Agenda item

To consider the following motions submitted by members of the council:

 

·  Drummer Lee Rigby and Faith Communities in Southwark

 

·  Surrey Docks Brown Brick

 

·  East Dulwich and Rye Lane Crown Post Offices

 

·  Door Entry For The Dickens Estate

 

·  Robin Hood Tax

 

·  Northern Line Extension

 

·  On The Side Of Disabled Residents.

MOTION 1 - DRUMMER LEE RIGBY AND FAITH COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHWARK

(See page 7 of the main agenda)

 

This motion was considered prior to the guillotine having fallen.

 

Councillor Michael Bukola, seconded by Councillor The Right Revd Emmanuel Oyewole, moved the motion.

 

Following debate (Councillor Mark Glover), the motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Council:

 

·  Registers its abhorrence at the appalling and savage murder of Drummer Lee Rigby on the streets of south-east London on 22 May 2013, and extends sympathy to his family.

 

·  Welcomes the critical response to the murder by UK Islamic organisations including the Southwark Muslim Forum, and the cohesion shown by Londoners in condemning the attack, and rejects the divisive agenda of far-right groups who seek to use the murder for their own political ends.

 

·  Recognises the concern from the Islamic community in Southwark about the reported rise in Islamophobic incidents since the murder, including a number of attacks on mosques across the country.

 

·  Notes the excellent work within the Old Kent Road Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre in bringing together Muslims of all races, and acting as a meeting place for visiting Nigerian Muslims to London.

 

·  Looks forward to the continued involvement of the mosque within Southwark's Multi-Faith Forum.

 

·  Reasserts its support for the charity Help for Heroes and the work it does to support wounded service men and women and their families.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

MOTION 2 - SURREY DOCKS BROWN BRICK

(see pages 7 – 8 of the main agenda)

 

Councillor Lisa Rajan, seconded by Councillor David Hubber, moved the motion.

 

At 10.03pm the Mayor announced that the guillotine had fallen.

 

The guillotine having fallen Councillors Barrie Hargrove and Dan Garfield formally moved and seconded Amendment D.

 

Amendment D was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Council:

 

1.  Notes the distinctive brown brick paving in parts of Surrey Docks and Rotherhithe wards and its contribution to the character of the area. Also notes that this style of paving was introduced during the development of the area by the LDDC in the 1980s, is used extensively in the area and is much valued by local residents.

 

2.  Recognises that many of the roads and pavements in the areas around Greenland Dock, South Dock, Canada Water, Surrey Water, Russia Dock Woodland and the Albion Channel have been adversely affected by subsidence issues due to their construction on land reclaimed from historic docks and waterways in the area, and that this has manifested itself in paving that is often severely disrupted by tree roots and subterranean ironworks.

 

3.  Also recognises that the LDDC's over-zealous tree planting strategy in the 1980s, in which they assumed a much lower survival rate than turned out to be the case, has led to a higher than expected number of London Planes at higher than usual densities in the area, and that the height and root growth network of these trees compounds the paving disruption problems.

 

4.  Acknowledges that the council’s longstanding approach to paving and road repairs in this area has been reactive and ad hoc, and has largely involved removing the brown brickwork and replacing it with red, purple or black tarmac. In many instances, the disruptive tree roots were not shaved or cut, and consequently re-erupt through the tarmac within 18 months of the repair. An alternative approach on Rope Street, funded by Rotherhithe Community Council, levelled the ground and re-laid the original brown brickwork, and maintained the valued character of the street.

 

5.  Welcomes the Greenland Dock Subsidence Feasibility Study, prepared by Mouchel, commissioned by Southwark Council, funded by Rotherhithe Community Council Cleaner Greener Safer fund and proposed by local residents.

 

6.  Also welcomes the site meeting on 7th May 2013 attended by the strategic director of environment and leisure, senior highways officers and residents to discuss the problem.

 

7.  Calls on cabinet to recognise the important character of the area.

 

8.  Welcomes the work being done in partnership with the community council to address these issues.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

MOTION 3 - EAST DULWICH AND RYE LANE CROWN POST OFFICES

(see page 9 of the main agenda)

 

The guillotine having fallen, Councillors Mark Glover and Nick Dolezal formally moved and seconded the motion.

 

Councillors Rosie Shimell and Jonathan Mitchell formally moved and seconded Amendment E.

 

Amendment  E was put to the vote and declared to be lost.

 

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.  That council assembly is concerned that the Post Office is planning to downgrade Crown Services at Rye Lane and East Dulwich to retail operators.

 

2.  That council assembly notes that at present the Post Office does not have any retail partners for Rye Lane and East Dulwich Crown Post Offices and is concerned that this move will lead to a relocation of offices, provide an inferior Post Office Service and will have a hugely detrimental impact on the quality of specialist services for local residents. It also believes it will lead to the recruitment of new staff on significantly lower pay, terms and conditions. Moreover the specialist trained and committed services and staff will be lost in these offices.

