| Time: | 7.30pm | Place: | Committee Room, Royston Town Hall, Melbourn Street, Royston |
| PRESENT: | Councillor Fiona Hill(Chairman), Councillor Bill Davidson(Vice-Chairman), Councillor P.C.W. Burt, Councillor Jean Green, Councillor A.F. Hunter and Councillor Gerald Morris. |
| IN ATTENDANCE: | Andrew Cavanagh (Head of Finance) John Robinson (Strategic Director of Customer Services) Andrew Mills (Service Manager - Grounds) Alan Fleck (Community Development Officer) Susanne Gow (Committee and Member Services Officer) |
| ALSO PRESENT: | Councillor Mrs Lynda Needham (Leader of North Herts District Council) Honorary Alderman F J Smith Royston Town Cllr Robert Smith 2 members of the Press. |
| Item | Description/Resolution | Status | Action | |
| PART I | ||||
| 47 |
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Robert Inwood. Councillor Jean Green had sent her apologies for a late arrival at the meeting and she joined the meeting at 8.10pm. |
Noted | ||
| 48 |
MINUTES Minutes RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Royston and District Committee Meeting held on 30 November 2011 be approved as a true record of the proceedings, and be signed by the Chairman subject to the following amendments: „X That the date of the previous Minutes be noted as 21 September 2011 instead of 27 July 2011; „X That the date of the next meeting of the Royston and District Committee be noted as 11 January 2012 instead of 11 January 2011; „X That the date of the Royston Fire Station activity mentioned by Fire Officer Les Jones had been changed from 7 January to 4 February 2012. |
Agreed | ||
| 49 |
NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS There was no other business raised at this meeting. |
Noted | ||
| 50 |
CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS 1) The Chairman welcomed the Committee, Honorary Alderman F J Smith, all NHDC officers, the public and the Press to the Meeting and wished them all a Happy New Year. She also welcomed the Leader of North Herts District Council on her arrival; 2) She informed the Committee that Item 12 on the Agenda would not be taken separately, but would be incorporated with Item 6; 3) Members were reminded that any declarations of interest, in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a prejudicial or personal interest and are required to notify the Chairman of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda. Members declaring a prejudicial interest can speak on the item, but must leave the room before the debate and vote. |
Noted | ||
| 51 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There was no Public Participation at this Committee Meeting. |
Noted | ||
| 52 |
INFORMATION NOTE: ROYSTON HOSPITAL, THE HEALTH CENTRE AND THE CIVIC CENTRE SITE Information Note The Chairman referred to the consultation event (Conversation Café), held on 10 January 2012 at Royston Golf Club, at which Royston Hospital and the Health Services had been discussed. She proposed, and the Royston and District Committee agreed, that a Working Party be convened to formulate a response to the consultation for a vision and strategy for Intermediate Care Services in Hertfordshire and specifically the matter of Royston Hospital and Health Services and she asked for volunteers from the Committee. The Working Party was detailed as: Cllrs Hill, Hunter, Davidson and Morris. A report will be brought back to the Committee at the next Royston and District Committee Meeting on 7 March 2012. RESOLVED: That the Information Note on Royston Hospital, the Health Centre and the Civic Centre Site be noted. |
Noted | ||
| 53 |
CEMETERY CAPACITY WITHIN ROYSTON Report The Service Manager - Grounds presented the report of the Head of Leisure and Environmental Services. He went through the background to the report which informed the Committee of the decisions of the Cabinet Meeting on 13 December 2011. He asked Members to consider the recommendations from the same Cabinet Meeting that were specific to Royston and stated that each Area Committee has reacted differently to the report. The Committee's attention was drawn to paras 3.14 and 3.15 which should have said "St John's Church" instead of "St John's Cemetery" and then to para 4.3 b) of the report, which referred to Royston and the timings of when to divert burials to Wilbury Hills Cemetery. It was also pointed out that Melbourn Road had been spelled wrongly, with a superfluous "e" added to the end of the word in para 3.3. Members' discussion ensued and comments were made as follows: considerable work had been done on this and Royston Town Council (RTC) was involved; perhaps a decision should be deferred for at least 6 months while RTC was consulted; it was pleasing to see this