COUNCIL MEETING 25 April 2017

Statements made by Portfolio Holders, Chairmen of the Council’s Committees and Member Champions

Leader of the Council Finance Planning and Community Development Leisure and Culture Public and Environmental Protection Corporate Development

Planning and Regulatory Committee Scrutiny Committee Audit and Standards Committee

Member Champion for Youth

LEADER OF THE COUNCIL

Economic Development I am pleased to be able to tell you that Broxbourne was recently awarded the LGC Award for Entrepreneurial Council of the Year. Liverpool City Council and Newham LBC were also part of the 11 strong shortlisted entries for this prestigious award. Broxbourne was recognised for a systematic approach to developing commercial opportunities that have integrated profit generation into our agenda. We have seen increased growth for property investments, the building of the new crematorium and mausolea and significantly increased surplus from its leisure operations. Comments from the judges acknowledge our journey from a ‘can do’ Borough to a ‘will do’ Borough.

The ABBC building has now been completed and we saw the first small and medium sized businesses move in during December. We are in a positive position as a result with occupancy of 36% moving into the new financial year. This is ahead of the 18% target set for this point and as a result we hope to see income generated from the circular partnership agreement that was set up with Basepoint through the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) sooner than was expected. This money will be invested back into our work to help ensure local businesses thrive and prosper.

Planning permission was agreed for Volker Wessells to expand their headquarters in the Borough. The expansion of the headquarters will increase employee numbers considerably at their headquarters, which I hope will help secure their place as one of the top employers in Broxbourne for the foreseeable future.

The Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has secured £6.5m towards replacing the bridge at Essex Road in Hoddesdon, a project which the Council has been promoting for many years. A new bridge is proposed to improve access to one of Broxbourne’s main employment areas and home to the new Ambition Broxbourne Business Centre (also part funded by Hertfordshire LEP). The new bridge will provide growing employment opportunities including the creation of up to 400 new jobs. This is fantastic news. We’ve already invested a great deal in this area and the bridge will further unlock the economic potential we know the Borough has to offer. We want businesses to think of Broxbourne as the ‘place to be’ and this improvement is sure to make Hoddesdon Business Park even more appealing. Work is continuing on the designs, with the project planned to be delivered in 2020.

Enjoy Broxbourne is an initiative set up to encourage residents to get out and about whilst staying local. This has been launched as a result of the Visit Herts Big Weekend tourism event in which 52 attractions took part. 29% of these attractions were from the Broxbourne area, Enjoy Broxbourne is a multi-agency approach led by the economic development team designed to boost local engagement. The team is now in the process of setting up a networking group to encourage the attractions in and around Broxbourne to keep communicating and to promote joint working that will increase visitor numbers and boost the visitor economy of the Borough.

The Council has confirmed its support of the Love Hoddesdon proposal to establish a Business Improvement District (BID) this year. The next step is to formally consult and hold a ballot this summer in which the businesses within the BID area vote on the proposal. If the ballot is successful then the BID would be introduced this autumn. I encourage all Councillors to help garner as much local business support as possible to enable

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Hoddesdon to thrive and grow. The success of a BID for Hoddesdon will help the Love Hoddesdon Team to build on their achievements and encourage the community spirit and involvement to make our town centres thrive.

Rail infrastructure The Crossrail 2 team is moving forward with work so powers can be secured by 2020 to enable the construction and operation of the project with the aim of opening Crossrail 2 to the public in the early 2030s. A further round of public consultation is expected in 2017. Working with our partners, a key focus for the Council will be securing the early four- tracking of the railway line to Broxbourne Station as a precursor to Crossrail 2 by the mid- 2020s.

In the meantime the train operating company, Greater Anglia, is proposing an ambitious transformational £1.4bn programme of upgrades to the West Anglia Main Line service including the complete replacement of all the existing carriages with new high-quality modern five and ten car trains from 2019 onwards. The new classless trains, which will have extra seating capacity and modern customer facilities, will mean more faster and reliable journeys with more frequent trains and reduced journey times. A new timetable is planned to be introduced in 2019. Mark Mills-Bishop Leader of the Council

FINANCE

Council Tax Setting At the last Council meeting, the Borough set its annual budget for 2017/18 in the context of a 41% reduction in government grant funding. The recently issued Council Tax bills show council tax set at £123.24, an increase of just £5 - just under 10p a week.

