REPORT to a MEETING of the DEVELOPMENT and LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1St OCTOBER 2018 PAPER B

AGENDA - MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE TO BE HELD ON MONDAY 1ST OCTOBER 2018 AT 7.30 P.M. IN THE ROBING ROOM, THE CASTLE, HERTFORD

1. RECORDING OF MEETING

To establish if it is the intention of any person present to record the meeting.

2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

To receive apologies for absence.

3. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

To receive Members’ declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (as defined by the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012) where these Disclosable Pecuniary Interests:

a) Have not already been entered into the register and b) Relate to a matter to be considered

To note that such interests so declared must be formally notified to Town Clerk and the Monitoring Officer at East Hertfordshire District Council of the interest within 28 days.

To receive Members’ declarations of Declarable Interests in accordance with Hertford Town Council’s Code of Conduct (adopted 8th April 2013).

4. THE MINUTES

To confirm as correct the minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2018 and to authorise the Chairman to sign the same.

5. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES NOT DEALT WITH ELSEWHERE ON THE AGENDA

The Action Sheet is attached as PAPER A

6. QUESTIONS AND/OR STATEMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

Members of the public may speak about specific items on this agenda which contain a recommendation, provided they have advised the Town Clerk of their wish to speak no later than midday on the Friday before the meeting (or midday of the last working day of the week before the meeting). A list giving details of the name(s) and relevant agenda item(s) will be circulated to Councillors before the meeting commences.

1 7. TOURISM AND PROMOTION

(a) Report on Town & Tourist Information Centre (T&TIC)

To receive a report on the recent activities of the T&TIC - PAPER B

(b) Hertford Town Council Events

To receive a report detailing the feedback and progress for the events programme for 2018 - PAPER C

To consider the proposed events programme for 2019 - PAPER D

(d) Hertfordshire Festival of Music

To receive event partnership with Hertfordshire Festival of Music – PAPER E

(e) Hertford Music Mystery Tour

To consider the proposed events programme for 2019 - PAPER F

(d) Town Centre Update

To receive a report from the Town Centre Coordinator – PAPER G

8. VENUES

(a) Venue Hire Update

To receive an update of the current venue hire position. – PAPER H

9. CCTV AND TAXI MARSHAL REPORT

To receive a report on the CCTV statistics and Taxi Marshals – PAPER I

10. EXTENSION OF CCTV SCHEME

To receive a report from the Town Clerk outlining proposals for an extension to the CCTV scheme. – PAPER J

11. INTERPRETATION PANELS IN THE CASTLE GROUNDS

To receive a report outlining a proposal to update the Interpretation Boards in the Castle Grounds. PAPER K

2 12. PLANNING SUB COMMITTEE

To receive the Minutes of the Planning Sub-Committee meetings of 25 June, 9 July, 23 July, 6 August, 20 August, 3 September and 17 September 2018.

These minutes have each been circulated. Councillors are asked to bring their copies with them.

Minute Number 183 of Planning Sub Committee Meeting held on 23 July 2018

Recommendation: That the revised Planning Aspirations be adopted. – PAPER L

13. HERTFORD ENTREPRENEURS

To receive a report providing the Committee with an update of the Hertford Entrepreneurs - PAPER M

14. BENGEO NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA PLAN WORKING PARTY

To receive the minutes of the BNAP Working Party held on 21 June, 19 July, 16 August and 13 September - PAPER N

15. PROGRESS ON OBJECTIVES 2016/19

To receive a report on progress of the Council’s objectives for the period 2016/19 – PAPER O

16. FINANCE - FIRST QUARTER INCOME AND EXPENDITURE 2018/19

To receive a report on the income and expenditure for the first quarter 2018/19 – PAPER P

17. DRAFT BUDGET 2019/20

To consider items for inclusion the budget 2019/20 – PAPER Q

18. HERTFORD URBAN DESIGN STRATEGY (HUDS) – MAIDENHEAD STREET UPDATE

To consider a report on progress on HUDS projects – PAPER R

This page is intentionally left blank.

4 PAPER A Development and Leisure Committee Action Plan from 18 June 2018 Meeting

Action Required By Lead Status officer Progress Maidenhead Street Ongoing JW Progress has been made to develop detailed proposals for the HUDS scheme of improvement to The Wash, Project – now including The Maidenhead Street and Bull Plain. Formal consultation on proposed changes to the Traffic Regulation Wash and Bull Plain as a Orders commenced in May 2018. package of projects. Interpretation boards in 1 October 18 MR Agenda item Castle Grounds CCTV coverage – Report to 1 October 18 JW Agenda item a future meeting re extending the scheme Financial Reporting– 1 October 18 LW & Included in reports Changes to both TTIC MB reports and Finance reports requested. TTIC reports to put income into context against expenditure, with graphs and Finance Report ‘At a glance’ figures be reported in monetary terms rather than percentages.

This page is intentionally left blank.

6 REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1st OCTOBER 2018 PAPER B

AGENDA ITEM 9(a) – HERTFORD TOWN & TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE (TTIC) FOR THE PERIOD MAY TO AUGUST 2018

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

This report provides the Committee with an update on activity at the Town and Tourist Information Centre (TTIC) for May to August 2018 .

The report also contains an update on proposals to increase income and services at the TTIC.

2. STAFFING

The Saturday Town and Tourist Information Centre Assistant was appointed as the interim Town and Tourism Development Manager and has been in post since 25th June 2018. A Saturday Town and Tourist Information Centre Assistant has been appointed to cover for a one year period whilst the Interim Manager is covering for Maternity leave.

3. STATISTICS REPORT

Visitor enquiries categorised as per the below table: May June July August Accommodation 6 2 2 13 Attractions 390 339 339 533 Council* 48 55 55 58 Directions 83 84 84 170 Events 223 185 185 1153 Relocation 7 5 5 14 Services 32 35 35 65 Souvenirs 264 279 279 299 Ticket sales 250 257 257 185 Transport 112 117 117 76 Walks & Cycling 34 34 34 31 Other** 132 113 113 92 TOTAL 1581 1505 1505 2688

For All Tables in Section 3 of his report: *‘Council’ – Queries regarding services of other Councils including road works, refuse collection. **‘Other’ – Queries regarding vacant properties, Bircherley Green Development and non Council related matters.

7 The Pirate and Princess Trail ran for a four-week period over the summer holiday and started during National Play Day on the 1st August. The trail and event was hugely popular increasing the footfall into the TTIC by 83% during the four weeks.

During the Pirate and Princess Trail the TTIC offered deals on children’s merchandise to increase sales. The uptake was sporadic since parents often had limited time to browse in store as children were keen to participate in the organised activity.

Telephone enquiries categorised as per the below table: May June July August Accommodation 1 4 2 5 Attractions 5 3 8 11 Council 40 40 38 43 Directions 1 0 2 3 Events 29 33 37 37 Relocation 0 0 0 0 Services 5 1 4 2 Souvenirs 2 3 9 4 Ticket sales 75 101 59 102 Transport 4 3 3 1 Walks & Cycling 5 1 0 1 Other 18 34 25 32 TOTAL 185 223 187 241

Telephone enquiries increased in August due to ticket sales for the Open Air Cinema.

Written enquiries categorised as per the below table: May June July August Accommodation 0 0 0 2 Attractions 16 10 10 10 Council 5 9 9 6 Events 13 6 6 13 Souvenirs 3 2 2 0 Ticket sales 0 1 1 1 Transport 2 0 0 1 Walks & Cycling 2 0 0 2 Other 3 3 3 3 TOTAL 44 31 31 38

The majority of written enquiries received are organisations asking the TTIC to promote upcoming local events, attractions, or services by providing promotional material to display in store.

Email enquiries categorised as per the below table: May June July August Accommodation 1 1 0 3

8 Attractions 30 16 10 9 Council 117 30 44 93 Directions 0 1 4 4 Events 232 27 88 71 Relocation 0 0 0 0 Services 3 0 1 4 Souvenirs 9 10 22 23 Ticket sales 11 13 7 15 Transport 0 1 0 0 Walks & Cycling 9 1 3 1 Other 25 25 12 16 TOTAL 437 135 191 239

4. SALES & STOCK

Retail Sales Income

Gross retail sales income comparison with 2017 for the reporting period are as follows; May up by £224.26 (30%), June up by £352.62 (35%), July down by £107.07 (9%) and August up by £23.31 (2%). Sales are up on the same period last year by £354.

The gross retail income target for the 2018/2019 financial year at the TTIC is £18540. The total gross retail income generated for 2018/2019 covering April – August is £5981.97.

Event & Coach Ticket Sales Income

Event & Coach Ticket Sales Income comparison with 2017 for the period are as follows: May up by £2,940.20 (56%), June up by £1537.45 (30%), July down by £1225.20 (-24%), August up by £509 (15%). Event and Coach Ticket Sales are up on the same period last year by £4,105

The event and coach ticket income target for the 2018/2019 financial year at the TTIC is £24720. Appendix A details that from April – August, the TTIC have taken £26,021.95, exceeding the budget. It is important to note that £12,432 of this income was generated for Open Air Cinema ticket sales, the income from this event goes into the Event income budget code 4220 to assist with offsetting the cost of the events.

To date, the TTIC have generated a total of £13589.95 for the 2018/2019 event and coach ticket sales income.

Merchandise

Officers have purchased stock at the cost of £2,350.17 during the reporting period with an expected net income of £3395, a profit of 144%. Officers have increased

9 the price of stock across all ranges by an average of 20% to reflect a price rise from certain popular suppliers.

Christmas merchandise including hand painted Hertford themed decorations are being ordered.

Guided Walks

Officers have investigated additional walks to offer visitors including a church walk and pub walk. Commission rates are currently being negotiated and it is anticipated to trial the walks by Christmas.

For Hertford Heritage Weekend, a bespoke story walk was promoted though the TTIC earning a commission of 10% per ticket sold. There are 80 tickets available at £6.00 each. The takings are expected to be £480 of which the TTIC expect to earn £48.

Walks covering the period are shown below Title Date Ticket Available Tickets Total price tickets sold Radicals, Rebels 7/05/2018 £6 25 14 £84 and Dissenters Historic Hertford 28/05/2018 £6 25 11 £66 Crime and 28/05/2018 £6 25 13 £78 Punishment Chapter and Verse 27/08 2019 £6 25 20 £120

Officers have organised a Hertford Heritage Photo Trail including 12 additional buildings to 2017’s trail which will take place from 1st – 16th September.

5. UPDATE ON PROPOSALS TO INCREASE INCOME

Alcohol Licence

The TTIC now has an alcohol licence which is prominently displayed in the shop and all Officers have been given the appropriate training to sell liquor. CCTV cameras are in operation and the necessary signage is in place. The first stock order was across three local producers; Tring Brewery, Puddingstone Distillery (based in Tring) and Old Vodka based in Stevenage. The total orders amounted to £592.38. The expected gross income is £2,225 and expected net profit is £1,632.62.

With Christmas approaching, Officers will be sourcing gift packs from all suppliers offering stocking filler items for sale.

McMullens Brewery have been rebranding their ‘Hertford Castle’ range which will be on sale in the near future. The TTIC will order supplies when possible.

Map

Officers intend on producing a pocket size fold out Hertford map which will be available for sale and cover a larger area than the current free of charge town centre map and a larger sized map to the one included in the town guide. Interested retailers will advertise alongside the map offering discounts in store. There will be space for up to 20 advertisers which will generate an income and cover the cost of printing. It is suggested the maps will retail at £1 and Officers are looking into printing costs and volumes.

Calendar

The photography competition for the 2019 calendar proved very popular. 13 winners have been chosen and the award ceremony will take place on Sunday 14th October. All twelve advertising slots have been sold at an increased rate of 20% (from £50 to £60 +VAT) bringing a total of £720. Printing costs amount to £749. The Calendars will be sold at £10 each, or 2 for £18 (an increase from £7 to reflect a rise in printing costs). 25 will be given as free gifts to the advertisers and photography winners, and it is expected that all those remaining (225) will be sold at the advertised price.

Cards for Good Causes

The TTIC will be a host shop for Cards for Good Causes for a second year running, and the merchandise will be set up by Friday 19th October. TTIC will also be selling Christmas gift packs of socks, scent and various other seasonal items. All items will be put through the till and card machine.

Made in Herts

The window banner has been installed and received positive feedback. There are two new exhibitors of jewellery and a new stained-glass window workshop to promote. A one-off week-long exhibition of Pauline Haze lwood’s tank engine stories which coincided with the screening at Hertford Theatre of Thomas the Tank Engine took place. Officers were able to increase sales, and therefore commission income, by collaborating with the Theatre who kindly provided free advertising and a merchandise sales stand in their foyer. Pauline is now working on a new true story book which is due to be published by Saddleback in November and the TTIC have arranged to hold a ‘Meet the Author’ day in the sh op.

Made in Herts sales for the period amount to £318.94 of which the TTIC earned £63.98 (20% commission).

Click & Collect

The TTIC have taken 8 Hubox deliveries to date, at .48p per parcel. This service will be highly promoted in the run up to Christmas including a window display and a social media campaign.

Window Rental

Officers have organised a trial period to rent out one of the narrow windows at the TTIC to local artists to exhibit their collection. The first artist was offered a deal for two weeks at £20 per week; Office rs sold one of the artist’s piece s at £25 for a 10% commission.

Officers raise d £15 for the Mayor’s charities by selling ex shop props sourced by Officers from local charity shops.

6. UPDATE ON WAYS TO INCREASE SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC AT TTIC

Drop-in sessions

The TTIC continues to advertise and promote the Police drop-in sessions on the weekly newsletter and social media. These sessions take place once a week on average. Officers have contacted the Fire Prevention Team offering them space similar to the Police, but they have declined as the space is too limited for their requirements. The Fostering Support Team has also been contacted to offer promotional space and Officers are awaiting feedback. The consumer charity ‘Which’, and the Citizens Advice Service have been contacted to offer a similar service.

Officers are often asked by residents how they can speak to their local Councillor. The views of Committee are welcomed on the possibility of holding surgeries at the TTIC.

Newsletters

Following the loss of subscribers to the electronic Events enewsletter after GDPR came into force, the database declined to 250 users.

Officers have been working on promotional ways to generate interest in the newsletter and increase subscribers. As of 4th September, there are now 460 registered subscribers. The increase was achieved through a mixture of window advertising, proactive customer service, competitions, social media campaigns and the TTIC also offered a free water bottle or poncho for every new subscriber, which was old stock that had been over-delivered and was therefore cost neutral..

The design and format for the enewsletter has been changed, making Mailchimp more user friendly and informative.

