Agenda, decisions and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting of the council

Councillor Tindall suggested that some information had been omitted from the minutes of the previous meeting and therefore were inaccurate. He requested that the recording be re-examined and the minutes be amended accordingly. The Mayor advised that the recording had been used to complete the minutes and didn’t feel that his request was necessary.

A vote was held:

13 for (Anderson, Barrett, Bassadone, Beauchamp, Bhinder, Chapman, Elliot, Guest, Harden, Johnson, Peter, Riddick and Silwal).

7 against (Claughton, England, Freedman, Hobson, McDowell, Stevens and Taylor).

Therefore the minutes of the meeting held on 23 February 2022 were agreed by a majority and then signed by the Mayor.

Councillor Tindall suggested that some information had been omitted from the minutes of the previous meeting and therefore were inaccurate. He requested that the recording be re-examined and the minutes be amended accordingly. The Mayor advised that the recording had been used to complete the minutes and didn’t feel that his request was necessary.

A vote was held:

13 for (Anderson, Barrett, Bassadone, Beauchamp, Bhinder, Chapman, Elliot, Guest, Harden, Johnson, Peter, Riddick and Silwal).

7 against (Claughton, England, Freedman, Hobson, McDowell, Stevens and Taylor).

Therefore the minutes of the meeting held on 23 February 2022 were agreed by a majority and then signed by the Mayor.

To receive any declarations of interest

None.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider questions (if any) by members of the public of which the appropriate notice has been given to the Assistant Director (Corporate and Contracted Services)

None.

There was no public participation.

To receive announcements and business brought forward by the Mayor, Leader, and Members of the Cabinet or the Chief Executive.

4.1       By the Mayor:

4.2       By the Chief Executive:

4.3       By the Group Leaders:  Any apologies for absence

4.4       Council Leader and Members of the Cabinet:

Councillor Williams                       Leader of the Council

Councillor Elliot                             Finance and Resources

Councillor Griffiths                        Housing

Councillor Williams                       Corporate and Contracted Services

Councillor Barrett                          Environmental Services

Councillor Banks                           Community and Regulatory Services

Councillor Anderson                     Planning and Infrastructure

4.1       By the Mayor:

The Mayor announced the sad passing of Hon. Freeman, Bob Parsons OBE. One minutes silence was held in remembrance.

4.2       By the Chief Executive:

None.

4.3       By the Group Leaders:

Councillor Williams gave apologies on behalf of Councillors Adeleke, Arslan, Douris, Griffiths, Hearn, Rogers, Timmis, Wyatt-Lowe, and Independent Member Councillor Maddern.

Councillor Tindall gave apologies on behalf of Councillors Allen, Barry-Mears, Dhyani, Foster, Hollinghurst, Pringle and Ransley.

4.4       Council Leader and Members of the Cabinet:

Full details are in the minutes under Announcements of the Leader and Cabinet.

4.1       By the Mayor:

The Mayor announced the sad passing of Hon. Freeman, Bob Parsons OBE. One minutes silence was held in remembrance.

4.2       By the Chief Executive:

None.

4.3       By the Group Leaders:

Councillor Williams gave apologies on behalf of Councillors Adeleke, Arslan, Douris, Griffiths, Hearn, Rogers, Timmis, Wyatt-Lowe, and Independent Member Councillor Maddern.

Councillor Tindall gave apologies on behalf of Councillors Allen, Barry-Mears, Dhyani, Foster, Hollinghurst, Pringle and Ransley.

4.4       Council Leader and Members of the Cabinet:

Councillor Williams, Leader of the Council

The Leader presented his update as follows:

Not directly related to the motion agreed at the last Council meeting regarding the concerns about potential expansion at Luton Airport but he was pleased to see the direction of travel that the previous application which was under consideration has been called in by the Secretary of State and pencilled in for a public inquiry in September. He hoped this was a sign that the Secretary of State would take great interest in the future expansion plans and call them in for scrutiny. 

He was pleased to see that in the latest notice from the West Herts Hospital Trust (WHHT) they’ve indicated their board meeting for 20^th June and want to take a fresh look at what circumstances may have changed since the last consideration at the option of a new build site as opposed to the redevelopment of Watford. He said this wasn’t something to celebrate as yet but it was a positive that they are prepared to reconsider the option of a Greenfield site which members felt was a far greater option for future healthcare provision.

Happy to take questions.

Questions

Councillor Tindall was pleased to hear the update about the hospital. He questioned if there had been any mention regarding the potential urgent care centre and the NHS site just off the Marlowes which could be very useful to the Council.

The Leader said discussions were ongoing with the NHS regarding all options. He suggested that decisions about Hemel Hempstead and St Albans would fall into place once the decisions around Watford and the Greenfield site were made. Under the current plans a massive proportion of investment would go to Watford and Hemel and St Albans would pick up what was left. He wanted to be clear that whilst there are discussions around the alternative uses at the Hemel site the maximum benefit we can get is to use as much of the site for healthcare services as possible. This was the priority for our residents.

