Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for Absence were received from Councillors Sandra Barr, Forhad Chowdhury, Coleen De Freitas, Akin Elekolusi and Sarah Mead

Councillors Claire Parris, Loraine Rossati, Myla Arceno, Peter Wilkins, Tom Wren and Robin Parker declared the following interest in Item 10 – Notice of Motions – Renters Rights Act 2025:

‘For the purposes of transparency I wish to declare that I am a landlord/or tenant but as the motion on renters rights does not directly relate to my Disclosable Pecuniary Interest nor will it impact on my ability to uphold the Nolan Principals I intend to participate and vote on it this evening.’

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meetings of the Council on 15 October 2025 and Special Council held on 17 November 2025.

It was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Council Meeting on 15 October and Special Meeting on 17 November 2025 be approved as correct records and signed by the Mayor.

To receive any communications that the Mayor may wish to put before the Council.

The Mayor congratulated and welcomed Councillor Rob Henry who had been elected in the Roebuck Ward at the recent By-Election.  Councillor Richard Henry, Leader of the Council welcomed Rob and congratulated him on his election.  Councillor Rob Henry thanked the Mayor and Leader for their welcomes.

The Mayor spoke about the recent terrible event in Australia on Bondi Beach resulting in 15 people losing their lives.  She asked Council to stand for a moment of reflection for those affected by the incident.

The Mayor then referred to a number of events she had attended since October which included:

·         A tour of Parliament with Councillor Dermot Kehoe and Kevin Bonavia MP including the opportunity to sit in a House of Commons debate;

·         A number of Diwali events;

·         The High Sheriff of Hertford’s Justice Service;

·         The Stevenage ladies Choir Jingle Bells Rock concert with Councillor Jim Brown;

The Mayor advised that as Christmas approached, she was proud of coming from a mixed heritage family celebrating Christmas, Diwali, Eid and other festivals and recognised how powerful it was when different cultures came together enriching lives.

None received.

There were no community presentations.

None received.

There were no petitions or deputations.

None received.

The Youth Mayor and Deputy Youth Mayor gave an update on their recent work.

Since starting in May 2025, they had attended a number of council and community events including attending Goodwood’s Festival of Speed, being invited to the Rotary Club’s Winter Ball and being VIPs at the Dick Whittington and his Cat Pantomime at the Gordon Craig Theatre. 

The Youth Mayor and Deputy Youth Mayor had shared their thoughts and ideas as part of the working party group shaping the Youth Advisory Board & Youth Action Group and agreed to take part in all Schools’ Parliament meetings to ensure primary schools were connected with them and they recently used a community event to hear directly from young people in Stevenage and to share what they did in their roles.

The Youth Mayor and Deputy Youth Mayor advised that they had asked the Mayor and Councillor Coleen De Freitas to support them in offering assemblies to secondary schools with a focus on the importance of voting, education and celebrating differences and they hoped that schools would be keen to book them in.

They advised that they were looking forward to continuing their work in 2026.

Question from Jennifer Huygen

With thanks to Cllr Simon Speller, Cllr Rob Broom and officers for keeping me personally in the loop on the progress of the pre-requisite works in Fairlands Valley Park.

In December 2023, the Council unanimously supported considering eco-friendly, wildlife-conscious lighting. The requisite bat survey, funded in the 2025/26 budget to remove the ecological barrier, is now complete.

However, the Green Spaces Strategy 2025-2035, developed following this vote, categorises this project (Action FV1) as 'Long Term (8-10 years)' to merely 'explore options'. This implies a delivery date of 2033-2035.

This timeline is now untenable given three key developments:

• National Policy: The Angiolini Inquiry Part 2 Report (published 2 December 2025) explicitly classifies 'better street lighting' as a critical preventative measure for violence against women and girls.
• Local Precedent: The Council's Community Safety Unit and Herts Police are currently consulting on a 'Safer Route' from the Old Town, explicitly stating that a 'well-lit route... enhances confidence and security for everyone, especially women and girls.'
• Community Demand: The 'Glow Ride' (October 2025) demonstrated active, physical demand for safer, lit cycling routes in the park.