outcome, as this was what had been requested at previous Royston and District Committee Meetings and during presentations to Cabinet by Cllrs Hill and Hunter and supported within Cabinet by Cllr Burt. The Strategic Director of Customer Services (SDCS) confirmed that Cabinet had recommended a delay of 6 months, as they considered this to be sufficient time for development of Royston Town Council's proposal. He reminded the Committee of the recommendations relevant to Royston made at the Cabinet meeting held on 13 December 2011. The Chairman thanked the officers for their informative and comprehensive presentation. RESOLVED: 1) That the Royston and District Committee provides its views and comments on the timing of the implementation of the Cemetery Policy in respect of Royston; 2) That a report on the Cemetery Policy comes back for a decision to the Royston and District Committee's nearest meeting to the 6 month deadline, bearing in mind the possible flexibility of an extension to the deadline. REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION: To ensure that a consistent and highly valued burial service is delivered to the residents of North Hertfordshire in the future. |
Agreed | ||
| 54 |
CORPORATE BUSINESS PROCESS 2012-2013 (BUDGET SETTING) Report Appendix A Appendix 1 to Appendix A Appendix 2 to Appendix A Appendix 3 to Appendix A Appendix 4 to Appendix A Appendix 5 to Appendix A Appendix 6 to Appendix A The Head of Finance introduced himself and the report of the Strategic Director of Finance, Policy and Governance. He explained that he was happy to take away comments and answer any questions from the Royston and District Committee. He referred in particular to Appendices 2 and 3 and the Chairman went through each item, noting Members¡¦ responses as follows: Appendix 2 „X E1 - The Committee suggested that they must retain the public toilet facilities in Fish Hill, Royston and encourage discussions to continue with other organisations to retain the facility in the Town at the Royston Cross; „X E5 ¡V The Committee suggested looking at other ways of funding the NHDC Chairman¡¦s Civic Reception (such as charging Members, as the purpose of this event should be to acknowledge the work of community organisations and the voluntary sector); „X It was acknowledged that alternative ways were being investigated for reducing costs and Members also suggested that the bi-weekly courier service used for Members¡¦ Despatch should be reviewed and a saving made by having just one weekly despatch; „X In addition, the Royston and District Committee agreed to support Cabinet in their proposals on items E2, E3, E4, E6, E7, E8, E9 and E11. Appendix 3 Items R1 to R6 Appendix 4 Items C1 to C14. The Committee questioned the necessity for all these and the SDCS explained that they were being investigated in more detail. Appendices 5 and 6 were noted. RESOLVED: 1) That the Head of Finance be thanked for his interesting and informative presentation of the report on the Corporate Business Process 2012-2013 (Budget Setting); 2) That the Royston and District Committee provides its views and comments on the draft 2012/2013 budget and in particular the efficiency and investment proposals listed in Appendices 2, 3 and 4 to the Draft Budget. REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION To ensure that all relevant factors are taken into consideration when arriving at the Proposed Council Tax precept for 2012/2013. |
Agreed | ||
| 55 |
HIGHWAYS ISSUES 1) The salt initiative from Herts County Council (HCC) and Herts Highways (HW) had been very successful and the Chairman thanked Royston Town Council for their support and for agreeing to arrange storage for the salt for all the community organisations who had requested salt. She also thanked District Cllrs Davidson and Morris for their assistance with distribution. 2) King James Way parking issues ¡V the Committee enquired what funding is available to assist with the consultation on King James Way parking issues agreed at a previous meeting. |
Noted | ||
| 56 |
