Decisions

5.1       Proposed by Cllr Allen and seconded by Cllr Tindall

Given the interest shown by residents for the provision of 20 mph zones in Dacorum, the Council requests the Strategic Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review the current procedures, including liaison with Hertfordshire County Council, so that the introduction and maintenance of 20 mph zones is made easier.

A vote was held:

12 For,

21 Against, and

3 Abstentions,

Therefore the Motion failed.

5.2       Proposed by Councillor Symington and seconded by Cllr Barry-Mears

Cllr Symington stated that the Liberal Democrat group has accepted a proposed amendment to the motion in the interests of working collaboratively across the Council to ensure that ending violence against women and children is a clear priority across Dacorum.

The amended motion was as follows:

1. This Council declares:

a.  Enough is enough. This must stop. Male violence against women and girls is an “epidemic” and that “fundamental cross-system change” is urgently needed as recorded in the recent report from HMICFRS.

b. From cradle to grave male violence against women has a pernicious impact on women; it means girls grow up fearing things they should never have to think about, it makes women feel unsafe in all parts of the community, the threat of violence makes women change their behaviour and the experience of violence, directly and indirectly, affects mental health and causes serious physical harm.

c,  Violence isn’t always physical. Misogynistic violence is often mental, coercive and controlling. Like indecent exposure, it is not physically violent, but it is an abuse of power almost always perpetrated by men against women. Often it is the starting point to physical violence.

d,  In the most extreme cases male violence against women ends in murder. Every incident is an atrocious violation of individual rights and dignity.

2.  This Council welcomes:

The recent campaigns #hideandseek from charity Refuge, #Deservetobeheard from charity Women's Aid, mass engagement around the world through the #MeToo movement and the longstanding campaigning and advocacy by coalitions such as the End Violence Against Women Coalition. 

3.  This Council calls for The Leader of the Council, to write to the Home Secretary and Prime Minister:

a. Urging them to immediately declare Misogyny to be a hate crime.

b. Take all necessary action to immediately address the backlog in the courts and put in place the funding required so in future the criminal justice system deals with cases promptly so victims get justice and move on with their lives and the rehabilitation of the criminal can happen sooner.

c. Review investment in victims’ services, including in refuges, mental health services and legal aid support for all victims of domestic abuse and in particular of male violence against women.

4.  Further, this Council calls for The Leader of the Council, to write to both the Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable:

a. To ask what steps they are taking to review safeguarding and vetting procedures and misconduct processes in Hertfordshire Police in light of what has been learnt during the sentencing of a serving metropolitan police officer on 30 September 2021.

b.  To ask whether they will review the wider workforce culture in relation to violence against women and girls.

c. Urging Hertfordshire Police formally to record Misogyny as a hate crime.

Cllr Barry-Mears seconded the motion.

A vote was held:

It was unanimously agreed.

Therefore the motion was carried.

The Part 2 minutes from the meeting held on 6 October 2021 were agreed.

Cllr Tindall nominated Cllrs Stevens and Tindall to the vacancies on the Development Management Committee.

None.

None.

None.

Question to Councillor Williams from Councillor Stevens:

1          Dacorum Borough Council adopted a Motion at its meeting in July 2019 that acknowledged we faced a Climate Emergency.

2          To better understand the scale of the challenge, the Council commissioned the Association for Public Service Excellence [APSE] to conduct and prepare a study that would provide a baseline of carbon emissions generated in the Borough.

3          The Report’s findings identified different categories of emissions, with Scope 1 being those generated by activities and buildings under the direct control of the Borough.

4          More recently, the Tyndall centre at Manchester University has modelled the reduction of carbon emissions across the public sector that would be required to achieve the national carbon reduction goals. This has featured in the presentation to Councillors and Officers to inform our Carbon Literacy. The key prediction is the Borough will have exhausted its ‘carbon budget’ by 2027 if we do not implement measures to reduce our carbon emissions.

5          In the APSE report, the Borough’s 2019 consumption of gas under Scope 1 is 2132 tCO2. Around 50 % of emissions is from gas used at the Council’s Leisure Centres.

Question: As an example, the APSE study estimated the 2019 cost of installing Air Source Heat Pumps at Berkhamsted as £135k with an annual saving £24k and CO2 reduction by half.

Does the Borough have a plan to replace gas fired plant at the Council’s Leisure Centres?

Cllr Williams responded that the leisure centres are not under direct control of the Council, so fall within the carbon neutral target of 2050 rather than 2030. But, of course, the Council would hope to bring that target forward. The APSE report also stated that heat pumps by themselves would not be financially viable for larger buildings based on current technology.

Cllr Stevens asked a supplementary question on whether the Borough has made any application to central government for funds to install alternative heating solutions.

Cllr Williams replied that the APSE report doesn’t give the Council sufficient information to make such an application.

Cllr Stevens’ second supplementary question was on whether the Borough had prepared a list of ‘shovel-ready’ projects that could be used to apply for grant funding, but the answer to this was provided in Cllr Williams’ previous response.

Question to Councillor Williams from Councillor Allen:

Question 1: In light of the COP26 declaration for accelerating the transition to 100% zero emission cars and vans, and DBC’s own ‘Ecological Emergency Strategy and High Level Action Plan’ report (presented to SPAE 2nd November), highlighting the need for EV chargers to tackle the climate emergency, while identifying that the lack of GOVT funding is delaying the roll out, how does DBC intend to ensure the Government commit the funding to DBC so desperately needed at the earliest opportunity?”

