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 G Sutton Environmental Services & Sustainability
Councillor Elliot Finance & Resources
Councillor Mrs Griffiths Housing
Councillor Harden Residents & Regulatory Services
Councillor Marshall Planning and Regeneration
Minutes:
4.3 By the Group Leaders:
Councillor Williams gave apologies for absence on behalf of Councillors G Adshead, S Adshead, Elliot, Mills, Brown and W Wyatt-Lowe.
Councillor Fisher gave apologies for absence on behalf of Councillor Fethney.
4.4 Leader of the Council and Members of the Cabinet:
Councillor Williams had nothing to announce.
Councillor Marshall made her announcement.
4. Members of the Cabinet:
Councillor Williams, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Community Leadership
Councillor Williams had nothing to announce.
Councillor Marshall, Portfolio Holder for Environmental, Sustainability and Regulatory Services
Environmental Services
On Sunday 10 May 2015 we ran a compost awareness event where we gave away ten tons of free compost to keen gardeners as part of National Compost Week. Hundreds of residents headed to the giveaway event at Cupid Green Depot to pick up their two bags of compost made from the contents of the Borough's green wheeled bins. Last year residents helped to divert about 15,600 tons of food waste, cardboard and garden waste away from landfill and into the green wheeled bins. The compost was provided by D Williams and Co, the company responsible for turning the contents of the green wheeled bin into nutrient-rich compost.
For more information: http://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/news/all-news/2015/05/12/free-compost-giveaway---ten-tonnes-given-to-residents
In June we announced that we can accept plastic carrier bags for food waste disposal in the food caddy. This will make it easier for residents to continue to participate in recycling food waste even after the free compostable liners run out. After extensive trials at the composting facility (Anaerobic Digestion Facility in Chertsey) , residents now have the option to dispose of food waste in plastic carrier bags, as well as compostable liners and newspapers.
Residents can continue to wrap food waste in newspaper and use compostable liners, which are available to buy from the Civic Centres, online at www.thebincompany.co.uk or from supermarkets. Residents have been urged not to place food in plastic trays or containers or in any other plastic wrapping in the kerbside caddy as it will not be collected.
The ‘breaking’ good news was announced on Facebook and it led to 80 likes, 92 shares and 29 comments (all positive).
For more information:
http://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/news/all-news/2015/06/03/food-waste-recycling-made-easy
To celebrate National Recycle Week (22 - 28 June) we've been out and about encouraging people to expand their recycling routine to include items from every part of their home. Shoppers in the Sainsburys store in Woodhall Farm and Tesco store in Jarman Park took part in demonstrations and competitions to test what items can be placed in the mixed recycling bin and the refuse bin from different rooms in the house. Those who gave the right answers won recycled merchandise, including bottle opener key rings, mini wheeled bins and reusable bags. Many residents and supermarket staff showed their enthusiasm for recycling, with the pledge "I'm recycling right for Herts".
For more information:
http://www.dacorum.gov.uk/home/news/all-news/2015/06/23/you're-recycling-right
The Clean Safe and Green (CSG) team had the official opening of Walled Garden summer flower display where the Mayor very kindly attended to cut the ribbon.
The CSG team did a great job preparing the Borough for the Aviva’s Womens Tour cycle event and we received lots of good feedback on how the park and route looked.
We also completed a bedding display in Tring as part of the 700 years celebration being held in Tring. It generated loads of interest and has gone down very well with the residents of Tring.
Grass cutting is going well and teams are already on the fourth cuts on the rounds.
We also had three of our Green flag parks judged this year, we now await the outcome.
We also completed the harvesting of timber from Chipperfield Common and now have a stock of timber which we are using to make our own benches.
Regulatory Services
Food Hygiene Inspections - The first Quarter target A-C category inspections are within Performance Indicator projections.
Food Safety Enforcement - Two cautions have been issued with respect to businesses failing to comply with food hygiene /safety requirements. These were for food hygiene contraventions and failure to implement an effective food safety management system
Health & Safety Enforcement - A Prohibition Notice was served for gas safety issues.
