Agenda item

Councillor Sara Bedford, seconded by Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

 

Motion 1

 

Voter identification

 

 Council notes that:

 1. The Elections Act 2022 requires voters to present an approved

 form of Photo ID at a polling station in order to vote.2. There is

 little evidence that voter fraud is a systematic issue in UK

 elections, with only 4 convictions resulting from allegations of

 in-person voter fraud _ out of 58 million votes cast at the 2019

 General, Local, European and Mayoral Elections combined.3. In the

 2021 local elections just one caution for election fraud was issued

 by the police.

  

 Council agrees with the comments made by the Electoral Commission

 in September 2022 that the new rules could not _be delivered in a

 way which is fully secure, accessible and workable_, pointing out

 that 7.5% of voters do not hold an acceptable form of ID and over

 1000 voters were denied the opportunity to vote during Voter ID

 trials in the 2018 and 2019 local elections.

 

 Council is deeply concerned that the requirement to provide Photo

 ID presented a barrier for residents in Three Rivers to exercise

 their right to vote, and that these barriers

 disproportionally affect ethnic minority, low income, disabled,

 LGBT+, elderly and young voters.

 

 Council notes:

 1. The acceptable forms of ID listed by the Government are weighted

 towards more affluent and older voters who are more likely to

 possess passports, driving licences or older persons bus passes,

 whilst forms of photo ID most likely to be held by younger people

 have been excluded.

2. The Electoral Commission’s research showed

 that, of those that didn’t vote in May 2023, 1 in 25 gave Voter ID

 as a reason.

3. Whilst the number who came to a polling station in

 Three Rivers without identification is relatively low, it still

 represents a proportion of the electorate who were inconvenienced

 or disenfranchised by the Government-imposed requirements.4. The

 comments of Jacob Rees-Mogg to the National Conservatism

 Conference, admitting the attempt of the Conservative government to

 _gerrymander_ elections using voter ID. 

  

 

 Council therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to the

 Cabinet Office to express the Council’s continued opposition to

 Voter ID and its damaging effects on democracy, and to demand that

 this section of the legislation is repealed immediately.

 

 

Councillor Chris Lloyd, seconded by Councillor Sara Bedford, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

 

Motion 2

 

Prostate Cancer UK 'Boys need bins' campaign

 

 Council notes Prostate Cancer UK_s campaign of _Boys need

 bins, which highlights the growing numbers of those who suffer

 with incontinence issues as a result of prostate treatment.

 

 Prostate Cancer UK cites that 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer

 and that 1 in 3 men over 65 are estimated to have a urinary

 incontinence problem. Council believes that it is important to make

 life more comfortable and dignified for those who suffer such

 problems.

 

 Council supports the provision of sanitary bins in all toilets so

 that waste products can be disposed of in a discreet and hygienic

 manner.

 

 Council therefore requests that council officers design and

 implement a programme to provide sanitary bins, in council owned or

 managed male toilets by the end of the current financial year, and

 encourages partners to do likewise. 

 

 

Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, seconded by Councillor Sarah Nelmes, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

 

Motion 3

 

Council notes with disappointment that despite the decision of the July Council Gagan Mohindra Member of Parliament for Southwest Herts has still not apologised and withdrawn the misleading and inaccurate statement they made regarding the developments in the Green Belt and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and again calls on them to put the record straight.

  

Councillor Sara Bedford, seconded by Councillor Jon Tankard and Councillor Louise Price, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

 

Motion 4

 

Council notes the twin threats to our rivers from the Conservative government’s failure to act on sewage discharges by privatised water companies, together with the recent pronouncement by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities of the government’s intention to remove regulations regarding nutrient neutrality.

 

Council believes that both Conservative policies will add to the pollution of our precious waterways, seas and oceans and the habitats that depend on them.

 

Council further believes that extensive building in our Green Belt is also a threat to local habitats, and that whilst the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has brought forward this plan to amend the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, he has not sought to introduce an amendment to change the Standard Methodology or enable Local Planning Authorities to safeguard Green Belt land.  

 

Council therefore calls for: 

1.    The immediate end to the threats to our waterways by a commitment to keep rules on nutrient neutrality and the retention of the entire Habitats’ Directive. 

2.    A speeding up of the Environment Agency’s largest ever criminal investigation into potential widespread breaches of environmental permit conditions at wastewater treatment works by all water and sewerage companies. 

3.    A reduction in the amount of sewage which can legally be discharged into waterways and the sea.   

4.    Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, backed by primary legislation to enable the safeguarding of valuable Green Belt land.  

Council therefore calls for the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs stating the council's views on these matters.

 

Councillor Oliver Cooper, seconded by Councillor Philip Hearn, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

 

Motion 5

 

Three Rivers District Council rejects Liberal Democrat party policy, adopted on 25th September, to reintroduce housing targets that are binding on local areas and increase them by 27%.

 

Councillor Philip Hearn, seconded by Councillor Oliver Cooper, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

 

Motion 6

 

Three Rivers District Council notes its desire for better-informed public debate on the most important issues affecting local residents.

 

Three Rivers District Council notes the misleading communications on a recent leaflet distributed by the district councillors for Chorleywood South & Maple Cross which claimed that the Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan was developed and proposed by "consultants for Hertfordshire County Council".

 

This is false, as the very first line of the Local Cycling Walking & Infrastructure Plan states, "This document is the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for Watford Borough Council (WBC) and Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) developed with these two local authorities and in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) as the Highway Authority".

 

Three Rivers District Council's leading role in developing the plan has also been made clear in multiple statements issued by the Lead Member through official communications and in officers' report to the Infrastructure, Housing, & Economic Development Committee in October 2022.

 

Three Rivers District Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the district councillors for Chorleywood South & Maple Cross setting out the facts, seek assurances that they will not repeat misleading facts again, and request a retraction and a public apology for misleading residents within 5 working days of this motion being passed.

 

Councillor Oliver Cooper, seconded by Councillor Reena Ranger, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

 

Motion 7

 

Three Rivers District Council recognises the paramount importance of national security and is grateful to all who serve or have served to keep the United Kingdom and the world safe and free.

Three Rivers District Council is proud that the district is home to Northwood Headquarters, the principal headquarters of the British armed forces.  Northwood is also home to five operational commands, including NATO Allied Maritime Command: NATO’s principal establishment in the UK.

Northwood HQ is the residence of 850 service personnel and staff and is the workplace of over 2,500, making it one of the biggest single employment sites for the armed forces in the country.

Northwood HQ contributes significantly not just to the residential and working populations, but to the identity of Three Rivers.

While Three Rivers District Council is a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, every council in the country has and the content of the Covenant is now a legal requirement, so this does not represent the significance of Northwood HQ or our commitment to the armed forces.

Northwood HQ is not mentioned in the council’s new strategic vision and is mentioned only cursorily on Three Rivers District Council’s website, whereas it should be front of mind for the council.

Other authorities with large military establishments – such as Colchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth, and Rushmoor (Aldershot) – have made declarations officially designating their councils as garrison or naval towns or cities as badges of pride in their important contributions to our national defence.

Three Rivers District Council therefore follows their lead in declaring that it is an Armed Forces Community.  Three Rivers District Council further commits to ensure recognition of Northwood HQ – and its pride that Three Rivers is home of the UK’s military command – is woven into our strategy and public identity as a council.

Councillor Narinder Sian, seconded by Councillor Chris Mitchell, to move under Notice duly given as follows:

 

Motion 8

 

This Council notes the statement from Secretary of State Michael Gove that the government plans to remove the 'Nutrient Neutrality' requirement for Natural England to advise councils not to approve housing schemes that will add to nutrient pollution in already damaged rivers and waterways. 

 

This Council believes this would be a retrograde step which will further damage our already struggling waterways. The associated £280m ‘offsetting’ funding is an open acknowledgement that scrapping these rules will increase pollution. The amount is a drop in the ocean and, as Feargal Sharkey has pointed out, ‘you can’t offset a dead river’. Further, this plan transfers responsibility and costs of dealing with pollution from profitable developers to the public.

 

This Council believes that instead of allowing housebuilders to pollute, Government should require water companies and housebuilders to invest in upgrading the infrastructure needed as a prerequisite to development whilst continuing to enforce mitigation schemes. We further believe that with the right investment and appropriate regulation of all sources of pollution to our waterways, from treatment works to agriculture, communities can have both high-quality affordable homes and healthy waterways. 

 

We call on the Leader of the Council to write publicly to the Secretary of State and to our MPs to express the Council’s views.

 

 

Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst proposed that Council standing orders be suspended to enable two of the motions to be heard prior to item 13 Questions to the Leader, Lead Members and reports from Lead Members.  It was considered necessary to do this due to the length of the meeting agenda and the urgency of two of the motions.  The motion was seconded by Councillor Sarah Nelmes, put to the vote and carried.

 

The voting in favour of the motion to suspend standing orders was: For 19, Against 10, Abstain 1.

 

RESOLVED that Standing Orders be suspended to enable Motions to be considered out of order. Motions 1 and 8 were then heard prior to item 13.

 

Motion 1: Voter Identification

 

It was moved by Councillor, Sara Bedford and seconded by Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst that:

 

Council notes that:

1.    The Elections Act 2022 requires voters to present an approved form of Photo ID at a polling station in order to vote.

2.    There is little evidence that voter fraud is a systematic issue in UK elections, with only 4 convictions resulting from allegations of in-person voter fraud out of 58 million votes cast at the 2019 General, Local, European and Mayoral Elections combined.

3.    In the 2021 local elections just one caution for election fraud was issued by the police.

 

Council agrees with the comments made by the Electoral Commission in September 2022 that the new rules could not be delivered in a way which is fully secure, accessible and workable, pointing out that 7.5% of voters do not hold an acceptable form of ID and over 1000 voters were denied the opportunity to vote during Voter ID trials in the 2018 and 2019 local elections.

 

Council is deeply concerned that the requirement to provide Photo ID presented a barrier for residents in Three Rivers to exercise their right to vote, and that these barriers disproportionally affect ethnic minority, low income, disabled, LGBT+, elderly and young voters.

