Agenda item

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, Bell and Dhindsa indicated that they wished to ask questions.

The Mayor began his report by also thanking those councillors who would be standing down at the election.  In addition, he announced that Watford Borough Council had recently won a Public Sector Transformation Award, coming first in the People, Value, and Culture category. He then thanked the officers for their hard work and contributions that led to the award.  He introduced his report and welcomed any questions.

1)      Councillor Bell asked the Mayor about the initial site of the mobile CCTV cameras and whether this program would be rolled out across the borough. Council Officers had confirmed the sites for the pilot program CCTV as Queens Avenue, Queens Road and Francis Road.

          The Mayor replied that the three CCTV cameras were part of a pilot program to assess their effectiveness and determine whether they should be expanded across the borough. Additionally, he stated that this initiative was aligned with his manifesto.

          Councillor Bell posed a follow-up question, highlighting that the prolonged neglect of the two sites selected for the CCTV pilot in the Central ward reflected poorly on the track record of the Liberal Democrats during their tenure in power.

          The Mayor responded that the question from Councillor Bell was contradictory. He had explained that 300 cameras in the borough were already monitored 24/7 and that the council was working with the police to review their effectiveness. Furthermore, he pointed out that some Hertfordshire councils did not have council-funded cameras.

2)      Councillor Turmaine asked the Mayor about a recent article in the Watford Observer on January 23rd, which reported that Watford's application for the Levelling Up Fund had been unsuccessful, which raised concerns about its potential impact on the council's plans.

          The Mayor responded that the current system of councils bidding for funding was inefficient and a waste of officers' time. He cited that 80% of councils who applied for the Levelling Up Fund were unsuccessful at the second stage. With regards to the specific situation in Watford, he had explained that part of the funding, which was allocated for the Watford Colosseum, had already resulted in the council reallocating funding to secure the delivery this project. As for part two, due to the loss of funding amounting to £16 million, the council would need to re-evaluate its plans and be less ambitious in its objectives. The Mayor stated that the council would need to review its options and determine what it could deliver.

3)      Councillor Dhindsa had inquired of the Mayor about the Neighbourhood Grants program, specifically inquiring about the number of ethnic minorities who had applied, the number of successful applicants, and the total amount awarded. He had requested that this information be sent to him at a later time. Additionally, he had a second question for officers concerning the delivery of post for councillors.

          The Mayor responded that he would investigate the matter raised by Councillor Dhindsa regarding the neighbourhood CIL grants. He further stated that the grant scheme had received 16 successful applications, which were well-distributed among the communities of Watford. Some of the successful examples included the Random Café, the CCTV pilot, and the Everett Rovers FC. The Mayor noted that the scheme had been well-received by residents and deemed successful and would be expanded in the coming year.