Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Ahmed, Grimston, Hill, Johnson, Khan, Newstead, Saunders, Shah, Turmaine, and Williams.

Councillor Pattinson declared an interest in minute numbers 30 and 31 as she had been appointed to the board of Watford Community Housing by the Mayor which had been confirmed at Annual Council.

Councillors Duduta and Dychton both declared an interest in relation to minute number 34, the motion about Watford General Hospital as they worked there.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 May 2024 to be submitted and signed. 

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 May 2024 were submitted and signed. 

New MP for Watford

The Chairwoman congratulated Councillor Turmaine on becoming the new Member of Parliament [MP] for Watford.  She also thanked Dean Russell, the outgoing MP for his service.

King’s Birthday Honours List

Speaking on behalf of the Council the Chairwoman also congratulated Watford residents and others in Hertfordshire who were recognised in the Honours lists.

Watford’s Big Events

The Chairwoman reminded the Council of Watford’s Big Events taking place over the summer.

Chairwoman’s events since Annual Council

The Chairwoman then stated it had been a busy two months since she took over the role and she had attended many events.  She encouraged all to follow her Facebook page to see more.

Following this the Chairwoman highlighted two forthcoming fundraising events she would be hosting for her charities.

·        14 September – Sponsored Walk, further information would be provided soon.  She encouraged everyone to take part.

·        12 October – For Black History Month an event was being arranged at the Hilton and more details would follow.

Report of the Elected Mayor of Watford

The Mayor offered condolences to the Hunt family following the recent crossbow attack in Bushey.  He congratulated Councillor Turmaine on being elected and thanked both the former MP for his service and Councillor Stotesbury for leading the Liberal Democrat campaign.

1.      Councillor Dhindsa stated that it was taking a long time to get the Town Hall project completed.  He asked how much it would cost to get it finished, how much it had already cost, what savings would there be each year and how long would it take to complete.

The Mayor responded by saying that the timing had been affected by external funding such as the levelling up fund from the previous government that was still outstanding.  He stated that there would be a saving of £300,000 a year from the project, and the redevelopment would also generate income for the town.  Figures on how much it had cost so far were available in the finance papers and total cost to the council remained unknown until all external funding had been confirmed.

2.      Councillor Ezeifedi also offered condolences to the Hunt family, and asked that as Watford was a white ribbon town what could the council do to help prevent further incidents of violence against women and girls.

The Mayor stated that he was keen to highlight the prevalence of domestic abuse and said that everyone needed to act to create a society to reduce it. 

3.      Councillor Stotesbury wanted to thank officers for their hard work with the levelling up bid.  He stated that he was aware a letter had been sent to the new government to see if it would be honoured.  He asked if there had been an answer or a timeline for receipt of an answer.

                 The Mayor stated that there had not been an answer or a timeline given.

No questions have been received from members of the council.

No questions from the public had been received.

No petitions had been received.

There was no urgent business

Report of the Senior Democratic Services Officer

Council received a report of the Senior Democratic Services Officer which had been circulated with the agenda.  The report described the work and process of the council’s scrutiny committees and task groups during 2023/24.

Resolved –

The report is noted

Councillor Pattinson left the room.

Report from Cabinet held on 8 July 2024

Council received a report from the Housing Enabling and Development Manager, including the minutes from Cabinet.

Resolved –

1.      that a capital grant of £160,000 to Watford Community Housing is approved. This grant to be used to secure an alternate property for New Hope to deliver services currently delivered from 64 Rickmansworth Road.

2.      that the remaining capital receipt from the sale of 64 Rickmansworth Road be allocated to secure additional housing units. The sum allocated to be no greater than the total capital receipt profit, less the £160,000 committed to Watford Community Housing.

Report of Cabinet held on 8 July 2024

Council received a report of the Housing Enabling and Development Manager including the minutes from Cabinet.

Resolved –

that Council, as part of the Capital Programme, approves a contribution of £375,000 of the commuted sums to secure the delivery of five Social Rented homes on the site known as ‘Land to rear of 1-43 Sydney Road and 7-9 Sydney Road (Humphreys)’.

Councillor Pattinson rejoined the meeting

Report from Cabinet held on 8 July 2024

Council received a report of the Chief Finance Officer, including the minutes from Finance Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet.

Resolved –

1.      To approve the revised capital investment programme of £42.451m for 2024/25, £10.510m for 2025/26 and £4.528m for 2026/27, including rephasing of £6.760m capital budgets from 2023/24 into 2024/25 onwards as set out in Appendix 4.

