| Time: | 7.30pm | Place: | Brotherhood Hall, Gernon Road, Letchworth Garden City |
| PRESENT: | Councillor Mike Rice (Chairman), Councillor Paul Marment (Vice-Chairman), Councillor Clare Billing, Councillor Gary Grindal, Councillor T.W. Hone, Councillor Ian Mantle and Councillor Mrs L.A. Needham. NB Councillor Gary Grindal arrived at 7.32 p.m. |
| IN ATTENDANCE: | Simon Ellis (Development and Conservation Manager), Claire Morgan (Communities Officer) and Hilary Dineen (Committee and Member Services Officer). |
| ALSO PRESENT: | At the start of the meeting 12 members of the public. |
| Meeting attachments |
Agenda Front Sheet Audio Recording of Meeting |
| Item | Description/Resolution | Status | Action | |
| PART I | ||||
| 59 |
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from Councillors John Booth, Julian Cunningham, Lorna Kercher and David Levett. |
Noted | ||
| 60 |
MINUTES Minutes RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 7 December 2016 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chairman. |
Agreed | ||
| 61 |
NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS There was no other business notified. |
Noted | ||
| 62 |
CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS (1) The Chairman welcomed those present at the meeting, especially those who had attended to give a presentation; (2) The Chairman advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be audio recorded; (3) The Chairman drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question. |
Agreed | ||
| 63 |
HERTFORDSHIRE CONSTABULARY Sergeant Al Clarke (Hertfordshire Constabulary) thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal update on the issues being addressed by the Hertfordshire Constabulary in the Letchworth area as follows: CRIME STATISTICS All Crime - Letchworth - 14.8 percent increase in crime (252 extra offences); - North Herts - 14.8 percent increase; - Hertfordshire - 14.4 percent increase. Whilst there had been an increase in crime in Letchworth, it had been in line with the County figures. Outcome Rate - Letchworth - 25.9 percent - North Herts - 23.2 percent - Hertfordshire - 22.7 percent Letchworth had the highest outcome rate in North Herts. Violent Crime There had been a small increase in violent crime but there was a good outcome rate of 29 percent. There were no current concerns in this area. Domestic Abuse One third of violent crime cases were domestic abuse of which 100 out of 380 cases had been solved. There was a domestic abuse policy which was achieving results and Police in North Herts were proud of the outcome rate of 32.5 percent. Robbery There had been a small increase in robbery cases but a good outcome rate of 50 percent of cased solved. Anti Social Behaviour - North Herts - 24 percent increase - Hertfordshire - 22 percent increase There was a change in the way that anti social behaviour was recorded and this figure now included fly-tipping and graffiti. The anti social behaviour team had been given new powers under legislation and can now close premises and issue orders. The success in North Herts was predominantly due the closure orders and warning that a Community Protection Notice could be issued seemed to have the desired effect. Serious Sexual Offences There had been a reduction of 6 serious sexual offences and a 40 percent reduction in rape. Assault with Injury There had been an increase, but there was a 40 percent outcome rate. Shoplifting There had been 47 more offences but a 40 percent increase in outcome rates. The Police had a good relationship with local shops and Shopwatch was a useful tool used locally. Burglary - Letchworth - 7 percent increase - North Herts - 12 percent increase The area was susceptible to travelling criminality but there were specific units addressing this. Damage to Motor Vehicles There was an increase of 32 offences, mainly entry to transit vans and taking of wing mirror covers. NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH AND OWL - There were currently 9,500 members of Neighbourhood watch; - 270 messages had been sent using the OWL system in the last 6 months; - There was a steering group to consider Neighbourhood Watch and OWL. Sergeant Clarke concluded by stating that North Herts was a very safe place. Members asked whether there had been an increase in racial crime since Brexit and asked about use of the quad bikes. Sergeant Clarke advised that there had been no increase noted in racial crime. In respect of the quad bikes one was stored in Hitchin and the other in Royston and they had mainly been used for tackling anti social behaviour such as use of off road bikes and vehicles. Members asked for update regarding the 3 murders in North Herts and how much resources diverted to these had affected local policing. Sergeant Clarks confirmed that there had been 3 murders in North Herts of which 2 had been in Letchworth. Both had been solved and the offenders were part of the family. Local resources were diverted in the first instance, but then the Major Crime Squad took over therefore there was not a significant impact on local policing. The Chairman informed Sergeant Clark that Members held a surgery in Letchworth Town Centre and that he was welcome to attend these. The Chairman thanked Sergeant Clarke for his presentation and for the work he and his team undertook for the Letchworth area. RESOLVED: That the Communities Officer be requested to invite Sergeant Clarke to all future Letchworth Surgeries. REASON FOR DECISION: To encourage community engagement and partnership working with the Police. |
Agreed | ||
