Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from the Chairman Graeme Smith, Deputy Chairman Oliver Sells, Caroline Haines, Alderman Ian Luder, Wendy Mead, Barbara Newman and Richard Gurney.

In the absence of Chairman and Deputy Chairman the Committee agreed that Jeremy Simons, as the most senior Member of the Court of Common council in attendance, take the chair for the remainder of the meeting. The Chairman introduced the new representative nominated by the Parish of West Ham the Rev’d Canon Summers and welcomed him to his first meeting of the West Ham Park Committee.

There were no declarations.

To agree the public minutes and non-public summary of the previous meeting held on the 10^th of December 2018.

RESOLVED- That the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting

held on 10 December 2018 be approved as a correct record.

Matters Arising

Newham representatives on the West Ham Committee 

The Chairman noted that the representatives nominated by the London Borough of Newham appointed to the West Ham Park Committee were not present and questioned if there was any progress with the appointment of the second Newham representative. The Superintendent of Parks and Gardens replied that while Councillor Joy Laguda and Councillor Rachel Tripp remained Members of the Committee and the West Ham Park Manager was in contact with London Borough of Newham to confirm a replacement for Councillor Joy Laguda which was yet to be confirmed. The Chairman queried whether adjusting the number of representatives from the London Borough of Newham should be considered.

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk on the public actions from the last meeting.

RESOLVED- that the report be noted.

Report of the Town Clerk.  

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk on the annual review of the West Ham Park Committee’s Terms of Reference. The Chairman queried whether the Committee’s Terms of Reference should be amended at this time to allow an alternative representative in place of one of the London Borough of Newham representatives, consistent with the original conveyance from the Gurney family. The Director of Open Spaces highlighted the effect the Will of the late John Gurney had on the Committee’s Terms of Reference which may limit the scope of adjustment which can be made. The Chairman decided that a further year be given to assess whether the number of representatives from Newham was appropriate.

It was questioned by a Member whether a specific mention of nursery land was required within the Committee’s Terms of Reference. The Director of Open Spaces confirmed that the nursery land was contained within the curtilage of West Ham Park and therefore did not feel a specific addition in the Terms of Reference was required.

It was raised that Robert Cazenove was incorrectly designated ‘Heir at Law’, within the Terms of Reference, and confirmed that this should be corrected to designate Richard Gurney as the ‘Heir at Law’.

RESOLVED-That: -

I.             That the terms of reference of the West Ham Park Committee, subject to the comments made, be approved for submission to the Court of Common Council in April; and

II.            That any further changes required in the lead up to the Court’s appointment of Committees be delegated to the Town Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.

Report of the Superintendent of Parks and Gardens.

To be read in conjunction with the non-public appendix at Item 15 on the Agenda.  

The Committee received a report of the Superintendent of Parks and Gardens which updated Members on management and operational activities at West Ham Park since December 2018. The West Ham Park Manager highlighted, further to the actions from the minutes of the previous meeting, that the cricket nets were now bookable on an hourly rate and via an online portal.

RESOLVED- That the report be noted.

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Open Spaces regarding the proposed plans for the West Ham Park Playground Refurbishment. The Director of Open Spaces explained that, further to advice received from the Chamberlain, the potential total estimated costs of the project had increased to £1,234,775 which represented a shortfall cost of £773,200. Further to this it was highlighted that the different options listed within the report had different funding implications on the amount required to be sourced outside of the City of London Corporation.

A Member noted that they were thankful for the work by Officers to bring the report to Committee but suggested it would be helpful to view the project plans in a colour printed copy or projected on a screen. The Director of Open Spaces agreed with this point and apologised for the oversight.

