The council has a statutory duty to provide a street naming and numbering (SNN) service. Over the years the use of electronic address data has increased the demand on the service and the role undertaken. The service currently provided therefore has evolved to include statutory and discretionary elements.

Through the registration and distribution of new addresses and postcodes, developers receive a service which is of clear commercial value to them. Without an address they have difficulties procuring service connections and processing property sales. Their customers, the purchasers of the properties, would in turn have difficulty accessing a range of services after they move in as their address will not appear on any database or mapping system. As a general principle there is greater acceptance of charges where a clear benefit is visible in return.

This report is looking at introducing a scheme of charges on the discretionary element of the work, it will summarise the SNN legislation, look at the reasoning and explore available options. A scheme of charges (appendix A) is proposed which will aim to recover the cost of the discretionary element of the work, thus helping to maintain service delivery.

That:

 the scheme of charges (appendix A)  for additional discretionary street naming and numbering services be introduced with effect from 1 April 2020.

The purpose of this report is to agree arrangements for providing Occupational Health Services specifically for employees of Herefordshire Council with effect from 1 April 2020.

Herefordshire Council has offered Occupational Health Services (including physiotherapy and counselling) to its employees for several years. These services have been delivered through a third-party contract and will expire on 31 March 2020.

The council seeks to promote and maintain the health and wellbeing of its employees, with the goal being to ensure a positive relationship between an employee’s work and health. The council recognises that there are many benefits to occupational health; managing the health and wellbeing of people at work and having access to specialist occupational health practitioners is key to unlocking these benefits.

That:

(a)  A procurement exercise is undertaken to award a contract, for up to five years, to deliver Occupational Health Services on behalf of Herefordshire Council. The total contract value is estimated to be £125,000 over five years; and

(b)  The Assistant Director for People is authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to implement the above.

To make the Whitchurch and Ganarew Group neighbourhood development plan as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire and approve the consequential updates to the countywide policies maps.

To fulfil the legal duty to make /adopt the Whitchurch and Garanew Group neighbourhood development plan and update the countywide policies map as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire.

Herefordshire has positively supported communities to be involved in producing a neighbourhood development plan and currently has the greatest number being produced in a local authority area within England. 

There are currently 112 plans being produced in Herefordshire (67 of which have now been Made) by parish councils and their local communities. These neighbourhood development plans will provide more locally detailed policies to support the delivery of the Herefordshire Local Plan – Core Strategy and guide development within the local parish until 2031

On 20 May 2016, the Council delegated authority to the cabinet member infrastructure for decisions on all further neighbourhood development plans adoptions, and consequential amendments to the countywide policies map.

That:

(a)       The Whitchurch and Ganarew Group neighbourhood development plan is made as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire; and

(b)       The required consequential changes are made to the countywide policies map.

To note and approve the annual earmarked reserves review.

Earmarked reserves are established to hold revenue balances to fund future year commitments over and above the annual budget requirement. They generally arise where funding exceeds expenditure, usually due to the timing of receipts being ahead of incurring expenditure. As a matter of good practice a review is undertaken each year to establish the continued need for reserves held for earmarked purposes to ensure resources can be used to best effect whilst maintaining a prudent level of reserves to meet future anticipated commitments.

That

The following changes be made to the reserve balances held, as shown in appendix 1:

i.              Establish a new earmarked reserve of £150k, utilising funds held in the financial resilience reserve, to fund the investigation of different models of delivering council housing; and

ii.            Establish a new ear marked reserve of £550k, utilising funds held in the financial resilience reserve, to fund the initial implementation in 2019/20 of an enhanced edge of care service for young people and support a high quality children’s social care service.

To review Adoption and Fostering Services performance and approve related documents.

That:

(a)   The performance of the adoption service as outlined at appendix 1 to the report was reviewed, no additional risks to achievement of objectives were noted and no further mitigating actions were required; and

(b)   The performance of the fostering service as outlined at appendix 2 to the report was reviewed, no additional risks to the achievement of objectives were noted and no further mitigation actions were required.

To determine future actions regarding the Hereford Transport Package (HTP), which includes the Hereford bypass and associated active travel measures and South Wye Transport Package (SWTP), which includes the southern link road and local active travel measures comprising walking, cycling, bus and public realm improvements.

The original decision to pause and review the bypass and southern link road taken by the cabinet member for infrastructure and transport was taken on 9 August 2019. The decision was called in by General Scrutiny Committee. The decision was discussed at a meeting of the committee on 9 September 2019 and the committee came to the view that the decision should be referred back to the cabinet member to reconsider, giving regard to the matters set out in paragraph 34 below.

This report confirms the final decision having regard to the recommendations made by General Scrutiny Committee.

THAT, having regard to the recommendations made by General Scrutiny Committee on 9 September 2019:

(a)  a review of the South Wye Transport Package be undertaken to determine next steps,  and work on the Southern Link Road and active travel measures (the scope of which will be determined in a further report and be subject to the agreement of funders to draw down funding or provision being made within the capital programme) is continued whilst the review is undertaken;

(b)  a review of the bypass project to determine next steps be undertaken, and work on the Hereford Transport package active travel measures and the other bypass work as listed below is continued whilst the review is undertaken;

(c)  discussions continue with funding organisations to clarify the funding implications of a review and to seek to minimise the risk of loss of any secured funding;

(d)  consultation with parish councils, businesses and members of the public be included within the scope of the review;

(e)  the acting director for economy and place be authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to scope the review work for both road schemes within a budget of £50k (Southern Link Road) and £70k (Hereford By-pass) to inform a further decision in this calendar year on the scope of the review to be undertaken; and

(f)   the acting director for economy and place be authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to undertake the bypass work listed in recommendation (b) above within a budget envelope of £66,000 and to approve variance between the activities within a tolerance of £5,000.