The printed version of the newsletter continues to be popular (perhaps amongst those without access to the internet) and approximately 20 a day are collected from the TTIC.

Volunteering Opportunities

12 The TTIC took part in National Volunteering Week from 1st-17th June and represented more than 20 charities and organisations by preparing a window display to celebrate the volunteering sector and to encourage applicants to volunteer. The initiatives most popular by participants interested in further information or keen to volunteer or take part were the Summer Reading Challenge at Hertford Library, the Community Car Scheme, Carers in Hertfordshire and Family Activity Volunteers for Hertford Museum.

Officers attended the Team Herts Volunteer Fair on 19th September with the objective of obtaining 52 local charities or organisations contact details to build relationships with to promote one a week for a year.

The TTIC will be taking part in the National Air Ambulance Week for two weeks from 11th September; this will involve actively promoting the charity and advertising volunteer opportunities on social media and relevant websites.

The TTIC will be dedicating a window to the Royal British Legion during Remembrance Weekend, and the Secret Society of Knitters have made a special Hertford Hart window display item for the occasion.

Promoting Hertford & Upcoming Events

Officers have taken Hertford Town Guides to the following establishments: St Albans Tourist Information Office, Waltham Abbey Tourist Information Office, Hertford North and East Stations, all town centre hotels, Hertford and Welwyn Garden City campsites, and Reg ’s Coaches have them in all of their coaches a s they travel the country.

Officers have distributed over 600 posters to over 40 sites during the period.

7. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is RECOMMENDED that:

a) The Committee notes this report.

Report by: Lisa Waterman– Interim Town and Tourism Development Manager

This page is intentionally left blank.

14 APPENDIX 1

GROSS RETAIL SALES INCOME 2013/14 2014/2015 2015/2016 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 Apr £631.59 £558.58 £462.79 £641.57 £1,764.99 £1,625.22 May £864.14 £311.11 £365.75 £556.94 £720.87 £945.13 Jun £578.10 £566.69 £514.16 £597.56 £979.37 £1,331.99 Jul £656.11 £882.49 £618.17 £847.34 £1,081.95 £974.88 Aug £697.83 £538.82 £411.63 £993.91 £1,081.44 £1,104.75 Sep £458.62 £582.98 £589.52 £584.55 £800.91 Oct £689.30 £1,513.92 £783.93 £1,039.13 £996.20 Nov £1,013.21 £860.27 £1,033.95 £1,797.46 £2,036.31 Dec £964.48 £1,243.19 £1,249.25 £2,245.37 £3,019.76 Jan £459.58 £511.74 £682.46 £701.86 £1,365.91 Feb £718.58 £458.81 £681.28 £1,592.99 £1,157.10 Mar £587.71 £592.99 £642.41 £1,191.20 £1,399.17 £8,319.25 £8,621.59 £8,035.31 £12,789.89 £16,403.97 £5,981.97

Gross Retail Sales (GRS)

£3,500

£3,000

£2,500

e £2,000 u

n £1,500 e £1,000 Rev £500

£0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar 2013/14 £631.5 £864.1 £578.1 £656.1 £697.8 £458.6 £689.3 £1,013 £964.4 £459.5 £718.5 £587.7 2014/2015 £558.5 £311.1 £566.6 £882.4 £538.8 £582.9 £1,513 £860.2 £1,243 £511.7 £458.8 £592.9 2015/2016 £462.7 £365.7 £514.1 £618.1 £411.6 £589.5 £783.9 £1,033 £1,249 £682.4 £681.2 £642.4 2016/17 £641.5 £556.9 £597.5 £847.3 £993.9 £584.5 £1,039 £1,797 £2,245 £701.8 £1,592 £1,191 2017/18 £1,764 £720.8 £979.3 £1,081 £1,081 £800.9 £996.2 £2,036 £3,019 £1,365 £1,157 £1,399 2018/19 £1,625 £945.1 £1,331 £974.8 £1,104

Month

15 EVENT & COACH TICKET SALES INCOME 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 Apr £2,969.30 £2,598.45 £5,605.85 £3,050.00 £3,391.50 £3,735.30 May £3,548.15 £4,807.21 £5,777.60 £5,187.70 £5,164.70 £8,104.90 Jun £2,041.90 £3,995.65 £3,986.35 £4,059.05 £5,101.50 £6,638.95 Jul £3,627.75 £4,024.10 £4,178.05 £4,804.39 £5,059.00 £3,833.80 Aug £2,095.00 £4,500.50 £2,089.55 £6,752.05 £3,199.70 £3,709.00 Sep £2,098.90 £1,925.75 £2,296.80 £1,702.45 £1,774.00 Oct £3,556.60 £7,658.23 £2,548.15 £3,709.50 £2,941.00 Nov £3,933.85 £3,861.87 £2,276.50 £1,832.05 £2,384.10 Dec £2,679.95 £844.50 £1,046.50 £1,146.50 £799.00 Jan £2,768.50 £1,441.00 £3,070.00 £1,490.50 £1,960.50 Feb £1,892.35 £1,638.50 £3,881.35 £2,323.50 £1,704.50 Mar £4,163.05 £3,233.10 £3,967.30 £2,609.54 £4,244.00 £35,375.30 £40,528.86 £40,724.00 £38,667.23 £37,723.50 £26,021.95

N ote that the 2018/2019 figures includ e ticket sales for the Open Air Cine ma to talling £1 2,432 which a re transferred into budget c ode 4220 - E vent Inco me. The previous year figures also include inco me for the Ope n Air Cinem a which has been

transferred to the correct budget code.

Event Ticket Sales

£9,000 £8,000 £7,000

n £6,000 ke

a £5,000 T £4,000 n

o £3,000

issi £2,000

m £1,000 £0 Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Com 2013/14 £2,969 £3,548 £2,041 £3,627 £2,095 £2,098 £3,556 £3,933 £2,679 £2,768 £1,892 £4,163 2014/15 £2,598 £4,807 £3,995 £4,024 £4,500 £1,925 £7,658 £3,861 £844.5 £1,441 £1,638 £3,233 2015/16 £5,605 £5,777 £3,986 £4,178 £2,089 £2,296 £2,548 £2,276 £1,046 £3,070 £3,881 £3,967 2016/17 £3,050 £5,187 £4,059 £4,804 £6,752 £1,702 £3,709 £1,832 £1,146 £1,490 £2,323 £2,609 2017/18 £3,391 £5,164 £5,101 £5,059 £3,199 £1,774 £2,941 £2,384 £799.0 £1,960 £1,704 £4,244 2018/19 £3,735 £8,104 £6,638 £3,833 £3,709

Months

16 PAPER C

REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT & LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1 ST OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 7 (B) – EVENTS UPDATE

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

This report provides the Committee with an update on the 2018 events including those that have taken place since the last Committee meeting.

2. RECENT EVENTS

Feedback from events that have taken place since the last Development and Leisure Committee.

Cars at the Castle – Sunday 3rd June Event sponsored by The Auto Agency, Kerb Appeal, Go Move

In 2017, 62 car exhibitors attended the event and it was noted that there was sufficient space for an additional 30 vehicles. The 2017 event was free of charge for car exhibitors to attend. A fee of £5 per vehicle was trialled for 2018 with the purpose to offset the cost of the event and to encourage car owners to attend on the day of the event, having committed to it.

Overall the event was well attended by the public and received positive feedback from visitors, sponsors, exhibitors and stall holders. The sponsors were keen to sponsor the event in future and thought the awards ceremony was beneficial for themselves and for the car owners.

The Castle open day saw just over 1200 visitors throughout the day. Charity donations raised were low and it is suggested to have collection buckets on the main lawn throughout the day to increase contributions.

This year, only 38 car exhibitors booked to attend. Many car owners were interested in attending the event but not willing to pay. Car owners volunteer their time to exhibit for the full duration of the event. Therefore, car owners felt that as they commit to attend the event for the full duration, they should not be expected to pay a fee to attend.

Feedback from the sponsors and car exhibitors support the waiving of the £5 fee for 2019 event.

Hertford Castle Carnival and Fun Day – Sunday 24th July

Hertford Castle Carnival and Fun Day was organised by Hertford Rotary in partnership with Hertford Town Council. The chosen charity beneficiaries for the event were Mind in Mid Herts and Future Living.

After costs, the event raised £3341.65 and both charities were awarded £1500. The Rotary Club made a decision that the remaining balance was retained for the Rotary Charitable donations.

17 PAPER C

Feedback on the event from the Rotary Club highlighted that the day went well despite the event taking place during the Football World Cup. The footfall was lower than the 2017 event, however the stall holders and performers feedback was positive. It was recorded that 542 visitors entered the castle during the event.

The 2018 quiz organised by the Rotary Club to help fund the event raised £513 less than the previous year due to a reduction in number of tickets sold.

The Rotary would like to continue running the event in partnership with Hertford Town Council, the proposed event is included in the 2019 Events Report.

Hertford Castle Teddy Bears’ Picnic – Sunday 15th July

Sponsored by Abel of Hertford and 360 Play Stevenage

Despite the event taking place on the finals day of both Wimbledon tennis and the World Cup Final, the event was well attended. It was an extremely hot summer’s day which meant that visitors stayed for only a couple of hours at a time due to the lack of shade and heat. There was a constant flow of visitors throughout the day.

It was recorded that 651 visitors entered Hertford Castle and estimated that around 400 of the visitors were children participating in the Teddy Bear Hunt. One of the FoHC volunteers provided dressed teddies for the bear hunt which proved very popular and a vast improvement from the previous usage of images of teddies.

The children’s activity arena and best best dressed competition was popular with children aged 2-7 years old. An estimated 50 children participated in the parade and ‘best dressed teddy competition’.

Other attractions including the magic show, bouncy castle, face painting and water activities which were provided by Hertford Canoe Club were popular with visitors throughout the day.

Rock at the Castle – Sunday 5th August Sponsored by McMullen’s Brewery and Go Move

Rock at the Castle 2018 was an extremely popular and successful event, which received praise and recognition by visitors, who suggested it was the best to date.

The 2018 chosen charity beneficiary, Carers in Hertfordshire, raised £4472 on the day from visitor donations. The charity will claim additional funds through gift aid.

The revised alcohol policy for 2018 worked well and resulted in a safe event with no criminal offences or ejections from site. The police and security feedback from the event commended the Council for introducing the amended policy and reported no issues from visitors on gates. As the restriction on

18 PAPER C

2019 to encourage existing and potentially new stallholders to attend next year’s event.

Hertford Heritage Weekend – Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th September Sponsored by Longmores Solicitors and Abel of Hertford

This year, Heritage Open Days Weekend held two weekend events instead of just one. Hertford Town Council organised activities for the weekend of the 8th and 9th September.

On Saturday a few retailers offered promotions, free activities or heritage themed initiatives for the weekend. Historical walks were organised including free and ticketed events. Many historical buildings in Hertford opened to the public over the weekend and a heritage blue plaque at Carriage Court which forms part of the Hertford Heritage Trail was unveiled.

Due to last minute cancellations from suppliers and organisations including morris dancing, bee keeping, and craft workshops (all of which volunteered their services), there was very limited entertainment and activities in the town centre on the Saturday.

Due to the cost of the entertainment at the event, the lack of public space and this year’s cancellations as detailed above, it is recommended to only promote building open days, walks and trader offers during the weekend in future. The walks will be promoted on the Heritage Open Days website and historical buildings will be encouraged to open to the public and list events on the dedicated Open Days website. Further information is provided within the 2019 proposed events report.

Hertford Castle was open to the public on Sunday 9th September and the castle grounds housed an arena for performances throughout the day including falconry display, medieval battles and fire breathing. On the day, 935 visitors entered the castle and £134 was raised for the Mayor of Hertford Appeal Fund.

Hertford Food and Drink Festival – Friday 12th – Sunday 14th October Sponsored by McMullens, Clover Kitchens, Wrenbridge and McCarthy and Stone.

The events programme is being finalised for the festival weekend, where many traders are offering activities, events, discounts and tasters for visitors to enjoy.

A street food festival has been organised for the Friday and cookery demonstrations and markets will take place on the Saturday. Celebrity Chef, Steven Carter-Bailey, who was a finalist on the Great British Bake Off in 2017 has been booked to present and bake on the cookery demonstration stage in Parliament Square.

The Beer & World Food Festival at the castle is now fully booked and the same company appointed as last year, Banquet Inn, will be running the beer tent.

This page is intentionally left blank.

20 PAPER C

Hertford Christmas Gala & Think Christmas Think Hertford – Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th November. Sponsored by Specsavers and Wrenbridge

Due to the scheduled refurbishment works in Maidenhead Street, it isn’t possible to have a festive market down Maidenhead Street or Railway Street.

The contractors have also highlighted that it may not be possible to have a festive market in Market Place due to the planned works in Maidenhead Street and this location being used for storage/equipment. As a result, no bookings have been taken to date for these two areas which therefore will only leave space for market stalls in Parliament Square, part of Fore Street and part of Bircherley Green.

Traders are finalising plans for involvement and the events programme will be finalised in October.

Phase one of the festive lighting licence has been submitted to Hertfordshire Highways and the tree lighting alterations to be compliant with regulations has been implemented.

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is RECOMMENDED that:

a) The Committee agrees to the recommendation to waive the £5 car exhibitor fee for the 2019 Cars at the Castle event. b) The Committee notes the report.

Report by Melissa Reynolds – Marketing and Events Manager

This page is intentionally left blank.

22 PAPER D REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1ST OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 7(C) - 2019 EVENTS PROGRAMME

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To provide the Committee with a proposed 2019 events programme.

2. 2018 EVENTS PROGRAMME

Event Title Event Date Herford Arts Festival Friday 6th April – Sunday 6th May Launch of the Hertford Arts Festival Friday 6th April Hertford Arts Festival Trail Saturday 7th April – Sunday 6th May Street Arts Festival Saturday 21st April Hertford Castle Craft Market and Open Day Cars at Sunday 6th May the Castle Sunday 3rd June Hertfordshire Festival of Music Carnival Saturday 10th – 16th June at the Castle Sunday 24th June Hertford Castle Te ddy Be a rs’ Picnic National Sunday 15th July Play Day Wednesday 1st August Rock at the Castle Sunday 5th August Discover Hertford Castle Tours and Brass Band Sunday 19th August Concert Hertford Castle Open Air Cinema, Dirty Dancing Friday 24th August Hertford Castle Open Air Cinema, Ghostbusters Saturday 25th August Hertford Heritage Day Saturday 8th September Heritage Day at Hertford Castle Sunday 9th September Hertford Food and Drink Festival Friday 12th – 14th October Hertford Food and Drink Festival – town centre Saturday 13th October Hertford Castle Beer and World Food Festival Sunday 14th October Hertford Christmas Gala Friday 23rd November Think Christmas Think Hertford Saturday 24th November

3. PROPOSED 2019 EVENTS PROGRAMME

After a successful 2018 events season, it is proposed to continue with the majority of events held in 2018, with the exception of the Street Arts Festival and the Saturday Hertford Heritage town centre activity.

