Agenda item

ARobinson began by introducing COuttersides and LWood and noted that the report was to consider (1) the statement of community involvement and (2) the regulation 18 consultation document. ARobinson took the report as read and highlighted some items of note. ARobinson advised that a briefing session was held last week where LWood took members though the background of the JSP. ARobinson confirmed that the Committee was being asked to inform Cabinet of its views on the 2 documents and that, due to timescales, the report will go to Cabinet on 12th July. ARobinson asked to capture feedback of the Committee to then report back to Cabinet next week.

COuttersides commented on the papers and summarised some key issues. The 2 reports have also gone through the other Hertfordshire authorities in parallel with 16 consecutive meetings that commenced 3 months ago, and the reports and recommendations are going through all other partner authorities. COuttersides added that the Regulation 18 plan is a high-level visions and objectives plan and is not looking at growth scenarios, housing options or green belt at this stage. A detailed engagement plan has been set up to supplement the consultation to ensure there is clear messaging on what the JSP is and isn't.

Cllr England stated that he supported the JSP as it was a move out of silos. Cllr England commented that it's important that some level of the local plan process should look at the dynamic of being located next to London as this affects areas such as housing numbers and employment. Cllr England described the area as a town of two cities given that they have people who live in the area who work in London and then others who live and work in the local area who earn less. ARobinson acknowledged the comments, noting that the JSP gives them an opportunity to step back and look holistically across the area and recognise that London is next to the wider JSP boundary. ARobinson confirmed that looking at this is part of the JSP's broader horizon and won't be lost in either this or future consultations. COuttersides added that the JSP will allow them to speak to the GLA as a group of authorities and will give them a bigger voice in discussions. Cllr Anderson advised that the Chair of the Hertfordshire Infrastructure Planning Partnership is taking part in London planning meetings and representing Hertfordshire.

Cllr Foster requested that the report be provided in a printer-friendly version, to which COuttersides confirmed they would be producing both PDF and hard copies of the report. Cllr Foster noted the use of social media and asked which platforms would be used and how they would intend to reach audiences that don't follow the council or JSP. COuttersides noted previous engagement work in South West Herts in 2020 using Facebook and Instagram to reach 18-25 year olds and hard-to-reach groups, which was particularly successful. The aim was to make questions more attractive to people who didn't have enough time to respond to questions and they managed to reach 15k people across South West Herts. Similar work will also be done as part of the new engagement. The Regulation 18 consultation will be run on the website alongside more targeted engagement to engage the 18-25 and harder-to-reach demographics, using both social media and simplified versions of the consultation questions to then feed back into the consultation. A youth forum of around 15-20 18- to 25-year-olds has also been set up to test ideas, questions, imagery and videos to ensure that they are successful in reaching this group.

Cllr Foster asked if a text-only version of the document would be available. COuttersides stated that this should be possible.

Cllr Stevens requested that documents be circulated further in advance in future to allow councillors more time to read and prepare for discussions. Cllr Harden agreed, adding that they could wait for the body of the report, but that any associated documents would be appreciated in advance. ARobinson confirmed that they would release information sooner where possible, adding that the local plan was provided in advance. ARobinson continued that they had used the member briefing to break down the information and that he recognised there was a lot of information to digest so would therefore look to provide this at least 2 weeks in advance in future.

Cllr Riddick referred to the risk implications under points 19.1 and 19.2 of the report, noting that it states that the Council or another participating council not approving the statement of the community of involvement or the JSP realising its potential is cited as one of the main risks. Cllr Riddick asked if this meant that one council could hold everyone back or if they would take a majority. COuttersides advised that if one council says no then they won't go to consultation with the success of the JSP relying on each individual authority giving their approval in accordance. Should Dacorum, or any other council, decide not to support the JSP then it won't go to consultation. COuttersides noted that this was a large risk and that councils have the ultimate veto at any stage of the process. Cllr Riddick summarised that complete unanimity was required.

Cllr Harden asked if any concerns had been raised from any other scrutiny committees. LWood confirmed that Dacorum is the only scrutiny they have been through, though similar questions as those raised tonight have been raised at other council briefings. LWood advised that all other councils so far have agreed with the JSP.

Cllr Anderson noted that around 35 revisions have taken place so far and he highlighted the work that had gone into creating a balanced document.

Cllr Wilkie thanked the team for the work put into creating the document, stating that she broadly commended the JSP and model of working across the individual parties. Cllr Wilkie referred to pages 55 and 56 of the report, noting that it says the consultation will be web and social media based, and asked what plans have been made for the older demographic. Cllr Wilkie agreed with comments on the document size, stating that this supports the need to bring the task group back as this would allow the Committee to see some documents as the report was put together. COuttersides first addressed the question on communication, stating that the social media element is a separate part of the consultation and that the majority of the consultation will be run through the website alongside virtual briefings and the preparation of packs for constituent authorities to hold in-person sessions if required. COuttersides also noted that the consultation dates have been updated and have been delayed to commence from the beginning of September, so as not to coincide with the school summer holidays, and will still run for 8 weeks.

Cllr England commented on community involvement and asked if they could get this part of the document into schools. Cllr England also asked how non-parish areas would be involved, and what number of responses they were targeting as a successful response. On schools, COuttersides confirmed he would be meeting with King Langley Primary School next week and that they are happy to reach out to as many schools as possible as this is a key part of their engagement, adding that he was looking to get some people from King Langley as part of the youth group going forward. On non-parish areas, COuttersides confirmed that they are working with all comms teams to highlight which groups need to be consulted and that the comms engagement plan could be shared, and virtual briefings can also be used to reach as many people as possible. On the question regarding responses, ARobinson commented that response rates tends to be higher with virtual consultations compared to more traditional consultations, and that they hoped the approach would ensure a wider reach across the communities.

Cllr Hearn asked how many officers would be involved in the work and what the level of commitment would be. ARobinson noted that there is a separate JSP team and a wider officer group represented by all districts who provide support into the JSP process, and comms officers in Dacorum are helping assist the communication strategy. ARobinson acknowledged there would be an additional draw on officer time as the JSP continues, though the long-term benefits of the JSP outweigh the officer resource required. Whilst resources are limited, the long-term benefits justify their use.

Cllr Wilkie noted the mention of the HRA in the document and that during the local plan the need for a development exclusion zone had emerged. Cllr Wilkie asked for further clarification of this point given the impact that the HRA had. ARobinson advised that the HRA process will be followed through as the JSP develops given that pressures on the Chilterns will not go away any time soon and officers are working on a management plan. The JSP will need to take into account any pressures and any mitigation strategies will need to be reflected in the plan. ARobinson reassured members that the JSP will continue to consider the impacts on the Chilterns Beechwoods and they would ensure the appropriate mitigation measures are in place.

The Committee noted both recommendations as outlined on page 16 of the report.