To consider the results of the consultation conducted with teachers in respect of the religious education syllabus options and agree which option to progress.

To approve a new scheme of polling districts, polling places and polling stations.

The council has a duty to divide its area into Polling Districts and to designate Polling Places for each district and review these every 5 years.

The review is designed to see if the polling districts and polling places in Herefordshire are arranged to suit the needs of voters and covers the following:

·         the polling district boundaries within each ward in the borough

·         the location of the polling places and stations in each polling district

·         the access to each polling station

The council cannot review the ward boundaries or the constituency boundaries.

As a result of the review we are not proposing changes to polling districts or places but there are some changes to polling stations proposed.

That:

1)    no changes be made to the existing Polling Districts as set out in appendix A;

2)    each entire Polling District continues to be designated as the Polling Place for that Polling District; and

3)    Changes to the following polling stations (as detailed at appendix A) be approved:

The Whitehouse Community Hub

Garway Community Centre

Westfields Hall

The Kinnersley Arms

Winforton Community Hall

The Forge

The Gateway Centre

Riverside Primary School

Kington Town Football Club

Ledbury Community Hall

Christ Church

Holy Trinity Church

Eastnor Cricket Club

Ledbury Swimming Pool

The Garron Centre

The Belmont Community Centre

The Three Counties Hotel

Weston-under-Penyard Village Hall

Larruperz Community Centre

Ross Swimming Pool

Ross-on-Wye Rugby Club

The application was refused contrary to the Case Officer’s recommendation.

This application was withdrawn from the agenda.

The application was approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation.

The application was approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation, with an amended condition as reflected in the schedule of updates.

The application was approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation, with an additional provision relating to the access.

To make the Withington Group neighbourhood development plan as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire and approve the consequential updates to the countywide policies maps.

To fulfil the legal duty to make /adopt the Withington Group neighbourhood development plan and update the countywide policies map as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire.

On 20 May 2016, the Council delegated authority to the cabinet member infrastructure for decisions on all further neighbourhood development plans adoptions, and consequential amendments to the countywide policies map.

That:

(a)        The Withington Group neighbourhood development plan is made as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire; and

(b)        The required consequential changes are made to the countywide policies map.

To make the Weobley neighbourhood development plan as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire and approve the consequential updates to the countywide policies maps.

To fulfil the legal duty to make /adopt the Weobley neighbourhood development plan and update the countywide policies map as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire.

On 20 May 2016, the Council delegated authority to the cabinet member infrastructure for decisions on all further neighbourhood development plans adoptions, and consequential amendments to the countywide policies map.

That:

(a)        The Weobley neighbourhood development plan is made as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire; and

(b)        The required consequential changes are made to the countywide policies map.

To approve and adopt the revised Hereford (Rotherwas) Enterprise Zone Local Development Order 2019 (Appendix 2), to include additional areas of land to the south and east of the Enterprise Zone and roll forward its operation for a further period. The LDO process has been fundamental to the success of the Hereford Enterprise Zone by providing certainty for investors and is the only incentive now available to investors. Bringing forward a revised LDO indicates the Council’s continuing support for providing employment land within Enterprise Zone.  The process has also enabled the Rotherwas Drainage and Flood Management Strategy to be revisited in the light of Environment Agency advice regarding updated climate change guidance for flood risk reduction.  The benefits of the LDO will outweigh the loss of any fee income and the process has helped to enable an increased rate of industrial development at the enterprise zone. Since it has been in operation over £48m has been invested in those projects with Council receipts from sales totalling almost £3m and developments built or underway generating £21 m of business rates.

That:

(a)       Hereford (Rotherwas) Enterprise Zone Local Development Order 2019 be approved and adopted.

That:

(a)   A capital Short Breaks Grant Scheme with a non-recurring budget of £118,000 is made available for projects that will increase access to regular, inclusive universal and targeted activities to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Herefordshire;

(b)  the Director for Children and Families be authorised to determine grant awards inaccordance with the scheme criteria and having regard to the recommendations of the appraisal panel established as set out in appendix 1.

To approve the continued maintenance of the Business World enterprise resource planning (ERP) information IT system.

The ERP IT system records, processes and documents all relevant information in relation to the general ledger, payroll, debtor and creditor records.

The current decision approval to maintain the system expires on 31 March 2020, this report recommends that the current arrangements continue for a further period of up to ten years.

The continued current arrangement is recommended because the ERP IT system has been substantially be-spoked to provide the IT support service required and Unit 4 are the only available current system maintenance provider to ensure the continued maintenance and support service the system requires to remain fit for purpose.

That:

The annual rolling maintenance contract for the Business World ERP IT system continues with Unit 4 for a further ten year period, under Regulation 32 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015. The total annual maintenance and support cost is £114k.