It is also widely recognised, including in the Angiolini Inquiry, that violence and harassment in public spaces are significantly under?reported, and that many women and girls avoid unlit parks after dark, so recorded crime figures do not fully reflect the level of risk they experience.

Given this material change in national safety guidance, the completion of the bat survey, and the Council’s own commitment to “Safer Routes” elsewhere in Stevenage, will the Council now bring forward and implement an accelerated, wildlife?conscious lighting scheme for Fairlands Valley Park by reclassifying Action FV1 from “Long Term” to “Short Term (1–3 years)”, updating the wording to “Install wildlife?conscious lighting”, allocating the necessary capital funding within the 2026/27 budget (ahead of the 12 February 2026 decision), and commencing design work immediately using the bat survey findings to mitigate wildlife disturbance while enhancing the confidence and security of everyone using the park, especially women and girls?

The Council noted that a response to the question submitted by Jennifer Huygen regarding lighting in Fairlands Valley Park had been published in the supplementary agenda for the meeting.

Jennifer Huygen was present at the meeting and asked the following supplementary question:

Does the Council agree that outdoor safety for all residents, particularly women and girls was a priority and that therefore the lighting in Fairlands Valley Park should be implemented as soon as possible and could the Council clarify when the park would have the wildlife friendly lighting installed to ensure that residents did not have to spend another winter avoiding this key active travel route in the Town.

Councillor Rob Broom, Portfolio Holder for Environment, thanked Ms Huygens for her patience with what had been a long process.  He advised that the investigations and drawing together the information around the bat report were currently underway and he envisaged that the Council would reach an informed decision which strived to balance public safety, resource pressures and ecological considerations in the park.  He invited Ms Huygens to a meeting in the new year to discuss the findings and hopefully arrive at a sustainable and amicable outcome for all.

In accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders, the Leader of the Opposition shall be given the opportunity to raise one matter relevant to the Borough that has arisen since the last meeting of the Council.  The Leader of the Council shall then have the opportunity to advise the Council of matters relevant to the Borough that have arisen since the last meeting.

The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Stephen Booth, asked the following question:

Does the Leader of the Council think it acceptable to build blocks of flats to house families in order to fulfil the Government’s demand that the country builds 1.5million homes in a town where homes once meant houses with separated bedrooms and gardens for children?

The Leader of the Council referred to the housing crisis in the country and reminded Councillor Booth that the Council was building houses as well as flats across the town.

The Council then received updates from the relevant Cabinet Portfolio Holders on the following matters:

• Digital Strategy and Frequency Coffee;
• BIZ4BIZ Awards and New Mentoring Opportunities;
• National plan to end homelessness and the development at Dunn Close;
• Park Visits;
• Community Select Committee and Older People;
• Tenant Consultation;

• County Lines;
• Stevenage 80^th Anniversary;

• LGR Update and Indoor Market and new Engineering Campus.

To receive updates from the Chairs of the Scrutiny Committees on the recent activities of those Committees.

Councillor Jim Brown, Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, provided updates for Council from the meetings held since the Council meeting in October:

He advised that alongside the scheduled meetings, a number of informal in-depth meetings had been held to cover its work programme items.  Items considered at those meetings included the following and Members asked a number of questions regarding these items:

·         The Council’s Local Government Reorganisation submission, including how the modelling for each option had been established; the financial challenges under each option; the impact on prospective candidates who worked for legacy authorities; clarity on foundation authorities and various impacts of aggregation and disaggregation of each authority’s debts and assets;

·         Five finance reports including; (i) 2^nd Quarter monitoring report for the general fund, (ii) HRA and capital, Mid-Year Treasury Management Review, (iii) Council Tax Support Scheme, (iv) Balancing the Budget priorities for 2026/27 and (v) upgraded 30 Year HRA Business Plan;

·         Management of Estates and Neighbourhoods Policy and the Housing Re-Charge Policy;

·         Annual Report of Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion and Action Plan Progress Update and

·         Part II items relating to the Station Gateway and an urgent decision relating to Claxton House;

·         Corporate Communications and Marketing and the Member Enquiries YourSay system.