 

Council notes:

1.    The acceptable forms of ID listed by the Government are weighted towards more affluent and older voters who are more likely to possess passports, driving licences or older persons bus passes, whilst forms of photo ID most likely to be held by younger people have been excluded.

2.    The Electoral Commission’s research showed that, of those that didn’t vote in May 2023, 1 in 25 gave Voter ID as a reason.

3.    Whilst the number who came to a polling station in Three Rivers without identification is relatively low, it still represents a proportion of the electorate who were inconvenienced or disenfranchised by the Government-imposed requirements.

4.    The comments of Jacob Rees-Mogg to the National Conservatism Conference, admitting the attempt of the Conservative government to gerrymander elections using voter ID.

 

Council therefore instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Cabinet Office to express the Council’s continued opposition to Voter ID and its damaging effects on democracy, and to demand that this section of the legislation is repealed immediately.

 

Council noted that nationally the number of prosecutions for personation was currently in single figures and as such the imposition of the requirement for photographic identification to be presented when voting was disproportionate.  It was also felt that the number of people recorded as having been turned away by polling stations for not having appropriate identification did not present a full picture because it did not include those who had made a decision not to attend a polling station because they did not have identification.   It was also noted that the requirement for identification in order to be able to vote was increasingly the norm in other countries and that efforts should be focused on encouraging and assisting local residents without suitable identification to obtain free voter authority certificates which would enable them to vote.

 

Having concluded the debate, the motion was put to the vote and carried.  The vote in respect of the motion was as follows: For 20, Against 10, Abstain 0.

 

RESOLVED that the motion in respect of Voter Identification is carried.

 

Motion 8: Nutrient Neutrality

 

It was moved by Councillor Narinder Sian, seconded by Councillor Chris Mitchell, that:

 

This Council notes the statement from Secretary of State Michael Gove that the government plans to remove the 'Nutrient Neutrality' requirement for Natural England to advise councils not to approve housing schemes that will add to nutrient pollution in already damaged rivers and waterways. 

 

This Council believes this would be a retrograde step which will further damage our already struggling waterways. The associated £280m ‘offsetting’ funding is an open acknowledgement that scrapping these rules will increase pollution. The amount is a drop in the ocean and, as Feargal Sharkey has pointed out, ‘you can’t offset a dead river’. Further, this plan transfers responsibility and costs of dealing with pollution from profitable developers to the public.

 

This Council believes that instead of allowing housebuilders to pollute, Government should require water companies and housebuilders to invest in upgrading the infrastructure needed as a prerequisite to development whilst continuing to enforce mitigation schemes. We further believe that with the right investment and appropriate regulation of all sources of pollution to our waterways, from treatment works to agriculture, communities can have both high-quality affordable homes and healthy waterways.

 

We call on the Leader of the Council to write publicly to the Secretary of State and to our MPs to express the Council’s views.

 

Council noted that residents were increasingly concerned about the level of pollutants in local rivers, with a study having identified in excess of 250 different pollutants in the River Colne, and the impacts that these were having on the area’s biodiversity.  A situation that would be compounded by the expected increase in run-off from new and future developments into the District’s water courses.  It was acknowledged that the removal of nutrient neutrality requirements whilst easing pressure of developers would do further damage to the District’s biodiversity and rare chalk river habitats.

 

Having concluded the debate, the motion was put to the vote and carried.  The vote in respect of the motion was as follows: For 21, Against 0, Abstain 9.

 

RESOLVED that the motion in respect of nutrient neutrality requirements is carried.

 

Motion 2: Prostate Cancer UK Boys Need Bins Campaign

 

It was moved by Councillor Chris Lloyd and seconded by Councillor Sara Bedford that:

 

Council notes Prostate Cancer UK’s campaign of Boys need bins, which highlights the growing numbers of those who suffer with incontinence issues as a result of prostate treatment.

 

Prostate Cancer UK cites that 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer and that 1 in 3 men over 65 are estimated to have a urinary incontinence problem. Council believes that it is important to make life more comfortable and dignified for those who suffer such problems.

 

Council supports the provision of sanitary bins in all toilets so that waste products can be disposed of in a discreet and hygienic manner.

 

Council therefore requests that council officers design and implement a programme to provide sanitary bins, in council owned or managed male toilets by the end of the current financial year and encourages partners to do likewise. 

 

It was acknowledged that this was a subject that impacted a large number of people and that this was something that the Council should be doing.  It was suggested that if the motion was carried then the possibility of including messages encouraging people to go for testing in communications messages should be considered. 

 

Councillor Chris Lloyd thanked all members for their support of the campaign.

 

Having concluded the debate, the motion was put to the vote and carried by common assent.

 

RESOLVED that the motion in respect of Prostate Cancer UK’s Boys Need Bins campaign is carried.

 

Meeting Concluded

 

Note: In accordance with Part 4, Rule 1, Paragraph 7 of the Council’s Constitution, the meeting concluded at 10pm.  In accordance with Part 4, Rule 6, Paragraph 3 of the Council’s Constitution all remaining items on the agenda fell and were not considered.