Environment Action Days - The first of the planned operations took place week commencing 6th July and this targeted dog fouling. Known hot spots were visited across the Borough which included Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring & Markyate. In summary all of the dog walkers spotted were acting responsibly and there were no fixed penalty notices issued or prosecutions taken. However, this exercise has helped to build up intelligence on certain activities which will need to be monitored. A press release will be going out shortly.
Environmental Protection - Statutory Nuisance: there are still ongoing issues at Bovingdon Airfield relating to noise nuisance from motor sport activities. The Council’s decisions were upheld and the noise abatement measures are now included in the site management plans. Officers are still dealing with two pubs which have been causing noise nuisance to residents. Both were served with abatement notices and levels noise levels are being monitored.
Fly tipping Prosecutions - On the 6th July 2015 Mr Adrian Diculescu of Hemel Hempstead pleaded guilty to dumping household waste in Holtsmere End Lane on his way to work on 20th April 2015 .He was prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and ordered to pay a total of £1820.
On 8th April 2015 Mr Daniel O’Connor and Mr Claude Tambwe, both of Lomond Road Hemel Hempstead, pleaded guilty to leaving waste at a recycling site, failing to comply with Sections 33 and 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Private Sector Housing – The Council continues to manage two houses in multiple occupation which have Final Management Orders. The serious defects have been removed. The Council manage the property in terms of the tenancies and it is also maintaining the property and remedying any defects so it is fit for habitation. The landlord has been successfully prosecuted for breaching their duty of care to tenants following an extensive investigation and collation of evidence. In addition, officers served a housing act notice on another landlord for various ‘category one’ hazards.
Air Quality - Monitoring equipment is being updated to capture a broader spectrum of pollutants with the help from money from Public Health. The County Air Quality Strategy has been approved by the Health & Wellbeing Board and there is an air quality event on the 7th October which will be looking at measures to reduce poor air quality across the County. Members are invited.
Corporate Health and Safety - The key priorities include health and safety risk assessments, risk assessment training for staff, fire safety, fire evacuation plans, DSE assessments.
The majority of relevant staff have now had training on risk assessment, fire safety/evacuation and manual handling. We have delivered this using expertise in-house and plan to do training in further areas using ‘train the trainer’ principles. This will save money on employing expensive external consultants and promotes a sustainable way of delivering training in the long term.
Other longer term projects include:
• Review the organisation and arrangements for delivering Health and Safety
• Develop more detailed corporate Health and Safety plans
• Auditing
• Development of Health and Safety Coordinators
Sustainability - Annual Management review of ISO14001:2004 will be taking place in a couple of months.
Six key Environmental Objectives for 2015 were agreed and the aim is to reduce by 5% the overall energy usage.
• Reduce the Fuel Consumption of the Council's fleet
• Record the weekly Electricity Consumption at each site
• Record the weekly Gas Consumption at each site
• Record the weekly Water Consumption at each site
• Increase Recycling Rates at each site
• Develop guidance and protocols for Sustainable Procurement
Enforcement Policy - This has been taken to Overview and Scrutiny and will be taken to Cabinet later this year.
Mobile Homes - The licensing policy was taken to Overview and Scrutiny and will be taken to Cabinet on the 21st July.
We have inspected all mobile home sites to check compliance against site licenses which has resulted in action by officers to remedy defects. The main issues have been to do with fire safety.
Clean Safe & Green - Cllr Marshall thanked the Mayor for officially opening the Walled Garden Summer Display in Gadebridge Park and strongly recommended other Members to visit.
As part of the town’s 700 year celebration, the Clean Safe & Green Department created a special bedding display in Tring.
The Clean Safe & Green Department did a huge amount of work for the Aviva’s Women Tour cycle event, making everything nice and clean, with Gadebridge Park looking really good and undertaking the mammoth job of clearing up afterwards.
Refuse collection - Cllr Marshall reminded Members that ordinary plastic bags can now be used to wrap waste food for the Green Food Caddy, so residents no longer need use the “compostable liners” and can use ordinary plastic bags as well as newspaper.
National Recycle Week end of June - there were Council demonstrations & competitions in Sainsburys, Woodhall Farm & Tesco at Jarman Park to show what can be recycled.
