Venue: Westminster Council House, 97-113 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5PT
Contact: Janis Best, Committee and Councillor Support Manager Email: jbest@westminster.gov.uk Tel: 07971 920521
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Appointment of Relief Chairman To appoint a relief Chairman. Minutes: 1.1 Motion moved by the Lord Mayor and seconded by Councillor Ellie Ormsby, that Councillor Robert Eagleton be elected as Relief Chair.
1.2 Motion put, and on a show of hands, declared CARRIED.
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To sign the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council meeting held on 28 June 2023. Minutes: 2.1 The minutes of the proceedings at the Council meeting held on Wednesday 28 June 2023 were, with the assent of the Members present, signed by the Lord Mayor as a true record of the proceedings.
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Lord Mayor's Communications 1. The Lord Mayor to report that, on Saturday 5 August she attended the Jamaican High Commission Annual Independence Service of Praise and Thanksgiving at Westminster Chapel.
2. The Lord Mayor to report that, on Tuesday 8 August she attended the Citizenship Ceremonies at Old Marylebone Town Hall.
3. The Lord Mayor to report that, on Thursday 10 August she attended a Fortnum & Mason Lunch at Fortnum & Marson, Piccadilly
4. The Lord Mayor to report that, on Friday 11 August she attended the Middlesex & NW London Army Cadet Force Final Parade and Presentation at the Royal Air Force Museum.
5. The Lord Mayor to report that, on Thursday 17 August she attended a meeting with the Young Westminster Foundation in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour.
6. The Lord Mayor to report that, on Thursday 17 August she attended the UN World Humanitarian Day Evensong at Westminster Abbey.
7. The Lord Mayor to report that, on Thursday 24 August she attended the Westminster City Council Silver Sunday Afternoon Tea in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour.
8. The Lord Mayor to report that, on Thursday 24 August she attended the Westminster Youth Council South Asian Heritage Month Celebration in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour.
9. The Lord Mayor to report that, on Monday 4 September she attended a meeting with the Carers Network in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour.
10.The Lord Mayor to report that, on Monday 4 September she attended a meeting with The Passage in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour.
Minutes: 3.1 The Lord Mayor referred to these as set out on the agenda.
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Declarations of Interest Minutes: 4.1 Councillor Jim Glen declared that in respect of 13b on the agenda, the Ecological Emergency Motion, he was a Trustee of the Westminster Tree Trust.
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Statement on Urgent Matters Minutes: 5.1 There were no urgent matters.
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Councillor Petitions and Deputations, if any Minutes: 6.1 There were no petitions or deputations received.
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Public Participation The Lord Mayor will invite members of the public who have been chosen to present their question or petition. After which the relevant Cabinet Member or Committee Chair will respond. Minutes: 7.1 Members of the public asked three questions which were responded to by the relevant Cabinet Members. The questions and responses are available on the Council’s website.
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Questions The Lord Mayor will call Members who have indicated that they wish to ask a question after the Leader of the Opposition has asked her questions. Minutes: 8.1 The questions, supplementary questions and replies are included as a recording on the Council’s website.
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Councillor Issue Councillor Louise Hyams – ‘Social Housing in St. James’s’ Minutes: 9.1 Social Housing in St. James’s
Councillor Louise Hyams spoke, and Councillor Liza Begum replied.
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Party Business To consider any items for debate. Minutes: 10.1 The Opposition Party selected to debate the topic of Sustainable Travel. The debate would be referred to the relevant Executive Director for consideration when reporting on the subject.
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Report of the General Purposes Committee: Councillors Parental Leave Policy To receive, consider and debate, if chosen, the following report which contains recommendations to the Council for approval and adoption. Additional documents: Minutes: 11.1 The Lord Mayor put the recommendations of the General Purposes Committee report to the vote and on a show of hands declared the recommendations adopted.
RESOLVED:
That the revised Parental Leave Policy for Councillors, attached at Appendix A of the report, be approved and it be adopted into the Council’s Constitution as part of an Appendix to the Member’s Allowances Scheme.
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Report of the General Purposes Committee: Policy and Scrutiny Review To receive, consider and debate, if chosen, the following report which contains recommendations to the Council for approval and adoption.
Additional documents: Minutes: 12.1 The Opposition Party had selected for debate the report on the Policy and Scrutiny Review as set out on the agenda.
12.2 Following debate, the Lord Mayor put the recommendations of the General Purposes Committee report to the vote and on a show of hands declared the recommendations adopted.
RESOLVED:
That Full Council approve:
1) The replacement of the existing Policy and Scrutiny Committee structure with a revised Policy and Scrutiny Committee structure as summarised in the report, and for this new structure to take effect from 27 September 2023, following the current round of committee meetings;
2) A revised Chapter 4 (“Policy and Scrutiny”) of the Council’s Constitution as set out at Appendix A of the report, including revised terms of reference for Policy and Scrutiny Committees, including the North West London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee; and
3) The delegation of authority to the Monitoring Officer to make other minor amendments to provisions in the Constitution consistent with the contents of this report.
