The Hertfordshire County Council Cabinet met to discuss a range of issues, including budget pressures, home-to-school transport, and the relocation of council meetings. They approved the Day Services Strategy 2025-2030, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) annual report, and the Children and Young People's Strategic Plan 2026-2031. The cabinet also agreed to provide additional capital funding for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school projects, and to move democratic meetings to Stevenage and market County Hall for alternative uses.

Additional Capital Funding for SEND School Projects

The cabinet approved a revised capital budget for several special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school projects, despite concerns about rising costs and failures in the planning process. The schemes include:

• The Journeys Academy, which will provide 60 additional places for children with communication and autism needs.
• North Hearts Education Support Centre, which will consolidate two inadequate buildings onto a single site, accommodating 40 children from key stages three and four.
• The Colette School satellite site, which will create 50 additional places through the remodeling of the former Laureate Academy's sixth form academy.
• The Brakespear School relocation, which will provide an additional 113 severe learning development places for children in South West Herts.

Councillor Mark Watkin, Executive member for Education, SEND and Inclusion, expressed his disquiet about the additional expenditure required for these projects, stating that the reasons ranged from higher inflation increases in building costs to the failure to make correct applications to the Department for Education and failure to identify significant additional groundworks necessary to address the chalk infrastructure of the Brakesphere School .

Councillor Chris Lucas, Executive member for Resources and Performance, questioned the competency of the surveyors involved in the Brakespear School relocation project, asking how they could suddenly discover a lot of chalk underneath a proposed building . Scott Dredgington, Director of Resources, responded that he would undertake a review to see what parts of the processes need improving to try to reduce those risks going forward.

Councillor Paul Zukowskyj, Executive member for Environment, Transport and Growth, noted that he had voted against awarding planning permission for the Brakespear School scheme when it was before the Development Management Committee in October 2024, but that he now supported the project due to the really pressing need for special school places in Hertfordshire.

Relocation of Council Meetings and Marketing of County Hall

The cabinet agreed to move democratic meetings to Stevenage and market County Hall for alternative uses. This decision was referred back to the cabinet by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for reconsideration, but the cabinet ultimately reaffirmed its support for the move.

Councillor Steve Jarvis, Leader of the Council, argued that there would be very significant cost savings as a result of the proposal, and that it would be completely inappropriate to continue to spend money on a building we don't need simply because of its historical connections .

The cabinet agreed to delegate the approval of the detailed marketing strategy and materials and proposed communication activities to the deputy chief executive and executive director of resources, in consultation with the Executive member for Resources and Performance. They also approved the creation of a council chamber and committee room in the Hertfordshire Development Centre within the Stevenage campus, with the associated budget to be funded by borrowing in advance of a capital receipt from the disposal of County Hall.

Finance Budget Monitor - Outturn 2024/25

The cabinet reviewed the council's financial position for the previous year, as outlined in the outturn report. Councillor Chris Lucas noted that services, particularly in social care, had seen significant demand and cost pressures, but that through management actions and downturns, the overall position had been reduced to being within contingency¹, with an underspend of approximately £3.1 million against a budget of £1.1 billion.

The report highlighted the successful delivery of 90% of the £46 million saving programme, as well as £19.3 million of carry-forward requests, of which £17.4 million were for commitments linked to external funding. The largest carry forwards were £5.8 million for the bus service improvement plan and £4 million for the Better Care Fund².

The cabinet approved the use of the £5.7 million contingency, the approval of £19.3 million of carry-forward requests, the release of £5.6 million of reserves following a full review, the creation of a £3 million children's social care reform reserve, a total contribution of £5.7 million to the Invest to Transform reserve, and capital reprogramming of £25.7 million.

The report also addressed the high needs block³, with Councillor Chris Lucas stating that successive governments have fundamentally failed to provide adequate grants to meet the increased levels of demand, and Hertfordshire County Council, like many other councils, are having to overspend to deliver the provision . He noted that the council had spent £30 million more on provision than the funding provided by the government in the last year, and that this was expected to increase significantly in coming years.

Hertfordshire County Council Performance Monitor Q4 2024-25

The cabinet received the Hertfordshire County Council Performance Monitor for the fourth quarter of the last financial year. Councillor Chris Lucas noted that the report covered the last quarter of the previous administration, and that despite an overall satisfactory performance, there were many areas where the council faced risks.

Appropriation of Land for Adult Care Services

The cabinet agreed to appropriate part of a former playing field in Pin Green, Stevenage, for adult care services. The land will be used for the provision of a new daycare centre, with a future appropriation for an extra care or supported living scheme to follow if planning is approved.

Councillor Sally Symington, Deputy Leader of the Council and Executive member for Adult Care Services, said that the land was a vital part of the future strategy for day services , allowing the council to close down older, unsuitable sites and move to a much nicer, more appropriate location .

Approval of Day Services Strategy 2025-2030

The cabinet approved the Day Services Strategy 2025-2030, following a review of public consultation. Councillor Sally Symington stated that officers would review service provision across the county following the strategy's approval.

Approval of Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) Annual Report

The cabinet approved the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) annual report. Alison Wren, deputy executive member, stated that the report covered the council's use of directed surveillance and access to communications data, which was used sparingly each year, primarily by trading standards⁴. She cited successful prosecutions of selling vapes to underage children and overcharging on housing and roofing as examples of cases where the data had been used.

The cabinet approved the policies in relation to directed surveillance and covert human intelligence sources, the acquisition and disclosure of communications data from communications service providers, and the use of social media investigations.

Children and Young People's Strategic Plan 2026-2031

The cabinet approved the Children and Young People's Strategic Plan 2026-2031. Anthony Rowlands, Executive member for Children's Social Care, stated that the plan set out the council's ambitions for improving outcomes for children and young people, and had been developed after extensive consultation with stakeholders.

Councillor Mark Watkin added that the plan was wholeheartedly supported by the Education Centre Inclusion panel, and that it would underpin much of the approach of the new SEND strategy, which was due to be launched later in the autumn.

Specialist Resource Provision at Primary Schools

The cabinet approved the outcome of a public consultation on the proposal to create specialist resource provision (SRP) at Lordship Farm Primary School in Letchworth, and Swallowdale Primary and Nursery School in Welwyn Garden City. Councillor Mark Watkin explained that SRPs were intended to deliver local support for children at schools close to their homes, helping to address the challenge of the home-to-school transport budget. The cabinet agreed to open an SRP at each school for up to 12 places from 1 January 2026.

Questions from Members of the Council

Prior to the main business of the meeting, the cabinet addressed questions from members of the council. Councillor Alex Curtis raised concerns about the cost of home-to-school transport, the provision of services to asylum seekers, and the diversification of the council's income sources. Other councillors asked questions about the government's spending review, street works, special educational needs debt, and compliance with a recent Supreme Court judgement. Due to time constraints, some questions were answered in writing after the meeting.