Agenda and minutes

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 October 2023 (previously circulated).

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 October 2023 were approved as a correct record of the meeting.

To receive apologies for absence, if any.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors S.Boulton, Bond, Cragg, Ganney, H.Goldwater, Lake, Marsh, Pace and Tunstall.

The Mayor will receive petitions (limited to the first three petitions presented).

No petitions were received.

A period of thirty minutes will be made available for questions to be put by Members of the public to Members of the Cabinet on matters for which the Council has a responsibility or which affect the Borough.

No questions from the public were received.

To note declarations of Members’ disclosable pecuniary interests, non-disclosable pecuniary interests and non-pecuniary interests in respect of items on the Agenda.

Councillors T. Kingsbury, F. Thomson, P. Zukowskyj and S.Thusu each declared non-pecuniary interests in items on the agenda as appropriate as Members of Hertfordshire County Council.

To receive any announcements from the Mayor, Leader of the Council, Member of the Cabinet or the Head of Paid Service.

The Mayor made the following announcement:

“Just a reminder that my next charity event, will be a quiz night on Friday 1^st of December at Campus West. We are requesting teams of up to six but if you would like to join a team, please contact the office who will arrange this for you. I know many of you have been in previous years. Just to let you know that we have some different food choices this year and a great variety of questions rounds, we will also have a prize draw where you can win an amazing selection of prizes, including a £25 John Lewis Voucher, a beauty hamper, some wine and chocolate… all perfect with Christmas just around the corner.”

The Chief Executive made the following announcement:

“Our staff continue to work hard to deliver many of the vital services in our community, our communications team has produced a wonderful video highlighting some of the key achievements in the recent months which we would like to share with you tonight.”

The staff video was played to Full Council.

For a period of up to thirty minutes, a Member of the Council who has given prior notice in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 15, may ask (a) the Mayor, (b) the Leader of the Council or (c) a Member of the Cabinet a question on any matter in relation to which the Council has powers or duties or which affects the Borough.

The questions received for this meeting are attached.  A Member asking a question may ask, without giving notice, one supplementary question of the Member to whom the first question was asked.  The supplementary question must arise directly out of the reply.

Question 1 – Question from Councillor Platt to the Leader of the Council & Executive Member for Climate Change

“In July, the council brought on board it's first climate change officer; a positive and vital step in addressing the climate change emergency that this chamber declared back in 2019.   When talking to residents about this recently I was asked, "What difference will having a climate change officer make?". Please can the Leader give any examples of impacts that having a climate change officer is making already; and what, if any, procedures, strategies or changes the officer is putting in place that will benefit the council and the borough moving forward?”

Answer

“Thank you for your question Cllr Platt.

Since joining the council in July, the Climate Change Officer has made significant progress in working with other officers across all service areas to ensure that we are taking a collaborative and impactful approach in delivering on a wide range of climate emergency actions.  For example, the Climate Change Officer has revamped the Climate Change Officers’ Group, updated the Climate Action Plan (CAP) in order to ensure that we are on track to meet our net zero targets, has contributed to the council’s biodiversity duty of care and also contributed to the forthcoming air quality action plan.

Most recently, the Climate Change Officer has tasked all service manager leads with undertaking an adaptation risk assessment to understand the service risks of climate impacts and to consider how those risks might be mitigated.

There has also been a marked improvement in how we engage with the community on the Climate Emergency, this includes launching a survey with our community as well as attending the Business forum and the Community Inclusion Partnership.  Work is also underway to develop a Climate Emergency Hub – which will be a ‘one stop shop’ for all climate related information accessible by our residents.

Our Climate Change Officer is also an active member on the Hertfordshire Climate Change and Sustainability Partnership and thereby continuing to work with our neighbouring authorities to contribute towards a better Hertfordshire.

Many of the positive actions have been highlighted in the recent Climate Change Member meetings, as well as the full page in the recent One Welwyn Hatfield magazine, and I would encourage anyone who is able to, to watch the meetings and read of our recent achievements.

I am confident in the four months that our Climate Change Officer has been here, she has already made significant impacts and we look forward to continuing to work with her to deliver crucial elements of our climate agenda.”

Supplementary question

“Since I actually put this question in which was actually a month ago and I missed the deadline, I noticed that a year ago in the Hertfordshire rankings, we were 10th and we return to 8^th this year Do we have a potential target that we're going to aim for in a year's time to go from 10th to eighth to maybe 6th or  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

To consider recommendations from the meetings of the Cabinet on 7 November 2023.

Full Council considered recommendations from the meeting of Cabinet held on 7 November 2023:

The report for FP1189 Council Tax Support can be found here:

https://democracy.welhat.gov.uk/documents/s22626/Item%207%20231107%20Council%20tax%20support.pdf

The Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme replaced council tax benefits from April 2013. The scheme was based on a broad framework agreed as part of a consultation undertaken with Hertfordshire County Council, Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and other interested parties. 

Parts of the previous benefits scheme was retained within the local support scheme and the Council had continued to protect pensioners, disabled claimants, and claimants with children under five.

It was the Council’s intention in 2024/25 to continue with the same council tax support scheme that Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council rolled out in 2023/24, providing support to our vulnerable residents. Consultation had taken place with Hertfordshire County Council and Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner on the intention to continue with the same scheme and neither had any comments to make.

The proposal was moved and seconded by Councillors Jones and Thorpe.

RESOLVED:

(unanimous)

Full Council agreed that Welwyn Hatfield’s localised council tax support scheme continues in 2024/25 to help people on low/no income to receive a reduction on their council tax. 

