Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence received.

All Members were present and no apologies were noted

All Members who believe they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting must declare that interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3 Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore all Members with a Non-Pecuniary interest in a matter being considered at the meeting should consider whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 2 of the Code, consider whether it is appropriate to leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Non-Pecuniary interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 2 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were reviewed and agreed

To receive any deputations notified under Standing Order 12.

No requests to make a deputation had been received. It was noted that with the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Jackie Porter would speak on the items relating to Major Developments and to Superfast Broadband.

To receive any announcements the Chairman may wish to make.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the final Cabinet meeting of 2017, wishing a Merry Christmas to all. Reflecting on the past year he noted in particular the outcome of both local and national elections. Looking ahead, the forthcoming local government finance settlement was highlighted and it was confirmed that discussions with the NHS on ways to support each other and find ways to reduce pressures would continue.

Reports of revived ambition from the City Councils of Portsmouth and Southampton to form a “Solent City” combined authority were highlighted. The Chairman noted the complexities and possible loss of operational effectiveness of splitting up the County Council and iterated his view that the whole Hampshire combined authority model, which all parties had agreed to, remained the best basis for any future arrangement.

The Chairman was pleased to confirm that the Hambledon flood defence work was now complete and was confident that this would prevent a repeat of flooding that occurred in the past. He reported on a very successful special schools’ carol service that he had attended organised by the Hampshire Music Service at Winchester Cathedral and confirmed that he had been invited to attend a reception at the US embassy as part of the First World War centenary events.

To receive a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the County Council Budget.

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding budget setting and provisional cash limits.

The report was introduced and it was confirmed that there were no new budget proposals at this point and therefore any changes would be presented as part of the budget report to February Cabinet. Key points relating to the delivery of savings were highlighted and it was confirmed that the national budget announcements had not included anything of significance to the County Council. An update was provided on the ongoing staff pay negotiations and the possible impact in Hampshire. It was noted that proposals for how to meet the funding gap caused by a potential pay settlement would be included in future budget reports.

Cabinet welcomed the report, noting in particular the £893 million capital programme for investment in infrastructure and to facilitate the delivery of high quality services.

The recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed. The decision record is attached.

To receive a report of the Chief Executive regarding the Transformation to 2019 Programme.

Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive regarding progress of the Transformation to 2019 programme.

The report was introduced and key points were outlined. In particular it was confirmed that the four year delivery window would give sufficient time to safely implement the programme. The position of savings secured by the programme according to the RAG (red, amber, green) status of respective areas was highlighted. Cabinet were also updated on the progress of enabling projects, including the digital strategy, which would underpin the programme through productivity gains.

It was noted that the Transformation programme was designed to adapt to significant demographic change and the consequential increase in demand for services. To deal with this alongside reductions in the County Council’s funding meant a re-alignment of the provision of those services was required. The areas of community transport, school crossing patrols and waste and recycling centres, identified by a specific additional decision, for further review by officers at the October meeting of the Cabinet were highlighted. It was confirmed by the Executive member for Environment and Transport that, partnership work by the ETE department, conducted since the October Cabinet, had enabled significant refinancing opportunities with regard to difficult decisions in those areas of the programme.  He and the Leader also confirmed that the Council would continue to lobby government on areas where additional flexibility through legislative change, such as with additional charging powers, would provide further opportunity with the aim of finding long-term, sustainable solutions. Cabinet welcomed opportunities for finding mechanisms to sustain services that the Hampshire population could support.

Cabinet recognised the strength of the County Council’s position in setting a balanced budget at a time when other Authorities were not able to. It was furthermore welcomed that despite reductions in some areas, a great deal continued to be done to support community organisations such as in the area of culture and communities.

The recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed. The decision

record is attached.

To receive a report of the Chief Executive providing strategic oversight of the County Council’s performance during Q2 2017/18 against the Serving Hampshire Strategic Plan for 2017-21

Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive providing strategic oversight of the County Council’s performance during Q2 2017/18 against the Serving Hampshire Strategic Plan for 2017-21.

