Agenda item
QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS
To consider any questions submitted by Members of the Council, in accordance with Standing Order 4.8.11 (b).
Decision:
In accordance with Standing Order 4.8.11, 4 questions had been submitted by the required deadline set out in the Constitution.
(A) Impact of Luton Airport Expansion
Councillor Chris Lucas to Councillor Daniel Allen, Leader of the Council.
(B) Lithium-Ion Battery Hazards
Councillor Jon Clayden to Councillor Mick Debenham, Executive Member for Regulatory.
(C) Recycling Rates
Councillor Ralph Muncer to Councillor Amy Allen, Executive Member for Environment.
(D) Penalty Charge Notices
Councillor Matt Barnes to Councillor Donna Wright, Executive Member for Place.
Minutes:
Audio recording – 2 hours 7 minutes 21 seconds
In accordance with Standing Order 4.8.11, four questions had been submitted by the required deadline set out in the Constitution.
(A) Impact of Luton Airport Expansion
Councillor Chris Lucas to Councillor Daniel Allen, Leader of the Council:
Councillor Daniel Allen provided the following response:
‘Luton planned to increase the passenger numbers to 32 million a year. They have clarified they want to achieve this by the 2040’s. So, this change will happen gradually and slowly, but I know for many the scale of the change with cause considerable concern. Seeing as you mention Alistair Strathern, I will share his work. He has been engaging with the Department of Transport, Ministers and their teams to share the concerns on the impact Luton Airport is already having on nearby communities and to push for consideration on the further impact that expansion will bring. I will continue to push for all relevant stakeholders to improve traffic flow around the site and through our constituency towns and villages. I want to make sure there are more robust monitoring and enforcement on the noise impacts of flight paths and flight times. It is shame that you have never written or emailed him about it Cllr Lucas, because he would have been very happy to discuss it with you. But in a direct answer to your question, we don’t know yet. We are working with our MPs, with Luton Borough Council and with the Liberal Democrat led County Council to make sure that our residents are supported in the best way possible. I also am looking to the positives of this. We need to capture every opportunity that this brings for our residents in infrastructure improvements and the potential 28,000 new jobs and new housing that will come along with this.’
Councillor Chris Lucas asked a supplementary question, as follows:
‘No, I haven’t written to Alistair Strathern on this matter, but I have actually spoken to him at length on this matter and the answers I got from him are wholly unsatisfactory as was the response and answer that you have just provided. In light of this, I wonder if you could give us some assurances and reassurances to the people who are directly affected by this terrible decision to expand Luton Airport is going to have on the local community and can you give assurances that you will be campaigning and fighting tooth and nail against this expansion?’
Councillor Daniel Allen responded:
‘I can’t. The decision has been made. I will make sure that we capture every opportunity this brings for our residents.’
(B) Lithium-Ion Battery Hazards
Councillor Jon Clayden to Councillor Mick Debenham, Executive Member for Regulatory:
‘Given ongoing public concern about industrial fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, could the executive member please update us on what the council has done to understand and mitigate their impact on residents?’
Councillor Mick Debenham provided the following response:
‘I am sure that everybody in this room and the general public all share concerns around this very important issue and of course I am happy to answer his question, but I would just like to gently nudge people towards the NHDC website which has had a dedicated page to the fires since April and was last updated in June and it currently has answers to twelve FAQs about this.
The response to the fires has been a multi-agency effort involving North Herts Council, Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), Fire and Rescue, Public Health and the Environment Agency. All the parties have been working with the business owners to reduce the risk of future fires and to ensure that businesses are operating within the conditions of their license. The Environment Agency and HCC are the licensing authorities and they have assured partner agencies that both of the scrap metal businesses involved are indeed operating within the conditions of these licenses. HCC and North Herts Council have jointly commissioned a health impact survey to be carried out by independent experts to fully assess any risks to local residents and the nearby school. Work has already begun and an in-depth survey will be conducted over several months to gather sufficient data to be able to bring comprehensive conclusions. Once we have this information, we will be able to see if and what further action needs to be taken.’
Councillor Jon Clayden asked a supplementary question, as follows:
‘The point is specifically about what this Council is doing and part of the motion that was carried by the Council in November required and I quote work proactively to instigate a system of air quality monitoring in the residential areas closest to the industrial estate. Can you clarify whether that has happened and whether the air quality data specifically will be made available to members and to the public?’
Councillor Mick Debenham responded:
‘Of course, that is all part of the ongoing assessment and as well as air pollution they will be looking at noise pollution and pollution generated by traffic in and around the estate. The idea is to look at all potential risks to human health created by the sites and the cumulative effects or impacts on residents and of course we will publish the survey.’
(C) Recycling Rates
Councillor Ralph Muncer to Councillor Amy Allen, Executive Member for Environment:
‘What the recycling rate for North Hertfordshire is projected to be following the introduction of the new waste contract?’
Councillor Amy Allen provided the following response:
‘60%.’
Councillor Ralph Muncer asked a supplementary question, as follows:
‘I wish to highlight Brownfield Way which is in Blackmore End in the south of my ward, because half of Brownfield Way is located within the district of North Hertfordshire and half of it is located within the district of St Albans. Now, from August, from next month residents in North Hertfordshire will have bins collected once every 3 weeks, whereas the residents in St Albans will have their bins collected once every two weeks. If St Albans can maintain one of the best recycling rates in the country of 64%, whilst also charging a lower rate of council tax then why can’t North Herts?’
Councillor Amy Allen responded:
‘We don’t have control over what St Albans do with their services and I am quite proud of the pioneering service that we are providing to our residents and the changes we are making regarding emissions and government legislation.’
(D) Penalty Charge Notices
Councillor Matt Barnes to Councillor Donna Wright, Executive Member for Place:
‘How many Penalty Charge Notices were issued in Council car parks in each locality during the periods March to May 2024 and March to May 2025?’
Councillor Donna Wright provided the following response:
‘I am happy to provide the data by locality. So firstly for Baldock the number of penalty charge notices issued from March to May 2024 was 17. In the same period in 2025 it was 23. For Hitchin for 2024 it was 1,060, for 2025 1,500. For Knebworth in 2024 it was 14, in 2025 it was 10. In Letchworth for 2024 it was 217. In 2025 it was 397. And finally for Royston the figure for 2024 was 258 and for 2025 it was 316. I should add that these figures include the display machines at Hitchin Swimming Centre and Norton Common.’
Councillor Matt Barnes asked a supplementary question, as follows:
‘Given the significant increase in the number of areas, do you feel that the Council provided enough support and information to local residents and businesses during the roll out of the new parking machines.’
Councillor Donna Wright responded:
‘Yes, there has been a lot of support. We are still reviewing the amount of support that we provide. Obviously, the installation of the new machines has taken time to bed down and there has been an increase in Penalty Charges Notices (PCNs) as a result, but this is mostly due to visitors entering their vehicle numbers incorrectly. Hopefully with time people will get used to the new system and realise that they have to remember their Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) and input it correctly. We also have to bear in mind that this year we have a full team of CEOs compared to the same period last year which means we have been able to provide more coverage for both on street and off-street parking and this has obviously contributed to an overall increase in the number of PCNs issued. We need to bear in mind that PCNs only account for less than 1% of the total number of successful parking transactions made over the same period. But the team is continuing to provide support and there will be a full report going to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in September with further details on that.’
Supporting documents:
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