The report for Vision and Council Priorities can be found here:

https://democracy.welhat.gov.uk/documents/s22706/Draft%20Cabinet%20Report_Vision%20and%20Priorities%202023_2026%201.pdf

The Council reviews and re-sets its vision and priorities for the borough every three years. Each year, the Council publishes a Corporate Business Plan to support the priorities, which included major projects and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that measure the performance of a range of services throughout the year.

The 2024-25 Business Plan would be developed with officers and Executive Members over the coming months and agreed at Cabinet in January 2024.

The proposal was moved and seconded by Councillors Zukowskyj and Chesterman.

RESOLVED:

(unanimous)

Full Council agreed the new vision and priorities for 2023-2026 “the Community Plan”.

To consider notices of motions submitted under Procedure Rule 16 in such order as the Mayor shall direct.  The motions received for this meeting are attached.

The following motion had been submitted by Councillor Kasumu and was seconded by Councillor Hellyer

“We are all aware of the pressures on council finances. As we strive to optimise our resources, it has become evident that there is a significant opportunity to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and streamline our operations through a transition from elections by thirds to all-out elections.

Currently, our council operates under a system where a portion of council seats are contested every year, bar one, resulting in annual election-related expenditures and administrative efforts. This approach, while providing regular opportunities for electoral participation, has proven to be costly and resource intensive.

We are all aware of low turnout at local elections. By transitioning to all-out elections, we would consolidate our electoral efforts to once every four years, aligning with the county elections in 2025 and then subsequent county elections. This strategic alignment would not only lead to substantial cost savings by reducing the frequency of elections but would also enhance voter turnout and engagement, as history has shown higher participation rates during consolidated election cycles.

This Council therefore will:

1.      Initiate a Comprehensive Review: Conduct a thorough analysis of the potential cost savings, logistical considerations, and any legal or procedural implications associated with transitioning to all-out elections.

2.      Engage with the Community: Launch a robust public engagement campaign to involve and listen to residents’ views on the proposed change, gather their input, and address any concerns or questions they may have.

3.      Develop a Transition Plan: Based on the findings of the comprehensive review and community engagement efforts, formulate a transition plan outlining the steps, timelines, and resources required to implement all-out elections in alignment with the county elections in 2025.

4.      Ensure Legal and Procedural Compliance: Legal and election officers to ensure that the transition plan adheres to all applicable laws, regulations, and best practices.

5.      Report Back to Council: Present the findings, community feedback, transition plan, and any recommendations to the council for further deliberation, modifications if necessary, and final approval within 6 months.”

The following amendment to the motion was submitted by Councillor Broach and was seconded by Councillor Bonfante

“We are all aware of the pressures on council finances. As we strive to optimise our resources, it has become evident that there is a significant opportunity to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and streamline our operations through a transition from elections by thirds to all-out elections.

Currently, our council operates under a system where a portion of council seats are contested every year, bar one, resulting in annual election-related expenditures and administrative efforts. This approach, while providing regular opportunities for electoral participation, has proven to be costly and resource intensive.

We are all aware of low turnout at local elections. By transitioning to all-out elections, we would consolidate our electoral efforts to once every four years, aligning with the county elections in 2025 and then subsequent county elections. This strategic alignment would not only lead to substantial cost savings by reducing the frequency  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

Report of the Chief Executive on Cabinet Panels.

The report set out the following proposed amendments to the Council’s Cabinet Panels following discussions at the Constitution Review Group:

·        Expanding the remit of the Campus West Cabinet Panel (CWCP) to include Leisure, Youth Partnership, Mill green museum and Roman Baths; Customers, Bereavement Services; Communications; Marketing, Website and Community Outreach, and to rename this panel to Community Cabinet Panel.

·        Promote the current Climate Change Member Panel to a Climate Biodiversity Cabinet Panel. That would ensure that the Council recognises the importance of Climate Change and it would also allow the public to participate at the meeting to some degree.

It was moved by Councillor Broach and seconded by Councillor Zukowskyj.

RESOLVED:

(unanimous)

Full Council agreed based on the timescales set out in the report to:

1.     Expand the remit of the Campus West Cabinet Panel as set out in paragraph 1.3 and to rename this panel to Community Cabinet Panel, with the new terms of reference as shown in appendix A of the report.

2.     Promote the Climate Change Member Panel to a Climate Biodiversity Cabinet Panel as set out in paragraph 1.3, with the new terms of reference as shown in appendix B of the report.

Report of the Chief Executive on Faith Covenant.

The report sought approval for the Council to sign up to a covenant with the faith communities of Welwyn Hatfield which would commit both the Council and the communities to working together in an open, respectful and collaborative manner for the benefit of the borough.

It was moved by Councillor Broach, and seconded by Councillor Siewniak. 

During the discussions, Councillor J.Boulton declared an interest in the item due to his employer and left the meeting.

The following amendment to the Faith Covenant was moved and seconded by Councillor Zukowskyj and Chesterman:

“Faith communities are free to practise their beliefs and religious observances, and to raise their voice in public debate and to be respected whilst respecting others, within the framework of UK law”.

RESOLVED:

(unanimous)

Full Council agreed:

1.     The proposed amendment to the Faith Covenant to include the text “whilst respecting others”;

2.     To endorse the Welwyn Hatfield Faith Covenant as shown in appendix A of the report as amended; and

3.     That the Leader of the Council would sign the Faith Covenant.

To consider any matters of urgency subject to the agreement of the Mayor in accordance with Procedure Rule 5.1(s).

There were no urgent matters for discussion.