The Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss resident parking policy, review communication methods used by registered housing providers, receive an update on the waste collection contract, and consider the committee's draft work programme. The committee agreed to provide comments to the Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability on proposed changes to the Resident Permit Zone policy. They also approved a project plan and the establishment of a task and finish group to scrutinise registered providers' communication methods.

Review of Resident Permit Zone Policy

The committee agreed to provide comments to Councillor Tim Hoskin, Executive Member for Environmental Sustainability, on proposed changes to the council's Resident Permit Zone (RPZ) policy and operational guidance. The proposed changes aim to enhance accessibility, reduce procedural barriers, and better align the guidance and policy with the council's strategic priorities, including sustainability, air quality, community wellbeing, and economic growth.

The proposed changes to the RPZ Operational Guidance include:

• Reducing the requirement that non-resident parking must exceed 40% occupancy at peak times as a condition for implementing an RPZ, to 10% occupancy at peak times.
• Removing the requirement for there to be sufficient kerb space to enable 75% of households in a proposed area to park one vehicle on-street as a condition for implementing an RPZ.
• Allowing officers to exercise discretion in exceptional cases where local evidence and professional judgement support progression of a scheme.

The report noted that the recommendations are based on public feedback from the 2024 Parking Strategy engagement, independent review findings, and benchmarking against best practice from comparable local authorities. The report also referenced an independent review of East Herts' Resident Permit Zone Schemes Operational Guidance by Citisense.

The report outlined the reasons for the proposed amendments:

• Amendment of the Operational Guidance to Reduce the Non-Resident Parking Occupancy Threshold from 40% to 10% with Provision for Officer Discretion

  The report stated that the current requirement limits the council's flexibility to act proactively where residents are clearly affected, but the 40% threshold is not met. It also noted that parking stress is experienced differently across neighbourhoods and is not always captured by a single metric like non-resident occupancy.

• Removal or reduction, to a minimum of 50%, of the 75% Kerb Space Provision Requirement from the Operational Guidance

  The report stated that this standard is difficult to achieve in historic towns, flats, and areas with narrow roads or existing parking restrictions. It also noted that it disadvantages higher-density housing areas, where space is inherently constrained and where the benefits of RPZs may be greatest.

The report also detailed a roadmap to create RPZs based on previous requests from residents, and noted that the current policy refers to only being able to progress two schemes in any year, due to Parking Service staff resource constraints, and that the current programme will end in 2028.

Scrutiny of Registered Providers' Communications Methods

The committee approved the project plan and the establishment of a task and finish group as outlined in the project plan to review methods used by registered providers¹ of housing in the district. The aim is to assess the effectiveness of these methods when they communicate with their tenants and customers, elected members dealing with constituent casework, and council officers.

The report noted that East Herts is a non-stock holding authority, but the council has a duty to allocate homes by means of nominations to registered providers. It also noted that there are 40 registered providers operating in East Herts with a total of over 9,700 homes between them.

The report stated that the council has limited control over how registered providers manage their homes and their communication with their customers, elected members and other stakeholders, and that communications are key to resolving issues and the experience of tenants.

The report outlined the aims of the scrutiny exercise:

• Identify areas for improvement by housing associations and/or the council.
• Identify examples of best practice that can be shared among housing associations.
• Identify potential issues for lobbying national bodies, such as regulators or government, to improve housing association communications.

The project plan included a timeline and responsibilities, and identified possible expert witnesses, including local housing associations such as Clarion and SNG, the Housing Ombudsman and/or Social Housing Regulator, a nearby stock-holding local authority, and Citizens Advice East Herts.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Draft Work Programme

The committee agreed to the work programme as detailed in the Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Draft Work Programme report. The report considered topics for inclusion in the Committee's Draft Work Programme, including:

• Cross Party Working Group – Grounds Maintenance Contract
• Affordable Housing
• Sustainable Transport
• Community Forum and Development Management Forum Update
• Local Government Reform
• Anti-Racism Charter and the Equalities Strategy

The report noted that all new up and coming strategies and policies will automatically be added to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee work programme, and Members of Overview and Scrutiny can then consider whether they wish to look at these as part of the work programme.

Waste Collection Contract Interim Progress Report Verbal Update

The committee received a verbal update on the Waste Collection Contract Interim Progress. No further details were provided in the agenda.