To receive such reports as the Leader of the Council may wish to bring before the Council.
Minutes:
The Incoming Leader, Councillor Rob Humby opened his report by referring to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the full support of the County Council for the Government’s Homes for Ukraine Scheme, working with district and borough councils, health and fire services partners to provide support to Ukrainian refugees arriving in Hampshire. Furthermore, the Leader’s Community Grants was now open to assist town and parish councils, charities and voluntary and community organisations with their work to help Ukrainian guests living in Hampshire.
The Leader was pleased to report that Ukraine Connections groups are successfully being held in Hampshire Libraries and that the County Council would be introducing a scheme to provide bus passes to help Ukrainian guests over the summer. The County Council is working closely with bus operators who would be contributing to the costs of putting in place a practical and effective scheme.
The Leader was delighted that celebrations to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee were fully underway, which had commenced by welcoming His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to Winchester in March to view the new ‘Licoricia of Winchester’ statue as part of an inter-faith and cultural event for people to come together as a community. The County Council is pleased to be supporting Her Majesty The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative with many tree planting projects taking place across the county, which would not only contribute to the County Council’s target of planting one million trees by 2050, but would also leave a lasting environmental legacy for future generations to enjoy. Many more events would be taking place during the forthcoming extended Bank Holiday weekend providing families, friends and communities the opportunity to enjoy this special time.
The Leader reported that it was an honour and a privilege to be elected as the new Leader of Hampshire County Council and confirmed that his vision for Hampshire was aligned with the Hampshire 2050 work started by former County Councillor and Honorary Alderman, Roy Perry, and continued by Councillor Keith Mans during their time as Leaders of the County Council. The Leader highlighted that a strong economy is essential to support excellent public services, to provide high quality and inclusive employment and business opportunities, and to enhance the quality of life for people in Hampshire. Furthermore, the Leader confirmed his belief that Hampshire’s natural and historic environment is the most valued asset and an essential component of the county’s current and future prosperity. A robust economy and stunning landscape are key factors of Hampshire being an attractive place for people to live, work, study and visit, therefore enabling a thriving economy and supporting a thriving environment were connected parts in bringing about prosperity to communities in Hampshire.
The Leader confirmed that he would be retaining economic development, which would be part of his Policy & Resources portfolio to demonstrate the importance of ensuring that the County Council’s economic activities have the needs of Hampshire’s people and places at their heart.
The Leader confirmed that he intended to work positively and constructively with all of the County Council’s partners, including local communities to seize every opportunity to work for the benefit of people and places in Hampshire; work that he was pleased to confirm was already underway to formally establish local place-based Regeneration and Growth Partnerships with district and borough councils and unitary partners, as agreed by Cabinet in March.
The Leader concluded by recognising the very difficult times that people and public services are currently experiencing, which included significant demand for all of the County Council’s services but especially children’s and adult services, which were experiencing significant financial pressure. The Leader would therefore be striving to not only continue but to enhance the excellent work of the County Council and looked forward to working with all Members of the County Council.