Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Val Bryant, Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg, Kay Tart and Raj Bhakar.

Audio recording – 17 seconds

Before the meeting proceeded, Councillor Ian Albert requested that, following the death of Councillor Judi Billing MBE on the 24 November 2022, Members and public join in a minute silence in remembrance. Following the silence, the Chair allowed Members to provide a brief tribute and the following Members provided comments:

·         Councillor Keith Hoskins

·         Councillor Richard Thake

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Val Bryant, Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg, Kay Tart and Raj Bhakar.

Councillor Sam Collins was absent.

To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 11 October 2022.

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 11 October 2022 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Audio Recording – 7 minutes 32 seconds

Councillor Ian Albert, as Chair, proposed and Councillor Keith Hoskins seconded and, following at vote, it was:

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 11 October 2022 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 – 8 minutes 05 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 –

(1)        The Chair welcomed those present at the meeting, especially those who had attended the Town Talk and those in attendance to give a presentation.

(2)        The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be audio recorded.

(3)        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.

(4)        The Chair advised that the Churchgate consultation was now live and encouraged attendees to complete the questionnaire.

Audio recording – 8 minutes 07 seconds

(1)       The Chair welcomed those present at the meeting, especially those who had attended the Town Talk and those in attendance to give a presentation.

(2)       The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council Policy, the meeting would be audio recorded.

(3)       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.

(4)       The Chair advised that the Churchgate consultation was now live and encouraged attendees to complete the questionnaire.

To receive a verbal presentation from the Hitchin BID Manager.

Mr Tom Hardy, Hitchin BID Manager, provided a verbal presentation regarding the issues and activities in Hitchin.

Audio recording – 8 minutes 58 seconds

Mr Tom Hardy, Hitchin BID Manager, thanked the Chair for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding the issues and activities in Hitchin Town Centre and drew attention to the following:

·         The BID would be happy to support any plans by the family of Councillor Judi Billing to commemorate her memory in Hitchin.

·         The Christmas lights had been changed and added to from last year. The icicles on Sun Street are particularly effective and they will explore installing these in other parts of town.

·         There had been good feedback received regarding the ‘Welcome to Hitchin’ motif.

·         The Christmas tree was in place, with lights provided by Councillor Ian Albert and the baubles provided by the community.

·         The Christmas light switch on event had been well attended.

·         There were lots of family friendly activities planned on the weekend of 17^th and 18^th December.

·         The Snowman trail was running through to the 20^th January, and had so far been extremely popular and even featured in The Guardian newspaper.

·         A Christmas edition of the H-Town newspaper was available, with a gift guide included to promote local shopping.

·         Instagram promotions had taken place detailing the safety measures in place in town to keep people safe.

·         There had been around £27k of H-Town Pounds sold to date, with lots being returned by businesses and the BID will monitor and track where the H-Town Pounds are being spent. There were around 84 shops and eateries signed up to the scheme.

·         In 2023 the aim was to be more business focussed and look to run events outside of the main town centre.

·         The BID wanted to support others to put on events in the town, by assisting with paperwork and practicalities.

·         There was a new Front of House Manager, who was responsible for dealing with the Information Centre shop.

·         The new website, www.visithitchin.com, was in the final stages of development.

·         A camera was to be installed on the roof of Osinsky’s providing an online live-stream of the Market Square.

·         Events were being planned to celebrate the King’s Coronation, with a big screen planned, but this was awaiting details from Buckingham Palace before being confirmed.

·         There was an ongoing campaign to encourage bus and tour operators to visit the town and the BID was working with companies to include the Town Centre as part of their excursions.

·         The BID had provided workshops and 1 to 1 support to business, to help support these through the cost of living crisis by finding was to save money.

·         The vacancies in Hitchin stoop at around 2%, but it was unsure how this would be impacted in 2023.

·         There was lots of promotion ongoing to encourage businesses and customers to shop local this Christmas.

·         The renewal ballot for the new 5-year term of the BID was due in April 2024 and consultation on this process would begin in February 2023.

·         The BID would support the Council to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 95.

To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public.

A verbal presentation was provided from the following people in support of their grant applications:

·       Hannah Lane – National Childbirth Trust

·       Kava Johnson – The North Herts African and Caribbean Community

·       Kate Adams and Dani Lister – Samaritans of North Herts and Stevenage

RESOLVED: That the Committee allocated:

(1)   £920 to NCT (National Childbirth Trust) North Herts towards funding for their breastfeeding and postnatal support group as outlined in 8.1.1-8.1.8 of the officer’s report.

(2)   £1,424 to The North Herts African and Caribbean Community towards funding to provide a year of free and some subsidised events and activities for the whole community to attend and learn about African and Caribbean History and Culture as outlined in 8.1.9-8.1.15 of the officer’s report.

(3)   £1,200 to Samaritans of North Herts and Stevenage towards funding for their Samaritans National Walk 2023 as outlined in 8.1.16-8.1.20 of the officer’s report.

REASON FOR DECISIONS: The awarding of financial assistance to voluntary organisations and the use of discretionary spending allows the Committee to further the aims of the Council Plan.

