Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any announcements from the Chairman.

The Chairman said that he had attended a number of events since the last meeting and said that of particular highlight was the Holocaust Memorial Day held in the Council Chamber which was very moving, both as an act of remembrance of past genocides but also a reminder that everyone had a role to play for a safer future. He said he had also attended a tree planting ceremony to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III in Hertford Caste.

The Chairman announced the sad news of the death of former councillor Michael McMullen who was a councillor for Hertford Rural ward from 1999 – 2023. The Chairman invited Members to share a few words. Councillor Deering, Crystall and Goldspink paid tribute to Michael McMullen and sent their best wishes and condolences to his family. A minute’s silence was held.

To receive any announcements from the Leader of the Council.

The Leader of the Council thanked Members for attending tonight’s meeting which had a full agenda.

To receive any Members’ apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Butcher, Clements, Dumont and Woolf.

To approve as a correct record and authorise the Chairman to sign the Minutes of the Council meetings held on 13 December 2023 and 18 January 2024.

Councillor Goldspink proposed, and Councillor Hill seconded a motion that the Minutes of the meeting held on 13 December 2023 and 18 January 2024 be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman. On being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the meeting held on 13 December 2023 and 18 January 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any Members' declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any petitions.

There were no petitions.

To receive any public questions.

The full responses to the submitted Public Questions can be found in the supplementaryhere.

To receive any Members' questions.

The full responses to the submitted Members’ Questions can be found in the supplementary here.

To receive a report from the Leader of the Council and to consider recommendations on the matters below:

The Leader of the Council presented a report setting out recommendations to the Council made by the Executive at its meeting on 13 February 2024.

The Leader of the Council presented the report. He said that the purpose of the report was to lay out what infrastructure was required and where and when it was needed to achieve the targets set out in the District Plan such as the number of houses required, sustainable travel and employment. He said that the delivery plan also provided the scale of infrastructure needed, the phasing of it, the costs, the priorities, who was responsible, who paid and identified funding gaps and how developer contributions were shared.

The Leader of the Council said that the plan needed updating after five years due to new local plans, the approvals of planning applications, changes to developer contributions and changes in costs. He said that the role of the document was to provide an evidence base for masterplanning and to assist planning officers in their future discussions to get the delivery of infrastructure at the right time and place. He said that the plan would be updated every 2-3 years to keep up with changes to needs and costs and it was important to endorse now as infrastructure delivery was a key part of achieving the council’s aims.

Councillor Crystall proposed that the recommendations in the report be supported. Councillor Marlow seconded the proposal.

Councillor E Buckmaster felt that the plan was something to be vigilant about as conditions could change over the next 20 years and there could be challenges around infrastructure delivery. He said that the delivery of infrastructure was so important so the plan should be looked at closely. 

Councillor Hollebon referred to pages 66 – 160 of the report and said she found them illegible and could not read the information. She asked for it to be presented in larger font next time.

Councillor Deering echoed the comments of Councillor E Buckmaster and said the Conservative group were supportive of the principle.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

        RESOLVED – That the HGGT IDP 2023 be approved to form part of the evidence base for the consideration of master plans, pre-application consideration, planning application considered and in relation to all other relevant development management processes in relation to the Garden Town.

The Executive Member for Wellbeing presented the Thriving Together health and wellbeing plan. She said that work had begun on the plan in the previous administration and a public survey had been carried out over the autumn in 2023 which received good feedback that has been incorporated into the plan. She said a focus group was held before Christmas to go through the updated version of the plan and the document was reviewed at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 16 January 2024. She said that there should be joint ownership of the plan by residents and councillors.

Councillor Hopewell proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Swainston seconded the proposal.

Councillor E Buckmaster said that it was good to see an update to this plan. He said that health and wellbeing was a broad subject and there was a balance to be struck over the role of the council. He said that there should be a strong emphasis on activity fitness, culture, the arts and planning who all have a role to play. He felt that the council had a role to be play with the integrated care partnership and Hertfordshire County Council with social care.

Councillor Carter said she was pleased to see a focus on children and young people as the Director of Public Health report 2019-2020 said that 8.2% of children in East Herts were living in low income families.

