Agenda item

Report from Mayor Taylor

A report of the Mayor had been circulated with the agenda.

The Chairman invited members to indicate whether they wished to ask a question of the Mayor.  Councillors Turmaine, Trebar, Watling, Dhindsa, Bell, Martins and Watkin indicated that they wished to ask questions.

The Mayor presented his report.  He paid tribute to the service of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and thanked the Director of Performance and the Events and Filming Manager for their hard work on the council’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and Centenary events. 

1.      Councillor Turmaine asked how hopeful the Mayor was that he would receive a response from the Prime Minister Liz Truss about the future of Watford General Hospital, now that the source of power seemed to be with the former Health Secretary and new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt.

The Mayor replied that together with the Chief Executive, he had met with the Hospital Trust, who were pleased to learn that he had written so early on in her leadership of the Conservatives.  The Mayor pointed out that some of the first business dealt with by the new Minister for Health, was to visit Watford General Hospital to see the conditions.  He added that all members were united in wanting to see investment in our hospital and he would continue to make the case for the benefit of Watford residents and the wider region.

2.      Councillor Trebar described the problems with fly tipping in the borough and explained that she had been contacted by a resident of Chester Road, a notorious area for fly tipping.  She added that now CCTV had been rolled out, as well as the mobile unit, would it be possible to obtain CCTV at Chester Road.

The Mayor agreed that it was important to place CCTV at target hotspots and explained that this was being progressed by Councillor Williams and he was hopeful that progress would soon be made.  He stressed the importance of reporting such offences, so that the matter could be investigated and where evidence was uncovered, to prosecute the perpetrators.  He concluded by assuring Councillor Trebar that Councillor Williams would have noted her request.

3.      Councillor Watling stated that at a previous Council, he had asked the Mayor regarding an evaluation of the Beryl bike scheme, particularly collection and the time taken for bikes to be repaired.  He asked if there was a meeting planned to look at this and if so what would be on the agenda.

The Mayor assured him that there had been meetings about this very matter, adding that with Councillor Stotesbury, he had met with officers from Beryl bikes only recently and he assured the member that they remained committed to ensuring that there were enough Beryl bikes and they were correctly distributed.  There were 2,500 to 3,000 journeys per week on Beryl bikes.  The Mayor remarked that the officers from Beryl had commented that Watford was the first town of its size to have such a bike scheme.   

4.      Councillor Dhindsa pointed out that when he was standing as a candidate for Mayor, he had raised the Liberal Democrat Group’s lack of reflection of the Watford community.  He acknowledged that the numbers had increased but asked why the group’s black and Asian councillors were seated in the back row of the Council Chamber.  

The Mayor responded with amazement that despite the relative infrequency of Mayor’s questions, the main issue appeared to be the seating arrangements in the Chamber.  He went on to thank Councillor Dhindsa for recognising that the Liberal Democrat group was increasingly diverse and increasingly large, noting that the number of Liberal Democrat Councillors had continued to grow. 

5.      Councillor Bell gave tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III on behalf of the Labour Group. 

He went on to describe his previous question at the last Council meeting, regarding violence in the town centre and asked for an update on progress made. 

The Mayor agreed that this was an important issue and explained that he had asked for more police officers out in the in town centre, serving local residents.   This had been raised with the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).  The PCC was due to visit Watford very soon and the Mayor assured the Council that this was an issue that once again he would be raising with him.  The Mayor stressed that whilst there were still issues to address, Watford was a safe town and stated that he wanted everyone who visited Watford to have a pleasant experience.  There was an undertaking to increase police, but the Mayor commented that he needed to see that happen. 

Councillor Bell thanked the Mayor and added that there was clearly still an issue and asked what policy and/or powers did the Mayor have to deal with this.

The Mayor emphasised that it was a decision for the PCC, who had said it was an operational matter and therefore not within his authority, but the Mayor asserted that he felt it was not merely an operational matter, but a strategic concern.  He added that from the crime statistics, Watford was clearly a busy place and he would continue to make the case to the PCC. 

6.      Councillor Martins commented that the recent press reports on the violence in the town centre was appalling and pointed out that there used to be a police liaison committee, consisting of residents, councillors and police.  Councillor Martins suggested that it might be beneficial if this was reinstated. 

The Mayor agreed this was a good suggestion and assured the member that he was happy to take that away and raise with the local Chief Inspector and the PCC.

7.      Councillor Watkin commented about the current cost of living crisis and asked for an update on the situation with branded school uniforms. 

The Mayor thanked the member and agreed that the cost for branded school uniforms was often extortionate.  He pointed out that the government had introduced guidance and legislation to move away from branded school uniforms.  The Mayor stressed that he had raised the issue with the leader of the County Council and would continue to do so.