Joint Consultative Committee with Ethnic Minority Organisations

13 June 2023

MINUTES

Present: Councillor Edith Macauley (Chair), Councillor Eleanor Stringer,(Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Civic Pride)  Councillor Agatha Akyigyina, Councillor Slawek Szczepanski(online) , Councillor Hina Bokhari, Councillor Jenifer Gould(online),

Keith Burns (The Interim Assistant Director; Customers, Policy and Improvement) Alison Cramp (Teaching and Learning Advisor) Paul McGarry (Head of Future Merton) online, stella Akintan (Scrutiny Officer) Superintendent Luke Mooney (online) Jason Charles (online)

1.    Declarations of Interests

There were no declarations of interests.

2.    Apologies for Absence

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Nick McLean.

3.    Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as a true and accurate record.

4.    Update on Armed Forces Day, Windrush 75 and Mitcham Carnival

The Interim Assistant Director; Customers, Policy and Improvement gave an overview of the events planned for Armed Forces Day and Armed Forces Week. The flag will be raised reaffirming commitment to Armed Forces community. An updated version of armed forces covenant will be signed. The Council is Formally joining the Defence Employers Recognition Scheme promoting employment for ex-service people families and reservists.

Events will begin at the Greater London Assembly this will be followed by Merton planned activities. Representatives from armed forces community will join events.

 There will be an event at the Civic Centre hosted by Mayor formally recognising the contribution of the local community.

From September there will be a standing monthly group for Armed Forces Day events – marking key anniversaries and commitments through the armed forces covenant.

All councillors will be invited to a flag raising event. There will be limited capacity to attend signing in Mayors Parlor

Windrush 75

The Interim Assistant Director: Customers, Policy and Improvement said there will be a main event in council chamber on the life and contribution of the Windrush generation on their contribution in borough and across South London.

There will also be a series of events across the borough, including through libraries and heritage and exhibition. Children are involved in designing posters with artwork displayed at the civic centre.

The Teaching and Learning Advisor reported that there will also be a Windrush poster competition for primary and secondary schools with an event giving prizes to winners. This is similar events for the Kings coronation.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Civic Pride said there will be a wide range of events at Mitcham carnival including a Windrush parade by local school pupils.

5.    Role of new Borough Superintendent

Supt. Luke Mooney reported that he was pleased to hear what is going in Merton. His role is to work with communities and to build trust with the black and minority communities. They will adopt a local approach to neighbourhood policing as part of the turnaround plan and get involved in local community.

The police will be implementing the Race Action Plan and recommendations from the Casey Report and turnaround plan. The aim will be a neighbourhood approach and not over policing of black and minority ethnic communities.

They will be engaging with communities to discuss what neighbourhood policing should look like. They will also work with organisations such as the JCC.  They are also aiming to address disproportionality and have a police force that represents London.

Councillor Bokhari asked Superintendent Mooney about engagement with faith groups. The Supt. said he has attended the Morden Mosque to discuss local issues and build bridges. They would welcome information on faith groups who are not involved and what to engage with the police.

The Superintendent was asked if there is any data on numbers of young people joining the force, the impact of recent negatively publicity.  The superintendent reported it is a challenging time for the MET police.  They want to root out causes of the issues and it was agreed there has been an impact on recruitment.

Superintendent Mooney reported data on stop and search shows that Merton is the 3^rd lowest in area. The police want to look at the quality of the interactions and will be  keen to undertake additional learning.

In response to questions the Superintendent reported:

The police will be available to attend local events, including some ward panels as a good opportunity to meet the community.

Jason Charles and Superintendent Mooney will have further discussions about partnership working and funding opportunities in East Merton.

Councillor Macauley asked what work was being undertaken to address household burglary. The Superintendent reported they are working to improve response and can provide the JCC with further information at a future meeting.

Councillor Akyigyina asked if the police have done ward walking to speak about the issues with councillors. The superintendent said they hope to attend an upcoming meeting and want to get to know people better and ensure they have a safe place to live.

6.    Mitcham town centre update

The Head of Future Merton said there are plans to involve in plans for Mitcham A new town centre manager for Mitcham will start at the end of July. Their role will be to promote Mitcham and support businesses.

There will be a range of new initiatives including Market management service and support to new traders, night markets, food markets and Christmas markets. The JCC can advise on how to make this the heart of the community and increase footfall.

Hannah Neale asked how the council are communicating the changes to the community. The Head of Future Merton reported that information is being fed back to local councillors. There will be updates at the Mitcham community forum.

Agatha Akyigyina asked if information can be included in councillor newsletters and next-door.

7.    Merton Race Equality Conference

The Teaching and Learning Advisor gave an overview of the conference highlighting that Aisha Thomas, keynote speaker will talk about representation matters.

The event will be held for school teachers and those with connection with Merton schools. The theme is Time to Act – representation matters. It includes Windrush themes.

Councillor Bokhari showed support for the conference and thanked officers for their work.

8.    Draft Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

The Interim Assistant Director; Customers, Policy and Improvement gave an overview of the pre-consultation strategy and said there will be further updates in the autumn.

Councillor Macauley said there has been lots of changes since 2010 and an update was due.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Civic Pride said following a recent survey on street names associated with slave trade, an analysis of the findings is being undertaken.

9.    Any Other Business

The Interim Assistant Director; Customers, Policy and Improvement said the first stage in the application to be a Borough of Sanctuary has been submitted. Two meetings of the working group had taken place. They also want to invite Merton citizens and those with lived experience.  Planning will continue over the next 12 months.

Councillor Bokhari asked if representatives from the City of Sanctuary can be invited to a future meeting.