Issue - meetings

To consider a report from the Universal Services Task & Finish Working Group, which looked at the savings proposals to be taken to Cabinet.

The Committee received a report (item 7 in the minute book) presenting the recommendations of the cross-party Working Group formed to scrutinise the approach and outcomes of the Stage 2 consultation in relation to Savings Programme 2025 proposals within the remit of the Universal Services Select Committee.

The Chairman on the Task and Finish Group, Councillor Jackie Branson, introduced the report, noting that the working group agreed that mitigations should be considered as much as possible across all of the streams.

The working group report would be included in the packs of future meetings so the specific points raised for each stream could be considered.

RESOLVED:

The Universal Services Select Committee noted:

·         That the cross-party Working Group held four meetings between 5 January and 22 May 2024 and had the opportunity to discuss the consultation process and the consultation feedback.

·         That following this scrutiny the Working Group unanimously agreed that the Consultation had been a comprehensive process which had given residents the information and opportunity to make reasoned responses and that it provided the County Council with sufficient information to consider the impacts of the proposals on the residents of Hampshire.

·         The Working Group’s observations, questions, and recommendations outlined in paragraphs 22 – 39 and considers these while scrutinising final proposals and formulating feedback and recommendations to Cabinet. In particular that:

o   In respect of the proposals to remove school patrol crossings that as part of any review care is taken to ensure the costs of introducing safety measures do not exceed any savings and that all necessary highways works to improve safety (such as new crossings) are in place before the related patrol is removed to reduce potential safety impacts. In addition, the Select Committee may wish to scrutinise potential impacts arising from the loss of the social value of school crossing patrols over and above their traffic management function.

o   In respect of the impacts relating to street lighting proposals that the County Council should when receiving requests to vary lighting in individual locations consider other factors such as personal security/safety and travel safety and not just consider specific crime or road accident statistical data in determining requests.

o   That should HWRCs be closed that remaining ones do not also have reduced operating hours to avoid an accumulation of impact and that before final decisions are made the cost of closing and decommissioning sites should be fully scrutinised together with a detailed capacity plan for peak times and a highways impact and residents journey length and time assessment.

o   For Countryside parking a business case should be prepared.

o   That a further impact assessment on the passenger transport proposals (paragraph 30) should be considered by the Select Committee before scrutiny of these proposals and any recommendation is made to Cabinet.

o   The need for a clear and simple communications strategy in respect of the Highways (Planned) Maintenance Reduction proposal and the reduction in winter services.