Leader sets Bell Hotel record straight at Full Council
District councillors faced with tough choices should follow their consciences and always work together in the best interests of residents, no matter how tough or unpopular their decisions.
That was the message from Council Leader Chris Whitbread at Epping Forest District Council on Tuesday 8 April.
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The meeting commenced with a tribute by Councillor Chris Pond to former Councillor John Markham who passed away recently. Remembering John’s determination as his sight declined, Chris Pond spoke fondly of his dedication through great adversary. John retired to Sommerset following retirement from the Council in 2014.
An interruption in the public gallery briefly paused the meeting. When it resumed Councillor Whitbread made a short statement on The Bell Hotel.
He said:
We have consistently raised our objections since the Home Office moved the very first asylum seekers into local hotels. While the fires at the Phoenix and The Bell have focused public attention, we have always argued that these hotels are unsuitable for other fundamental reasons. Refugees or asylum seekers from beyond our shores require complex and comprehensive support measures.
For whatever reason, the Home Office appeared to partially listen to reason when it previously closed The Bell. The decision to reopen it is therefore very disappointing indeed.
I want to make clear to all councillors and residents, that the decision to reopen The Bell was taken by the Home Office over our objections. It simply does not meet the basic requirements we believe to be necessary.
I do not want to raise expectations unrealistically. The Home Office has previously dismissed our concerns and may well do so again. However, I have asked for matters of planning authorisation to be explored. In particular what planning permission the hotel owners and Home Office may be operating under and what due diligence was carried out before reactivating The Bell last week.
Councillors are concerned that local residents don’t know enough about Local Government Reorganisation. Agreeing with Councillor Howard Kaufmann, Councillor Whitbread gave his whole-hearted support to localism, including the role of town and parish councils.
Responding to questions by Councillors Stephen Murray and Sheree Rackham, Councillors Whitbread and Tim Matthews emphasised the importance the council attaches to high street businesses, and the excellent progress being made on the refurbishment of the Broadway.
Responding to Councillor Chris Pond, Councillor Ray Balcombe confirmed that residents would soon receive new blue-lidded recycling wheelie bins, and that special allowance would be made for side waste at Christmas. He also confirmed that different size bins would be made available. As rubbish piles up on the streets of Birmingham, Councillor Balcombe was very pleased to reassure councillors of the ongoing high performance of Terra Verde Services (TVS). In the first 6 months of the new refuse contract TVS has achieved collection rates of 99.9 percent.
Responding to a question by Councillor Tom Bromwich, Councillor Chris Whitbread agreed that the closure of the Epping to Ongar Underground line was a real loss. Sadly, the current infrastructure and private ownership of the line makes the re-establishment of a public commuter line very unlikely.
Councillors approved 2 reports by Audit and Governance Chairman Councillor Jon Whitehouse. Councillors welcomed the adoption of the council’s updated Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy before moving on to endorse the Treasury Management and Capital strategies.
Councillor Janet Whitehouse, Vice-Chairman of the Constitution Working Group also received Council endorsement of the Code of Conduct and Scheme of Delegation review before going on to support revisions to the layout and principles of the Council Constitution.
Business continued with the formal appointment of Acting Chief Executive Andrew Small as the Council’s Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer. Following the previous appointment of Andrew Small as Chief Executive, Councillor Chris Whitbread was also pleased to recommend the appointment of Mr Owen Sparks as the Council’s new Section 151 Officer.
In the final substantive business of the evening, Councillor Roger Baldwin updated Full Council on the business of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
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