Agenda for Environment & Economy Select Committee on Wednesday, 13 January 2021, 6.00pm

Agenda and decisions

Venue: Virtual (via Zoom)

Contact: Lisa Jerome Tel (01438) 242203  Email: committees@stevenage.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Decision:

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillor Dave Cullen.

 

Councillor Sharon Taylor declared an interest as a member of the Herts Local Enterprise Partnership.

2.

MINUTES - 10 NOVEMBER 2021 pdf icon PDF 95 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Environment & Economy Select Committee held on 10 November 2020.

Decision:

It was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Environment & Economy Select Committee meeting held on 10 November 2020 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

 

3.

PRESENTATION FROM THE NORTH HERTS COLLEGE PRINCIPAL ON THE IMPACT OF COVID -19 PANDEMIC ON POST 16 EDUCATION

Decision:

Kit Davies, Principal at North Herts College gave a presentation to the Committee on Education and Skills, the challenges and recovery from the Pandemic and responded to a number of questions from Members on the matter.

 

The Chair thanked the Principal for his presentation who advised that he would be happy to be contacted by any members of the Committee in relation to their work in this area.

 

It was RESOLVED that the presentation be noted.

 

4.

INTERVIEWS FOR THE REVIEW OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON STEVENAGE

The Committee are invited to carry out interviews for the review from selected interviewees.

Decision:

Helen Spencer – STEM Point East (Setpoint Hertfordshire) spoke about the work of STEM Point through schools and colleges and the concern that there is economic disparity between disadvantaged and better-off families.

 

Helen responded to a number of questions raised by members and offered support for Members in their work on process mapping those children who it was believed were getting left behind as a result of the Pandemic.

 

Councillor Taylor, the Leader of the Council and Councillor Briscoe, Portfolio Holder for Economy, Enterprise and Transport attended the meeting to respond to a number of questions put to them by the Committee.

 

The Chair thanked Helen Spencer and Councillors Taylor and Briscoe for their contributions to the meeting.

5.

E&E MEMBER SUB-GROUP LOOKING AT THE ECONOMIC IMPACT ON YOUNG PEOPLE

To receive an update from a Member sub-group of the Environment & Economy Select Committee have been looking at the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on young people.

Decision:

The Committee received an update from Councillor Speller on the work of the Environment and Economy Sub-Group which had been looking at the economic impact on young people.

 

It was RESOLVED that the update be noted.

 

6.

COMPOSITE DOCUMENT OF EVIDENCE COMPILED FOR THE REVIEW pdf icon PDF 2 MB

To consider the composite document of evidence compiled for the review.

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Committee received the composite document of evidence compiled for the review. A number of officers who had contributed to the review updated the Committee on further information relating to their service areas.

 

The Chair then advised the Committee that due to the effects of the Pandemic on the Council and implications on staffing levels and work priorities, the next meeting of the Committee scheduled for February would not be taking place and the work of this Committee as well as the Community Select Committee was to be put on hold until the new Municipal Year. Background work and informal meetings with the Chair and Vice-Chair could continue if members wished to carry on gathering evidence.

 

The Chair thanked the officers and members of the Committee for their contributions to the review.

7.

INTERIM REPORT & RECOMMENDATIONS OF NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRES REVIEW pdf icon PDF 131 KB

To consider the interim report and recommendations of the review of the Neighbourhood Centres

Additional documents:

Decision:

The Committee considered the interim report and recommendations of the review of the Neighbourhood Centres.

 

The Committee agreed to sign off the report due to the current situation with regard to the Pandemic and the pause with the work of the Committee. Members were pleased with the results of the Review so far and it was RESOLVED:

 

1.    That small scale timely interventions be made using what means are at the Council’s disposal including its current regime of routine maintenance, cleansing, repair and using existing budgets or where appropriate the use of ward Members Local Community Budgets via funding bids as well as local County Councillors LCBs;

2.    That partner authorities/partner bodies be approached to hold them to account for failure to maintain infrastructure.

3.    That the Co-operative Neighbourhood Management approach to addressing local issues in the Neighbourhood Centres be monitored by the Executive Member with Portfolio responsibility for Neighbourhoods and Co-Operative Working to see if this is working (perhaps with a short repot back in a year to monitor progress and see if the interventions are timely and the resources are adequate to remedy problems that are identified at the Neighbourhood Centres).

4.    That each Neighbourhood Centre area establishes a friends group to help with projects and community gardens at each Centre.

5.    That the Head of Estates and the Assistant Director Housing Development be invited to a future meeting of the Committee to contribute to the recommendations with regard to these plans.

8.

URGENT PART 1 BUSINESS

To consider any Part 1 business accepted by the Chair as urgent.

Decision:

None.

9.

EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC AND PRESS

To consider the following motions –

 

1.  That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in paragraphs1 – 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act as amended by Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006.

 

2.  That Members consider the reasons for the following reports being in Part II and determine whether or not maintaining the exemption from disclosure of the information contained therein outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

 

Decision:

It was RESOLVED:

1.  That, under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as described in paragraphs 1 to 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, as amended by SI 2006 No. 88.

2.  That having considered the reasons for the following item being in Part II, it be determined that maintaining the exemption from disclosure of the information contained therein outweighed the public interest in disclosure.

 

10.

URGENT PART II BUSINESS

To consider any Part II business accepted by the Chair as urgent.

Decision:

The Committee received and noted Coronavirus statistics for certain groups.