The budget also includes proposals for the creation of a community lottery, a self-financing scheme which will allow local residents the opportunity of winning cash prizes whilst also supporting local good causes and not for profit organisations of their choice. I am hoping the first draw will take place in July.

Investments In the 2016/17 financial year, an average rate of return of 0.64% was secured in respect of the Council’s cash investments. This compared with the same rate of 0.64% in 2015/16 reflecting the flat market projections for the Bank of interest rate. Investment interest earned in 2016/17 amounted to £302,667. The average rate of return exceeded the 7 day London Inter-bank Offer Rate by 0.21%.

Property Services The Council’s commercial and industrial portfolio continues to be virtually fully let (three units are currently vacant). The NHS has now taken up occupation of part of the third level at Bishops’ College. Part of level 1, adjoining the reception area, is about to be handed back by the Probation Service. No decision has yet been made on the future users of this space. No further investment acquisitions have been made since the last report, potential opportunities are continually being investigated by the Property Team and this will continue for the foreseeable future.

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Badger BC Investments The Council is also continuing to manage the portfolio of properties acquired by Badger BC Investments Ltd and again is seeking further investment opportunities that are suitable for Badger and its aims and objectives. Badger has now completed the first of its three small developments known as Willow Tree Lodge in Cozens Lane East a development of four two bed flats of which three are let. The development of five houses in Rye Road should be completed before the end of April and the former Walton Road youth club site should be completed in September/October of this year

In addition, the annual interest paid to the Council for 2016/17 on the loan provided to Badger BC Investments to fund the acquisitions and developments will be £263,502 as well as a partial repayment of the principal sum borrowed. Ken Ayling

PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Affordable Housing In the period since November, 15 new affordable homes have come on stream including three at the old St Mary’s school site and three homes purchased on the open market by B3Living with the Council providing £122,500 grant. A further 47 units are under construction on three sites.

As a result of a bid to the Homes and Communities Agency supported by the Council, B3Living has received £4.485m in grant to develop 116 additional affordable homes in the Borough.

Homelessness continues to be the major housing issue for the Council. In the first three quarters of 2016/17, 280 households applied as homeless to the Council. Of these, 193 were accepted as qualifying (68.9%). In the same period 67 affordable homes became available, highlighting the scale of the problem the Council faces. The single most common cause of homelessness was the loss of a private sector tenancy which constitutes 35.6% of all applications. As a result, at the end of December, 392 households were in temporary accommodation.

November also saw the introduction of the new £20,000 Benefit Cap, which was anticipated to affect around 280 households. Working with the Department for Work and Pensions and other partners, the Council has developed a ‘one front door’ approach to ensure households affected by the cap are able to obtain the help and assistance they need to successfully engage with work. Since November, 74 people have received assistance from the Council’s DWP funded Financial Inclusion Officer.

Waltham Cross Town Centre Improvements The draft final designs are complete and the necessary approvals are being sought. The construction costs are expected to be available in early May 2017. No additional financial provision for the scheme is included in the 2017/18 capital programme. Once a final scheme has been established and the full costs involved identified, the Council will review the final proposals and decide if additional funding is appropriate and available from external sources. If so, the project could commence in early autumn 2017.

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Park Lane cycleway bridge, Waltham Cross In September, the Council agreed to a single preferred option south of Park Lane. The next stage of the project is to agree a new legal agreement and commission Network Rail to undertake the outline and detailed designs in 2017 with the aim of starting construction in 2018.

Town Centre Events During this summer, the Borough’s town centres will host a varied programme of events provided by the Council in partnership with a range of partners. The principal aim is to encourage visitors and shoppers to our town centres to help improve their vibrancy.

The programme starts in May with the Hoddesdon May Fair and Heritage Day on Saturday 13 May, followed by the Waltham Cross Summer Fair on Saturday 10 June, as well as the popular International Food and Craft Market in Waltham Cross (15–18 June) and the French Market and Friends in Hoddesdon on Saturday 24 June.

In July, Hoddesdon will host the Royal Anglian Regiment’s Freedom of Entry March on Sunday 2 July and the annual Vintage Car Display on Saturday 8 July in its 23rd year, whilst in Waltham Cross there will be the Celebrating our Community event led by local community groups on Sunday 16 July, as well as the return of the two day Street Fair on the weekend of 22/23 July.

