Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Alley, Drury, King and Stungo.

The substitutes were Councillors Trivedi, Lloyd, Cox and Sian respectively.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the General Public Services and Community Engagement Committee held on 17 March 2026.

The minutes of the meeting of the General Public Services and Community Engagement Committee held on 17 March 2026 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 30 to be announced, together with the special circumstances that justify their consideration as a matter of urgency.  The Chair to rule on the admission of such items.

There was no urgent business.

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Committee is asked to receive a petition which requests that the Council re-considers implementing a parking permit scheme along Primrose Hill in Kings Langley.  The petition has been signed by 72 residents.

‘We, the residents of Primrose Hill, Kings Langley, request that Three Rivers District Council re-considers implementing a parking permit scheme along Primrose Hill specifically.’

Tegwynn O’Connor, the Lead Petitioner, presented a petition which requested that the Council re-considers implementing a parking permit scheme along Primrose Hill in Kings Langley.

The Lead Member, Councillor Paul Rainbow, responded as follows:

“I understand we have accepted the petition and passed to Officers to review.  You will be aware the Primrose Hill and wider locality parking scheme was only implemented in the last year, as part of the agreed Parking Management Programme, following a number of informal and statutory public consultations.  At each stage of review and amendment there was no clear consensus for a permit scheme on Primrose Hill which resulted in the final scheme design which focused predominantly around double yellow lines.

The Parking Management Programme is formally reviewed every 2 years with all requests on the request list being considered and assessed.  Schemes are not generally reviewed for at least 3 years once investigated and/or implemented.

In terms of the current petition for a proposed permit scheme on Primrose Hill, Officers have reviewed the responses to understand the current level of support for a permit scheme. Those located in postcode areas which directly relate to the requested area are considered to form a response rate of 38.3%. This does not indicate a clear consensus view that a permit scheme is desirable. It is also relevant that in the recently completed Primrose Hill scheme very limited responses were received from this part of the road in support of the proposal for permit parking restrictions.

On this basis, Officers do not consider that this scheme should be immediately reviewed.

Given this assessment, I can confirm that the petition and requests will be added to the Parking Management Programme request list for consideration at future reviews of the Parking Management Programme.”

The Committee received a presentation from Saffron Johnson, new CEO of the Watford and Three Rivers Trust (W3RT), who had commenced work as CEO in January 2026.

The slides used in the presentation can be found here: Presentation - Watford and Three Rivers Trust .

The presentation covered the purpose, values and vision of the W3RT; its history; an overview of the projects undertaken and support offered within the umbrella of W3RT and the organisation’s impact in the community; an assessment of the workstreams carried out in the preceding year; an overview of the charity hub, wellbeing services, Three Rivers CVS, the Chamber of Commerce, Watford Cycle Hub, and Herts Hospital and Community Navigation Service; future rebranding; and future challenges.

Members noted that the organisation had been supporting residents of Watford and Three Rivers for 50 years, having developed out of the Watford CVS.  It now operated projects across both Watford and Three Rivers as well as the wider Hertfordshire area.  Remaining agile had been key to its success, for example merging with the Chamber of Commerce and continuing to take on new projects.  It provided a wide variety of services and operated using a number of different funding streams.

In relation to the Charity Hub at Warner Brothers Studio in Leavesden, Members heard that this had been developed following an offer by Warner Brothers of the use of a space at the studio.  The hub provided a co-working facility of 32 desks and meeting rooms for a variety of charities at a low cost.

Members also heard about the wellbeing strand of W3RT, which included a community cars project (providing lifts to doctor or hospital appointments for example, or to collect prescriptions); Getting Together social clubs; digital inclusion projects; befriending; volunteers; Lifeline (offering social clubs, wellbeing activities and volunteer opportunities) and Dig Deep (an allotment project at South Oxhey).

Saffron Johnson also described the role of Three Rivers CVS, which supported community organisations in the district as well as those wishing to establish a charity or CIC.  Advice and guidance was available, as well as events to allow organisations to connect; training; information sharing through a bi-weekly newsletter; and it also co-ordinated the distribution of grants issued across the Three Rivers Sustainability Fund and the Connecting Three Rivers Fund.  Instances of support had risen from 348 in 2024/25 to 593 in 2025/26, which in addition to evidencing Three Rivers CVS’s success in reaching out to community organisations also indicated a growing need for its services.

In relation to the Chamber of Commerce, members heard about its work to connect commerce and community and to raise the awareness of charities as businesses themselves.  Workstreams included networking events, business awards and initiatives to commit businesses to providing volunteering opportunities for their staff.

In relation to the Watford Cycle Hub, members heard that this had recently been acquired by W3RT following the retirement of the previous owners who had established and operated it as a community-focused space which promoted the benefits  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

This report presents the Community Safety Annual Report 2025-26.

Recommendation:

That members of the committee consider and comment on the Community Safety Annual Report.

The Head of Strategy and Partnerships presented the Community Safety Annual Report for 2025-26.  This summarised the work of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) over the preceding year and formed part of the Council’s statutory duty to scrutinise crime and disorder activity in the area under the CSP.  The report also set out the community safety strategic priorities for 2026-27.

Members heard that the report highlighted the strong partnership working across the district and focused on the key priorities of the CSP over the year, which were: Burglary, Theft of and Theft From a Motor Vehicle, Robbery, Anti-Social Behaviour, Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls and Hate Crime and Prevent.

