Agenda item

To consider motions referred from council assembly as follows:

 

·  What does Brexit mean for Southwark ?

·  Promoting the sale of new housing to local people

·  Southwark’s response to the London Bridge attack

·  The terror attack on London Bridge and Borough Market

·  Southeastern Trains

·  Fire safety in Southwark

·  Safety on Ledbury Estate.

RESOLVED:

 

What does Brexit mean for Southwark ?

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below, be agreed.

 

1.  Council assembly notes that the administration remains committed to its core values of fairness and equality, and to delivering its manifesto commitments made to the residents of our borough in 2010 and 2014 - to creating a fairer future for all.  This commitment will not change as the UK prepares to leave the EU.

 

2.  Council assembly notes that the UK Statistics Authority estimates the number of EU nationals living in the borough is 31,000, and recognises the significant contribution that EU nationals living and working in Southwark make to our community.

 

3.  Council assembly notes that 73% of those who voted in the EU referendum in Southwark opted for the United Kingdom to remain a member of the European Union and welcomes the administration’s public commitment at that time to “work hard to ensure that Southwark does not lose the many benefits that the EU brings”.

 

4.  Council assembly notes that since 2010 the employment rate in our borough has risen by over 10% to nearly 77%, with nearly 40,000 more people aged 16 – 64 now in work.

 

5.  Council assembly welcomes the administration’s commitment to attracting jobs and investment to Southwark, and notes with concern that some employers may delay investment decisions or consider transferring some employment away from London as a result of the Brexit decision.

 

6.  Council assembly notes that this administration is dedicated to making our borough a greener and healthier place to live, and has invested in making walking and cycling easier, and reducing the council’s own carbon emissions.

 

7.  Council assembly notes that despite years of national government funding cuts, this administration has remained committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our communities, recognising that because of inflation and a weaker pound in the period since June 2016, our residents are facing rising costs for food, energy and other essentials.

 

8.  Council assembly recognises the importance of Southwark’s cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, and believes that this diversity is one of the factors that makes Southwark such an exciting and vibrant area to live and work in. Our diversity is strengthened by our bonds with other EU countries, and we should therefore continue to work with, and strengthen our connections with, our twinned boroughs of Clichy and Langenhagen.

 

9.  Council assembly calls on cabinet to work with Southwark’s three Labour MPs to lobby their leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and this Conservative government in order to clarify the rights of EU nationals to remain, rule out withdrawal from the EU without a deal, guarantee a Parliamentary vote on any final outcome to negotiations, set out transitional arrangements to maintain jobs, trade and certainty for business, set out proposals to retain the benefits of the Customs Union and Single Market, set out clear measures to respect the competencies of the devolved administrations, include clear protections for EU nationals living in the UK now, including retaining their right to remain in the UK, and reciprocal rights for UK citizens, and to take every opportunity to ensure that local residents can continue to benefit from the jobs and apprenticeships in our borough which are connected to the EU.

 

10.  Council assembly further calls on cabinet to maintain our high environmental standards and diversity, and to continue to protect our most vulnerable residents during the Brexit negotiations and after the UK leaves the EU.

 

Promoting the sale of new housing to local people

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below, be agreed.

 

1.  Council assembly notes with concern that:

 

·  Recent research conducted for the Mayor of London indicates that over half of new build properties bought by foreign investors in London are sold at a price-point deemed suitable for first-time buyers (under £500,000).

 

·  The same research indicates that 25% of new build homes sold in the London Borough of Southwark are sold overseas, putting Southwark in the top four London boroughs for the proportion of new homes sold overseas.

 

2.  Council assembly further notes that:

 

·  The redevelopment of the Heygate Estate will see more than 2,700 new homes built; at least 25% of these new homes will be offered for social rent, affordable rent or shared-ownership sale following the intervention of the then newly elected Labour council. This is opposed to if the amount of affordable housing was determined through the planning system alone as advocated by Southwark Liberal Democrats which would have secured significantly less affordable housing.

