The Havering Council meeting included discussions on tree inspections, the Romford Police Station front desk closure, and support for Zane's Law¹, as well as the approval of the East London Joint Waste Plan submission. Councillors also addressed petitions and member questions on local issues.

Tree Inspections

The council debated a motion regarding tree inspections, following a tragedy in Southend and a near miss in Harrow Lodge Park. Councillor Keith Darvill, Leader of the Labour Group, moved the Labour group motion to introduce a rigorous programme of regulatory inspections, citing the increasing danger from climate change and the need to ensure the safety of parks and open spaces. He referred to a response from officers to Councillor Trevor McKeever stating that:

There is currently no formal inspection regime for trees in parks. Trees adjacent to high footfall areas have a general visual inspection, but this is ad hoc at present due to resource constraints.

Councillor Barry Mugglestone, Cabinet Member for Environment and Deputy Mayor of Havering, moved an amendment for the Havering Residents Association (HRA), to continue the existing programme of regulatory inspections across the borough. He outlined several initiatives, including a revised pollard regime, replacement programmes for ornamental fruit trees, and a tree warden scheme involving trained members of the public. He also mentioned the council is reviewing its approach to inspecting trees in parks, including zoning parks based on risk.

During the debate, Councillor David Taylor said he was unsure whether an inspection programme was in place. Councillor Brian Eaglin raised concerns about the safety of trees in Harrowwood Park, reporting incidents of falling branches and play equipment that had been unusable for months. Councillor Martin Goode stated that the current programme was not fit for purpose, citing issues such as tree roots damaging walkways and slow response times to resident reports. Councillor Judith Holt agreed that the borough's trees needed to be looked at regularly and efficiently, and raised the issue of tree feathering² and enforcement on private land. Councillor Keith Prince said he had been minded to support the administration's amendment, but that Councillor Mugglestone's outline of future plans did not reflect the amendment's wording about continuing the current programme. Councillor Gerry O'Sullivan said that the council was making good strides in tightening up the street inspection programme, and that the accident in Southend was due to a support beam being removed. Councillor Tim Ryan spoke about a dangerous tree in Stockland Road that had been reported but not addressed. Councillor Jane Keane expressed interest in the tree warden scheme and raised concerns about delegating responsibility to volunteers. Councillor Reg Whitney highlighted the impact of weather on trees and said that there was little that could be done about nature.

In response, Councillor Darvill urged members to support the motion to put in place a more rigorous system. Councillor Ray Morgon, Leader of the Council, questioned what was meant by 'rigorous checks', and said that recruiting arboriculturalists was very difficult. He also mentioned that the council was looking at adopting a new tree strategy.

The HRA group amendment was carried by 24 votes to 18, with 0 abstentions. The substantive motion, in the wording of the HRA group amendment, was then accepted without division.

Romford Police Station

The council discussed a motion regarding the closure of the front desk at Romford Police Station. Councillor David Taylor moved the Conservative group motion to reverse the closure, arguing that the front desk was still needed and that the available data was poor. He said that he had been unable to find any publicly available information on how many people were using Romford's police desk, and that the data he could find from 2016 suggested that 8% of all crimes were reported at front desks. He also highlighted the importance of the front desk as a safe place for people to go.

Councillor Keith Darvill moved a Labour group amendment calling for a review of the decision, acknowledging the pressures on police resources but emphasising the need to provide police services in the borough, particularly in Romford town centre. He said that the challenge for the police service was to resource the service required during the time of most need, and that it was necessary to determine whether that meant resourcing officers at the front desk or in the vicinity of night time venues.

Councillor John Tyler spoke in support of both motions, saying that figures don't matter, it's people, and that front counters are often a place of safety. He also said that the Metropolitan Police had made the decision partly because of funding, and that the Conservative motion mentioned both the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police, while the Labour amendment just mentioned the Metropolitan Police. Councillor Keith Prince said that the Mayor of London had pledged to keep one front counter 24/7 hours in each borough, and that Romford had initially been proposed to remain 24/7.

Councillor Stephanie Nunn said that the Metropolitan Police Service had a budget deficit of £260 million. Councillor Barry Mugglestone said that he had a letter from Commander Shure outlining that Romford would be the only East Borough station staying open, and asked whether Havering residents had been sold out to save Dagenham. Councillor Reg Whitney said that the council was very fortunate to have a police station at all. Councillor Jane Keane said that she would be voting with the Conservative motion because of the many women who would need to find somewhere to go in the middle of the night. Councillor Dilip Patel said that Havering residents deserved better after paying around £44 million a year to the Mayor from Band D properties only. Councillor Judith Holt said that Havering had been short-changed by the Mayor of London, and that it was people who mattered.

In response, Councillor Taylor said that it was a terrible decision, but that it was not the fault of the Barking and Dagenham Labour MP that Romford Police Station was losing those hours. He also said that something was wrong with the money that the police were getting, and that the police should invest in 2025 technology. Councillor Darvill said that the Labour group's approach was pragmatic, and that the best way to achieve anything was by negotiation and meeting with partners. Councillor Morgon said that the council was not being appropriately funded, and that the police had to make tough choices. He also said that the police station would still be open, such as the custody suite, and that he would prefer police on the street rather than sitting in a counter in Romford Police Station.

