Apologies were received from Councillors David Dean, Geraldine Stanford and Simon Withey

The Council send their condolences to Councillor Dean on the death of his mother.

No Declarations were made

Councillor Henry Nelles asked that it be recorded that in relation to item 11 – Section 106, Education Contributions, that he was a Governor at Pelham Primary School, however this did not affect his ability to vote on the item,

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 5 March 2014 were agreed as a correct record.

The Mayor:

As this is my last meeting I will be holding a thank you event for everyone who has helped and supported me throughout the year, on 1st July at the Polka Theatre.

Some sad news, just to note, the death of former Merton Park Councillor Neville Beddoe and I am going to invite Councillor Southgate to say a few words.

Councillor Southgate:

Thank you Madam Mayor for allowing me a moment to pay tribute to former Councillor Neville Beddoe. He died on Saturday in the Royal Marsden, of a recently diagnosed inoperable brain tumour. He was one of the three pioneers that founded the Merton Park Independents, when he was elected in 1990 alongside Bridget Smith and Dese Child. These three established a very strong franchise for the Independence right from the outset. Those of us who now represent Merton Park Ward have a very considerable debt them. Following in their footsteps has been the easy part compared to starting the Group from scratch. He served two terms as a Councillor for Merton Park until 1998 and then joined the Conservatives and became councillor for Raynes Park. Ward until 2002.

My colleague Iain Dysart who served contemporaneously with Neville from 1998 to 2002, described him as a genuine thinker, who was always in courteous in Council. These tributes were echoed at our residents meeting last night where he was described as a kind and gently unassuming man, always happy to help others

Our condolences go to his wife Ann and two children Matthew and Sarah. I’ll keep Group Offices informed as to the funeral arrangements once they are known.

Councillor David Williams:

I was Leader of the Conservative Group when Neville was a Conservative Councillor. He was a man of integrity and honesty. He never held any office responsibility in the Council. He served his constituents in Merton Park and Raynes Park faithfully over the 12 years, where there weren’t allowances being paid of more than a few hundred pounds. He did it because he believed in community service. He had great integrity and honesty. He wouldn’t stand in Merton Park as a Conservative because he would not change Party and stand against his former colleagues. How times have changed. We need more Neville Beddoe. We should honour his memory.

The questions and written responses will be circulated at the meeting.

The questions and replies are available on the web page for this meeting.

The questions and written responses will be circulated at the meeting

The questions and replies are available on the web page for this meeting.

The questions and written responses will be circulated at the meeting.

The questions and replies are available on the web page for this meeting.

RESOLVED: That the report is agreed

(i) Strategic theme: Motions Conservative

(ii) Strategic theme: Motions Labour

The motion was moved by Councillors Debbie Shears and seconded by Margaret Brierly.

The Labour amendment, as set out in item 19e was moved by Councillors Mark Williams and seconded by Peter McCabe.

The amendment was then put to the vote and was carried – votes in favour 32, and votes against 24

The substantive resolution was agreed.

RESOLVED:

This Council continues to welcome the transfer of Public Health functions to local authorities such as Merton.

A year on from this change, this Council recognises the opportunities and benefits for the health of the Borough’s residents of having the Director of Public Health in a senior managerial role within the council. Since the transition of Public Health to local authorities in April 2013 and the visible involvement of the Director of Public Health and her team across council departments, the profile of Public Health has been raised and is beginning to have an influence on how council services could be delivered or targeted to improve health outcomes.

However, this Council notes that, despite strong and clear recommendations from the Government and organisations such as the Faculty of Public Health, but in line with many other Local Authorities, Merton’s Director of Public Health reports partly to the Director of Community and Housing for the purposes of day to day management, oversight and support and routinely to the Chief Executive on policy matters, regularly attends the Corporate Management Team and has direct access to Members. This is the arrangement in many other Councils including our neighbours LB Sutton.

This Council believes that, in order to maximise the potential of the changes to Public Health, it is important to ensure greater influence is exerted by the Director of Public Health, particularly given that, according to the latest Annual Residents’ Survey, the vast majority of Merton residents (87%) are unaware of the Council’s new responsibilities.

