Council - Wednesday 16 October 2024, 7:30pm - Wandsworth Council Webcasting

Council
Wednesday, 16th October 2024 at 7:30pm

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Disclaimer: This transcript was automatically generated, so it may contain errors. Please view the webcast to confirm whether the content is accurate.

Please take your seats.

Good evening, Councillors. Before the commencement of business, I would like to start the council

meeting by calling on my faith leader Ali Jafri to say a few words.

Good evening everyone. Thank you for inviting me to this meeting. I must say that the efforts

of all those who work for the benefit of others like you all are truly commendable. I'd like

I'd like to begin by reciting a verse from the Holy Quran,

which talks about righteousness.

This is from chapter two, verse 177.

Righteousness is not in turning your faces

towards the east or the west.

Rather, the righteous are those who believe in God,

the last day, the angels, the books, and the prophets,

who give charity out of their cherished wealth

to relatives, orphans, the poor, needy travelers, beggars,

and for freeing captives, who establish their prayer,

pay their alms' tax, keep the pledges they make,

and who are patient in times of suffering, adversity,

and in the heat of the battle.

It is they who are true in faith,

and it is they who are mountiful of God.

We pray to God to let us recognize our Creator and guidance He has made available to us.

We pray to God to help us in looking after ourselves and others around us.

We pray to God that He grants us patience in difficult times like these.

And we pray to God that He lets us make wise decisions in our gatherings.

And finally we pray to God to send blessings on the Holy Prophet Muhammad

and his household. Amen. Thank you.

Thank you brother Ali Jafri for that. Apologies have been received from

Councillor Ambash, Anand, Kirk, Critchad, DellaSugo, Debrace, Paul and from

Councillors and Councillor Grimston for lateness and Councillor Angela Graham

are there any other any other apologies and for Councillor Justin Madam Mayor

for lateness and also for absence and Councillor sweet

I was there.

You beat me to it.

And Councillor Sweet is that apologies or is it lateness?

Thank you.

Moving on to item agenda number one.

The minutes of the meeting held on 24 July have been circulated.

Are there any objections or objections to me signing them in the correct record?

Is it I agreed? Thank you. Item number two is the mayor's

announcements. So good evening again, leaders, councillors,

officers and residents of Wandsworth. As mayor, this is my

second full council meeting that I am chairing. And I still feel

honored and privileged to be sitting here amongst you all. As we know today

marks the last day of service for our outgoing Chief Executive Mike Jackson. I

want to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Jackson for his service to Wandsworth

Council. Mr. Jackson has left us with lots of ambitions and goals to work

towards to serve our local community. Thank you Mike. The Deputy Mayor and I

have been busy ambassadors for the Council, meeting, greeting and showing gratitude around

the borough and amplifying the good works of the Council. To reiterate, our Council has always been

a borough of sanctuary for refugees and is now accredited as such. Next year we will also be

accredited with the title London Borough of Culture.

We have made a difference to many people's lives

in the borough by opening up warm spaces,

providing access for all, and supporting our libraries,

which play a key role in communities serving all.

We have also recently opened up a family hub in Roehampton

and much, much more.

I thank officers and counselors for all their hard work.

One of the most glorious things about living in Wandsworth is that we have neighbours with

links from all over the world. People from across the globe who have made their homes

in our borough and we are all richer for it. These global connections mean that when tragedies

happen in our world we feel it here in Wandsworth. When innocent civilians are made to suffer

Whether in the Middle East, Sudan, Pakistan or Congo, we feel it on the streets of Battersea,

Patna and Tooting.

We pray for a world where the bombs and guns fall silent and every member of the human

family can live in peace and safety with the prospect of a bright future.

As you all know, I am hosting a comedy night on the 21st of November in the Civic Suite in support of my charities.

Please buy a ticket and I look forward to seeing councillors and officers there.

By supporting the Mayors' Charities, we can enjoy and support the most vulnerable people in our community.

On tonight's agenda, can members please note that a number of supplementary items have been circulated

and these are required to be considered as a matter of urgency. The reasons are set out

in full at the top of those items. Is that agreed? Please could I ask all speakers to

keep to time and wind up your speeches when the red light comes on. When the red light

comes on, you will have 30 seconds remaining to wind up. This is to allow as many councillors

as possible to participate. This is the end of my announcements.

Moving on to item number three. Are there any members who have any declarations of disclosable

or pecuniary interests, other registrable interests,

or any non -registrable interests relevant to any matters

to be considered at the meeting?

Okay.

Moving on to item agenda number four,

is the paper on the interim senior management arrangements.

Are those recommendations agreed?

I'd like to say congratulations to Mr Riley and Ms Popovic on their new roles.

Moving on to item agenda number five. Members, please raise your hands to indicate if you

We have a petition to hand in.

Once I have called your name, please announce the subject

title of the petition and who you are presenting it to

on behalf of.

Please then come forward and hand your petition

in to Mr. Kelly.

Are there any petitions?

Councillor Hamilton.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I have two petitions.

One on behalf of the residents of Ranmere Road, Ormondry Road and Lakewood Road in Ballum

calling for continued action on theft in the area. The second is on behalf of hundreds

of residents across a number of wards in Battersea calling for the maintenance of the 25 % single

person council tax discount.

Thank you. If you could bring it down, please.

Councillor Coroner.

Thank you Madam Mayor. I also have two petitions. The first is from 118 residents of Sleaford

Street in Nine Elms calling for the council to improve the area around Sleaford Street

to include increasing bin capacity, enforcement of dog -fouling laws, enforcement of parking

regulations and a number of other measures. Then secondly I have a petition from 226 members

residents calling for the council to take action to end the very disruptive

protest that's currently happening on Bourne Valley Wharf in Ninones.

Thank you. Councillor Brooks. Thank you Madam Mayor. I have a petition here signed by

over a thousand Putney residents asking the council to rethink and delay the

works at Putney Bridge that are causing so much chaos until a quieter time.

Any other petitions? Thank you. Each of these petitions will be dealt with in

accordance with the council's petition scheme. Moving on to item agenda number

six which is the leaders questions. Before we begin questions, may I remind

all members that the overall period for members' questions to the leader and cabinet members

is 45 minutes, with 20 minutes for leaders' questions and 25 minutes for cabinet member

questions. However, if the leaders' questions overrun, this time is taken off the cabinet

members' questions. Please may I also remind members that their questions have already

been published and everyone has a copy. So please just put your question to the leader

or cabinet member. There is no need to read the whole question out.

If I could move. If we could start question number one. Councillor

Richard Jones, please. Thank you. Question number one to the leader.

I thank him for this question and I'd just like to add my welcome to Mr Riley, to Ms

Popovici, to their interim roles.

I think they're going to be fantastic and we're very grateful for their support at this

time.

It's a question about the old tech development on Wimbledon Park and we start by saying Wimbledon

Park is an incredible place, beautiful views, landscape by Capability Brown, much loved

by local residents.

and just to confirm again Fleur Anderson, the local MP, and I were very

disappointed by the decision to approve the development on Wimbledon Park.

We've made it clear that that development on metropolitan open land sets a

dangerous precedent and the interests of constituents here in Wandsworth should

have been the priority. We actually provided Altec with an alternative way

forward that they could expand the championship and protect the environment

and we think it's a shame that that wasn't accepted.

It's worth saying there has been some success

in some elements of the negotiation.

The positives are 10 million pounds in funding

for improvements to the existing public park,

better public access to an additional 11 hectares

of parkland, over 400 square meters

of indoor community space, community access

to those new grass courts, free tickets for schoolchildren

plus funding for arts and culture

and active travel measures.

However, our Planning Applications Committee was unanimous in rejecting this application

and I think they made the right decision.

But the final decision makers in this case are the GLA.

He raises the issue of judicial review.

To initiate or to support a judicial review, it would need to be demonstrated that the

decision maker, in this case the GLA, had erred in law in making the decision.

Having reviewed the decision -making process and having had officers review the hearing

that came to the decision, it is considered that there would not be grounds for a successful

judicial review in this case.

The issue there is that without due cause, it would be likely that both the legal fees

of both the Council and Altec would need to be covered by the Council.

and I'm afraid that could be more than a hundred thousand pounds in this case.

So I just want to finish by reiterating our commitment to work with partners in Merton Council

and at Altec to make sure this wonderful green space can be enjoyed by as many people as possible for decades to come.

And I want to thank the dedicated local residents and voluntary groups who've worked so hard to get out information about this scheme

and to keep Wimbledon Park so special.

Is there a supplementary question?

Thank you, supplementary Madam Mayor.

I thank the leader for his answer.

And like him, we were incredibly disappointed with the decision of Jules Pipe to grant plan permission in this case against the wishes of the local council.

The 21 ,000 people who signed the Savarompton Park petition, all are local councillors, are Assembly members and both are local MPs.

The leader finished his written answer by saying that he will continue to work with

local people to oppose this. The Save Wimbledon Park campaign have reached out to him in light

of the Deputy Mayor's decision and asked for a meeting. Just a very quick yes or no, will

he meet with the Save Wimbledon Park campaign? Yes.

Madam Mayor, standing order 11 paragraph a, small numerals 15.

Sorry, I saw a supplementary question from Councillor—

Yes, no, sorry. Madam Mayor, that would be contrary to the standing orders.

Madam Mayor, we discussed this in our pre -meeting and came to a view.

Thank you for the question.

I disagree Madam Mayor, we didn't come to a resolution on this one.

We said it was at the discretion of the Mayor.

The standing order that counts to Richard Jones Quotes is quite right.

He has a right to a second supplementary.

Thank you for that.

We're going to be sticking with the Convention and the second supplementary is going to be

asked from Bountaineaux, McLeod.

Thank you.

Madam Mayor, because you seem to be just disregarding the standing order.

So just a formal ruling would be helpful.

for it.

I'm using my discretion, thank you.

Councilor McLeod, please answer your question.

Thank you.

So our parks, as you say, Wimbledon Park is really special.

Our parks in this borough are beautiful

and we're really lucky to have them,

but they're more than just for looking at.

Loads of our residents don't have gardens.

For loads of our residents,

this is the only green space they actually have access to.

Can you give us some ideas about what you're going to do to make sure that as many residents

as possible get to access the green spaces in Wandsworth?

Thank you for that supplementary.

We love our parks and open spaces.

They're absolutely key to what makes Wandsworth such a brilliant place to live.

At Springfield Park in Tooting, we are opening the biggest public park in London for more

than a decade.

Phase two is nearing completion.

You'll see a launch of that spring next year, which will fit very neatly with our

borough of culture celebrations.

We're also creating a new pocket park in Swaffield Road, and that will be the first of several

more pocket parks we're adding across the borough, and as well as adding brand new parks,

Labour's restoring parks, which have fallen into disrepair under the previous administration.

I'll give two examples.

First, we're restoring the Pullamite Rockery and Cascades in Battersea Park.

Investment from partners at the National Lottery will help us bring the history of the park back to life

and future -proof the waterfalls for future generations.

And second, we're bringing the Thessaly Oasis site back into use.

Fantastic green space just by Cary Gardens. It's been gated and derelict for too long.

We've had some great community engagement there and look out for exciting announcements soon.

We love and we nurture our parks and green spaces.