Audio recording – 21 minutes 00 seconds

The Chair invited the Assistant Community Engagement Officer to provided Members with an overview of grant funds remaining.

The Chair invited Ms Hannah Lane to provide a presentation on behalf of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) in support of their grant application and advised of the following:

·         NCT was best known for providing antenatal support courses across the country, with an aim to ensure that no parent is left feeling isolated and to support parents through the first 1000 days.

·         There was a wide network of NCT branches with around 5000 volunteers who provide the support through groups and events.

·         This branch covered the Hitchin, Baldock and Letchworth areas.

·         It was volunteer led and free of charge for users.

·         An application had been made to the Letchworth Area Committee in September 2022 and this was successful.

·         Whilst the aim of the support groups are to help parents with feeding issues, it also offers an important social side for new parents, and helps people feel less isolated during what can be a difficult time.

·         There had been approximately 80-100 attendees to the course since the sessions resumed following lockdown, with an average of 8-10 attendees at each session.

·         The groups had been running for around 6 years, with classes taking place virtually during lockdown.

·         The costs of the group are covered by donations and fundraising, but due to the lockdowns the reserves of the group had become depleted.

·         Any fundraising is for NCT as a whole and is split 30% to the local branch and 70% to the national NCT body. However, any grant funding received can be ringfenced by local branches to be spent on schemes in the area.

The following Members asked questions:

·         Councillor James Denselow

·         Councillor Chris Lucas

In response to questions, Ms Lane advised that:

·         This application was to support the breast-feeding support sessions, bot antenatal classes.

·         There was an NHS offer for breast-feeding support, but this was limited to one 30 minute online session, the support offered by NCT was in addition to this.

·         There were some support services run by Children’s Centre, but she was unaware exactly what was offered.

·         NCT was a charity service to provide support to all. The scheme was supported by donations only and it was kept this was to ensure the service was financially accessible to all.

·         Since drop-in session began again following lockdown there had been around 16-20 people attending monthly, across two sessions per month. These people may be the same each time or some may be different.

Councillor Keith Hoskins proposed and Councillor Nigel Mason seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That the Committee allocated £920 to NCT (National Childbirth Trust) North Herts towards funding for their breastfeeding and postnatal support group as outlined in 8.1.1-8.1.8 of the officer’s report.

The Chair invited Ms Kava Johnson to provide a presentation on behalf of the North Herts African and Caribbean Community in support of their grant application and advised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 96.

VERBAL UPDATE FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH MANAGER

To receive a verbal update from the Environmental Health Manager on the Air Quality Monitoring in Hitchin.

This has previously been discussed at the Hitchin Area Committee at the meeting of the 28 June 2022 and relevant papers and Minutes can be found here: Agenda for Hitchin Committee on Tuesday, 28th June, 2022, 7.30 pm | North Herts Council (north-herts.gov.uk).

A verbal update was provided by the Environmental Health Manager regarding Air Quality in Hitchin.

Audio recording – 56 minutes 40 seconds

A verbal update was provided by the Environmental Health Manager regarding Air Quality in Hitchin, which included the following:

·         Due to the Covid pandemic, and staffing issues within the department, it had been 3 years since a representative was able to address the Committee.

·         The draft report circulated to Members had now been confirmed as final by DEFRA.

·         Air quality is not necessarily a local issue, it can depend on the wind flow and North Herts will be impacted by the emissions of other areas, as well as North Herts affecting other areas.

·         Members had previously raised concerns that the air quality monitoring would be stopped in the area, but this was not the case and there was a legal requirement on the Council to monitor.

·         If after a number of years where the monitored emissions amount is less than the guidelines, then the guidance from DEFRA is that the location no longer qualifies to be required for monitoring.

·         The Air Quality Monitoring is a separate requirement under the Environment Act and monitoring of these sites will continue.

·         There were two ways in which the Council monitored air quality. Firstly, through Automated Plants, but these were coming to the end of their expected life and there would be additional costs if monitoring was still required at these sites.

·         Secondly, was via Passive Diffusion Tubes, which were stuck on lampposts around the district and were changed manually by Officers. These will continue until legislation changes and these are no longer required. The location of these are reviewed frequently and there is a review ongoing now by Environmental Health Officers.

·         No other areas in the district had ever breached the threshold for air quality pollution.

·         If Members had a specific area they wanted to be monitored, they could inform the Environmental Health team and this could be explored, though not all sites would be suitable.

The following Members asked questions:

·         Councillor Richard Thake

·         Councillor Clare Billing

·         Councillor James Denselow

·         Councillor Ian Albert

In response to questions, the Environmental Health Manager advised:

·         The requirement to monitor, but the lack of capacity to insist on changes, had not changed, other than where there was a specific local cause of the problem.

·         The district Council has the requirement to monitor, but County were responsible for the Highways and there were link roads running outside of the area.

·         As part of the recently adopted Local Plan there were considerations and requirements placed on developers to require them to monitor air quality, before during and after construction. 

·         Where the district Council had the ability to control road traffic, it was usually in places where there was insufficient traffic for the Council to make an influential difference.

·         With planning applications where there is a foreseeable air quality issue, the Environmental Health team are consulted and will provide a response.

·         It was not possible for the district Council to impose conditions around schools to prevent car idling, as the Highways were a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 97.

INFORMATION NOTE OF THE SERVICE DIRECTOR – ENTERPRISE

To provide Members an update on Churchgate Shopping Centre.

The Chair led an update on Churchgate Shopping Centre and the ongoing consultation which was the subject of the Town Talk which preceded the meeting.

Audio recording – 75 minutes 38 seconds

The Chair led an update on Churchgate Shopping Centre and the ongoing consultation which was the subject of the Town Talk which preceded the meeting.

Councillor Keith Hoskins noted that the response to the consultation so far had been positive, with over 560 responses received in 3 days of the consultation being live.

The Chair noted that some issues had been raised by tenants at the Town Talk regarding Brown and Lee, as well as some wider concerns about the proposed developments. The aim was to have a regular report provided as part of the Hitchin Committee, with the next report to have more detail provided on the outcome of the consultation.

REPORT OF THE POLICY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

To advise the Members on the current expenditure and balances of the Committee Grant budgets.

To bring to the Members’ attention recent requests received for Committee grant funding, made by community groups and local organisations.

To advise of the activities and schemes with which the Community Engagement officers have been involved in.

To bring to the Members’ attention some important community-based activities that will take place during the next few months.

RESOLVED: That the Committee endorsed the actions taken by the Community Engagement team to promote greater community capacity and well-being for Hitchin.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

(1)   To ensure the Members are kept informed of the work of the Community Engagement Team.

(2)   This report is intended to inform Members of the financial resources available to the Committee. It draws attention to the current budgetary situation by assisting in the effective financial management of the Area Committee’s budget. This ensures that all actions are performed in line with the Authority’s Financial Regulations, the Council’s Constitution, and the guidance of the Grants Policy as agreed by Cabinet in July 2021.

Audio recording – 77 minutes 22 seconds

The Assistant Community Engagement Officer presented the report entitled ‘Grants and Community Update’ and advised Members of the following:

·         There had been events taking place to support Local Democracy Week and Parliament Week, with some Councillors attending these, which included Q&As and school assemblies.

·         There were plans underway to expand these sessions for next year with a view to make them more regular events.

·         Recent surgeries had taken place as usual, but had been located under the Churchgate arch to promote the ongoing consultation work.

·         The Community Engagement Team were planning the Holocaust Memorial Day event on 27 January 2023.

·         There was support being shared on Council platforms regarding the cost of living crisis and following attendance at the Churches Together event, it was advised that at least one building would be open every day for people requiring somewhere to stay warm.

·         The would be an infographic produced to highlight support and services available.

·         The Snowman Trail had proved popular and demonstrated the role art can play in Hitchin, bringing together young and old people, and helping with attracting tourists to the town. There would be a photograph competition in January, to extend the Trail into the new year.

·         The Chair’s Volunteer Awards had changed to the Herts Hero Awards, with the same five categories for nominations. The team would be promoting this over coming weeks and the final would take place in the Council Chamber.

·         They had provided support for the Hitchin Christmas tree festival and were working closely with Councillors to support the Farmers on Christmas Lights Tour event.

·         Updates had been received from previous successful grant applicants, including the Hitchin Allotments and ‘Home is Where the Hert Is’.

The Chair noted that the sessions which took place in schools and the Holocaust Memorial Day event were two further legacies of Councillor Judi Billing at North Herts.

Councillor Richard Thake noted that Mr Paul Dee, who had previously come to the Hitchin Area Committee for grant funding for an allotment scheme, was now looking to extend these sessions across the district and had applied for HCC Locality Budget funding to support this.

Councillor Keith Hoskins commented that the increase in community cohesion since the pandemic had been astonishing and this was attributable to the work of the Officer.

In response to questions from Councillor Hoskins and Councillor Nigel Mason, the Assistant Community Engagement Officer advised that the grant funds remaining after the last meeting of the civic year could be rolled over into next year. He noted that he was in talks with a couple of exciting projects for the new year and was aware of the funds available for the group to allocate.

Councillor Ian Albert, as Chair, proposed and Councillor Keith Hoskins seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That the Committee endorsed the actions taken by the Community Engagement team to promote greater community capacity and well-being for Hitchin.

REASONS FOR DECISION:

(1)  To ensure the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 99.

To receive any verbal reports from Members regarding Ward matters and Outside Organisations.

There were no updates from Members on Ward Matter or Outside Organisations.

Audio recording – 86 minutes 45 seconds

There were no updates from Members on Ward Matter or Outside Organisations.

The Chair to lead a discussion regarding possible agenda items for future meetings.

The Chair suggested that an update on Charnwood House would be provided at the next meeting of the Committee.

The Chair requested that any further suggested items for future meetings be made to the Committee Services Team.

Audio recording – 88 minutes 28 seconds

The Chair suggested that an update on Charnwood House would be provided at the next meeting of the Committee.

The Chair requested that any further suggested items for future meetings be made to the Committee Services Team.