Decision details

The Executive Member for Sustainability submitted a report which set out the Council’s aspirations within Hertfordshire County Council’s Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) and the principles relating to the conditions for achieving Sustainable Travel Town status. The Executive Member said that the Council championed sustainability and that it would influence and encourage others to be more environmentally sustainable. He referred to the criteria developed by HCC which was being introduced to support travel towns sustainability. 

The Executive Member said that meeting the criteria would be challenging. He said that the principles fitted those of this Council and that he would be recommending to full Council that East Herts supported the aspirations of the LTP4 and the Sustainable Travel Town criteria and would support towns who wished to submit bids to achieve this status. 

The Leader said that the report set out our aspirations and that the Council would support towns who wished to do this as a way forward as it supported the Council’s commitment to the “green” agenda.

Councillor Goldspink queried the authority of “Shaping Stortford” to submit a bid on Bishop’s Stortford behalf, and whether this committee reported to East Herts Council.  She felt that it should report to Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Councillor McAndrew explained the group’s composition. The Deputy Chief Executive further expanded on this information including the remit of the group.  She explained that any entity could submit a sustainability travel bid. She said that the minutes and any other documents of their meeting were transparent and were publically available and on their website. The Leader asked that the Member be provided with a link to the “Shaping Stortford” website Minutes.

Councillor Crystall said that of the three towns only Bishop’s Stortford Town was directly supported by East Herts in the report. He queried whether Officers had looked at the three towns and whether the Council should support any of the other towns to help them achieve travel town sustainability status? The Executive Member for Sustainability explained that 10 applications had been submitted, three from East Herts, none had gone through the District Council. He said the first week of December would determine who had been successful but for those who had not been successful, HCC would work with the applicants to get them further along to match the criteria. 

Councillor Buckmaster said that he did not feel that it was necessary to show preferential support as this was inherent within the principle and recommendation.

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

RESOLVED – to recommend to Council that (A) East Herts Council supports in principle, the aspirations of the LTP4 and the Sustainable Travel Town criteria; and

(B)East Herts supports, in principle, towns wishing to submit bids for Sustainable Travel Town Status.