It was questioned by a Member of the Committee if the proposed improvements to the toilets at West Ham Park would have an impact on the refurbishment of the playground and consequently effect the cost of the project. The Director of Open Spaces replied by explaining that the City Surveyor had allocated differing amounts within the proposed plans for the toilet improvements but that these had all been accounted for. A Member queried the reasoning for the legal implications of the project being considered a high risk. The Director of Open Spaces clarified the reason why the legal implications were considered a high risk was that, while it was not expected to be rejected, the playground refurbishment was subject to planning approval by the London Borough of Newham.

A Member asked whether any consideration had been given within the procurement methodology to reusing existing playground equipment within the refurbished playground and natural play. Further to this point the Member suggested

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Open Spaces regarding the ‘Bringing Communities Together’ 2018 event and the proposed details of the 2019 event. The West Ham Park Manger introduced the report and highlighted to Members that the 2019 event was proposed to be extended by half a day.

A Member questioned the extended length of time it had taken for the report to be produced by Officers. The Director of Open Spaces replied that further time was required to collate all the information essential for the report to provide Members with a complete picture of the issue.

A Member of the Committee raised the issue of under representation of different faiths amongst the organisations connected to the event and questioned if other organisations had been approached. The Director of Open Spaces confirmed that local organisations representing a variety of faiths had been approached but, due to various issues including funding, only those listed within the report were able to be included. The Rev Cannon Alex Summers commented that he would look into the prospect of increasing the involvement of the Parish of West Ham with any future ‘Bringing Communities Together’ events.

A Member highlighted the issue of sustainability and suggested that the City of London Open Spaces department do more to encourage this with reference to the ‘Bringing Communities Together’ 2019 event. The Director of Open Spaces confirmed that the department had worked to educate visitors on the use of public transport and highlighted the fee for using the car park.

A Member questioned if the number of rides was too high for the event. The Director of Open Spaces replied to this confirming that the number of rides had been limited at sixteen and further requests by the provider had been refused. Further to this

Report of the Director of Open Spaces.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Open Spaces which provided an update on the challenges being faced due to the spread of Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) across the Open Spaces in the care of The City of London. The Director of Open Spaces introduced the report by explaining that the report had been considered at other Committees listed on the report and highlighted the work which had taken place at other Open Spaces in the care of the City of London. It was highlighted that while the OPM was not yet present at West Ham Park, it was expected to be an issue going forward.

A Member highlighted the potential impact on the health of dogs which could be caused by the OPM and questioned what actions were being taken to educate dog owners on these issues. The Director of Open Spaces explained that work had taken place in conjunction with the Forestry Commission and noted that the City of London Corporation website included links to the Forestry Commission’s website which had extensive guidance on OPM. In addition to this is it was explained by the Director of Open Spaces that the Forestry Commission had contacted veterinarians and general practitioners to inform them of the possible impacts of OPM. Following a point raised by the Chairman, the Director of Open Spaces informed the Committee that signs present at West Ham Park would note the danger of OPM to dogs.   

RESOLVED- That the report be noted.

The Committee considered one question in the public session.

A Member noted that the report considered at Item 7 did not provide enough background on the context of West Ham Park and the London Borough of Newham highlighting the importance of the Park to the Community. Further to this the Member suggested a supplementary document be added to the report when it is considered by the Projects Sub-Committee to provide Members with more contextual information which would be helpful when considering the report. The Director of Open Spaces explained, while officers were limited by the structure of the project report, there was an explanatory paragraph on page sixteen of the Agenda. The Director confirmed that an equality impact analysis be added to report when it is considered by the Projects Sub-Committee.

There was no other business.

RESOLVED: That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

RESOLVED, that under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Act.

To agree the non-public minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee held on the 10^th of December 2018.

RESOLVED- that the non-public minutes of the meeting held on 10 December 2018 be approved as a correct record.

Report of the Town Clerk.

Members considered a report of the Town Clerk regarding non-public actions arising from previous meetings.

Report of the Superintendent of Parks and Gardens.

Members noted the non-public appendix to the Park Manager’s Update.

There were no questions considered in the non-public session.

There was no items of urgent business considered in the non-public session.