Policy and Resources Committee - 6 December 2021

6 December 2021
Policy and Resources Committee - Agenda and Reports

NOTICE AND AGENDA

For a meeting to be held on Monday 6 December 2021 at 7.30pm in the Penn Chamber, Three Rivers, Northway, Rickmansworth.

Members of the Policy and Resources Committee:-

Councillors

Sarah Nelmes (Chair)      Chris Lloyd (Leisure)

Dominic Sokalski (Vice-Chair) (Resources & Shared Services)      Andrew Scarth (Housing)

Reena Ranger

Stephen Cox

Matthew Bedford (Infrastructure & Planning Policy)      Roger Seabourne (Community Safety & Partnerships)

Stephen Giles-Medhurst (Transport & Economic Development)

Alex Hayward      Debbie Morris

Phil Williams (Environmental Services, Climate Change & Sustainability)

Paula Hiscocks

Joanne Wagstaffe Chief Executive

26 November 2021

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public to aid discussions on agenda items at the Policy and Resources Committee meetings. Details of the procedure are provided below:

Contributions will be limited to one person speaking for and one against each item for not more than three minutes.

Details on the procedure for speaking and attending meetings are available from the Committee Team by emailing the Team at: commmitteeteam@threerivers.gov.uk

All speakers can register their wish to speak from 7pm on the night of the meeting.

Please note that, in the event of registering your interest to speak on an agenda item but not taking up that right because the item is deferred, you will be given the right to speak on that item at the next meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee.

In accordance with The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014 any matters considered under Part I business only of the meeting may be filmed, recorded, photographed, broadcast or reported via social media by any person.

Recording and reporting the Council’s meetings is subject to the law and it is the responsibility of those doing the recording and reporting to ensure compliance.  This will include the Human Rights Act, the Data Protection Legislation and the laws of libel and defamation.

The Policy and Resources Committee meeting will not being broadcast/livestreamed but an audio recording of the meeting will be made.

1.         APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE


2.         MINUTES

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Policy and Resources Committee meeting held on 1 November 2021.

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3.         NOTICE OF OTHER BUSINESS


Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 30 to be announced, together with the special circumstances that justify their consideration as a matter of urgency. The Chair to rule on the admission of such items.

4.         DECLARATION OF INTERESTS


To receive any declarations of interest.


5.  TO RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING PETITION SIGNED BY OVER 600 PEOPLE

Three Rivers District Council have designated the Red Cross Centre as a site for future development with 6 dwellings to be built on the land.

This decision will remove a vital, well-used community space, which was built using funds raised directly from Croxley Green residents.

Three Rivers District Council own the land where the Centre is and it is completely their decision to build dwellings there instead. This cannot be allowed to happen.

In 2019 the Parish Council made an offer to take over the Centre to ensure that it remained open and available to Croxley Green residents, community groups and organisations. This has not been accepted.

Croxley Green needs spaces such as this where the community can come together to enable Croxley's great community spirit to thrive and grow.

Three Rivers District Council have not been open and transparent with Croxley Green residents over their plans for the Centre and the decision to mark this site for development is an affront and an insult to our community and must be stopped. Please sign this petition to help support Croxley Green Parish Council in their efforts to take over the Centre to ensure that it remains open for our community.

POLICY

6.  THREE RIVERS DISTRICT COUNCIL - TREE STRATEGY 2022 -2027

The purpose of this report is to summarise the content and implications of the Final Tree Strategy for the District, and recommend that the Final version of the Strategy is adopted by Three Rivers District Council (Appendix B – Final Tree Strategy).

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7.  RENT ARREARS FINANCIAL SUPPORT SCHEME FOR 2021-22

To provide the Committee with the proposed Rent Arrears Financial Support Scheme for 2021/22. This details how the Council will assist renters using the funding granted to the Council from the Government. The full policy can be found in Appendix One.

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8.  REVIEW OF STRATEGIC RISKS

The purpose of this report is to agree the current risk ratings, mitigations and action plans for each strategic risk.

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RESOURCES

9.  STRATEGIC, SERVICE AND FINANCIAL PLANNING 2022-2025

This report enables the Committee to comment on its draft service plans.

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10.  BUSINESS RATES POOLING

To seek approval to enter into a business rates pool with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) and a number of other Districts within the County for 2022/23

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11.  EXEMPTION FROM PROCUREMENT PROCEDURE RULES – LIVESTREAMING/HYBRID MEETINGS

To advise Members that an exemption to the Procurement process was approved by the Shared Director of Finance under the Exceptional Circumstances exemption as permitted by the Council’s Constitution.

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12.  ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS GRANT (ARG) FUNDING PROPOSALS

The Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) is Central Government funding provided to local authorities to enable them to support businesses through and as they recover from the pandemic.

An initial award of funding (£1.8 million) was received by TRDC in October 2020. These monies had to be spent (or committed) by July 2021 in order for an additional amount of funding to be received.

TRDC received further ARG funding in the autumn of 2021 totalling £829,000. These monies have to be spent (or committed) by 31 March 2022 otherwise the money is returned.

This report identifies a number of projects to support businesses and the economy in TRDC and seeks agreement for the ARG funding to be committed to these projects. This will enable the projects to commence and businesses to be supported.

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13.  WORK PROGRAMME

To receive the Committee’s work programme.

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14.  OTHER BUSINESS – If approved under Item 3 above

14A. PROPOSALS FOR SPENDING OF HOUSEHOLD SUPPORT FUND

As part of efforts to recover following the pandemic, Hertfordshire County Council has been provided with £6.172m funding from the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF). This funding will be used to help people in need this winter with things like the cost of food and energy.

Hertfordshire County Council are working with a range of partners across the county to make sure we can get the right help to those who need it, at the right time. This targeted approach will mean that residents can be supported and get professional assistance from the county council, borough and district councils and organisations such as HertsHelp, our Money Advice Service and local Citizens Advice services.

Three Rivers District Council will receive a total of £33,000 for food support and £44,000 for fuel support.

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15.  EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

If the Committee wishes to consider the remaining item in private, it will be appropriate for a resolution to be passed in the following terms:-

“that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined under paragraphs 1 to 7 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act. It has been decided by the Council that in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

(Note:  If other confidential business is approved under item 3, it will also be necessary to specify the class of exempt or confidential information in the additional items.)

1.  OTHER BUSINESS – If approved under item 3 above.

For any enquires on the agenda please email the Committee Team at committeeteam@threerivers.gov.uk