·         Two further finance reports on the Council Tax Base 2026/27 and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Draft Budget and Rent Setting for 2026/27;

·         Relocation of Lister Hospital Taxi Rank;

·         Corporate Performance Q2 2025-26;

·         Digital Strategy

·         Two Part II reports relating to the Leisure Management Contract and Fire Doors in the Council’s Flat Blocks and Housing Stock

The Chair of the Community Select Committee, Councillor Ellie Plater advised that the Committee had received the interim report and recommendations of the review of Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion.  A number of recommendations were made which focussed on:

·         encouraging a more diverse range of people involved in community leadership roles;

·         Increased collaboration between Members and the Equalities Commission Legacy Group;

·         Voices and lived experience of the trans community would be invited into discussions and events to help combat misconceptions and hatred;

·         Carrying out an audit of the provision of benches and seating in the town centre;

·         Addressing concerns around digital exclusion for older people alongside concerns raised by Age Concern around the lack of provision of mobility scooter hire service from the bus interchange;

·         Addressing the needs of young people by supporting extracurricular activities in schools and in the community via sports, interests and social clubs; supporting neurodiversity to encourage better collaboration between the Council and external mental health experts and addressing the needs of the sight loss community regarding street furniture and accessibility screens in the bus interchange.

The final recommendations would be formally agreed by the Committee and sent to the Cabinet Portfolio for Equalities for formal response in due course.

The Committee had also held a meeting focused on services directed at Older People and had made the following observations:

·         Linked to the Age Friendly Hertfordshire initiative there was a commitment to audit the number of rest  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

In accordance with Standing Orders, the following motions have been received for consideration:

(1)       Renters Rights Act 2025

To be moved by Councillor Jackie Hollywell

This Council welcomes the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 — long-overdue reform that finally puts renters’ rights first. The Act, coming into force in May 2026, ends “no-fault” Section 21 evictions, creates open-ended periodic tenancies, strengthens repair standards, and gives renters clearer routes to challenge unfair rent increases.

For the estimated 5,000 households who privately rent in Stevenage, this legislation means real security: no more being pushed out of their homes with two months’ notice, no more landlords dodging their responsibilities, and no more uncertainty about the basics — safe homes, fair rents, and predictable tenancies.

Since 1980, there has been a drastic reduction in the amount of social housing in Stevenage and the UK.  A significant number of those homes are now owned by private landlords and the residents pay higher rents with fewer rights than they would have had as social housing tenants.

Labour councillors have consistently argued for these changes, and the Act finally delivers many of the reforms for which renters have waited years, including:

• Abolition of fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) and the move to periodic tenancies, giving renters more stability and choice.
• Stronger legal duties on landlords to maintain homes, tackle hazards and carry out timely repairs.
• Limits on advance rent and fees, so renters are not forced into financial insecurity simply to secure a home.
• A clear right to request pets, with landlords needing a good reason to refuse.
• New enforcement powers for councils — expanded civil penalties, better investigatory tools, and required reporting of enforcement activity.
• A national landlord database, improving transparency and helping councils tackle criminal and rogue landlords.

This Council resolves to:

1. Actively promote renters’ new rights — making sure tenants know how to use them, how to report poor conditions, and how to challenge illegal behaviour.
2. Set clear expectations for landlords and letting agents, explaining their new duties under the Act and what full compliance looks like in Stevenage.
3. Strengthen the Council’s enforcement capacity so that we are ready from day one to act against unlawful evictions, sub-standard homes and non-compliant landlords.
4. Write to the Minister for Housing, welcoming the introduction of long-overdue protections for renters, and suggesting that additional funding for councils will be needed to do justice to this Act and achieve the Government’s ambitions for renters.
5. Champion renters locally, ensuring that Stevenage leads the way in delivering a fairer, safer and more secure private rented sector.

(2)  A Green Enterprise Partnership and Incentive Scheme in Stevenage.

