Issue - meetings
QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS
Meeting: 13/07/2023 - Council (Item 219)
219 QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS 
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To consider any questions submitted by Members of the Council, in accordance with Standing Order 4.8.11 (b). Any questions received prior to the deadline will be published as supplements.
Additional documents:
Decision:
In accordance with Standing Order 4.8.11 three questions had been submitted by the required deadline set out in the Constitution.
There was also one urgent question submitted in accordance with Standing Order 4.8.11(d)(ii).
(A) Council Response to London Luton Airport Application
Councillor Ralph Muncer to Councillor Elizabeth Dennis (Leader of the Council)
(B) Levelling Up Funds
Councillor Terry Hone to Councillor Ian Albert (Executive Member for Finance and IT)
(C) Council Office Reception
Councillor David Levett to Councillor Elizabeth Dennis (Leader of the Council)
(D) Housing for Asylum Seekers
This question was accepted as urgent in accordance with 8.4.11(d)(ii) of the Constitution by the Member to which the question was addressed. The reason provided for the matter being urgent was that the issue had potential to cause community tensions and to bring the Council into disrepute.
Councillor Dominic Griffiths to Councillor Sean Prendergast (Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health)
Minutes:
Audio recording – 7 minutes 11 seconds
In accordance with Standing Order 4.8.11, three questions had been submitted by the required deadline set out in the Constitution.
(A) Council Response to London Luton Airport Application
Councillor Ralph Muncer to Councillor Elizabeth Dennis (Leader of the Council).
“We note decision by Cabinet to object to the application, in conjunction with other local authorities, from Luton Rising for a Development Consent Order to increase the capacity of London Luton Airport from 18 million passengers per annum to 32 million passengers per annum.
As Luton Airport is owned by Luton Borough Council which is under the control of her Labour colleagues. Will the Leader commit to lobbying her colleagues both at Luton Council and in Westminster to oppose the unnecessary expansion of Luton Airport?”
Councillor Elizabeth Dennis gave a response as follows:
“I am of course in regular, honest and frank conversations with the Leader of Luton Borough Council, around multiple issues which affect both of our districts, our district and their borough, given the boundary that we share and the transience of our populations across that particular boundary.
Clearly Luton does rely on income from the airport to support its funding for its very complex communities and in order to meet its housing needs, and against the backdrop of uncertain funding of local government by central government. It is, of course, key to ensure the success of the borough and everybody’s opportunity to thrive in those particular spaces. The airport is, of course, also a major regional employer, providing jobs to North Herts, notwithstanding that this Council has quite clearly declared a Climate Emergency and takes those responsibilities incredibly seriously. And we have, as Councillor Muncer will note, objected to parts of the expansion in principle. I do have quite detailed commentary on this from Officers and, if it will save Council time this evening, I’m more than happy to provide that as a written response to Councillor Muncer, rather than reading it out as part of my response to this part of the question, or any supplementary.
However, I think it’s also worth drawing Councillor Muncer’s attention to the fact that Luton Rising, which was the body set up to manage not just the airport, but the benefits that fall out of it and the wider community aspects, they have set up an Environmental Impact Assessment and created a green controlled growth body. This green controlled growth aspect is new, environmentally focussed framework for managing long-term sustainable growth at London Luton Airport and it will produce binding limits. Not just binding in our terms, colleagues, but legally binding limits for the airports noise, carbon emissions, air quality and service access impacts.
The controls that are proposed, and that will be enforced, as I said are legally binding. The plans for growth would be approved by a new independent body, which would, amongst others, include representatives from both this Council and Luton Council, and clearly link through to Dacorum and other ... view the full minutes text for item 219