Full Council - 13 December 2016

You are hereby summoned to attend an ordinary meeting of the Council to be held in the Penn Chamber, Three Rivers House, Rickmansworth, on Tuesday 13 December 2016 at 7.30pm for the purpose of transacting the under-mentioned business:-

A G E N D A

1.       APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2.       MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Council meeting held on 18 October 2016 (pages A1 to A13).

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3.       CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

4.       LEADER’S REPORT

5.       RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

To consider the recommendations of the Policy and Resources Committee at its meetings held on 8 November 2016 and 5 December 2016 (B1).

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PR67/16 – Draft Calendar of Meetings 2017/18

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PR79/16 – Budget Monitoring – Month 6 (September 2016)

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PR80/16 – Appropriation of Land in South Oxhey

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6.       RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE SERVICE COMMITTEES

To consider the recommendation(s) of the Service Committees at their meetings held as follows (pages C1-C2):

Sustainable Development, Planning and Transport Committee – 15 November 2016

SD22/16 – Budget Monitoring Report – Period 6 (September)

Leisure, Wellbeing and Health Committee – 30 November 2016

LW30/16 – Budget Monitoring Report – Period 6 (September)

General Public Services and Community Safety Committee – 1 December 2016

GPS17/16 – Budget Monitoring Report – Month 6 (September)

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7.       REPORTS AND QUESTIONS TO THE LEADER AND LEAD MEMBERS

LEADER OF THE COUNCIL

Question from Councillor Ty Harris to the Leader of the Council

1. What date, after the Council's annual budget was set in February 2016, did the Council actually reach its expected level of temporary accommodation expenditure for the year?

2. Why did the Leader of the Council and Lead Members not:

(a) predict for budgetary purposes the homelessness cost increases in the last budget review on 18 October 2016, when the Council was aware in September 2016 there was an higher than expected demand of 73 households living in temporary accommodation?

(b) Does this Administration think it is acceptable to report the unfavourable variance forecast of £331,380 of homelessness costs for September 2016 to the Sustainable Development, Planning and Transport Committee meeting on 15 November 2016, when this forecast could have been predicted before?

(c) Can the Administration be better equipped to predict budgetary forecasts for Members and work towards providing information in "real time" to enable accurate budgetary planning for the future?

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING AND TRANSPORT

Reports from the Lead Member for Economic Development, Sustainability and Transport (Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst) and the Lead Member for Housing, Planning and Strategic Schemes (Cllr Martin Trevett) and questions.

Question from Councillor Ty Harris to Councillor Martin Trevett (Lead Member for Housing, Planning and Strategic Schemes)

(a) What action is being taken on the Council’s decision to enforce the removal of the wall, at 58 Ashburnham Drive, that encroached on public owned land as reported in the Watford Observer on 13 October 2016, and why is the wall still standing?

(b) Why were only some of the Ward Councillors updated with progress on the decision when I know regular correspondence with the Chief Executive and other officers goes back to March 2016?

Question from Councillor Ty Harris to Councillor Martin Trevett (Lead Member for Housing, Planning and Strategic Schemes)

Can the Lead Member for Housing, Planning and Strategic Schemes update the Council on:

(a) the purchase of the one property for temporary accommodation, as the completion was due in November?

(b) does he now think the cost of this property would now have been better spent incorporating their new plans for temporary accommodation?

LEISURE, WELLBEING AND HEALTH

Reports from the Lead Member for Leisure, Wellbeing and Health (Cllr Chris Lloyd) and the Lead Member for Health (Cllr Alison Scarth) and questions.

GENERAL PUBLIC SERVICES AND COMMUNITY SAFETY

Reports from the Lead Member for Public Services (Cllr Phil Brading) and the Lead Member for Community Safety (Cllr Roger Seabourne) and questions.

Question from Councillor Ralph Sangster to Councillor Phil Brading (Lead Member for Public Services)

How many road sweeping vehicles do the maintenance team have? How many days during November were they deployed cleaning the roads?  How often on average are the roads in the District cleaned? When were the last two occasions on which Riverside Drive had its channels cleaned?

RESOURCES AND SHARED SERVICES

Report from the Lead Member for Resources and Shared Services (Cllr Matthew Bedford) and questions.

Question from Councillor David Sansom to Councillor Matthew Bedford (Lead Member for Resources and Shared Services)

What is being done to fix the IT problems with planning and what are the consequences of the problem so far?

8.     REPORTS AND QUESTIONS TO THE CHAIRMEN OF THE AUDIT, PLANNING, LICENSING AND REGULATORY SERVICES COMMITTEES

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Report from and questions to the Chairman of the Audit Committee (Cllr Sarah Nelmes).

To consider the recommendation of the Audit Committee at its meeting held as follows (page D1):

Audit Committee – 22 November 2016

AC41/16 – Appointment of Auditors 2018/19 and Beyond

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PLANNING COMMITTEE

Report from and questions to the Chairman of the Planning Committee (Cllr Chris Whately-Smith).