Seven have been awarded the green flag accreditation. That's an increase of two under this administration stewardship

We are proud of the health of our parks and green spaces like Wimbledon Park and as councilman says we fundamentally

Want them to be enjoyed by everyone so I was delighted to be at the launch of parkrun in Battersea Park on Saturday

It's a manifesto pledge fulfilled

It was wonderful to welcome hundreds of people to enjoy a free fun run making friends improving their physical and mental health

I want to commend you can't some McLeod for taking on the course on Saturday and I think Councillor Colton

Hope you had a great time. Thank you. Fantastic question

On 19 September, I wrote to the leader in wake of his Government's decision to withdraw

winter fuel payments from the majority of pensioners who currently receive them. As

a result of his Government's decision, only pensioners in receipt of means -tested benefits,

like pension credit will now continue to receive payments. This is likely to

affect over 20 ,000 pensioners in Wandsworth who have currently received the

payment. Madam Mayor, we came to an agreement that there wouldn't be a

reading out of the whole question, that it would be summarised in one or two brief

sentences. Thank you. Now whilst not all pensioners who are currently in

receipt of that payment needed, there are many who are just above the cut -off of pension

credit, which is income of just £218 .25 a week for a single pensioner, or £332 .95 for

a cut -off.

Councillor, Councillor Richard Jones, I have this question in front of me, so does everybody.

I'm sure the leader has had a chance to read this question.

We have agreed with the Whips today that questions will be summarised.

I understand that wasn't the agreement.

You can ask your Whips. He is right behind you.

The agreement madam mayor was that we would have an element of discretion in the first question.

He literally just asked question number one.

In terms of discretion, we also said that we are not going to be reading verbatim.

Madam Mayor, the trouble is when we abide by agreements, our rights and understanding

orders are then taken away. This does make it really problematic to try and agree things

and try to run these meetings in an orderly and fair way.

Do you want to get the question?

Councillors, Councillors, can I just say, I have mentioned before this, before the question

started that please just give me the summary, please just summarise it. Both sides' whips

have been told to summarise the questions. We do not have that long. We've got a lot

of business to carry out. So let's just summarise it and let him give a full answer because

that's what we want to hear the answer. Thank you.

Just so I understand, I can't read out the full question but the leader can read out

the full answer. Just so I understand.

I don't think he's reading out his full answer though. He's actually reading out the answer and then adding stuff to it as well

Well, like I like how I can make this easy like counsel

I watched and listened to you read the whole question. I will watch and see if the leader is doing the same thing now

And madam mayor, I'm very disappointed about the opposition not sticking to the agreement, which is made in front of

The question is that question number two is longer than the written answer, even if it

was going to be read out.

Councillor Hogg, can I please ask you to ask...

Shall I just put the question, Madam Mayor?

Sorry, you've already asked the question.

Question number two to the Leader.

Leader, please answer the question.

Thank you. Wandsworth has the biggest and most generous cost of living support fund

in London and supporting our residents through winter has always been a key priority of ours.

In terms of support for pensioners and older people,

we have fuel allowance payments through the Wandsworth Discretionary Social Fund,

the Council's Winter Warmth Scheme,

including provision of warm packs for vulnerable households.

You can get information and advice through brilliant partner citizens advice, Age UK and others.

And we've already had fantastic success with our new pension credit take -up campaigns.

To date, 200, fully 225 residents have claimed pension credit,

and that's generated more than £1 million in additional income so far for those residents.

But we know that we can always do more, so I can assure residents that we will be bringing

forward additional winter support for pensioners. The details are being worked up by Council

officers and will be announced following the Chancellor's Budget later this month. Today,

Councils all across the country are facing incredibly difficult decisions about their

resources and priorities. I am proud to say we are able to extend and

expand our cost of living support for residents who are struggling with

bills. Thank you.

Is there a supplementary question? Thank you, Madam Mayor. I will put my

question, but I will introduce it very quickly. The leader's answer

does not grapple with the question. We are not calling for millionaires

to keep receiving this payment. We agree that not all pensioners who

currently receive the winter fuel payment need it. What we disagree

with is the cut -off for the new scheme, which is pension credit, is

just too low and just too crude in Wandsworth. I sounded the alarm back

on the 19th of September where I wrote to the leader, I had four

requests that I won't go through now, but the fourth one was that he

construct his finance officers to urgently bring forward proposals for that cohort of

pensioners who aren't millionaires, they don't apply for, they don't qualify for pension

credit, but they fall within the middle.

And the reason that's important is because the schemes that he's outlined in his written

answer that, you know, are good, we support them on a cross -party basis, but they're not

targeted to these pensioners because they were in place before the Chancellor made a

So my question is this.

Being charitable, what I think is happening is that the administration is praying that

the Chancellor does something in her budget on the 30th that alleviates this whole mess.

We say we hope she does too, but it's reckless not to make a contingency.

Will he please write to the Chancellor outlining our concerns and will he please sign Age UK's

petition so the Chancellor knows we have these concerns and she can bring in to the budget

compensatory measures to help these pensioners.

Thank you.

Leader, can you answer this question?

I can.

I mean, it's all very well saying right to the Chancellor.

We know that she is facing these incredibly difficult decisions because of the huge black

hole that was left in our finances by your party.

There are extraordinarily tough decisions ahead for government and, as I say, facing

councils all across the country.

and thousands of local families have been hit with an increase in mortgage rates directly

caused by the disastrous, the reckless last budget which crashed the economy.

We remember the opposition leader's passionate support for Liz Truss, for leader. I look

forward to him telling us which of the particular reckless right -wingers on offer that he thinks

we should go for this time.

Is there any supplementary questions?

The leader has got a ring to it. We will go with that one.

Sorry, I'm talking.

Second supplementary?

Yes, second supplementary, Madam Mayor.

Can I just, now that I've reached, I'm proud to say,

reached an age where I know a lot of people

of old age pension age,

I know some of them who could easily manage

without the winter fuel payment, and some who could not.

Can the Leader of the Council tell us what is Wandsworth Council doing for all people,

all residents, struggling in the current phase of the cost of living crisis?

I thank the Councillor for that question. I think it is an important point, which I

think Councillor Richard Jones was trying to get out as well. Do you make help universal?

Do you target it? Where are the cut -offs? It is very important. I think it is right

to wait until we see what happens in the budget before we put something in place that we then

may have to tweak afterwards.

But I would remind us that at fully £15 million we have the most generous support fund in

London.

We're moving all council workers and contractors to a living wage.

We're rewiring the whole voluntary sector so we can make our communities more resilient

in the next recession which I'm afraid will come.

Family hubs, money hubs, crisis support payments.

We are making sure no residents fall through the cracks at any age. Our cost of living package has so far delivered

community spaces to keep warm and meet friends, free school uniforms, free gym and swim. Last year

we fed 3 ,000 children each morning with magic breakfast and this year

we've doubled the number of schools that are taking part in that scheme.

Free laptops and digital upskilling with the excellent power to connect and a really important one auto

enrollment of free school meals. So remember we're doing this now it's

having a real impact. Our plan is popular and effective and Wandsworth Tories

don't support it. You voted against us adding money to the cost of living fund

and you voted against us spending the money that's in there. You refused to

support our reforms to council tax reduction scheme when we made it fairer

and more accessible for residents and you voted against our council tax freeze

this year. And with a blizzard of constant abstaining, it's hard to tell where the Wandsworth

Tories stand on most issues, except to know that you will always be standing on the sidelines,

moaning about the rules and running people down. Residents are smart and they see right

through it. You're all talk. You really, and we have seen how much you like to talk. You're

all talk and no action.

Thank you.

Moving on to question number three.

Councillor Tiller.

Thank you Madam Mayor.

Right, watch and learn.

Question number three to the Leader.

Thank you for that.

Earlier this year, when this meeting began, earlier this year we were proud to launch our Alton Renewal Plan.

This is a fully funded renewal plan for the Alton estate that will bring much needed investment to the area

and a place -based approach to benefit all residents.

It's been a pleasure to work with Councillor Tiller

and the ward councillors on it.

After two years of listening to local residents,

community organisations and businesses,

we've brought together a robust new delivery plan

for the renewal of that estate.

The proposal sees place -based delivery at its best

where not only do residents see new homes

guaranteed for local people,

but also investments in better transport,

community facilities, jobs, shops,

neighborhoods and the environment.

We know that transport connectivity is vital

to ensure residents in that neighborhood

can access education and work and grow the local economy.

So you asked and we delivered.

As part of the ultimate renewal plan,

we have funded two free Roehampton bus services

to help improve transport links between Roehampton

and the rest of the borough.

Number one, the Roehampton University bus,

now free for all residents.

You can travel between Putney Bridge Station,

Roehampton Vale, Asda during term time every 20 minutes.

Roehampton Transport Club,

a free door -to -door accessible community minibus

thanks to our great partners

at Wandsworth Community Transport

to help people who have difficulty using public transport

to access local facilities.

How is it going?

The university bus alone has seen

more than 1 ,000 more journeys each week

compared to this time last year.

And as a listening council, we're firmly committed

to work in collaboration with new and existing partners

to make sure this is the best place to live.

So I wanna thank the university, the community kitchen,

our own regeneration team, the Over 60s Club,

and of course our three excellent ward councillors

and local people for their engagement.

Thank you.

Councillor Tiller.

Oh yes, supplementary Madam Mayor.

Will the Hampton Community Transport bus service

adjusted services according to usage, statistics and resident feedback?

And also, what are the next initiatives in the Alton renewal plan?

Thank you for that question.

Yes, it's a really important point, like we have to test and learn with initiatives like

this.

We have just put these minibuses at the service of the local community.

Early results are necessarily mixed.

One day trip they did was absolutely full, another one was absolutely empty.

Obviously, they need to iron that out.

We were up at the social supermarket and we were figuring out 50 clients are booked in

there over a couple of hours.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if they had a minibus to take them and their children there and

home?

So we will continue to test and learn.

And as I say, university buses going from strength to strength, a thousand more journeys

a week there.

That's really, really helping.

But I think the one thing I'd pick out in terms of next steps on the old one –

Madam Mayor, could we move on to the next question?

was so keen to get more questions done tonight.

We normally do not have this level of interruption while the leader is informing the Council.

It is not an answer to a supplementary, not even the original.

The next step in the Alton renewal plan, which is what the Council has asked for and the

public want to know about, was a fantastic launch of our brand -new family hub at 166

at 6 Roehampton Lane.

Hundreds of people joined us there

for the communal dinner in the evening.

I was very pleased during the day

to award Lexi from Heathmere School the prize

for the best poem at the Roehampton Poetry Competition

as part of the celebrations.

This follows the successful launch of our family hub

at the Yvonne Carr Center earlier in the year

with a further family hub plan for Tooting next year.

We are rebuilding Shore Start,

and Councillor Stock will have more to say about this

in the debate later.

This new facility reflects our ongoing efforts to work in partnership, to provide the expertise,

the resources and the support necessary for families to thrive.

In that hub, you can get mental health services, mental health services, English language lessons,

digital skills, domestic abuse support and Racket's cubed social supermarket.

We talked a lot about cost of living measures earlier.

He's just reading out a speech madam there. I mean come on

He's just reading out a really tedious speech

That's your opinion

We talked about cost of living measures earlier madam mayor

I just finished with the heartening statistic that I was delighted to hear for the

29 % of the entire Alton estate have received one of our warm packs which can save them up to 200 pounds a year

Thank you.

