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MINUTES Meeting: London Assembly (Plenary) MINUTES Meeting: London Assembly (Plenary) Date: Wednesday 7 December 2016 Time: 10.00 am Place: Chamber, City Hall, The Queen's Walk, London, SE1 2AA Copies of the minutes may be found at: http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london- assembly/whole-assembly Present: Tony Arbour AM (Chairman) Florence Eshalomi AM Gareth Bacon AM David Kurten AM Shaun Bailey AM Joanne McCartney AM Sian Berry AM Steve O'Connell AM Leonie Cooper AM Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM Tom Copley AM Keith Prince AM Unmesh Desai AM Caroline Russell AM Tony Devenish AM Dr Onkar Sahota AM Andrew Dismore AM Navin Shah AM Len Duvall AM Fiona Twycross AM Nicky Gavron AM City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2AA Enquiries: 020 7983 4100 minicom: 020 7983 4458 www.london.gov.uk Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 7 December 2016 1 Apologies for Absence and Chairman's Announcements (Item 1) 1.1 Apologies for absence were received from Jennette Arnold OBE AM, Kemi Badenoch AM and Andrew Boff AM. 1.2 In accordance with section 100(B)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and Standing Order 2.2D, the Chairman stated that he had agreed to accept an item of urgent business, to be considered after the Question and Answer session with the Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development at Agenda Item 5a (Urgent Motion). A tabled document had been distributed prior to the meeting. 2 Declarations of Interests (Item 2) 2.1 The Assembly received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat. Resolved: 2.2 That the list of offices held by Assembly Members, as set out in the table at Item 3, be noted as disclosable pecuniary interests. 3 Minutes (Item 3) 3.1 Resolved: That the minutes of the 2 November 2016 (Plenary) meeting and the 16 November (Mayor’s Question Time) meeting be signed by the Chairman as a correct record. 4 Question and Answer Session - Gavin Barwell MP, Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Minister for London (Item 4) Part A: 4.1 The Assembly received an opening statement from Gavin Barwell MP, Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Minister for London. 4.2 The Assembly then put questions to the Minister. 4.3 The opening statement made by the Minister and the record of the questions put by Assembly Members and the answers given is attached as Appendix 1. 2 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 7 December 2016 4.4 During the course of the question and answer session the Minister undertook to provide a written response to the Assembly on what safeguards the Government had put in place to make sure that no further education or adult education colleges in London would go bankrupt. Part B: 4.5 The Chairman formally moved the motion in the agenda, namely: “That the Assembly notes the answers to the questions asked.” 4.6 Resolved: The answers to the questions asked be noted. 5 Question and Answer Session - James Murray, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development (Item 5) Part A: 5.1 The Assembly received an opening statement from James Murray, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development. 5.2 The Assembly then put questions to the Deputy Mayor. 5.3 The record of the questions put by Assembly Members and the answers given is attached as Appendix 2. 5.4 During the course of the question and answer session the Deputy Mayor undertook to provide an update to the Assembly on discussions between the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Housing Associations on implementing the eligibility criteria under the Government’s Right to Buy Scheme. 5.5 The written answers provided following the meeting are attached as Appendix 3. Part B: 5.6 The Chairman formally moved the motion in the agenda, namely: “That the Assembly notes the answers to the questions asked.” 5.7 Resolved: The answers to the questions asked be noted. 3 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 7 December 2016 Urgent Motion (Item 5a) 5.7 In accordance with section 100(B)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the Chairman agreed to admit an urgent motion in the name of Len Duvall AM to the agenda. In accordance with Standing Order 3.15 B (1), the Assembly unanimously agreed to accept the motion as urgent. 