Issue - meetings

REPORT OF THE SERVICE DIRECTOR – RESOURCES

To update the Committee on the Progress Against Key Projects.

RESOLVED:

(1)       That delivery against the key projects for 19/20 be noted;

(2)       That the Service Director- Commercial be requested to present the closure report regarding the Hitchin Town Hall and District Museum to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration.

REASON FOR DECISION: To enable achievements against the key projects for 2019/20 to be considered.

Audio Recording – Session 1 - 1 Hour 13 Minutes 35 Seconds

The Controls, Risk and Performance Manager presented the report entitled Priorities for the District – Key Projects Half Year Monitoring and referred to Appendix A and drew attention to the following:

·                The renovation of the play areas at Great Ashby and the Bancroft MUGA had been completed and therefore been removed from monitoring reports;

·                The completion of the fit out and opening of the North Hertfordshire Museum was not marked as completed because they were waiting for the closure report to be brought to the next meeting of Overview and Scrutiny;

·                The development of a Crematorium in North Hertfordshire was coded as amber as officers were still waiting for confirmation of the date of the Planning appeal; and

·                The submission of the Local Plan was coded as amber as additional hearing dates were yet to be announced by the inspector.

The following Members asked questions:

·                Councillor David Levett;

·                Councillor Claire Strong; and

·                Councillor Sam Collins.

In response to questions raised, the Controls, Risk and Performance Manager responded as follows:

·                The hearing appeal date for the crematorium was due to take place in April or May 2020; and

·                With regard to the crematorium, once the outline planning application was refused, a report went back to Cabinet to request funding to proceed with the appeal.

In response to questions raised by Members, the Service Director – Commercial advised that:

·                Some of the issues raised would be addressed in Part 2 as this information was exempt from disclosure; the Closure Report for the North Hertfordshire Museum would be sent to the Controls, Risk and Performance Manager in order for it to be presented at Overview and Scrutiny in March 2020.

NB: There was a comfort break at 20:52

RESOLVED:

(1)       That delivery against the key projects for 19/20 be noted;

(2)       That the Service Director- Commercial be requested to present the closure report regarding the Hitchin Town Hall and District Museum to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration.

REASON FOR DECISION: To enable achievements against the key projects for 2019/20 to be considered.