 

·  Council assembly also notes that the last Labour government provided £120,000 subsidy for each new affordable home built, and that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition slashed this to just £20,000 per affordable unit.

 

·  Council assembly further notes that the former MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark was reprimanded by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards for not declaring a donation from a developer on the Old Kent Road, whose scheme only comprised 6% affordable housing. Council assembly also notes this application was refused by Southwark’s planning committee, but was overturned by the Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson.

 

3.  Council assembly welcomes:

 

·  The announcement from Labour’s shadow housing secretary, John Healey, indicating that a Labour government would give local people “first dibs” on new homes ahead of overseas buyers.

 

·  The call from the Mayor of London’s advisory board, Homes for Londoners, for steps to be taken “to make more homes available to Londoners before anyone else, with any measures particularly focusing on homes sold for prices that Londoners, especially first-time buyers, are more likely to be able to afford”.

 

·  That this council already requires developers to give UK residents a fair chance by marketing new homes to them before they are advertised abroad.

 

4.  Council assembly therefore calls on cabinet to take urgent action to promote the sale of new homes to local people by:

 

·  Ensuring that at least one in three homes in every new development is genuinely affordable.

 

·  Using its influence with existing developers to ensure that new-build homes in Southwark costing £500,000 or less are actively marketed to local people in the first instance rather than marketing them overseas.

 

·  Including the above two conditions in any future development agreements.

 

·  Lobbying the Mayor of London to implement the recommendations of the Homes for Londoners Sub-Group Board Report on Overseas Investment.

 

Southwark’s response to the London Bridge attack

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below, be agreed.

 

1.  Council assembly notes that on 3 June 2017, a horrific terrorist attack took place on London Bridge and in Borough Market which killed eight people, and left a further forty-eight people injured.

 

2.  Council assembly notes that within 20 minutes of the terrorist attack taking place, Southwark Council’s emergency planning team were in contact with the chief executive of the council and setting up the Borough Emergency Control Centre (BECC).

 

3.  Council assembly notes that in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack and beyond, Southwark Council staff voluntarily came into work on a Saturday night to support the work of the BECC, with many working throughout the night. In the days and weeks after the attack, staff continued to play an important role, which included, but was not limited to:

 

·  Supporting residents who were unable to immediately return to their homes and helping them find alternative accommodation.

·  Providing information and support to local businesses affected, and assisting them in re-opening.

·  Co-ordinating the lifting of the police cordon around Borough Market.

·  Cleaning and preparing roads and other areas before they were re-opened to the public.

·  Working with the NHS and local charities to set up a community assistance centre for local people affected by the terrorist attack to seek emotional support.

 

4.  Council assembly notes that without the council staff who volunteered their assistance, the council would not have been able to provide as high quality support to residents, businesses, local organisations and the emergency services.

 

5.  Council assembly would like to formally put on record its thanks to the emergency services, and all council staff, local residents, business owners and community groups who helped to respond to the terrorist attack. By standing together, we have shown that this dreadful attack will not defeat us, and that we will always stand together as a community. Southwark can, and should, be proud of our response.

 

The terror attack on London Bridge and Borough Market

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below, be agreed.

 

Council assembly:

 

1.  Offers its thoughts and condolences to the friends and family of the eight people who lost their lives, those who were injured, are still in hospital or were otherwise caught up in the horrendous terrorist attack on London Bridge and Borough Market on Saturday 3 June 2017.

 

2.  Offers its sincere thanks to the Metropolitan Police Service, the Counter Terrorism Police, the London Ambulance Service, NHS staff, Southwark Council staff and other emergency workers for the professional and outstanding way they responded to the incident and the care and support they have provided to those affected.

 

3.  Acknowledges the impact on Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral and other business and venues in the vicinity of the attack and pledges its support to their response and commitment to get “back to business”.

 

4.  Acknowledges the impact on residents who live in the area which was cordoned-off and who were either unable to leave their homes or unable to return home.