Councillor Deering said the Conservative group welcomed the report.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That the Thriving Together health and wellbeing plan for 2024-2027 be approved.

The Executive Member for Neighbourhoods presented the revised East Herts Council Safeguarding Policy and Procedure. She thanked the officers involved for their hard work and Councillor Boylan for his previous work on the policy and his continuing assistance. She said that the policy was last reviewed in 2020 and the amended version incorporated many changes which were listed at paragraph 2.11 of the report.

The Executive Member for Neighbourhoods said that the Independent Chair of the Hertfordshire Safeguarding Board had reviewed the policy and was very complimentary of it. She said that the new policy had an overview section at the beginning which provided clear guidelines to give everybody confidence in dealing with safeguarding matters.

Councillor Goldspink proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Daar seconded the proposal.

Councillor Deering said the policy was very good and the Conservative group supported it.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That the revised Safeguarding Policy be adopted.

Report to follow

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability presented the Budget 2024/25 and Medium Term Financial Plan report. He said the Council were legally required to set a balanced budget and the proposal in the report did this. He ran through the highlights of the budget report including the Transforming East Herts programme, a 7.2% increase in government grants from the New Burdens Funding and New Homes Bonus, the increased cost of servicing debt, the council’s low levels of reserves and a recommended 2.99% increase in Council Tax.

Councillor Brittain proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Goldspink seconded the proposal.

Councillor Williamson thanked the Executive Member for the report and said he had a few comments. Firstly, within the Medium Term Financial Plan, the cost of capital was clear but the income from investments made by the council were not so visible in the net costs of services. Secondly, referring to paragraph 1.9 of the report and the savings under officer delegations, he said it would be helpful if the impacts of these £1.1million savings were explained further. Thirdly, he said that the £1.7 million future spend on the Old River Lane project was a lot of money for a temporary public square concept. He referred to the £170,000 spend on the church hall and was not convinced that this represented good value for money and if this money was not spent, there would be £15,000 less pressure on the revenue budget. Lastly, he said that there were rumours in the district that the council was already bankrupt and he asked the Executive Member to allay these fears and reassure the public that the council was not bankrupt.

Councillor Williamson proposed an amendment to the recommendations in the report. He proposed to remove Recommendation C. Councillor Devonshire seconded this proposal.

Councillor Brittain responded to the points raised by Councillor Williamson. He said the point about separating other sources of income from investments was valid and would look to amend this in the future. He said that he was happy to come back with more information on the officer delegated savings but he assured Members that there was no impact on services and they related to efficiency savings. He said that he had not heard the rumours but he reassured residents and Members that the council was not going bankrupt.

Councillor Estop said that she opposed the amendment. She said the hall had not been looked after but it was structurally sound and was used regularly by the community. She said it had been designated an Asset of Community Value so was protected by planning policy.

Councillor Swainston said that she also opposed the amendment and said that the council could not get rid of an Asset of Community Value.

Councillor Goldspink said she opposed the amendment and referred to Policy BISH8 says that no community hall which was valuable should be destroyed unless adequate or a better replacement was built. She said that until such time, the hall  ...  view the full minutes text for item 352.

Report to follow

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability presented the report and said the capital strategy showed the financial position of the council and the costs of servicing existing debts. He said that the position of the council meant that it could not afford any new major projects and the Old River Lane project would be paused until the costs of borrowing had been reduced.

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability said that capital assets were being reviewed to see if any could be sold to reduce debt and a cross party group had been set up to discuss the options. The group had agreed that assets would only be sold where interests of the community were protected and if there was a clear financial advantage to the council of doing so.

Councillor Brittain proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Adams seconded the proposal.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That (A) the Capital Strategy, Minimum Revenue Provision Policy and the Treasury Management Strategy 2024/25 including the Prudential Indicators contained within the reports be approved.

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability presented the Council Tax 2024/25 setting report. He said the report presented the final council tax bill and was required to be formally approved by Council.

Councillor Brittain proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Adams seconded the proposal.