Saturday 5 August will see the return of a music festival in Hoddesdon, now branded as the ‘Big Wurly Gig’ and run on a commercial basis, in conjunction with Love Hoddesdon, as well as the 17th Classic Car Event in Waltham Cross on the same weekend.

Work has also started on arrangements for the events in the autumn which include the annual Give Your Town the Run Around in Hoddesdon on Sunday 24 September and the Hoddesdon Charter Fair on the weekend of 6/8 October.

Broxbourne Local Plan Consultation on the draft Local Plan last year revealed two particular concerns, relating to the future capacity of the transport network in the borough and secondly, an objection from the Lee Valley Regional Park to the Council’s proposal to allocate the Wharf Road traveller site on a site owned in part by the Park Authority. A considerable amount of further work and engagement with key stakeholders has been undertaken in relation to both these issues.

A range of evidence to support and refine the emerging Local Plan will be presented at forthcoming meetings, prior to finalisation of the pre-submission Local Plan and further consultation. Technical studies will include the following: Green Belt, flood risk, gypsies and travellers, wildlife habitats, housing need, strategic land availability assessment (SLAA) sites, infrastructure planning (including schools and healthcare), and transport.

Constructive, active, and ongoing discussions with relevant stakeholders are in progress on a range of cross-boundary strategic planning issues in accordance with the Duty to Co- Operate. An advisory visit by a Planning Inspector will take place prior to finalisation of the pre-submission Local Plan, to help ensure that the Council’s emerging plan will be found sound at Examination. A response to all the issues raised through the previous consultation will be published alongside the pre-submission Local Plan, together with an explanation of any changes.

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Hertfordshire Heroes Hertfordshire Heroes, the County wide armed forces covenant supported by the Council for many years, is rolling-out customer service training on the needs of veteran and members of the reserve and regular armed forces. Our Customer Services Manager will be taking part to enable this training to be cascaded throughout the Council. Paul Seeby

LEISURE AND CULTURE

Broxbourne Sport During the 2016/17 financial year the service grew by 238 swim school students (11% increase). The year saw a new local budget gym competitor impact on income at John Warner Sports Centre. However, direct costs were carefully controlled across all sites and were reduced by £106k or 3%. Overall, a surplus in the region of £374k was generated although year end transactions are still being processed.

I am proud of what the service has achieved during the year in terms of service developments introduced. These included free swimming assessments, a new membership at the golf centre, enhanced fitness membership services with eGym and the new food and beverage offering at the golf centre. It is estimated that the benefits of these improvements will be fully realised in the new financial year.

National benchmarking for fitness membership details also demonstrated that the sports centres are performing stronger that the industry averages.

Green Spaces The winter works programme completed on schedule and grass cutting operations started in March. The mild and warm spell resulted in some spectacular displays of bulbs across the Borough and is a welcome sign that spring has arrived. Broxbourne was fortunate to avoid any major incidents caused by Storm Doris in February and I would like to thank everyone who was involved in the clear up operation.

Volunteers across the Borough play a key role in managing our fantastic and diverse facilities, through sheer hard work and skilful application. The Friends of Cedars Park group has secured lottery funding to rejuvenate the pond and provide much needed additional facilities for the park, particularly for its increasing bee population. Similar efforts by the Friends of Barclay Park have seen improvements to the bridges and installation of pond dipping platforms. 13 May will mark the 80th anniversary of the Barclay family’s donation of the park to the Council and a number of events are planned to celebrate this occasion. The Council has also been able to make investments in its play facilities with a new Multi Use Games Area for Barclay Park and a total refurbishment and upgrade to the facilities at Dig Dag Hill Open Space.

As you are aware, throughout 2017 we are celebrating the ‘Year of the Environment’ and I would encourage residents, schools, commercial properties and allotment tenants to enter into the Broxbourne in Bloom competition.

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Broxbourne Leisure and Culture

The Spotlight Sales for the fourth quarter were excellent with sell outs at Julian Clary, Steve Backshall, Jasper Carrott & Alistair McGowan, Rob Beckett, Russell Howard and a Christmas themed ‘Only Fools and 3 Courses’ accompanied by a three course meal. A successful pantomime followed with over 30 performances during December with nearly 10,000 seats sold and some 5* reviews on social media.