Justification for not continuing with the Street Arts Festival was highlighted in the report to June 2018 Development and Leisure Committee; justification for the removal of the Saturday Hertford Heritage Day is recommended in the Events report.

It is proposed to add an additional town centre event within the events programme during the summer holidays aimed at children between 8 and 12 years of age.

23 PAPER D APRIL

Hertford Arts Festival

The annual Hertford Arts Festival will run from Friday 5th April – Sunday 5th May to showcase and promote the local arts. This event will overlap with the Hertford Arts Society Exhibition 4th – 18th May 2019 and Courtyard Arts Open Exhibition 8th – 19th April 2019.

Hertford Arts Festival Launch at Hertford Castle

Friday 5th April 18.00 – 20.00 – Ticket price £5 to include a complimentary glass of sparkling wine. 50% of the ticket price will go to the Mayor of Hertford’s Charity.Complimentary tickets will be given to sponsors, artists and venue owners.

This charity event will showcase a preview of artist’s work that are participating in the Hertford Art Trail. The launch evening will give the public an opportunity to view a one night only pop up art exhibition in the Hertford Castle Downshire Suite. Artists will be able to meet and greet visitors and answer queries about their work that will also be for sale.

Tickets will be available to purchase for £5 from Hertford Town & Tourist Information Centre and available online.

Hertford Arts Festival Trail – part of the Hertford Arts Festival Saturday 6th April until Sunday 6th May - Free Entry

Artists will have the opportunity to exhibit work for sale around the town centre for a one month pop up exhibition for a fee of £30. Hertford Town Council will retain 50% of the fee and Courtyard Arts will retain 50% of the due as they will coordinate the submissions process.

The venues will retain commission 15% from sales made during the event.

The event is aimed to increase footfall within the town centre and into the premises used during the trail. It is anticipated that the venues will increase sales and recognition.

Feedback on the overall event was received from 8 of the artists who exhibited in 2018. All 8 will be participating in 2019.

From the feedback received it is known that 11 pieces of artwork were as part of the overall event. Two pieces of art were sold on the preview evening at Hertford Castle.

MAY

Hertford Castle Craft Market & Open Day - part of the Hertford Arts Festival Sunday 5th May 12:00 - 16:00 - Free Entry, Charity Donations Welcome

This event will be the first castle open day of the year where visitors can explore the inside of the castle and attend a craft market on the castle lawn accompanied by live music.

Children’s art-based activities will also be available free of charge. 24 PAPER D

JUNE

Hertford Castle Fun Day Sunday 2nd June 12:00 - 17:00 - Free Entry, Charity Donations Welcome

Event

Hertford Rotary Club of Hertford would like to continue to organise what has previously been calle d ‘He rtford Ca stle Carniva l & Fun Day’ The name is changed to ‘Hertford Castle Fun Day’ for 2019.

The Rotary Club would continue to provide the considerable resources needed for the event organisation including booking stallholders, entertainment and stewarding on the lawn.

The event would be similar to previous years with stall holders, refreshments, bouncy castle, entertainment and stage on the main lawn.

Hertford Rotary would be responsible for selecting beneficiary charities for the event.

Hertford Town Council would work in partnership with Hertford Rotary to provide support advertising, promoting and funding the event. Hertford Town Council will be responsible for organising a castle open day during the scheduled event.

2018 Funding & Charity Donations

In 2018, the total cost of running the event was £2500. The Rotary Club covered all associated costs for the event which was covered from the income generated from stall holders, sponsors, income from running a quiz evening and a Community Grant from Hertford Town Council for the total sum of £1200.

Note that in 2018 the printing of the event programme was donated by a local supplier and the staging cost was covered by an event sponsor.

After all costs associated from the 2018 event and fundraising and income from the event £3000 was donated to the event charity beneficiaries and an additional £300 went into the Rotary charity collection.

Funding for 2019

The Rotary Club anticipates that the running costs for the 2019 event will increase to £4700. This estimated cost is based on no sponsorship arrangement to cover the cost of the scaffolding, other equipment and the cost of the print material. The Rotary would also like to hire additional professional entertainers for the event following feedback received from this year which will be an additional expense.

The Rotary Club are eligible to apply for one Community Grant per financial year for a maximum of £1200. As the organisation benefitted from a grant in the 2018/2019 financial year, they will not be entitled to apply for future funding until 2019/2020, so would not know until near the date of the event if they were to be successful.

25 PAPER D

The Rotary Club have requested that the Council consider the possibility of increasing funding to this event for 2019 onwards. The figures noted above demonstrate that without funding in excess of the Community Grant ceiling of £1200 the event is at risk.

In order to plan the 2019 event the Rotary club has informed Officers that their funding situation needs to be clear and secure prior to the end of 2018.

They are also apprehensive about the anticipated number of stallholders who would book onto the event which generates income. The organisation has also highlighted tha t the e ve nt is vulne rab le to ba d we a the r a nd ‘sponsor fatigue ’, both of which effect income and donations to the charities.

Rotary Proposal for Funding in 2019

Hertford Rotary would like the Council to consider covering half the cost of the event including equipment (toilets, security, staging, music system and first aid, marketing (the cost of banners, event programmes and posters) and entertainment.

Funding Options

The Rotary Club is seeking a maximum £2350 towards to cost of running the 2019 event.

As the Rotary Club have already applied for a Community Grant for the maximum amount of £1200 for the 2018/2020 financial year, it is suggested that should the Committee wish to continue to fund the event, the Rotary Club apply for a New Homes Bonus grant towards the cost of the event.

An alternative option would be for the Development and Leisure Committee to increase the Development and Leisure events budget to reflect the cost of the event.

Cars at the Castle Sunday 23rd July 12.00 – 16.00 – Free Entry, Charity Donations Welcome

Up to 90 car enthusiasts will have the opportunity to exhibit their vehicles in the castle grounds. Hertford Castle will also be open to the public to explore and live music will play on the main lawn.

Hertf ord Castle Teddy Bears ’ Pic nic with Brass Band Concert & Fun on the Water Sunday 21st July 12.00 – 16.00 – Free Entry, Charity Donations Welcome

Children will be able to enjoy sports day and party game activities within an arena on the main lawn in addition to other activities and entertainment including a brass band concert, water activities on the River Lea, teddy bear hunt within the castle, magic shows and various stall holders offering games and entertainment on the lawn.

AUGUST

Hertford Play Day Wednesday 7th August - Town Centre Event, Free entry (some small charges 26 PAPER D apply)

Entertainment for children aged between 1 and 7 years of age will be available throughout the town centre including the public space areas of Parliament Square, the Theatre Green, Salisbury Square and Bircherley Green. Proposed activities include circus skills, face painting, balloon modelling and magic shows.

Local businesses will be approached to participate in all town centre events to offer discounts, promotions, giveaways, competitions, in store entertainment and activities tailored to the event audience (family friendly for Play Day).

The event is scheduled to take place during summer holidays on National Play Day to provide families/guardians with a low cost event for children to attend.

Hertford Tween Fest (name to be confirmed) Wednesday 21st August – Town Centre Event, Free entry (some small charges apply)

Following on from Hertford Play Day, Hertford Tween Day will be aimed at children aged between 8 and 12 years of age.

Appropriate entertainment will be arranged including technology and science related interactive activities. Traders will be contacted to offer age appropriate discounts and offerings including pamper treatments, cookery classes and clothes retailers will offer discounts. Market stalls will include educational stalls including mental health awareness and healthy eating stands. Gyms will be contacted to offer free sessions or activities. On trend activities will be incorporated throughout the event.

Rock at the Castle Sunday 4th August 12:30 – 19:00 - Free Entry, Charity Donations Welcome

Following the success of the 2018 event detailed in the Events Report, it is proposed to continue to finish the event at the earlier time of 19.00 and to continue to impleme nt the alcohol policy in place from this ye a r’s eve nt.

Charities will be able to apply to become the event charity beneficiary from early 2019 and the Development and Leisure Committee will review applications in June.

Three music stages will surround the castle where live bands and musicians will perform to the public.

Note: Standon Calling is on the 25th – 28th July and Rock at the Priory will also be held in July.

Hertford Castle Tours & Brass Band Concert Sunday 18th August 12:00 – 16:00 - Free Entry, Charity Donations Welcome

This event will allow visitors to book onto a guided tour of Hertford Castle. Visitors will be able to book onto a tour on the day which take place every half hour during the event open hours.

In addition, there will be a brass band concert on the main lawn and refreshment tent.

Hertford Castle Open Air Cinema 27 PAPER D Friday 23rd August and Saturday 24th August Film choice TBC Tickets Priced at £7 per evening per person Gates Open at 19:00 Film Starts at 20:30

Officers have investigated the cost of hiring an LED screen which would enable films to be screened during the day. The cost of an LED screen rather than the inflatable screen previously used is considerably greater and isn’t outweighed by the income that could be potentially generated.

It is therefore most cost effective to continue to use the projection methods that only allows for films to be scree ned when it’s dark.

Tickets will remain the same as the 2017 and 2018 events at £7 per person. Rates will not increase due to competitors offering free outdoor cinema screenings and for the event to be affordable for visitors to attend.

Ticket sales from the last three years have indicated that romantic comedy genre films are more popular than adventure/fantasy genre films.

In 2017, Mamma Mia (Friday screening) sold out over a month before the screening whilst Indiana Jones (later changed to Pirates of the Caribbean) sold approx. 700 tickets.

In 2018, Dirty Dancing (Friday screening) sold out over a month before the screening whilst Ghostbusters sold approx. 700 tickets.

The following films are proposed as the shortlist for 2018 subject to the licensing availability, provisional requests have been made to film bank for all listed films:

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again – PG 114 minutes The Bodyguard – Rated 15 95 minutes Sister Act – PG 9 6minutes Grease – PG 105 minutes The Godfather – Rated 15 175 minutes Rocky – Rated 12 120 minutes Pulp Fiction – Rated 18 154 minutes

The proposed films have been recommended by Film Bank and also the appointed cinema company who have been used previously. They (the films or the company) are also recommended based on the duration of the film.

The Committee are asked to agree a final shortlist, which will be promoted through a press release and on social media for the public to vote to give a view on the two films to be screened at Hertford Castle.

SEPTEMBER

Hertford Heritage Weekend Saturday 7th – Sunday 8th September or 14th and 15th September (date TBC from Heritage Open Days).

An events programme will be created to detail Heritage Open Days of local buildings during the weekend. The programme will also promote heritage walks, photo trail and activities or promotions that traders are running during the weekend.

28 PAPER D Hertford Castle Heritage Day – Sunday date TBC 12noon – 16.00 Free Entry, Charity Donations Welcome As part of National Heritage Weekend, Hertford Castle will open its doors to the public free of charge. Visitors will be able to explore the basement, dungeons, Robing Room and Downshire Suite. The Castle lawn will host a medieval encampment, medieval battles, falconry, archery and games for children to participate in.

OCTOBER

Hertford Food and Drink Festival - Friday 11th - Sunday 13th October

Friday 11th October

Traders will be encouraged to offer discounts, festival menus and cookery classes during the day and evening. Street Food Heroes will be contacted to see if they want to run an evening street food market.

Saturday 12th October

Traders will be encouraged to offer discounts, festival menus, cookery classes and free tasters/samples.

Due to the high cost of the kitchen and marquee in parliament square, Officers will evaluate how the 2018 event runs and the popularity of the cookery stage for this year prior to confirming this activity for 2019. Should this element of the event be unpopular, Officers will replace the cookery demonstration tent with other food related activities which could include free children cookery classes (due to the popularity of the Mayor’s Cake Deco rating Competition), additiona l food stalls of alternative ideas.

McMulle n’s ha ve shown interes t in continuing to hold a brewery open day.

Hertford Castle Beer & World Food Festival Sunday 13th October 12noon – 18:00 Free Entry, Charity Donations Welcome.

Hertford Castle will be open to the public for the last castle open day of the year until 16:00.

A large beer tent will be erected on the castle lawn, a multitude of world food stalls will be booked to exhibit on the main lawn and there will be live music to entertain visitors.

Christmas in Hertford Friday 20th November – Saturday 21st November

Christmas Gala Friday 20th November - 15.30 – 20.00

The annual Christmas Gala event will take place on Friday with Christmas markets, street entertainment, performance stage, petting reindeer and refreshment and food stalls, Christmas grotto and Christmas tree light switch on.

Shop Hertford – Putting the Hert into Christmas 29 PAPER D Saturday 21st November

To encourage visitors to shop locally in Hertford, traders will be contacted to offer promotions, giveaways, activities and entertainment in store to increase footfall and encourage visitors to explore new shops in the county town.

To support this event, there will be street entertainment and activities for visitors within the town centre.

5. RECOMMENDATION

It is RECOMMENDED that: a) The Committee considers whether they would like to continue to work in partnership with the Rotary Club of Hertford to support fund and organise Hertford Castle Fun Day and if so, whether the Rotary Club should apply for NHB funding or whether the draft events budget should increase. b) The Committee consider the proposed events programme and agree an events programme for 2019. c) The Committee note the report.

Report by: Melissa Reynolds, Marketing and Events Manager

30 PAPER E REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1ST OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 7(D) - HERTFORDSHIRE FESTIVAL OF MUSIC

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To provide the Committee with a proposed 2019 events programme.

2. 2018 EVENTS

Hertford Town Council sold tickets for the Hertfordshire Festival of Music (HFoM) in 2018 for their June events.

Tickets were sold online through Eventbrite and at the TTIC with an agreed commission rate of 7.5% for the management and administration. The total income from ticket sales was £8525 and the TTIC retained £639.37 as commission.

The TTIC charge a flat fee of 10% commission to organisations they sell tickets on behalf of, this rate is increased if tickets and posters are designed by the TTIC.

Hertford Town Council offered a reduced rate of 7.5% to HFoM in 2018 and also awarded the organisation Community Grant Funding towards the event.

2. PROSPOSED 2019 EVENT

For 2019, HFoM plan on running 21 events across the festival from Thursday 13th – Sunday 23rd June of which approximately 15 of the events will be ticketed (the others will be free of charge). It is expected that 17 of the events will take place in Hertford.