5.8 Len Duvall AM moved and Dr Onkar Sahota AM seconded the following motion, which was amended during debate, following a suggestion from Gareth Bacon AM, in accordance with Standing Order 3.6A (1): “This Assembly notes that on 6th December 2016 the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling MP, announced his plans for the future of rail. These plans require franchises to have integrated operating teams between train services and infrastructure. This Assembly also notes with disappointment that the Minister has formally rejected TfL’s proposals to take over Southeastern services from 2018 and is concerned that this demonstrates the Minister’s attitude to further rail devolution across London. This Assembly notes London’s success story in rail devolution. The North London Line has been transformed beyond recognition since it was taken over by TfL and rebranded as London Overground. Network Rail’s latest public performance measurements for period 8 of 2016/17 show TfL Rail in 1st place and London Overground in 2nd place. This Assembly highlights the cross party support for further rail devolution in London. For example, Kent County Council would be in favour of TfL taking over parts of the South Eastern franchise. Furthermore, the Conservative and Labour Co- chairs of the cross-party All Party Parliamentary Group for London, Bob Neill MP and Steve Reed MP, are convinced “that transferring more suburban services to TfL will bring about positive and tangible changes for rail passengers across the capital.” This Assembly believes that through TfL, London is already well-placed to provide solutions to the challenges of transport provision in our capital. The Assembly therefore asks the Secretary of State for Transport to reconsider his decision not to devolve franchise management to TfL, which has proven record of delivering to a high standard.” 5.9 Upon being put to the vote, the motion in the name of Len Duvall AM, was unanimously agreed. 4 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 7 December 2016 5.10 The Assembly also agreed for the Chairman to write to the Prime Minister to request her to reconsider the decision of the Secretary of State bot to devolve franchise management to Transport for London. 6 Petitions (Item 6) 6.1 The Assembly received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat. 6.2 Shaun Bailey AM presented a petition with the following prayer: “We the undersigned are concerned about the speed of traffic and the noise generated from motorbikes and modified cars on Shooters Hill Road and Kidbrooke Park Road. Our roads are plagued by noisy vehicles speeding along them and local residents have had enough. The speeding makes both roads more dangerous and increases both noise and air pollution in the area. We call on Greenwich Council, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police to take whatever enforcement action is available to them to reduce speeds and unnecessary, intrusive noise.” 6.3 Resolved That the petition be forwarded to the Mayor of London, as Chair of Transport for London (TfL), for a response. 6.4 Sian Berry AM presented a petition with the following prayer: “Ask the Mayor to support a UK HIV/AIDS Memorial in London. Support us in the creation of a UK HIV/AIDS Memorial. London, the chosen city, was hardest hit by the pandemic in the UK. It is from there where many of the National HIV/AIDS services were established. We the undersigned call on the Mayor of London to support us in the creation of a UK HIV/AIDS Memorial. HIV/AIDS disproportionally affected gay men but also new African communities; people with haemophilia; prisoners and injecting drug users. It influenced the whole nation by forcing us to confront deep rooted prejudices and ask questions about equality, difference, religion, morality and identity which hit at the very core of our values as a people and as a nation. There is currently no memorial to those who died in London in contrast to most other major cities affected including Amsterdam, Auckland, Barcelona, Berlin, Brighton, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Dublin, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kiev, LA, Madrid, Manchester, 5 Greater London Authority London Assembly (Plenary) Wednesday 7 December 2016 Melbourne, Montreal, Moscow, Munich, NYC, Paris, San Francisco, San Salvador, Sydney, Toronto, Vienna and Zurich. We want the Mayor of London to support our campaign for a national memorial in the city, by meeting with campaigners and helping in practical ways to find a location, funding and wider support. Why Now? 1) 2017 is the 50th Anniversary of the passing of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 which partly decriminalised sexual acts between two men in private and aged over 21. 2) 2016 is the 20th anniversary since the widespread use of the life-saving anti-retroviral therapy that arrested the number of deaths and literally, allowed for a new awakening. 3) New communities are examining and documenting their unique histories for future generations to make more sense of their own lives and to make secure as well as more grounded, their identities and narratives. The National AIDS Memorial in London aims: • To pay tribute to the men, women and children who died in the UK; • To remember the struggles of those living with HIV as well as those who took on the challenge to treat, support and campaign for those who were affected by AIDS; • To acknowledge an almost forgotten period in British history; • To form a linear historical path between the past, the present and the future for all the communities in the UK who bore the brunt of the epidemic; • To remember those worldwide who perished and who continue to live with HIV, the majority of whom still cannot access treatment.
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