Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

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.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Elizabeth Dennis and Dominic Griffiths.

Councillor Cathy Brownjohn was absent.

Audio recording – 1 minute 39 seconds

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Elizabeth Dennis and Dominic Griffiths.

Councillor Cathy Brownjohn was absent.

To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 6 January 2026.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 6 January 2026, as amended, be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Audio Recording – 1 minute 49 seconds

Councillor David Chalmers proposed an amendment to include the following sentence under Minute 46, and this was seconded by Councillor Sadie Billing:

‘Members raised concerns that Hertfordshire Police not participating in Pride events would damage the much-needed trust between them and the LGBTQ+ Community and impact the reporting of LGBTQ+ hate crimes.’

Following a vote, the amendment was CARRIED.

Councillor Claire Winchester as Chair, proposed and Councillor Jon Clayden seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 6 January 2026, as amended, be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

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.

There was no other business notified.

Audio recording – 4 minutes 29 seconds

There was no other business notified.

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.

Audio recording – 4 minutes 37 seconds

(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 does 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.

To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.

There was no public participation.

Audio recording – 5 minutes 40 seconds

There was no public participation at this meeting.

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.

There were no urgent or general exception items.

Audio recording – 5 minutes 43 seconds

No urgent or general exception items were received.

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.

There were no called-in items.

Audio recording – 5 minutes 48 seconds

There were no called-in items.

To receive and respond to any questions from Members either set out in the agenda or tabled at the meeting.

No questions had been submitted by Members.

Audio recording – 5 minutes 51 seconds

No questions had been submitted by Members.

REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

The Council undertook a Corporate Peer Challenge (CPC) between 4 and 7 November 2024, where we were visited by a peer team supported by the Local Government Association. The peer team produced a feedback report, which was reported to Cabinet on 14 January 2025. Subsequently an Action Plan was developed to respond to the recommendations and was approved by Cabinet on 23 March 2025, with an update on progress reported to Cabinet on 23 September 2025. The peer team undertook a one day follow up visit on 15 December 2025 and have issued a follow up report, which is attached at Appendix A.

RESOLVED:

(1)         That the findings of the CPC follow up report were noted.

(2)         That the progress against the CPC Action Plan was noted.

REASON FOR DECISIONS: To ensure that the Council responds to the matters identified within the CPC follow up report, ensuring that the benefits of the CPC process are realised.

Audio recording – 5 minutes 57 seconds

Councillor Val Bryant, as Leader of the Council, presented the reported entitled ‘Corporate Peer Challenge Follow Up’ and advised that:

·                The Council undertook a Corporate Peer Challenge between 4 and 7 November 2024, where they were visited by a peer team supported by the Local Government Association.

·                A feedback report from the visit was presented to Cabinet on 14 January 2025, and an Action Plan to respond to the recommendations from this was approved by Cabinet on 23 March 2025.

·                An update on progress against the Action Plan was also given to Cabinet on 23 September 2025.

·                The peer team made a one-day follow up visit on 15 December 2025 and had issued a report on this, which was attached at Appendix A.

·                The report contained a review of the progress made by the Council in the last year, and suggestions from the peer team on future steps.

The following Members asked questions:

·                Councillor Jon Clayden

·                Councillor Paul Ward

·                Councillor Daniel Wright-Mason

·                Councillor Ralph Muncer

In response to questions, Councillor Val Bryant advised that:

·                Officers had expressed a preference to receive questions from Members in advance of meetings, which would help to improve Member-Officer relations.

·                Cabinet would determine which actions would be focused on and for how long.

·                Except for Royston Learner Pool, nothing new would be added to the Council Delivery Plan before it ended.

·                There would be continuity despite a change in the Leader of the Council, which would ensure that Officers and Members worked together to ensure the best delivery of a new unitary authority.

In response to questions, the Chief Executive advised that:

·                New protocols which referenced Member-Officer interaction had been adopted at the last Full Council meeting.

·                Member-Officer relations were built on communication and the acknowledgement that they were part of the same Council, which served various communities.

·                The progress against the Action Plan was similar when compared to other local authorities.

·                They were committed to continuous improvement, but progress against the Action Plan would cease before Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) to enable focus on that.

·                Decisions on what the Council would deliver before LGR would be made through the Council Delivery Plan and budget setting.

·                Members and Directors were in constant dialogue over what was achievable for the Council and what should be prioritised in the face of capacity constraints.

·                The Council would focus on making the right decisions between now and May 2027, rather than driving to meet all possible decision points prior to the creation of Shadow Authorities.