There is also Councillor Sutters.

Second supplementary.

If I could pass it on to Councillor Sutters because I do not normally hear from Councillor

Sutters, that would be nice.

I just wanted to bring it back to transport for a minute.

I think it is good that you have improved transport in Roehampton because it has been

I wanted to talk about the wider bus services, particularly the 424, which

goes up to the Telegraph on Putney Heath, because it is not going there

anymore and those people are really stuck. I would like you to give

some thought as to how we could help them. It also ends even when it is

going, it ends very early in the evening. If you are a woman, you

really would not want to be walking up those roads. Wildcroft Road is

not a nice place at night. If we look at this further, the 424 is

actually the second worst bus service in the borough.

So please would you take that seriously

and help those people.

26 % of all services in the borough are now running late

and 14 % of them five to 15 minutes late.

You will also have heard that many buses

are now stopping at Lytton Grove

and I have seen countless people struggling up that hill.

Whereas this is not necessarily relevant to Roehampton,

it is the link by which people from Roehampton

and have to get another bath.

So maybe we need to go a bit further.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Sutters.

If I could ask the leader to answer.

Thank you.

So I thank Councillor Sutters for the question.

And can I just say from my own personal point of view,

how fantastic it is to see her back in the chamber

and looking so well.

And could I thank everybody on both sides, actually,

for your support. It's been wonderful and I'm delighted to be back.

And she raises a really important issue of bus frequency. You know, we know we've got

to keep the buses running. Our lowest income residents depend on them to get around. I

know there are particular issues in Putney at the moment with traffic works, with the

district line, with obviously Hammersmith Bridge being a long running issue, but we're

absolutely committed to keeping those buses running earlier.

I'm very happy to look at the route she talks about.

I'd just say a few things we've been doing recently

with the Putney MP and TFL to get better,

more reliable services through Putney and to Roehampton.

As of the 21st of September,

TFL have added a bus to the fleet for the 85.

So that'll take the buses serving the route

from 12 up to 13, and that'll hopefully enable the bus

to meet its timetable of a service every 10 minutes.

and TfL have added two buses to the fleet serving the 170 route,

which will come into place on 7 October,

and we will continue to campaign for that 170 bus to become a double -decker,

because we've actually got the statistics,

and what you say is absolutely borne out by the fact

too many bus journeys are terminating

before they get to their final destination in Putney,

and then all the way through to Roehampton.

So we as a council have proved our investment. We've brought forward these two new bus services

We're investing in and of course, we'll keep working closely with TFL to make you know permanent transport improvements in the west of the borough

Thank You councillor hogs

Question for to the lead leader

Sorry, I'm so sorry, but we've had the time for leaders question has now finished

We are more than five minutes into, have passed the 20 minutes, so that will be deducted from the cabinet members' questions.

But surprisingly, we got to question number three this time, so...

Moving on to the next part of the meeting, the Whips have agreed on item 17.

The motion on our commitment to save happy and healthy children will be taken next.

Can I ask Councillor Stock and Councillor Ekonola to second the motion in their names?

Thank you.

Seconded.

Thank you very much.

An amendment to the motion has also been circulated.

May I ask Councillors Corner and Peter Graham to move and second their amendment?

Are you speaking for Councillor Corner?

On the point of order Madam Mayor no such amendment has been circulated we'll come to that in our speeches.

It's an amendment. Mayor we will come to that in our speeches.

Okay, thank you.

We're moving on to Councillor Stock.

On my last few visits here at the Town Hall, I have studied the fabric banner on display

outside. It illustrates our pride in Wandsworth being a welcoming place, the value of our

community and working together so everyone is safe and supported. We have the same aspiration

for our family hubs. I was pleased to hear the parents say at our Hampton launch that

the hub is a safe place where I know I will be welcomed and supported. As I said

at the launch, when I first moved to Wandsworth, I live next door to Battersea

Arts Centre, which is Battersea's old town hall. On the walls there is the

Battersea motto, not for me, not for you, but for us. And it's that sense of

community that really drives me. Just like the fabric banner outside, our great

borough is made up of many threads. In our community, the Council is

just one thread. We may well be a stronger strand, but we are still

only a single strand. Our voluntary community and faith organisations

are also individual threads, along with other partners, including the

NHS, schools, businesses, such as our new neighbour, Apple. Our social

fabric is made up of these threads. The stronger the threads and the more numerous the strands

that stretch across our neighbourhoods, the stronger our social fabric. The stronger the

weave, the more resilient we all are and more able to weather the challenges we face.

However, this network of connections has frayed, broken by 14 years of conservative austerity cuts

and growing threadbare by the pandemic,

particularly in our most disadvantaged places.

This is the foundation that our neighborhoods are built on

and these foundations need to be urgently fixed.

This administration's Alton Renewal Plan

recognize that as a whole area improvement plan,

it prioritize not just homes and transport,

important as they are, but also community improvements,

such as the new family hub, play areas, and a library to bind the place together.

We must radically rethink how we work with communities.

We need to acknowledge the nature and complexity of today's challenges, be a forward -looking,

innovative council focused on delivering thriving futures for all families.

This is what our family hubs seek to do.

A place at the heart of the community where everyone is welcome, where children can play

and build Lego bridges, but a combination of local government and community action build

a thriving future for every child.

Our shifts, our hubs mark a shift towards prevention.

Families have told us that it's sometimes difficult to know how and where to access

support.

Our one -stop shops bring a broader range of services to the neighborhood's front door.

mental health support, domestic abuse, employment and housing advice and much more.

Just like Labour's Sure Start 20 years ago, outreach and community development are at the heart of our work.

Our wider range of services are also matched by improved outreach.

Our Family Hub connectors are out within communities to go find families in need of support.

Secondly, our hubs are delivering new and stronger partnerships. Working together with

partners such as Racket Cubed and Little Village in Roehampton, we are ensuring communities

have the expertise and resources they need to reach their full potential.

And thirdly, our hubs are guided by the principle of participation. The Labour Party has always

been about people.

Our founding purpose was to organise and empower working -class communities, not just to secure

better pay, but to pursue the dignity of a powerful collective voice, community power

through which communities themselves can better shape their places and futures.

Responding to rising levels of mistrust, our family hubs will deliver a more empowering

and less paternalistic approach to participation in decision making and the design of services.

We are listening and collaborating with families so they shape the support they need to live

safe, happy and healthy lives. As my Labour membership card says, by the strength of our

common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone. That is the golden thread that runs

through our family hubs to deliver on our commitment to build a thriving future for

every child in one's earth.

Thank you, Councillor Stark.

If I could ask, call on Councillor Peter Graham.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

It's been quite a hundred days for our comrades opposite.

At our last meeting, they had a motion on their proud role in the Prime Minister's five

missions to rebuild Britain.

And tonight their motion practically begs us to ignore the government and think of the children.

Already, it's that bad already.

They've gone from cheerleaders to denial in less time than it's taking Sue Gray to negotiate her severance.

Where's the praise tonight for the return of government to public service?

I mean, they were admittedly ambiguous on the Arsenal corporate box, designer clothes, Taylor Swift tickets,

union favors and dodgy appointments, but can you really blame them?

For 14 years they sat there, expectant, hopeful,

many of them even lacking a suit or a tie.

They weren't in a fit state to ask questions,

they were just waiting for Lord L .E.

So tonight we have a motion in which their love

for the Labour government dare not speak its name

and we are left with inanities like putting children

at the heart of everything we do.

Frankly, children shouldn't be put anywhere near

road resurfacing or rubbish collection or crematoriums

or building control, let alone some other services.

But to engage with the motion in that way

is already to take it far more seriously than it deserves.

Because the actions in this motion

don't even begin to meet its utopian ambition.

Apparently, every child in the borough will become happy

because of a couple of schemes in Roehampton

and council -sponsored exercise.

Seriously?

I mean, the motion barely mentions schools,

or most of the work done by children's services.

In fact, there's a passing reference to good and outstanding Ofsted ratings, which

only serves to remind that your government is trying to abolish those categories and

put parents back in the dark.

But most telling is what's missing altogether.

Nothing on safeguarding, nothing on violence or gangs, nothing on children in care, nothing

on educational disadvantage, nothing on special educational needs, nothing on opportunity,

and nothing on success.

Now, as we had alluded to, Councillor Coroner tried to table an amendment tonight, a very

limited amendment, simply adding some facts about attainment in local schools.

The Monitoring Officer ruled it out of order.

This is so astonishing that I need to spell it out.

The Council's official position is that children who are unsuccessful in life and get bad grades

are happy and have a thriving future.

That's your formal position in this motion as confirmed in writing by the monitoring

officer.

And because you believe that failure is as good as success, and only because our amendment

cannot be moved, or so we were told.

So no wonder you don't care about removing offset ratings.

In fact, no wonder you've got it in for independent schools.

And I am curious as to how the deputy leader feels about imposing VAT on Stretching and

Clapham High School for Girls.

I look forward to hearing in her speech.

And I can assure her that although we may be state educated,

a lot of us on this side,

we won't hold her private education against her.

So does she agree with taxing education?

Do they?

A tax that's unlawful in every EU state

and unknown anywhere in the developed world.

Thousands of children in Wandsworth would be right to think

that labor holds their school against them.

In fact, the questions tonight show that 53 Wandsworth pupils have already been forced

to apply for a state place at a cost to a taxpayer of around half a million pounds.

It's a case of never mind the consequences, feel the spite.

Are you listening to children and families on that, given your promise to listen?

Of course not.

Instead, we have the leader of the council sitting there with his normal glazed expression,

his mind ruminating once again on whatever it was he did to miss out on that seat in

Parliament. But he can cheer up, because this is Wandsworth Labour and failure is officially

fine. To be fair, the Monitoring Officer was marginally more tactful. He said that success

was not their main focus. It explains a lot, but parents and residents may take their own

view.

Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Graham. Councillor Davies. Thank you. So committed to early intervention

for the best start to life, committed to putting children at the heart of everything the Council

does, listening to children, their parents and carers, and making ones worth a great

place to grow up, safety, healthy and with happiness. Yes, we are agreed in this, are

you? The fact is, you need to meet the basic needs of the child. You need to support the

most vulnerable first before you ever get to progress, to get to a point where people

can thrive. That's what it's about. Yes, there is a long way to go. Children in the UK are

number 27 for happiness and wellbeing in the OECD countries, not in part due to the policy

of austerity and limiting opportunities for all and especially the most disadvantaged.

Five sure start to start...

Point of information?

About a decade ago in Wandsworth and one o 'clock clubs got the chop along with play spaces.

Yeah, an amazing place to grow up if you had the money for school uniforms, school dinners,

trips, after school and holiday activities. But the children's departments are going at

pace to fill in the gaps and extend provision creatively, effectively and with financial

prudence. Talking about schools, we know, we hear it in the committee meetings about

the focus on attainment, about the importance of think attendance and social workers in

schools to allow children to be educated and do their very best.

Play and activity for children is vital for healthy lifestyle and child development. So

far we have seen free swim and gym and swimming lessons for families on universal credit and

other young people. And then there's the two new libraries for all. We've seen an increase

in the number of play sessions at children's centres and support and advice sessions for

parents and most recently we see the Access for All and the Ones with Moves initiative.

