Leader's Report
To receive such reports as the Leader of the Council may wish to bring before the Council.
Minutes:
The Leader opened his report by expressing his sympathy to all those affected by the earthquake and flooding in Morocco and Libya. He also paid tribute to the five Hampshire firefighters who were among the specially trained UK Search and Rescue team deployed to Morocco by the Foreign Office to assist the emergency response on the ground.
In relation to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), he confirmed there were two know cases in public buildings maintained by Hampshire County Council. Cranbourne College in Basingstoke was the only school site where RAAC had been identified, and work had already been undertaken to one section of the building to make sure it was safe, and another area had been taken out of use since the beginning of the year. The school has reopened for the new academic year as normal. RAAC had also been confirmed within an area of South Ham Community Library in Basingstoke, in an area of the building that is owned by Hampshire County Council. As a precautionary measure the impacted areas were closed immediately and remain closed until appropriate mitigation measures have been implemented.
Referring to the Council’s budget planning process, the Leader thank residents and stakeholders who had responded to the public consultation on the proposed budget. Their views had helped to shape a range of savings proposals to close the £132 million budget gap by 2025-26. Individual Cabinet Members had been considering proposals affecting their areas of responsibility and recommendations would be considered by Cabinet in October, before a final decision is made by Full Council in November. The Leader reported that although the Council’s finances were stable until 2025-26, Central Government needed to fundamentally change the way that local government services were funded, or reduce what councils are legally required to deliver. He intended to continue to lobby Government for short term assistance and long-term reform to local government funding.
He reported that the strategic partnership for Children’s Services between Hampshire County Council and Isle of Wight Council would come to a close at the end of January. This followed a decade of hard work and close collaboration between officers in both local authorities with Children’s Services on the Isle of Wight now in a secure position, having been judged as Good across the board by Ofsted in their last full inspection. He expressed pride for all that had been achieved during the Partnership with the Isle of Wight, and thanked all colleagues, on the Island and in Hampshire, for the skill and dedication they have shown throughout to the children and young people they have worked so hard to support.
He welcomed the Government’s decision that upper tier local authorities in England will take on the core functions of Local Enterprise Partnerships from April 2024. The County Council was currently reviewing existing programmes and governance structures, and using an evidenced based approach, to determine the best outcomes for residents and businesses in Hampshire.
He reported that preparations for the first ever Hampshire Business ... view the full minutes text for item 176