Decisions made

Cabinet considered an exempt report of the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services and the Head of Law and Governance regarding Blackbushe Airport.

The background and progress of the judicial review was set out alongside the next steps and potential financial implications. The national significance of the case for future planning matters involving common land was highlighted.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Collett addressed Cabinet, setting out his involvement as the local Member and asking that the recommendations be supported.

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

Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive regarding specific concerns and activities related to domestic abuse and violence during the Covid-19 crisis.

With reference to the report, the background and key concerns were outlined. The full picture of the impact on children was not likely to be clear until after lockdown, when it was expected that referrals would increase.

Members welcomed the report, noting the importance of the issue and asking that a further update be presented sooner than six months.

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

Cabinet considered an exempt report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding Farnborough International Limited.

With reference to the exempt report, the context of the cancellation of this year’s airshow and the consequential financial pressure was outlined to Cabinet. It was confirmed that any adjustments to the loan repayment to the County Council would still result in full repayment.

Cabinet noted the pressures on the aviation industry and that an adjustment to the loan repayment timetable would assist with the viability of the airshow and therefore be of benefit to the wider north-Hampshire economy.

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

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Transformation and Governance regarding the impact of new legislation as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

In introduction to the report, the Chairman proposed an update to the recommendations in the report to: delete existing recommendations c and e. He also proposed a new recommendation: “Cabinet requests that the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Group Leaders, undertakes a review of the County Council’s Executive decision making process, and that a further report on the outcome of the review is brought to Cabinet after the Covid-19 crisis”

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor House addressed Cabinet, welcoming the updated recommendations, noting the success of remote meetings and the importance for transparency at this time.

The revised recommendations were considered and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

Cabinet considered a report of the Chief Executive regarding the County Council’s response to the Covid-19 crisis.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor House addressed Cabinet, welcoming the report, thanking HCC staff for their recent efforts and highlighting the common issues faced by all local authorities.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Porter addressed Cabinet, highlighting the challenges of re-opening schools and the pressure on childcare setting. She welcomed the support that had been available for Members to continue to operate in their communities.

The report was introduced and key corporate and departmental issues were highlighted, acknowledging the rapidly changing nature of the crisis. The benefit of Public Health being integrated in the County Council was noted, in particular the relationship with the Isle of Wight Public Health and the development of the track and trace programme. It was confirmed that the pandemic in Hampshire matched the national picture of slowly reducing from the peak.

Cabinet heard that the Director of Economy, Transport and Environment was leading on the recovery phase for the County Council. He provided some initial thoughts on this, noting that it would run alongside the response phase and that the pace of recovery would be governed by the progress of the virus. The split between national and local drivers for recovery was recognised and the importance of strong community engagement and of innovation in areas such as transport detailed. .

Members welcomed the report and acknowledged that the County Council must do everything possible to reduce the spread of the virus. The hard work of HCC officers across all departments was recognised and a number of prominent examples were cited. The role and benefit of partnership working was highlighted and Members noted how communities had come together in tackling the impact of the virus. 

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

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Adults’ Health and Care regarding temporary changes to the County Council’s duties under the Care Act 2014.

The report was introduced including an overview of the work underway within Adults Services and the options within the legislation to enact the Care Act easements. The process of doing so was outlined and it was confirmed that this was a temporary position and would be used as a last resort and not a blanket approach. It was furthermore clarified that the recommendations were being made pro-actively and there was no current expectation of the delegated authority being required.

Cabinet welcomed the report and considered and agreed the recommendations. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the financial impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor House addressed Cabinet, highlighting the promises of the Secretary of State to provide financial support, the severe impact across local government and urging the County Council to share financial data with the LGA to contribute to the national picture.

The report was introduced and it was explained that it gave the first snapshot of the financial consequences of the crisis. It was confirmed that data would be provided to MHCLG and shared with the LGA. The unfunded three month shortfall of £21.6 million was highlighted and it was noted that this was expected to increase by £18.5 million for each subsequent month. Members heard that if these cost pressures remained unfunded then the impact on the County Council would have to be met from reserves, including from the pension fund windfall. The impact on the markets of a recession made further windfalls from the pension fund less likely. These pressures came on top of the existing financial stresses planned for in the Transformation programme.

Cabinet welcomed the report as providing robust documentation of the full financial consequence of the crisis. Members agreed with holding the Government to their commitment of support and felt that this should be based on the full financial impact on the Council.

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