Full Council - 15 July 2008

To: ALL MEMBERS OF THE THREE RIVERS DISTRICT COUNCIL

You are hereby summoned to attend an ordinary meeting of the Council to be held in the Penn Chamber, Three Rivers House, Rickmansworth, on Tuesday, 15 July 2008 at 7.30pm for the purpose of transacting the under-mentioned business:-

A G E N D A

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2. MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Council meeting held on 20 May 2008 (pages A1 to A15).

3. CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

4. QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC UNDER PROCEDURE RULE 16

 (None received.)

 5. PETITIONS UNDER PROCEDURE RULE 19

 (None received.)

6. DISCUSSION TOPIC UNDER PROCEDURE RULE 17

(None received.)

7. MOTIONS UNDER PROCEDURE RULE 11 

(a) Councillor Sara Bedford, seconded by Councillors Phil Brading and Ann Shaw, to move under Notice duly given as follows:-

Council notes that 3,500 post offices closed during the Conservatives' time in office.  So far, 4,000 post offices have closed under this Labour government and that they plan to close at least 2,500 more.

This Council believes that Post Offices provide a unique and essential service to many communities within Three Rivers and supports their efforts to remain open.  Council therefore regrets plans to close permanently Post Offices in Rickmansworth, Croxley Green and South Oxhey.

Council believes in a future for Post Offices with:

• Government funding invested in the post office network;
• new branches opening where needed;
• Government services continuing to be available at the Post Office;
• the Post Office freed from Royal Mail restrictions to let it develop new business;
• a new legal requirement for the Government to maintain the local Post Office network.

Council therefore resolves to write to the Post Office’s Network Development Manager to object to the planned closures and to all three MPs whose constituencies cover parts of the District, asking them to support the campaign to retain local Post Offices.

(b) Councillor Sara Bedford, seconded by Councillor Martin Trevett, to move under Notice duly given as follows:-

This Council notes that on 25 June, Liberal Democrat MP Andrew Stunell moved an amendment to the Planning Bill which, if passed, would have:

• required full planning permission for the erection of all phone masts, meaning that phone companies would have had to apply for full planning permission in the same way as any other business;
• ensured that full information was supplied with the application regarding the strength and direction of the beam of maximum intensity;
• given greater protection to educational and medical establishments in the area, and 
• removed as a ground for granting planning permission that there is a lack of full scientific certainty about the extent of the threat of damage to health or the environment.

Council further notes that both David Gauke MP and Ann Main MP failed to support the amendment, whilst Claire Ward MP voted against.

As a result, communities in Three Rivers will continue to find it hard to battle against inappropriate phone masts and more residents will worry about the health effects of local masts.

This Council supports those MPs who have supported local residents, by voting to give councils more power to oppose inappropriately sited phone masts and condemns those MPs, especially those elected to represent residents of Three Rivers, who did not support the amendment.

(c) Councillor David Sansom, seconded by Councillor Chris Hayward, to move under Notice duly given as follows:-

Council notes the 83,200 new homes required in Hertfordshire by the East of England regional plan and in particular the 12,000 new homes for Dacorum, this at a time when Hemel Hempstead Hospital is due to close.  The implications of the 12,000 new homes in Dacorum, 5,200 in Watford and 4,000 in Three Rivers on the local health service and Watford General in particular do not appear to have been considered.

How the schools, roads, water and sewerage systems will cope with the 4,000 new homes required in Three Rivers is another of this Council’s serious concerns.

While this Council is not in a position to take legal action, we request that the Chief Executive writes to Herts County Council and offers our support in their legal action.  This Council also requests that the Chief Executive writes to the relevant Government Minister to express our concerns.

8. LEADER’S REPORT
 

9. REPORTS AND QUESTIONS TO THE CABINET AND CHAIRMEN OF THE POLICY AND SCRUTINY, AUDIT, DEVELOPMENT CONTROL, LICENSING AND REGULATORY SERVICES COMMITTEES

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

(i) Report from the Cabinet Member for Environment (Councillor Martin Trevett).

Questions to the Cabinet Member for Environment.

(iii) Report from the Cabinet Member for Sustainability (Councillor Alison Scarth).

(iv) Questions to the Cabinet Member for Sustainability.

(v) Report from the Sustainable Environment Policy and Scrutiny Committee Chairman (Councillor Peter Wakeling).