 

5.  Thanks the clergy and staff of Southwark Cathedral and religious leaders from churches, mosques and other places of worship across the borough for their prayers and spiritual guidance in the wake of the attack.

 

6.  Thanks the Mayor of London and other politicians for their united response to the terror attack and acknowledges the wider support and love shown to those affected by the attack from people across London, the UK and the world.

 

7.  Acknowledges the unique role that James Hatts and @SE1 played in providing up to date information to those caught up in the incident, including residents and businesses.

 

8.  Recognises the strength and solidarity of the community in SE1 and across Southwark in their response to the attack and celebrates the community cohesion and diversity that exists in our borough.

 

9.  Calls upon cabinet to take steps to look at what lessons can be learnt from the response to the attack, including exploring any additional measures that can be put in place to make our borough safer and seeking to improve our response to sharing information and building on existing networks and communities in the event of a major incident.

 

10.  Resolves to promote the financial appeals and ongoing support structures that have been launched or put in place for those who lost their lives, were injured or were impacted psychologically or financially as a result of the attack.  

 

11.  Resolves to celebrate our way of life and our shared values of tolerance, openness and diversity and reconfirms that those who seek to attack us will never win and that love will always conquer hate.  

 

12.  Calls on the council, in conjunction with the families of those who died, those who were injured and other appropriate stakeholders, to consider an appropriate memorial for the victims of this attack. 

 

Southeastern Trains

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below, be agreed.

 

1.  Council assembly recognises the importance of public transport for residents in Southwark and that the Southeastern line to London Victoria is used by thousands of passengers from Nunhead, Peckham Rye and Denmark Hill stations. It links south East London and Kent to the DLR and Overground as well as the tube network at Victoria and provides public transport to Kings College and the Maudsley Hospitals.

 

2.  Council assembly notes that after much lobbying (including the 2012 motion agreed by this assembly), this service was extended to a full Monday to Sunday service including evenings. Residents had already lost the Victoria to London Bridge service when the Overground service via Peckham Rye started and extension to this service was much needed. There has already, therefore been a net loss in service to Victoria on Monday to Saturday peak times of two trains per hour.

 

3.  Council assembly is deeply concerned by the recent Department for Transport consultation seeking passengers’ views on the principle of reducing the choice of London termini to provide a more regular timetable and reliable service. This has arisen to appease the Kent commuters who want a faster service into London. The proposal is to rationalise the services via Lewisham so they go to London Bridge or Cannon Street only and not to Victoria, thereby cancelling the service via Southwark to Victoria. As well as the loss of the service, this means, that when there are problems or engineering works on the Thameslink line, there won’t be the option of rerouting services into Victoria as happens at present.

 

4.  Council assembly accepts that the Lewisham train junction is a busy one. Therefore, if rationalisation of services though this junction is deemed necessary, alternative rerouting to the south of Lewisham would need good, frequent connections at Lewisham and extra train services, i.e. a return to four trains per hour through Southwark, as our residents also use the service southbound towards Dartford for work and school.

 

5.  Council assembly find it unacceptable that the recent consultation has been skewed towards the longer distance commuters. This consultation was not even advertised at our stations. We believe the current system provides a poor outcome for our residents and that Transport for London (TFL) should take on the responsibility for the running of this and other south east London rail services to enable our residents to have a properly integrated transport system.

 

6.  Council assembly calls on cabinet to work with Network Rail and TfL to seek a concrete commitment and funding from Government to support the reopening of Camberwell station in order to provide a much needed additional transport link for the local area.

 

7.  Council assembly recognises the increase in passenger numbers at Denmark Hill station which has resulted in dangerous overcrowding and therefore calls on cabinet to support plans to build an additional entrance and ticket machines on Windsor Walk by accelerating the anticipated planning application and other council required permissions.

 

8.  Council assembly calls on cabinet to lobby the Department for Transport to reinstate the South London Line service, in order to provide a key link for many Southwark residents to Central London, once rebuilding works at London Bridge have been completed.