| 64 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - LETCHWORTH ISLAMIC SOCIETY Ms Nadia Yusuf thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation on the activities of the Letchworth Islamic Society and its aims and plans for the future. Ms Yusuf informed Members that they hoped to take on the Grange Youth Wing and had been liaising with the Communities Officer whilst working towards this aim. The Letchworth Islamic Society was started in 2009 and was available to all members of the public. They undertook various work and activities including: - Encouraging and taking part in inter faith dialogue; - Addressing the misunderstandings portrayed in the media; - Provide religious education; - History walks; - Cultural exhibitions. The Society's strength had been the ability to interact and build relationships with the community including other faiths and they had particularly good relationships with St Thomas Church and St Christopher's School. They had members with a wide experience of engagement including social workers and counsellors. They had been unable to expand due to a lack of space and were looking to take on the Grange Youth Wing with the view of engaging with the local community and building bridges. The Society had a business plan that demonstrated what could be achieved if they had more space. Hertfordshire was a very friendly and tolerant place that was willing to learn about other cultures and the Society wanted to break down barriers and show that they were the same as everyone else. Members asked how busy the Letchworth Islamic Society was Ms Yusuf advised that they currently had 12 children taking lessons, but the number was restricted by capacity. There were approximately 1,000 Muslims in Letchworth and they needed a place of worship. She advised that they were looking for the Letchworth Committee to support them taking on the Grange Youth Wing. The Communities Officer advised that she had been working with the Society for about a year and that their business plan had been submitted to NHDC officers and in response to a question advised that the lease on the Youth Wing was separate from that of the Community Association. Councillor Hone suggested that they contact him, as a County Councillor and in the absence of Councillor Kercher, to discuss whether the County Council could be of any help. The Chairman thanked Ms Yusuf for her presentation and stated that he would check with officers to see if the situation could be progressed. RESOLVED: That the work and activities of the Letchworth Islamic Society and their bid to operate from the Grange Youth Wing be noted. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Noted | ||
| 65 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - LETCHWORTH SUSTAINABILITY FORUM Mr Michael Underwood thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding the Letchworth Sustainability Forum. Mr Underwood advised that the Letchworth Sustainability Forum was set up to create a plan for Letchworth and it had a large agenda. On his last visit to the Committee he had discussed the proposed installation of water metres by Affinity Water. Since then they had opened a pop up shops over the Easter period, which attracted 250 visitors and had a stall at the May Day celebrations at Howard Gardens. At the Letchworth Festival Anglian Water ran a half hour scientific event for children which showed them what not to put down drains and sponsored and art c0ompettition that had 200 entries. They had made 16 submissions regarding the Local Plan, particularly about the nature of new buildings. They had good co-operation with different organisations and were working with the Communities Manager on some sustainable transport issues. The aim of this presentation was to consider what would come next as follows: - Those in fuel poverty would continue to find things difficult; - Talking with builders about the benefits of good quality housing - consider housing quality and performance, who benefitted and who would pay; - A lot of homes were poorly insulated - identify what could be done about energy savings in homes and how to encourage changes by residents and how to improve the quality of homes; - Consider whether actions could be identified and how to publicise those actions through mediums such as a film on the cinema or mobile phone apps; - Get a group of households to complete a workbook and continue to keep meeting. Mr Underwood concluded by asking Members to: - Comment on progress so far; - Consider how the forum could better engage with the community; - Whether the forum could help Councillors in their work in the community; - Consider any projects that could be undertaken. Members were appreciative of the work undertaken so far by the forum and suggested that there may be an opportunity for them to attend Councillor Surgeries as a way of engaging with the community. They suggested a pop-up shop to encourage recycling and place literature in the library and the Council Offices. The Chairman thanked Mr Underwood for his presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 66 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - IMPACT YOUTH CLUB Ms Heather Hart thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding the grant funding application for Impact Youth Club. Ms Hart informed Members that a group of parents in the Wilbury area had identified that there was a lack of organised activities for children and young people and, as a result, were starting the Impact Youth Club. The club would be open for 2 hours twice a week and would provide a range of activities