Council notes that Merton receives a relatively low allocation of public health grant and that it is therefore important to ensure that this funding is not disproportionately directed towards management costs and that our small team of public health professionals is instead allowed to focus on doing the work on the frontline rather than overburdening them with attendance at additional management meetings that do not necessarily relate to public health.

Therefore this Council resolves to reaffirm its strong commitment to improving the health of Merton residents, and especially of those in the east of the Borough who often suffer more greatly from health inequalities and therefore a lower life expectancy, by requesting that the Cabinet and Chief Executive regularly review reporting lines for the Director of Public Health to ensure we maximise the impact on our residents of our relatively low public health funding.

The motion was moved by Councillors Stephen Alambritis and seconded by Stan Anderson.

The UKIP amendment as detailed in item 19a was moved by Councillors Suzanne Evans and Richard Hilton

The UKIP amendment was the put to a vote and was lost – via a clear majority

A roll-call was called on the substantive motion

Voting in Favour:

Councillors Agatha Mary Akyigyina, Stephen Alambritis, Mark Allison,

Stan Anderson, Laxmi Attawar, Mark Betteridge, Richard Chellew, David Chung, Caroline Cooper-Marbiah, John Dehaney, Nick Draper, Suzanne Evans, Brenda Fraser, Jeff Hanna, Richard Hilton, Philip Jones, Andrew Judge, Linda Kirby, Edith Macauley, Russell Makin, Maxi Martin, Peter McCabe, Ian Munn, Dennis Pearce, Judy Saunders, Rod Scott, Sam Thomas, Gregory Udeh, Peter Walker, Martin Whelton and Richard Williams. (31)

Voting Against:

John Bowcott, Margaret Brierly, Chris Edge, Samantha George, Suzanne Grocott, Maurice Groves, James Holmes, Janice Howard, Gilli Lewis-Lavender, Logie Lohendran, Oonagh Moulton, Diane Neil Mills, Henry Nelless, Debbie Shears, David Simpson, Linda Taylor, Ray Tindle, David Williams, and Miles Windsor (19)

Not Voting:

Councillors Iain Dysart, Karin Forbes, Mary-Jane Jeanes John Sargeant Linda Scott, and Peter Southgate (6)

The Mayor declared the motion to be carried.

RESOLVED:

This Council is appalled that the Conservative MP for Wimbledon, Mr Stephen Hammond, voted in favour of Clause 119 of the Care Bill which allows the Secretary of State, as the person who makes the final decision on hospital closures, to bypass local opposition to a hospital closure even if the hospital is performing well.  Council notes that the sign heralding the promised £219m redevelopment of the hospital has recently been taken down and is concerned that by voting in favour of Clause 119 Mr Hammond has betrayed local people and the campaign to save St Helier Hospital.

This Council calls on the Leader of the Council to write to Mr Hammond outlining the Council’s deep disappointment that he voted in favour of new powers which, where another local hospital was in financial difficulty, could allow St. Helier to be downgraded or closed despite the wishes of local people.

The reports from the Community Forums will be circulated in advance of the meeting.

Councillor Gilli Lewis-Lavender presented the report, which was received by the Council.

Councillor Ian Munn presented the report, which was received by the Council.

Councillor Maurice Groves presented the report, which was received by the Council.

Councillor Henry Nelless presented the report, which was received by the Council.

Councillor Nelless asked that his thanks and best wishes be recorded and passed on to John Hill who had being the supporting officer for the Wimbledon Community Forum for a number of years, as he will no longer be in that role.

The motion was moved by Councillors David Simpson and Henry Nelless.

Three amendments were moved on the motion.

The Liberal Democrats’ amendment as set out in item 19b was moved by Councillors Iain Dysart and Mary-Jane Jeanes.

The UKIP amendment as set out in item 19c was moved by Councillor Richard Hilton and Rodd Scott.

The Labour amendment as set out in item 19f was moved by Councillor Judy Saunders and Nick Draper.