The Winter/Spring season has seen sell out shows for The Wizard of Oz, starring Bobby Davro and Ashleigh and Pudsey, Al Murray returning by popular demand and a promising programme to come with popular tribute band The Overtures, The Australian Ballet performing Coppelia, comedian Lee Nelson and BAFTA award winning children’s entertainers Dick and Dom amongst others.

Lowewood Museum Since the last meeting to the end of February 2017, Lowewood was visited by over 1,800 people and engaged over 2,200 people through outreach work. 24,000 remote users engaged through its website, social media interactions, and research enquiries. The museum’s work was supported by over 156 volunteer hours during this period.

The museum’s No Borders project with our partner museum Epping Forest District Museum (EFDM), and work with Chelmsford Museum continues to progress. A new cake and coffee area for the museum is currently being developed and a Development Trust for Lowewood and EFDM is being planned to support the two museums and enable access to funding opportunities not currently open to local authorities.

The museum has also submitted an application, alongside EFDM and Chelmsford to become an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. If successful, funding of £253k could be shared between three museums between 2018 and 2022. An outcome is expected by July this year.

An application was made to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £68,500 for a project titled, ‘Stephen Warner – One Man’s Journey Through War’. The project will work with Hertford Regional College, John Warner Secondary School and the Essex Regiment Museum to explore Stephen’s experiences during the First World War, told through his diaries held within the museum’s collection. The project will culminate in an exhibition at the museum in 2018 marking 100 years since the end of the war.

Community Development The Broxbourne Youth Awards ceremony was held on Friday 17 March at the Spotlight. The number of nominations was three times higher than in 2016 and approximately 400 people attended. The Member Champion for Youth, will give more details as well as cover the sterling work of the Broxbourne Youth Council.

The Kidz Klub playscheme was held during the February half-term at the John Warner Sports Centre. 225 children attended bringing the yearly total to 2,603 which is 15% higher than in 2015/16. The playscheme is registered with Ofsted to take children aged 5-12 and is currently undergoing the process to be registered on Ofsted’s Early Years Register to accommodate children aged 4+. This is attended by children in reception class and those attending term time only nurseries and playgroups, thus assisting parents with child care.

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I mentioned at the last Council meeting the new partnership which saw the Festival of Fireworks return to Cheshunt Park delivered by the private sector. Over 3,000 people attended this event and the organisers are planning to deliver the event again in November 2017.

The Active Herts programme continues to make a positive impact on the health of the Borough’s residents. This three year project is fully funded by Sport England, Hertfordshire County Council’s Public Health department and the Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Groups. Its aim is to support currently inactive people into taking up physical activity through support provided by the Get Active Specialist as well as running activity sessions. Broxbourne’s Get Active Specialist has had a total of 342 referrals, primarily from GPs and Practice Nurses but also from MIND. Of these, 81.6% are now taking part in physical activity on a weekly basis, which is the highest rate in the county.

Complementing the Active Herts programme are the Borough’s programme of health walks which had over 2,000 attendances in 2016/17, ParkRun at Barclay Park which had over 3,000 attendances and ongoing programmes for adults around swimming, aerobics, and futsal.

The Council has been successful in bidding for external funding for its weekly youth work programme from the Police and Crime Commissioner and from the national charity Streetgames. Dee Hart

PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Waste and recycling services Separate weekly food waste collections began in March as planned following the delivery of circa 32,000 food waste caddies and leaflets by Broxbourne staff. It is expected that these changes will divert over 2,000 tonnes of waste from the residual waste stream, with the food waste being converted into energy and liquid fertiliser.

The free collection of green waste has now ceased and, at the time of writing, over 14,000 households have signed up to receive the new chargeable green waste collection service, which began at the start of April.

A Public Engagement Team has been established to respond in person to reports and queries received from residents regarding the service changes and to encourage usage of the new weekly food waste collection service.

Whilst there was an increase in residual waste tonnages in quarter three, the community have achieved a recycling and composting rate of 42.4% across the first three quarters of this year, an increase of 0.5% compared to the same three quarters of the previous year. Recycling tonnages for paper and cardboard increased by 25% in the first three quarters and plastics and cans by 16%.

I wish to sincerely thank the residents of the Borough for their collective contribution to the communities recycling rate and for positively engaging with the recent changes to the service.

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Street Cleansing Service The Council’s adopt a street programme continues to grow and we close the year with a total of 221 volunteers helping to keep the areas where they live clean.