3. HFOM PROPOSED PARTNERSHIP WITH HERTFORD TOWN COUNCIL

The HFoM would like to use the TTIC as the sole box office provider for all events except for Hertford Theatre events for the 2019 festival.

They have asked the Council to consider a further reduction in commission rate to 5% across all online and offline sales.

The organisation reported they spent approximately 12% of their Box Office income on commission from ticket sales, which was made up of the 7.5% TTIC commission, an additional commission charged by Eventbrite (£0.49 + 4% per ticket) and a small fee from iZettle (for card payments on the door at events).

The break down of 2018 ticket sales from the TTIC is as follows:

Tickets purchased directly at the TTIC – 186 tickets at various prices totaling £3323 - £249.80 commission retained at 7.5%. Eventbrite sales online – 285 tickets at various prices totaling £5202 - £390.15 commission retained at 7.5%.

4. HERTFORD TOWN COUNCIL OFFICER RECOMMONDATION

Due to the additional commission rate Eventbrite charge and the administration and 31 PAPER E Officer time involved with managing ticket sales, Officers would like to propose a compromised approach to selling tickets for 2019.

Based on ticket sales for 2018, this approach would still create a further saving for HFoM as the online ticket sales are far higher than the tickets sold from the TTIC.

Eventbrite Sales Online (most popular method of purchasing based on sales in 2018) TTIC Commission – 5% - reduced rate due to the commission the website takes.

Physical tickets sold at the TTIC and on the telephone – 9% (this is still 1% lower than the minimum rate other organisations receive).

In addition, HFoM will receive the following benefits (which other organisations the TTIC sell ticke ts on beha lf of don’t curre ntly re ce ive ):

Dedicated window display within the TTIC for a two-week campaign to drive ticket sales Opportunity for HFoM to advertise (at an agreed cost) on the Hertford North Billboard which is secured by HTC.

The TTIC will continue the positive working relationship with the HFoM and retain the contract to be the official Box Office hence the proposed reduction for online sales.

5. RECOMMENDATION

It is RECOMMENDED that:

a) The Committee decides whether to partnership with HFoM and considers the commission structure for ticket sales in 2019. b) The Committee note the report.

Report by: Melissa Reynolds, Marketing and Events Manager

32 Appendix 1

Table A

Total Income TTIC % Commission TTIC Commission from ticket sales in 2018 Online Ticket £5,202 7.5% £390.15 Sales TTIC Phone and £3,323 7.5% £249.80 Centre Sales Total Commission £639.95 Table A shows the total commission that the TTIC received from the agreed 2018 event partnership with HFoM based on actual ticket sales received.

Table B

Total Income TTIC % Commission TTIC Commission from ticket sales in 2018 Online Ticket £5,202 5% £260.10 Sales TTIC Phone and £3,323 5% £166.15 Centre Sales Total Commission £426.25 Based on the 2018 event income figures from HFoM, Table B shows the commission the TTIC would retain if an agreement of 5% was in place.

Table C

Total Income TTIC % Commission TTIC Commission From ticket sales in 2018 Online Ticket £5,202 5% £260.10 Sales TTIC Phone and £3,323 9% £299.07 Centre Sales Total Commission £559.17 Based on 2018 event income figures from HFoM, Table C shows the commission the TTIC would retain if the Officers recommendation was implemented.

Online ticket sales in 2018 were far greater than tickets purchased at the TTIC or over the telephone.

This page is intentionally left blank.

34 PAPER F REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1ST OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 7(E) - HERTFORD MUSIC MYSTERY TOUR

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

The organisers of Hertford Music Mystery Tour have contacted Hertford Town Council seeking support with the organisation of the 2019 event which takes place on Sunday 25th August; see Appendix A for further details on the proposed partnership and event support requested.

2. REPORT SUMMERY

In summary of the report provided by the organisers (Appendix A), they request the following support of Hertford Town Council:

The Council would organise, control and take responsibility of road closures throughout the town centre for the duration of the event (12noon – midnight). Hertford Town Council would also be responsible for organising concession stalls and music within the road closure areas.

A discussion regarding the cost of road closure would be required, it is not specified who would cover the cost within the proposal.

3. HERTFORD TOWN COUNCIL OFFICER RECOMMENDATION

The event is beneficial to residents, visitors and traders.

Officers recommend that the Council continues to support the event financially through the community grant funding which has been awarded year on year, and continue to promote the event through various media channels.

Although Hertford Town Council organises a road closure to Parliament Square and Market Place for its own Christmas Light Switch on, East Herts Council are responsible for awarding market licenses and Hertfordshire County Council are the responsible authority for authorising road closures. Hertford Town Council would therefore only be able to act as the intermediary on this matter.

As East Herts Council organised market stalls for the 2018 event, it is recommended by Officers that Hertford Music Mystery Festival organisers continue to work with the Market Manager at East Herts Council for the 2019 event. Likewise, it is suggested that the organisers liaise directly with Hertfordshire County Council regarding the request of a road closure.

Hertford Town Council does not have the powers to authorise road closures or markets within the town centre.

It is also important to consider Officer welfare as there are two HTC events scheduled the same weekend as the Hertford Musical Mystery Tour.

35 PAPER F

4. RECOMMENDATION

It is RECOMMENDED that:

a) The Committee decides whether to partnership with Hertford Musical Mystery Tour and considers whether to support the event with the requirements detailed in appendix A. b) The Committee note the report.

Report by: Melissa Reynolds, Marketing and Events Manager

36 APPENDIX 1

HERTFORD MUSIC FESTIVAL

Hertford Town Council EVENT PROPOSAL

Musical Mystery Tour 25th August 2019

37 CONTENTS

Hertford Music Festival ...... 1

1. Introduction ...... 3

2. Changes in 2018; SAG Liaison ...... 4

2.1. Event Plan...... 4

2.2. Security Staff ...... 4

2.3. First Aid ...... 4

2.4. Event Control ...... 4

2.5. Road Closure ...... 4

3. Proposals for 2019 ...... 5

3.1. Road Closure ...... 5

3.2. Promotions ...... 5

3.3. Future? ...... 5

4. Conclusions ...... 6

38 1. INTRODUCTION

Originally thought up by Mayor of Hertford, Henry Sargent MBE, and now organised by Hertford Music Festival ltd., the Musical Mystery Tour is a day of live music that has seen a total of 169 acts play 261 performances in total in 2018, playing every musical style from rock to reggae, folk and funk to punk, classical and jazz at more than 30 pubs, clubs, music venues, restaurants and street corners including the Hertford Museum on August Bank Holiday Sunday from midday to midnight. The festival prides itself on showcasing local talent at varying venues and is growing on its successes being high on the list of ‘must do’ activity for many in the local community.

In addition to the enjoyment the MMT is extremely beneficial to the local businesses with many venues taking their highest gross takings in the year; it is difficult to put a precise figure on the income but it most certainly is in several hundreds of thousands of pounds. With many of the venues this is an opportunity for them to transform themselves into entertainment hubs for all ages.

This has always been seen by the organisers as a family event, promoting local talent, and the acts are carefully chosen to reflect this. The MMT itself is neither a street party nor a street event but is held exclusively at licensed premises or other public buildings such as the museum and shops, 2018 even saw the introduction of ‘Gin on the River as a venue with music taking to the canal. Street food stalls have been given permission to trade by East Herts Council via the Market Manager and are under their control. Food stall locations in 2018 were agreed with MMT and located within a road closure obtained under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847.

With the growth of the event and following advice from the Police, local licensing officer and East Herts Safety Advisory Group it was decided to formalise several safety arrangements for the event. Previously a road closure was considered appropriate due to concerns over conflict between attendees and road users and although this was initially turned down in 2015 following consultation between the organisers and HCC Highways the options for closure have been were taken up by the Hertford House/Quiet Man proprietors to manage the risk in the areas outside of the respective bars.

The main issue for the organisers in making an application to the SAG is the nature of the event with limited direct control on the venues and the perception is that the risk is under the control of the venues themselves who will be expected to adhere to their own licensing conditions similar to any other busy night in the town centre. Following meetings with the Herts Police the organisers took steps to actively contribute to managing the perceived risk due to additional people on the streets, in 2018 on the advice of the Police and SAG the organisers secured the services of eight SIA security staff to supplement those already in place around the town and the services of a company to provide first aid support including an emergency ambulance. This was partially funded by contributions through the Hertford Pubwatch scheme.

The organisers share the aims of the East Herts SAG and wish to maintain the safety record of the event which over the past ten years has been exemplary with no major accidents or injury, and no serious incidents being reported for one of the largest events in the Hertford Town calendar.

In 2019 it is hoped that the event can continue to grow to become the biggest event in the Hertford town calendar however it is considered that to achieve this aim that support from Hertford Town Council would be welcome. Hertford Music Festival Ltd. organise the event however this is largely volunteering with expenses being recompensed in some cases with other members of the team operating on a completely voluntary basis. The aim of this paper is to give a vision of the future of the MMT to councillors and officers to discuss and consider their involvement in 2019 and beyond.

2. CHANGES IN 2018; SAG LIAISON

2.1. Event Plan

A generic risk matrix addressed the underlying causes of unwanted events and the necessary control measures; any contractors and concessions had their own risk assessments and method statements. Events were reported to Event Control who record the details in an event log. The event plan was agreed with the Police and East Herts Safety Advisory Group (SAG) following a series of meetings held in the lead up to the event.

Further to the meetings the police licensing officers agreed to use the Hertford Pubwatch forum to raise funds to support the event safety control measures; this was largely successful.

2.2. Security Staff

The event was stewarded by fully briefed team of stewards of trained and certified security staff provided by VIP Security (Essex) Ltd. Eight SIA Door Supervisors in addition to those provided by the venues were in key positions across the event area and visited those venues outside of the town centre. Their role was to offer reassurance and act as a deterrent to assist in safety and security with respect to SAG/health and safety objectives.

2.3. First Aid

A Medical centre was supplied by First Aid Cover Ltd. and provided the following;

➢ 1 x Fully Equipped Paramedic Ambulance ➢ 1 x IHCD Ambulance NHS Technician ➢ 1 x HCPC Registered Paramedic

The medical team could be contacted by either the Event Team, Police or SIA personnel (either appointed by HMF or local Door Staff).

2.4. Event Control

The event control, first aid/medical team was in Bircherley Green to act as a focal point for all services. Briefings were held at pre-arranged times between the police, organisers, security and first aid staff to discuss operational matters and any issues arising.

Mid Herts RAYNET were contacted to coordinate the communications, their facility as run by trained volunteers who were all licenced in communications by OFCom and had access to the frequencies available to the security and first aid operatives.

2.5. Road Closure

The Hertford House management were granted a road closure under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847; this was considered appropriate due to the location of the closure requested by the police on safety grounds. The closure was in place from 8am until midnight and attended to by SIA security at all closure points. The only rights to pass through the closure are for emergency vehicles; all other traders were advised that the road will be closed for this period for the purposes of public safety.

Three food concessions were in the Market Square area behind the courthouse in the layby sections of the road closure. This decision was taken to encourage people to congregate within the closure areas rather than use adjacent roads. Four other food vendors were in Salisbury Square ensuring that access was available to the White Hart.

3. PROPOSALS FOR 2019

3.1. Road Closure

The road closure in 2018 was arranged following a SAG meeting where the police operational support team proposed that the safety of people on the streets in previous years needed to be enhanced. The HH Hotel stepped in to organise the closure as it was perceived by the event organisers that they would be the main beneficiary of such a move and there was insufficient time to consider any other method of closure.

It is considered that a street closure could be facilitated under the Road Traffic Regulations and that a “temporary prohibitions and restrictions of traffic”. These regulations S.16 give local traffic authorities powers to make orders to impose temporary restrictions on the highway for sporting events, social events or entertainment (collectively known as special events). The organisers felt in 2018 that this was beyond their powers to organise and control and this is where the support of the Hertford Town Council is envisaged. The MMT organisers believe that there is scope to extend any road closure beyond that organised in 2018 with more time to make plans.

The proposal is that HTC arrange for a road closure, the extent of which is to be discussed, and manage this closure. The organisers believe that this will give an opportunity for concessions to apply for, and pay for, pitches within the closed streets that will enhance the MMT and provide an opportunity for HTC to promote their role in this event. Although costs have been asked for these would be guesswork at this stage and it is considered that HTC already have experience of such closures with events such as the food festival and Christmas light switch on that would provide this information.

MMT would like HTC to become involved in this event therefore would also request the opportunity to discuss some busking spots/stalls within the closure. Apart from this it is envisaged that Hertford Music Festival will organise the music events within licensed premises and at any busking spots and Hertford Town Council will be engaged in the associated ‘street party’ events within the road closure. Other costs will need to be discussed and agreed.

3.2. Promotions

The reach of the HMF is growing year on year. HMF would ensure that the HTC would get coverage in the programme as one of the event sponsors and on the website subject to costs. In addition, HMF have a volunteer ‘media manager’ who would include HTC in any Twitter and Facebook promotions.

3.3. Future?

HMF would welcome the opportunity to discuss the future of this event with Hertford Town Council. We believe that we have a good relationship with the police and other local authorities via the SAG and would like this to extend to the town council. We also consider this event to be a huge contribution to the local economy with licensed venues, restaurants, off-licences, taxi and public transport operators benefitting amongst others. In 2018 a local charity also benefitted from a street collection as part of the event.

We also believe that there is scope to extend the events given more space; unfortunately due to the weather forecast in 2018 one of the bigger venues (McMullen’s Yard) had to withdraw but with town council support it is hoped that other venues may become available to take the surplus of people attending visiting the town on this day.

Further ideas are welcome from all parties.

4. CONCLUSIONS

While the event will remain successful in the same format we believe that partnership will take us to the next level and that the MMT could become a bigger and better event with cooperation. It was found in 2018 that the organisers were unaware of the procedures and processes of local authorities and this caused us some anxiety and at one point threatened the event itself in its recognised form. It was considered that events would still happen on the day with many of the venues going it alone but that the coordination and control would be lacking which was perceived as a threat.

Partnership will bring opportunity. The organisers consider that the town council have the skills and procedures in place to coordinate and control a road closure, to manage concessions within that area and promote themselves as partners. The strength of the MMT is to bring people to the town and this was proven in 2018 despite a terrible weather forecast and heavy rain for much of the day there appeared to be little effect on the numbers attending.

Next year will be the 25th anniversary of the Hertford Music Festival. We would welcome the opportunity to sit down with members and officers to discuss how we can work together to make 2019 special and, in the future, to move the event forward even beyond the dreams of Henry Sargent.

42 PAPER G

REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1ST OCTOBER 2019

AGENDA ITEM 7 (D) – TOWN CENTRE UPDATE

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To update the Committe e on the progress of the Committee ’s priorities for the town centre apart from those included in the Events Report.