The Mayor put each of the amendments in term to the vote:

The Liberal Democrats’ amendment was put to the vote and was lost – votes in favour 21, votes against 30.

The UKIP amendment was put to the vote and was lost – via a clear majority.

The Labour amendment was put to the vote and was carried – votes in favour 30, votes against 23.

The substantive resolution was agreed.

RESOLVED:

That Council notes that:

*     According to the latest Annual Residents’ Survey, feeling safe in your local area is by far the most important factor for the health and wellbeing of residents in Merton;

*     Over half of residents (52%) feel that this could be improved;

*     Satisfaction with how the area looks is also an important factor for health and wellbeing with around one third of local people feeling this could be improved;

*     44% of residents remain concerned about anti-social behaviour in the borough and 41% about people being drunk and rowdy; and

*     The majority (64%) of violent crime in the UK occurs in the evening or at night and one fifth of all violent incidents take place in or around a pub or club.

That Council recognises that Merton has a vibrant night time economy with a wide range of restaurants, theatres and bars, which attract many visitors to the borough as well as encouraging residents to support local businesses in town centres and local parades. Whilst the majority of licensed premises behave in a responsible manner and with due respect to their neighbours, there are however on going issues with anti-social behaviour, noise nuisance and littering, often connected to binge drinking and exacerbated by the proliferation of ever later licences permitted under the previous government’s 24-hour licensing laws. Council notes with disappointment that the current government decided not to implement minimum alcohol pricing and have also not implemented the provision in the 2011 Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act which would have made public health an objective in licensing applications.

That Council believes that Merton’s residents deserve to live in peace in their own homes; that residents and visitors all deserve a safe and clean environment, in which to enjoy an evening out in the borough; and that the Council has a responsibility, in conjunction with the police, to tackle the problem of alcohol fuelled crime and anti-social behaviour where it blights the lives of local communities.

That Council therefore welcomes the new powers introduced by the government as part of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The motion was moved by Councillors Iain Dysart and Mary-Jane Jeanes.

Two amendments were moved on the motion

The Labour amendment as set out in item 19f was moved by Councillor Judy Saunders and Nick Draper

The Conservative amendment as set out in item 19d was moved by Councillors Miles Windsor and Ray Tindell

The Labour amendment was put to the vote and was clearly carried.

The Conservative amendment then was put to the vote and was clearly carried.

The substantive resolution was agreed.

RESOLVED:

That Council notes that:

One planet living is a vision of a sustainable world in which people everywhere can enjoy a high quality of life within the productive capacity of the planet.

If everyone in the world lived as we do in the UK we would need three planets to support us.

We need to reduce our impact - our Ecological Footprint - by two thirds to a sustainable and globally fair level.

Merton Council’s draft Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (2014-2017) sets out how the council and the wider borough can take action on climate change and is to be adopted by full council pending the recommendations of the council's Scrutiny Review of Climate Change and the Green Deal.

This Council recognises that:

A local eco-organisation BioRegional has developed, with WWF, a One Planet Living framework to help individuals and organisations live and work within a fair share of our planet’s resources, although there are costs involved in working with BioRegional.

This framework identifies ten guiding principles covering:

• Zero carbon

• Zero waste

• Sustainable transport

• Sustainable materials

• Local and sustainable food

• Sustainable water

• Land use and wildlife

• Culture and heritage

• Equity and local economy

• Health and happiness

However the costs and benefits of the programme are as yet unclear.

That Council recommends that we consider the costs and benefits to local residents of:

• Adopting the principle of One Planet Living in Merton

• Inviting BioRegional to work with us to develop a One Planet Merton framework to complement the recommendations, from the 2013-14 Scrutiny •Task Group Review on Climate Change and the Green Deal, which will be considered by Cabinet in June

• Monitoring the work of the Council against those principles

• Working with residents, our partners, the business community, and the voluntary and community sector to enable the principles to be rolled out across the borough as part of the updated Climate Change Strategy for 2014-17 due to be adopted later this year

That Council requests the Cabinet investigate this opportunity in conjunction with the recommendations from the Scrutiny Task Group Review on Climate Change and the Green Deal and report back to full Council by the end of 2014 on whether to progress towards One Planet Living in Merton and, if agreed, annually thereafter.

