Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Kaye.

The Leader of the Council welcomed Members and Officers to the meeting. She also welcomed Matthew Collings who was the Council’s external legal advisor for the Gilston Area.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 8 February 2022.

Councillor Haysey proposed, and Councillor Williamson seconded a motion that the Minutes of the meeting held on 8 February 2022 be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Leader. On being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the meeting held on 8 February 2022 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Leader.

To receive any Member(s) declaration(s) of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive a report of the Committee Chairman.

Councillor Haysey noted the comments and recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Digital Exclusion. She said that the council was aware that not everyone was able to access services on the internet and assured Members that those who were unable to access services online will still be catered for at the council.

To receive a report of the Committee Chairman.

Councillor Pope, Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committee, updated the Executive on the external audit position. He hoped that Council would be able to sign off the accounts in May.

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability presented the Discretionary Energy Rebate Scheme. He said that the government scheme to award a £150 fuel rebate to households had been well publicised and the government were providing local authorities with additional funding to introduce discretionary schemes to reach those vulnerable households that did not benefit from the standard scheme.

Councillor Williamson said that East Herts had been provided with approximately £250,000 and the proposed scheme is outlined in paragraph 2.4 of the report. He said that the funding had to be spent by November 2022 and any leftover was to be returned to the government and so after the first application window has closed, the criteria will be reassessed and varied accordingly to use the full funding.

Councillor Redfern asked whether Members would be informed of how many households had been helped and how much of the funding spent. She asked how the grant would be allocated and if individuals would have to apply.

The Head of the Revenues and Benefits Shared Service said the number of households in receipt of the scheme would be added to the Members Information Bulletin weekly. She confirmed that individuals were required to apply in order to carry out pre and post payment verification. She said that the council can prompt a claim for those households who were in receipt of Council Tax Support and Housing Benefit.

Councillor Pope asked how the administration of the scheme would impact on the department’s workload.

The Head of the Revenues and Benefits Shared Service said the discretionary scheme was not too onerous but the main scheme would have a significant impact as there were over 30,000 houses in East Herts in Bands A-D.

Councillor Williamson proposed, and Councillor Cutting seconded a motion supporting the recommendations in the report. On being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That (A) the Discretionary Energy Rebate Scheme as detailed at paragraph 2.4 in the report be approved; and

(B)       the Head of Revenues and Benefits Shared Service in conjunction with the Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Financial Sustainability, amend the scheme criteria for any subsequent rounds of applications if allocated funding is not distributed in full in the first round (see paragraph 2.4(h))

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability presented the Waste Shared Service Governance Report which set the scene for the future of waste and street cleansing in partnership with North Herts District Council. He said there was a recommended to support a cross party joint working group with North Herts to look at the strategic direction and design of the contract which will come into effect from 2025.

Councillor McAndrew said that an aligned service made it more attractive to the market when out for tender and in the coming years, there will be significant legislative changes affecting waste management and it was prudent that the contract and the service was fit for purpose and sustainable for the future.

Councillor Redfern asked if the Executive Member knew what the cross party working group would look like or if it was too early to say.

Councillor McAndrew confirmed it was too early to say.

Councillor Redfern asked if Members would have an opportunity to scrutinise the group’s recommendations.

Councillor McAndrew said the recommendation would go through the committee cycle.

Councillor McAndrew proposed, and Councillor Buckmaster seconded a motion supporting the recommendations in the report. On being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That (A) the comments from Overview and Scrutiny Committee, as shown in Appendix B, be considered and the recommended actions endorsed;
 

(B)       the new overarching aim of the shared services and principles outlined in 3.10 and 3.12 be agreed;

(C)       The formation of a joint cross party working group be endorsed. The terms of reference for which are outlined in Appendix A and the outline work programme described in 3.19;

(D)      the future options be explored and agreed for governance of the Shared Waste Service, including consideration of a joint committee consisting of representation by both East Herts Council and North Herts Council.

The Leader of the Council presented the Gilston Area Compulsory Purchase Order Report. The report follows the consideration of the matter by Executive and Council in October 2020, when it was decided, in principle, to proceed with a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) in the Gilston Area if it was necessary to enable essential infrastructure to be delivered to support development in the Gilston Area and wider Garden Town.

That essential infrastructure comprises the enhancement of the existing A414 River Stort crossing between the Gilston Area and Harlow, and the construction of a new eastern River Stort crossing,  together identified as ‘the Crossings’.  As indicated, the Crossings are required to enable the delivery of housing in the Gilston Area and across the wider Harlow and Gilston Garden Town.

At the meeting of the Development Management Committee of 22 February 2022, the Committee considered planning applications for the Crossings and, after very careful and lengthy consideration, determined that planning permissions be granted.  As the Crossings span the boundary between East Herts and Harlow, Harlow District Council has also considered and determined planning applications permitting the development to proceed.

The applicant for the Crossings is Places for People (PfP), the owner of the majority of the Gilston Area allocation in the District Plan and sufficient to enable 8,500 of the planned 10,000 new homes to be delivered.   PfP has also sought to acquire by agreement all the land necessary to enable the Crossings to be built.  However, despite ongoing negotiations with current landowners, it has not been possible for it to do so and, as a result, it is now necessary for the Council to determine whether or not to proceed with a CPO.

The delivery of the Crossings is essential to enable the delivery of development in the Gilston Area and the wider Garden Town.  Without their construction the Council and the wider Garden Town partners will not be able to achieve the aspirations set out in the Garden Town Vision and elsewhere.  Primary amongst these is the desire to achieve development that moves away from reliance for transport on the private vehicle and instead enables the majority of journeys to be undertaken by healthy and active transport modes – walking, cycling and public transport.

For those reasons alone, and given the ongoing inability of the applicant to secure all the land necessary to deliver the Crossings, it is now necessary to proceed with CPO action.

Executive Members will have had regard to the full details of the case, which supports the need to move ahead with a CPO, and which is set out in the report and the appendices.

Given the cross boundary nature of the Crossings, the need for CPO action has already been considered by Cabinet at Harlow DC at its meeting of 24 March 2022.  It has already resolved to proceed with a CPO.  The report seeks to delegate to Officers the authority to execute all the detailed matters and actions necessary to proceed with a CPO.  In  ...  view the full minutes text for item 416.

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability presented the Financial Management Quarter 3 Forecast to Year End Report. The report stated the council’s financial position in relation to the 2021/22 budget at the end of December. He said that the predicted outturn was currently a £95,000 overspend but it was not unusual to show an overspend at this stage of the cycle.

Councillor Williamson proposed, and Councillor Boylan seconded a motion supporting the recommendations in the report. On being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That (A) the net revenue budget forecast overspend of £95k in 2021/22 be noted (table 1); and

(B) the revised capital budget of £56.676m for 2021/22, has a forecast underspend of £27.669m, of which £27.603m will be carried forward to 2022/23 (appendix A) be noted.

To consider such other business as, in the opinion of the Chairman of the meeting, is of sufficient urgency to warrant consideration and is not likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information.

There was no urgent business.