Following the success of the local clean-up in March 2016 as part of Keep Britain Tidy’s Clean for The Queen campaign, the Council’s street cleansing team coordinated another group litter pick on Saturday 4 March 2017. This year we supported the Great British Spring Clean and 42 volunteers assisted by five members of the street cleansing team, all volunteered two hours of their Saturday morning to litter pick. Three locations were targeted; Holdbrook Estate Waltham Cross, Fairfield Drive and surrounding roads, Turnford, and Barclay Park, Hoddesdon. A total of 110 sacks of discarded litter was cleared along with an assortment of small scale domestic fly tips.

Positive feedback from our volunteers was that there appeared to be less litter than last year; they enjoyed a well organised event and expressed interest in future litter picking events. We hope to coordinate a second date in July, before the schools break-up, to target the Borough’s parks and green spaces.

Community Safety The end of year figures show that crime levels have shown an increase of 8.3% (522 incidents) compared with last year, although this is lower than the county average of 15.9% increase. However, the Borough has seen a reduction in dwelling burglary, down 63 offences (from 323 offences to 260) which equates to a 3.7% reduction in offences.

Levels of reported anti-social behaviour increased by 21.7% (608 incidents) compared with last year, again lower than the county average of 23.1%. It should be noted however, that a proportion of these increases will be related to the changes in crime/ASB reporting introduced in 2015 by the police so future figures will be comparing like for like. Notwithstanding these figures, the Borough remains a very safe place to live.

The Borough will also be hosting a visit by the Police Crime Commissioner in July who will be visiting a number of locally run projects. The Chief Constable of Herts Police, Charlie Hall, will also be visiting the Council at the end of this month.

A number of public space protection orders (PSPOs) have been implemented in the Borough to tackle ASB and nuisance issues. The PSPOs have replaced the expiring dog control orders, which aim to tackle dog fouling and the control of dogs in certain areas as well as replace designated public places orders to tackle street drinking. Two additional PSPOs have been introduced to tackle vehicle nuisance. These are operational in Cheshunt Park, Brookfield Farm Retail Centre, Bramble Lane and the area around the DeVeres Hotel and Theobalds Park. The PSPOs have been implemented to tackle the misuse of vehicles in an anti-social manner. Those in breach of any of the orders are liable to a £100 Fixed Penalty Notice.

Meanwhile, under the Council’s local small scale schemes initiative some £23k of the £25k allocation was spent in 2016/17 in working with local residents and other organisations to improve their security and make the Borough safer.

Work is also being completed on defining the local community safety priorities for the next year and the Community Safety Action Plan for 2017/18 is scheduled to be approved by the Broxbourne Community Safety Partnership at the end of this month.

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Environmental Health 70 complaints were received relating to alleged statutory noise nuisance in quarter three of 2016/2017 (October to December). The majority of these related to noise nuisance from barking dogs or loud music in residential premises. This compares to 77 complaints in the same period in 2015/2016.

34 new food businesses were registered in the third quarter of 2016/2017. There are currently 785 food businesses registered with the Council. As in previous years, Environmental Health Officers continue to carry out programmed inspections which include advice, education, sampling and information gathering visits. Tim Hutchings Deputy Leader

CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT

Member Training and Briefing Programme 2016/17 The 2016/17 member training programme is now coming to an end with the close of the current municipal year. There is one further session arranged for April, which will be the latest in the periodic planning training programme. This will bring the total number of training/briefing sessions for the year to 14 which is in-line with the previous year’s programme. Whilst some training and briefing sessions are likely to be of particular benefit to Members who serve on the Committee with responsibility for the area to be covered, all training sessions are open to any Member of the Council and all Members are encouraged to participate.

Complaints The number of complaints continues to fall and now averages around 80 per month across all services. Between August last year and the end of February this year (the latest period for which data is currently available) all complaints have been responded to within our target deadline of 10 working days.

Customer Service Over recent weeks the Council’s telephone system has been under some strain as a result of a temporary increase in the volume of calls. This resulted in some callers not being able to get through. The increased call volumes arose from:

 Benefits, where there had been problems with payments resulting in some customers not receiving their due amount;  Council tax statement queries and the issuing of a large number of summonses; and  Waste and Recycling, where the recent changes have generated many queries.