To be moved by Councillor Wilkins

This Council notes that:

• Forward thinking local authorities throughout the UK are providing incentives and encouragement for local businesses to introduce innovative sustainability schemes in partnership with industry experts.
• Through this collaboration local businesses can reduce their environmental impact and reinvest savings in sustainability.
• Central to this success is the GO GREEN scheme, the UK’s first green tax incentive  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

Renters Rights Act 2025

Councillor Jackie Hollywell moved the following motion:

‘This Council welcomes the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 — long-overdue reform that finally puts renters’ rights first. The Act, coming into force in May 2026, ends “no-fault” Section 21 evictions, creates open-ended periodic tenancies, strengthens repair standards, and gives renters clearer routes to challenge unfair rent increases.

For the estimated 5,000 households who privately rent in Stevenage, this legislation means real security: no more being pushed out of their homes with two months’ notice, no more landlords dodging their responsibilities, and no more uncertainty about the basics — safe homes, fair rents, and predictable tenancies.

Since 1980, there has been a drastic reduction in the amount of social housing in Stevenage and the UK.  A significant number of those homes are now owned by private landlords and the residents pay higher rents with fewer rights than they would have had as social housing tenants. 

Labour councillors have consistently argued for these changes, and the Act finally delivers many of the reforms for which renters have waited years, including:

• Abolition of fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) and the move to periodic tenancies, giving renters more stability and choice.
• Stronger legal duties on landlords to maintain homes, tackle hazards and carry out timely repairs.
• Limits on advance rent and fees, so renters are not forced into financial insecurity simply to secure a home.
• A clear right to request pets, with landlords needing a good reason to refuse.
• New enforcement powers for councils — expanded civil penalties, better investigatory tools, and required reporting of enforcement activity.
• A national landlord database, improving transparency and helping councils tackle criminal and rogue landlords.

This Council resolves to:

1. Actively promote renters’ new rights — making sure tenants know how to use them, how to report poor conditions, and how to challenge illegal behaviour.
2. Set clear expectations for landlords and letting agents, explaining their new duties under the Act and what full compliance looks like in Stevenage.
3. Strengthen the Council’s enforcement capacity so that we are ready from day one to act against unlawful evictions, sub-standard homes and non-compliant landlords.
4. Write to the Minister for Housing, welcoming the introduction of long-overdue protections for renters, and suggesting that additional funding for councils will be needed to do justice to this Act and achieve the Government’s ambitions for renters.
5. Champion renters locally, ensuring that Stevenage leads the way in delivering a fairer, safer and more secure private rented sector.

In moving the motion, Councillor Hollywell advised that she welcomed this new legislation which had received Royal Ascent in October and would come into force in May 2026.  The Act was important to the well-being of residents, and represented the most significant expansion of tenant protections in many years, improving housing standards and the creation of a fairer relationship between landlords and renters.

She advised that the Act would abolish no fault evictions, ensuring that landlords could no longer remove tenants without a valid reason, giving families stability.  The Act  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

in accordance with Standing Orders, written answers to the following questions will be circulated on a supplementary agenda.

(A)         Question from Councillor Peter Wilkins

What air quality monitoring systems are currently in place across Stevenage, how is the council using any data generated to control and manage pollution hot spots, especially around our schools and nurseries?

(B)         Question from Councillor Phil Bibby

Does the Cabinet member consider that the level of compensation agreed for the period of stall holders being unable to trade, caused by the delay in relocating the Indoor Market, is sufficient?

(C)         Question from Councillor Robin Parker

Has a suitable small mechanical sweeper now been obtained, if so when did it start being used, and what proportion of the borough has now been covered using it?

(D)         Question from Councillor Stephen Booth

Can councillors please have a regular monthly summary statement of staff and employee movements and changes, including new postholder appointments and people leaving and joining the Council.

(E)         Question from Councillor Tom Wren

When letting commercial property, what due diligence checks does the council undertake on prospective tenants to safeguard against properties being used for illegal activity or money laundering?"

(F)          Question from Councillor Andy McGuinness

When can council leaseholders expect to receive final bills for the major refurbishment works? Please could the answer be broken down to include the years when work was completed and when final bills will be issued?

(G)         Question from Councillor Rob Henry

Does the Leader agree that this council has a duty to be financially responsible and to keep our debt as low as possible?