 

3.  That council assembly offers its support to the campaign to protect the Rye Lane and East Dulwich Post Offices in these locations and calls on cabinet to:

 

·  Work with local councillors to write to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for Post Offices, informing them of the concerns regarding Rye Lane and East Dulwich Crown Post Offices

 

·  Seek assurances from the Minister that any successful franchisees for Crown Post Offices will be strongly encouraged to pay their staff the London Living Wage.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

MOTION 4 - DOOR ENTRY FOR THE DICKENS ESTATE

(see page 9 of the main agenda)

 

The meeting had previously agreed to suspend council assembly procedure rules in order to receive revised Amendment F.

 

The guillotine having fallen, Councillors Eliza Mann and Anood Al-Samerai formally moved and seconded the motion.

 

Councillors Ian Wingfield and Mark Williams formally moved and seconded Revised Amendment F.

 

Revised Amendment F was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.  That Council is pleased that door entry systems are now being included again in major works plans.

 

2.  That Council recognises that residents of Wade House, Bardell House, Tupman House and Micawber House have experienced serious problems with crime, rough sleepers and vandalism.

 

3.  That Council notes that, as is often the case, while new security works are being installed on one block, ASB does not remain static and will travel from block to block. This is evidenced by the request in 2011 from the then opposition spokesperson for housing for new security intercom systems for Burton House, claiming this was the priorityfor the area.

 

4.  That Council recognises that since this request was made in 2011, incidences of crime and ASB have risen at Tupman House, Bardell House, Micawber House and Wade House.

 

5.  That Council therefore welcomes the commitment made by the cabinet member for housing to meet with residents of the estate to discuss their priorities for security works on the estate.

 

6.  That Council also welcomes the commitment by the cabinet member for housing to allocate extra funding to these blocks which will save money in the long run from crime and anti-social behaviour once those discussions with residents have taken place.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

MOTION 5 - ROBIN HOOD TAX

(see page 10 of the main agenda)

 

The guillotine having fallen, Councillors Michael Situ and Patrick Diamond formally moved and seconded the motion.

 

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.  That council assembly notes the suffering forced upon local residents as a result of the Tory Liberal Democrat government’s austerity programme which is unfairly targeting Southwark and its residents.

 

2.  That council assembly believes that the levy of a financial transaction tax (FTT) on the speculative activities of banks, hedge funds and other financial institutions would help to alleviate some of this pressure and ensure the financial sector pays its fair share and helps to clear up the mess it helped create.

 

3.  That council assembly therefore calls upon government to enact the FTT and use the revenues from this measure to reverse ongoing shrinkage in central grants to our council.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

MOTION 6 - NORTHERN LINE EXTENSION

(see page 10 of the main agenda)

 

The guillotine having fallen, Councillors Catherine Bowman and Graham Neale formally moved and seconded the motion.

 

Councillors Neil Coyle and Patrick Diamond formally moved and seconded Amendment H.

 

Amendment H was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That council assembly:

 

1.  Notes Transport for London’s (TfL’s) plans to extend the Northern Line to Nine Elms and Battersea, and the consultation on the plans that closed on 18 June.

 

2.  Notes with particular concern the plans for a temporary shaft to be constructed on Harmsworth Street and a permanent shaft in Kennington Park, both of which would have a considerable impact on the lives of Southwark residents.

 

3.  Urges TfL to pursue the ‘gallery tunnels’ option for ground treatment work as an alternative to the Harmsworth Street temporary shaft, thereby minimising the disruption to local people.

 

4.  Regrets TfL’s decision to place the permanent shaft in Kennington Park on the site of the much-loved beekeeper’s lodge, and urges TfL to ensure that the relocation plan provides a suitable environment for the bee population and meets the requirements of Bee Urban and concerned local residents.

 

5.  Calls on cabinet to work with colleagues at Lambeth Council, the GLA and TfL to obtain the best deal for Southwark residents affected by the plans.

 

6.  Notes the letter from the cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling to TfL which already addresses the above points.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the cabinet for consideration.

 

MOTION 7 – ON THE SIDE OF DISABLED RESIDENTS

(see page 10 of the main agenda)

 

The guillotine having fallen, Councillors Adele Morris and David Noakes formally moved and seconded the motion.

 

Councillors Toby Eckersley and Michael Mitchell formally moved and seconded Amendment I.

 

Councillors Fiona Colley and Victoria Mills formally moved and seconded Amendment J.

 

Amendment I was put to the vote and declared to be lost.

 

Amendment J was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

The substantive motion was put to the vote and declared to be carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Council:

 

1.  Notes that currently the process for installing a resident’s disabled bay requires a report to come to community council.

 

2.  Further notes that changes to community councils mean they now meet less frequently and no longer have monthly planning meetings.

 

3.  Recognises that this can mean long periods with no meetings to receive reports on residents’ disabled bays, particularly between June and October, which can lead to unacceptably long delays in bays being granted.

 

4.  Requests that constitutional steering panel explores alternative arrangements for a bay to be installed.

 

Note: This motion will be referred as a recommendation to the constitutional steering panel for consideration.