Environmental Health - Regarding publicity on the Council’s Community Awards seeking Clean Safe & Green Community Champion : 7th August 2015 is the closing date for nominations. The purpose of the award is to recognise publicly spirited individuals and groups volunteering their time and going the extra mile to make their community cleaner, safer and greener. This can be for one-off or regular events. The principle criteria is has the work benefited the environment and has the work achieved a sense of community spirit?
Questions and answers:
Councillor Guest commented how good the two events were and asked if a list of recycled items could be given to Portfolio Holders.
Councillor Marshall explained that it was on the website and she would make a log of this to see if there was a better way of describing it.
Councillor Fisher said she was happy with the system but how did people with no transport recycle small household electrical goods.
Councillor Marshall explained that items like this need to be taken to the household waste recycling centre. She didn’t have the answer to what people should do if they didn’t have their own transport. However she would bear this in mind.
Councillor Williams gave an announcement on behalf of Councillor Elliot, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources
Finance:
The Annual Statement of Accounts were delivered on time and approved at Audit Committee on 24 June. The team have continued to improve in year processes, controls and working papers meaning the Auditors have already completed the majority of their work, and a report with their opinion of the Accounts will be presented to the Audit Committee on 29 July.
A new card payments portal went live on the Council’s website on 16 June. This portal provides significant improvements to the previously outdated one. The Customer Focus Project identified that the previous portal was unclear and did not portray a modern Council. The new portal has been designed with the Council’s corporate branding, provides large and clear buttons, improving the customer’s experience. The portal now allows customers to make payments via tablets and mobiles. The portal will continue to be developed over the coming year to incorporate additional services that do not currently accept payments online.
Revenue & Benefits:
Paperless Direct Debits have started to be accepted for Council Tax. This means that customers can now set up a direct debit over the phone or face to face, without the need for paper based bank mandates. Overall this makes it easier for the customer and gives them a much more positive experience increasing customer satisfaction, reduces the time taken to set up direct debits, reduces paper based activities and speeds up the recovery of any arrears. This is the first stage of a larger project seeking firstly to roll out paperless direct debits for all key services, and then make online direct debit facilities available to increase the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the service.
Commercial Assets & Property Development:
We are continuing to press for commercial increases in retail rents in shopping parades. We are looking to change leases to shorter terms and tie rental increases to inflation (RPI) to improve the commercial performance of the portfolio. Currently voids remain low at approx. 2% of the retail stock. Rental arrears are in general low at 7.6%.
We are continuing to press forward with the Berkhamsted Multi Storey Car Park where a pre-application was submitted on June 15th. Investigations on the Environment Agency Zoning of the site are continuing to determine impact, archaeological investigation, engineering drawings and site investigation have been commissioned. A party wall surveyor is being appointed. A formal planning application is expected in the autumn.
Demolition of Unit B is nearly complete. Following this, the area will be returned to parking. The contractors will then follow on to the Court House where the soft strip is already under way. We are continuing to support the work of the teams regarding the Forum Project.
Questions and Answers:
Councillor Tindall asked if a briefing would be supplied to all councillors.
Councillor Williams confirmed yes.
Councillor Griffiths, Portfolio Holder for Housing
Tenant & Leaseholder Services.
Fun Day - This is a reminder that the Housing Service is holding a fun day on 3rd August 2015. The fun day is to be held on the first day of the National Play Week.
A fun day is a slightly different approach to engaging with our tenants. it has become normal for us to hold a Tenant and Leaseholder Day in the autumn. Holding a fun day is a conscious attempt to engage with families with children during the school holidays.
The fun day will be held at Hemel Hempstead School from 11am.
Key Amnesty - You may be aware that the Housing Service held a ‘key amnesty’ in June 2015. This is part of the approach the service is taking to tackle social housing fraud.
The service was successful in receiving a central government grant to pilot an approach to tackling fraud. Within the grant application was a commitment to holding a key amnesty to give tenants the opportunity to give up their tenancy rather than incur costs for the service to pursue a conviction for fraud.
During the amnesty 7 keys were received enabling much needed homes to be let to those most in need.
