Basingstoke & Dean Borough Council Cabinet Meeting

Apologies were received from Councillor Laura James.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no urgent matters.

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 October 2023 were confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chair.

Cabinet considered the draft proposals for the 2024/25 budget and revised medium term financial strategy (MTFS) 2024/25 to 2027/28. The Co-Leader of the Council outlined the draft proposals and set out the consultation period of seven weeks throughout November and December 2023. It was explained that the MTFS was the basis for the budget and would reflect the Council’s priorities.

It was highlighted that the MTFS that was inherited from the previous administration did not align fully with the Cabinet’s priorities and therefore some changes had been made. There was a focus on cleaner streets and additional funding for grounds maintenance and parks. The Co-Leader also highlighted that housing was a priority and that the Cabinet would look at the bidding system and work with partners including housing associations to increase supply. He further emphasised the borough’s biodiversity as a priority, including the path to net zero, and looking at the use of solar panels on the Council’s property assets. The increase in the charge for bulky waste collections had been removed as part of the changes.

The Co-Leader acknowledged that the Council was not immune from inflation, but it was a balanced budget and put the Council in a strong financial position.

The Leader of the Council summarised that the draft budget and revised MTFS reflected the Cabinet’s priorities and demonstrated its achievements in five months. He highlighted the Cabinet’s commitment to staff recruitment and investment in frontline services. He praised the Council’s officer team. He emphasised that the next stage was to listen to residents through the consultation. 

Resolved:

1) To note the 2023/24 current year forecast outturn position as detailed in section 5 of the report.

2) To note the revised Medium Term Financial Strategy position set out in  section 8 and the risks and sensitivities associated with the forecast and the contingency plans set out in section 18 of the report.

3) To note that consultation will run for 7 weeks during November and  December 2023 as detailed in section 25 of the report.

4) To approve the budget proposals for consultation detailed in sections 9 to 14 with the Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) detailed in Appendix 2 of the report.

5) To note that this update shows a balanced budget in 2024/25 and 2025/26, with a residual budget gap in future years of the MTFS that will need addressing following any update on central government funding from the provisional local government finance settlement (PLGFS).

The Cabinet considered the Council’s Customer Experience Strategy. The report set out the Council’s customer experience strategy for 2023-2026. It set out the Council’s priority to deliver good quality services and how to improve the Council’s website and digital service options and deliver good quality, efficient core services. The strategy sought to: ensure that all residents knew how to contact the council and access services, that their experience of the delivery of those services was one of quality, and that the process of

interacting with the council was simple, intuitive, and not over engineered. The report also set out how residents could expect a timely resolution to any issues reported and updates as to progress.

The Leader of the Council introduced the strategy and set out its focus on residents’ needs and how they wished to interact with the Council. He highlighted the need to ensure that in-person as well as digital options were available and acknowledged that it was important that residents’ different requirements were included as part of the strategy.

Resolved: To adopt the Customer Experience Strategy 2023–2026.

Cabinet considered the proposal to renew a borough wide public space protection order for dog fouling controls. The Leader of the Council introduced the item on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Housing.

The report recommended an extension of three years to the borough wide Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) related to dog fouling controls. It was explained that this was the maximum statutory period for an extension. The order allowed for a retention of powers to be used when dog owners failed to clean up after their dog had fouled.

The Leader of the Council set out that dog fouling had a knock-on effect to other residents who used the public spaces, and the extension of powers would ensure that public spaces were protected. It was important that the order held people to account where dog fouling had taken place but Cabinet acknowledged the good behaviour from responsible dog owners and the part they played in protecting the borough’s public spaces.

Cabinet thanked the portfolio holder for her work on the issue and clarified that clean streets and open spaces was an important priority for the Council.

Resolved: To delegate to the Head of Law and Governance, in consultation with the Head of Environment and Community Services, to:

·         make amendments to the PSPO in light of and having considered the consultation responses (if considered necessary and appropriate);

·         extend the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (Dog Fouling) Public Spaces Protection Order 2020 for a period of a further three years.