The following Members took part in the debate:

·                Councillor Ralph Muncer

·                Councillor Jon Clayden

The following points were made as part of the debate:

·                It was reassuring that progress had been made as stated in the report, and that they had identified areas of improvement to ensure resilience for day-to-day services through LGR.

·                The progress made had been excellent considering LGR, and everyone at the Council should be congratulated for this.

The Chair summarised discussions and noted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 60.

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR – ENTERPRISE

To provide the committee with an update on the progress of the Enterprise Directorate.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the report.

REASON FOR DECISION: The report followed the request of the committee for an update on the progress of the Enterprise Directorate and is for information only.

Audio recording – 25 minutes 22 seconds

Councillor Tamsin Thomas, as Executive Member for Enterprise, presented the report entitled ‘Enterprise Portfolio Update’ and advised that:

·             The initiation phase for the Churchgate project had been completed, with a comprehensive programme of viability assessments and market due diligence having taken place.

·             The project had been taken through the acquisition and initial public consultation phases to explore viable options that were being scrutinised by the Project Board.

·             There had been delays to the viable options report to achieve the right level of scrutiny. However, it would ideally be presented to the appropriate committees in springtime.

·             Viability included balancing elements such as housing delivery and future ownership, while understanding which elements would contribute financially in the long-term.

·             Appointment of a Churchgate Project Manager had strengthened their capacity.

·             The Economic Development Strategy (EDS) and its evidence base had been approved, and the upcoming Budget would help with its implementation.

·             A recent Member workshop on the EDS had been productive and highlighted opportunities in the district.

·             North Herts Museum had exceeded 30,000 visitors last year and had delivered 6 exhibitions over the last two.

·             Event bookings at Hitchin Town Hall had increased on the previous year to 668.

·             Inflationary pressures on Cultural Services had been offset by the increased income and efficiencies they had produced.

·             The Estates Team managed over £30M in Council assets that generated roughly £1.8M in net income per year.

·             They had modernised leasing arrangements and progressed long-standing projects such as The Arena, supported projects like the Museum Collection Facility, and were bringing forward option papers for projects such as Charnwood House and Riverside Walk.

·             A strategic portfolio review would also be undertaken to seek opportunities on asset disposal.

·             The Property Services Team oversaw 76 premises, responded to approximately 1,400 service requests and completed over 9,000 compliance checks annually.

·             They had modernised their systems through new facilities and compliance tools and made major repairs at several sites such as Baldock Community Centre.

·             They had also worked on decarbonisation of Council assets through the installation of Solar PV and EV charging points at the District Council Offices.

·             Budget projections showed a 1% increase on the net position of the directorate on the previous year.

·             Expenditure had increased due to Churchgate resourcing but income had also increased due to rent settlements and improved performance at Churchgate. 

·             The Enterprise Directorate were currently resourced at 87% capacity, with four vacancies to be resolved.

·             50 projects were live and the majority were on track.

·             A filled vacancy in the Estates Team had accelerated progress on projects, and they anticipated that filling other vacancies in February would have a similar impact.

·             The highest risk projects were Churchgate and the Museum Collection Facility which were managed through established risk management and project governance frameworks.

·             All Project boards followed ‘PRINCE 2’ framework, and larger projects like Churchgate were governed by a project board comprised of Members and Senior Officers.

·             The role of project boards was to build the business case for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61.

REPORT OF THE INTERIM STRATEGIC PLANNING MANAGER

This report provides an overview of the new plan-making system. A Cabinet report on 20 January 2026 sought delegated powers for the submission of a formal notice of the intention of the Council to start preparing a new Local Plan under the new system as well as publish a revised Local Plan timetable.

RESOLVED: That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the broad ‘direction of travel’ for the Local Plan Review pending formal laying and enactment of the relevant legislation and regulation; and provided any commentary as required.

REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure the Council is well-positioned to progress preparation of the Local Plan as quickly as possible once the new plan-making system comes into effect. Cabinet previously first resolved, in principle, that a review of the Local Plan should take place in January 2024. However, the Council did not progress on the review which was held back due to the delays in the publication of the regulations and guidance on the new Local Plan system.

Audio recording – 1 hour 39 minutes 6 seconds

Councillor Donna Wright, as Executive Member for Place, presented the report entitled ‘Local Plan Next Steps’ and advised that:

·                The report asked the Committee to note the report that was presented to Cabinet on 20 January, which outlined the new local plan making system and the adoption of the Local Plan by the end of 2028.

·                A timetable had originally been agreed for adoption by the end of 2027. However, this had stalled due to delayed government guidance and legislative changes.