RESOLVED:

That Council agrees to the adoption of criteria and procedures recommended by the General Purposes Committee in relation to nominations for the award of the freedom of the borough. (A copy of the agreed criteria and procedures are attached as Appendix A to these minutes)

RESOLVED:

That the Council authorises the allocation of £1,134,483 of S.106 funding, outlined in Appendix A to the report being financial contribution received by the Council towards educational purposes, to the council’s schools expansion programme.

RESOLVED:

That the Council:

A). adopts the Non-immediate Permanent Article 4 Direction to remove permitted development rights for the conversion of offices (B1a Use Class) to residential use (C3 Use Class) for Wimbledon town centre and the industrial estates at Willow Lane, Garth Road, South Wimbledon (Morden Road), Durnsford Road, Dundonald Road, Plough Lane and Prince George’s Road (Colliers Wood).

B. notes that the Article 4 Direction, will come into force on 03 April 2015.

RESOLVED:

That the Council adopts Merton’s Community Infrastructure Levy initial Strategic Infrastructure List (Reg 123 List) in order to continue to secure developer contributions, once Merton’s CIL is in place from 01 April 2014.

RESOLVED:

A). That the Council agrees the designation of St Barnabas Church as the polling place for polling district GB in Graveney Ward.

B). That the Council agrees the designation of the Scout Hall, Mitcham Park as the polling place for polling district ED in Cricket Green Ward.

C). That the Council agrees the designation of the Cricket Pavilion, John Innes Recreation Ground as the polling place for polling district RA in Merton Park Ward.

D). That the Council agrees the designation of Abbotsbury Primary School as the polling place for polling district BC in St Helier Ward.

RESOLVED:

That the Council notes the changes to membership of committees approved under delegated powers since the last meeting of the Council.

No petitions were presented.

RESOLVED: That the main theme for the next ordinary meeting of the Council to be held on 9 July 2014 shall be Sustainable Communities with a focus on street scene.

Appendix A

Freedom of the Borough Criteria and Procedure

Criteria

·             Freedom of the Borough is a high honour which should only be awarded in exceptional circumstances where the prospective recipient is an individual or organisation of distinction and has rendered eminent services to the borough.

·             Candidates should have a strong and continuing connection with and commitment to Merton or have made a major contribution to national life and in doing so have enhanced the reputation of the borough.

·             Candidates should have made a substantial contribution to the borough in any area of activity, which could include:

• artistic and cultural endeavours

• business, economic growth and prosperity

• charitable work

• improvement to the built and natural environment

• religious and spiritual life

• sports activities

• civic service

·             The award may be granted posthumously.

Procedure

·             Nominations for persons or organisations to be granted Freedom of the Borough, may be made by any serving Member of the Council to the Monitoring Officer on the appropriate form. The Member should first raise the matter for discussion within their political group.

·             Once a nomination is received, the Monitoring Officer will check that sufficient information has been provided on the form and will pass it to the General Purposes Committee for consideration.

·             The Monitoring Officer will write to all councillors at least once during the four yearly municipal cycle, preferably at or near the midpoint, to draw their attention to the opportunity to make nominations

·             The General Purposes Committee may establish a small working group to informally assess nominations and the likelihood of meeting the 2/3 criteria. The working group would report back to the General Purposes Committee in regard to any nominee who it believed would meet the criteria and achieve sufficient support at Council.

·             General Purposes Committee shall report to Council and, should Council accept the nomination, a Special Meeting of Council would then be called to pass the resolution as required by Section 248 of the Local Government Act 1972.

6. Councillors' Ordinary priority questions to cabinet members -     1-7

The questions and written responses will be circulated at the

meeting

7. Strategic theme: Councillors' questions to cabinet members        8-16

The questions and written responses will be circulated at the

meeting.