Now that this amnesty is over concerted action will be taken to seek convictions for those found to be committing social housing fraud.
Recharges - The Housing Service is doing a lot of work to strengthen the approach it is taking to identify and recover rechargeable repair work. We have been talking to involved tenants about this approach and they support the new more robust approach that we are taking, there will also be an article about this new approach in the summer edition of ‘News and Views’.
It is estimated that thousands of pounds worth of additional income can be recovered as a result of strengthening identification and recovery procedures.
It is anticipated that this new approach will commence in August 2015. This may elicit comments from tenants who are not happy to pay for the work (even if this is spread over a lengthy period) which has obviously been caused by their acts or neglect.
Garden Competition - We will be running the usual gardening competition for sheltered housing schemes. The winners’ presentation will be taking place on Tuesday 28th July in the afternoon.
Presentations will be undertaken by the Mayor.
Strategic Housing
Farm Place - Council officials and residents came together at Farm Place in Berkhamsted to celebrate the first new Council homes to be built in the Borough in over 25 years. These new homes form part of the Council’s ambitious social housing development programme which will see £50m invested in building 400 new homes across the Borough by 2020. Farm Place is a development of 26 homes, meeting Level 4 for Sustainable Homes and built to Lifetime Homes Standard. This means the properties will be suitable to meet the needs of the family for a lifetime and will be easily adaptable for residents with disabilities. The Council has also completed on two other developments in Hemel Hempstead namely; St Peters Court, a nine 2-bedroom flat Passivhaus (built to a high energy efficient standard) and The Elms a 41 bed homeless hostel.
Property & Place
Summer Court - The work to upgrade the blocks of flats at Summer Court has been completed and the residents are benefitting from the following improvement measures:
• Installation of a BIO Mass district heating system to reduce heating bills and the carbon footprint of the flats, which also brings in Renewable Heat Incentives income to the Council
• Solar PV panels to provide electricity to the communal lighting and income to the Council from the feed in tariff.
• External Wall Insulation to the block to reduce heating bills and make the flats warmer.
• New double glazed energy efficient windows.
• External LED street lighting and landscaping of the central gardens
• Refurbishment of the bin and drying areas, including extra security
Structural Upgrading of Walkways / Balconies - The project is progressing well and the supporting steel work has been erected at several garage sites and single balconies. At Fletcher Way the removal of balconies and replacement with Juliette balconies, went very well and the residents have been very co-operative. The residents are getting regular newsletters and advisory letters, as there have been changes to the programme due to unknown ground conditions, and the presence of some services, which has required the design to be altered. Open mornings continue to be held every Wednesday at Able House.
Questions and answers:
There were no questions for the Portfolio Holder.
Councillor Harden, Portfolio Holder for Residents and Corporate Services
Resident Services.
Anti-social Behaviour
There have been three injunctions obtained in court, all have a power of arrest attached, one for racially motivated anti-social behaviour , one for threats against a Council employee and one for storing a motorcycle in a communal area and threats to staff.
The Anti-social Behaviour Team are working with the Local Government Association and the Design Council on a project related to the use of the new legislation contained in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Police Act 2014.
The Old Town Hall
The Old Town Hall has teamed up with Get Set, Go Dacorum to increase the offer of the very popular ‘Let’s Dance’ sessions for residents aged 55. They will be running from July 27th to 21st September and are bookable through the Old Town Hall. The Look Out Pop Out children’s theatre in Gadebridge Park will run on 1st and 15th August.
Women’s Tour
The 21st June saw the National Women’s Tour of Britain finish in Hemel Hempstead at Gadebridge Park. The Race Organisers were very happy with the route, Dacorum’s planning and the attendance (which should not be compared to the men’s tour). The racers also loved the route and spent some time signing autographs and talking to spectators. A real success for Dacorum, which again puts us on the map. We are currently reviewing the footage to get attendance numbers but early estimates are around 5,000 people.
Feedback from all the community groups involved in the fair were very pleased and many stalls reported ‘selling out’ and a really positive day. An example of this is reflected in the feedback from Friends of Gadebridge Park who reported 79 new members signing up!
