To receive any announcements from the Leader of the Council.
Minutes:
The Leader of the Council thanked the council for their kind words. She said she had overseen many big projects in her time as Leader that she was proud of such as Hertford Theatre and the District Plan which had taken a lot of work with residents.
Councillor Haysey asked her Executive Member colleagues to provide updates in their remits.
Councillor E Buckmaster said that in spite of difficult economic circumstances, the council had completed and opened Grange Paddocks which now saw membership above pre-pandemic levels and the 3G pitch. The council’s leisure centres had exceeded the 1.1 million visits targeted in the original business plan. He said that Hartham Leisure Centre was due to open late in the summer. He said that progress was being made with the Castle Park project in partnership with Bishop’s Stortford Town Council and earlier issues with the skate park had been overcome.
Councillor Goodeve updated the Council on projects in her remit. She said since the adoption of the District Plan, 2,635 dwellings had been delivered, 792 of these were affordable homes. She said that the Council had continued its trend of annual improvements on the Housing Delivery Test, last year (2022) being able to demonstrate a 130% delivery rate meaning that the Council is not only meeting its housing need, but was also addressing the undersupply of previous years as well. The council had also seen increased contributions for vital infrastructure spending, with over £3million of S106 monies given to 27 projects in 2021/22.
She said that the Council has continued to provide support to
communities undertaking work on a Neighbourhood Plan and 12
Neighbourhood Plans had been adopted across the district, with
an award for plan-making going to the Gilston Area Neighbourhood
Plan.
In
relation to Economic Development, the council had launched town
centre co-working space to accommodate the needs of freelancers,
entrepreneurs and small businesses in Bishop’s Stortford and
Ware and had established a Business Improvement District to support
Bishop’s Stortford and its business community to thrive. She
said that East Herts Council had helped 35 local businesses expand
or set up shop through a new premises grant scheme and had
submitted the East Herts UKSPF and Rural Prosperity Fund investment
plans – over £2m to be spent form this year until
25/26.
Councillor Goodeve said that the council was the first in the country to put in place a rigorous process for assessing taxi drivers' English competency which utilises online testing supported by artificial intelligence. This removes any risk of subjectivity. Also, she said that the council had the strictest emissions standards for taxis in Hertfordshire.
Councillor Kaye updated the council in relation to grant funding. He said the council launched the East Herts Lottery to help charities and local organisations to raise funds which to date, had generated more than £160k. He said that 28 grants had been given to community organisations to continue to operate during the pandemic. Councillor Kaye said that the council had given out hundreds of thousands of pounds in grants over the last four years.