmed that she had agreed to hear two deputations. A third deputation request had been declined because it had not related to matters directly within the responsibility of the Council.

A deputation was heard from George Binette of UNISON Retired Members Committee, as per the deputation statement circulated to Members and published on the website. 

Members then asked questions of the deputee and the Chair of the Pensions Committee responded to the deputation.

A deputation was them heard from Helena Aksentijevic of The Camden Palestine Solidarity Campaign, as per the deputation statement that had been circulated to Members and published on the Council website. 

Members of the Council then asked questions of the deputee and the Leader of the Council responded to the deputation.

The Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care will introduce the topic.

There will then be contributions from experts and community representatives, followed by questions and discussion.

Finally, the Cabinet Member will sum up.

Councillor Wright introduced the report and the Council then heard from the following speakers:-  

·       Dr Alex Warner, GP Partner at the Caversham Group Practice, welcomed the opportunity to take part in the themed debate about the proposals for health and the move towards more community based health services. Camden already had strong GP practices, with established health partnerships, that had often worked in innovative ways to respond to service needs. An assessment needed to be made about how stretched the existing practices already were. Some recognition in the proposals about workforce was also needed with some consideration about how challenging it was to attract, train, upskill and retain clinicians and administrative staff, particularly the support staff providing vital roles who were often also local residents. Dr Warner also spoke about the need to have the right buildings and spaces to develop and provide services and wanted the importance of the role of primary care to be recognised alongside the work in hospitals. Further remarks included advocating for patients and that the proposals should recognise the stark significant inequalities experienced by patients and what it would mean to address the social determinants of health. Working in more community based settings would build stronger collaborative work with the voluntary sector and would strengthen the voices of patients in their care.   

·       Dr Louise Jones, Chair of Healthwatch Camden spoke about working in  partnership with providers for better outcomes for patients and ensuring that their voices were heard. The delivery of health should be a partnership between patients, families and professionals, with the patient at the centre of integrated care, with adequate staffing and doctors to meet the needs of patients at home. There needed to be better publicity of integrated neighbourhood teams so that patients knew what was available.  Healthwatch Camden supported more use of digital systems and the improved patient  benefit and choice they provided. However, for those patients in Camden that remained digitally poor there was still a need for information in community languages and less technology reliant communication.  Prevention in health was often seen as being achieved through screening. Education was also needed to support prevention, with more targeted work with groups, communities, schools and young people services would make a real difference. More listening to the patient experience was part of the learning about health issues.          

·       Benaifer Bhandari, Chief Executive Officer of Hopscotch Women’s Centre spoke about working with girls and women across Camden and London facing abuse, poverty, homelessness, mental health issues and how health inequalities and the impact of racism had damaged their health, wellbeing and all aspects of their lives. Benaifer referred to concerns at Hopscotch about seeing far more women and girls in acute mental health crisis due a misunderstanding of personality disorders and trauma, compounded by not being listened to. Also of concern was the disproportionate maternal mortality rates for brown, black and mixed race women when compared to white women in pregnancy and postpartum. The amount being paid out in maternity related claims  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Leader of the Council will make a statement, followed by responses from the Leaders of the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Groups and then the Leader to sum up.  There will then be questions from Members to the Leader and Cabinet Members.

(There are no pages for this part of the agenda.)

Councillor Richard Olszewski, the Leader of the Council, made a statement to those present. Councillor Simon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group and Councillor Adams, Leader of the Conservative group, then made statements in response. Councillor Olszewski then made some final remarks.

The Leader and Cabinet Members then took questions from Members as follows:-

·       Councillor Chung asked the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cost of Living about post office closures in Hampstead Hight Street and Kilburn. The closures would be a further loss of an essential service to many high streets where banks had already closed. What would Camden do to restore banking services and stop post office closures? Councillor Aref-Adib responded that this was an important issue for local communities however the Council was not directly responsible for managing post offices and this was something outside of the Council’s control. The Council was continuing to look at initiatives for small businesses to maintain and strengthen the high street. In response to a supplementary question about supporting community banking hubs, Councillor Aref-Adib said that community banking and credit unions provided a different service to post offices and was an area that could be further explored. Investing in the high street was a Council priority. 

·       Councillor Revah asked the Cabinet Member for Better Homes about the work being done to reduce the number of voided Council properties in Camden, given the crisis in the shortage of social housing. Councillor Abdi-Wali responded that this was a top priority for the Council and measures were in place to make properties available as quickly as possible. A restructure of services had included steps to prioritise this work and a streamlining of processes had seen improvements in recent months, with a reduced  number of routine voids. Councillor Revah welcomed the new approach and in a supplementary question about sheltered accommodation, Councillor  Abdi-Wali  agreed with the importance of reducing the number of void sheltered  properties but they often required tailored additional works and a sensitive approach to meet the specific accessibility the new residents.        

·       Councillor Adams asked the Cabinet Member for Jobs, Young People and Culture about support to small businesses, especially in the leisure and entertainment sector, affected by the rise in the minimum wage and increase in Business National Insurance payments. Councillor Francis responded that  there was support for local businesses, that the leisure and entertainment industry was important to Camden and that there would be government help including reductions in business rates. Camden had not shied away from lobbying to support businesses and helping them to thrive. In response to a supplementary question about the evening and nighttime economy policy, Councillor Francis restated that this was an important issue to the borough and that the policy would be considered by the Licensing Committee on 19^th November 2024. 

