Agenda item

Report of: Executive Director of Secretariat 

Contact: John Barry, [email protected], tel: 020 7983 4425

 

The Assembly is asked to consider the motions submitted by Assembly Members.

6.1  The Assembly received the report of the Executive Director of Secretariat.

6.2  During the course of the discussion, at 12.30pm the Chair proposed, and it was agreed, that Standing Order 2.9B be suspended to extend the meeting in order to allow the remaining items of business on the agenda to be considered.

6.3  Navin Shah AM proposed and Andrew Boff AM seconded the following motion, altered in accordance with Standing Order 3.6A (1):

 

“d/Deaf people face many barriers when trying to access information or services; either through lack of awareness or language barriers. As a consequence, the British Deaf Association has established the following principles to tackle these issues:

·  Ensure better access to information and services;

·  Promote learning and teaching of British Sign Language (BSL);

·  Support d/Deaf children and families;

·  Ensuring staff can communicate effectively in BSL; and

·  Consult with local d/Deaf community regularly.

 

Harrow has recently become the second London Borough Council to sign up the BSL Charter with Harrow United Deaf Club. The London Assembly acknowledges that this is a good start but requires much greater take up of the BSL Charter across London by local authorities, stakeholder and voluntary groups.

 

The London Assembly support and promote the British Sign Language Charter created by the British Deaf Association with the aim of improving life for d/Deaf people by removing direct and indirect discrimination. It also aims to empower d/Deaf people as well as increasing awareness of British Sign Language and d/Deaf issues. 

 

The Assembly also notes the extensive work of Andrew Boff’s rapporteur report on access to health services for d/Deaf people, including the key recommendation to develop a universal standard for British Sign Language interpreting, which should be provided in GP surgeries and hospitals.

 

The London Assembly calls on the Mayor to sign up to the Charter on behalf of the GLA, to improve access and rights for d/Deaf BSL users across the functional bodies. The London Assembly further urges the Mayor of London to embody Charter of BSL in his Londonwide equalities strategies, including actively promoting it to Local Authorities across London.” 

 

6.4  Upon being put to the vote, the motion, namely:

 

“d/Deaf people face many barriers when trying to access information or services; either through lack of awareness or language barriers. As a consequence, the British Deaf Association has established the following principles to tackle these issues:

·  Ensure better access to information and services;

·  Promote learning and teaching of British Sign Language (BSL);

·  Support d/Deaf children and families;

·  Ensuring staff can communicate effectively in BSL; and

·  Consult with local d/Deaf community regularly.

 

Harrow has recently become the second London Borough Council to sign up the BSL Charter with Harrow United Deaf Club. The London Assembly acknowledges that this is a good start but requires much greater take up of the BSL Charter across London by local authorities, stakeholder and voluntary groups.

 

The London Assembly support and promote the British Sign Language Charter created by the British Deaf Association with the aim of improving life for d/Deaf people by removing direct and indirect discrimination. It also aims to empower d/Deaf people as well as increasing awareness of British Sign Language and d/Deaf issues. 

 

The Assembly also notes the extensive work of Andrew Boff’s rapporteur report on access to health services for d/Deaf people, including the key recommendation to develop a universal standard for British Sign Language interpreting, which should be provided in GP surgeries and hospitals.

 

The London Assembly calls on the Mayor to sign up to the Charter on behalf of the GLA, to improve access and rights for d/Deaf BSL users across the functional bodies. The London Assembly further urges the Mayor of London to embody Charter of BSL in his Londonwide equalities strategies, including actively promoting it to Local Authorities across London.” 

 

was agreed unanimously.

 

[Note: See also Minute 2 – Declarations of Interest.]

 

6.5  Murad Qureshi AM proposed and Fiona Twycross AM seconded the following motion:

 

“This Assembly is concerned that the rising cost of tickets^[1] for Premiership football matches will make them unaffordable for supporters in London earning an average income^[2].

 

Previous motions^[3] by this Assembly have noted the importance of football clubs to communities and the support the Mayor has given to stadium-led regeneration to create job opportunities and improve facilities for local people. With several Premier League clubs benefiting from the Mayor’s support in building new, or expanding existing, stadiums, we now call on the Mayor to use these negotiations to make the case for clubs to ensure that tickets are affordable for all, especially those communities where the clubs are located.”

6.6  Upon being put to the vote, the motion, namely:

 

“This Assembly is concerned that the rising cost of tickets^[4] for Premiership football matches will make them unaffordable for supporters in London earning an average income^[5].

 

Previous motions^[6] by this Assembly have noted the importance of football clubs to communities and the support the Mayor has given to stadium-led regeneration to create job opportunities and improve facilities for local people. With several Premier League clubs benefiting from the Mayor’s support in building new, or expanding existing, stadiums, we now call on the Mayor to use these negotiations to make the case for clubs to ensure that tickets are affordable for all, especially those communities where the clubs are located.”

 

was agreed (13 votes in favour and 3 votes against).

 

6.7  Andrew Dismore AM proposed and Murad Qureshi AM seconded the following motion:

 

“This Assembly notes with concern the growing proliferation of tall buildings in outer London.

 

These buildings threaten the cherished suburban character of outer London boroughs. In Barnet for example, New London Architecture has identified 21 tall building projects in the development process. Many of these have no place in the suburbs, such as the 31-storey tower, one of three planned,  being built in otherwise low-rise West Hendon and threatening the Welsh Harp SSSA.

 

Tall buildings can make a positive contribution to city life and the skyline, but only if they are in the right places, meet the right needs, and respect the character and identity of the surrounding area. Most of those proposed for suburban London fail to meet these criteria.