2. CURRENT SITUATION

Free Town Centre Wi-Fi

The town centre Wi-Fi continues to be popular with residents, locals and visitors.

Below is a summary of data usage during the reporting period. Total data Total unique Average clients Most popular area transferred clients on the day June 815GB 8336 1123 Salisbury Square July 1.13TB 8298 1072 Railway Street August 1.35TB 8048 1046 Maidenhead Street

During August, it was reported that the access point in Bull Plain went down for a three-week period which impacted the quantity of users during this period.

During event days, the Wi-Fi usage drastically spikes. From 1st June – 31st August it was reported that the average duration online was between 20 – 60 minutes.

Go Hertford website

Regular updates have been made to the Go Hertford website detailing new retail openings and closures as well as listing reta ilers’ promotions.

News a rticles a re being added freque ntly and a monthly ‘Trad e r of the Month’ blog has been posted which supports and promotes the local independents in the town centre.

Social Media

Hertford Town Council has launched an Instagram account to compliment its Facebook and Twitter accounts. This visual social media platform has proven popular with users and has 869 followers. The Council has over 5 700 followers on Twitter and over 2 000 on Facebook.

Princess & Pirate Trail

43 PAPER G

The Princess and Pirate Trail that took place in August and was sponsored by Sage Ward Lettings and Natural Health who provided funding to cover the cost of the trail leaflets and prizes that were awarded to children who completed the trail.

The Secret Society of Crafters made knitted dolls for the Pirate and Princess trail which children located within town centre businesses.

Due to the popularity of the Easter Trail, it was decided to run two trails during the school summer holidays. This meant that more retailers were able to participate and gave children two opportunities to participate. Each trail ran for a two week period and feedback from traders and the public was very positive.

Although traders reported an increase within their premises, unfortunately there were mixed reviews as to whether visitors purchased/enquired about the trader services.

The table below shows the footfall of visitors within the Town and Tourist Information Centre (TTIC) specifically participating in the trail. Picked up Purchase from Finished trail Purchased from the map TTIC when – claimed TTIC when from TTIC collecting trail map prize from finishing the trail TTIC TTIC Trail1 475 19 347 29 Trail2 283 8 276 5 Total 758 27 623 34

The trail not only increased footfall within the TTIC yet also increased sales as many purchased whilst in store.

The next trail will take place during the Christmas events and will be ‘Elf on the Shelf’ themed. The trail will include two different treasure hunts, like the trialled Princess and Pirate Trail.

Due to the popularity of the Hertford Town Centre trails, it has been reported that other neighbouring towns are running similar activities to assist with increasing footfall and encourage visitors to shop locally.

Heritage Walks & Collaboration with Schools

The Town Centre Officer organised hour long historical walks in the town centre during Heritage Saturday for visitors to book onto.

Tickets were sold via TTIC at £6pp, with the TTIC retaining 10% commission from all bookings.

Overall participation is shown below: Time Tickets sold 11:30 9 13:30 0 15:30 14 19:00 11

44 PAPER G

The event proved to be reasonably successful and is suggested to continue for 2019.

In addition to the Saturday walks, The Town Centre Officer also organised heritage walks for local schools on Friday 14th September.

The walks were aimed to promote the Heritage Weekend, build relationships with local schools and provide educational interactive events to children.

All primary schools were contacted to participate with Mill Mead and Duncombe School confirming attendance.

Three walks took place at a cost of £2 per person. Feedback from the teachers and students was very positive with demand for a repeat event next year.

Christmas Lighting

Following the Christmas Lighting requirements, works have been carried out to the areas of Salisbury Square and Old Cross. A Festive Lighting License application has been submitted to Hertfordshire Highways.

Town Centre Redevelopment Plans

A community forum has been formed by the contractors who are redeveloping Bircherley Green Shopping Centre with support from the Town Council.

The first meeting was held at Hertford Castle on 20th August and representatives from local organisations, the councils and businesses in the town centre were invited to attend.

Wrenbridge, the contractors responsible for the redevelopment, will be sponsoring the Hertford Christmas Gala and the Food and Drink Festival.

The contractors have started demolishing the buildings on the site of the new hotel, and the majority of retailers located in Bircherley Green have now closed.

The renovation work in Maidenhead Street began on 17 September. The works will impact Maidenhead Street, Bull Plain, Salisbury Square and Market Place. The appointed contractors will be working to minimise the disruption. Due to the impact from the work, market areas during the Food and Drink Festival and the Christmas Gala will be limited for just this year.

3. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is RECOMMENDED that The Committee notes the report.

Report by Ausra Bitinaite Town Centre Officer

This page is intentionally left blank.

46 PAPER H REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1ST OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 8 (A) – HIRE OF VENUES

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To provide the Committee with an update on hire revenue for the Castle and Mill Bridge Rooms for 2018/2019 2019/2020, 2020/2021

2. DOWNSHIRE SUITE INCOME

Table 1 shows bookings for the April – August period as a comparison year on year. Table 1 April 17- April 18 – Budget Description August 17 August 18 £ £

DS Hire – Weddings & 4200 27 520 27 052 Receptions

4201 DS Hire – Corporate Hire 6 880 2 550

4202 DS Hire – Private Hire 3 010 5 945

4210 DS Catering 5 152 4 871

Total 42 562 40 418

Table 2 shows the total income booked to date at Hertford Castle during the 2018/2019 financial year.

Ceremonies & Corporate Hire Private Hire Receptions £ £ £ Gross Income 39 777 2 770 8 695 Secured

An additional £5 750 has been secured from the set corkage fee.

Table 3 shows the total income booked to date at Hertford Castle during the 2019/2020 financial year.

Ceremonies & Corporate Hire £ Private Hire £ Receptions £ Gross Income 13 430 00 1 207 Secured

An additional £1,750 has been secured from the set corkage fee.

47 PAPER H Table 4 shows the total income booked to date at Hertford Castle during the 2020/2021 financial year.

Ceremonies & Corporate Hire £ Private Hire £ Receptions £ Gross Income 3 300 00 00 Secured

An additional £250.00 has been secured from the set corkage fee.

3. HERTFORD CASTLE RECENT BOOKINGS

Whilst we have received many enquiries from corporates for weekday hire at the Castle, the lack of parking has proved a limiting factor. However, Officers have continued to attract high profile local companies for several successful corporate events.

Private Hire continues to be successful and particularly popular ‘Dry Hire’ clients.

Wedding Ceremonies and Receptions for the year 2018/19 and on-going, have been booked considerably in advance to ensure the security of the date and this has been assisted by publishing venue hire prices well in advance.

4. MILL BRIDGE ROOMS INCOME

Bookings for the Mill Bridge Rooms have increased further on last year’s income.

April – August 17 Apr 17-August 18 Budget Description £ £ 4400 Mill Bridge Room Income £6594 £8219

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is RECOMMENDED that

a) The Committee notes the report.

Report by: Jackie Haynes, Private Hire & Functions Co-ordinator

48 PAPER I

REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE - 1 ST OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 9 – CCTV AND TAXI MARSHAL UPDATE

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To provide a CCTV statistics for June – August 2018 and update the Committee on the current issues relating to the town’s CCTV cameras and Taxi Marshal service.

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Stevenage CCTV monitoring centre produce a monthly report giving the numbers of incidents and arrests involving CCTV cameras. The reports for the different areas covered by the CCTV network are available for viewing or download at http://www.hertfordshirecctv.co.uk along with back copies of “Camera Shy” the quarterly newsletter of the Hertfordshire CCTV Partnership.

3. INCIDENTS - JUNE TO AUG 2018

The CCTV cameras in Hertford recorded the following numbers and types of incident and the figures for 2017 are shown as comparatives:

Jun to Jun to Cod % Inc/ Type Aug Aug Difference e (Dec) 2017 2018 AL Alarm action 2 2 0 0% AB Abduction 1 0 -1 -100% AF Affray 6 9 3 50% AR Arson/fire 0 0 0 0% Assault/robbery/offensive AS 11 11 0 0% weapon B Burglary 0 2 2 100% BE Begging 0 0 0 0% BO Bomb threat/susp. Package 0 0 0 0% BR Broken Down Vehicle 0 0 0 0% BRE Breach of bail 2 0 -2 -100% CR Criminal damage 3 2 -1 -33% D Deception 1 1 0 0% DO Domestic 0 1 1 100% DR Drug related 6 2 -4 -67% EM Emergency inc. 0 0 0 0% FA False Abandoned/999 Call 0 0 0 0% HSP Handling Stolen Property 0 0 0 0% INI Indecency 0 0 0 0% Missing Person/welfare MI 13 5 -8 -62% concern NU Nuisance / Disorder 9 5 -4 -44% O Other 0 2 2 100% P Police request 2 0 -2 -100%

49 PAPER I

Jun to Jun to Cod % Inc/ Type Aug Aug Difference e (Dec) 2017 2018 PO Police or other operation 0 0 0 0% POD Public order / drunkenness 9 10 1 11% PUB Public request 0 0 0 0% PUR Purse dipping 0 0 0 0% RA Racial abuse 1 0 -1 -100% RAP Rape 1 0 -1 -100% RO Road traffic accident 0 1 1 100% SUI Suicide 0 0 0 0% SU Suspicious activity 5 2 -3 -60% TH Theft /shoplifting 8 3 -5 -63% TR Traffic offences 2 2 0 0% Unauthorised Access UA 1 0 -1 -100% (Trespass) VE Vehicle crime 0 0 0 0% WA Warrant or wanted 2 4 2 100% Tota 85 64 -21 -25% l

The relatively low number of incidents means that small increases or decreases in numbers translate into apparently high percentage changes. Overall the statistics for 2018 show a reduction of 21 in the number of incidents recorded compared to 2017.

4. ARRESTS - JUNE TO AUGUST 2018

The CCTV cameras in Hertford recorded events that led to arrests for the following numbers and types of incident:

Jun to Jun to Cod % Inc/ Type Aug Aug Difference e (Dec) 2017 2018 AL Alarm action 0 0 0 0% AB Abduction 0 0 0 0% AF Affray 1 5 4 400% AR Arson/fire 0 0 0 0% Assault/robbery/offensive AS 3 4 1 33% weapon B Burglary 0 0 0 0% BE Begging 0 0 0 0% BO Bomb threat/susp. Package 0 0 0 0% BR Broken Down Vehicle 0 0 0 0% BRE Breach of bail 0 0 0 0% CR Criminal damage 2 4 2 100% D Deception 0 1 1 100% DO Domestic 0 0 0 0% DR Drug related 3 2 -1 -33%

Cod Type Jun to Jun to Difference % Inc/ e Aug Aug (Dec)

50 PAPER I 2017 2018

EM Emergency inc. 0 0 0 0% FA False Abandoned/999 Call 0 0 0 0% HSP Handling Stolen Property 0 0 0 0% INI Indecency 0 0 0 0% Missing Person/welfare MI 0 0 0 0% concern NU Nuisance / Disorder 0 0 0 0% O Other 0 1 1 100% P Police request 0 0 0 0% PO Police or other operation 0 0 0 0% POD Public order / drunkenness 1 2 1 100% PUB Public request 0 0 0 0% PUR Purse dipping 0 0 0 0% RA Racial abuse 1 0 -1 -100% RAP Rape 0 0 0 0% RO Road traffic accident 0 0 0 0% SUI Suicide 0 0 0 0% SU Suspicious activity 1 0 -1 -100% TH Theft /shoplifting 3 1 -2 -67% TR Traffic offences 1 0 -1 -100% Unauthorised Access UA 0 0 0 0% (Trespass) VE Vehicle crime 0 0 0 0% WA Warrant or wanted 1 5 4 400% Tota 17 25 8 47% l

The statistics for 2018 show an increase/decrease of 47% in the number of arrests recorded compared to 2017.

5. TAXI MARSHALS

The system continues to operate well. Marshals were deployed on the Sutnh day 26 August, immediately before the August Bank Holiday.

An issue has been identified about punctuality of Marshals during the August period. Marshal have been logged as arriving up to 20 minutes after the scheduled start time. That is being investigated by the Company contracted to supply the Marshals.

6. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

For 2018/19 the anticipated revenue costs including the additional monitoring & maintenance charges for an additional camera are as follows: Monitoring and maintenance £24 897 Fibre optic rental £5 565 Electricity supply £391 Dedicated phone line to control room £205 Budget contingency £1387 Total £32 445

51 PAPER I

7. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is RECOMMENDED that:

a) The Committee note the CCTV statistics to the 31st Aug 2018.

Report by: Muibat Babayemi, Finance Manager

52 REPORT TO DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE - 18TH JUNE 2018 APPENDIX 1

ARRESTS BY CAMERA

2017 2018 Camera Location Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Apr-17 May-17 Jun-17 Jul-17 Aug-17 Sep-17 Oct-17 Nov-17 Dec-17 Total Jan-18 Feb-18 Mar-18 Apr-18 May-18 Jun-18 Jul-18 Aug-18 Sep-18 Oct-18 Nov-18 Dec-18 Total 901 Old Cross 1 1 0 902 Parl'ment Sq. 1 1 2 3 1 2 10 0 903 Shire Hall 2 1 1 1 5 1 1 2 904 Corn Exch. 6 2 6 1 1 1 1 1 5 5 3 32 3 3 905 South Street 3 4 3 2 1 1 1 4 4 23 4 2 1 7 906 Bus Station 2 1 1 1 1 6 6 6 907 Bircherley Green 1 4 1 1 2 1 1 2 13 2 1 3 908 Salisbury Sq. 3 3 1 3 1 1 12 2 3 1 1 7 909 Maidenhead St. 4 2 1 3 1 4 15 2 1 3 910 St. Andrews St c.p 0 1 1 911 St. Andrews St c.p 0 0 912 Hartham c.p 0 0 913 Hartham c.p 0 0 914 Hartham c.p 1 2 2 1 6 1 1 2 915 Sele Farm shops 5 1 1 7 1 1 916 St. Andrews St 1 1 0 917 Hertford East Station 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 14 1 1 1 3 918 Parliament Square (wifi) 4 2 1 2 1 10 0 21 22 22 16 8 7 4 6 5 14 19 11 155 9 4 10 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38

ARREST BY TYPE

2017 2018 Code Type Jan-17 Feb-17 Mar-17 Apr-17 May-17 Jun-17 Jul-17 Aug-17 Sep-17 Oct-17 Nov-17 Dec-17 Total Jan-18 Feb-18 Mar-18 Apr-18 May-18 Jun-18 Jul-18 Aug-18 Sep-18 Oct-18 Nov-18 Dec-18 Total AL Alarm action 0 0 AF Affray 1 7 4 1 1 1 3 1 19 2 3 1 6 AR Arson/Fire 0 1 1 AS Assault/robbery/offensive weapon 10 9 6 1 2 1 6 9 1 45 3 1 2 3 9 ATT Attention kept 0 0 B Burglary 1 1 2 0 BRE Breach of bail 1 1 1 1 CR Criminal damage 4 1 1 1 1 1 2 11 1 1 D Deception 2 2 1 1 2 DO Domestic 1 1 0 DR Drug related 1 1 1 1 1 1 6 0 EM Emergency inc. 0 0 FA False abandoned/999 Call 0 0 HSP Handling Stolen Property 0 1 1 INI Indecency 0 0 MI Missing Person/welfare concern 0 0 MU Murder/sudden death 0 0 NU Nuisance / Disorder 1 1 1 2 5 0 O Other 1 1 2 0 P Police request 1 1 2 0 PO Police or other operation 1 1 0 POD Public Order / Drunkenness 1 2 2 2 1 1 3 4 16 1 1 1 3 PUB Public request 1 1 0 RA Racial Abuse 1 1 0 RAP Rape / sexual assault 1 1 0 SUI Suicide 1 1 0 SU Suspicious activity 1 1 1 3 1 1 TH Theft /shoplifting 1 7 3 2 2 1 2 2 20 2 3 2 7 TR Traffic offences 1 1 1 1 4 0 VE Vehicle crime 1 1 1 1 WA Warrant or wanted 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 10 5 5 21 22 22 16 8 7 4 6 5 14 19 11 155 9 4 10 7 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38

This page is intentionally left blank.

54 PAPER J

REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE - 1 ST OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 10 – CCTV NETWORK

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To discuss the feasibility of extended the existing Hertford CCTV network.

2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Town Council has maintained and managed the entire CCTV network in Hertford Town Centre since 2008.

The provision of CCTV cameras and the images captured remains a vital source of help to the Police. The presence of cameras in the town also provides reassurance to visitors and users of the town.

The network is currently formed of 18 cameras. The most recent addition to the network was the camera on the Blackbirds Pub Parliament Square.

A plan of the CCTV camera locations is attached as Appendix A.

3. EXTENSION OF CCTV CAMERA NETWORK

The meeting of this Committee in June 2018 discussed the possible extension of the CCTV camera network and requested a report to its next meeting. The installation of CCTV cameras at the underpasses in Hertford was raised; no other specific potential locations were raised.

A preliminary examination of the benefits of extending the network has been undertaken together with preliminary identification of associated costs.

The views of the Safer Neighborhood Policing Team and the Hertfordshire CCTV Partnership that manage the cameras and network were sought to input into his preliminary work.

4. LOCATIONS FOR POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL CAMERAS

Reviewing the existing map, gives rise to some possible locations for additional cameras. The locations are described with reference to known Hertford landmarks such as St Andrew Church. Referencing these landmarks does not mean that there is necessarily a crime problem in these areas. No discussion has taken place with representatives of St Andrew Church, Hertford Museum etc.

The location are identified as they could be perceived as ‘gaps’ in the geographical coverage of the existing network. For example, Appendix A shows camera locations in the vicinity of Hartham Common and Hartham Leisure Centre and also near Tesco. As such the area along Railway Street between Bircherley Street and Hertford East Station present a possible gap.

55 PAPER J

The locations noted below are the views of Officers.

Possible locations for additional CCTV cameras include:

On St Andrew Street in the vicinity of St Andrew Church On Old Cross in the vicinity of its junction with Hartham Lane On Bull Plain in the vicinity of Hertford Museum On Railway Street near its junction with Priory Street On Ware Road in the vicinity of Madford Retail Park.

The CCTV cameras in Hertford record footage that have assisted Police in their enquiries.

An alternative to fixed cameras is the use of portable cameras that can be located in areas for a fixed time period.

5. VIEWS OF KEY PARTNERS

The potential expansion of the CCTV network was discussed with both the Herts CCTV Partnership and the Hertford and Ware Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team.

The comments of the CCTV Partnership are:

The network continues to provide a valuable resource; as is demonstrated in the quarterly CCTV statistics report to this Committee In terms of incidents recorded and arrests made, the frequency of use that is made of the individual cameras in the network varies between cameras. That is footage from one camera may be used more often than footage from others in the network . The cost of linking cameras at the any of the five underpasses of the A414 Gascoyne Way in Hertford would be a costly exercise. Linking the cameras into the existing network is the only way of transmitting images to the CCTV Control Room in Stevenage.

The views of the Safer Neighbourhood Policing Team:

Commented that the existing network remains a very valuable resource that the Police use for both recorded evidence and live streaming as operational situations are developing. Did not identify new locations for new fixed cameras. Advised that the use of mobile cameras may be the better option as they would allow the targeting of particular locations for a fixed time period. The Police indicated that two mobile cameras would be very useful. Underpasses are not the crime hotspots that they are sometimes perceived as. There has been no incidents in the recent past where it was felt a CCTV camera located at an underpass could have made a significant difference to the work of the Police

6. COST OF ADDITIONAL CAMERAS

56 PAPER J The cost for new fixed cameras is £1 600 per camera with not additional charge for fitting. The cost of a mobile camera is £6 500 per camera. Each new camera would give rise to an additional charge of £1 500 per annum to cover maintenance, image monitoring and electricity charges.

Reflecting on the advice of the Herts CCTV Partnership, the full cost of installation and operation of CCTV cameras at underpasses has not been evaluated. However if Committee would like that options to be further pursued then Officers will bring a report to the next meeting of this Committee.

7. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is RECOMMENDED that Committee:

a) Discuss the potential to extend the Hertford CCTV Network b) Resolve whether additional fixed cameras should be installed and, if so, at which locations. c) Resolve whether the use of mobile cameras should be made and, if so, how many mobile cameras. d) Notes the report.

Report by: Joseph Whelan, Town Clerk

This page is intentionally left blank.

58 59

This page is intentionally left blank.

60 PAPER K

REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT & LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1ST OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 11 – INTERPRETATION PANELS IN THE CASTLE GROUNDS & TOWN CENTRE MAPS

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

This report provides the Committee with an update on the replacement of the interpretation boards located in the castle grounds and the replacement of two town centre boards.

2. BACKGROUND ON CASTLE INTERPRETATION PANELS

Approximately 15 years ago, three educational boards were installed within the castle grounds and one board installed to the wall of the public amenities located by The Wash detailing the history of Hertford Castle.

This project was funded by East Herts Council, Hertfordshire County Council and Hertford Town Council.

In 2017, one of the boards located by the River Lea within the castle grounds was removed from site as the board stand rotted.

Contact was made with East Herts Council and Hertfordshire County Council to seek funding to replace the boards as they had been vandalised and were in poor condition. The Councils were not able to contribute funding to the project and Hertford Town Council resolved to replace the boards and allocated £10,000 funding for the replacement of the four boards.

3. PROGRESS TO DATE

The plan below shows the marked locations for the new boards.

Permission has been given by the owner of the public toilets (1) to replace the interpretation board which details the history of Hertford Castle.

Permission has been given by Gascoyne-Cecil Estates to replace the boards located by the Motte (2) and the River (3) as they are owners of the land.

East Herts Council who own the ‘Isla nd’ where the boa rd by the Motte (2) is located, have agreed that Hertford Town Council can replace the board so long as they approve the design and content of the board before purchasing.

Hertford Town Council own the Moat Garden (4) and lease the area by the River Lea (3) where the dismantled board was located.

Once designs and content for the boards has been finalised, East Herts Council will be asked for approval on the Motte board and out of courtesy, will be sent designs for the other boards to be installed.

61 PAPER K

The map below displays the location of the existing boards and proposed additional board (5).

4. PROPOSED ADDITIONAL INTERPRETATION BOARD

Officers would like to recommend the Committee consider the purchase and installation of an additional interpretation board which would be located on the castle apron, located on point 5 on the map above and drawing below.

62 PAPER K

Location of board

The 900mm wide board will display images of how the castle main lawn once looked showing visitors a detailed model of the buildings contained within the grounds along with information supplied by local historians.

The additional board will be located by the main pedestrian path yet will not impact on visitors view of the castle gatehouse nor interfere with photographs during venue hire and events.

The cost of this additional board will be covered within the allocated £10,000 budget. Approval has been granted by the Gascoyne-Cecil Estates and planning consent is not required.

Hertford Town Council require consent from Historic England for Scheduled Monument Consent for the installation of the board due to the foundations of the buildings which were erected within the grounds. This process is underway. Committee will be advised if there are any problems.

5. DESIGN OF BOARD AND CONTENT

Quotes have been obtained to replace the boards within the grounds with aluminium composite with a black coating which will be in keeping with the other castle ground signing.

Unlike the existing boards, the replacement boards will not have a glass/perspex sheet as this can be easily vandalised and is expensive to

63 PAPER K

replace. Instead, the boards will compose of a metal sheet which is tilted (see mock up below) where the information will be printed onto a laminated sticker which is then stuck to the board. The laminated stickers have been used within the town centre and are low cost to produce and replace and appear to be integrated to the board.

The top curvature of the board will display the Hertford Castle logo which will be stuck on via a laminated sticker, this is similar to all the recent Hertford Castle signage.

The information which will be displayed on the boards will be similar to what is already currently in place. Local historians and FoHC have been involved with adding to the existing copy.

Imagery to support the text for the boards has been sourced via Hertford Museum at a cost of £150 per image. Additional supporting images have been donated by Philip Sheail.

6. TOWN CENTRE BOARDS

There are two boards in the town centre, one located on the wall of the old post office and one located by the public amenities which display a town centre map with historical locations of interest.

These boards were designed and funded by The Civic Society approximately 12 years ago. The boards have unfortunately been vandalised and as there will be funding to replace the boards, it is recommended by Officers that Hertford Town Council cover the cost of the replacement, which can be accommodated within the existing budget.

64 PAPER K

The replacement boards are low cost to produce and replace if required. The design of the map has been created and highlights the locations featured on the Hertford Heritage Trail.

The Civic Society have been involved with the design which has been approved and shown below.

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is RECOMMENDED that: a) The Committee agrees to the proposal to install an additional interpretation board within the castle grounds subject to the approval of Scheduled Monument Consent. b) The Committee agrees to the proposal to replace the two town centre maps from the approved £10,000 budget set aside for the Castle Interpretation Boards. c) The Committee notes the report.

Report by Melissa Reynolds – Marketing and Events Manager

This page is intentionally left blank.

66 PAPER L

HERTFORD TOWN COUNCIL PLANNING ASPIRATIONS

1. In road traffic hierarchy, pedestrian safety issues are paramount. Cyclist safety is next. 2. Internally illuminated signage will not be approved. 3. Loss of on-site parking and garage conversion is resisted. 4. The retention of indicators of a previous use of a building is welcome. i.e. shop windows. 5. Preservation, whatever their modern use, of outbuildings, yard lavatories, stables and barns, etc., is sought both within and without the conservation area. 6. To maintain the appropriate character of a property and of the street scene the removal of chimney stacks is resisted. 7. Until much improved road traffic access is arranged for the Mill Road/Mead Lane area further development of any kind will not be willingly supported. 8. The Council recognises the need for professional scholarship when considering treatment of, particularly the interior of a listed building. It does not normally make specific comment on such applications but keenly seeks to retain the integrity of all important and less important buildings in the town. This keenness extends to interior as well as exterior features and characteristics. 9. A1 retail use is generally welcomed wherever an application is made and loss of A1 use is resisted especially in prime shopping areas. 10. The importance of Green Fingers (river valleys) to the character of Hertford is always recognised. 11. Trees in both land and streetscape are valued. 12. Amenity areas to be considered on a property by property basis to e nsu re ea ch prope rty’s visual and recreational fa cilities a re maintained to the best the property can maintain. 13. The Council seeks to maintain in Hertford a good mixture of housing stock, particular concern about extensions on starter homes which can mean that property was no longer affordable to the next purchaser as a starter home. 14. Any new development should maintain the existing street scene and fit in with the character of the area.

This page is intentionally left blank.

68 PAPER M

REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT & LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1 OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 13 – HERTFORD ENTREPRENEURS

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

This report provides the Committee with an update on the Hertford Entrepreneurs events and awards.

2. EVENTS FEEDBACK

The most recent Hertford Entrepreneurs event was held at Hertford Castle on Thursday 12th July. The guest speaker, Tom McMullen, presented to e ntrepre neurs o n ‘Entre pren e urship in a n Inter-ge ne rationa l Busine ss’.

The McMulle n’s & Sons Direct or, discussed ways in which the company had adapted to changing market conditions and developed new business opportunities.

After a slow start to ticket sales, twenty-one tickets sold for the event at £10 per person and three Hertford Entrepreneur Committee members attended the event.

3. UPCOMING EVENTS

The next Hertford Entrepreneurs event will take place at Hertford Castle on Thursday 18th October and will be themed on ‘Social PR’. The guest sp eakers are both members of the Hertford Entrepreneurs Committee; Justine Perry from Cariad Marketing and Mary Sykes from Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce.

The event will run from 6.30pm – 8pm and cost £10pp. Tickets will be available to purchase online via Eventbrite and at the Town and Tourist Information Centre.

4. EVENT ATTENDANCE FIGURES 2018

It was decided for 2018 to charge a £10 fee per person to the Hertford Entrepreneurs events. This decision was made to charge a fee due to the high volumes of entrepreneurs registering to attend the free of charge events but not turning up. It was thought that by charging a fee, entrepreneurs are less likely to cancel due to the financial commitment to attend. The ticket price also assists with covering the costs associated with running the event.

The table below shows the quantity of tickets sold for 2018 events and the attendance at events. Note the figures exclude Hertford Entrepreneur Committee Members.

69 PAPER M

Date Subject Tickets Actual Number of Sold Entrepreneurs who attended event 07.02.2018 GDPR 30 26 29.03.2018 Entrepreneur of the NA 4 Entrepreneurs presented Year Awards Free 8 Guests of Entrepreneurs event 4 Hertford Entrepreneurs Committee members Total = 16 No members of the public or other entrepreneurs attended the event 12.07.2018 Entrepreneurship in 21 20 an Inter-generational Business’

The maximum capacity for a Hertford Entrepreneurs Event is 50 people

The volume of visitors/entrepre neurs who a tte nd the ‘He rtford Entrepreneur of the Ye a r’ e vent (which rem a ins free of cha rge ) ha s de clined, a s has the number of entrepreneurs entering the competition.