You mentioned SEND children. Yeah, children with SEND are being better supported with

tailored buildings and the same specialised and experienced teams, yet importantly, nearer

the homes. We've seen this with the repurposing of Broadwater School, a SEND basic Granard

and now with St George's moving into a state of the art school in Nine Elms

and the ward councillors there must be proud.

This school and community centre will bridge those communities with stellar facilities.

It supports a school in a time of falling roles

and the deal is sealed with the news that it's all to be paid for by developer money

and not costing the council or the taxpayer a penny.

So for the council there's a cost saving by drastically reducing vast amounts of money

spent in private institutions out of London. Not good for us but not good for those families.

Next support for children and families who are surviving domestic abuse is evolving.

Recognition that children suffer adverse trauma if they witness domestic abuse is newer and

necessitates action. Trauma is reduced if dealt with speedily and effectively. The

The Children's Committee were privileged to listen and hear from a parent survivor of domestic abuse

and how she and her son benefited from attending a new specialist peer support group.

We know about how care leavers are being supported in our roles as corporate parents with baby boxes

and a better sense of surety with a reduced council tax and a whole host of range of practical and financial resource.

We know the long -lasting benefits of Sure Start.

For example, we know about the lower hospitalisations in teenagers who have been to Sure Start centres

as toddlers.

With the London Borough of Culture to be hosted here next year, we will continue to see that

very many nuanced interactions between culture, community health and wellbeing.

The Children's Centre challenges the youth man, the deputy in the Youth Council to let

us know where we are going in the right direction and what more needs to be done.

We're relishing hearing more about opportunities for children and young

people across the whole borough and we fully expect to work beyond the silos in

this vast council and see opportunities for young people continue in all areas

planning, transport, parks, activities and more and then we'll be able to safely

say Wandsworth is a wonderful place to grow up. We do need to give children and

young people the space they need to be creative, find themselves and be

supported in this and I urge you to support this motion to place children at

the heart of everything we do and not trivialise by talking about incinerators.

Thank you, Councillor Davies. If I could take it to Councillor Corner, please.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, and I'd like to welcome the comments that Councillor Stott, Councillor

Davies and Councillor Graham made in this very important debate. There's a lot in this

motion that we agree with on this side of the chamber. For example, we welcome the opening

of the family hub, which will bring great benefits to all of the families that it serves.

We also welcome the progress being made on the Nine Elms School, which won't just be

a school but also a fantastic community hub, serving the people of Nine Elms and beyond.

It will make a great contribution to the community and sense of place there. Although at committee,

the administration failed to get a majority on the children's committee

in favour of the detailed plans for the schemes because the costs have

already gone over by over £20 million. I do not accept Councillor

Davies' comments that because that is still money you can just spend it

more carelessly. That money could have been spent on all manner of

projects across the borough in a better way if we were able to keep

Point of personal explanation, please.

...O under control.

I'll let you come back after my speech.

Madam Mayor...

Sorry.

I'm going to use my discretion and just keep talking.

Councillor Davies.

Yes, thank you Madam Mayor.

I was named then and I think it intrigued me.

Sorry, you can't forth a point of information.

May I speak further, Mayor?

Yes, you can.

Yeah.

Councillor Davies.

I was named there by saying that I was, what were your words, Councillor Corner?

Careless in the use of seal money and that is not at all the case.

Okay, well people can make up their own mind.

There's a lot that we also want to thank hard working officers for in the Children's Department

for the tremendous progress they've made over recent years in improving the children's services

and I think that the Ofsted reports that they received and the glowing comments that have

been made within them speak to that. We've also, on this side of the chamber, supported

a lot of the programmes that the council has brought forward to help the most disadvantaged

in our communities. For example, the free school meals, expanding them to reach more

and more disadvantaged children. Although I do think that the administration missed the

by just not simply getting Lord Arleigh to pay for them.

Councillor Stock also spoke about austerity,

but actually over the last 14 years

of Conservative government,

children are in a better position

to be high achievers than ever before.

Take for example what's happened at Battersea Park School,

now Harris Academy Battersea,

where the number of children leaving

with 5A star disease rose from 3 %

under the Labour government to 83 % in 2017 under the Conservative government.

Look at the international PISA rankings. In maths, just to take one subject as an

example, in 2009 this country and its children were 25th in the world for

maths in 2009 and then in 2022 they rose to 11th place making us one of the

leading countries in the world for maths education. So I don't think she can talk

well about Labour's record in government on education.

We do think that this motion has a lot of stuff

we need support, but it isn't as ambitious

as we would like for the young people of Wandsworth.

For example, it only really talks about one initiative

that they're bringing forward

from the Children's Directorate.

The others came from Environment and Housing.

So we do have an amendment,

much anticipated by everyone in this chamber,

although perhaps not the monitoring officer,

to make clear that this council wants our children

to not just be safe, happy, and healthy,

but also successful.

This amendment is not a piece of party political posturing.

This amendment is something that everyone in this council

has a duty to support because it talks about not being complacent and always making sure

that we are doing the absolute best for children in every way we can.

It highlights, for example, that despite the excellent work that's been going on in this

borough over a number of years and two different administrations to support children, attainment

did actually drop in 2022 -23.

And that's not, we're not saying that that's a huge issue

at the moment, but it does show that we need to be

laser focused on making sure that children can attain

the best they can in compulsory education.

We also think and know that there are significant

attainment gaps amongst most disadvantaged children

in general and that the administration has made many,

many commitments in its manifesto in the area of children's services but has yet to bring

forward plans to achieve most of those within this council term.

So we ask all members in this chamber tonight to carefully consider our amendment, to vote

for it to improve the motion and make it clear that we are supporting children to not just

be safe, happy and healthy but also as successful as they can be. Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Corner. Madam Mayor, sorry, Councillor Akinoma's.

If I could pass it on to Council Member

chambers

I'm going to move on to councillor Acanola then I'm going to go back to the motion. Thank you madam madam

Emmett just before we move on to councillor Acanola. Could we just seek a point of clarification?

Have all the Conservatives now become independents and joined councillor Grimston because councillor Horner just said they're not political anymore

Could that just be clarified?

Sorry, sorry, there's no point of

clarification. I literally just heard my name. Sorry? I just heard my name. Just because you hear your name

it does not mean it gives you the chance to speak. No. No. She just, she at Councillor's Day...

She was clarifying what you said. And so am I. No you're not. Yes I am. Moving on to

Councillor Akinola. A point of personal explanation. Please sit down. How do you know? I would wish to raise a point of

personal explanation in view of Councillor Cooper having ascribed something towards me.

Is that acceptable?

Please, please Councillor Grisham.

I would simply like to say that I rather resent the idea that just because I'm not in a political

party means that I can't be political.

Madam Mayor, Councillor Akinobula, sorry.

No, thank you.

Thank you Madam Mayor.

Well, I do hope that we are here today to reaffirm our commitment to the safety, happiness

and health of our young people, because nothing really should be more important to this Council

than ensuring that our young people have the best possible start in Wandsworth to live

a fruitful and prosperous future.

Access for All. For us it is not just a slogan, it's a promise to deliver meaningful access

and change that benefits our children and families and ultimately our community as a

whole. Echoing the former speakers, I'm proud of the school's record that this council now

has because good and outstanding for all our schools, it speaks for itself. But we really

could only have achieved this with holistic partnership working with our teachers, the

parents and our children services, so I'll take this moment to say thank you to all of

you. Many of us attended school in Wandsworth and maybe some like myself attended school

in Roehampton. Growing up in Roehampton at a time when community and youth centres would

be enclosed, the recreation centre was one of the only places that you could really go,

that was safe, the way you could enjoy physical activity and play.

So it's right that it takes centre stage with our strategy, Wandsworth moves together.

I urge the opposition to move with the rest of Wandsworth and support this motion.

We're not just ticking boxes here, it's a strategy that will be making a real positive

impact on the lives of children and families across the borough.

I also know how important transformative projects like the Roehampton Hump for local people

are and how pivotal our relationship with the voluntary sector will be in delivering

it.

Up until two years ago, once we've had a very bad reputation with the voluntary sector,

I wonder why.

But we made it an election promise to support and cherish them because we recognised that

they are the lifeblood of our community and there are simply things that we as local government

and are not poised to do. That's why we're working closely with our voluntary sector

and building a network of support and expertise delivered with compassion that reaches every

single person within our borough.

At the beginning of October, the voluntary sector team convened a meeting with representatives

from over 50 different organisations. Their aim was to reinforce their confidence in our

long -term commitment to the VCS as a partner with a comprehensive VCS strategy coming in

the next couple of months.

In the meantime, the work starts now and has started now.

The New Roehampton Family Hub is a perfect example of how partnership can flourish.

The Council provided the welcoming space and alongside Little Village, Racket's Cube,

Citizens Advice, who are based there currently, we will be delivering critical services within

that space.

and we look forward to welcoming Send in Mind shortly.

Furthermore, in following on from our borough of culture announcement for next year,

we also have our heritage collection with a display on toys.

So I urge you all to go and have a look at it,

although I feel like some of them might be a bit old.

The voluntary sector brings richness and diversity

that only enhances what we can achieve together.

And I've done the subject of working in harmony.

It would be great if you would work in harmony with us.

We are trying to, we have stopped stagnating funding towards the voluntary sector and stifling

innovation.

Your approach is ineffective.

We will continue to listen to the voices of our residents, children and families.

We will engage with our schools and teachers and parents because we know that they are

crucial in designing our future.

And that's why we have integrated these voices into every step of our Alton Renewal Plan,

ensuring that the new facilities and housing developments work in harmony with the needs

of the local people.

Our commitment to children is unwavering and I hope this is on both sides of the chamber.

We should continue together to deliver the best possible start in life for children,

to put children at the heart of everything that we do and ensure that Wandsworth is a

great place to grow up, live and work.

So I encourage the opposition to please support our motion, a reflection of our vision for

a brighter future for everyone in our borough.

On a point of order, Madam Mayor, understanding Order 29A,

Councillor Corner and I would like to move and second the amendment that he has circulated.

However, this is precisely the amendment that earlier this afternoon we were told would

not be permitted because it spoke of success which was outside of the meaning of the administration's

motion. So we hope to be able to move it, but we have been told that it is not in order

Precisely because the administration is not interested in success

Thank You councillor Acanola for that speech and well done

Now, would you like to move this motion?

Yes, I'd like to propose the motion the amendment two people talking at the same time. I cannot understand that one at a time, please

Yes, I'd like to propose the amendment as circulated. If any members have not seen it,

I have some more copies here. It's been circulated.

I'd like to formally second, Madam Mayor. Can you confirm that you are overruling the

Monitoring Officer's advice? Thank you for presenting me with the amendments

Thank you for presenting me with the amendments at the start, well, in between the Council

meeting.

And I've taken advice from the Monitoring Officer.

I understand the Monitoring Officer provided this advice to the minority group ahead of

the meeting as follows.

The motion, as drafted, while references the Ofsted ratings for school in the borough,

This is background to the main focus which is to ensure children lead safe, happy and

healthy lives.

Amendments as proposed in the Monitoring Officer's view introduces a new proposal.

His advice therefore is that this amendment is contrary to the prohibition in Standing

Order 29B.

Therefore, I agree with the Monitoring Officer's advice and therefore rule the amendment to

be out of order.

