Decisions made

Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive regarding a Notice of Motion referred to Cabinet from County Council on 29 November 2018.

The Chairman welcomed the report and noted that the outcomes of the item would be presented to the February meeting of the County Council.

With the agreement of the Chairman Councillor Tod, who was the seconder of the original Motion to County Council addressed Cabinet. Councillor Tod explained the rational behind the Motion, in particular his concerns over the impact of Brexit locally and the position the County Council should take with regard to the outcome of Brexit in light of this.

Cabinet agreed that the County Council should focus on matters that fell within its remit and that Parliament was the proper place for the outcome of Brexit to be debated. It was proposed and resolved to recommend to County Council:

That the County Council notes the Report ‘Brexit: The Potential Impact on the County Council’s Resources and Services’ considered by the Cabinet at its meeting on 10 December 2108 set out in Appendix B to this Report and supports the recommendations contained within that Report.

The decision record can be found as an appendix to these minutes.

[Councillor Reid declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of being the County Council’s representative on the North Hampshire Hospital Trust

Councillor Humby declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of being the County Council’s representative on the Southern Health Foundation Board of Governors]

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Adults’ Health and Care regarding the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP).

In introducing the report, the Director set out the background to the STP and the strategic ambition to improve service delivery whilst achieving financial sustainability. The challenges around the structural change needed for this were outlined as were the specific complexities in Hampshire.

It was questioned whether all local issues were being addressed by the STP and it was clarified that this was not a final report and would continue to develop. It was noted that a further update report would be presented to Cabinet.

The recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed and the decision record can be found as an appendix to these minutes.

[Councillor Woodward declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of being Leader of Fareham Borough Council and a Director of the Solent LEP.

Councillor Mans declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of the being a Director of the Solent LEP]

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the Capital Programme 2019/20 – 2012-22.

The report was introduced and it was noted that the Capital programme was one of the largest of any local authority in the country. It was highlighted that since publication of the report, additional information had become available regarding the Botley by-pass project. In particular, confirmation had been received that funding from Homes England would be in the form of non-repayable grant and not as a loan. On this basis an additional recommendation was proposed to increase the Capital Programme by £32.869 million to meet the additional costs associated with further infrastructure works and the by-pass at Botley.

Cabinet welcomed the report and the additional information regarding the Botley project. The scale of the Programme was recognised as was the ability of the County Council to deliver it.

With the additional recommendation above, the recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed and the decision record can be found as an appendix to these minutes.

[Councillor Kendal declared a personal interest in this item by virtue of being the County Council’s representative on the a Director of the Manydown Garden Communities LLP company]

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the Revenue Budget and Precept 2019/20.

The report was introduced and key points were highlighted. It was confirmed that the final grant settlement had been received and there was no change to the County Council, but there was a change to council tax flexibility for East Hampshire District Council. The 2019/20 budget was set out and an update provided on the position of the 2018/19 budget, noting that this was based on financial targets agreed in autumn 2017. Demographic and other pressures were identified in the context of the need to invest in the transformation of services and specific pressures facing each department were explained. Details of the proposed arrangements to make a loan to the Manydown Garden Communities LLP Company and the expected return were set out.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Keith House addressed Cabinet, raising concerns about the impact of reduced funding from government for the County Council.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Jackie Porter addressed Cabinet, suggesting that additional funding for Children’s Services should be included in the base budget rather than held in contingency.

The Director of Corporate Services explained the approach to budget setting, in particular around estimating inflationary and demand pressures and efficiency savings. She drew attention to Appendix 6 of the report, confirming her professional view that the budget was properly set.

Cabinet welcomed the budget report, noting that no new savings were proposed and that service delivery would continue to evolve to meet the financial position and the needs of service users. It was furthermore recognised that balancing public sector spending was a significant challenge for government and many areas were under pressure.

The recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed and the decision record can be found as an appendix to these minutes.