There were no further questions.

Councillor Elliot, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources

The Portfolio Holder presented his update as follows:

Financial Services

The Finance service has been extremely busy during January and February following the release of the final local government finance settlement.

This has required a further assessment and review of the draft 22/23 budget proposals, followed by the final budget scrutiny and the production and presentation of the proposed 22/23 budget on this evening’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The following Motion was proposed by Councillor Banks and seconded by Councillor Anderson:

We are saddened and disturbed by the unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, which has caused horrific devastation, and created an escalating humanitarian crisis with millions of women, children and the elderly displaced or affected whilst those able men and women fight a war.

In light of this, and as a way of expressing support for the people of Ukraine and members of our communities who are from or who have ties with Ukraine this Council;

1. Condemns the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine and stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and their families and friends, including those local to Dacorum.
2. Will work with and support the efforts of our local communities to provide help, and comfort to those in need.

An amendment to the motion was proposed by Councillor Freedman and seconded by Councillor Tindall. The amendment was accepted by Councillor Banks and Councillor Anderson, therefore the following paragraph was added to the motion:

3. The Leader of the Council to write to the Home Secretary urging that the UK urgently provides a faster route to safety for Ukrainians fleeing Russian violence by waiving all visa requirements for Ukrainian passport holders arriving in the UK while their country is under attack.

A vote was held and the Council unanimously agreed the Motion.

The following Motion was proposed by Councillor Banks and seconded by Councillor Anderson:

We are saddened and disturbed by the unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, which has caused horrific devastation, and created an escalating humanitarian crisis with millions of women, children and the elderly displaced or affected whilst those able men and women fight a war.

In light of this, and as a way of expressing support for the people of Ukraine and members of our communities who are from or who have ties with Ukraine this Council;

1. Condemns the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine and stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and their families and friends, including those local to Dacorum.
2. Will work with and support the efforts of our local communities to provide help, and comfort to those in need.

An amendment to the motion was proposed by Councillor Freedman and seconded by Councillor Tindall. The amendment was accepted by Councillor Banks and Councillor Anderson, therefore the following paragraph was added to the motion:

3. The Leader of the Council to write to the Home Secretary urging that the UK urgently provides a faster route to safety for Ukrainians fleeing Russian violence by waiving all visa requirements for Ukrainian passport holders arriving in the UK while their country is under attack.

A vote was held and the Council unanimously agreed the Motion.

To consider questions (if any) by members of the Council of which the appropriate notice has been given to the Assistant Director (Corporate and Contracted Services)

None.

None.

To consider any business referred from the previous meeting

None.

None.

To consider the following referrals from Cabinet:

Item 7.1           CA/24/22         Garage Strategy

Resolved:

That the following be approved:

15 March 2022

Item 8.1         CA/24/22         GARAGE STRATEGY

Decision

1.     That Council approve additional 21/22 supplementary funding of £110k revenue for project costs, to be funded from the Dacorum Development reserve.

2. That Council approve a supplementary capital budget for 2022/23 garage investment of £500k. The specific investment decisions to be delegated to the Strategic Director (Corporate and Commercial) in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources and s.151 Officer.

Resolved:

That the following be approved:

15 March 2022

Item 8.1         CA/24/22         GARAGE STRATEGY

Decision

1.     That Council approve additional 21/22 supplementary funding of £110k revenue for project costs, to be funded from the Dacorum Development reserve.

2. That Council approve a supplementary capital budget for 2022/23 garage investment of £500k. The specific investment decisions to be delegated to the Strategic Director (Corporate and Commercial) in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources and s.151 Officer.

Councillor Imarni, Chair of the Housing and Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee, introduced the annual reports and provided a detailed overview of each committee.

Councillor Imarni, Chair of the Housing and Community Overview and Scrutiny Committee, introduced the annual reports and provided a detailed overview of each committee.

The Council unanimously agreed Councillor Barry-Mears non-attendance at meetings of the authority due to maternity for a six month period up to 30^th November 2022 pursuant to Section 85 (1) of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Council unanimously agreed Councillor Barry-Mears non-attendance at meetings of the authority due to maternity for a six month period up to 30^th November 2022 pursuant to Section 85 (1) of the Local Government Act 1972.

To consider any proposals for changes to committee membership

The following changes to committee membership were agreed:

Councillor Symington to replace Councillor McDowell as the DBC representative on the Chilterns Conservation Board.

The following changes to committee membership were agreed:

Councillor Symington to replace Councillor McDowell as the DBC representative on the Chilterns Conservation Board.

To consider any proposals for changes to committee dates

The following changes to committee dates were agreed:

The Cabinet meeting scheduled for 28^th June 2022 to be cancelled due to a clash with the LGA conference.

The following changes to committee dates were agreed:

The Cabinet meeting scheduled for 28^th June 2022 to be cancelled due to a clash with the LGA conference.