Let's continue with the debate.

Madam Mayor, on the points of order, could you just clarify that?

Let's continue.

That the point I made was correct.

The motion doesn't have to be in the order of the fighting.

Is explicitly so.

Madam Mayor, I think it's very discourteous of Councillor Graham.

You've made your ruling and it is time for him to respect this Chamber and to sit down.

I've not had lots of talk from the 7 -3 position. I was talking about

I'm very sorry, but you've moved your amendment, it's not been accepted, and now we need to move on.

All those in favour of the substantive motion, please raise your hands in favour.

On the substantive motion.

The motion is carried forward.

All those against? Any abstentions? Thank you.

Shall we collect the motions and give them back to the sender?

It seems to have been useless in the end.

Thank you for that, Councillor White.

The motion is carried forward.

49, 4 and 1 abstention.

Moving on to questions to the cabinet members.

Just remember there was five minutes already taken off.

Question number 12.

Thank you Madam Mayor. Question number 12 to the cabinet member.

Thank you Councillor Brooks for the question. We are absolutely committed to making our

roads safer. The upgrades to the junction just south of Putney Bridge will make this

difficult junction easier and safer to use. It will be better for pedestrians and cyclists

There has been extensive modelling of the changes to ensure that it

does not slow buses or other vehicle traffic. This scheme has been in

planning for a very long time. I understand planning of it started

back in 2019 and it has always had unanimous support. There has been a

very high degree of planning with TFL and it has gone into scheduling

these works. Altering the plan is now on the work under way would cause

further disruption. Of course, we always want to minimise any disruption from residents

and we're doing everything we can to get these works done as fast as we can. We've got as

many workers out on site as it is actually safe to have there in that crowded environment

and they are working long hours Monday to Saturday. I want to thank our officers and

all the workers on site for everything they are doing to progress these works. My door

always open. I will be happy to discuss with you or any of your

colleagues any constructive suggestions that you have. That

would be a much better approach than trying to make these junction

works into a political football, which is what you have been doing

to date with your petition. We will get these works done as fast as

we can with the least disruption that we can. Thank you.

Thank you for your answer. We would like that meeting and thank you for the offer.

There are some issues in the written answer, however.

The written answer states that the works were signed off and supported before.

They weren't signed off before the change in administration.

As you know, Councillor Locher is never shy about expressing his views

and he was still discussing them with TFL whilst supporting the overall scheme.

The answer sort of misses the point of the question.

We do support the works.

We support the improvements to cycling, safety,

and the bus flow.

The issue is timing.

These works should have happened in the summer,

outside term time when things were quieter.

Why won't you delay them until outside term time

when these can be done with far less disruption and chaos?

Thank you, Councillor Brooks.

So as I recall last September at the Transport Committee,

there was unanimous support from all members, including all your members of the Transport

Committee, to progress to the final detailed design and implementation. The implementation

is now going ahead, following extensive further modelling and discussions with TfL, which

required TfL to hire specialist signals which are linked to TfL's urban control centre,

so that the disruption to the traffic flowing through the junction while the works are ongoing

can be minimised. It was not possible to start the works over the summer. It would be ridiculous

to delay them now while we have the workers on site and the works are ongoing. This would

simply cause more disruption to residents. As I have said, we are doing everything we

can. We have made various changes to the layout to ensure that the works, the disruption caused

to residents by the works are kept to a minimum. Of course, there is very extensive traffic

in Putney. I would like to remind the opposition that one of the

reasons for this is the ongoing closure of Hammersmith Bridge, which

I seem to recall did get closed a long time ago and has put increased

pressure on Putney Bridge. I do recall that your government did

absolutely nothing to get Hammersmith Bridge reopened. I will not be

taking any lectures from you about disruption in Putney. Thank you.

I think the cabinet member for answer, but I wonder if she could tell us a little more

about successful and punctual transport projects which she has delivered which demonstrate

that she does in fact care about the impact on people's lives across Wandsworth.

Thank you very much, Councillor Fraser. I think we'll all recall that we had to do essential

safety works to Wandsworth Bridge last summer. Of course it was a very big thing to close

one of our major river crossings, but we had to close it because we had to make the bridge

safe. Those works were delivered on time and on budget. I am very proud of the other improvements

that we are making to our streets. We have got more school streets than ever before,

with over 50 % of our primary schools now having a school street. These are there to encourage

children to walk in sight to school and to keep our children safe. I'm very proud of

the extra investment we're putting into our roads and pavements. It's absolutely shocking

that under your administration they were allowed to get worse every year. So a full 36 % of

our A roads and 31 % of our pavements are in such a bad state that may need resurfacing.

Our extra investment will stop the deterioration and greatly improve our pavements, making

them safer and better for our residents. I'm proud when installing record numbers

of bike hangers, yes from a low base due to your failures to install them as other London

boroughs had been doing for years. So this is so that people can store their bikes safely.

I'm glad we got started on the permanent improvement works on Old York Road which will further

improve that street for pedestrians and businesses. I could go on on the many improvements we

are making for our roads across the borough but I think I'll leave it at that for now.

Thank you.

Question number 13.

Question number 13 to the Cabinet League, please.

Thank you for the question.

I can't give you an exact update on the final figures because we just closed the consultation

on Monday.

The last time I got a steer on it was about three weeks ago.

We had about 650 responses then.

800 responses in total have come in, over 800 over the course of the consultation.

I can give you some steers.

It's no great surprise.

The members of my committee will not be surprised to know that landlords and managing agents

and estate agents are a bit nervous about the scheme, but we actually have had a really

broad range of feedback from various different local organizations, national organizations.

We've had supporting documents from councils that have implemented similar licensing schemes

on landlords.

So I'm really excited to be able to share the final breakdown with everyone at the Housing Committee.

For those of you that don't know, and I'm not going to go into too much detail here,

but the landlord licensing scheme is designed to focus with a selective license on tooting area first

and then a borough -wide additional license.

So yeah, that's kind of where things stand at the moment.

Thank you.

Could the cabinet lead outline the top three issues that these licensing schemes will tackle for our private renters?

Yeah, so the kind of the reason why we want to implement this is primarily around increasing support protections

And a regulatory framework for private renters in Wandsworth. They make up 36 % of the bar

It's an essential form of where people get home in the bar

So we want to make sure they're protected

The three things that I think are most important about successful licensing scheme are that we increase our

Inspection rates and our capacity to do inspections like it's fine having a singing and dancing

Licensing scheme that doesn't do inspections that that for me is the number one priority

Second is so that tenants feel like they can get repairs done without reprisals from a landlord. So they have

Council support they have the kind of institutional support of the council when they try and raise an issue that they might have with their

Landlords, we know that many tenants are scared of doing that because they think you know, they'll be seen as a troubled tenant

And then the final thing is like, you know, taking legal action.

We want more capacity, more resource to be able to challenge rogue landlords in the court.

You know, Wandsworth has gone up and down in how successful it's been.

Basically all the money from the licensing scheme goes back into the council's private

rented sector team so we can expand, improve protections.

So those are the three main things.

There are some limitations.

So one of the things from the feedback is that renters obviously are worried about increases

in their rent.

That's probably the biggest concern that renters have.

The Labour Government's Renters' Rights Bill, which is coming through Parliament at the

moment, is trying to expand the capacity for tribunals for tenants to be able to challenge

unfair rent increases.

This just hasn't existed because when section 21 is there landlords can just get rid of

tenants and take them to tribunal.

It was never going to work in the first place.

With more protections for tenants and more secure tenancies that tribunal function will

become really important.

And so I want to use funding from the licensing scheme to see how we can support tenants, you know

Outside of rent controls which you know many of you know, I personally support outside of that without that government legislation

Supporting tribunals locally will be really really important so people can challenge really unfair rent increases

Councillor Govindia Thank You madam

Supplemental good for the cabinet member. He will know that much of the groundwork for this work was laid down

before May 22, so we presumably want to acknowledge that.

But can I ask my supplementary, which is that in the report

that he promises in the answer, will it take into account

the possible impact on the reduction of PRS available

for residents in the borough as a result

of the licensing scheme?

And will he also take the opportunity of looking at

not only the licensing scheme's impact on the reduction,

but also any other measures this council may take,

or the government may take,

because there is some much talk of the budget

possibly having an impact on this sector.

So will that be a composite report

which deals with everything about the availability of PRS,

which as the answer says,

is a very significant part of boroughs housing stock.

I'm actually very excited to hear

that you before May 2022,

who were interested in implementing a selective license.

Yeah, well, if you were gonna introduce

a selective license, that is fantastic.

I'm glad you'll be able to support the proposals

when they come forward and not vote against

the committee, which has happened.

Because up until now, I've had lots of questions

about that this is a bad scheme and this is gonna reduce,

and that was from when Councillor Caddy

was the head of the housing group.

So that's music to my ears, that you're on board,

you're supporting the licensing scheme.

I'll plaster that all over everything.

The part about the evidence, really, really important.

So, like you say, the criticisms that we've seen so far of the scheme from landlords,

estate agents and so on is that if you introduce regulation, we're all going to leave the market

and sell out and then that's going to cause a crisis for renters, right?

That is the kind of stick that is held above the hand of anyone who wants to try and improve

renters' rights in Britain.

And the evidence suggests that that doesn't happen when licensing is introduced.

I think in Wandsworth we're in a very, very, in many ways our environment because of the

nature of the house prices and the high rents means that's even more unlikely to happen,

particularly given the rates in which a licensing fee is placed on.

In the consultation lots of people say, �Oh, 850 pounds, is that just going to be passed

on to the tenant ?� Well, that's a five -year license, so that's about £3 .27 a week placed

on to a tenant, if it is placed on.

Again, there's no evidence to suggest in any of the buyers who have implemented it that

it is actually directly placed on in that case.

The supply issue is really important.

I would add to that that whenever we try and introduce any kind of regulation, there is

always that kind of threat from industry.

It's the same with the minimum wage.

If you raise the minimum wage, all the businesses will close factories.

We do think the minimum wage is important.

I see licensing in that same kind of vein, which is that these are quite basic bare minimum

protections that I would expect any social democratic progressive European

country to have. Like most of our European contemporaries have much

stronger protections for renters so I think in Wandsworth we should be

safe. I'm more the only area that I'm nervous about whenever it comes to

supply is temporary accommodation private rents because the values

are just so out of kilter with what we can cover. So that's my that's

a supplier I'm more worried about and that won't be affected by the licensing scheme.

Thank you. Moving on to question number 14.

Number 14, Madam Mayor, thank you. Thank you.

I want to thank you for this question. We've had this question a number of times at this committee,

or council meeting, and as well at committee, our deputations as well.

It's a really difficult topic because obviously whenever we bring forward council housing

proposals, it is kind of in the nature of development that objections come in because

of fears around disruption, fears around loss of amenity.

There are very successful council schemes that this administration brought forward,

like Gideon Road for instance, that faced similar criticisms, faced similar opposition,

but have turned out to be very successful.

So we have to get a balance between the worries and anxieties of local residents, but also

the challenges that we face in administration when it comes to overcrowding, when it comes

to temporary accommodation.

The Thousand Homes Programme is unique in that the local lettings plan means that these homes

are built directly for the people that live on the estates affected.

You mentioned the by -election.

