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Agenda item

Agenda item

Consideration of Minutes Of The Previous Meeting and matters arising

Meeting of Corporate Committee, Tuesday 12 December 2023 6.30 pm (Item 3.)

To consider and agree the minutes of the previous meeting held on 12 September 2023 and also to consider and note the actions (and updates) from the September and June meetings.

Updates on actions from the June meeting are included.

Decision:

The minutes of the previous meeting, held on 12 September 2023, be approved as an accurate record of those meeting’s proceedings.

Minutes:

3.1 The Corporate Committee members considered and agreed the minutes of their previous meeting, held on 12 September 2023.

RESOLVED:

The minutes of the previous meeting, held on 12 September 2023, be approved as an accurate record of those meeting’s proceedings.

Matters Arising

Data on occupancy and usage levels for Council buildings

3.2 The Governance Officer stated that on the 7 November 2023 the Council’s Strategic Director Customer and Workplace had contacted him confirming that there were in 1,273 workstations in the Hackney Service Centre (HSC) and normal occupancy levels were c 400-600 (and have been increasing noticeably). The Governance Officer confirmed that he was still seeking details on who the freeholder or leaseholder was for each Council building.

Action status – Ongoing

External Contractors – Domestic Abuse policy

3.3 Hackney Council’s Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development stated that currently there was not a requirement in place for the Council’s external contractors to have in place a domestic abuse policy. Contractors could be encouraged to have a policy in place but it was not a requirement. The current legal advice had stated that the Council should not insist that the Council’s external contractors to have in place a domestic abuse policy.

3.4 Councillor Binnie-Lubbock suggested contacting the Council’s Procurement Services to include some wording to encourage external contractors to have in place a domestic abuse policy. The Council’s Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development replied that the Council was seeking to include some wording in the Council’s procurement policies that encourages external contractors to consider adopting a domestic abuse policy.

3.5 The Chair of the Committee highlighted that the Council’s domestic abuse policy had recently garnered some good publicity as part of the United Nations’ recent ‘Unite to End Violence against Women Campaign’.

Action status – Resolved

Local authorities – domestic abuse policy

3.6 The Council’s Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development reported that other local authorities had adopted similar domestic abuse policies. However, it was highlighted that those Councils potentially did not have as wider remit as Hackney Council in terms of being able to adapt to the specific needs of individuals. Hackney Council had undertaken policies different to other local authorities in enabling a broader and more appropriate use of the time that had been agreed in helping individuals in ways that are suitable to individuals’ own circumstances. The next stage for Hackney Council was to promote its policy and to promote different areas to encourage managers to be aware so that can implement that policy much more broadly with a degree of flexibility.

3.7 The Cabinet Member for Employment, Human Resources and Equalities reported on 7 November 2023 the following:

London Councils has written to London boroughs whether they pay domestic abuse leave. Data is still coming in but I understand that, of the 14 boroughs that have responded so far, five offer. Four have special leave (not specifically domestic abuse leave. The majority of councils have not yet responded.

More responses may be forthcoming.

Action status – Resolved

Regulatory Services Service Plan update 2022/23

3.8 The Governance Officer highlighted that an update on the Regulatory Services Service Plan update 2022/23 was included as part of the meeting papers (see minute 9 below). An update on the Public Realm and policies for tables and chairs on pavements was expected at the next Committee meeting on 13 March 2024.

Action status – Resolved.

Polling stations

3.9 The Chair of the Committee reported that she had spoken to the Council’s Assistant Director, Business Intelligence, Elections and Member Service. The Committee noted that the Council was responsible for organising where polling would take place but matters relating to the electoral boundaries was not within the Council’s remit and was a matter for the Boundary Commission.

Action Status – Resolved.

3.10 Councillor Binnie-Lubbock raised a query regarding the school provision, specifically if a school was shortly to close how that development would impact on polling.

Action:

The Chair would check with the Council’s Assistant Director, Business Intelligence, and Elections & Member Services specifically in relation to the changes in the school provision, specifically in relation to those schools scheduled to close, and any impact that may have as a result on the availability of polling stations.

Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs)

3.11 On the 26 September 2023 the Council’s Head of Community Safety, Enforcement & Business Regulation reported that work on Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) was in relation to alcohol only. They added that the Council was proposing to renew and amend the existing PSPO in relation to dog control which was currently out for consultation and it was hoped that this would go to Cabinet in February 2024.

Action status – Resolved.

Committee Work Programme

3.12 The Governance Officer reported that an additional column had now been added to the Committee’s Work Programme briefly outlining the status of each work stream.

Action status – Resolved

Senior Management Team (SMT) pay arrangements

3.13 An update on Senior Management Team (SMT) pay arrangements was included as part of the item 7 Pay Policy Statement 2024/2025 paper at the meeting.

Action status – Resolved

Green Flag status of parks

3.14 As reported at the September Committee meeting, an update on the Green Flag status of parks had been provide by the Council's Head of Leisure, Parks and Green Spaces, Leisure, Parks and Green Spaces on 16 August 2023 and circulated to Committee members.

Action status – Resolved

Dockless hire bicycles

3.15 The Council’s Head of Streetscene had provided an update (as included in the 12 December 2023 meeting papers pack) on dockless bikes. The Committee noted in the update that Council Officers noted that, in relation to providing usage figures for the bicycles these figures were commercially sensitive as they would - by simple proxy - disclose the commercial performance of the operator.

Action status – Resolved.

3.16 The Chair of the Committee noted in the update issue which affected parking compliance in spring and summer of 2023 was cases of users bypassing the Lime App by half locking the bike brakes (i.e. using the bikes without having hired them through a ‘hack’ method promoted online). In October this year Lime completed a retrofit of 100% of their London fleet so that this means of accessing the Lime bike is no longer possible. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this has led to an improvement in the number of bikes left on the footway.

3.17 Councillor Suso-Runge welcomed the update and highlighted that since the hack was no longer operable the pathways in Hackney Central and Shacklewell wards in particular had now been a lot clearer and safer for citizens with disability and mobility issues.

3.18 Councillor Premru suggested whether an audit could be undertaken by Streetscene to ascertain whether f the ‘hack’ had resulted in a decline in reported complaints about the poor parking compliance of the dockless bicycles. The Councillor added whether an update could also be provided on the recyclable technology of those bicycles and what was the bicycles average lifecycle.

3.19 Councillor Binnie-Lubbock added that an update on what the Council was doing to provide more space on the carriageway for the parking of dockless bicycles would also be welcomed.

Action:

The Governance Officer would contact the Head of Streetscene to provide the following:

1. Following the identification of the ‘hack’ method promoted online for accessing dockless bicycles had, through the monitoring of figures, there been seen a decline in reported complaints about the poor parking compliance of the dockless bicycles:

2. Further information on the recyclable technology of dockless bicycles and what was the bicycles average lifecycle;

3. What was the Council doing to provide more space on the carriageway for the parking of dockless bicycles.

3.20 The Committee noted the updates on the actions from the Council’s Head of Community Safety, Enforcement and Business Regulation as included in the published meeting papers.

Fixed Penalty Notice enforcement figures 2019 to 2020

3.21 The Governance Officer would contact the Council’s Enforcement Team to seek figures on the Council's spend on Fixed Penalty Notice enforcement for the 2019 to 2020 period.

Action status – Ongoing.

Food poisoning and infectious disease notifications

3.22 The Head of Community Safety, Enforcement and Business Regulation confirmed that, in relation to the food poisoning and infectious disease notifications and the difference in increase in the 2022-2023 figures compared to the 2021-2022 figures was because of lockdowns and people’s travel was limited.

Actions statuses – Resolved.

Committee members tour of Council’s buildings off campus

3.23 An update on arrangements for a tour for the Committee members of the Council’s buildings off campus would be provided under agenda item 10.

Action status – Ongoing.

Supporting documents: