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 Councillor Louise Peace.

Audio recording – 1 minute 42 seconds

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Louise Peace.

Having given due notice, Councillor Sean Prendergast substituted for Councillor Peace.

To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 3 September 2024.

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 3 September 2024 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair.

Audio Recording – 1 minute 57 seconds

Councillor Ralph Muncer thanked the Chair for his work in developing the Scrutiny Charter, and noted recent feedback from the Peer Review which highlighted recent improvements in the scrutiny processes.

Councillor Matt Barnes, as Chair, proposed and Councillor Ralph Muncer seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 3 September 2024 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 – 2 minutes 59 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.

(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.

Audio recording – 3 minutes 4 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 at this meeting.

Audio recording – 4 minutes 5 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.

No urgent or general exception items were received.

Audio recording – 4 minutes 10 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 have been no called-in items.

Audio recording – 4 minutes 17 seconds

There have been 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 – 4 minutes 21 seconds

No questions had been submitted by Members.

INFORMATION NOTE OF THE CUSTOMER AND DIGITAL SERVICES MANAGER

Half year update for Comments, Compliments & Complaints for 24/25.

Councillor Val Bryant, as Executive Member for Community and Partnerships, presented the Information Note entitled ‘3Cs Half Year Update 2024/2025’.

Audio recording – 4 minutes 27 seconds

Councillor Val Bryant, as Executive Member for Community and Partnerships, presented the Information Note entitled ‘3Cs Half Year Update 2024/2025’ and advised that:

·       This note provided a half year update on the performance regarding the Comments, Compliments and Complaints (3Cs) of the Council.

·       The number of complaints and comments received had increased compared to the previous year.

·       The number of complaints received by the Council and its contractors had increased due to the change of the Council leisure contract as detailed in paragraph 3.10.

·       The percentage of Stage 1 complaints resolved within 10 days had increased to 90%, against a target of 80%.

·       Council contractors had received 80 compliments across a variety of services as shown at Appendix B.

·       16 Stage 2 complaints had been received across service areas, but only 8 were justified.

·       The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) had received 3 complaints this period. One was not upheld, one had been assigned to an investigator and one had been upheld as detailed in the Information Note.

·       One complaint had been received outside of the reporting period as outlined in paragraph 3.19, however it had been included within this note due to the recommendations from the LGO, prior to consideration by Cabinet on 26 November.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Elizabeth Dennis

·       Councillor Ralph Muncer

·       Councillor Sean Prendergast

·       Councillor Matt Barnes

·       Councillor Jon Clayden

·       Councillor Daniel Wright-Mason

·       Councillor Tom Tyson

In response to a question the Executive Member for Community and Partnerships advised that the increase in complaints regarding the new leisure provider were mainly associated with people getting used to the new booking system.

In response to questions the Customer and Digital Services Manager advised that:

·       Complaints were received for a variety of reason. He could provide a full breakdown of the complaints received and would circulate this to Members.

·       As changes were still ongoing at the leisure centre, there was no data available yet to show if the number of complaints had reduced.

·       Complaints were directed through the customer service centre and staff were trained to correctly allocate the 3Cs.

·       He would check with the leisure provider to ensure they were of the policy of the Council to respond to complaints within 10-20 days.

REPORT OF THE SERVICE DIRECTOR – HOUSING AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

To consider the allocation of £73k of ringfenced MHCLG Homelessness Prevention Grant to Herts County Council to match fund the two-year pilot of Druglink’s Supported Housing Scheme for Women.

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the Cabinet supports the allocation of £73k of ring fenced MHCLG Homelessness Prevention Grant to HCC to match fund the two-year pilot of Druglink’s Supported Housing Scheme for Women.

REASON FOR RECOMMENDATION: This proposal has been made in order to enable the two-year pilot to go ahead.

Audio recording – 18 minutes 4 seconds

Councillor Dave Winstanley, the Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health presented the report entitled ‘Supported Housing Scheme for Women’ and advised that:

·       This proposal was to be put forward to Cabinet on 26 November 2024.

·       The aim was to help address the growing need for housing by single homeless women in North Hertfordshire.

·       This scheme would help homeless women who have support needs, such as suffering from domestic abuse, mental health issues and substance abuse.

·       This was a two-year pilot which would be run in partnership by Hertfordshire County Council and Druglink, which was a Hertfordshire based substance misuse charity.

·       An allocation of £73k was required to match fund a commitment from HCC.

·       In December 2022 Cabinet had previously agreed funding of £73 of Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) ring fenced Homeless Prevention Grant (HPG) to support a similar scheme, which had fallen through.

·       This proposal would offer a tailored safe space for women to empower them to gain independence.

·       This initiative would not only meet a critical local need but would support the commitment of the Council to tackle domestic violence in line with the White Ribbon accreditation.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Ralph Muncer

·       Councillor Jon Clayden

·       Councillor Laura Williams

·       Councillor Tina Bhartwas

·       Councillor Daniel Wright-Mason

In response to questions, the Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health advised that this scheme would provide a six bedded unit for homeless single women and that Druglink were a very experienced charity which ran similar schemes elsewhere.

In response to questions, the Strategic Housing Manager advised that:

·       It was hard to estimate the turnaround of the 6 units until the scheme was up and running as the circumstances for each resident would vary.

·       Costs associated with this scheme would be similar to costs associated with the previous scheme that had fallen through.

·       If the scheme was successful, after the end of the two-year pilot, all parties would consider funding options nearer the time.

·       Druglink were very experienced and looked at a broad spectrum of services, providing support for needs such as poor mental health, domestic abuse and substance misuse.

·       Meeting the support needs of survivors of domestic abuse was a key priority for the Council.

·       The Council would be supporting HCC with a 50/50 stake in the two-year pilot.

·       This scheme would be run in a building already owned by HCC and the service would be closely monitored.

·       If this scheme was approved, it could be publicised as part of a wider article about the issues faced by homeless people in winter.

·       The police would be notified once the scheme was approved in line with safeguarding procedures.

Councillor Matt Barnes proposed the recommendation and Councillor Tom Tyson seconded and following a vote, it was:

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET: That the Cabinet supports the allocation of £73k of ring fenced MHCLG Homelessness Prevention Grant to HCC to match fund the two-year pilot of Druglink’s Supported Housing Scheme for Women.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

REPORT OF THE SERVICE DIRECTOR – ENTERPRISE

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

RESOLVED: That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee noted the report.

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

Audio recording - 33 minutes 53 seconds

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

·       This report provided an update on the progress of the Enterprise directorate.

·       The Council Plan was a key document which sets out the objectives of the Council for each portfolio including the Enterprise department.

·       The Enterprise department played a key role in managing external relationships of the Council, for example with the Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).

The Service Director – Enterprise advised that the department generated a significant of revenue and capital for the Council and details of the work programme could be found in Appendix A.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Ralph Muncer

·       Councillor Matt Barnes

·       Councillor Daniel Wright-Mason

·       Councillor Donna Wright

·       Councillor Martin Prescott

·       Councillor Elizabeth Dennis

·       Councillor Tina Bhartwas

·       Councillor Matt Barnes

·       Councillor Tom Tyson

In response to questions the Executive Member for Enterprise and Arts advised that:

·       Figures in the report could be separated for the Museum and Town Hall and this information would be provided to Members at a future meeting.

·       Staff recruitment had been successful in the Estates portfolio, but there were still more positions to be filled within the directorate.

·       Relationships developed with the BIDs were in a stronger position than in the past.

·       The aim of the new Economic Development Strategy was to ensure the right structures and mechanisms were in place in the future.

In response to questions, the Service Director – Enterprise advised that:

·       £250k had been allocated within the capital for the development of Churchgate to employ professional experts.

·       Whilst developing the new Economic Development Strategy, relationships were being built which would be beneficial going forward with the work programme.

·       The Enterprise directorate worked alongside other department in the Council with their initiatives.

·       The fire at the Baldock Industrial State had been a challenge with no simple way to resolve and several companies were working together to find a way forward. However, this was not a project of the Council.

·       Staff shortages in the directorate had slowed down completion of tasks, including the action plan for the Economic Development Strategy.

·       The key lesson learnt from the previous Economic Commercial Strategy was to be realistic of what can be achieved and to make sure the right resources, and accompanying action plans, were in place.

In response to questions, the Culture and Facilities Manager advised that:

·       A lot of work had been completed at the Town Hall, including a new website and two new bars.

·       Internal events at the Town Hall had been profitable and a new booking system had been introduced for efficiency.

·       Museums were not a profitable business and the benefits were social.

·       Revenue generated had increased compared to the year before.

·       The directorate was working on an initiative to support art and culture county wide in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire.

·       There was a North Herts Arts and Culture networking group and many arts groups were run in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

REPORT OF THE CULTURE AND FACILITIES SERVICE MANAGER AND PRINCIPAL ESTATES SURVEYOR

This report explores the current options with regards to solving or alleviating the storage pressures facing the museum collection of North Hertfordshire.

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET:

(1)   That Cabinet note the current projected costs, advantages and disadvantages of each option.

(2)   That Cabinet approve use of £30k of the allocated £4m budget in the current capital programme for this project to develop more detail on the costs of Option D (warehouse proposal) and to acquire the necessary details for a planning application to be made.

(3)   That Cabinet approve use of £20k of the allocated £4m budget in the current capital programme for this project to develop more detail on the costs of Option E (Purchase of a freehold/long leasehold building (new or existing)), should a suitable property become available.

(4)   That Cabinet consider and give approval for officers to apply for grant funding towards the investigations mentioned in 2.2 and 2.3 and recognise the need to align investigations with grant funding timetables in this instance.

(5)   That Cabinet resolve to discount options A, B and G and recommend that they are no longer developed or explored further.

(6)   That Cabinet indicates that Options C, F and H outlined within the report should be pursued further.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION:

(1)   Officers do not have the capacity or financial budget to progress all 8 options to an advanced stage and some early decisions are required in order to focus time and budget on pursuing the most advantageous options based on the best information available to officers and members at the present time.

(2)   In addition, the pursuit of greater detail on a number of the options will require expenditure on external reports and consultants which officers are seeking Cabinets approval to progress. Estimated figures are included in the main body of the report which can be found in Appendix 1 and are summarised in the Executive Summary Grid in Appendix 2.

Audio recording: 1 hour 47 minutes 21 seconds 

Councillor Tamsin Thomas, as Executive Member for Enterprise and Arts, presented the report entitled ‘Museum Storage Options Appraisal’ and advised that:

·       The purpose of this report was to showcase the range of options that have been explored to resolve the museum storage issues.

·       The primary objective of this report was to focus on the most viable options to put forward to Cabinet on 19 November 2024.

·       The museum service provided a continual historical record of this district and the collection had been accumulated over a few hundred years.

·       The collection continued to grow and there was not enough space in the current building for safe storage.

·       The current site at Bury Mead Road was not designed to be used for a long-term storage area and the building was past its life span.

·       A long-term solution was required to protect the heritage collection which would have been considered as part of the museum obtaining accreditation from the Arts Council, last awarded in 2019.

·       Accreditation by the Arts Council was a valuable status which allowed the museum to host exhibitions and this also allowed the museum to apply for project and capital-based grants.

·       This paper highlighted three shorter term options, A, B and C, which only addressed the current issues and provided solutions only in the shorter term.

·       It was therefore preferable to find a longer-term solution to protect the ever-growing fragile collection.

·       Option A was in the report to provide a baseline for comparison. Option B was a minimal solution to maintain commitments to the collection and option C provided this with the addition of some extra storage facilities.

·       Option D, E and H provided the clearest long-term solutions which were worth further explorations and costings.

·       Option F explored the possibility of a leasehold solution, but a leasehold property would not address the strategic long-term challenges faced and would not meet the eligibility criteria for the largest grant option for which Officers could submit an application.

·       Option G explored whether there was a suitable asset already within the ownership of the Council which could be utilised.

The following Councillors asked questions:

·       Councillor Tom Tyson

·       Councillor Ralph Muncer

·       Councillor Matt Barnes

·       Councillor Laura Williams

·       Councillor Jon Clayden

·       Councillor Elizabeth Dennis

·       Councillor Donna Wright

In response to questions, the Culture and Facilities Service Manager advised that:

·       Option H had not been mentioned in recommendation 2.4 as the property was not owned by the Council and therefore it would be for a third party to continue to explore this option, and for Officers to maintain open lines of communication over such developments.

·       The allocation of £30k for option D, would be used to allow the Council to progress investigations up to the planning application stage of the warehouse proposal.

·       The allocation of £20k for option E, would only be used if a suitable property became available on the property market, eliminating the needing to seek approval before being able to explore suitability.

·       Option D involved redevelopment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER

To consider establishing a Task and Finish Group on Section 106 Contributions and alternatives available.

RESOLVED: That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

(1)   Reviewed and commented on the draft scoping document as attached at Appendix A.

(2)   Noted the Task and Finish Group Protocol 2020 as attached at Appendix B.

(3)   Endorsed the principles of the review and approves consultation with Group Leaders to appoint members and a Chair for the Task and Finish Group, subject to recommendation 2.4.

(4)   Delegated authority to the Scrutiny Officer, in consultation with the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to update and finalise the Scoping Document for the Task and Finish Group on Section 106 Contributions.

REASONS FOR DECISIONS:

(1)   To ensure that the final scoping document takes into account suggestions from Members and relevant officers.

(2)   To allow Members to be appointed to the Task and Finish Group.

Audio recording – 3 hours 15 minutes 6 seconds

The Scrutiny Officer presented the report entitled ‘Task and Finish Group on Section 106 Contributions – Draft Scoping Document’ and advised that:

·       Councillor Ralph Muncer had raised a request to conduct a Task and Finish Group to investigate Section 106 funding at North Herts and possible alternatives.

·       The report and scoping document could be found in Appendix A.

Councillor Muncer advised that Section 106 funding in North Herts was not necessarily delivering the benefits to residents that it should and there was limited specific community benefit. The Task and Finish Group would look at whether Section 106 should continue in North Herts or whether it should be replaced.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Elizabeth Dennis

·       Councillor Ralph Muncer

·       Councillor Daniel Wright-Mason

·       Councillor Matt Barnes

Councillor Daniel Allen noted his support for the topic proposed and requested that the work conducted should not hold up the upcoming Local Plan Review.

In response to questions, Councillor Muncer advised that:

·       The Task and Finish Group would investigate other stakeholders and ensure any Section 106 funds were being used correctly and details could be found on page 138 of the scoping document.

·       Communicating with residents and local organisations in the community was important and should be included in the scope and would be best placed in Section 3.

·       The Task and Finish Group would submit information for the Local Plan to ensure residents benefited from and Section 106 funds and this would not delay any Local Plan reviews.

Councillor Matt Barnes, as Chair, proposed and Councillor Ralph Muncer seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

(1)   Reviewed and commented on the draft scoping document as attached at Appendix A.

(2)   Noted the Task and Finish Group Protocol 2020 as attached at Appendix B.

(3)   Endorsed the principles of the review and approves consultation with Group Leaders to appoint members and a Chair for the Task and Finish Group, subject to recommendation 2.4.

(4)   Delegated authority to the Scrutiny Officer, in consultation with the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to update and finalise the Scoping Document for the Task and Finish Group on Section 106 Contributions.

REASONS FOR DECISIONS:

(1)   To ensure that the final scoping document takes into account suggestions from Members and relevant officers.

(2)   To allow Members to be appointed to the Task and Finish Group.

REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER

This report highlights items scheduled in the work programme of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for the 2024-25 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, determines 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 Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan as attached at Appendix C was considered.

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.

Audio recording – 3 hours, 28 minutes 9 seconds

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

·       The work programme was compiled following conversations with the Chair and Vice-Chair and includes annual reports, items from the Forward Plan and possible items for scrutiny as in Appendix A.

·       North Herts Police would be attending the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting in January 2025 to provide an update on Youth Engagement and Youth Crime Prevention.

·       Any suggested topics for the Work Programme or Task and Finish Groups can be sent to the Chair, Vice Chair or Scrutiny Officer.

·       The LGA review actions were included in Appendix C so Members could review the progress of actions.

The following Members asked questions:

·       Councillor Daniel Wright-Mason

·       Councillor Ralph Muncer

·       Councillor Matt Barnes

·       Councillor Claire Winchester

In response to questions the Chair advised that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would be looking at dentistry at a future meeting and that he would consider adding social care to the work programme.

Councillor Matt Barnes, as Chair, proposed and Councillor Tom Tyson 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, determines 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 Corporate Peer Challenge Action Plan as attached at Appendix C was considered.

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.

REPORT OF THE SCRUTINY OFFICER

To consider the outcome of Overview and Scrutiny Committee resolutions, decisions and referrals.

RESOLVED: That the content of the Decisions and Monitoring Tracker be noted.

REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review and comment on actions and feedback received regarding resolutions previously made.

Audio recording – 3 hours, 33 minutes 57 seconds

The Scrutiny Officer presented the report entitled ‘Scrutiny Decisions and Monitoring’ and advised that the referrals and recommendations in the Decisions and Monitoring tracker were considered and noted by Cabinet on 10 September 2024

Councillor Matt Barnes, as Chair, proposed and Councillor Elizabeth Dennis seconded and, following a vote, it was:

RESOLVED: That the content of the Decisions and Monitoring Tracker be noted.

REASON FOR DECISION: To enable the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review and comment on actions and feedback received regarding resolutions previously made.