·                The local plan adoption process had been streamlined by the Government to include a 30-month examination process that was preceded by a 4-month ‘Get Ready Period’.

·                A revised timetable for the Local Plan based on new requirements was shown in Appendix A to the report, with the aim to submit the Local Plan for examination prior to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in April 2028.

·                The revised timetable had been approved by the Strategic Planning Board in December, and they would continue to scrutinise the Local Plan as it progressed.

·                The delivery of the Local Plan would be subject to filling vacancies in the Strategic Planning Team, which would take place soon.

·                If the team was not fully staffed, the timetable would be kept in line with resource availability and updated as appropriate.

·                Thanks were put on record to the Strategic Planning Team for managing the process around the Local Plan despite the uncertainty on legislation and guidance.

·                Members were also asked to note the broad direction of travel pending formal laying and the enactment of legislation.

The following Members asked questions:

·                Councillor Donna Wright

·                Councillor Ralph Muncer

·                Councillor Paul Ward

·                Councillor Daniel Wright-Mason

In response to questions, Councillor Donna Wright advised that the timetable may need to be revised depending on when the new legislation was received, therefore, it was hard to predict the timeline for scrutiny outside of the Strategic Planning Board. 

In response to questions, the Interim Strategic Planning Manager advised that:

·                Regular Member Workshops on scoping, policy development and site allocation in the Local Plan would continue.

·                There would be opportunities for the Committee to scrutinise the Local Plan prior to decisions being made by Cabinet.

·                Most local plans being made under the new system would be finished after LGR in April 2028.

·                Only the Planning Inspectorate could withdraw their Local Plan under the guidance, and it was understood that the Government would introduce regulations to ensure that a new unitary authority would take the plan forward.

·                Five-yearly reviews of local plans would continue to take place after LGR.

·                It was understood that local plans produced by existing authorities would come together to cover the geographical areas within a new unitary authority until a new Local Plan that covered the new geographical area was prepared.

·                If there was no Local Plan in place by the end of 2028, the new unitary authority may be open to speculative development.

·                The proposed timeline would be challenging to meet if  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62.

REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER

This report highlights items scheduled in the work programme of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the 2025-26 civic year. It also includes items that have not yet been assigned to a specific meeting of the Committee.

RESOLVED:

(1)         That the Committee prioritised topics for inclusion in the Work Programme attached as Appendix A 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 B, 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 Tracker, attached as Appendix C to the report.

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 effectively 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.

Audio recording – 2 hours 0 minutes 14 seconds

The Committee, Member and Scrutiny Manager presented the report entitled ‘Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme’ and advised that:

·                The Decisions and Monitoring Tracker was attached at Appendix C to the report.

·                Referrals made by the Committee to Cabinet on the Council Delivery Plan 2025-26 Q2 Update and Council Tax Reduction Scheme were considered with the respective reports at Cabinet, and the recommendations for both were approved. 

·                The Work Programme was attached at Appendix A to the report.

·                The report on Digital Transformation and Inclusion would be postponed to the next Committee meeting in March due to a miscommunication with officers.

·                Other items scheduled for the next Committee meeting were the RIPA Annual Report, Council Delivery Plan 2025-26 Q3 Update and S106 Task and Finish Group report.

·                Suggestions for future discussion topics should be made to the Scrutiny Officer by Friday 13 February.

·                The Forward Plan for 16 January was attached at Appendix B to the report.

·                Members should submit questions in advance of meetings to allow Executive Members and Officers time to prepare answers.

·                An in-person Scrutiny Session as part of Member Development Week would take place on 12 May at 7pm and would include a chance to draft the 2026-27 Work Programme.

·                There was an additional recommendation for the Committee to note the Decisions and Monitoring Tracker as attached at Appendix C to the report.

The following Members asked questions:

·                Councillor Tina Bhartwas

·                Councillor Ralph Muncer

In response to questions, the Committee, Member and Scrutiny Manager advised that:

·                The Chair, Vice-Chair and Scrutiny Officer would meet later this week to consider topics for discussion at the next Committee meeting.

·                An update to the Annual Safeguarding Review had been circulated to Members.

·                Draft Developer Contributions SPD could be considered as one of the topics for discussion at the next Committee meeting.

The Chair and Councillor Paul Ward thanked Executive Members and Officers for the thorough and informative presentations that they had provided to the Committee. 

Councillor Sadie Billing proposed and Councillor Ralph Muncer seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED:

(1)       That the Committee prioritised topics for inclusion in the Work Programme attached as Appendix A 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 B, 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 Tracker, attached as Appendix C to the report.

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 effectively 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.