The issues are being addressed and the number of callers is expected to return to normal levels very soon. Jeremy Pearce

PLANNING AND REGULATORY COMMITTEE

Planning Between October 2016 and March 2017, 393 planning applications were determined, of which 307 were approved. Eighteen appeals were - 9 - determined by the Planning Inspectorate within the same time period and of those the Council’s decision was upheld in nine cases.

In October, the Committee granted planning permission for a replacement eight form of entry secondary school for The Broxbourne School, together with an enabling residential development of up to 153 dwellings on the site of the existing school. The application required careful consideration due to the location of the site within the Green Belt and also the potential impacts of the proposed development on the surrounding highway network, the conservation area, trees, landscaping and ecology as well as the amenities of neighbouring residents surrounding the school site. The Committee decided that the benefits to the local community arising from both the brand new school building (with additional pupil capacity) together with the much needed family housing outweighed the impact on the Green Belt.

In November, the Committee approved a four storey building comprising a commercial unit and five dwellings at 210A Windmill Lane, Cheshunt; refused planning permission for the redevelopment of White House Farm, St James Road with nine dwellings, due to the impact on the Green Belt as well as concerns regarding flood risk and design; resolved to approve the relocation of the Halfhide Lane travellers site and allotments to land at Hell Wood; and refused planning permission for alterations to 53-57 Turners Hill, Cheshunt to provide additional flats, following a previous deferral of that planning application to seek a better quality of design for the enlarged building.

In December, the Committee refused planning permission for a development comprising 14 self build dwellings at the site of the former Halstead Hill Nursery in Halstead Hill, Goffs Oak due to harm to the Green Belt, to the character and appearance of the area and due to poor sustainability and pedestrian access. This decision was subsequently upheld by the Planning Inspectorate. The Committee approved 11 new dwellings at Tanfield Farm, Hammondstreet Road on the site of existing commercial buildings and also approved a first floor rear extension at 8 High Leigh Barns as well as the redevelopment of an equestrian yard to provide an 18 box American barn, replacement onsite accommodation and a service barn and manage at Abraxas Livery Yard, Beaumont Road, Wormley.

In January, a proposal was considered for a development of 42 new homes together with the creation of enhanced wetlands on land adjacent to Admirals Lake, Hoddesdon. The planning application had attracted significant local interest, receiving 129 letters of support, 280 letters of objection and a petition signed by 1,017 people and many local people attended the Council Chamber to watch the meeting. The Committee refused the planning application due to the harm it would cause to the Green Belt. The Committee also considered an application for seven additional dwellings at Eaton Gardens, Broxbourne which it deferred for additional information to be provided in respect of the design of the dwellings, highways and access. The Committee refused planning permission and listed building consent for alterations and change of use of 28 Park Lane, Waltham Cross to an eight room House in Multiple Occupation, with Members expressing concern for the existing residents of the sub-standard accommodation and requesting prompt enforcement action by the Council’s Planning and Environmental Health services.

In March, the Committee approved for a limited period the continued occupancy of a bungalow at Limes Nursery, Hammondstreet Road by an agricultural worker, pending further consideration of the commercial viability of the horticultural enterprise within the site. The Committee also approved an office extension to VolkerWessels in Hertford Road, Hoddesdon together with an enabling residential development of 21 dwellings. The Committee considered that the importance of VolkerWessels as a significant local employer

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Licensing Since the last Council meeting a further training session for Committee Members has been held. This latest session was on the regulatory aspects of the Committee’s responsibilities and covered taxi and private hire licensing. A future session will be arranged on alcohol and entertainment licensing. This latest session was in addition to the periodic training on planning that is arranged for Committee members and the next in the programme will be held this month. Whilst the planning and licensing training is of particular benefit to Committee Members, an invitation to attend these sessions is always extended to all Members of the Council. Tony Siracusa

SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

Since my last statement in November, the Scrutiny Committee has met four times and has reviewed the Council’s budget proposals and the half-year accounts of the subsidiary company, Badger BC Investments Limited. Members probed a number of aspects of both reports.

The Committee reviewed the Cabinet decision to close Wolsey Hall and develop the site, and also considered a letter received from the Community Matters group. Members raised questions about the financial information reported to the Cabinet and were assured that it had been independently verified by the Council’s external auditors who had found no issues in the figures reported.

The Committee also received reports on Housing, Waste & Recycling, and Leisure services.