2.      To approve the Revenue Virements for 2024/25 as set out in Appendix

Motions submitted under Council Procedure Rule 13.0

The following motion has been proposed by Councillor Rodrigues and seconded by Councillor Watkin:

“Council Notes that the Local Government Association (LGA) estimates that councils in England face a funding gap of £6.2 billion over the next two years. Alarmingly, one in five English local authorities are at risk of issuing a Section 114 notice this year or next. In Watford, we have seen our grant funding from central government cut by 50% in real terms in the last 10 years which makes managing local services a difficult ask.

The sensible financial decisions Watford Council has made have protected key services for many years. However, continued cuts to our funding and increasing demands on our services will result in difficult decisions in the future. Running our public services should not be a game of compromise.

Past governments have created a ‘begging bowl culture’ of local government finance, with councils having to invest significant resources into applying for pots of money. In most cases, a majority of councils then receive little or no funding at all and the time chasing these grants is wasted.

In effect, the government is allowing Councils to compete against each other for survival. To put things in perspective, Watford’s services grant from government reduced from £110,000 this year to a mere £18,000 for next.  This has meant we have had to cut costs where we can and making the most of our income opportunities, including the return on our property investments.

Half of English councils lack confidence in their ability to fulfil their legal duties next year and there is wide concern about local authority funding that spans all political parties and divides.

Similar financial pressures and concerns are faced by councils in Scotland and Wales, and there is a call for the Scottish and Welsh Governments to collaborate with their councils to take action.

Council Further Notes:

1.      The National Audit Office estimates that between 2010/2011 and 2021/2022, the real spending power of English councils decreased by 29%.

2.      The 2023 Autumn Spending Statement did not address the needs of local authorities or the people they serve.

3.      The ageing population is growing faster than the general population, increasing the complexity of care required. The Health Foundation suggests that £14 billion may be needed by 2030/31 to fund Adult Social Care alone.

4.      The number of looked after children is 80,000 and rising.

5.      Many councils in England struggle to meet the demand for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) support.

6.      Councils face difficulties funding the increasing need for homeless placements and supported accommodation.

7.      Councils are under increasing cost pressures, particularly to meet inflation and rising staff costs, including the National Living Wage.

Council Believes:

1.      Local authorities play a vital role in delivering local services.

2.      The current funding arrangements are insufficient to meet the needs of local authorities.

3.      The government’s approach of encouraging councils to use reserves and capital receipts to subsidise their revenue expenditure is fundamentally wrong  ...  view the full agenda text for item 33.

The following motion was proposed by Councillor Rodrigues, seconded by Councillor Watkin:

“Council notes that the Local Government Association (LGA) estimates that councils in England face a funding gap of £6.2 billion over the next two years. Alarmingly, one in five English local authorities are at risk of issuing a Section 114 notice this year or next. In Watford, we have seen our grant funding from central government cut by 50% in real terms in the last 10 years which makes managing local services a difficult ask.

The sensible financial decisions Watford Council has made have protected key services for many years. However, continued cuts to our funding and increasing demands on our services will result in difficult decisions in the future. Running our public services should not be a game of compromise.

Past governments have created a ‘begging bowl culture’ of local government finance, with councils having to invest significant resources into applying for pots of money. In most cases, a majority of councils then receive little or no funding at all and the time chasing these grants is wasted.

In effect, the government is allowing Councils to compete against each other for survival. To put things in perspective, Watford’s services grant from government reduced from £110,000 this year to a mere £18,000 for next.  This has meant we have had to cut costs where we can and making the most of our income opportunities, including the return on our property investments.

Half of English councils lack confidence in their ability to fulfil their legal duties next year and there is wide concern about local authority funding that spans all political parties and divides.

Similar financial pressures and concerns are faced by councils in Scotland and Wales, and there is a call for the Scottish and Welsh Governments to collaborate with their councils to take action.

Council Further Notes:

1.      The National Audit Office estimates that between 2010/2011 and 2021/2022, the real spending power of English councils decreased by 29%.

2.      The 2023 Autumn Spending Statement did not address the needs of local authorities or the people they serve.

3.      The ageing population is growing faster than the general population, increasing the complexity of care required. The Health Foundation suggests that £14 billion may be needed by 2030/31 to fund Adult Social Care alone.

4.      The number of looked after children is 80,000 and rising.

5.      Many councils in England struggle to meet the demand for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) support.

6.      Councils face difficulties funding the increasing need for homeless placements and supported accommodation.

7.      Councils are under increasing cost pressures, particularly to meet inflation and rising staff costs, including the National Living Wage.

Council Believes:

1.      Local authorities play a vital role in delivering local services.

2.      The current funding arrangements are insufficient to meet the needs of local authorities.

3.      The government’s approach of encouraging councils to use reserves and capital receipts to subsidise their revenue expenditure is fundamentally wrong and unsustainable.