The report showed positive progress in a number of areas and proactive work to address a number of challenges which had arisen over the year.  Highlights included the Safer Streets project (which would continue to be delivered this year), the Crucial Crew project (which had been delivered to over 600 primary school children at Watford Football Club), the Community Safety Conference, and installation of 9 new CCTV cameras amongst many other initiatives.

The priorities for 2026-27 were reported as Burglary, Retail Crime, Anti-social Behaviour, Domestic Abuse and Violence against Women and Girls, and Hate Crime and Prevent.  Additionally, the Community Safety Team would be working closely with other partners across the county over the coming year on the establishment of the new unitary authority, ensuring that the Community Safety Partnership responsibilities were fully embedded under the new arrangements.

A Committee Member commented that the new CCTV installation in Abbots Langley had played an important role in supporting investigations (including a fly-tipping incident) and reducing offences in the area.  The effective use of ASB powers, strengthened partnership working, and the importance of the White Ribbon accreditation were also cited as areas of success.

In response to questions from a Committee Member, the Head of Strategy and Partnerships reported that trends were regularly monitored and reviewed through the Community Safety Co-ordinating Group, which met quarterly and included a regular item to look at intelligence and data.  Officers were also looking at using the Council’s GIS (Geographical Information System) mapping tool to overlay data provided by the Police and from other sources such as CCTV cameras onto maps of the district. 

A Committee Member commented that there was a lack of statistical data in the report, and the police had not been invited to attend the meeting.  Therefore, it was difficult to be able to challenge the police in terms of what was happening in the district.  Additionally, the committee had only one opportunity in the year to scrutinise police activity.  The Committee Member expressed concerns about youth restrictions in South Oxhey and continued increases in crime (particularly violence and sexual assault) on Station Road in Kings Langley between January and May compared with the same period in the previous year. 

The Head of Strategy and Partnerships clarified that the report was a general annual overview of the work of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

This report informs Members of the introduction of the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024 and the enforcement provisions which commenced on 1^st April 2026.

Approval is sought for the implementation of a licensing regime for the keeping of primates within Three Rivers and a schedule of fees to enable the Council to recover the reasonable costs associated with administering the regime.

Recommendation:

That the Committee:

1.     notes the introduction of the Regulations and the Council’s duties as the licensing authority;

2.     approves the adoption of a primate licensing scheme in accordance with the Regulations; and

3.     approves the proposed fee structure set out in 3.7 of the report, which will then form part of the annual fees and charges process.

The Associate Director for Environment presented the report.

The Committee heard that a recent change in animal licensing legislation had introduced a mandatory licensing regime for the keeping of primates in England.  Keepers of primates, including very small primates such as marmosets, were now required to obtain a licence, unless exempt.

The Regulations and associated guidance set out an application, renewal and compliance process to ensure that primates were kept to zoo-level welfare standards, reflecting their complex needs.  This included a requirement for periodic inspection by a suitably qualified and competent person.

Fees had been set on a cost recovery basis; any veterinary fees incurred would be charged in addition to the fee set by the Council.  Due to the timing of the legislation the proposed fee structure for the provision of a licence was set out in the report. In future years this would form part of the annual fees and charges process and would include a new fee for renewal of a licence.

The Associate Director for Environment reported that the main cost to the Council related to the officer time required for inspections.  In response to a question as to how the fee level had been calculated and whether the scheme would really be self-funding, the Associate Director for Environment responded that the proposed fee had been benchmarked against those proposed by other Councils.  Advice had also been sought from the City of London licensing team, which was recognised nationally as an authority with expertise in animal licensing, about what inspections would involve and how long they were likely to take.  In setting the fee, consideration had been given not only to the cost of the time required for the Council’s Animal Welfare Licensing Officer to conduct inspections, but also the administrative costs of issuing licences, sending renewal reminders and liaising with veterinary surgeries, etc.  However, the actual costs associated with operating the scheme, as well as the number of licences likely to be required each year, would not be fully known until it had been operational for a period of time, and this would be considered when the fees were re-assessed as part of the annual fees and charges process.

Councillor Rainbow moved, and Councillor Lloyd seconded, the recommendations as set out in the report.  On being put to the vote these were agreed unanimously.

RESOLVED:

That the General Public Services and Community Engagement Committee:

1)       notes the introduction of the Regulations and the Council’s duties as the licensing authority;

2)       approves the adoption of a primate licensing scheme in accordance with the Regulations; and

3)       approves the following fee structure, which will then form part of the annual fees and charges process:

*Noting that any vet fees will be charged, at cost, as well as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

To note and comment on the Committee’s work programme.

The Committee noted its future work programme.

A Committee Member commented that given the discussion which had taken place earlier in the meeting, there was a need to better understand the work of the Community Safety Partnership and its annual report.  The Head of Strategy and Partnerships was asked to discuss with the Lead Member for Community Engagement, Public Safety and Housing those matters which could be looked at within the Committee’s remit.

Committee Members were asked to notify the Chair and relevant officers of any topics on which they would like a report or further information to be provided.  A determination could then be made as to whether it was a matter on which Council officers could report, or whether an external speaker was required.  Officers would also be able to advise the realistic timescale for the item to be brought forward, based on the availability of information, officer capacity, and other workloads.