Neighbourhood Action
A Love your Neighbourhood event will take place in Tring on 25th August for a whole day concentrated in the Silk Mill Community Centre and focusing on Children and Young People, Health and Wellbeing and isolated older people.
Adventure Playgrounds
The adventure playgrounds are preparing for the summer holidays and the National Play Days which are week commencing 3rd August. The days run from 11am to 4.00pm and are as follows: -
• Tuesday 4th August – Bennetts End
• Wednesday 5th August – Chaulden
• Thursday 6th August – Adeyfield
• Friday 7th August – Grovehill
Questions and answers:
There were no questions for the Portfolio Holder.
Councillor G Sutton, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regeneration
Hemel Hempstead Town Centre.
The town centre is currently a hive of activity for all to see, and I am pleased to give Council the following update.
The Forum.
Members will know that work is well underway now on site, with the demolition of the old library building completed recently.
This new facility will provide a hub of services for the town with a new library on the ground floor, together with our customer services. There will be space for voluntary sector partners and County Council’s registry service, as well as the Police Safer Neighbourhoods Team. The Council’s administrative offices will be on the first and second floors.
An energy efficient building, to be constructed to BREEAM ‘ very good’ standard, the Council will save in excess of £300,000 in running costs each year.
The development is due to complete in late 2016 with occupation anticipated early 2017.
As you know, we are holding a ceremony on the 30th July to launch the construction of the Forum with the Mayor cutting the first turf. I would urge all to attend as, for most, it will be a once in a lifetime experience.
Marlowes.
Work is continuing apace and many of the new features and facilities in our improved shopping zone are now open, including play areas and the remodelled food court.
A key feature of the improvement works is creation of a new town square opposite to Stephyn’s Chambers. The new giant LED screen is in, and framework for the new events space is up with its rainbow coloured glass roof being installed over the next couple of weeks.
Between the two features is our new water play fountain with jets being installed in the ground, and set within a circular pattern of new paviour blocks. Over the next few weeks the new paving will be laid out to cover the full width of the Marlowes. Together with our contractors, Greenford, we will be working closely with adjacent businesses to minimise disruption to trade and access for pedestrians generally.
Once done, this should be a striking new feature to the town centre. The new water play jets will be illuminated and will be choreographed to music; it also has a special water misting feature for added effect. Use will be made of the new giant screen to provide information and screen films, national sporting events and live TV. The new events canopy will provide a state of the art facility for live performances.
Bank Court.
Moving from the new town square under Stephyn’s Chambers towards the Water Gardens, the remodelling of Bank Court into a public piazza is well underway. The disabled parking bays from bank court have already been moved to Waterhouse Street. When complete the new Bank Court will feature new planting, seating and lighting and will be a pleasant open square which will form an important link between the Marlowes Shopping Zone and the Jellicoe Water Gardens.
Water Gardens.
Members will be aware that the Council has prepared an exciting restoration scheme for Jellicoe Water Gardens – the jewel in the crown of Hemel Hempstead town centre – with having secured funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
I am pleased to announce to Council that following the recent tendering process, we have appointed contractors T Casey Ltd.
They will be on site from Monday 27th July with initial preparation work and mobilisation of staffing and equipment.
The works, which will run through to the end of May 2016, will be carried out progressively in three phases, with the first commencing in the northern area of the Gardens between Combe Street and Bridge Street.
Work will begin in earnest on the first phase on 19 August, and during the period of the works there will be no vehicular access to the Water Gardens North Car Park (however, access to the Water Gardens North Car Park is still Possible via Bridge Street) These works will include Bridge refurbishment and fish pass construction and in early 2016, construction of the Community Facility building which will be located on site of the current play area.
The second phase will be from Bridge Street as far as the southern lake; with the third phase being the Lake itself. Both these phases are due to start in December.
The second phase will involve the restoration of the flower garden opposite Bank Court and the construction of the new play area in addition to bridge pass construction.
The third phase will involve restoration of the lake including removal of the island. This being a later addition to the Water Gardens and not part of Jellicoe’s original concept. There will also be a small landing stage constructed for the launching of Model Boats. This was an innovation put forward by one of my predecessors, Councillor Terry Douris, who wanted a facility for youngsters and others interested in model boating to come and float your boat at the Water Gardens.