4.      Most  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

Councillors Duduta and Dychton left the room.

The following motion has been proposed by Councillor Hill and seconded by Councillor Clarke-Taylor:

“The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Watford General Hospital as “requires improvement” during its last inspection in 2021; this was driven, in part, by two services that require improvement – Maternity Services and Urgent & Emergency Services.

The CQC stated that in the Maternity Services building: “The design of the environment did not always meet the needs of the service. The maternity service was challenged by the design and layout of the building infrastructure. Delivery rooms within the delivery unit were small with limited space for all the required equipment for deliveries.”

New facilities, designed for current and future health care needs, should support staff in the effective and safe care in maternity services during antenatal and postnatal care.

Council notes that under the previous Conservative Government, Watford General Hospital was confirmed to be one of 40 hospitals named in the New Hospital Programme.

During the recent general election campaign, candidates for the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties all stated the NHS was a key priority. They specifically lent their support to rebuilding Watford General.

Council notes that under the Liberal Democrats, Watford Council has done everything it can to support the rebuilding of Watford General Hospital. This has included enabling the building of Thomas Sawyer Way, providing land for the new multi-storey carpark and granting outline planning permission for a new hospital. These actions have improved access to the site, protected services that are provided at Watford General and meant that there is the space needed to build a new hospital.

Council believes

·        That the Maternity Team and all local NHS staff are working incredibly hard to deliver excellent care in Watford General Hospital’s current facilities.

·        That local residents are appreciative and proud of the work of health workers, especially new mothers who are grateful for Watford’s maternity services.

·        That management in the local NHS Trust have been successful in improving the standard of care over recent years, and this could be further improved by the provision of a new hospital.

·        That local health outcomes would be vastly improved by implementing plans for investment in a new Watford General Hospital.

Council calls for

·        Mayor Peter Taylor to write to the newly appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to confirm whether the New Hospital Programme is continuing and whether Watford General Hospital will still be included within that programme.

·        Mayor Peter Taylor to write to Watford’s [re-]elected MP to ask for their support in ensuring Watford General Hospital is a priority for rebuilding under the new Government and what is their plan to make sure it gets built.”

The following motion was proposed by Councillor Pattinson, seconded by Councillor Clarke-Taylor:

“The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Watford General Hospital as “requires improvement” during its last inspection in 2021; this was driven, in part, by two services that require improvement – Maternity Services and Urgent & Emergency Services.

The CQC stated that in the Maternity Services building: “The design of the environment did not always meet the needs of the service. The maternity service was challenged by the design and layout of the building infrastructure. Delivery rooms within the delivery unit were small with limited space for all the required equipment for deliveries.”

New facilities, designed for current and future health care needs, should support staff in the effective and safe care in maternity services during antenatal and postnatal care.

Council notes that under the previous Conservative Government, Watford General Hospital was confirmed to be one of 40 hospitals named in the New Hospital Programme.

During the recent general election campaign, candidates for the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties all stated the NHS was a key priority. They specifically lent their support to rebuilding Watford General.

Council notes that under the Liberal Democrats, Watford Council has done everything it can to support the rebuilding of Watford General Hospital. This has included enabling the building of Thomas Sawyer Way, providing land for the new multi-storey carpark and granting outline planning permission for a new hospital. These actions have improved access to the site, protected services that are provided at Watford General and meant that there is the space needed to build a new hospital.

Council believes

·        That the Maternity Team and all local NHS staff are working incredibly hard to deliver excellent care in Watford General Hospital’s current facilities.

·        That local residents are appreciative and proud of the work of health workers, especially new mothers who are grateful for Watford’s maternity services.

·        That management in the local NHS Trust have been successful in improving the standard of care over recent years, and this could be further improved by the provision of a new hospital.

·        That local health outcomes would be vastly improved by implementing plans for investment in a new Watford General Hospital.

Council calls for

·        Mayor Peter Taylor to write to the newly appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to confirm whether the New Hospital Programme is continuing and whether Watford General Hospital will still be included within that programme.

·        Mayor Peter Taylor to write to Watford’s [re-]elected MP to ask for their support in ensuring Watford General Hospital is a priority for rebuilding under the new Government and what is their plan to make sure it gets built.”

            Members debated the motion.

            On being put to Council the motion was agreed.

            Resolved –

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Watford General Hospital as “requires improvement” during its last inspection in 2021; this was driven, in part, by two services that require improvement – Maternity Services and Urgent & Emergency Services.

The CQC stated that in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.