In introducing the report the new structure for its presentation was drawn to the attention of Members. A number of positive outcomes detailed in the report, in particular in the areas of education and inclusion and diversity were acknowledged and welcomed by Cabinet.

The recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed. The decision

record is attached.

To receive a report of the Director of Economy, Transport and Environment regarding Major Developments and Infrastructure Funding

Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Economy, Transport and Environment regarding major developments and infrastructure funding.

The report was set out and key elements highlighted. In emphasising the broader importance of infrastructure, proposals for Welborne were given as an example of how infrastructure could support development. It was confirmed that HIF bids had been submitted, but no outcome was available at this point. With regards to CIL, Cabinet heard that the outcomes of a consultation were awaited but some funding was being received through the District Councils.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Jackie Porter addressed the Cabinet meeting. Councillor Porter called for a clear statement to be made on the future of Barton Farm. She proposed that the CIL money available to the County Council be used to finance infrastructure to support children, such as cycle and foot paths. Citing a number of accidents at the location, Councillor Porter also appealed for funding for improvements to the Cart and Horses junction.

Cabinet Members noted that only some of the CIL money collected was being made available to the County Council in some areas but there was limited scope for this to have an impact. It was furthermore noted that Parish Councils also receive a share of CIL money with which they are able to take forward localised schemes. The report was welcomed and the level of integration across the Hampshire area, alongside the County Council’s capacity to lead on major projects was highlighted. The Manydown development was cited as an area where, the importance of a long term strategy for development was key and it was recognised that Hampshire had a strong track record in planning for the future. With this in mind the Chairman referenced proposals to form a commission to review and make recommendations on wide ranging future requirements for the County. 

The recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed. The decision

record is attached.

To receive the annual report of the Director of Public Health

Cabinet considered the annual report of the Director of Public Health which focussed on Ageing Well in Hampshire.

The report which detailed specific issues for the health of older people where preventive action could be taken were set out and welcomed by Members who noted the impact on quality of live and that issues such as social isolation were part of a national trend. A number of ways in which technology was being used and developed to support positive outcomes were identified and it was confirmed that Hampshire was leading the way in this area. Recent positive feedback on the position in Hampshire from Duncan Selbie (Chief Executive of Public Health England) was shared with Cabinet.

The recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed. The decision

record is attached.

To receive a report of the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services regarding superfast broadband in Hampshire

Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Culture, Recreation and Communities regarding the progress of the superfast broadband programme.

The report was outlined, setting out the success of the programme to date, both through investment by the County Council and the use of government funding. The failure of the telecoms market to provide a connection to the hardest to reach properties was highlighted as a limiting factor and plans to continue to support such communities to get broadband access were set out.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Jackie Porter addressed the meeting. Councillor Porter acknowledged the challenge faced by the County Council, explaining that her own Division would be worse off if it weren’t for a private broadband service. She called for similar schemes to be supported and on the basis of broadband being an essential service felt that new development should not be permitted without infrastructure to support good quality internet access.

Members welcomed the report and noted the success rate in Hampshire in comparison with other parts of the country. It was acknowledged that in a commercial market, some of the hardest to reach areas were unviable for the telecoms companies, therefore further expansion should be supported by government, particularly when access to many government services now relied on internet access.

The inconsistency of inclusion of a broadband supply for new developments was agreed to be unacceptable and Cabinet felt that this should be installed routinely alongside other essential services and should be included in local plans as a pre-requisite for development. 

It was proposed and agreed that an additional recommendation be added: for the Leader of the Council to write to the Minister of State for Digital to reinforce the continuing issue of rural coverage, especially given the crucial economic and social implications, and to seek assurances that the government will address this through policy development and a range of proposals alluded to in the report.

With the above addition, the recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed. The decision record is attached.