(H)         Question from Councillor Mason Humberstone

Does the Leader agree with me that community cohesion remains of paramount importance, and that it is increasingly at risk due to the rising number of illegal migrants arriving in our town?

The Council received eight questions from Members to Committee Chairs/Portfolio Holders. 

The responses to the eight questions had been published in the supplementary agenda for the meeting.

(A)      Question from Councillor Peter Wilkins re: Air Quality Monitoring

Supplementary question –the existing Local Air Quality Plan had been produced in 2003.  What progress have we made on developing a new plan?

The Portfolio Holder advised that he would provide a written response to Councillor Wilkins.

(B)      Question from Councillor Phil Bibby re: compensation for market stall holders

Supplementary question – although individual accounts had been looked at, how flexible was the Council given the constraints that some traders were under particularly in respect of supply chain issues, in relation to communicating the  availability of compensation to stall holders.

The Portfolio Holder for Resources advised that all stall holders were being encouraged to apply for any additional compensation that they may need and the Town Centre manager had been in communication with them.  Each application would be dealt with on its merits and would be treated fairly.

(C)      Question from Councillor Robin Parker regarding: mechanical sweeper

Supplementary question – when was the new sweeper purchased, when did it start being used and what proportion of the Borough had been covered and had the number of complaints reduced?

The Portfolio Holder advised that he would ask officers to respond to Councillor Parker as a review of fleet vehicles was currently underway.

(D)      Question from Councillor Stephen Booth regarding: Council employees

Supplementary question – Councillors should be advised on a regular basis about staff turnover and not have to utilise the MyView system.

The Portfolio Holder for Resources advised that additional training on the MyView application was available if Members felt this was needed.

(E)      Question from Councillor Tom Wren regarding: commercial property tenants

Supplementary question – there is currently a nationwide problem with commercial properties being used for money laundering and other illegal activities.  Does the Portfolio Holder believe the Council has adequate clauses within its tenancy agreements to be able to terminate them when there was relevant evidence.

The Portfolio Holder confirmed that the Council did have the adequate clauses to address these issues.

(F)      Question from Councillor Andy McGuinness regarding: the Major Refurbishment Works

Supplementary question – over 300 leaseholders had not yet received bills for the works and the uncertainty was having a detrimental impact on people’s lives.  How much is this costing the Council due to invoicing delays?

The Portfolio Holder for Housing advised that she would respond to Councillor McGuinness in writing with a fully detailed response.

(G)     Question from Councillor Rob Henry regarding: Council Finances

Supplementary question – is there a timescale to reduce the level of debt?

The Portfolio Holder advised that the HRA debt was a 30 year plan and the General Fund was over a much shorter period of time.

(H)      Question from Councillor Mason Humberstone regarding: Community Cohesion

Supplementary question – will the Leader of the Council confirm that he was against any  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

To update Members on the Treasury Management activities in 2025/26 and   review effectiveness of the 2025/26 Treasury Management and Investment Strategy including the 2025/26 prudential and treasury indicators.

The Council considered a report updating Members on the Treasury Management activities in 2025/26 and review effectiveness of the 2025/26 treasury Management and Investment Strategy including the 2025/26 prudential and treasury indicators.  It was noted that the report had been endorsed by both the Audit Committee and the Cabinet.

It was moved by Councillor Jeannette Thomas, and seconded by Councillor Carolina Veres, that the Recommendations in the report be approved.

Upon the motion being put to the vote, it was RESOLVED that the 2025/26 Mid-Year Treasury Management Review, revised Minimum Revenue Provision Policy and Prudential indicators report be approved.

To review the Committee Memberships on the Council.

The Council considered a report requiring a review of the Committee Memberships on the Council following the constitution of a new political group on the Council and in accordance with Regulation 17 of the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990.

It was moved by Councillor Richard Henry, and seconded by Councillor Jeannette Thomas, that the Recommendations in the report be approved.

At this juncture Councillor Andy McGuinness thanked Councillor Booth for his service as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group as Councillor Booth would be stepping down from 1 January 2026.  Councillor Richard Henry and the Mayor also thanked Councillor Booth for his work and congratulated Councillor McGuinness on his appointment as Leader of the Group.