The motion to support the recommendations having been proposed and seconded was put to a recorded vote and the result was as follows:

FOR

Councillors Adams, Andrews, Boylan, Brittain, E Buckmaster, R Buckmaster, Bull, Burt, Carter, Connolly, Copley, Cox, Crystall, Daar, Deering, Deffley, Devonshire, Dunlop, Estop, Glover-Ward, Goldspink, Hart, Hill, Hollebon, Holt, Hopewell, Horner, Hoskin, Jacobs, Marlow, McAndrew, Nicholls, Parsad-Wyatt, Redfern, Smith, Stowe, Swainston, Thomas, Townsend, Watson, Willcocks, Williamson, Wilson, Woollcombe, Wyllie (45)

AGAINST

None

ABSTAINED

None

RESOLVED – That (A) the Council Tax resolution, as now submitted at Appendix A, be approved;

(B) the local precepts as set out at Appendix ‘A’ be noted; and

(C) the Hertfordshire County Council and Police & Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire precepts be noted.

The Leader of the Council presented the East Herts Corporate Plan and said the plan had been developed alongside the budget for 2024/25 and set out the priorities that the joint administration wanted to focus on for the next three years. He said the administration had used LEAF as an acronym to organise these priorities into: Listening, open and transparent, Environmentally focussed, Acting with the community and Fair and inclusive. He said that there would be quarterly progress reports on these priorities and use feedback from consultations to refresh this plan annually.

Councillor Crystall proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Wilson seconded the proposal.

Councillor McAndrew said he welcomed the continuity from the previous administration. He referred to the corporate plan encouraging digital communication channels.

Councillor Crystall said that it was moving that way and had been started under the previous administration and this was continuing.

Councillor E Buckmaster said he felt that there needed to be a common branding of initiatives across local authorities, for example East Herts Council and Hertfordshire County Council had different tag lines for air quality.

Councillor Woollcombe expressed his support for the plan. He questioned the commitment to explore replacing the Leader and Executive system of governance to a committee system. He asked the Leader to explain what that meant and when the council would receive a proposal on the subject.

Councillor Crystall said the administration would start to investigate the possible impacts of a change in governance system and would involve a cross party working group. He said the initial thinking would be that this would start before the end of the year.

Councillor Hart asked about the commitment to investigating ways of providing affordable housing.

Councillor Goldspink said the priorities in the corporate plan referred to policies over and above what happened in the planning application process. She said a few options were going to be explored and she would report back to Council when these were definite.

Councillor Devonshire asked how the committee system would work.

Councillor Crystall said that decisions would be made within politically balanced committee groups.

Councillor Deering said he thought the plan was good and was pleased to see a continuation of themes from the previous administration. He also referred to the committee system and said that reorganisation could cost money. He asked Councillor Goldspink if she could share some of the proposed plans for affordable housing.

Councillor Crystall said that the administration was exploring the committee system and said there were benefits in its decision making by involving more councillors from all parties. He said he would update the Council when he knew more.

Councillor Goldspink said there could be ways for the council to build its own affordable housing but land needed to be identified for this.

Councillor Wilson said the corporate plan was partly about improving ways of reaching different people to engage in the activities of the council.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded  ...  view the full minutes text for item 355.

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability presented the Annual Treasury Management Review 2022/23 report. He said this was required under the Local Government Act 2003 to ensure the council could maintain an adequate cash flow. He said the report met the requirements of CIPFA and the report had been reviewed by the Audit and Governance Committee in November 2023.

Councillor Brittain proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Thomas seconded the proposal.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That the Annual Treasury Management Review and Prudential Indicators for 2022/23 be approved.

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability presented the Treasury Management Mid-Year Review 2023/24 report. He said it was the mid-year version of the previous report and had been reviewed by the Audit and Governance Committee in January 2024.

Councillor Brittain proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Copley seconded the proposal.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – That the Mid-Year Treasury Management Review and Prudential Indicators for 2023/24

The Executive Member for Financial Sustainability presented the Millstream 30 Year Business Plan 2024/25 report. He said that the council’s property investment company had now been operating for six years and it provided an income of £160,000 a year to the council which was built into the budget and reduces need for savings. He explained that there had been significant national regulations that had restricted the company in its aims.