·       Councillor Umeadi asked the Cabinet Member for Safer Communities about the noticeable rise in crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) across London and what  steps the Council had taken with residents and the Police to address  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Report of the Borough Solicitor

Consideration was given to a report of the Borough Solicitor. 

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Borough Solicitor

Consideration was given to a report of the Borough Solicitor. 

RESOLVED –

(i)              THAT Fehintola Akinlose and Alan Layton be appointed Independent Members of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee for a further term of two years, subject to reappointment at the annual meeting of the Council each year.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Better Homes

Consideration was given to a report of the Cabinet Member for Better Homes, who introduced the report.

Members made a number of comments, after which it was  

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Consideration was given to the following motion, notice of which was given by Councillor Frondigoun and which was seconded by Councillor Johnson:-

This Council notes:

• The Autumn Budget, delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves on 30 October 2024, set out the new Labour Government’s plan to fix the foundations of the country’s economy and to start rebuilding Britain following 14 years of Conservative decline.
• The Budget introduces crucial measures to support economic growth such as tackling inequality, uplifting health and social care budgets and empowering local authorities.
• The extension of the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments for the most vulnerable residents, in combination with changes to schemes like Right to Buy, will enable the retention of receipts locally and will be of significant benefit to local authorities across the country, including Camden.
• Further announcements from the Budget that will have a significant impact on residents across Camden are:
  • ?The measures to improve energy efficiency in homes and public buildings, with additional grants available for retrofitting.
  • The new incentives for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and specific support for local high streets.
  • Enhanced funding for local community safety initiatives seeks to address anti-social behaviour, promote crime prevention, and improve community well-being.
  • Additional funding for Special Education Needs and Disabilities provision to ensure that we can deliver the best quality education for every child in every community.
  • Commitment to funding that will enable HS2 to terminate at Euston.

This Council believes:

• Strengthening and expanding social and affordable housing is essential to ensuring Camden remains a fair and inclusive borough, and reforms that protect and enhance the social housing stock are crucial for our community.
• Increased health and social care funding provides an opportunity to enhance service quality, support vulnerable residents, and ensure all individuals receive the care and dignity they deserve.
• Advancing Camden’s net-zero and sustainability goals is vital for both the environment and residents, and investments in energy efficiency can deliver long-term cost savings and improved living conditions.
• Community safety initiatives and resources targeted at reducing anti-social behaviour are fundamental to building cohesive, resilient neighbourhoods and fostering trust and safety for all residents.
• Certainty on HS2 will help end the blight and uncertainty caused by the previous Conservative government’s mismanagement of the project.

This Council resolves:

• To maximise the impact of housing reforms by prioritising the retention, development, and accessibility of affordable and social housing, addressing Camden’s diverse housing needs.
• To pursue and leverage available funding for energy efficiency initiatives, including retrofitting, as part of Camden’s drive toward net-zero emissions and reducing the cost burden on residents.
• To work alongside local policing, community organisations, and residents to utilise community safety support, fostering initiatives that tackle anti-social behaviour and build safety in Camden.
• To take a proactive approach in advertising the benefits of our leading work in Camden in areas like preventative children’s services to feed into the development of further government plans.
• To do all it can to maximise the benefits of HS2 for the people  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

During this part of the meeting any Member may make a contribution of up to two minutes primarily on any matter which affects their ward.

(There are no pages for this part of the agenda.)

Contributions were made from the following Councillors:

-        Councillor De Ayala Parker spoke about the recent United Nations COP 29 (Conference of Parties) and the links between health and climate change. The work of the environmental groups in her ward were referred to and Councillor Harrison was thanked for the continued work on sustainability in his Cabinet portfolio. The Council had not shied away from climate emergency issues and should continue to be bold in these decisions for the health of Camden’s future generations. 

-        Councillor Johnson spoke about London Hearts offering to provide match funding for defibrillators in voluntary sector buildings and would  share the information with Members. Councillor Johnson also mentioned Camden’s entry in the New Years Day Parade, where the Regents Park Baton Twirlers would be marching with London high school bands, Members were asked to watch and support.

-        Councillor Simon spoke about Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) cross party working and the shared ambition for the improvements at  Hampstead Theatre, work in local communities, Swiss Cottage open space and the revamp of the Children’s section at Swiss Cottage Library.  

-        Councillor Filer spoke about the Camden Faith Forum, that she co-chaired with Councillor Shah, and the interfaith events that had taken place. There had been an interfaith history walk, a podcast, meal preparation at the winter night shelter and Mitzvah Day. It had been a very difficult year and a lot of work had been done. Members were encouraged to get involved. 

-        Councillor Jirira spoke about the CIL funding in Fortune Green of a much used under-fives project and a science garden in one of the local primary schools. Councillor Jirira also expressed disappointment that the following continued to be issues for residents attending her ward surgery: housing repairs, damp and mould queries, refuse collection not taking place and issues with parking charges on West End Sidings.  

-        Councillor Madlani spoke about the recent Diwali celebrations and wished everyone who had celebrated a Happy Diwali.  

There was no urgent business.