The Hertford Entrepreneur Committee members will discuss upcoming events for 2019 along with the Hertford Entrepreneur of the Year competition at their next Committee meeting in October.

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is RECOMMENDED that:

a) The Committee notes the report.

Report by Melissa Reynolds – Marketing and Events Manager

70 PAPER N

MINUTES OF THE BENGEO NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA PLAN WORKING PARTY MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 21ST JUNE 2018 IN THE ROBING ROOM, THE CASTLE, HERTFORD

PRESENT: Councillors Mrs S Newton (C), Mrs S Dunkley

IN ATTENDANCE: Mr J Whelan, Town Clerk; Dr M Iancu, Project Officer

107. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received from Cllr Dr L Radford and P Ruffles (previous engagements).

108. DECLARATION OF INTEREST No declarations of interest were received.

109. THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

It was RESOLVED that:

The minutes of the meeting held on 24th May 2018 were approved as a correct record and the Chairman authorised to sign the same.

110. QUESTIONS AND/OR STATEMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

There were no members of the public wishing to speak.

111. MINUTES OF THE BENGEO COMMUNITY STEERING GROUP MEETING

The Members of the Working Party considered the minutes of the Bengeo Community Steering Group meeting.

The Members also commented that the display boards should be procured in time either from the school or other sources which will then keep this to a minimum cost if possible. The discussion then moved to the distribution of the leaflets promoting the consultation event, for which some Members of the Working Party have volunteered to deliver in their area. It was commented that this is another laudable effort to reach to the people from the entire Bengeo ward, following the previous delivery of survey papers earlier this year.

The Members commented that they look forward for the exhibition event on 7th and 8th July. They commended the volunteers from the community for their hard work for BNAP.

It was RESOLVED that:

The Working Party noted the minutes of the Bengeo Community Steering Group meeting.

112. UPDATES ON THE PROGRESS OF THE BENGEO NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA PLAN

The Members received the report on the work completed for BNAP in the past month.

It was mentioned that since the report was issued, 110 completed surveys have been collected from pupils at Key Stage 2 level. The Members specifically noted that there was a worrying trend of not enough pupils participating in sports or children’s clubs activities. The Town Clerk commented that if there is lack of public facilities for children to undertake physical activities, these could potentially be funded through New Homes Bonus grants. It was added that it would be useful if the community members in Bengeo would compile an Action Plan in the near future, as some of them could be funded by HTC.

The discussion then moved to the suggestion of organising a meeting to review the progress and quality of the work done for BNAP, to ensure that it stays on track.

A list of the next actions for the project was included in the Agenda of the meeting. It was noted that a vision statement for BNAP has been produced since the issue of Agenda.

The Working Party acknowledged that the work for BNAP relies on volunteers from the community and reiterated that Hertford Town Council through its officers, Planning Consultant, and Working Party will provide all necessary support to help achieve these objectives.

Officers will contact the Community Steering Group Chairman and the Planning Consultant to set up a date for the meeting with the Working Party.

It was RESOLVED that:

The Working Party noted the report on the progress of the Bengeo Neighbourhood Area Plan.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 14:30.

72 MINUTES OF THE BENGEO NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA PLAN WORKING PARTY MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 19TH JULY 2018 IN THE ROBING ROOM, THE CASTLE, HERTFORD

PRESENT: Councillor Mrs S Dunkley (C), P Ruffles

IN ATTENDANCE: Mr J Whelan, Town Clerk; Dr M Iancu, Project Officer

168. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received from Cllr S Newton and Dr L Radford (previous engagements).

169. DECLARATION OF INTEREST Cllr Ruffles declared an interest as Member of the Bengeo Club and former President.

170. THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

It was RESOLVED that:

The minutes of the meeting held on 21st June 2018 were approved as a correct record and the Chairman authorised to sign the same.

171. QUESTIONS AND/OR STATEMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

There were no members of the public wishing to speak.

172. MINUTES OF THE BENGEO COMMUNITY STEERING GROUP MEETING

The Members of the Working Party considered the minutes of the Bengeo Community Steering Group meeting.

The discussion then moved to the recent exhibition organised on 7th and 8th July. It was commented that the event was well organised and the atmosphere was good. The Working Party is looking forward to receiving the attendance numbers in the near future.

It was discussed that all proposed Assets of Community Value received a majority of positive votes, meaning the public is willing to support their protection from development. One Member commented that it is not known the reasons why some buildings received a few negative votes, though it would be helpful if the matter was investigated further.

It was RESOLVED that:

The Working Party noted the minutes of the Bengeo Community Steering Group meeting.

173. LOVE BENGEO WEBSITE

The Members received the report on the usage and cost of the Love Bengeo website.

They discussed that the website is a very helpful tool for the BNAP project, which has been used effectively by the community members. It was added that the slides of the recent exhibition will be added on the website.

The Members considered that the cost of the website is reasonable and commended the members of the community for respecting the terms of the Communications Strategy. They agreed to the suggestion in the report that a representative of the Communications Group is invited in the following months to discuss the effectiveness of the Communications strategy.

Given the points above, the members agreed to continue funding for the Love Bengeo website for another year.

The discussion moved to the upcoming events that concern the BNAP project. It was mentioned that the next meeting of the Community Steering Group will take place on 2nd of August. The Members also noted the interest of the community to engage with the potential developers on the HERT4 site and the forthcoming exhibition organised by the developers on 25th July at Holy Trinity Church Hall (Duncombe Hall).

The Members reiterated the intention of the Working Party to perform its “quality-control” role to ensure that work for the Neighbourhood Plan is on track and meets the basic requirements and other conditions set by the Planning Act. For these reasons they would like to invite the Chairman of the Community Steering Group, the Planning Consultant, and the District Council’s Neighbourhood Plan Officer to discuss progress. Such a meeting could be organised in October or November, provided that the next recommended steps are completed in due course.

It was RESOLVED that: a) The Working Party noted the report.

b) The Working Party approved the costs of the Love Bengeo website for one year.

74 There being no further business, the meeting closed at 14:30.

75 MINUTES OF THE BENGEO NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA PLAN WORKING PARTY MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 16TH AUGUST 2018 IN THE ROBING ROOM, THE CASTLE, HERTFORD

PRESENT: Councillor Mrs S Dunkley (C), Dr L Radford, P Ruffles

IN ATTENDANCE: Mr J Whelan, Town Clerk; Dr M Iancu, Project Officer

195. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received from Cllr S Newton (medical reasons).

196. DECLARATION OF INTEREST Cllr Ruffles declared an interest as Member of the Bengeo Club and former President.

197. THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

It was RESOLVED that:

The minutes of the meeting held on 19th July 2018 were approved as a correct record and the Chairman authorised to sign the same.

198. QUESTIONS AND/OR STATEMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

There were no members of the public wishing to speak.

199. MINUTES OF THE BENGEO COMMUNITY STEERING GROUP MEETING

The Members of the Working Party considered the minutes of the Bengeo Community Steering Group meeting.

They discussed that a Neighbourhood Plan officer from the Local Planning Authority (the District Council) would be needed for the meeting planned on 5th of November. Officers will get in touch to set up the details.

The discussion then moved to the further analysis that was done in regards to the breakdown of survey votes between lower Bengeo and the rest of the ward. The aim of the Bengeo Neighbourhood Area Plan is to be inclusive of the ward’s “fringe” areas, such as St Andrew Street and Folly Island. The Working Party look forward to receiving any further analysis if that is to be considered.

The Members acknowledged that the work of the Housing and Development group has been lagging behind and that appropriate measures have been taken by the Community Steering Group. They also wanted to recognise the

76 significant amount of work that the Community Steering Group and working groups have put in for Bengeo Neighbourhood Area Plan until now.

It was RESOLVED that:

The Working Party noted the minutes of the Bengeo Community Steering Group meeting.

200. UPDATES ON THE PROGRESS OF THE BENGEO NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA PLAN

The Members considered the report on the progress of the Bengeo Neighbourhood Area Plan.

They discussed that they were slightly surprised of the public’s preference for conservative type of buildings and did not support more innovative styles.

The discussion moved on to the District Plan. East Herts Council will organise a meeting on 11th September, at which their Councillors will be asked to determine the adoption of the Plan. The Members of the Bengeo Neighbourhood Area Plan Working Party acknowledged that currently there are objections from other areas of East Herts, which aim to call-in the District Plan in its current version.

It was RESOLVED that: The Working Party noted the report.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 14:30.

77 MINUTES OF THE BENGEO NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA PLAN WORKING PARTY MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2018 IN THE ROBING ROOM, THE CASTLE, HERTFORD

PRESENT: Councillor Mrs S Dunkley (C), P Ruffles

IN ATTENDANCE: Dr M Iancu, Project Officer

236. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received from Cllr S Newton and Dr L Radford.

237. DECLARATION OF INTEREST Cllr Ruffles declared an interest as Member of the Bengeo Club and former President.

238. THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

It was RESOLVED that:

The minutes of the meeting held on 16th August 2018 were approved as a correct record and the Chairman authorised to sign the same.

239. QUESTIONS AND/OR STATEMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

There were no members of the public wishing to speak.

240. MINUTES OF THE BENGEO COMMUNITY STEERING GROUP MEETING

The Members of the Working Party considered the minutes of the Bengeo Community Steering Group meeting. They noted that these are still a draft and acknowledged that there has been an ongoing conversation related to their contents.

It was RESOLVED that:

The Working Party noted the minutes of the Bengeo Community Steering Group meeting.

241. UPDATES ON THE PROGRESS OF THE BENGEO NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA PLAN

The Working Party considered the report on the progress of the Bengeo Neighbourhood Area Plan.

78 Members discussed that they share the concerns of the Community Steering Group and noted the Steering Group’s attempts to revitalise the Housing and Development working group. The Working Party noted that a meeting of the Housing and Development working group is scheduled for 25th September.

Then the discussion moved on to the news in connection with the District Plan. Members noted that the Plan has been put on hold, and not called in. It was discussed that a high number of houses needs to be delivered by the end of the Plan’s period (2033). While the draft District Plan carries no planning weight, the Neighbourhood Plans which have been adopted continue to hold legal force. This reinforces the importance of the work done by the Community Steering Group in Bengeo.

The Working Party then discussed the forthcoming meeting with the Planning officers at East Herts Council and noted that preparation is needed in advance of this important meeting.

Another discussion point was the typesetting of the Neighbourhood Plan document. Members were pleased that the services of a professional typesetter will be used for this purpose and hoped that the community in Bengeo will embrace the proposed layout.

It was RESOLVED that: The Working Party noted the report.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 14:35.

This page is intentionally left blank.

80 PAPER O Development and Leisure Objectives 2016/19

OBJECTIVE: Enhance the role of the County Town of Hertford as an attractive and safe place to live, work and visit and to promote it as a cultural destination Responsible Action Required Success Criteria Committee Actively promote Hertford and There will be an active and D&L its heritage through the Town consistent approach to and Tourist Information promotional activities, with Centre, via the Council and all Council service areas GoHertford websites, social promoted. media, Town Council noticeboards and the press. Progress as of September 2018:

Hertford Town Council continue to promote Hertford, its events and heritage through a variety of media platforms which are regular updated and include but are not limited to e-newsletters, social media, print material including programmes, fliers and posters, editorial write ups, paid for advertising and online listings.

As of August 2019, a new online enewsletter has been designed and sent on a weekly basis.

Hertford Town Council launched an Instagram account in July dedicated to promote town centre retailers, events and services.

Town Centre maps and Castle Interpretation boards are being replaced, see report for further information

This objective is on track

Support events in the town A successful programme D&L centre and elsewhere in that enhances the range Hertford including those with and choice on offer of a cultural focus on the arts leisure opportunities to such as the Hertfordshire residents and visitors. Festival of Music. Progress as of September 2018: The Council continue to promote local events that traders and organisations organise. Events are promoted on the Gohertford website, social media sites, TTIC and on the weekly newsletters.

A printed events programme including external organisations events which covers June - December has been distributed to over 14000 residents. This objective is on track

A 2019 events programme will be created and sent to residents in January 2019. Officers are currently collating event listings and securing sponsorship. Successfully relocate the The Town & Tourist D&L Town & Tourist Information Information Centre will Centre to new premises, have relocated with enhancing the range of minimal disruption to information and services service delivery. New offered. services will have begun, including the promotion of volunteer opportunities and an enhanced range of merchandise. Progress as of September 2018: The TTIC have increased their service offering and are working with a number of local organisations including the Police to offer the venue as a meet and greet community hub. The TTIC ha ve a dditiona l souve nirs in cluding a ‘Made in He rts’ area which is proving popular.

The TTIC report details further projects and proposals they are working on.

This objective is on track

Develop and implement an The programme of events D&L annual programme of events will have provided based at the Castle, reviewing entertainment and the events involved each year; activities to interest all ensure up to date risk ages. Comprehensive assessments, necessary preparation for events will licences and insurances are in have taken place. place. Progress as of September 2018: Officers are working on the approved 2018 events programme and have been taking stall holder bookings for events to offset the cost.

Relevant licenses have been applied for and risk assessments have been completed. Working in partnership with The blue plaques will have D&L the Civic Society, install blue been installed on all the plaques at notable buildings agreed premises, and a and sites and develop a Heritage Trail published to Heritage Trail incorporating promote them. them. Progress as of September 2018:

A replacement plaque has been installed to Lombard House. The Mayor of Hertford unveiled a new plaque to the Carriage Court site. The plaque by County Hospital will be installed in the near future. Town centre maps will be replaced by the public amenities at The Wash and by the Old Post Office which will include the Hertford Heritage Trail locations.

82 This objective is on track

OBJECTIVE: Support the town centre and business community, to ensure its ongoing viability Responsible Action Required Success Criteria Committee Ensure the GoHertford The website will have been D&L website can be relied upon as regularly maintained, so that the primary source of the business directory and information promoting the other information is up-to- town ce ntre’s businesse s date. The number of visits to and activities, and is actively the website will have promoted. increased.

The GoHertford website is the landing page of any users of the free town WiFi.

Progress as of September 2018:

The website is kept up to date with local news features, events, traders information and local attractions. The amount of unique users has significantly increased since the launch of the free WiFi.

This objective is on track

Successful piloting of free The service will have been D&L town centre Wi-Fi, with full maintained with minimal monitoring and analysis to disruptions. Usage data assess the future of the will be maintained and service. analysed, and a decision taken as to whether to continue and/or expand the service.

The Town Centre Wi-Fi extension completed in March 2018 and usage figures are detailed within the report.

Continued funding of CCTV Funding of the existing D&L and funding and CCTV and Taxi management of the Hertford Marshalling services will Taxi Marshalling service, have been maintained, and regularly reviewing both to requests for extensions ensure they meet current given consideration. The needs. Town Council’s responsibilities for the Taxi Marshalling will have been undertaken, and the service confirmed to meet requirements.

83 Progress as of September 2018:

The Hertford Taxi Marshal scheme continues to run well and is welcomed by the travelling public. The Police and Hertfordshire County Council continue to be supportive of the scheme and its positive contribution to the management of the night time economy in Hertford.

The continued provision of CCTV also assist the positive management of the night-time economy and at other times in terms of public safety. On occasion CCTV footage is provided as evidence to the Police.

Maintain the Hertford Four events will have D&L Entrepreneurs group to taken place over the provide a networking forum course of the year, each for local business people, attracting at least 30 local with a varied programme of business people. speakers four times a year.

See Hertford Entrepreneurs Report for further information. Effectively participate in the There will have been D&L Member Implementation active participation by a Steering Group for the Hertford Town Council Hertford Town Centre Urban Member and Officer in the Design Strategy including the Steering Group, and the future of the Ashley Webb Town Council will have shelter. taken on responsibility for aspects of delivering the strategy where appropriate.

This objective is progressing well with the Steering Group meeting on a monthly to six weekly basis.

This objective is on track.

Deliver improvements to Visual improvements will D&L public realm of the Town have been made to Centre, including to Maidenhead Street, and Maidenhead Street. other areas of the town centre.

Progress as of September 2018:

Progress has been made to develop detailed proposals for the HUDS scheme of improvement to The Wash, Maidenhead Street and Bull Plain. The scheme construction commenced in September 2018.

The objective is on track.

Investigate the viability and A working group will have D&L desirability of taking on been established to responsibility for the running investigate all aspects of of Hertford Market. the running of Hertford Market, including the e xpe rie nce of Bishop’s Stortford TC of taking on responsibility for their town’s ma rket, a nd successful markets elsewhere. Progress as of September 2018:

The Development and Leisure Committee considered a report on Hertford Markets and the recommendation of the Hertford Markets Working Party at the previous D&L meeting on 18th June 2018. The decision was to decline the offer to take over the rights to license markets in Hertford.

This objective is complete.

OBJECTIVE: Positively Influence Spatial and Economic Development Responsible Action Required Success Criteria Committee Timely response to All consultations which D&L consultation on: impact on Hertford will East Herts replacement Local have been considered and Plan and other planning responded to in a timely documents including manner. economic development policy; Conservation Area Appraisal; mineral and waste planning policy; Local Transport Plan and other transport strategy documents. Respond to, and seek to influence East Herts District Council and Hertfordshire County Council regarding parking provision in the Town Centre.

This objective is on track.

All relevant consultations continue to be responded to in a timely manner.

85 Action Required Success Criteria Responsible Committee Develop, implement and The Neighbourhood Plan D&L seek the adoption of a will have been prepared, Neighbourhood Plan for working with residents Sele Ward. Local and other ward residents, businesses and representatives. other organisations will Preparation will be made contribute to the for seeking endorsement development of the plan. of the Plan within the Ward. Consideration to be given to the implementation of a Neighbourhood Plan in other Wards of the Town, after completion of the Sele Neighbourhood Plan. Progress as of September 2018

The Sele Neighbourhood Area Plan (SNAP) is approaching completion with a few more additions and changes expected to be done in the following weeks. It is anticipated that the draft version of the Neighbourhood Plan will be discussed by the Sele Neighbourhood Area Plan Working Party in November 2018. This will be followed by a decision of the Development and Leisure Committee on 10th December 2018.

The Bengeo Neighbourhood Area Plan (BNAP) has also seen good progress. A public co nsu ltation on the P lan’s propose d obje ctive s t ook place in J uly 2018. Currently the Working Groups are seeking to produce the P lan’s policies, which is expected to be completed by November 2018.

This objective is on track. Comm ent as a consultee The Planning Sub- D&L on individual planning Committee will have applications. reviewed and commented on all Hertford Planning applications. The Town Council provides timely comments on planning applications (through Planning Sub-committee) with the benefit of local insight and reflecting local resid ents’ views.

This objective is on track

OBJECTIVE: Effective Management of the Property, Facilities and Land Owned or Maintained by the Council Action Required Responsible Committee Success Criteria

86 Maximise the use of the Hire of the Castle and Mill D&L Castle and Mill Bridge Bridge Rooms will have Rooms as venues for hire been maintained at the whilst not impacting on previous y e a r’s leve ls, the programme of Town or increased. Council events.

Progress as of September 2018:

Venue hire at Hertford Castle continues to offset the cost of running the building. The Mill Bridge rooms have also increased in popularity and bookings.

This objective is on track

For all activity undertaken Property and events are FP&A and D&L by the Council (including managed meeting within management of property, prevailing licensing and land and public events) health and safety ensure that up to date risk requirements. assessments and appropriate licences are in place and health and safety requirements are being adhered to.

The Council continually monitors and revised risk assessments and reviews it licences where necessary. Training of staff is key to this task and the adopted Staff Training Plan for 2017 is ensuring appropriate training is provided such as first aid training.

This objective is on track.

Adopt and monitor Key The effectiveness of the All Committees Performance Indicators Cou ncil’s pe rformance for the provision of is Council services. Take tracked and reported at corrective action as Committee demonstrating required. how well the Council has delivered its services to residents Performance data is reported to Committee on a quarterly basis.

This objective is on track.

This page is intentionally left blank.

88 PAPER P REPORT TO THE DEVELOPMENT & LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1 OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 16 – 1st QUARTER INCOME & EXPENDITURE 2018/19

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To provide the Committee with a commentary on income and expenditure in the first quarter of 2018/19.

2. DEVELOPMENT & LEISURE - SIGNIFICANT ITEMS

4200 Downshire Suite Weddings & Receptions (Favourable) There were 15 weddings in the first quarter. Income of £18,128 compares favourably with the same period in2017 which was £17,250.

4210 Downshire Suite Catering income (Favourable) Ten customers chose to pay corkage fees in the quarter. Income for the 1st quarter was £2,633.38 compared to the budget for the year of £10,300.

4220 Event Income (Favourable) Demand for stalls at the events is high with calls being received for events that have already been fully booked. Ticket sales for the open air cinema sold well despite the change of film (income to date £11,519 budget £16,000). The full costs associated with the Open Air Cinema will not show in the accounts until the next quarter.

3. SUMMARY At this early stage of the year no items other than those detailed above have been identified as deviating significantly from budget, either adversely or favourably.

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE AT A GLANCE

DOWNSHIRE SUITE BASE ACTUAL TO BASE BUDGET ACTUAL TO Projected BUDGET 31.03.18 2018/19 30.06.18 Outcome 2017/18 2018/19 TOTAL DOWNSHIRE INCOME -76669 -83595 -86919 -24644 -79,000 DOWNSHIRE SUITE 45555 44123 45095 20,532 36,835 EXPENDITURE (SALARIES)

DOWNSHIRE SUITE 24671 15810 24999 4891 23171 EXPENDITURE (OTHER)

TOTAL EXPENDITURE 70226 59932 70094 25423 60006 NET INCOME -6443 -23663 -16825 779 -18994 INCOME AS A PERCENTAGE 109% 139% 124% 96.9% 132% OF EXPENDITURE

89 PAPER P

MILLBRIDGE ROOMS BASE ACTUAL TO BASE BUDGET ACTUAL TO Projected BUDGET 31.03.18 2018/19 30.06.18 Outcome 2017/18 2018/19 TOTAL MILLBRIDGE ROOM -15000 -16351 -15450 -5431 -15000 INCOME

MILLBRIDGE ROOM 7405 7365 7500 1756 7330 EXPENDITURE (SALARIES)

MILLBRIDGE ROOM 1763 1322 1621 330 1575 EXPENDITURE (OTHER)

TOTAL EXPENDITURE 9168 8687 9121 2086 8905 NET INCOME -5832 -7664 -6329 -3345 -6095 INCOME AS A PERCENTAGE 164% 188% 169% 260% 168% OF EXPENDITURE

EVENTS BASE ACTUAL TO BASE BUDGET ACTUAL TO Projected BUDGET 31.03.18 2018/19 30.06.18 Outcome 2017/18 2018/19 TOTAL EVENT INCOME -25000 -43106 -36275 -8625 -35200 EVENT EXPENDITURE 94130 93376 106855 24970 93440 (SALARIES)

EVENT EXPENDITURE 32540 37732 37756 3183 39113 (OTHER) TOTAL EXPENDITURE 126670 131108 144611 28152 132553 NET EXPENDITURE 101670 88001 108336 19527 97353 INCOME AS A PERCENTAGE 20% 33% 25% 31% 27% OF EXPENDITURE

90 PAPER P

5. RECOMMENDATION

It is RECOMMENDED that:

1) The Committee notes the income and expenditure to the 30th June 2018.

Report by: Muibat Babayemi, Finance Manager

This page is intentionally left blank.

92 PAPER Q

REPORT TO DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1 OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 17 – DRAFT BUDGET FOR 2018/2019

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To present Members with the first draft of the proposed budget for the Community Services Committee for the 2019/20 financial year and to ask them to consider which, if any, projects they wish to undertake in the forthcoming year.

2. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

In calculating the level of Precept the Council must establish a budget sufficient to cover the four following classes of items:

a) ne xt ye a r’s expenditure , including a n a llowance for contingencie s; b) outstanding expenditure incurred in previous years; c) expenditure likely to be incurred before the precepted sum becomes available; and d) payments to a capital fund or building maintenance reserve.

3. BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS

Expenditure

The salaries model is based on the existing staff structure and working patterns. Staff who are not at the top of their scale are assumed to have moved up one salary point.

Employer’s contributions into the pension scheme are currently included at 23.8% of pensionable pay for 2019/20.

Under the new Local Government Pension Scheme overtime payments are now included as pensionable pay which has contributed to the growth in staffing costs.

The pay increase for 2019/20 is 2% for Council staff at or above salary scale point SCP29. The national pay agreement reached for 2018/19 and 2019/2020 included a revision to the lower pay scales. This change affects 13 members of Council staff. The change will result in a staff budget increase of £17,000 compared to a flat rate increase of 2%. This is being incorporated for the budget setting work for 2019/2020.

Other increases have been included sufficient to cover anticipated salary point increases, staff qualifying for the long service bonus and the employer’s national insurance contributions.

An inflationary increase of 2.8% RPI has been included for most other budgets.

93 PAPER Q

4. PROPOSED AND ONGOING PROJECTS

The draft budget has been prep ared on a “busine ss a s usu al” basis and does not currently include any additional items for 2019/20. The budgeted net expenditure is £344,076 which represents an increase of 1.2% on the budgeted net expenditure originally set for 2018/19 (before budgets were rolled forward from 2017/18).

The Income has been averaged over a period of three years from 2016 to 2018 and expenditure increased by 2.8% RPI.

The above changes result in the proposed 2019/20 budget (£376,504) being 10.7% higher than the 2018/19 budget (£344, 076).

The Committee is asked to comment on possible new projects to be discussed at the next meeting of this Committee on the 10th December 2018.

5. RECOMMENDATIONS

It is recommended that:

a) The Committee note the draft budget; and

b) The Committee consider which, if any, optional projects should be included in the budget which the Committee will recommend to the Finance Policy & Administration Committee for consideration on the 7th January 2019.

Report by: Muibat Babayemi, Finance Manager

94 PAPER R REPORT TO A MEETING OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND LEISURE COMMITTEE – 1ST OCTOBER 2018

AGENDA ITEM 18 HERTFORD URBAN DESIGN STUDY IMPLEMENTATION – MAIDENHEAD STREET WORKS

1. PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To update Committee on progress made on the implementation of the Hertford Urban Design Strategy (HUDS).

2. BACKGROUND

Hertford Town Council has been working on the potential regeneration of Maidenhead Street area for a number of years.

In 2015, the Council fully funded a feasibility study for the regeneration of Maidenhead Street. The study responded to the vision of the Council for Maidenhead Street that included the following key points:

 provide a ‘lighter’ e nvironment my rep lacing the e xisting da rk coloured footway  make the gateway of the street more welcoming for pedestrians  explore the potential to physically control vehicular access to the street.

More recently the improvement of Maidenhead Street and its environs has been taken forward as part of the Hertford Town Centre Urban Design Strategy (now referred to as HUDS).

The Strategy was finalised and endorsed by the Hertford Town Council, East Herts District Council and Hertfordshire County Council in Councils in early 2016.

A Member Steering Group comprising one Member representative of each of the Councils has been in place for 18 months to oversee the implementation work for HUDS. The first HUDS project to come to fruition is the improvements to the public realm and operation of Maidenhead Street, The Wash and Bull Plain.

This report details on progress made on the Maidenhead Street, The Wash and Bull Plain Scheme (the Scheme) and also notes progress to date on other HUDS work.

3. MAIDENHEAD STREET, THE WASH AND BULL PLAIN SCHEME

Following detailed design work, underpinned by extensive public consultation including a stakeholder event held at the Council’s Town and Tourist Information Centre in March 2017, progress has reached the construction phase with works having started in September 2018.

The Scheme will reformat vehicular access to Maidenhead Street, more visibly enforce the traffic regulations orders and replace the very outdated surfacing. The works deliver on the vision of the Council noted above.

A Scheme diagram is included at Appendix A.

95 PAPER R

Key features of the scheme are:

 Reconfiguration of the Maidenhead Street/The Wash junction. This includes a new raised table with widened pedestrian crossing to improve the environment for pedestrians.  Repaving for the entire scheme area.  Revised traffic direction flow with traffic now turning out onto the Wash.  Gates to be installed at both ends of Maidenhead Street to provide an enclosed pedestrian environment between 10:00 a.m., and 5:30 p.m. seven days per week.

Work on the scheme commenced on Monday 17th September and is taking place in two phases.

The works on Maidenhead Street and The Wash are scheduled for completion by 30th November. The work on Bull Plain is scheduled for February 2019 and is expected to take 3-4 weeks to complete.

There will be disruption during the works and the contractors have been tasked to keep this disruption to a minimum. Contact information (for the contractor, Hertfordshire County Council Highways and the East Herts Council Project Manager for this scheme) is on public view at the small compound that the contractors have established at the Salisbury Square end of Maidenhead Street.

4. OTHER HUDS WORK

The HUDS steering Group has also overseen the following projects:

 Preparation of Design Guidance for Shopfronts. Once complete the guidance will be adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance by East Herts Council and be used to influence design of shopfronts in Hertford and elsewhere in the district.  Preliminary work to achieve a riverside walkway joining The Wash, via Maidenhead Yard to the south side of the river.