Agenda item

Rough Sleeping

Patrick Streeter asked a question of the Chairman of the Community & Children’s Services Committee concerning rough sleeping in the City and the possible steps that might be taken to address the issue.

In response, the Chairman stressed the importance of distinguishing between rough sleeping and begging and set out the work that the Community & Children’s Services department was doing to address rough sleeping. He made reference to the significant collaboration with the City of London Police, homelessness charities, City churches and other City Corporation departments to tackle the issue.

Sir John Cass Foundation School

William Campbell-Taylor sought and obtained the leave of the Court to defer his question, to be asked of the Chairman of the Community & Children’s Services Committee.

Bus Stop Relocation: Blackfriars Bridge

Wendy Mead asked a question of the Chairman of the Planning and Transportation Committee concerning the proposed relocation of a bus stop as part of the cycle superhighway plans.

The Chairman set out the rationale behind Transport for London’s (TfL) decision, noting the anticipated negative impact on road users were the bus stop to instead be relocated to the north end of Blackfriars Bridge. Responding to a supplementary question from Wendy Mead regarding the consultation process and the decision to relocate a bus stop in Tower Ward in the face of similar objections, the Chairman clarified that the proposals had been subject to TfL consultation in November 2014 and that no objections had been received; further, the proposals had only been approved on a trial basis to allow for their efficacy to be ascertained. He also added that the relocation of a bus stop in Tower Ward had not yet been formally agreed as it was contingent upon additional financial resources which had not yet been identified.

In reply to a further supplementary question from Gregory Jones, in which it was suggested that flaws in TfL’s consultation process and plans merited the proposals being reconsidered by the Streets & Walkways Sub Committee, the Chairman reiterated that the current proposals had been approved only on a temporary basis as what were known as ‘experimental orders’. These experimental orders had been approved in response to the concerns which had been raised about the changes to streets, traffic flow and the impact on residents and occupiers in area, and would provide an opportunity for the plans to be reconsidered should they prove inappropriate.