(vi) Questions to the Sustainable Environment Policy and Scrutiny Committee Chairman.

LEISURE AND COMMUNITY SAFETY

(i) Report from the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Community (Councillor Chris Whately-Smith).

(ii) Questions to the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Community.

(iii) Report from the Cabinet Member for Community Safety (Councillor Roger Seabourne).

(iv) Questions to the Cabinet Member for Community Safety.

(v) Report from the Leisure and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee Chairman (Councillor Steve Drury).

(vi) Questions to the Leisure and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee Chairman.

PUBLIC SERVICES AND HEALTH

(i) Report from the Cabinet Member for Public Services and Health (Councillor Phil Brading).

(ii) Questions to the Cabinet Member for Public Services and Health.

Report from the Public Services and Health Policy & Scrutiny Committee Chairman (Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst).

(iv) Questions to the Public Services and Health Policy and Scrutiny Committee Chairman.

RESOURCES

Report from the Cabinet Member for Resources (Councillor Matthew Bedford).

(ii) Questions to the Cabinet Member for Resources.

(iii) Report from the Resources Policy and Scrutiny Committee Chairman (Councillor Richard Laval).

(iv) Questions to the Resources Policy and Scrutiny Committee Chairman.

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Report from the Audit Committee Chairman (Councillor Sarah Nelmes).

(ii) Questions to the Audit Committee Chairman.

DEVELOPMENT CONTROL

(i) Report from the Development Control Committee Chairman (Councillor Geoffrey Dunne).

(ii) Questions to the Development Control Committee Chairman.

LICENSING COMMITTEE

(i) Report from the Licensing Committee Chairman (Councillor Pam Hames).

(ii) Questions to the Licensing Committee Chairman.

REGULATORY SERVICES

(i) Report from the Regulatory Services Committee Chairman (Councillor Brian White).

(ii) Questions to the Regulatory Services Committee Chairman.

10. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

To consider the recommendations of the Executive Committee at its meeting on 2 June 2008 (no items).

11. ESTABLISHMENT OF SHARED SERVICES FOR HUMAN RESOURCES (HR), INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT), FINANCE AND REVENUES AND BENEFITS FOR THREE RIVERS DISTRICT COUNCIL AND WATFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL

This report seeks agreement to the arrangements for establishing a joint committee for Three Rivers District Council and Watford Borough Council (“the Councils”) to administer shared services for HR, finance, ICT and revenues and benefits and seeks authorisation for the necessary actions to enable these arrangements to start with effect from 24 July 2008 (pages B1–B4).

12. RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE REGULATORY SERVICES COMMITTEE

To consider the recommendations of the Regulatory Services Committee at its meeting held on 11 June 2008 contained within:

Minute RG04/08 – Goods Vehicle Operator Licensing – The Role of the Council as Statutory Objector


13. REPORTS OF MEETINGS  

With the exception of the Executive, Regulatory, Licensing, and Audit Committees recommendations to Council, the following reports are submitted for information only:- 

Executive Committee	2 June 2008
Sustainable Environment Policy and Scrutiny Committee	22 April 2008
Sustainable Environment Policy and Scrutiny Committee	10 June 2008
Leisure and Community Safety Policy and Scrutiny Committee	3 June 2008
Public Services and Health Policy and Scrutiny Committee	5 June 2008
Resources Policy and Scrutiny Committee	24 April 2008
Resources Policy and Scrutiny Committee	12 June 2008
Development Control Committee	17 April 2008
Development Control Committee	22 May 2008
Development Control Committee	19 June 2008
Licensing Committee	11 June 2008
Regulatory Services Committee	11 June 2008
Audit Committee	12 June 2008
Audit Committee	25 June 2008
Audit Committee (reconvened meeting)	30 June 2008
Standards Committee	29 May 2008

David Gardner
Director of Corporate Resources and Governance
7 July 2008

Three Rivers House
Northway
Rickmansworth
Herts WD3 1RL

NOTE AS TO PRAYERS, Reverend Steve Moody, Croxley Green Baptist Church, will read Prayers at 7.25pm.  Members who are not already in their places are requested to refrain from entering the Chamber during the reading of prayers.  Sufficient time will be allowed for Members to do so after the close of prayers in order that the business of the meeting may begin at 7.30pm.