including: - Art; - Board Games; - Table Tennis; - Pool; - Social interaction. Local businesses had expressed their willingness to help, with Tescos holding a sale for their benefit and the local PCSO had shown interest. They had so far held a very successful Halloween disco and had been raising funds. There were currently 5 volunteers some of which had already had DBS checks and first aid training. Impact was in the process of joining pro-action, who would then help with issues such as the remaining DBS checks. Advertising would be through the local schools, Tescos and by word of mouth. In respect of finances, they would be approaching the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation for support and would be charging 50p per child per session attended during the 45 weeks a year it would be open. Members asked when the sessions would be held, whether the club would be open to children from Westbury as well as those from Wilbury and what was the expected age range of those attending. Ms Hart advised that the club would be open on Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons, as this seemed to be the time when there were no other activities available and that children from the Westbury area would be welcomed. They would cater initially for 7-11 year olds, but older children would not be refused entry. Once it had operated for a while they would be able to work out the need. Members were supportive of the project, but expressed some concern about the previous project, operated by Child UK and funded by the LSP, that ceased operations. They noted that this was the first club in the area instigated and run by parents. Ms Hart informed Members that she was a governor of Icknield Scholl and that there were lots of volunteers willing to help with this club, which had empowered local people. The Chairman thanked Ms Hart for her presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 67 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - THE ALPHA PROGRAMME Prior to the item being discussed Councillor Terry Hone declared a declarable interest as the Alpha Programme used the facilities of Lordship Farm School for which he was a governor. He had also given funding from his County Council Locality Budget to the School. He advised that, as he had no connection with the Alpha Programme, he would remain in the room and take part in the debate and vote. Prior to the item being discussed Councillor Mike Rice declared a declarable interest as the Alpha Programme used the facilities of Lordship Farm School for which he was a governor. He advised that, as he had no connection with the Alpha Programme, he would remain in the room and take part in the debate and vote. Mr Mark Cortnage and Mr Steven Morgan thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding the grant funding application for the Alpha Programme. Mr Cortnage informed Members that the estimated cost of obesity to Hertfordshire was £480 million. This programme for men offered 60 minutes of activity each week such as football as well as discussions groups and education regarding nutrition, all aimed at weight loss and maintenance of wellbeing. Several members on the programme had achieved weight loss and maintained it and Mr Cortnage had submitted a research article regarding this. Men were a hard to reach group that required different methods of enticement to engage them in sport and exercise. There were currently 15 members aged from 35 to 64 from all over Letchworth and they wished to increase this number. Grant funding would help recruit new members. Members asked how the current participants had been recruited, what happened to those who had left the programme and what grant funding would be used for. Mr Morgan advised that they had started with a 12 week free pilot scheme and had built the numbers from that by trial and error. Men were very difficult to reach out to and to get through the door, but once engaged with the programme they stayed with it for an average of 6 months and a number of leavers returned at a later date. Mr Cortnange advised that grant funding would be used to encourage new members. Members asked for clarification as to whether the programme was purely activity based or whether there was also an element of diet and how many other sites they were operating. Mr Cortnange advised that he lectured in nutrition and therefore the programme was quite structured. Members paid £25 per month to get nutritional support as well as the structured football training. They currently had another totally separate group in St Albans, which they were deciding whether to continue or not. They had tried to discuss the programme with GP surgeries with the aim of getting them to encourage people to use the programme, but this had proved very difficult. Members suggested talking to the Letchworth Eagles. Mr Morgan advised that they had set up a referral scheme and had started a conversation, but had not yet received any referrals. Mr Morgan concluded by informing Members that the feedback from members had been positive and that they enjoyed the warm ups and the structured activity, which influenced their fitness levels. Chairman thanked Mr Cortnage and Mr Morgan for their presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 68 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - THE LIVING ROOM Ms Amanda Morgan thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding the grant funding application for the Living Room. Ms Morgan informed Members that the Living Room was an award winning addiction recovery charity that supported people with