 

This Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to rethink his approach to tall buildings in outer London and to:

·  establish a ‘Skyline Commission’ of experts from a range of fields ;

·  develop more detailed and rigorous masterplanning processes, including engagement with local residents and stakeholders, especially within Opportunity Areas;

·  implement a clusters policy; and

·  require all developers with proposals for tall buildings in outer London to consider other building configurations.

 

The GLA should also support the development of a fully interactive 3D computer model of London’s emerging skyline in order to allow development proposals to be visualised within the context of their impact on the London skyline.”

6.8  Upon being put to the vote, the motion, namely:

 

“This Assembly notes with concern the growing proliferation of tall buildings in outer London.

 

These buildings threaten the cherished suburban character of outer London boroughs. In Barnet for example, New London Architecture has identified 21 tall building projects in the development process. Many of these have no place in the suburbs, such as the 31-storey tower, one of three planned,  being built in otherwise low-rise West Hendon and threatening the Welsh Harp SSSA.

 

Tall buildings can make a positive contribution to city life and the skyline, but only if they are in the right places, meet the right needs, and respect the character and identity of the surrounding area. Most of those proposed for suburban London fail to meet these criteria.

 

This Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to rethink his approach to tall buildings in outer London and to:

·  establish a ‘Skyline Commission’ of experts from a range of fields ;

·  develop more detailed and rigorous masterplanning processes, including engagement with local residents and stakeholders, especially within Opportunity Areas;

·  implement a clusters policy; and

·  require all developers with proposals for tall buildings in outer London to consider other building configurations.

 

The GLA should also support the development of a fully interactive 3D computer model of London’s emerging skyline in order to allow development proposals to be visualised within the context of their impact on the London skyline.”

 

was agreed (11 votes in favour and 3 votes against).

 

6.9  Andrew Dismore AM proposed and Tom Copley AM seconded the following motion:

 

“This Assembly recognises that students studying in London are especially vulnerable when renting privately.

 

For many, this will be the first time they are away from home and the first time they have entered the private rental market, and at time when they are unlikely to be aware of their rights.

Students are also likely to experience excessive rents and unfair estate agent charges.

 

The Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to pay particular attention to the needs of students in his housing policies, with particular reference to ensuring that they are protected from bad landlords, including a campaign working with universities and college authorities and student unions, to ensure students are aware of their rights as tenants and how to enforce them.”

 

6.10  Upon being put to the vote, the motion, namely:

 

“This Assembly recognises that students studying in London are especially vulnerable when renting privately.

 

For many, this will be the first time they are away from home and the first time they have entered the private rental market, and at time when they are unlikely to be aware of their rights.

Students are also likely to experience excessive rents and unfair estate agent charges.

 

The Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to pay particular attention to the needs of students in his housing policies, with particular reference to ensuring that they are protected from bad landlords, including a campaign working with universities and college authorities and student unions, to ensure students are aware of their rights as tenants and how to enforce them.”

 

was agreed unanimously.

 

6.11  Stephen Knight AM proposed and Fiona Twycross AM seconded the following motion:

 

“This Assembly notes the proposed changes set out in the Local Government Pension Scheme: Revoking and replacing the Local Government Pension Scheme (Management and Investment of Funds) Regulations 2009 which specifically proposes to prevent local authorities using their pensions and procurement policies to pursue boycotts disinvestments and sanctions against foreign nations and the UK defence industry.

 

This Assembly also notes that as of January 2016 the Greater London Authority had invested through its Group Investment Syndicate (GIS) £85 million of taxpayer’s money in the Riyad Bank, a bank which is 49 per cent owned by state bodies and prominently features the three most senior members of the Saudi royal family in its annual reports.

 

This Assembly objects to the proposed changes to the management to Local Government Pension Scheme to restrict the freedom of elected bodies to take decisions about the appropriateness of certain foreign investments and believes that the predominant concern of a financial return on investments can be combined with policies relating to the appropriateness and ethical concerns of investing in certain countries and regimes, especially when the investments are in state owned or part state owned financial institutions.

 

The Chair of the London Assembly should write to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government expressing the London Assembly’s objections to the restrictions on potential investment decisions that are being proposed.

 

This Assembly also urges the Mayor to ensure that all investments undertaken by the GLA Group Investment Syndicate are regularly published and available via the website www.london.gov.uk to allow Londoners full access to information about how investment decisions are being made on their behalf.”

 

6.12  Upon being put to the vote, the motion, namely:

 

“This Assembly notes the proposed changes set out in the Local Government Pension Scheme: Revoking and replacing the Local Government Pension Scheme (Management and Investment of Funds) Regulations 2009 which specifically proposes to prevent local authorities using their pensions and procurement policies to pursue boycotts disinvestments and sanctions against foreign nations and the UK defence industry.

 

This Assembly also notes that as of January 2016 the Greater London Authority had invested through its Group Investment Syndicate (GIS) £85 million of taxpayer’s money in the Riyad Bank, a bank which is 49 per cent owned by state bodies and prominently features the three most senior members of the Saudi royal family in its annual reports.

 

This Assembly objects to the proposed changes to the management to Local Government Pension Scheme to restrict the freedom of elected bodies to take decisions about the appropriateness of certain foreign investments and believes that the predominant concern of a financial return on investments can be combined with policies relating to the appropriateness and ethical concerns of investing in certain countries and regimes, especially when the investments are in state owned or part state owned financial institutions.

 

The Chair of the London Assembly should write to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government expressing the London Assembly’s objections to the restrictions on potential investment decisions that are being proposed.

 

This Assembly also urges the Mayor to ensure that all investments undertaken by the GLA Group Investment Syndicate are regularly published and available via the website www.london.gov.uk to allow Londoners full access to information about how investment decisions are being made on their behalf.”

 

was agreed (11 votes in favour and 3 votes against).