Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

An apology for absence was submitted from Councillor Thomas.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 November 2024.

Councillor Nicholls proposed, and Councillor Clements seconded, a motion that the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 November 2024 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 November 2024, be confirmed as a correct record, and signed by the Chair.

The Chair reminded Members to use the microphones as the meeting was being webcast. He also reminded Members of the Joint Meeting of Scrutiny Committees scheduled for 29 January 2025, to consider and scrutinise the budget.

To receive any Members’ Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability submitted a report that presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee the draft version of the Parking Strategy for East Hertfordshire following public consultation and engagement.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability said that this draft version of the strategy document was one that he would like to see challenged and thought through following the public consultation and engagement. He detailed the recommendations and set out the background to the report in terms of the East Herts corporate plan and the climate emergency.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability said that in February 2024, Council had approved a £1.75m income target for parking for the financial years 2025/26 through to 2027/28 and this document set the strategic context and principles by which changes might be approved to support the achievement of income and the wider ambitions of the council.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability set out the process that had led to the development of the strategy and said that there had been just over 1,700 responses in autumn 2024. The Executive Member set out the three strategic aims of the parking strategy which were linked back to the corporate plan and the other associated strategies detailed on page 6 of the report.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability said that in a number of areas pricing had been used as a behavioural change tool and the strategic aims had guided the three key objectives which had determined the actions for delivery. He said that the three objectives for delivery actions were alternative, balanced, and considerate. He summarised these objectives and said that there were 22 actions that underpinned these objectives and they fell into short, medium, and long-term categories.

The Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability said that to be successful in delivering these actions, the council recognised that it could not be the direct deliverer of change in all instances and could not operate alone. Members were advised that the council must work with partners to maximise its impact, and to this end the Executive Member set out the roles that the council would adopt. He invited Members to debate the 2025 draft parking strategy.

Councillor Buckmaster said that he had read through the sentiments around behaviour change and acknowledged that it was generally difficult to achieve. He said that he could see some of the thinking around some of the movement of people, for example to Northgate End. He acknowledged that this would potentially free up assets for sale.

Councillor Buckmaster referred to Sawbridgeworth and the change from long term to short term would lead to an increase of up to 55% on charges for people parking for 1 to 2 hours, which was a large jump. He talked about a reduction in long term commuter parking, and also touched upon the difficulties of balancing considerations. He referred to a resident having to drive to a GP appointment and paying a lot more than they were used to.

Councillor Boylan referred  ...  view the full minutes text for item 290.

The Executive Member for Corporate Services submitted a report that provided information on the council’s approach to digital services and how it currently accommodated those who were digitally excluded.

The Executive Member for Corporate Services said that as the way in which the council worked changed, it was important that organisations such as East Herts Council reflected and made sure changes were being made in the right way. Members were advised that the council had made significant strides in respect of digital transformation.

The Executive Member for Corporate Services explained that the customers who accessed the council’s services in person were often the ones with the most complex needs. He explained that this group of customers currently represented two to three percent of interactions with the public. Members were advised that the council’s approach to customer services provision would continue to be driven by data to ensure that residents needs were being met.

The Executive Member said that approximately 80% of face-to-face contact which the council had with customers was related to council tax and benefits, and that this was quite a significant increase of around 50% from the spring of 2023 when service contacts were more evenly spread across various departments and service areas.

The Executive Member said that to address digital exclusion, the council had kept its receptions open for walk ins, and residents could also book appointments if they found this to be convenient. The council had also held face to face consultations in public spaces in line with the corporate plan objective of being a listening council.

The Executive Member for Corporate Services said that the receptions had reopened for face-to-face services on a phased basis following the COVID-19 lockdowns, and he detailed the opening hours in Bishop’s Stortford and Hertford.

The Executive Member for Corporate Services said that although face-to-face demand continued to decrease, the council had continued to provide access for those who needed to engage with the council face-to-face. He acknowledged that for a small number of customers, the online systems for Resident Parking Zones (RPZs) permits may not be ideal. Members were advised that the technology that was in place did not offer the flexibility that some residents would prefer.

The Executive Member said that the council continued to provide paper RPZ permits for residents that visited the council offices. He said that the council would continue to learn from best practice and digital exclusion was not something that was unique to local authorities. Members were advised that other forward-thinking councils had partnered with business and agencies to address any concerns.

The Executive Member for Corporate Services said that the council would continue to learn from the experiences of other businesses and agencies where possible. He said that the council’s commitment to inclusivity remained at the core of the approach to digital exclusion and that the council would ensure that residents who chose not to use digital services, or those who were not able to, were fully supported and that this work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 291.

The Chair referenced an email from the Head of Legal and Democratic Services. The Chair and the Committee Support Officer explained that the affordable housing scrutiny proposal form hadn’t been received ahead of the meeting. The topic would therefore now be moved forward in the work programme to the meeting in June. The same rule would apply to other items in the work programme where a scrutiny proposal form was required.

Councillor Boylan said that scrutiny proposal forms should form part of the agenda of these meetings, and Overview and Scrutiny Members could then discuss and then agree the proposals. The Committee Support Officer explained why the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) had been moved to the meeting in March 2025 with the consent of the Chair.

The Head of Communication, Strategy and Policy briefly set out the themes of the item that would be coming to meeting on 4^th March 2025 in respect of the UKSPF. The Chair explained that not every item on the work programme needed a scrutiny proposal form as some of the items were brought to the committee by the Executive.

Councillor Carter mentioned section 106 funding in terms of how this process worked and how section 106 monies were allocated. The Committee Support Officer invited the committee to consider the work programme well beyond March and June 2025. He referred to an action from November 2023 that the Committee review Development Management Forums within two years of when these were set up, subject to the when the Head of Planning and Building Control wished to present this matter back to the Committee.

Members were advised that a workshop was held on 11 June 2024 where the Committee got together to consider work programme topics. The Committee Support Officer said that another workshop could be arranged, or Members could have proactive discussions offline about potential topics for the work programme going forward.

The Committee Support Officer reminded Members that the work programme should be Member led, subject to matters brought forward from the Executive. Councillor Andrews welcomed the helpful suggestion of short-timed workshop to discuss the work programme.

Councillor Carter said that it was important to refresh ideas and topics which were immediately important at a short workshop. Councillor Swainston said it was very reasonable to get the scrutiny proposal forms submitted in a timely manner to give officers time to respond. She said the committee should be scrutinising Executive decisions.

The Chair said that a consensus was emerging that a work programme workshop would be useful, and he said that would consult with the Vice-Chair and then consider whether this would be held in person or online.

The Committee Support encouraged any Member of the Committee to take the lead on completing the scrutiny proposal form in respect of affordable housing in discussion with other Members of the Committee.

Councillor Clements mentioned the possible discussion of BEAM around the end of 2025 once the theatre had been operation for a year. Councillor Nicholls  ...  view the full minutes text for item 292.

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.