all addictions including eating disorders and gambling. The treatment success rate was much higher than average for instance the success rate for alcohol addiction at the Living Room was 55 percent as compared with the national success rate of 35 percent. One reason for this level of success was that all of the councillors had recovered from addiction themselves. In 2017/18 38 percent of their budget came from the County Council, but they relied on charitable donations for the remainder. The Living Room had submitted a grant application to help with the cost of delivering, in partnership with the North Herts Minority Ethnic Forum, a unique project to support people from ethnic minority groups suffering from addiction. It was estimated that: - 3 percent of the population was addicted to alcohol - 1.1 percent of the population was addicted to gambling equating to 197 people from Black and Ethnic Minority groups in North Herts - 1.2 percent of the population suffered from eating disorders, equating to 236 people from Black and Ethnic Minority groups. Left untreated addiction caused problems for society including ill health, passing on of behaviours, abuse and neglect. Black and Minority Ethnic groups were under represented in addiction services. This was in great part due to cultural issues in admitting a problem through a fear of losing their status in the family and the community. This was a one year project to promote cultural awareness about addiction. A launch date was planned with culturally sensitive materials and the aim was to devise a discreet personal programme. This project to support Black and Ethnic Minority groups was unique in Hertfordshire and the experience gained from this project would be shared with other groups. The original budget for this project had been reduced significantly. Members commented that the usual requirement for grant funding to be approved was for a project to be all inclusive, but they acknowledged that addiction with the black and minority ethnic goups was a big problem.. Ms Morgan agreed that this was a big problem and that people from black and minority ethnic groups had a particular issue with admitting they had a problem. The partnership with the North Herts Minority Ethnic Forum would enable the Living Room to work out exactly what was needed. Members asked for clarification regarding the structure of the project in relation to the existing work of the Living Room, how grant funding would be used and where 1-1 counselling would take place. Ms Morgan informed Members that the Living Room was a well established addiction charity and that this project was about identifying those in need and finding a way to get them to engage with services. Grant funding would be used to provide counsellors for 5 hours each week and pay rent to the Minority Ethnic Forum for use of their premises. The Minority Ethnic Forum were offering expertise and volunteers free of charge. In respect of where the 1-1 counselling sessions would take place, this was something that they would discuss with people. The Chairman thanked Ms Morgan for her presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 69 |
GRANTS AND COMMUNITY UPDATE Report Appendix 1 - Budgets Appendix 2 - Grant Application - Impact Youth Club Appendix 3 - Grant Application - The Alpha Programme Appendix 4 - Grant Application - The Living Room The Communities Officer presented the report of the Strategic Director of Finance, Policy and Governance entitled Grants and Community Update and drew attention to the following: BUDGETS The current level of unallocated funds from the 2016/17 budget was £7,277. Following utilisation of £35, agreed by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, towards the cost of a new banner for Councillor Surgeries, there was £150 of unallocated funds in the carried forward amounts from the 2015/16 budget. MICRO CONFERENCE The Communities Officer advised that she was in the process of organising a micro conference for those providing services to young people and children. All Members would receive information about this event which would be held on the afternoon of 5 April 2017 at the Letchworth Centre for Healthy Living. This was a networking and promotion event that would enable groups to find out about other groups and start discussing ways they could work together in order to maximise limited resources. SOCIAL ISOLATION The Communities Officer attended a County Council workshop on social isolation and she would be working with the County team to look at the commissioning of services for older people and people with learning difficulties. COUNCILLOR SURGERIES The next Councillor Surgery would be held on 18 March 2017. RESOLVED: (1) That the budgetary expenditure, balances and carry forwards from the Development and Visioning Budgets be noted; (2) That the actions taken by the Community Development Officer to promote greater community capacity and well-being for Letchworth Garden City be endorsed; REASON FOR DECISION: To keep Members of the Committee apprised of the latest developments in community activities in Letchworth Garden City. |
Agreed | ||
| 70 |