When we were knocking around on doors, we spoke to many people who either, one, didn't

really know anything was happening because they weren't directly in the main area of

site and then we're like, oh great, council housing, I'm overcrowded, I'm on this waiting

list. Or two, we're a bit nervous about coming forward and speaking about it because of how

politicized the issue had become. We have reflected on that, certainly, and I've hired

more engagement officers because we were going above and beyond in terms of our engagement

and holding four different public events and lots of, but it was that space in between

when we often, there would be literature flying around where we wouldn't be able to control

what possible misinformation was being distributed.

So we want to have a much more on the door,

meeting residents face to face, regular constant contact.

And that's what the engagement team

is gonna be implementing.

And that is precisely out of that,

the reflections from the election,

which is lots of people saying to me on the doorstep,

things that I knew were not true,

but had ended up becoming kind of common views

on the estate.

So it's a balancing act.

And you know my arguments as to why we're building

council housing across the borough. Thank you.

Supplementary. Councillor Lastyn. Thank you very much Madam Mayor. I'm really glad

that the cabinet members telling me that my majority in WPD is safe even without

the Ashburton estate which is thankful I'm very thankful for. If he is indeed

listening to my residents then will he agree today to meet with myself

of Chancellor Sutter's and residents

to outline his new plans and more crucially,

the timeline of those plans,

because my residents are obviously worried

and do deserve answers.

Absolutely, more than happy to meet with you.

Yeah, no problem with that.

You know, as you know, I've been on that estate,

I've sat in people's kitchens,

I've been to very big public meetings,

I have no problem with meeting with you or residents.

I can't tell you that I'm gonna be able to give you

what you wanna hear,

but you know the position of the council

which is to try and deliver council housing

in a way that is fair and just

and can also help improve the isolates

that we try and manage.

Second supplementary, Madam Mayor.

Councillor Grimston.

Thanks, yeah.

Would the cabinet member agree with me

that consultation is not referendum

and that while it's very important

to listen to all sorts of views,

whenever there's an issue where there are competing

requirements, as is clearly the case and laid out in the

cabinet members answer, then it's actually the job of us

as political leaders to take the decision we think is in

the best interest of the community as a whole,

even while recognizing that that might not be the decision

that is popular with certain groups of people.

And that there's a massive difference between not listening

to someone and not agreeing with them.

But would you also agree with me though,

that at the heart of a lot of this is fears in people's

minds that like the rest of our social stock,

it's going to get sold off in five years.

And can he give any idea as to what he and his colleagues

are doing to lobby the current government

for a serious reform of right to buy

so these properties remain available for social rent

into the future?

Yeah, I have to say that's a, you know,

you've summarized it really, really well there.

Planning and building houses, building council houses,

there is often like what we would call like a tragedy

of the commons, whereby it's very difficult within the planning system to manage to often

address some of the more silent voices and some of the voices that we are entrusted with

and also have a duty to try and protect, help improve their lives.

I think you're right, and I've said it in this chamber, that the Thousand Homes Programme,

when we go out and consult, it isn't a yes, no referendum because otherwise, as we all

We all know that would mean that often nothing would get built at all.

And those on the planning committee understand the kind of big trade -off.

And also there is a difficulty in balancing the resident as they exist and the future resident,

the resident whose life is going to be changed and will become an important part of the community.

Like I say on the Thousand Homes, that often isn't even the case because it is for local people.

It is for families who live in those areas can get access to the housing that they need.

So, I really appreciate you framing it in that way.

On right to buy, I completely agree with you.

I've been an outspoken critic of right to buy for many years, often in this chamber.

I supported the Southwark recommendations that included the consistent rent settlement,

but also asked from the government in order to scrap right to buy, particularly scrap

right to buy for new build, where councils are taking on these difficult schemes and

taking on a difficult role in order to try and provide the much needed social housing

that central government is asking of us and having an end to right to buy on new build

is really important. If that doesn't come forward, this is a kind of almost fluke of

the system, but the value, the market value because of the quality of the council homes

that we're building mean that even with the discount, it would be unlikely that right

to buy would be able to kick in within a couple of years, right?

So I recently visited Gerard House. Those are million pound views over Richmond Park.

You know, those are fantastic council homes. Those are energy efficient. They're large

So even with the discount it's unlikely that right to buy would be able to privatize those homes quickly

But I do think you're right that national government really has to step in and I will continue to write continue to lobby continue to

Try and make sure that that that policy is specifically on on council new build is implemented

Thank You councillors the time for cabinet questions and cabinet member questions has now finished

If we move on to report number 1, items for decision.

I move reception of that report and will ask the Council whether they approve the recommendations

in paragraph 1.

The General Fund Capital Program update paper number 24 -283 is a recommendation approved.

All those in favour?

Sorry, against?

Any abstentions?

28 .4 and 22 abstentions.

So the motion is carried.

Item number 10 is matters of local or topical interest.

We have received notice of two matters

to consider this evening.

Councillor Hedges, you have up to three minutes to speak

on the matter being raised by the Conservative group,

which is ongoing issues

with the new waste collection service in the Ballam Ward

and elsewhere in the borough,

and the cabinet members denial of such problem.

Councillor Hedges, if I could invite you to speak.

Thank you Madam Mayor.

Over the past four months, residents in Ballym, Clapham South and across the borough have

been massively let down.

Let down by the Labour Administration's promise to deliver a cleaner borough.

Let down by the inadequacy of the food waste rollout, consistent missed waste collections

and poor, if any, cleansing of the roads afterwards.

Roads are covered in litter, are disgustingly filthy, where rotting food

is too often seen on pavements, with brown food waste bins left open and

strewn across the street. Rubbish bags are piled up outside properties, bins are

overflowing, rats running wild, and the stench of decaying food lingers. Since

June I, like many of my Councillor colleagues, have been overwhelmed with

emails and complaints from residents about missed waste collections, especially food

waste. In fact, I spent a lot of time during the summer escalating concerns to the council

and explaining to residents why the council's fundamental status that they pay council tax

for was failing.

Just a couple of examples. A resident on Ramsden Road said, can you please help with this madness

with the rubbish collection? Our bins haven't been collected for two weeks. It's been reported

over the phone and online, but Waste Management haven't got a clue. I spoke to someone

today and his response was he wasn't briefed on the three collection crews.

Resident on Calborne Road, each and every week there are bags of uncollected

recycling waste littering our streets for days after the scheduled collection

day. I counted over 30 bags of uncollected waste on our street alone

last Sunday, two days after they should have been collected. Again this is a

health hazard, is unsightly and presents a trip hazard by blocking the pavements

and parking spaces. Madam Mayor, the reason I was given for these failures was teething problems,

yet these failures persist. These are not teething problems, it's a complete failure.

As a member of the Finance Committee, last week I witnessed the cabinet member for the environment

rating the success of the food scheme so far as probably an eight or a nine out of ten.

residents would say two or three out of ten.

The Labour administration would like to think food waste was their idea.

In fact, this was brought in by the Environment Act in 2021 by the Conservative government.

Following this, it was Councillor Steffi Suttas who initiated the first food waste pilot in Southfields Ward.

Madam Mayor, it's a shame the Conservatives didn't get the opportunity to take this initiative forward,

as I'm certain it would have been a huge success and a definite 10 out of 10.

The once brighter borough of Wandsworth that I moved to 17 years ago is now quite the

opposite. Thank you.

Thank you Councillor Hedges. Councillor Gesser, you have three minutes should you

wish to respond. Please if I could invite you. Yes, thank you very much. I am absolutely committed

to sorting this out. I'm as concerned as anybody else about every single missed collection.

As a cabinet member, as a resident, I don't like to see it. I'm concerned about problems

of litter on the street as well, of course. I don't like to see any of these things. I

stand by my rating though. We are on a journey. We are a long way on that journey. We still

have a way to go. I'm absolutely committed to getting us to the best possible service

of our residents. Some of these problems we have inherited. Your last administration cut

the street cleansing contract by £500 ,000. That is why it cannot cope at the moment.

I went to your finance committee to ask for more funding so that I can increase street

cleansing again. We all know it is needed. You guys would not vote for that. Your past

The

US administration took away a load of bins on the streets. We

all know we need more bins. You have been asking for more bins.

But you voted against that. You did not vote, you abstained. You

would not support. We are making progress. Our flight rate is down

but there is still a long way to go. I know that. I went to your

committee to ask for funding for more enforcement officers so that

we can really come down hard on these offenders. You would not

support that. We are absolutely committed to the brilliant basics

We are going to keep the weekly refuse collection and we are not

going to increase the council tax.

We all need to work together to help that.

I went down to the Serco depot on Monday with officers and spoke with

them.

Nobody is happy with the situation at the moment.

It is not yet good enough.

We have been talking together about how we are going to resolve these

problems.

We are going to be working with one or two underperforming crews and

we will be reaching out to all our residents for communication so it is

absolutely clear what this new service is all about. We will improve this service. I

am absolutely committed to that.

You said that you were overwhelmed about all the problems. In fact, on the Finance Committee,

you said that you had ruined your summer. I was very concerned about that, so I went

to check on the figures. You submitted 17 inquiries on waste and 11 inquiries on fly

summer that's that's that's the three three week does that ruin your summer I

think that's what we're here for isn't it to serve our residents we have to do

the case work if you'd like some good we're learning we're getting there we're

getting there so as you remember the last council meeting the residents of

you to work with me and some of your colleagues did I'm inviting you again to

work with me. You have not reached out to me once over the summer. If you want to serve

your residents, work with me. Work with the officers. You can take a leaf out of Councillor

Rigby's book. How hard does she work? She's out at 6am somewhere. She's out talking to

residents, talking to businesses. She's even designed a sticker for us to put on the fly

tipping to warn people they will get fined. They will get fined because we're coming down

Take the lead by the Councillor Rigsby's book. I thank her very much for all her work.

I thank the officers for their work and I thank CERCO for their work. Let's all work

together and we'll sort this out together.

Thank you Councillor Gasser.

For the second matter of local or topical interest, could I ask Councillor Rigby to

speak on the issue being raised by the Labour group, which is Wandsworth Council's progress

as a great employer and 130 years of Battersea and Wandsworth Trade Union Council.

Councillor Rigby. Thank you Madam Mayor. On behalf of Wandsworth Labour

Councillors I send appreciation and thanks to the Battersea and Wandsworth TUC

as we celebrate 130 years of protecting jobs and raising working conditions for

the people of Wandsworth. From campaigns to improve bus safety, cleaning up our

air, protecting the toxic gig economies through to protecting our rail ticket

offices. The members of Battersea and Wandsworth TUC worked tirelessly to challenge poor practices

and create working environments where people are safe physically and psychologically, and

also fairly rewarded.

When Labour was in opposition, one of these campaigns was to ask Wandsworth Council to

adopt a policy that the re -tendering of existing contracts and the tendering of

any new contracts that tender would stipulate the staff employed under these

contracts to work in the borough of Wandsworth would be paid at least the

London living wage. In July 2018 I worked with the very much missed Councillor

Andy Gibbons to draw up a motion to ask members to vote on this. The former

Conservative administration amended the motion so that it was literally a shadow of its former

self. It had so many lines crossed through it, I couldn't tell what was left. All that

remained was a non -committal self -congratulatory wish to record its thanks for any local employers,

including contractors who did pay the living wage, but there was zero compulsion to bring

change. It was a special moment that sadly Andy missed when after Labour took

control of Wandsworth Council we undid those crossed out words to make a

proper commitment that staff delivering council contracts are paid at least the

living wage by April 2026 and if the previous administration had shown any

amount of fairness we'd have reached that milestone today we'd be there and

we'd have improved quality of life for hundreds of families.