Upon the motion being put to the vote, it was RESOLVED

1.            That the current Committee Memberships following the constitution of a new political group on the Council be reviewed.

2.            That the size and political composition for the following bodies that form the non-Executive Member level decision making structure of the Council be approved, subject to the rules of proportionality where appropriate for 100 Committee places where applicable (relevant Committees are identified thus*) –

·         Overview and Scrutiny Committee* – 14 Members (11 Labour Members, 2 Liberal Democrat Member, 1 Conservative Member)

·         Community Select Committee* – 10 Members (7 Labour Members, 2 Liberal Democrat Members, 1 Reform UK Member

·         Environment and Economy Select Committee* – 11 Members (8 Labour Members, 2 Liberal Democrat Members, 1 Reform UK Member)

·         Planning & Development Committee* – 14 Members (11 Labour Members, 2 Liberal Democrat Members, 1 Reform UK Member)

·         Licensing Committee – 14 Members (12 Labour Members, 2 Liberal Democrat Members)

·         General Purposes Committee* – 14 Members (12 Labour Members, 2 Liberal Democrat Members)

·         Appointments Committee* – 8 Members (7 Labour Members, 1 Liberal Democrat Member)

·         Standards Committee* – 8 Members (6 Labour Members, 1 Liberal Democrat Member, 1 Conservative Member)

·         Audit Committee* – 10 Members (7 Labour Members, 1 Liberal Democrat Member, 1 Reform UK Member, 1 Conservative Member) + 1 Co-opted non-elected member

·         Statement of Accounts Committee* – 8 Members (6 Labour Members, 1 Liberal Democrat Member, 1 Reform UK Member)

·         Joint Consultative Committee* – 3 Members (2 Labour Members, 1 Liberal Democrat Member)

* Indicates where those bodies covered by the rules of proportionality for the purposes of the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups), Regulations 1990 – total Committee places being 100

3.         That the Memberships of the various Committees, as set out in Appendix A, be approved.

4.            That it be noted that the Leader of the Reform UK Group is Cllr Mason Humberstone and that the Deputy Leader of the Group is Cllr Rob Henry.

5.            That it be noted that the Leader of the Liberal Democrats Group will be Cllr Andy McGuinness with effect from 1 January 2026, and the Deputy Leader of the Group will be Cllr Stephen Booth.

To advise the Council of decision(s) taken by the Cabinet in accordance with the Special Urgency provisions of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

The Council considered a report in respect of the decision(s) taken by the Cabinet in accordance with the Special Urgency provisions of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

It was moved by Councillor Richard Henry, and seconded by Councillor Jeannette Thomas, that the Recommendations in the report be approved.

Upon the motion being put to the vote, it was RESOLVED that the report be noted.

To consider the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) invitation for applications from local authorities in England to pilot schemes at local elections in May 2026.

The Council considered a report in respect of the invitation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for applications from local authorities in England to pilot schemes at local elections in May 2026, with the objective of making voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and in line with the expectations of modern voters.

It was moved by Councillor Richard Henry, and seconded by Councillor Jeannette Thomas, that the Recommendations in the report be approved.

Upon the motion being put to the vote, it was RESOLVED:

1.  That Council participation in the Government’s 2026 Flexible Voting Pilots be approved, and that the 2026 the pilot submission will include:

·         a centralised voting hub based at the Council’s offices in Daneshill House, available for all electors to vote at on Polling Day (in addition to their designated polling station); and,

·         early in-person voting, commencing a week before Polling Day (on Thursday 30 April), to include the weekend and Bank Holiday Monday, at the same centralised voting hub as above. The proposed hours of poll would be from 9am to 7pm on weekdays and Saturday, and then from 10am to 4pm on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.

2.  That authority be delegated to the Returning Officer to determine with MHCLG the necessary arrangements of the pilots; agreeing the final details for the pilots that will be administered in Stevenage.

To note the Minutes of the meeting of the Audit Committee held on 3 September 2025.

The Minutes of the meeting of the Audit Committee held on 3 September 2025 were received.