Agenda and minutes

To consider any apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Flick Rea.

No declarations were made.

No announcements were made.

There were no such items.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2019.

Due to an error in printing the minutes of the last meeting were not available in the agenda, because of this it was agreed that agreeing the minutes would be deferred to the next meeting of the Panel.

RESOVLED

THAT the minutes of the meeting of the 27 February 2019 be deferred until the next meeting of the Disability Oversight Panel.

Report of the Director for Customer Services.

This report considers the recommend option for a Council Tax Reduction Scheme for working age people for the year 2020/21.

The scheme supports the poorest households in Camden to pay Council Tax and enables a number of Camden 2025 outcomes to address poverty and debt, employment and supporting children and people with disabilities. 

This report sets out the rationale for changing the scheme, the options considered to date and the proposed scheme that is now out for consultation.  The proposed scheme: 

·       sees no reduction in the total amount of financial support awarded – over £16m a year for working age and £9m for pensioners

·       maintains our commitment to having no minimum payment for all – over 10,000 out of work and low income households will still get 100%

·       delivers fairness, simplicity and affordability through a reduction in bureaucracy - enables £500,000 to be saved in staffing and other costs

·       supports people’s transition to Universal Credit

·       supports young adults to stay with their families in Camden

·       targets financial support at the poorest households

·       provides additional support for families, disabled people and carers and disregards children and disability benefits in income calculations

·       provides greater certainty and in work progression incentives for those in low pay

The consultation methods are set out in this report.  It is anticipated that the results of any consultation will be considered in the Autumn with the Council needing to agree any scheme in January 2019 as any revision to or replacement scheme must by law be made no later than 11 March 2020.

Consideration was given to the report of the Director of Customer Services.

The Director of Customer Services introduced the report and discussed the proposed scheme including the impact it would have on disabled residents.

RESOLVED

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Programme Manager Corporate Accommodation.

This report updated the Disability Oversight Panel on the current stage of design development on the refurbishment of Camden Town Hall as regards design for accessibility and seeks from the Panel on the access features of the developed designs which can be reflected in further stages of development. A short design for access presentation will be given at the meeting.

Consideration was given to the report of the Programme Manager Corporate Accommodation.

In response to questions from members the Programme Manager Corporate Accommodation, Architects and representatives from Lendlease gave the following additional information:

·       For the entrance to the Town Hall, ramps would be widened and the automatic doors improved to improve disabled access.

·       There would be clear routes to all publically accessible areas, for example the Registrars offices. Toilets on the civic floors would be improved and elevators upgraded.

·       There would be more doors for fire escapes in the Camden Centre and refuge spots in the stair wells.

·       Work was being done to make the Council Chamber more accessible and disabled friendly, including the lighting of the rooms.

·       Specifically contracted acousticians had been consulted with in regard to ceiling tiles, the reason for this was to help reduce sound transference between rooms, something that can have a negative impact on those with certain disabilities.

RESOLVED

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Head of Strategy Corporate Services.

This report lays out what we know about Camden residents who have a disability and are also Black, Asian or from Minority Ethnicities (BAME). Both national and local data have been used to form this report as well as information from qualitative and quantitative sources. This research has been done in order to build a picture of what Camden knows about the experiences and needs of BAME residents who have disabilities.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Strategy Corporate Services.

In response to the disparity between the health figures of the Bangladeshi population compared with those of other communities Panel Members asked for information on how other authorities were tackling health inequality, for example the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and their introduction of child feeding practice for certain communities.

                              ACTION: Policy Officer

It was agreed that the issue of health inequality of disabled black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) residents be added to the work programme.

                              ACTION: Policy Officer

RESOLVED

THAT the report be noted.

Report of Strategy and Change.

This report provides:

1)    Updates from Commissioners in relation to:

·       Learning Disabilities

·       Children and young people

·       Mental Health

·       Special Educational and Inclusive Intervention Service

2)    Updates, in the form of an action tracker, from previous Disability Oversight Panel meetings.

Consideration was given to the Commissioners’ updates and action tracker.

Members noted that there were not commissioner updates from key areas and that the update from the special educational and inclusive intervention services (SEIIS) did not include key priorities and partners.

Members asked a list of outcomes from each engagement session and for the outcomes from the engagement led by the Sport and Physical Activity team to be appended to the action tracker.

                              ACTION: Policy Officer

RESOLVED

THAT the report be noted.

To note the future dates of meetings of the Disability Oversight Panel:

·       23 October 2019

·       18 February 2020

The dates of the future meetings of the Disability Oversight Panel were noted.