To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 7 January 2020 (previously circulated).

The Minutes of the meeting held on 7 January 2020 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

To receive apologies for absence, if any.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors M.Birleson, J.Broach, M.Cook, M.Holloway, T.Jackson-Mynott and C.Juggins.

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

Councillors S.Boulton, L.Chesterman and P.Zukowskyj declared non-pecuniary interests in Agenda item 8 on the Agenda - Budget Proposals and Medium Term Forecasts 2020/21 as appropriate as Members of Hertfordshire County Council (Minute 8 refers).

Councillor G.Hayes declined a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda item 9 (a) Matters Arising from the Cabinet – Peartree Conservation Area as a resident of the area (Minute 43.1 refers).

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

The Mayor was pleased to report that his Charity Banquet and Ball at The Old Palace, Hatfield House on Saturday was a well-attended and enjoyable evening raising £3,000 for his charity.

The Mayor gave a reminder that his Charity Quiz Night was on Friday 6 March at 7.00pm at Campus West with teams of up to eight.

Tickets at £12.00 per person including a hot meal were available from the Mayor’s Office.

Report of the Corporate Director (Resources, Environment and Cultural Services) presenting to the Council the 2020/21 budget proposals for approval.

Report of the Corporate Director (Resources, Environment and Cultural Services) presenting to the Council the 2020/21 budget proposals for approval.

It was moved and seconded by Councillors D.Bell and T.Kingsbury that the recommendations in the report be approved.

It was moved and seconded by Councillors P.Zukowskyj and H.Quenet that the recommendations in the report be amended as follows:-

“Restore ward improvements at £2500 per ward for 2020/21 only, to be funded by drawdown from General Balances”.

On being put to the meeting there voted:-

FOR the Amendment to the Recommendations – 11

AGAINST the Amendment to the Recommendations – 31

And the Amendment to the Recommendations was declared LOST.

It was moved and seconded by Councillors M.Cowan and S.Elam that the recommendations in the report be amended as follows:-

“Increase capital project “Parking Programme” by £100,000 for 2020/21. The capital expenditure will increase from £250,000 to £350,000 to be funded from General Fund capital reserves”.

It was then moved and seconded by Councillors D.Bell and T.Kingsbury that the amendment be further amended as follows:-

“Increase capital project “Parking Programme” by £50,000 for 2020/21. The capital expenditure will increase from £250,000 to £300,000 to be funded from General Fund capital reserves”.

On being put to the meeting there voted:-

FOR the further Amendment – 32

AGAINST the further Amendment – 10

And the further Amendment was declared CARRIED.

On being put to the meeting the Amendment, as further amended, was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

It was moved and seconded by Councillors A.Rohale and F.Marsh that the recommendations in the report be amended as follows:-

“Increase Youth Service earmarked reserve by £25,000 to £50,000”.

On being put to the meeting the amendment to the recommendations was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

The recommendations in the report, as amended, were then put to the meeting and it was

RESOLVED:

(22 voting FOR and 20 AGAINST)

Voting FOR: D.Bell, E.Boulton, J.Boulton, S.Boulton, H.Bower, J.Cragg, B.Fitzsimon, P.Hebden, S.Kasumu, T.Kingsbury, R.Lass, S.Markiewicz, G.Michaelides, T.Mitchinson, N.Pace, D.Richardson, B.Sarson, P.Smith, F.Thomson, S.Thusu, R.Trigg, S.Wrenn

Voting AGAINST: L.Brandon, J.Caliskan, A.Chesterman, L.Chesterman, M.Cowan, A.Dennis, S.Elam, G.Hayes, M.Larkins, F.Marsh, L.Musk, H.Quenet, J.Quinton, J.Ranshaw, A.Rohale P.Shah, JP.Skoczylas, K.Thorpe, J.Weston, P.Zukowskyj

RESOLVED:

(1)     That the Council notes the recommendations from Cabinet, and the Statement of the Chief Financial Officer on the robustness of budgets and adequacy of reserves (appendix N).

(2)     That the Council also notes that the following amounts for the year 2020/21 have been set in accordance with regulations made under Sections 31A and 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 as agreed by Cabinet on 6 January 2020:

General Fund

(1)     The proposed General Fund Budget as summarised in Appendix A, and detailed in Appendix B.

