Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence

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 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 Personal Interest in a matter being considered at the meeting should consider, having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 4 of the Code, whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 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 Personal interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 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.

Councillor Mans disclosed a personal interest by virtue of being a Director of the Oakhaven Care Agency.

Councillors Humby, Grajewski and Woodward declared personal interests by virtue of being members of LEP Boards.

Councillor Chadd declared a personal interest by virtue of her daughter attending South Farnborough Junior School.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting

The minutes of the previous 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 Councillors House and Porter would speak on a number of items on the agenda with the agreement of the Leader.

To receive any announcements the Chairman may wish to make.

The Chairman reported on recent meetings he had attended regarding the joint venture with Kent County Council, noting the success of the partnership.

With reference to Britain’s recent exit from the European Union, the Chairman highlighted the increasing importance of strong bilateral relationships with international partners.

To receive a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the Revenue Budget and Precept 2020/21

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the Revenue Budget and Precept 2020/21.

The report was introduced and key elements highlighted, including the use of winter maintenance budgets, the position of the HC3S trading operation, revisions to the 2019/20 budget relating to Ash dieback, rural broadband, climate change and the invest in Hampshire fund. The potential impact of changes to the national living wage were drawn to Cabinet’s attention, as was the reserves strategy.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor House addressed Cabinet, questioning the strategy of service reduction to deal with reduced levels of government grant. He proposed greater investment in strategic land for long term benefit and growing the use of volunteers to support community facilities such as libraries.

Cabinet noted that many of the services delivered by the County Council were statutorily required and therefore the budget setting strategy was based around fulfilling these responsibilities. The prudence and success of the reserves strategy was recognised and it was noted that resources were available to purchase land where suitable opportunities arose. The sold services strategy was credited with spreading overheads, retaining skilled capacity and maintaining the Council’s overall scale.

It was confirmed that all alternative proposals relating to changes to the library service would be considered on conclusion of the public consultation. Cabinet welcomed the high level of public interest and engagement with the consultation process.

Additional funding for highway maintenance was welcomed, as was £2million assigned to tackling the climate change emergency. With regards to the introduction of climate change impact assessments on decision reports, it was explained and agreed that the County Council needed a robust and measurable approach, using a baseline of carbon emissions and resilience. Developing this would give the basis for an assessment tool that could be used by officers preparing decision reports in order to meaningfully recognise the impact on climate change of any proposed decisions. Cabinet acknowledged that to carry out this work properly would take some time and therefore that it was anticipated the climate change impact assessments would be introduced to reports during the 2020/21 municipal year.

The recommendations in the report were agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

To receive a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the Capital Programme 2020/21 – 2022/23

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the Capital Programme 2020/21 – 2022/23.

The report was introduced and alongside some specific projects, the scale of the overall programme was highlighted to and welcomed by Cabinet.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Porter addressed Cabinet, querying the development of former HCC care homes and raising questions about nitrate neutrality and environmental standards in school construction.

It was confirmed that best practice was being retained in school design within budgetary constraints. The agricultural policies relating to nitrates was set out and it was confirmed that there was ongoing investment in Adult Social Care provision.

The recommendations in the report were agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

To receive a report of the Chief Executive and Head of Law and Governance providing a regular update on performance against the Serving Hampshire strategic plan

Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive and Head of Law and Governance providing a regular update on performance against the Serving Hampshire Strategic Plan.

In introducing the report the performance highlights in appendix two were drawn to Cabinet’s attention and it was noted that the report validated high performance in the context of significant financial pressure. The report’s outcomes were welcomed and it was recognised that the County Council’s performance was a significant factor in the ability to attract and retain high quality employees.

The recommendations in the report were agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

To receive a report of the Chief Executive regarding details of the continuing support by Hampshire County Council for children’s services in West Sussex County Council

Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive regarding details of the continuing support by Hampshire County Council for children’s services in West Sussex County Council.

The context in which Hampshire County Council had been appointed as an improvement partner was outlined to Cabinet who supported the work that was underway. It was recognised that this both supported West Sussex County Council and was also of benefit to Hampshire staff who were able to broaden their experience.

The recommendations in the report were agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

To receive a report of the Director of Transformation and Governance regarding the County Council’s insurance strategy

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Transformation and Governance regarding the County Council’s insurance strategy.

It was confirmed that the strategy would be subject to regular review and noted that a minor update to the County Council’s financial regulations was recommended. Cabinet welcomed the report and in particular noted the value for money approach to insurance adopted by the County Council.

The recommendations in the report were agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

To receive a report of the Director of Children’s Services regarding proposals for the revised arrangements for the Corporate Parenting Board

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services regarding proposals for the revised arrangements for the Corporate Parenting Board .

It was highlighted to Cabinet that the recommendations came in the light of the Ofsted inspection and sought to expand the reach and scope of the Board.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Porter addressed Cabinet, welcoming the proposals and stressing the overall importance of the corporate parenting function.

Cabinet welcomed the report and acknowledged in particular the corporate parenting responsibility of all Councillors.

The recommendations in the report were agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

To receive a report of the Chief Executive regarding the allocation of Executive Functions from 1 April 2020

Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive regarding the allocation of Executive Functions from 1 April 2020.

The recommendations in the report were agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.