Agenda and decisions

Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 8th September, 2026 7.30 pm

Venue: Council Chamber - District Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth, SG6 3JF. View directions

Contact: Email: ScrutinyOfficer@north-herts.gov.uk 01462 474655

Media

Items
No.	Item
1.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Members are required to notify any substitutions by midday on the day of the meeting. Late substitutions will not be accepted and Members attending as a substitute without having given the due notice will not be able to take part in the meeting. Decision: There were no apologies for absence received.
2.	MINUTES - 9 JUNE 2026 PDF 218 KB To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 9 June 2026. Decision: *RESOLVED:* That the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 9 June 2026 were approved as a true record of the proceedings and signed by the Chair.
3.	NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS Members should notify the Chair of other business which they wish to be discussed at the end of either Part I or Part II business set out in the agenda. They must state the circumstances which they consider justify the business being considered as a matter of urgency. The Chair will decide whether any item(s) raised will be considered. Decision: There was no notification of other business.
4.	CHAIR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS Members are reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chair of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda. Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest, wishing to exercise a ‘Councillor Speaking Right’, must declare this at the same time as the interest, move to the public area before speaking to the item and then must leave the room before the debate and vote. Decision: (1) The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be recorded. (2) The Chair 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. (3) The Chair advised that for the purposes of clarification clause 4.8.23(a) of the Constitution did not apply to this meeting. (4) The Chair reminded Members of the adopted North Herts Scrutiny Charter and the need to ensure that the meeting was conducted with independence, initiative and integrity. The full Charter was available to Members via the Scrutiny Intranet pages.
5.	PUBLIC PARTICIPATION To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public. Decision: There was no public participation at this meeting.
6.	URGENT AND GENERAL EXCEPTION ITEMS The Chair to report on any urgent or general exception items which required their agreement. At the time of printing the agenda, the Chair had not agreed any urgent or general exception items. Decision: The Chair noted one urgent item in relation to Keystage CIC and the treatment of housing benefit overpayments. The Chair provided details for its urgency and advised that the full Urgency Notice for this item had been published on the Council website.
7.	CALLED-IN ITEMS To consider any matters referred to the Committee for a decision in relation to a call-in of decision. At the time of printing the agenda, no items of business had been called-in. Decision: There were no called-in items.
8.	MEMBERS' QUESTIONS To receive and respond to any questions from Members either set out in the agenda or tabled at the meeting. Decision: No questions had been submitted by Members.
9.	INFORMATION NOTE: ANNUAL REVIEW OF SAFEGUARDING AND PROTECTING CHILDREN AND ADULTS 2025-26 PDF 268 KB INFORMATION NOTE OF THE DIRECTOR – GOVERNANCE The Council has robust procedures in place that govern how staff and councillors deal with concerns about children and adults with care and support needs at risk of abuse to maintain our statutory duty to safeguard their welfare. An operational review has taken place, and work is ongoing to ensure that these procedures are understood and followed consistently throughout the organisation. Additional documents: Appendix 1 - North Herts Safeguarding Data 2025/26 , item 9. PDF 136 KB Appendix 2 - Comparative District Data 2025/26 , item 9. PDF 469 KB Decision: Councillor Daniel Allen, as Executive Member for Governance, presented the Information Note entitled ‘Annual Review of Safeguarding and Protecting Children and Adults 2025-26’, following which Members asked questions.
10.	INFORMATION NOTE: WASTE AND RECYCLING UPDATE PDF 485 KB INFORMATION NOTE OF THE DIRECTOR – ENVIRONMENT An update on lessons learnt on communal collection issues, composting KPI, recycling and missed bin perfromance. Decision: Councillor Amy Allen, as Executive Member for Environment, presented the Information Note entitled ‘Waste and Recycling Contract Performance’, following which Members asked questions.
11.	COUNCILLOR LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT ANNUAL REPORT PDF 157 KB View the background to item 11. View the decision for item 11. REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR – GOVERNANCE To provide details to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the completion of mandatory and required learning and development to be completed by Councillors. Decision: RESOLVED: (1) That the Committee noted the Annual Report on Councillor Learning and Development. (2) That the Committee discussed and provided suggestions on Councillor Learning and Development provision and increasing Member completion. *REASON FOR DECISIONS:* To comply with the Councillor Learning and Development Protocol as considered and endorsed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on Tuesday 24 March 2026.
12.	ALLOCATION OF MHCLG HOMELESSNESS GRANT PDF 160 KB View the background to item 12. View the decision for item 12. REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR – REGULATORY The Council has received a multi-year funding settlement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), ring-fenced for the purpose of supporting the Council in meeting its homelessness duties. This report details proposals for the allocation of some of this funding in line with grant conditions, national policy and local priorities. Additional documents: Allocation of MHCLG Homelessness grant Equality Analysis Assessment , item 12. PDF 243 KB Decision: *RECOMMENDED TO CABINET:* That Cabinet approves the funding proposals for the allocation of Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant received from MHCLG as outlined in Table 1 in paragraph 8.13 of the report. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION: (1) There is a need to secure housing services for homeless households in the district, including key existing services on the single homeless pathway. Adopting the recommendation at 2.1 secures the provision of high-quality local services to help those in need and provides stability into the first year of the new unitary authority. (2) The recommendation at 2.1 is consistent with the priorities set out in the Council’s Housing Strategy (2024 – 2029) and the Council Plan.
13.	OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME 2026-27 PDF 117 KB View the background to item 13. View the decision for item 13. REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER This report highlights items scheduled in the work programme of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the 2026-27 civic year. It also includes items that have not yet been assigned to a specific meeting of the Committee. Additional documents: Appendix 1 - Work Programme of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2026-2027 , item 13. PDF 22 KB Appendix 2 - Forward Plan (August 2026) , item 13. PDF 36 KB Appendix 3 - Overview and Scrutiny Decisions and Monitoring Log , item 13. PDF 85 KB Decision: RESOLVED: (1) That the Committee prioritised topics for inclusion in the Work Programme attached as Appendix 1 and, where appropriate, determined the high-level form and timing of scrutiny input. (2) That the Committee, having considered the most recent iteration of the Forward Plan, as attached at Appendix 2, suggested a list of items to be considered at its meetings in the coming civic year. (3) That the Committee, noted the Decisions and Monitoring log, as attached at Appendix 3. REASONS FOR DECISIONS: (1) To allow the Committee to set a work programme which provides focused Member oversight, encourages open debate and seeks to achieve service improvement through effective policy development and meaningful policy and service change. (2) The need to observe Constitutional requirements and monitor the Forward Plan for appropriate items to scrutinise remains a key aspect of work programming.
14.	EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC To consider passing the following resolution: That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting on the grounds that the following report will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 3 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the said Act (as amended). Decision: *RESOLVED:* That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, the Press and Public be excluded from the meeting on the grounds that the following report will involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 3 and 4 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the said Act (as amended).
15.	PART 2 MINUTES - 18 JUNE & 2 JULY 2024, 7 JANUARY & 11 MARCH 2025 AND 9 JUNE 2026 View the reasons why item 15. is restricted To take as read and approve as a true record the Part 2 minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on the 18 June & 2 July 2024, 7 January & 11 March 2025, and 9 June 2026. Decision: *RESOLVED:* That the Part 2 Minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 18 June & 2 July 2024, 7 January & 11 March 2025, and 9 June 2026 were approved as a true record of the proceedings and signed by the Chair.