The council and contractors will now start to prepare for more change through Labour's

new workers' rights bill, from ending fire and rehire practices to establishing day one

rights for paternity.

To return to Battersea and Wandsworth TUC, we thank them for continuing to highlight

the inherent wrong in zero -hours contracts and Wandsworth has more people on zero -hours

contracts than any other in a London borough. Well, those days are going and that's going

to lift many people in Wandsworth out of poverty. We've also introduced our menopause policy.

After years of failure to modernise workers' rights, we now have a Labour council, a Labour

London Mayor and a Labour Government and together we're changing the world of work for good.

Thank you Councillor Rigby. Councillor Hogg you have three minutes should you wish to

respond. Thank you I'd like to thank Councillor Rigby for that excellent contribution. I remember

her passionate advocacy for the living wage and Councillors like her have kept this brilliant

policy alive and now made it mainstream and made it a reality. Thank you. We do not sign

contracts unless they have the living wage, so soon everyone doing long and hard day's

work for the council, whether on staff, whether they're doing it for a contractor, will be

paid that fair day's wage, at least the living wage. Congratulations also to Battersea and

Wandsworth TUC on 130 years of fighting for the people of Wandsworth, first set up as

Battersea Trades and Labour Council by John Burns in 1894.

No, I'm gonna resist saying Councillor Belton was on.

No, let's keep going.

Battersea was at the forefront of a new and fairer way

of doing local government.

Through directly employed labour,

the payment of fair wages and work projects

for the unemployed.

Burns went on to be the first working class member

of the British cabinet,

where he established the fair wages resolution

requiring outsourced workers to be paid the same

as those employed by the council.

and we're still working on that one John, but we will get there I promise.

Not everyone has agreed with these changes.

Wandsworth Tories sold off council homes in their droves when they took over the council

and outsourced as much of its services as they could.

Not only did they oppose the introduction of the living wage, Wandsworth Tories opposed

the introduction of the minimum wage.

But now Wandsworth has returned to its roots, a Labour administration acting in the interests

of working people.

That's why we're building a thousand council homes, creating a thousand apprenticeships,

keeping council tax low alongside the biggest cost of living response in London.

But of course the world of work has changed and we're changing with it.

We want to be a great employer, upgrading offices, our new staff values, a greater focus

on equality and now two days a year off for all staff to volunteer at local charities.

You mentioned our menopause policy and next up is a policy around people with caring responsibilities as well.

All of this achieved in partnership with our workplace trade unions.

And thank you for mentioning Councillor Gibbons and keeping his legacy alive in this room also.

This is a council that's good for workers and good for business too.

Our work match brokerage has supported two and a half thousand local residents into work

and obviously we're very proud to welcome Apple and Penguin Random House and others and their large staff teams to the borough.

Wandsworth has an incredibly productive and hard -working population and we will always stand up for their rights.

Thank you, Councillor Hock.

The Whips have agreed that item 18 will be taken next.

Item 18 is the motion on vulnerable people losing their winter fuel payments.

Can I ask Councillor Pritam to move and Councillor Crivelli to second the motion in their names?

Moved.

Thank you.

If I could invite Councillor Pritam to kick -start his speech.

Thanks very much, Madam Mayor.

Before turning to the motion, I would like to follow on from Councillor Cooper's comments earlier.

I am still comparatively new to this, but my understanding is that the only Councillor in this chamber who is supposed to be non -political is obviously you.

as the mayor. I would like to begin by clarifying what our motion is

not about. As Councillor Richard Jones stated earlier, we are not

calling for millionaires in Wandsworth to receive the winter fuel

payment. That was the policy introduced by Gordon Brown when he

was Chancellor of the Exchequer. As a fiscal conservative, I believe

there is a lot of merit in targeting benefits effectively. There is not,

however, merit in this kind of sweeping, cat -handed decision

introduced without any consultation whatsoever.

The earnings threshold at which winter fuel payments

will now be discontinued is just over 11 ,000 pounds per year.

We all know that in an area like Wandsworth,

this does not go very far at all.

The situation for people who fall just above this threshold

will be further exacerbated by the fact that off -gem

is lifting the energy price cap.

These people, who I believe the council itself

has recognised as being vulnerable,

will doubtless have planned very carefully for the winter,

and now their financial plans have been thrown off completely

through no fault of their own.

Now, mindful of the need to move quickly to address this issue,

Councillor Richard Jones wrote to Councillor Hogg

on the 19th of September, who I note is not in his place,

with four completely reasonable and non -partisan requests.

The first to write to the Chancellor,

asking her to introduce compensatory measures.

The second to launch an awareness campaign

to alert pensioners to apply for pension credit

if they are eligible, particularly highlighting the fact that would make them eligible to

still continue receiving the winter fuel payment. The third was to use the Council's relationship

with local charities to assist pensioners who are struggling to claim pension credits.

The final request, which pertains to the motion tonight, was to instruct officers to work

up options to provide support to those in need, including through use of the unspent

balance of the cost of living reserve funds. In his typical thin -skinned and dismissive

fashion, the leader of the Council did not respond to that letter, only

acknowledging those requests in the response to the question tonight from

Councillor Richard Jones, but doing absolutely nothing to address them in

any meaningful sense whatsoever. This is particularly concerning, given the

fact that we don't have any data on who these people are. This is why we

asked for that work to be done a month ago. Instead of heeding this

request, the council has wasted valuable time. As I assume, as

Councillor Richard Jones pointed out earlier, they are just hoping

for something to come up at the budget. That is reckless, because if

it doesn't turn up, that will give them less time to bring measures

forward before the winter bites. We have already heard Labour speakers

tonight trot out their well -worn lines devised by whoever it is that

is running number 10 these days about there being a black hole.

putting to one side the frankly questionable nature of these claims,

we need to focus on Wandsworth. This motion is about what is happening

here in Wandsworth. In this borough, the council has the ability to

bring forward support measures for those who will be pushed into poverty

by this Labour government. The reason it has this ability is because

it inherits an enviable financial position following decades of sound

conservative management of the council's finances. In spite of their

best efforts to trash that over the last two years, those funds are

there because we left them there. All we are asking for is for the

Council to use the advantage afforded it by its reserves to help

those who will really need it this winter. The Council has made a lot

of its efforts to address the cost of living. Now that there is going

to be a cost of living crisis that is going to impact a very specific

group of people that the Council itself has recognised as vulnerable,

there is simply no excuse not to act. The only possible explanation

is that this Labour administration is much more concerned with being

unthinkingly loyal to the frankly mediocre government we have in

Westminster than it is in protecting the people we were all sent to

this town hall to serve. I would urge Labour members to put aside

their partisan loyalty for one evening and vote for the very

moderate, very sensible measures that we are advocating in our

motion. Anything other than a vote for this motion will tell everyone

across the borough that when it really comes down to it, they care

more about their own party than they do the residents of Wontworth.

Thank you, Councillor.

Councillor Ireland.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Pension credit is a valuable benefit worth on average £2 ,700 a year, but it is not just

of grants and savings, such as housing benefit and council tax support. It also opens eligibility

for social tariffs for energy and water, the warm home discount, cheaper broadband, free

TV licenses, free insulation and boiler grants, free dental care, contribution towards the

cost of glasses and help with transport to hospital. And now also the winter fuel payment

of £200 or £300 a year. These additional benefits mean that the total value unlocked

by claiming pension could be around £10 ,000 per year. This is why increasing take -up of

pension credit is a priority of this administration in our aim to maximise the income of all low -income

households across the borough. As of last month, we signed up an additional 225 households

with financial benefits to them of £760 ,000 a year.

According to Policy in Practice, this is worth £9 million over the lifetime of these claims.

And so far, as a direct result of this campaign, these residents have received over £1 million in payments.

Our third pension credit campaign is about to go live using data from the low -income family tracker

and other sources to encourage eligible residents to submit claims by the

government's cut -off date of the 21st of December for the winter fuel payment

this year. We are also running campaigns to increase take -up of attendance

allowance, targeting pensioner households who have care needs and to increase the

take -up of social tariffs. We will continue to promote the entitled -to

calculator signposting residents to access unclaimed benefits. Last year its use increased

by 172%. We launched the money hubs outreach service and roadshows with voluntary sector

partners to provide on the spot advice and support and longer term casework support for

residents with complex needs. In just 10 months the additional financial inclusion officer

has achieved an annual increase of £382 ,000 in benefits claimed by residents.

I would like to thank Mrs Mary, Ms Wilson, Mr O 'Sullivan, Mr Threadgold and their colleagues.

Your work has been recognised by the local government association and has transformed

the lives of so many of our residents. You should be proud of the work you are doing.

I know I am.

The Council has done a huge amount to support vulnerable older residents, particularly those

on low incomes.

We established the biggest and most generous cost of living programme in London of £15

million.

Working with our partners in the voluntary sector, the programme supports residents and

businesses through the crisis and helps them to build resilience to financial shocks.

The Council's winter warmth scheme provides warm packs for vulnerable households and fuel

allowance payments through the Wandsworth Discretionary Social Fund.

The minority party has questioned the continued need for the cost of living fund, suggesting

we pause allocations. Anyone reading the cost of living support for residents impact report

discussed at last week's Finance Committee will understand the need to continue with

this essential work. We will continue to use the Household Support Fund to extend holiday

food vouchers, provide school uniform grants, offer crisis payments and more.

Given the minority parties' record of abstaining or opposing many of the initiatives in the

cost of living programme, it is bizarre that this motion is suggesting a cross -party approach.

These initiatives have demonstrably improved the lives of our residents and supported them

through the cost of living crisis created by their government, their government which

destroyed the lives of so many through years of austerity, breaking the link between need

and entitlement and forcing families to live in hardship.

As stated in the cost of living paper discussed at last week's finance committee, in response

to the government's announcement on changes to eligibility for winter fuel payments, the

Council is assessing options for further support. These will be finalised following announcements

by the Chancellor at the Budget in two weeks, when we have all the information necessary

to enable us to target our support, most effectively make the best use of resources available to

us. In this, we are way ahead of the minority party and do not need their kind of help.

The money vulnerable people in Wandsworth know from our record that we will continue

to prioritise maximising their income and continue to support them through the winter

and beyond. But they fear from the minority parties' record that they are likely to attempt

to dilute support to them. Thank you.

Thank you, Councillor Ireland.

Councillor Crivelli.

Madam Mayor, over the past few months and years, we have quite rightly discussed on

a number of occasions in this Council Chamber the cost of living crisis, the impact that

this has had on local families and how Wandsworth needs to respond to protect those residents

who are vulnerable. I am quite sure that the vast majority of Wandsworth councillors do

not agree with the Government's proposed changes to the winter fuel allowance. We are all aware

that winter fuel payments provide vital support for a number of

pensioners struggling with energy costs. Figures from the House of

Commons library show that over 8000 pensioners in Putney alone could

be hit by the government's decision to withdraw these payments. This

seems like an absurd decision at a time when the energy market is

still volatile with off -gem predicting that the cost of electricity

gas for a typical household will rise by 10%. On a number of occasions

both locally and nationally, we have heard Labour talk about

pensioners who need to make the choice between heating and eating.