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Notices of Motion (a) Majority Party Motion – The Gordon Hospital and a Lack of Acute Mental Health Provision in South Westminster
To be moved by Councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis and seconded by Councillor Lorraine Dean.
The mental wellbeing of our residents is of the utmost importance to this Council. We are concerned about the loss of Westminster’s 51 acute mental health beds since the temporary closure of the Gordon Hospital at the beginning of the Covid pandemic and the consequences this has had for our residents and our staff. We are concerned that patients have to wait much longer to access an acute bed, often in unsuitable environments such as in A&E. When a bed is finally found, it is outside Westminster, and sometimes very far from Westminster which contributes to the isolation of mental health patients from their families and communities.
The temporary closure of the Gordon Hospital has put immense pressure on other parts of the system. St Charles, the acute mental health hospital in Kensington & Chelsea is finding that Kensington & Chelsea patients are having to move out of borough to make way for Westminster patients. St Mary’s hospital is having to host several mental health patients at a time for up to 24 hours in beds that are needed for patients who are physically ill. The police are finding that their resources are tied up in escorting mental health patients in A&E for up to 24 hours instead of fighting crime.
The closure of the Gordon Hospital affects all our communities both directly and indirectly. However the closure of this acute provision has a particular impact on communities least able to access alternative support, such as those who are street homeless and those households in multiple deprivation.
There is no indication that the need for acute mental health beds is reducing. Our data shows that in 2022/23 our staff assessed 1070 people, 49 people more than in 2021/22. Of those 1070 people, 777 were referred for acute hospital care, which is 103 more people than in 2021/22.
We call on the NHS to reopen acute mental health beds in South Westminster to ensure that the acute mental health needs of our residents are met. We very much value community mental health services but we don’t believe that community mental health services should be funded at the expense of acute hospital beds. We need both types of services to support patients with different needs and at different stages of their patient journey. This is the view we will be expressing formally to the NHS when they open their consultation in the Autumn.
(b) Majority Party Motion – Ecological Emergency
To be moved by Councillor Ryan Jude and seconded by Councillor Cara Sanquest.
This Council recognises the importance of a healthy and biodiverse environment that ensures the wellbeing of all who live, work and study here and support Westminster’s future prosperity. This Council also acknowledges the 2019 State of Nature report, which found that 15% of UK species are classified ... view the full agenda text for item 13. Minutes: Motion 13a - The Gordon Hospital and a Lack of Acute Mental Health Provision in South Westminster
13.1 The Majority Party had selected for debate the notice of motion as set out on the agenda. The notice of motion was moved by Councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis and seconded by Councillor Lorraine Dean.
13.2 Following the debate, The Lord Mayor put the motion to the vote and following a show of hands declared the motion CARRIED.
RESOLVED:
The mental wellbeing of our residents is of the utmost importance to this Council. We are concerned about the loss of Westminster’s 51 acute mental health beds since the temporary closure of the Gordon Hospital at the beginning of the Covid pandemic and the consequences this has had for our residents and our staff. We are concerned that patients have to wait much longer to access an acute bed, often in unsuitable environments such as in A&E. When a bed is finally found, it is outside Westminster, and sometimes very far from Westminster which contributes to the isolation of mental health patients from their families and communities.
The temporary closure of the Gordon Hospital has put immense pressure on other parts of the system. St Charles, the acute mental health hospital in Kensington & Chelsea is finding that Kensington & Chelsea patients are having to move out of borough to make way for Westminster patients. St Mary’s hospital is having to host several mental health patients at a time for up to 24 hours in beds that are needed for patients who are physically ill. The police are finding that their resources are tied up in escorting mental health patients in A&E for up to 24 hours instead of fighting crime.
The closure of the Gordon Hospital affects all our communities both directly and indirectly. However, the closure of this acute provision has a particular impact on communities least able to access alternative support, such as those who are street homeless and those households in multiple deprivation.
There is no indication that the need for acute mental health beds is reducing. Our data shows that in 2022/23 our staff assessed 1070 people, 49 people more than in 2021/22. Of those 1070 people, 777 were referred for acute hospital care, which is 103 more people than in 2021/22.
We call on the NHS to reopen acute mental health beds in South Westminster to ensure that the acute mental health needs of our residents are met. We very much value community mental health services but we don’t believe that community mental health services should be funded at the expense of acute hospital beds. We need both types of services to support patients with different needs and at different stages of their patient journey. This is the view we will be expressing formally to the NHS when they open their consultation in the Autumn.
Motion 13b - Ecological Emergency
13.3 The Majority Party had selected for debate the notice of motion as set out on the agenda. ... view the full minutes text for item 13. |