Overall Members, I hope you will agree with me that this is a highly significant project for Hemel Hempstead and the plans will give you the renowned and much-loved Water Gardens a much needed new lease of life. On this point, I would like to reassure Council that our plans are supported by a commitment to the ongoing maintenance of the Water Gardens. I would like to pay Tribute to Friends of the Water Gardens who were instrumental in supporting the funding bid and have already carried out much valuable work. We will be employing an experienced Gardener who will be supported by apprentices and will work with the Friends of the Water Gardens to keep the restored Water Gardens maintained to the high standards they deserve.
Bus Interchange.
Finally in the town centre, Members will note that work is well underway on the new bus interchange in Bridge Street and the northern part of Marlowes. These works are due to complete in December and once brought into operation the service at the current bus station will relocate to this new, more central and convenient location for passengers. A new ticket and information office for Arriva, the main provider of bus services, is being installed just to the south of the roundhouse in the Marlowes and will include new public convenience facilities.
As of the first of this month, the way we collect financial contributions from developers for infrastructure and public facilities through the planning system changed.
The Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy on some new developments – principally new housing and larger scale retail schemes – became operational on 1 July.
For these types of developments, developers will pay a predetermined levy to the Council relative to the size of the building being carried out. For example, the levy on a new home in Hemel Hempstead is charged at £100 per square metre. For a typical 3 bedroom house this would mean a total levy payable of around £10,000.
CIL is only chargeable from when the building works start, so although developments are now liable to CIL, the Council is unlikely to start collecting such revenues for some months yet.
Draft governance arrangements have already been approved by Cabinet and our officers are refining these for further consideration by Members.
In essence, the Council, in liaison with key service providers, will prepare an Infrastructure Business Plan from which infrastructure schemes will be prioritised.
A ‘meaningful proportion’ of CIL will be directed to Town and Parish Councils, and in the unparished areas of our Borough – Hemel Hempstead and Bourne End – to Ward Members. Typically this will be 15% of CIL receipts from developments.
Within the area in question though this can rise to 25% where a Neighbourhood Plan is in place.
Our officers have and will continue to provide briefing sessions to Members and the Town and Parish Councils on the operation of the new CIL system.
Planning Decisions
Finally Members, I would like to highlight the work of the planning service in dealing with some very significant planning applications in recent months which, when built out, will deliver much needed new housing – including affordable housing – to the Borough. These include:
Gade Zone Redevelopment: There is an outline consent for 207 apartments on the sites of the Marlowes Health Centre, former Magistrates Court and Hemel Hempstead Police Station, wrapping around the site of the new Forum development. The first two phases of this scheme are likely to be marketed later in the year to house builders, by the Council’s selected development partner, Endurance Estates.
Symbio House, Two Waters:A new and striking 16 storey tower with four floors of offices and 208 apartments which may act as a catalyst to the regeneration of this part of Hemel Hempstead. I intend to bring a new planning and development framework for the Two Waters area later in the year for Members’ consideration.
Spencer’s Park Phase 1, Three Cherry Trees Lane, Hemel Hempstead: Following resolution of site drainage details between the developers Barratts and Thames Water, the Council has now granted consent for the details of the scheme. This is a development of 357 new homes, 40% of which will be affordable.
Since taking on this role I have attended a number of meetings both locally and county-wide, a full update now is not possible due to time constraints but it is refreshing to witness that many agencies are talking to one another to ensure that all potential growth and development fits local needs.
Mr Mayor there are many more other schemes that our planning service has dealt with in recent months but time does not permit me to list them now. The service experienced some significant staffing changes in the early part of the year at a time when there was a significant rise in the volume of applications being received. Recruitment has taken place and it is up to full strength now. I would like to extend my thanks to Officers in the service for their diligence and commitment in dealing with a demanding workload at this time.
Questions and answers:
Councillor Birnie asked if they were aware when the fencing around Health Park would be completed.
Councillor Sutton replied saying he would circulate a written response.