Dear All,
There was a very interesting meeting on 22 October at the Dacorum’s Full Council Meeting where a motion was put forward by Terry Douris – Borough Councillor for Nettleden & Potten End, Great Gaddesden & Little Gaddesden.
The motion read:
“Parish Councils across Dacorum are dismayed at the minority administration’s proposal to cease the payment of the Concurrent Services Grant which is a lifeline to enable Parish Councils to provide those services which residents of Hemel Hempstead have the benefit of at no extra charge on their Council tax. Therefore, Council resolves to recommend that Cabinet removes any proposal to reduce the Concurrent Services and Wardens Grants from the 2026/2027 budget.”
Sadly, the motion was lost 22/21 with 2 abstentions (total 45). Six Councillors were absent. This is a small setback.
The debate was heated and very noisy from the public gallery (lots of Parish Councillors). In my opinion, a lot of very poor arguments were put forward by the groups opposing the motion… but you can judge for yourself… the debate was broadcast live and is stored on YouTube. The following link takes you to the debate:
https://www.youtube.com/live/FHCKAwwfbHM
The key times in the video are:
- Terry Douris introduces the motion – 1.13.45
- Sally Symington immediately responds.
- Terry Douris closing statement – 2.02.25
A record of the vote was taken and I shall publish who voted for/against when the information is available.
The next key dates are:
5th November 2025 – Finance and Resource Overview and Scrutiny Committee
18th November 2025 – Cabinet Meeting
18th February 2026 – Full Council Meeting to vote on Budget.
Our key target is to get the budget voted down at the Full Council Meeting on the 18th February 2026. In the short terms, we shall be attending the Scrutiny Committee on the 5th Nov.
All of the above meetings are Public Meetings, anyone can attend to express their opposition to the cuts. Let me know, I shall be there.
I would like to formally thank Terry for all his efforts and his fine performance in supporting the people he represents.
Best regards
Paul Kelly
Chair, LGPC