CHAMPION NEWS AND FINANCE REPORT Report Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E The Community Development Officer (CDO) presented the report of the Head of Policy and Community Services and provided some verbal updates. He reported that there had been a meeting at the Coombes Community Centre regarding additional provision of services to young people, and they had been provided with a survey. It was proposed that the survey be distributed using the Coombes Community Centre as well as through Cllr Inwood. The CDO distributed to the Committee a list of Section 106 monies received from Royston but not yet committed, together with a list of community projects which could be aligned with those monies. He explained the meanings of Unilateral Undertakings (the smaller deal with individual properties) and Section 106, elaborating that categories for S106 included traffic and highway work and agreed that the villages in the area surrounding Royston would be added to the list. The CDO would update the lists at all Royston and District Committee Meetings in the future. He then took the Committee through the budget spreadsheet and four grant applications, which were considered and agreed, as follows: a) The sum of £1,000 was requested by the Community Hub CIC for promotional support for 2012 activities. Feedback had shown that work done by this organisation had been very effective and on discussing the application submitted, the Committee agreed to grant it; b) The sum of £1,000 was requested by the Young People of the Year organisation for financial support and after Committee discussion, this grant application was agreed. c) Cllr Burt declared an interest in this grant application as he is a Royston Town Councillor and is on the Royston Museum Sub-Committee. The Chairman also declared an interest in this grant application as she had already contributed from her Herts County Council Locality Budget. The sum of £467 was requested by Royston Museum for purchase of materials for a major 3-part exhibition in 2012 to celebrate the Queen¡¦s Diamond Jubilee, the London Olympics and the 850th Anniversary of Royston Priory. The Committee discussed the application submitted and agreed to grant it; d) The sum of £270 was requested by the Angels Support Group to cover the staff costs of a crèche during the meetings between January and Easter 2012. The Committee discussed this grant application and agreed to award it. The CDO then explained that the purpose of Memoranda of Understanding was to give stability to organisations that would like to return each year to request additional funding. He referred to the list of 4 MoUs in the Royston area. The Chairman proposed that funding decisions were deferred to allow further consultation before decisions were made. It was vital that there was evidence of a need for the MoUs. On being invited to speak on behalf of Royston Town Council by the Chairman, Cllr Robert Smith commented that prior notice was needed if any MoU or grant involving Royston Town Council was to be adjusted. It was clarified that grants are not subsidies and there is no guarantee of funding every year. The Chairman thanked the Community Development Officer for his hard work and efforts for the residents of Royston and for his support for herself and the Royston and District Committee. RESOLVED: 1) That the Committee thanks the Community Development Officer (CDO) and endorses the actions he has taken to promote greater community capacity and well-being; 2) That the Committee notes the budgetary expenditure, balances and carry forwards from the Development Budgets set out in Appendix A; 3) That the Committee considers and agrees to grant the sum of £1,000 to the Community Hub CIC for promotional support for 2012 activities; 4) That the Committee considers and agrees to grant the sum of £1,000 to the Young People of the Year organisation for financial support; 5) That the Committee considers and agrees to grant the sum of £467 to the Royston Museum for purchase of materials for a 3-part exhibition in 2012; 6) That the Committee considers and agrees to grant the sum of £270 to the Angels Support Group to cover staff costs for a crèche for meetings between January and Easter 2012; 7) That funding decisions on Memoranda of Understanding were deferred for further investigation and relevant consultation before decisions were made. REASON FOR DECISIONS: 1) To ensure that the Committee is kept informed of the work of the Community Development Officer; 2) To inform Members of the financial resources available to the Committee. The report draws attention to the current budgetary situation, assists in the effective financial management of the Royston and District Committee¡¦s budget and ensures actions are performed within the Authority¡¦s Financial Regulations and the guidance in the Grants procedure; 3) The awarding of financial assistance to voluntary organisations and the use of discretionary spending allows the Committee to further the aims and strategic priorities of the Council; 4) The allocation of funds will improve the services provided by local organisations and groups that are available and accessed by members of the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 57 |
OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS - MEMBERS' REPORTS There were no reports at this Meeting of the Royston and District Committee. |
Noted | ||