Agenda item

Councillor V Shaw asked the Executive Member for Community Safety and Protection, why she had been told last week, that if a town council defaulted on its payment for CCTV cameras, East Herts Council would not be liable, when in the Executive papers of 11 January 2011, Agenda item 7, regarding the future plans for CCTV, the risk management implications had stated that there was no service level agreement with town councils and East Herts Council was vulnerable to councils withdrawing and not paying their contribution. 

In reply, the Executive Member asked whether Councillor V Shaw was suggesting that town councils were going to default.  He questioned whether this would happen, given the benefits resulting from the investment in CCTV cameras.  He stated that the Executive report of 11 January 2011, had detailed all the costs that East Herts Council would be liable for.  In the unlikely event that a town council did default, then East Herts Council would have to manage the risk, but not necessarily the costs.  Ultimately, the costs would be borne by the council taxpayer.

The Executive Member reminded Council of the ongoing work being carried out in exploring partnership opportunities and alternative funding sources with relevant stakeholders.  He hoped that all Members would support the forthcoming review of the Community Safety Strategy.

In response to a supplementary question, the Executive Member stated that, if there was a defaulting town council, there were a range of options that could be considered, such as withdrawing cameras, which would have an impact on security.  He referred to a number of recent decisions that had been taken to demonstrate the Council’s commitment to Ware.

Councillor A Burlton asked the Executive Member for Housing and Health if he was aware that East Herts PCT had told the dentists surgery at Thorley Community Centre that it was withdrawing its NHS funding with effect from last Friday, 25 February 2011 and that they would no longer be able to treat NHS patients.  He also asked if he was aware of any consultation that had been carried out with a huge number of patients spread over 3 wards in Bishop’s Stortford who had relied upon this practice for 25 years.

In reply, the Executive Member outlined the communications he had received on this matter before and since the 25 February 2011.  He expressed concern at the timing and believed that the short notice given was unacceptable.  He understood that a short term extension until the end of August 2011 had been granted, but that the PCT would have to determine arrangements beyond this date.  The Executive Member hoped that an amicable settlement could be reached and that patients would receive timely advice on the availability of an NHS dentist.

In response to a supplementary question, the Executive Member did not accept that residents in Bishop’s Stortford appeared to be treated worse than residents in the western part of the District.  He believed that service provision was there, but that perhaps, they were sufficiently publicised.  He was working with NHS providers and hoped that this issue would be addressed by the provision of a suitable document that informed local people.