GRANT APPLICATION - IMPACT YOUTH CLUB The Communities Officer advised that Mr and Mrs Hart had been very successful in getting the community together and that, if grant funding were awarded, she would continue to work with Impact. The Communities Officer had requested that the group seek support from ProAction in order to ensure that DBS and Safeguarding policies would be implemented to the required standard. Members asked that, if grant funding was awarded, the cub be requested to update this Committee on progress in 12 months time and asked that any funding not be released until a constitution for the club was in place. It was proposed seconded and RESOLVED: (1) That, subject to a constitution being in place, grant funding of £1,000 be awarded to Impact Youth Club from the 2016/17 Discretionary Budget towards the cost of setting up a youth club in Letchworth; (2) That the Communities Officer be requested to invite Impact Youth Club to make a presentation to this Committee regarding progress made at the meeting of this Committee due to be held in March 2018. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 71 |
GRANT APPLICATION - THE ALPHA CLUB Prior to the item being discussed Councillor Terry Hone declared a declarable interest as the Alpha Programme used the facilities of Lordship Farm School for which he was a governor. He had also given funding from his County Council Locality Budget to the School. He advised that, as he had no connection with the Alpha Programme, he would remain in the room and take part in the debate and vote. Prior to the item being discussed Councillor Mike Rice declared a declarable interest as the Alpha Programme used the facilities of Lordship Farm School for which he was a governor. He advised that, as he had no connection with the Alpha Programme, he would remain in the room and take part in the debate and vote. Members were supportive of the project and asked that The Alpha Programme be asked to give a progress report in 6 months time. RESOLVED: (1) That grant funding of £850 be awarded to the Alpha Programme from the 2016/17 Discretionary Budget towards the cost of providing a men's health and weight management programme; (2) That the Communities Officer be requested to invite the Alpha Programme to give a presentation regarding the progress made with the project to this Committee in 6 months time. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 72 |
GRANT APPLICATION - THE LIVING ROOM The Communities Officer reminded Members that the Living Room would be providing addiction services in partnership with the North Herts Minority Ethnic Forum and that this specialist service was needed as people from black and minority ethnic cultures found it difficult to access services due to cultural issues. Funding was required for a professional counsellor, travel expenses, the launch event and printing costs. Members asked for clarification about who would receive any grant funding awarded and noted that the Living Room would be paying rent to the North Herts Minority Ethnic Forum. They were concerned that this was an expensive project that would benefit a small number of people, but were keen that people from Letchworth had access to this service. The Communities Officer advised that funds would be paid to the Living Room and that the North Herts Minority Ethnic Forum would be providing expertise. Addiction services were very expensive to provide but there was a wider impact on the families and communities of those suffering the addiction. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED: (1) That grant funding of £2,500 be awarded to the Living Room from the 2016/17 Discretionary Budget towards the cost of an addiction recovery for ethnic minorities project; (2) That the Communities Officer be requested to invite the Living Room to make a presentation to this Committee regarding progress made at the meeting of this Committee due to be held in September 2017. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 73 |
SECTION 106 AND UNILATERAL UNDERTAKINGS Report Appendix 1 - Monitoring Report The Development and Conservation Manager presented the report entitled Section 106 and Unilateral Undertakings. He advised Members that there were two corrections to the report being that: 1. Due to a drafting error, Paragraphs 8.4.5, 8.4.6 and 8.4.7.should be deleted from the report. 2. The Paragraph numbers referred to in Paragraph 8 should be amended to Paragraphs 2.2 and 2.3. The Development and Conservation Manager advised that the tables appended to the report only included money received and did not list anticipated receipts as there could be no guarantee they would ever be received. The nature of Section 106 funding had changed over recent years and continued to do so. The tariff approach whereby we could collect monies from small scale developments and spend it cumulatively on projects that fell within a general category was over. This was largely as a result of the pooling limit imposed on Section 106 funds from April 2015 and the banning of Section 106 funding for schemes of 10 dwellings or less. Most, if not all, of the money collected over the coming years from Section 106 funding would already have a specific project already identified within the associated planning obligation resulting in the discretionary element diminishing over the next few years. The successful system of allocating available funds to relevant projects to where those funds remained available and updating Area Committee's on an annual basis would be continued. He drew attention to Paragraph 8.1.3 of the report and advised that the government had confirmed that a review of the Community Infrastructure Levy would be announced in Autumn 2017. It appeared that this was likely to allow Local Authorities to set standard and very low Community Infrastructure Levy tariffs without the need to go through a Local Plan examination process and then rely on the existing Section 106 system on top of that, although there is no certainty of this. Future Community