To receive apologies for absence.

No apologies for absence were received.

To receive details of any councillor nominated to attend the meeting in place of a member of the committee.

There were no named substitutes.

To receive declarations of interest in respect of items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 17 February 2026.

The minutes of the previous meeting were received.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 17 February 2026 be confirmed as a correct record and be signed by the Chairperson.

To receive any written questions from members of the public.

Documents containing questions received from members of the public and the responses given, plus supplementary questions and their respective responses were published as an appendix to the minutes.

To receive any written questions from members of the council.

Documents containing questions received from members of the council and the responses given, plus supplementary questions and their respective responses were published as an appendix to the minutes.

To review the council’s draft parking strategy.

The committee considered a report on the Herefordshire Parking Strategy 2026-41 item.

The principal points of the subsequent discussion are summarised below:

1. The Head of Transport and Access Services and the Transport Planning Service Manager introduced the draft strategy and noted that it is intended to provide a more supportive and community-focused approach to parking policy. The draft was presented ahead of public consultation so that comments from the committee could inform revisions and the consultation questions.

2. In response to a question about how consultation will be delivered, the Transport Planning Service Manager explained that the consultation is intended to use the online consultation portal alongside social media channels, including Facebook, Nextdoor and LinkedIn, with comments received through those channels also considered.

3. The Chairperson added that the consultation materials should, where possible, use more creative and accessible formats in addition to the full document so that a wider range of residents can engage with the strategy. It was added that different materials will be prepared for younger people, businesses and people with disabilities to broaden accessibility.

4. In response to a question about whether the strategy differentiates sufficiently between the needs of Hereford city, the market towns and more rural areas with high car dependency, the Transport Planning Service Manager explained that the draft had not separated Hereford from the rest of the county because the intention was to apply consistent principles across Herefordshire.

5. The Chairperson raised concerns that the strategy did not yet clearly explain the underlying rationale for parking charges. It was acknowledged that additional explanatory text on the reasons for charging would be a useful addition to the strategy.

6. A committee member commented that the strategy would benefit from practical examples showing how its principles would apply to an individual car park or location, in order to illustrate how the strategy would operate in practice.

7. During discussion of the use of parking income, the Cabinet Member Roads and Regulatory Services noted that under section 55 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, parking-related revenue is not simply a general income stream for the authority but is used to support the operation of the parking service and related functions.

8. It was noted in discussion that the strategy should better reflect the current pressures on town centres and market towns, including the increasing size of vehicles, changing high street patterns, supermarkets with free parking, and the need to support dwell time so that visitors stay longer and spend more in local centres.

9. The Transport Planning Service Manager noted that the strategy proposes measures such as pay-on-exit trials, the ability to extend parking virtually, and improvements to the quality of council-operated car parks, including lighting, surfacing, CCTV where possible, and larger disabled bays above minimum standards where possible. 

10. A committee member welcomed the reference in the strategy to ‘positive parking’ and more visible, approachable civil enforcement officers, and suggested that those officers could help inform service improvements because of their direct experience of user behaviour on the ground.

11. In response to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 96.

To scrutinise the methodology used to determine the full business case for phase 1 of Hereford Bypass.

The committee considered a report on the Hereford Bypass Phase 1 – methodology item.

The principal points of the subsequent discussion are summarised below:

1. The Chairperson clarified at the outset that the purpose of the item was to consider whether the proposed assessment criteria for the full business case for phase one of the western bypass were robust, transparent and capable of supporting a sound decision by Cabinet. It was emphasised that the committee was not considering the merits of the bypass itself, the route, or whether the scheme should proceed which instead are matters for later when the full business case is brought forward.

2. The Infrastructure Delivery Director explained that Cabinet had agreed that a full business case would need to be published and reviewed before any decision to proceed to construction was made. He added that the full business case is a substantial document and that the draft assessment criteria had therefore been brought forward in advance so that members could consider what Cabinet would use when reaching that later decision.

3. It was noted that the draft assessment criteria included both requirements and assessment criteria, and that these had been grouped under five themes: technical, planning, environmental, commercial and financial.

4. The Chairperson welcomed the opportunity for scrutiny to consider the draft assessment criteria at this stage and introduced Tom van Vuren to provide independent expert support. Mr van Vuren explained that his role was to help identify criteria aligned with the Green Book and Department for Transport best practice so that Cabinet could make an informed and defensible decision when the full business case is presented.

5. In response to a question about how the assessment criteria would enable Cabinet to distinguish between a strong business case and a more marginal one, the Infrastructure Delivery Director explained that value for money, including the benefit-cost ratio, would be one key element of the assessment. He noted that the recommendation would be for at least medium value for money scheme, while also stressing that Cabinet would need to consider the full package of matters rather than rely on a single metric.

6. It was further noted that the full business case would include modelling validation and Green Book-compliant appraisal, but that Cabinet would also need assurance across a broader range of issues before a construction decision could be taken.

7. A committee member questioned whether the draft table in appendix 1 sufficiently distinguished between true assessment criteria and procedural or evidential checks. Officers acknowledged the value of providing more granular and graded information rather than relying on pass/fail wording alone.

8. During discussion on road safety, it was noted that the impact of the scheme may not be uniformly positive across all locations because a higher-speed road could reduce traffic on some residential routes while creating different risks elsewhere. It was suggested that more information should be provided on the underlying modelling, collision assumptions and distribution of impacts so that Cabinet can better understand the significance of any positive or negative safety effects.

9. A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 97.

To consider the draft work programme for Herefordshire Council’s scrutiny committees.

The Statutory Scrutiny Officer presented the draft work programme for the Connected Communities Scrutiny Committee.

The date of the next meeting is Tuesday 23 June 2026, 14:00 pm.

The date of the next meeting is Tuesday 23 June 2026, 14:00 pm.