Cllr Williams replied that they do not have the power to ‘ensure’ they have the money that the Council thinks is necessary. What is happening is that they are working through the grant process to improve the Council’s EV charger position. This is primarily in cars parks, and the cost of enhancing electricity supply to the car parks has been requested from distribution networks, but Dacorum is in a queue of councils requesting the same information. Whatever that cost is will influence the amount of funding applied for.

Cllr Allen welcomed what had been done to identify EV points in car parks but asked if the Council could follow the practice of West Sussex County Council and also provide community EV charging ports along streets.

Cllr Williams commented that West Sussex County Council are probably the highway authority. Hertfordshire County Council are the highway authority for the majority of roads in Dacorum, and they see themselves as a provider of last resort for EV chargers on streets. Dacorum Borough Council does ensure all new housing developments it carries out have EV charging capacity.

Cllr Allen asked whether Cllr Williams would at least consider encouraging County Council to be more ambitious in its plans for EV charging points.

Cllr Williams pointed out that there were 10 County Councillors in the room, who all have the same ability to influence the Council, and that he has some reservations about taxpayer’s money funding the refueling of vehicles.

Question to Councillor Williams from Councillor Symington:

The pandemic and associated lockdowns have changed working patterns so that many more people are working from home and car parking in residential areas has increased. Alongside the increase in small business developments in towns, this has resulted in increased pressure on on-street parking in residential areas, whilst off-street car parking remains 25 % lower than pre-pandemic levels and the availability of spaces in Dacorum Borough Council car parks is high. The number of requests by residents for Controlled Parking Zones across Dacorum is now at a level whereby new public consultations are scheduled for 2032/33. What changes to the policy does the portfolio holder consider appropriate to respond to the concerns of local residents and alleviate the parking problems they are facing?

Cllr Williams responded that use of Dacorum’s car parks is improving, and that it would be ideal if this continued. There isn’t a direct policy on this matter. There is an opportunity to re-jig the list of requests scheduled for review. However, CPZs do not answer the problem if the issue is the demand from residents exceeding kerb space.

Cllr Symington stated that there is a de-facto policy which seems to create only 2 consultations a year and asked if this policy could be amended so that it is not limited to 2 consultations a year, and to include areas where people are genuinely engaged.

Cllr Williams disagreed that this was a policy, saying instead that what constrains the consultations is the budget. A typical CPZ from induction to installation, if successful, can cost up to £100,000. This would only allow for 1 a year.

Cllr Symington finished by asking what percentage of consultations result in the implementation of a controlled parking zone.

Cllr Williams replied that the rate at which people say yes is around 50/50.

Question to Councillor Griffiths from Councillor Symington:

What proportion of the faults reported to the Council regarding its own housing are repaired within:

o   1 week

o    1month

o    3months

o    6 months

o    1 year

o    More than 1 year

Cllr Griffiths responded that within 7 days, the job count was 10,097, 43.5% completed. Between 7 and 30 days, 10,657, that’s 45.9%. Between 31 days and 90 days, 2,051 jobs, 8.8%. Between 91 days and 180 days, 321 jobs, 1.4%. Between 181 and 365 days, 83 jobs, that was at 0.4%, and more than 365 days was 2 jobs, and that was 0%.

Cllr Symington questioned how faults are prioritised.

Cllr Griffiths elaborated that this is on an urgency basis, and that health and safety is the priority.

Cllr Symington’s next questions were on how non-completed repairs are tracked, and what communications residents can expect from contractors or the Council after reporting a fault.

Cllr Griffiths stated that Osborne gives the Council a report on non-completed repairs, and she will check if that report is weekly. Communication is also done through Osborne, and Council are aware that there have been several issues with this over the past few months.

Question to Councillor Anderson from Councillor Symington:

Dacorum Borough Council agreed to the bringing forward of LA4 as two separate sites, despite being covered by a single Masterplan, on the basis the ‘landowners couldn’t agree’. Residents now face two developments commencing simultaneously on effectively a shared site and the concomitant chaos and disruption to the local community. Once completed the two sites will have accesses for 17 flats and 103 apartments with associated traffic movement’s just metres apart and close to the junction of Kings Road and Shootersway. 

In the Council’s summary document for the Local Plan Local Plan Reg 18 Response Report (dacorum.gov.uk) p87 Bk02: British Film Institute

Hertfordshire County Council require an access strategy for this site prior to submission due to the possible complexities and constraints/existing use of the site. This growth area, along with sites Bk03, Bk04 and Bk10 should have a joint master planning/connectivity strategy approach. HCC would not support these sites coming forward individually without an approach that enables permeability and connectivity along with clearly well thought out routes across the area.

What reassurances can the portfolio holder give residents that this requirement will be respected by Dacorum Borough Council?

Cllr Anderson responded that the plan was to bring all the sites together through a master plan, precisely to minimise disruption, but this did not happen. However, development will still be required to complete a section 278 agreement with Hertfordshire County Council, to resolve highway issues.

4.1       By the Mayor:

The Mayor advised we would be using a new electronic voting system this evening.

The Mayor then announced the sad passing of former Councillor Mick Maloney. Councillors Guest and Douris shared their fond memories of him.

One minutes silence was held in remembrance.

4.2       By the Chief Executive:

The Chief Executive announced the resignation of Councillor Woolner (Berkhamsted West Ward) and Councillor Uttley (Boxmoor Ward).  

4.3       By the Group Leaders:

Councillor Williams gave apologies on behalf of Councillors Bassadone, Bhinder, Oguchi, Silwal and Sutton.

Councillor Tindall gave apologies on behalf of Councillors England, McDowell, Pringle and Wilkie. 

4.4       Council Leader and Members of the Cabinet:

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

None.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meetings held on 15 September and 6 October 2021 were agreed by the members present and then signed by the Mayor.