The Labour group amendment was not carried by 22 votes to five, with 15 abstentions. The Conservative group motion was carried by 35 votes to four, with three abstentions.

Zane's Law

The council considered a report of cabinet on Zane's Law, expressing support for achieving the principles of Zane's Law and agreeing to lobby the government for its introduction.

Petitions

The council received notice of intention to present a petition from Councillor Viddy Persaud on traffic calming measures on Mourney Road, from Councillor Natasha Summers on trucks speeding through Wellington village, from Councillor Darren Wise for CCTV in Station Road in Harold Wood, from Councillor Patricia Brown on a proposed development on the M25 in Harold Wood and Brentwood, and from Councillor Judith Holt for a 20 mile per hour speed limit in Northumberland Avenue and Cavernham Gardens in Hornchurch.

East London Joint Waste Plan

The council considered the report of cabinet on the East London Joint Waste Plan submission, and agreed to accept the recommendations to council as set out in the report without going to a vote.

Six Month Attendance Rule

The council considered a report of the Chief Executive on the resolution to extend the six month attendance rule, and agreed to accept the recommendation to council as set out in the report without going to a vote.

Member's Questions

Members posed questions to the cabinet, including:

• Councillor Judith Holt asked about funding for the Bridge Close Development. Councillor Jacqueline Williams responded that current borrowing totalled approximately £46 million, and the total estimated cost was approximately £482 million.
• Councillor Jane Keane asked about lighting in subways in Romford Town Centre. Councillor Barry Mugglestone responded that the vast majority of the subways in Romford were well lit and comply to the required industry standards and guidelines, and that there were plans to complete and refurbish the subways in Recruit Gardens and Cosley Road.
• Councillor Brian Eaglin asked about installing a pay and display parking system in Harrow Lodge Park. Councillor Barry Mugglestone responded that the council was considering introducing a similar system to existing pay and display parks as car parks as Lodge Farm and Cottons Park.
• Councillor John Tyler asked about the time frame for repair to grass verges in Crannum Ward. Councillor Barry Mugglestone responded that the Grand Maintenance team would undertake works over the next couple of weeks to reinstate these verges.
• Councillor Keith Prince asked about check-ins for housing fraud in Havering. Councillor Natasha Summers responded that the London Borough of Havering has three tenancy audit checkers for housing fraud, and their target is to visit and check 400 audits per month.
• Councillor Joshua Chapman asked about the RO2B parking zone. Councillor Barry Mugglestone responded that the RO2B parking zone currently has two different time restrictions, and that it would be possible to split the zone to match those time differences, but that there was little evidence that people were parking across the two areas in a way that causes problems.
• Councillor Jane Keane asked about fly tipping. Councillor Barry Mugglestone responded that the Havering Council enforcement team carries out thousands of enforcement actions each year, and that the team actively deploys the violence cameras at known fly tipping hotspots to monitor active and gather evidence for enforcement.
• Councillor Darren Wise asked about development in the rear of 12 to 26 Harrelcourt Road. Councillor Graham Williamson responded that a liability notice was sent to the developer on 24 September, and that a demand notice was sent to the developer on 7 October.
• Councillor Jason Frost asked about internal inspections of council property. Councillor Paul McGeary responded that the housing service aims to provide flexibility when making appointments, and that partnering contractors Mears and SureServe both offer standard appointments Monday to Friday offered in three time slots, and extended hours for residents who are unavailable during standard hours and request evenings or weekends.
• Councillor Matthew Stanton asked about Bean Park Ward regeneration. Councillor Graham Williamson responded that a new station will definitely make a significant contribution to public transport infrastructure for those living and working in this part of the borough, and that the council is considering meanwhile uses on the sites in our ownership which includes temporary accommodation, the use of modular homes and the use of the commercial space acquired.
• Councillor Michael White asked about budget savings in 2025 to 2026. Councillor Ray Morgon responded that the council is doing everything it can to achieve the 2025-26 savings, and that the majority of the savings are on track to be delivered, but that there are some proposals which are either delayed or unlikely to be achieved.
• Councillor Keith Darvill asked about the target operating model. Councillor Ray Morgon responded that the report that came forward from the Chief Executive for the implementation of the new target operating model set out the aim for the resulting benefits, the alignment and consolidation of the Council's organisational structure to reduce the number of separate and distinctive departments.
• Councillor Nisha Patel asked about the increasing health infrastructure. Councillor Gillian Ford responded that once the local authority does not hold responsibility for health infrastructure projects, we do collaborate to support and lobby effectively, and that the administration has a real focus on ensuring that regeneration is supported with appropriate infrastructure.
• Councillor Christine Vickery asked about the park safety report. Councillor Barry Mugglestone responded that a report on park safety would be presented to full council in January.
• Councillor David Taylor asked about government meetings over the proposed data centre. Councillor Christopher Wilkins responded that senior officers have met with MHCGLG officers on a number of occasions, most recently on the 6th of November, to discuss the council's financial position, including the potential retention of the business rates for the data centre should it be built.

Other Business

Motions C (school street zone trial) and D (cash tracker systems) were withdrawn.

The meeting concluded with the singing of the national anthem.