One of the Directors of Millstream spoke to the meeting. He said that Millstream owned 18 properties in East Herts with rents typically at the entry level of the private rent market. He said any works carried out to the properties were done by local contractors which in turn helped the local economy. He said that the 2024/25 business plan show the company was in a sound position to provide the income to the council.

 Councillor Brittain proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Swainston seconded the proposal.

Councillor Williamson said that when the company was set up, it was an exciting project, and it was disappointing that external constraints had been put on the company and could not expand its operations. He said however, it was rewarding to hear it was still bringing in revenue to the council.

Councillor Wyllie asked why documents were showing as outstanding on Companies House.

The Director of Millstream said he would take that away and investigate immediately as the paperwork had been completed.

Councillor Deering said that the company had been set up under the previous administration and was pleased to see it being maintained and making a welcome contribution to the council.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED - That Millstream Property Investment Ltd’s 2024/25 30 Year Business Plan, presented in the EXEMPT Appendix A, be approved

The Executive Member for Neighbourhoods presented the report on behalf of the Executive Member for Corporate Services. She said that the council was required to produce a pay policy statement annually under Section 38 of the Localism Act. The pay policy must set out the authority’s policies relating to the remuneration of chief officers and the lowest paid employees.

Councillor Goldspink proposed that the recommendation in the report be supported. Councillor Carter seconded the proposal.

Councillor Carter said the council’s staff had all worked extremely hard and had dealt with huge changes such as new digital services and a new administration. She said as a new councillor, she had appreciated their help and support.

The motion to support the recommendation having been proposed and seconded was put to the meeting and upon a vote being taken, was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the Pay Policy Statement 2024/25 be approved.

To receive Motions on Notice.

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services drew Members’ attention to the last paragraph of the motion which suggested writing to Thames Water threatening to serve them with a noise abatement notice. He said that if Members were minded to pass the motion, the wording would need to be amended as the council could not consider serving notice until a proper investigation had been carried out.

Councillor Cox requested a recorded vote on the motion. He did not receive the support of five Members so the request fell.

Councillor Cox presented his motion on notice. Councillor Woollcombe seconded the motion and reserved his right to speak.

Councillor Glover-Ward responded to the motion and thanked Councillor Cox for his well-intentioned motion as there were significant water resources challenges facing East Herts. She said that the council needed to have regard to the Thames Water Basin Management Plan in line with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive. She said that quality of water was an important consideration and measures to safeguard water sources were included in policy WAT2 of the District Plan.

There were, however, multiple organisations that had roles and responsibilities to respond to these challenges, and it was important to remember that the Council’s responsibility, as detailed in Section 83 of the Water Act 2003 was to conserve water.

Councillor Glover-Ward said that the council was already meeting its responsibility on conserving water. The District Plan stated that East Herts was facing high water stress (paragraph 23.4.5) and acknowledged the high per head per day water usage in East Herts of 160 litres which was 10 litres per day more than national norms. To address this, Policy WAT4 included a specific water target of 110 litres per head per day. She said that strengthening this target could be proactively considered through the District Plan update. East Herts planners have already discussed a reduced target with the Environment Agency (EA) who would be supportive of East Herts pursuing similar increased water efficiency gains.

Councillor Glover-Ward added that the Hertfordshire Water Study 2017 was over six years old, and the council would produce an updated Water Cycle Study to inform the District Plan update. This work would identify where water management/quality issues may be occurring in East Herts, and in turn what solutions may be appropriate plus will support any policy changes in the revised District Plan. She said that the importance of Hertfordshire’s chalk streams could not be underestimated as a rare and beautiful habitat and the council’s planning policy team was already working with the EA to ensure that the findings of the CaBA (Catchment Based Approach) Chalk Stream Restoration Strategy, published in October 2021, were incorporated into the District Plan update.

Councillor Glover-Ward said that in the future, the council would only be able to plan for the new homes that were needed, if it had evidence from the water industry that demonstrated that there would be an adequate water supply without causing unacceptable harm to the environment.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 361.