(2)     The inclusion of the savings and growth proposals into the budget as detailed in Appendices C and D.

(3)     The approval of the 2020/21 fees and charges which have been incorporated into the budget proposals, as set out in Appendix E.

(4)     The increase in the Council’s Band D Tax of £3.15 (1.49%), taking the average Band D Tax to £214.92 for 2020/21.

(5)     That £100,000 be added to the Climate Change earmarked reserve from the 2020/21 budget, the expenditure of which will be delegated to the Corporate Director (Resources, Environment and Cultural Services) and Corporate Director (Planning, Public Protection and Governance), in consultation with the Executive Members (Resources), and (Governance, Public Health and Climate Change) and the Cross Party Climate Change Member Group.

(6)     That £1.2M be added to the Pensions earmarked reserve from the 2020/21 budget to help the Council meet its potential pensions liability in year three of the proposed medium term financial strategy with the current balance of the reserve being used towards an additional payment to the fund in 2019/20 as required by the pensions actuary.

(7)     That the Budget Priority and Transformation earmarked reserve be renamed as Modernisation reserve and that authority for its expenditure be delegated to the Modernisation Board (Chief Executive, Corporate Directors and Corporate Modernisation Lead),  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43e

To consider recommendations from the meeting of the Cabinet on 6 January 2020:-

The Council considered recommendations from the meeting of the Cabinet on 6 January 2020:-

Consideration of the designation of the Peartree area of Welwyn Garden City as a conservation area.

(Note: Report attached.  Click link below item 7 for the Appendices:-

Cabinet Planning and Parking Panel Agenda Pack on 17 December 2019)

The Cabinet had considered the designation of the Peartree area of Welwyn Garden City as a conservation area, following consultation.

The Council had a duty to determine whether any parts of the Borough had special architectural or historic interest that should be preserved and enhanced.

A character appraisal had judged that the Peartree area of Welwyn Garden City warranted designation as a conservation area.

The Council consulted on whether to designate the Peartree area as a conservation area from 26 September to 11 November 2019.  This included a letter to all residents in the area and a public drop-in exhibition at Woodhall community centre on 15 October 2019.

It was moved and seconded by Councillors S.Boulton and T.Kingsbury and

RESOLVED:

(33 voting FOR and 9 AGAINST)

That the Council approves that the Peartree area of Welwyn Garden City be designated as a conservation area.

Submission of the Business Plan 2020-2050 setting out the Council’s strategic plan for managing its social housing stock.

(Note: Report attached.  Click link below item 8c for the Appendix:-

Cabinet Agenda Pack on - 6 January 2020)

The Cabinet had considered the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan 2020-2050 setting out the Council’s strategic plan for managing its social housing stock and noted that any comments from the Cabinet Housing Panel on 15 January would be returned to the Special Cabinet on 21 January 2020 for consideration before final recommendations were made to the Council for adoption.  No comments were made by the Panel.

The Housing Revenue Account Business Plan set out the Council’s strategic plan for managing and maintaining its social housing stock.

It set out in detail the Council’s short to medium term plans and priorities for its asset management and housing management services and provided a thirty year forecast on stock investment requirements and financial planning.

It was moved and seconded by Councillors N.Pace and T.Kingsbury and

RESOLVED:

That the Council adopt the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan 2020-2050.

Report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) seeking approval of the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2020/21.

Report of the Corporate Director (Public Protection, Planning and Governance) seeking approval of the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2020/21.

Section 38(1) of the Localism Act 2011 required English local authorities to produce a Pay Policy Statement for each financial year.

The legislation required the Pay Policy Statement to cover disparate aspects of Remuneration Policy.  For this reason, the Joint Negotiating Committee strongly recommended local authorities to use the opportunity to set out their overall rewards strategy for the whole workforce and not to limit themselves to matters specifically required by the Act and statutory guidance.  Consequently, the pay policy statement was designed to extend beyond legal requirements and be more transparent about all aspects of remuneration.

It was moved and seconded by Councillors F.Thomson and T.Kingsbury and

RESOLVED:

That the Pay Policy Statement for the period 2020/ 21 be approved.