LICENSING

Report from and questions to the Chairman of the Licensing Committee (Cllr Steve Drury).

REGULATORY SERVICES

Report from and questions to the Chairman of the Regulatory Services Committee (Cllr Steve Drury).

9.      QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC UNDER PROCEDURE RULE 15

None received.

10.   PETITIONS UNDER PROCEDURE RULE 18

None received.

MOTIONS UNDER PROCEDURE RULE 11

(1)  Councillor Martin Trevett, seconded by Councillor Sara Bedford, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

Homelessness Reduction

This Council believes that all our residents deserve a safe and suitable home.

Council therefore adds its support to the Homelessness Reduction Bill, to give more residents support at a difficult time in their lives.

Recognising the extra costs that the provisions of the legislation would impose on all Councils, this Council urges that these be fully funded through central taxation.

Council therefore requests that the Chief Executive write to the appropriate Ministers, requesting that the funding be made available.

(2)  Councillor Alison Scarth, seconded by Councillor Sara Bedford, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

Hygiene ratings for restaurants

Council notes that:

1. In 2014, the Government stated that it was in favour of the mandatory display of food hygiene ratings at food outlets to England.

2. Both the Food Standards Agency and Chartered Institute of Environmental Health support this stance.

3. The evidence of mandatory display in Northern Ireland and Wales has seen an improvement in food hygiene standards.

Council believes that:

1. Residents have the right to know the hygiene standards of an establishment before they enter.

2. Standards would be improved by the mandatory display of hygiene levels.

3. Businesses should have to pay all the costs of any re-inspections required as a result of a low inspection score.

Council therefore requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Secretary of State for Health, asking that he use available secondary legislation to introduce mandatory display of food hygiene ratings at food outlets to England.

(3)  Councillor David Sansom, seconded by Councillor Paula Hiscocks, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

Due to the long housing waiting lists this Council commits to building social housing whenever suitable land becomes available. If the Council is unable to build then it will work with local housing associations to enable them to build social housing.

Increasing the supply of permanent homes is the only long term solution to the current housing problem and this must be a Council priority.

(4)  Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, seconded by Councillor Sarah Nelmes, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) welcomes the announcement by Herts County Council (HCC) that it is abandoning its plans to reduce winter gritting for the coming winter.

TRDC remains concerned that Herts CC still plans to review its gritting service for the future, and therefore requests HCC in particular:

1) continue gritting roads with schools on them;

2) provide free grit to schools to enable footways to be gritted; and

3) continue to grit roads that have step inclines. Council resolves to write to HCC setting out these views.

12.    INDEPENDENT REMUNERATION PANEL

To consider the recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel. (Pages E1 to E4)

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13.   AMENDMENTS TO THE COUNCIL CONSTITUTION

For Council to note and approve minor amendments to the Council Constitution which have been made under the Chief Executive’s powers to make amendments to the Constitution. (F1 to F2)

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14.       SPECIAL EXPENSES

This report reviews the Council’s general and special expenses. (G1 to G10)

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15.      COUNCIL TAX BASE FINANCIAL YEAR 2017/2018

This report details the Authority’s council tax base for 2017/2018 which must be approved between 1 December 2016 and 31 January 2017. (Pages H1 to H12)

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16.      COUNCIL TAX REDUCTION SCHEME 2017/18

This report seeks the Council’s approval for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2017/18. (Pages I1 to I4)

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17.     APPOINTMENT TO COMMITTEES

Following the sudden death of Councillor Leslie Proctor, Council is asked to consider reappointing a Member to replace Councillor Proctor on the following Committees:

Regulatory Services Committee

Licensing Committee

General Public Services and Community Safety Committee

There are now 38 Members on the Council with vacancies on the Committees listed above on which he served. No appointment to the vacancies can be made without a decision by Council.

Council may choose to conduct a review of proportionality at this meeting. Subject to the result of the proportionality calculation, which would need to be based on 38 Members, Council could either

allocate to the seats on Committees in accordance with the proportionality rules or without dissent agree not to apply proportionality and could appoint say a Conservative Member to the vacant seat(s).

Alternatively, Council could decide not to conduct a proportionality review and simply leave the seats vacant until after the Bi-election in January 2017.

Officers recommend that Council agree not to apply proportionality and appoint a Conservative Member to the vacant seats.

Chief Executive

5 December 2016

Three Rivers House

Northway

Rickmansworth

Herts WD3 1RL

NOTE AS TO PRAYERS: Reverend Steve Hobbis, South Oxhey Baptist Church, will read prayers at 7.25pm.  Members who are not already in their places are requested to refrain from entering the Chamber during the reading of prayers.  Sufficient time will be allowed for Members to do so after the close of prayers in order that the business of the meeting may begin at 7.30pm.