A training session for members was held in December and a further one is planned for May.

In order to involve more Councillors in policy development and key decisions, it has been agreed that the Scrutiny Committee will now see Cabinet reports related to significant items in advance of the Cabinet. So, starting in June, Scrutiny Committee meetings will take place two weeks before Cabinet meetings rather than one week after. The Scrutiny Committee will be given the opportunity to see the Cabinet work programme at each of its meetings so that it can determine which reports it wishes to see. Non-Scrutiny Committee Members can of course attend should they be interested in particular items. Gordon Nicholson

AUDIT & STANDARDS COMMITTEE

At its March 2017 meeting, the Committee formally received the proposed approach and scope for the audit of the 2016/17 financial statements. The Audit Plan was presented by the Council’s external auditor Andrew Brittain of EY LLP.

After delivering fraud awareness training to Members prior to the meeting, the Fraud Manager from the Hertfordshire Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS) gave an update on the - 11 - work undertaken by SAFS, specifically in relation to Broxbourne and presented the anti- fraud plan for 2017/18.

The Committee approved the Internal Audit Strategy and Plan for 2017/18. The Internal Audit plan will be delivered by the shared Internal Audit service between Broxbourne, Harlow and Epping Forest Councils. The shared service has recently been externally assessed and found to be fully compliant with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards and compared favourably with its peers. Patrick Clackett Independent Member ______

MEMBER CHAMPION FOR YOUTH

It has been another productive and successful year for the Broxbourne Youth Council. Total attendances at the meetings have risen steadily and there is now a core membership of 16 regular members, with representatives from Hertford Regional College, , the Robert and St Mary’s C of E High School. Meetings are held fortnightly at the Council Offices although there are plans to hold meetings at other locations around the Borough so to attract a wider range of young people. Following a successful presentation to the Broxbourne Association of Secondary School Heads, the Chair of the Youth Council has been visiting schools in the Borough of Broxbourne to raise awareness and attract new members. Along with the Vice Chair, there are plans to attend School Council meetings.

One of the priorities for the Youth Council is the mental health of young people and a Mental Health sub committee has been set up and meets regularly aside from the main meetings. The Youth Council members have recently been involved in a project with CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services) to help with the redesign of the young people’s pages on their website to make them more accessible and user friendly. The CAMHS Transformation Manager has been very pleased with the insightful and helpful input from the members. There has also been a presentation from Carers in Herts whilst the Leader shared his vision for the Borough with the young people.

The Broxbourne Youth Council played a very important part in designing, promoting and judging the 2017 Broxbourne Youth Awards which were held at The Spotlight on Friday 17 March. These awards celebrate the achievements of young people in the Borough and recognise those who provide services for them. 319 nominations were received this year (a threefold increase on last year) representing a diverse range of organisations and interests, with pupils and teachers from every secondary school in the Borough being represented. The awards were sponsored by Aldwyck Housing Group, B3Living, Barclays Bank, the Bed Gallery, the Broxbourne–Sutera Twinning Association and CEG; all of whom presented awards as did the Leader, the Mayor, the MP and special guest John Conteh, the former World and Commonwealth Champion boxer. Approximately 400 people attended the awards ceremony. The presentation of the 14 awards were interspersed with performances by Cheshunt Taekwondo, Cheshunt Boxing Club, Chloe Watson & Annabel Ives from The , Lizzie Malessy and Ethan Smith (both from Hertford Regional College), Saskia Elia and Leonie Ormerod from Cheshunt School and a film produced by Lowewood Museum’s Youth Panel. Tom Culley, the chair of the Youth Council, provided both the Opening and Closing Remarks whilst other members staffed a stall to raise awareness of the Youth Council’s work.

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The Youth Council were also integral in promoting the annual Mayoral debate which took place in November 2016 with secondary schools debating the topic of “How can young people be supported to create a fairer and brighter Broxbourne.” The winning team came from St Mary’s High School.

Youth Council goals for the next six months are:

 To develop a wider engagement strategy to understand and support the work of local community groups, through a programme of inviting regular guest speakers to Youth Council meetings and to attend public events. This includes presentations on waste management and Grow Cheshunt as part of the Year of the Environment.  To further develop the Mental Health Subcommittee.  To engage and build partnerships with School Councils.  To continue to support the objectives in the countywide Herts11-25 manifesto. Lewis Cocking ______

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