Infrastructure Levy governance and spending would require an entirely new decision making process as to how money was allocated. The was a lot of Section 106 funding available for projects in Letchworth and eligible projects were being sought. The £3.6 million upgrade of the North Herts Leisure Centre had included £176,000 of Section 106 funding. Members noted that when seeking funding for capital projects, the first consideration was whether there were any eligible Section 106 funds that could be used. The Development and Conservation Manager advised that there was good liaison with internal services that considered projects and Section 106 finding. Health and sustainable transport were generally County Council responsibilities although it should be noted that the Section 106 funding listed under health care had been specifically provided to provide a GP surgery. In respect of the transport contributions NHDC was the only District in Hertfordshire to keep these monies, all other District Councils has sent their funds to the County Council. They were trying to improve communications with the County in order to identify schemes that this could be used for. One project being considered was the provision of bike racks. Members suggested that more car points could be provided and that they should hold discussions with the County Councillors. In response to a question the Development and Conservation Manager advised that of £8.5 million collected in Section 106 funding only £7,000 had been returned. RESOLVED: (1) That the Development and Conservation Manager and his team be thanked for the work undertaken regarding Section 106 and Unilateral Undertakings; (2) That the contents of the report titled Section 106 and Unilateral Undertakings be noted; (3) That the Development and Conservation Manager be requested to present a report regarding Section 106 and Unilateral Undertakings to this Committee on an annual basis; (4) That, other than where a contribution has been negotiated for a specific purpose or project, Ward Members of the area where Section 106 or Unilateral Undertaking funding is generated and the Area Committee be consulted prior to funding being allocated away from that area or from a village location to a town. REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure that there is a robust system for negotiating and managing Section 106 and Unilateral Undertakings. |
Agreed | ||
| 74 |
INFORMATION NOTE: NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE LEISURE CENTRE Information Note Appendix 1 - Photographs The Committee received an information note entitled North Hertfordshire Leisure Centre. Members were supportive of the project and asked that a tour be organised for Members of this Committee. RESOLVED: That, when the upgrade of the North Hertfordshire Leisure Centre is nearing completion, the Head of Leisure and Environmental Services be requested to organise a tour of the facilities for Letchworth Councillors. REASON FOR DECISION: To enable Members to inspect the work undertaken on the North Hertfordshire Leisure Centre. |
Agreed | ||
| 75 |
INFORMATION NOTE: NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE MUSEUM AND COMMUNITY FACILITY AT HITCHIN TOWN HALL Information Note The Committee received an information note entitled North Hertfordshire Museum and Community Facility at Hitchin Town Hall. Members queried whether the Museum would be opened utilising just the Town Hall land. Councillor Needham advised that meetings regarding 14/15 Brand Street were continuing, but they had been difficult to organise. Councillor Hone advised that NHDC was keen to open the facility in its entirety, but not if the price for the additional land was inappropriate. |
Noted | ||
| 76 |
INFORMATION NOTE: LETCHWORTH PARKING REVIEW Information Note Appendix A - Potential List of Schemes The Committee received an information note entitled Letchworth Parking Review. Members expressed disappointment that the identified projects had not been started and commented that some of these projects were now becoming urgent. Verge parking was a particular issue that caused problems and complaints. There were some questions regarding enforcement of verge parking. Members were aware that the County Council was looking at the relationship between verges and the roads. Members noted that that there were a number of places where vehicles were parked in order to undertake work on them and that ways to tackle this problem were being considered. |
Noted | ||
| 77 |
WARD AND OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS - MEMBERS' REPORTS HIGHFIELD SCHOOL ADMISSION POLICY Councillor Mike Rice updated Members on the Highfield School Admission Policy. He reminded Members that the Committee had considered the admission policy at the meeting held on 7 December 2016 and had requested Councillor Cunningham to make a response to the consultation on behalf of the Committee. This response had largely been ignored and Councillor Cunningham would now be writing to the County Council and consulting with the County Councillor to check that the letter had been taken into account and to see if they were happy with the admissions policy. Members noted that both Highfield and Fern Hill had been under subscribed. RESOLVED: That Councillor Cunningham be requested to contact Councillor Hone to discuss the issues highlighted above and report back to this Committee. REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Letchworth Committee to be properly involved in the consultation regarding the new admissions policy for Highfield School. |
Agreed | ||