This was even before there was any proposal to withdraw the winter

fuel allowance. Consequently, it is not unrealistic to expect ones

with Council to look at bringing forward initiatives to protect

pensioners who may be adversely affected by these changes. It is

completely appropriate for the Council leadership to ask officers

to work up options where we seek to provide financial assistance to

those who may be negatively impacted by these changes. In fact,

in the recent health overview and scrutiny committee on 18 September,

the cabinet member, Councillor Henderson, referencing Wandsworth's

reaction to the changes to the wind and fuel allowance, stated,

the cabinet are looking at this very closely. We had a good

discussion about that a week ago. This is a work in progress and

you will hear more in the future. This makes one's reluctance to come forward with initiatives

to mitigate the impact of winter fuel loans, as suggested by my colleague, Councillor Richard

Jones, all the more incomprehensible. Furthermore, from a health and wellbeing point of view,

the cuts to winter fuel loans without proper mitigation have the potential to have a very

negative impact. I am sure every member of this Council knows that inadequate heating

can have serious health concerns for elderly individuals, particularly those with chronic

health conditions or mobility issues. Cold homes increase the risk of respiratory problems,

weakened immune systems and even hypothermia. We should be concerned that cutting the winter

fuel payment may put further pressure on the NHS and social care systems in Wandsworth.

As Jan Short, General Secretary of the National Pensioners Convention said, the loss of the

winter fuel allowance for the majority of older people clearly puts them at risk. Living

in cold, damp homes heightens the risk of strokes, heart disease, respiratory conditions

and generally harms the rest of the body. It therefore follows that the risk of overwhelming

NHS in winter is high and the cost of dealing with the consequences of the Government decision

will be felt throughout the NHS and care sectors.

The cut to the winter fuel allowance is even more concerning if we consider the report

by the Institute for Health Equity that estimates that some 10 % of excess winter deaths are

directly attributed to fuel poverty and more than 20 % attributed to cold homes. It is,

of course, laudable that Wandsworth Council should be promoting the uptake of pension

credits, as Councillor Ireland referenced. However, history suggests that this is not

going to be enough, particularly given the short space of time.

The winter fuel allowance is usually being paid in November and December, and there is

an entrenched long -term problem of low uptake with pension credit.

This makes it all the more imperative that Wandsworth acts to assist many older people

who miss out on the pension credit but are still on low incomes and are going to struggle

to heat their homes to adequate levels as a result of the Government's proposals.

Richmond Council is introducing a new winter fuel support payment to help those who will be worse off because of the withdrawal of the winter fuel payment.

Hillingdon Council has announced using £2 million as part of its response to the cut in winter fuel payments, including establishing a pensioner support fund to help older residents.

In our capacity as ones with councillors, we have a collective duty to protect vulnerable

adults in our borough.

We do need to bring forward financial initiatives as soon as possible, similar to other boroughs,

to address the very negative impact this winter fuel allowance cut will have on our residents.

I would urge members to support the motion.

Thank you, Councillor Crivelli.

Councillor Lawless.

Thank you Madam Mayor.

Everyone deserves to be treated with care, dignity and respect.

It should be the primary focus of the Council to support those in need.

As a new Councillor I wanted to see some of this work in action,

so I spent a Friday night on shift with the team at our Joint Control Centre.

It's more than just a CCTV room.

I saw how diligently they deal with calls,

and I sat with them as they spoke to people on end of life care needing hospice advice.

with council tenants who had urgent inquiries, water outages and saw first -hand the response

to elderly residents who activate personal alarms in their homes. I joined the team on

one of those call -outs, visiting an elderly person who had fallen at home, and I saw the

exceptional care shown. Right through the council, I know caring for vulnerable people

is top of our list. We have the biggest and most generous cost of living fund in London

and supporting residents through difficult times has always been a priority.

We've never veered away from that.

And that is why work has already begun to ensure pensioners don't miss out on pension credit

and those in need get the right support.

While the opposition send cut and paste Tory HQ letters,

the work undertaken by this Labour administration and the Mayor of London,

alongside our fantastic local MPs, our charities and organisations,

has ensured hundreds of local pensions sign up with a total financial benefit of almost

a million pounds a year. Beyond their smoke and mirrors, let's remember the Conservative

Party manifesto in 2017, which they all stood on. It pledged to means test winter fuel payments.

Kemi Badenoch, who some of them are supporting to be leader, has said it should be means

tested too. Have they written to her? Councillor Pridham and Crivelli mentioned energy prices,

but it was their government who refused to take action on the oil and gas giants when

they were making billions of pounds in profits. If the opposition want to help, they could

help amplify the work that's being done by the Council, the Mayor's Office and others

to encourage pensioners to sign up. But instead, I worry they are putting party politics ahead

of pensioners and are just looking for a scrap.

The moral compass they've developed in recent weeks was absent for many years and decades

while they were in power.

Three hundred thousand more pensioners were put in poverty by the last Conservative government.

There are councillors here on our side who remember them opposing free travel for the

elderly on London transport.

When the council cut grants to elderly services, an organiser of one of those outreach schemes

which face cuts, said to one of our local newspapers that Wandsworth Tories were asking

elderly people to choose between paying an entrance fee or heating their homes. Where

were the letters on that? Where were the letters on the lunch clubs that were axed, the care

homes that were sold off, the bedroom tax introduced by them and is still being paid

for by 100 low -income pensioners across our borough? But I'll finish with the Meals on

service which they scrapped. Dozens of vulnerable elderly residents who relied on and needed

that daily hot meal. Some of those who lost their daily hot meal when it was cut were

blind and unable themselves to open a door, cook or even use a microwave. Where were the

letters they sent on that? Their moral compass was deactivated over those years. The only

paper trail we have from them are speeches and votes in favour of cuts and I will not

be voting against the motion.

Thank you, Councillor Lawless.

Councillor Racine.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. For once, a little magnanimity is called for in this side of

the Chamber. The Labour Party has taught us a lesson, of sorts, on what can be achieved

in government. In one sense, at least, it's fair to say they've comprehensively outdone

us. It hasn't taken a global pandemic or the drawn -out process of extricating from a complex

political union or a war at the heart of Europe for the impression to be cemented in the public

consciousness of a government that is hopelessly out of touch and desperately out of its depth.

No, they've achieved this entirely off their own backs and in record time too. 100 days of

ineptitude during which they've hemorrhaged poll leads and council seats faster than it takes to

say yes please to a Taylor Swift freebie.

One can forgive their questionable taste in music,

less forgivable are their questionable priorities.

Let's not forget, taking away energy bill support

worth up to 300 pounds from 10 million pensioners

was the first major action of the new Labour government.

14 years out of power, nearly a decade and a half

to come up with a bold vision with which to lead

and inspire the nation and this was the definitive statement

of Keir Starmer's Labour government.

I fear it's going to be a long five years.

There is indeed a bold and principled case

for reform in the universal benefits system.

As one of my heroes, the American economist,

Thomas Sowell argued, there are no solutions,

only trade -offs.

No one can make a policy that helps everyone

and hurts no one.

But stripping winter fuel payments from 82 % of pensioners

living below or just above the poverty line,

which includes more than one million disabled pensioners,

To fund pay increases for the most highly paid workers in the public sector is neither bold nor principled.

It is willfully reckless and morally perverse.

Economically, it shows the same old flawed logic that always afflicts labour and power

that somehow it's possible for the government to suspend the law of unintended consequences.

Already, the supposed savings to be made by the changes to winter fuel payments

are being decimated by the rise in pension credit claims that the policy has triggered.

People who weren't claiming pension credit before are now being forced to do so in order

to access the winter fuel payments on which they so depend.

However, not only will they still get winter fuel payments, if they're lucky, they'll be

getting the extra benefit payments that come with pension credit that they weren't getting

before.

So instead of saving 1 .4 billion, the government is now facing increased administrative costs

and higher benefit payouts.

More bureaucracy, higher taxes.

A hell of a lot of pain for negligible economic gain.

Socialism on steroids.

On every conceivable level, morally and economically,

this policy is all kinds of wrong.

For years, Labour had the chance

to make its case for government.

It could have made the intellectual argument

for hard but necessary choices before the general election.

There would have been an integrity to that.

Instead, it only really ever had one plan for government

and one plan only, to say as little as possible,

blame the Tories, and portray itself

as the compassionate alternative.

To millions of the poorest pensioners across the country,

that compassionate alternative is starting

to sound like a sick joke.

The cynic in me can't help but wonder if,

like the scribes of the Hebrew temple

flaunting their charity, professing of compassion

was mainly just for show.

The idealist in me, however, hopes that I'm wrong,

and in the interests of proving that I'm wrong, I'm going to run a little thought

experiment in which I'd like the members opposite to participate. If this policy

had not been introduced by a Labour government, but a Tory one, where would you all be standing?

I'd bet my mortgage on all of you opposing it, with a damn sight more vigour and zeal,

than you are currently supporting the policy of your own government. In fact, I'm pretty

sure that deep down in all your hearts, you feel deeply uneasy about this policy and just

wish it would go away, but it won't. It is real and it's happening. A Labour Government

is doing this.

But there is something you can do about it. You can pull out all the stops to ensure that

there is meaningful and comprehensive targeted support for the most vulnerable pensioners

in this borough by voting in favour of our motion. If the Members opposite aren't willing

to support our motion, then it's difficult to interpret that as anything other than a

casual complacency about its deeply damaging effects.

This is an opportunity to do the right thing,

not just talk about it.

One suspensioners and all of our residents

will remember the choice you made.

Thank you, Councillor.

Moving on to the vote.

All those in favour of the motion, please raise your hands.

Those against?

Any abstentions?

Thank you.

I think we have time for one more.

So, we've got a question from the audience.

I'm going to ask the panelists to come up to the podium.

So, we've got a question from the audience.

The motion has been lost. Those against was 26. All those in favour was 21 and

one abstention. The abstention moved. We now turn to executive report

number two. I move reception of the report. Can paragraphs 1 to 5 in

Paragraph 6 to 11 in the supplementary paper we received for information.

Agreed? Thank you. Item number 13 is from the Planning Applications

Committee Report Number 3, Councillor Belton. Councillor Belton will move reception of Report

Number 3. Fantastic. Are we all agreed for information?

I left speechless.

Paragraphs 1 to 6 from page 17 are for information.

Agreed.

Thank you.

Item 14 is from the Health and Wellbeing Board.

Report number 4, Councillor Henderson.

And will you be moving the report?

Madam, you do much better than I do.

Thank you.

Paragraphs 1 to 9 from page 19 are for information.

Agreed?

Agreed.

Thank you.

Item 15 is from the General Purpose Committee.

Report number 5, Councillor Osborne.

That is report number 5, paragraphs 1 and 2, which are both for information.

Agreed.

Item 16 is the proposed amendments to Committee membership paper number 24 -296.

Is the recommendation approved?

Thank you, councillors.

That concludes the business of the meeting for this evening.

Thank you.

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Council - Wednesday 16 October 2024, 7:30pm - Wandsworth Council Webcasting

CouncilWednesday, 16th October 2024 at 7:30pm

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