Issue - meetings

To receive such reports as the Leader of the Council may wish to bring before the Council.

The Leader reported that meetings had been held involving preparations for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit including discussions with the Leaders of the three Unitary Councils in Hampshire.  Everyone worked with a common purpose and all are well prepared.  The new Secretary of State for Transport had recently visited Portsmouth to see the actual problems on the ground and commented favourably on the preparations that had been made.  The Leader has also met with the new Secretary of State for Housing, Local Government and Communities which provided the opportunity to emphasise the financial challenges faced by the County Council.

During the summer the Leader had written to all Hampshire MPs asking them firstly to make representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the Autumn Statement and secondly, after the Autumn Statement had been made, to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government regarding how his budget would be allocated.  The Leader had received confirmation from many of those MPs that representations had been made.  There had also been a meeting of all the Hampshire MPs at which the Leader had briefed them on the County Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy.

The Leader confirmed a letter had been received from the Hampshire borough and district councils regarding the Medium Term Financial Strategy and in particular, waste management services. Cabinet made an additional recommendation to cover some of the points they raised and the Leader, together with the Deputy Leader, look forward to having collective discussions on how more streamlined waste management services can be developed.

Meetings had also been held with the Vice-Chairman of the University of Winchester to discuss environmental initiatives, with Professor Mark Smith, the new Vice-Chairman of the University of Southampton at which a new joint working agreement had been signed; with the Managing Director of ABP, the Chief Constable and the Chief Fire Officer.

The Leader reported on a number of events he had attended recently, in particular success at the Education Awards; the Spaces National Awards at which the Lepe Lookout was runner-up in the small builds category, Robert Mays Secondary School extension was highly commended and Whitchurch Silk Mill was also recognised in the heritage category.  All teams working on these projects are to be congratulated on these achievements.

Finally, the Leader added his congratulations to Councillor Kirsty North on the birth of her daughter.