 

Fire safety in Southwark

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below, be agreed.

 

1.  Council assembly offers its sincere and heartfelt condolences on behalf of the people of Southwark to all those affected by the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in Kensington and Chelsea.

 

2.  Council assembly notes:

 

·  The courageous response of the men and women of the emergency services to the fire at Grenfell Tower.

·  The impressive scale of donations and offers of help from members of the public and voluntary organisations in response to the fire at Grenfell Tower.

·  The contribution of Southwark Council to the London Councils’ led Grenfell Fire Response Team in providing support to those affected.

·  The contribution of Eleanor Kelly, chief executive of the council, for her work with the government taskforce in providing support in Kensington and Chelsea.

 

3.  Council assembly further notes:

 

·  The investment into improving the fire safety of council properties in Southwark since the devastating fire at Lakanal House in 2009.

·  Decisions made by the cabinet in 2013 on where best to focus investment in response to the coroner’s recommendations. 

·  The understandable concerns that Southwark residents will have about the safety of council-owned blocks and about whether they will be safe in the event of a fire.

·  The independent review into fire safety in council blocks commissioned by the deputy leader and cabinet member for housing which will include but is not limited to ascertaining the need for and cost of fitting sprinkler systems and any other fire safety measures in these buildings.

·  The work the council has undertaken to keep residents updated through the council's website, letters from the deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and a special fire safety edition of Southwark Life.

 

4.  Council assembly therefore calls upon the cabinet to:

 

·  Make public the findings of the independent review.

·  Establish a fire safety advisory group to allow residents to be involved in shaping fire safety following the review.

·  Bring a report to cabinet outlining the measures that the council will take to implement the recommendations of the review.

 

Safety on Ledbury Estate

 

That the motion referred from council assembly as a recommendation to cabinet, set out below, be agreed.

 

1.  Council assembly notes the significant concerns of residents of the four Ledbury tower blocks – Bromyard House, Peterchurch House, Sarnesfield House and Skenfrith House – regarding fire safety.

 

2.  Council assembly views the tragic events at Grenfell Tower as requiring every council to put significant focus on improving fire safety, and recognises that our residents have a right to feel safe in their own homes.

 

3.  Council assembly acknowledges the steps taken by the council to date to address the fire safety concerns at the four Ledbury Tower blocks over the last two weeks, but believes that the council needs to do more to ensure that its residents are safe, improve communication with them and address their concerns.

 

Council assembly therefore calls upon the cabinet to ensure that:

 

4.  Any tenant of the four Ledbury Tower blocks that requests a transfer to a new home is treated as a band 1 priority.

 

5.  The council urgently requests that Arnold Tarling shares his report on safety issues regarding the towers with the council so that all the issues that it raises can be fully addressed.

 

6.  The council continue to carry out the type 4 fire risk assessments to the four Ledbury tower blocks and ensures all other necessary safety checks are carried out urgently. The council should share any reports arising from these reports with residents as quickly as is possible.

 

7.  Any council officer or contractor involved in work on the towers treats every resident with the same respect and concern as if they were a valued member of their own family.

 

8.  Whilst fire wardens are in place in the blocks, council officers ensure that they are fully trained and equipped to perform their role as fire marshals.

 

9.  The council installs a comprehensive fire alarm system in all communal areas in the four blocks to ensure that there is full fire safety coverage in these areas once the fire wardens leave.

 

10.  A compensation package for tenants and residents is developed that recognises the disruption and distress to their lives caused through the fire safety concerns to their homes.

 

11.  The council does all that it can to share all that it knows with residents, recognising that different residents have different communication needs. Where information is not yet known, the council must be clear about what steps it is taking to find this out and give an indication of how long this will take.

 

12.  The entryphone system is fully reinstated as soon as it is safe to do so, with new fobs being issued to every resident.

 

13.  Leaseholders of the four blocks are not charged for any safety work arising from the safety issues there.