Basingstoke & Dean Borough Council Scrutiny Committee Meeting

Apologies were received for Councillor Golding (Maternity Leave)

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no urgent items.

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 September 2022 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Leader of the Council thanked the committee for its recommendations in relation to performance measures. Following consideration by Cabinet he clarified that some measures had been amended as recommended, some would require further investigation and some could be considered when drafting the new council plan.

It was commented that it was important to consider the relationship between key performance indicators and targets within council strategies and the council plan, an example being tree canopy cover and the Green Infrastructure Strategy.  It was also suggested it would be beneficial to look at outcomes of the performance measures so that all options could be explored including work with partner organisations.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and infrastructure presented a report which set out details of a draft parking strategy which linked to the emerging Town Centre Masterplan, to manage parking stock and provide for parking in the future.  The committee were informed that the strategy also aligned with the Transport Strategy which had been jointly adopted with Hampshire County Council, the Walking and Cycling Infrastructure Plan and the adopted Climate Change and Air Quality Strategy and was a framework for future decisions. The committee were provided with a summary of the report and feedback from a public consultation exercise on the strategy.

The committee debated the strategy and asked questions which established:

·         Concern with the park and stride approach

·         An improvement in public transport was needed.

·         Concern that the removal of parking spaces could be detrimental to the town centre.

·         It was important to consider parking and public transport accessibility for residents of rural areas.

·         The strategy was a framework which set out various tests for future decision making and was considered as part of a wider solution alongside other strategies.  It would be considered for adoption by Cabinet in December. 

·         Consideration of the outcomes expected from the strategy, reacting to the current situation or planning for growth.

·         Poor quality of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points in the town centre and consideration of how EV charging spaces are introduced.

·         Engagement with ward councillors or member workshops to discuss the strategy would be welcomed.

·         There was recognition that the data collected at the beginning of 2022 may not be fully reflective of a normal year compared to 2019 due to continued changes in working and shopping patterns following the pandemic.  However assurance was given that when looking at changes of use of a car park,  full consideration would be given to data from a current 12 month average, future predicted average usage and ensuring that parking could be accommodated elsewhere in a suitably located car park.

Resolved: The Committee request the Portfolio Holder for Planning and infrastructure to consider the following recommendations:

·           The Portfolio Holder be requested to work with a task and finish group to include both rural and town centre councillors in order to consider all activities before a decision is taken on the strategy.

·           Consideration should be given to not removing parking spaces to build new homes in the town centre until the Local Plan Update has been considered and there is an understanding of the parking requirement given the dependencies.

·           A request for reassurance from HCC as to their ability to invest in public transport and other infrastructure improvements in Basingstoke and how the Parking Strategy element fits into a timeline with the Town Centre Masterplan.

·           Important to consider the overall transport requirement within the borough particularly in relation to public transport.

·           A greater need for more focus on planning for the future, rather than being reactive in terms of the strategy.

The Leader of the Council presented the draft Council Plan 2023 to 2027 to the committee for consideration.  The Council Plan sets out the council’s overall priorities and outlines activities, actions and responsibilities to achieve the priorities together with timescales and measures to test performance.  Public consultation on the plan was being undertaken together with engagement with public and voluntary sector partners and large businesses to seek their views.

The committee fully discussed the report and a wide range of comments were made which included:

·         Relating to health services there should be more emphasis on wellbeing.

·         No mention of joined up working with Hampshire County Council in relation to road and pavement repairs and more emphasis on transport related activities such as ‘parking in my street’.

·         Convey more strongly the support for existing and incoming businesses in the borough.

·         It was suggested there should be an action in the plan to eradicate deprivation in Brookvale and Kings Furlong wards.

·         In response to a comment raised regarding the percentage of people agreeing that people from different ethnic backgrounds get on well together, it was recognised there was further work to do by the council and it’s partners and it would be useful to understand the data behind the 21% that did not agree, such as specific ethnic groups or geographical areas.

·         It was requested that the action to create and deliver a new biodiversity strategy include a program of establishing nature recovery network areas.

·         In relation to water quality it was suggested there should be mention of the borough’s rivers in the action plan, in particular campaigning for improved management of rivers and their catchments.

·         Sports and Leisure facilities were an area identified as in need of improvements

·         Investment in staff to deliver services to residents was welcomed.

·         Discussion would be welcome in relation to regeneration, focus, output and actions in respect of climate change, health and wellbeing and defining the meaning of growth/expansion.

·         In relation to areas of deprivation, Brighton Hill, Houndsmill and Oakridge all have households over 50% that meet one or more of the criteria of deprivation.  It was requested that these areas should be included alongside Buckskin and South Ham.

·         In response to comment regarding maintenance of estates, it was confirmed that in relation to planting there was a program of review of previously adopted schemes and additional funds had been agreed in the budget for grounds maintenance.  Multiple ownership of land was a challenge however work was underway to improve mapping of areas and modernise ways of working.

·         Partnership working was essential for regeneration and the council should take a lead in discussions to work collaboratively.

Following the committee’s consideration of the draft Council Plan, recommendations were made for consideration by Cabinet.

Resolved: The committee recommend that Cabinet consider the following recommendations:

·         The Council Plan be more robust with more focus on deprivation reduction and collaboration with partners.

·         There should be more emphasis in the Council Plan regarding well-being initiatives.

·         There should be a stronger emphasis on community working and collaboration with partners.

·         Water quality and the management of rivers in the borough and their catchments be included in the council plan.

The committee considered the Cabinet’s draft budget proposals for the 2023/24 budget and the Revised Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS)  for 2023/24 to 2026/27.

Presenting the report, the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property stated that the budget and MTFS were informed by the draft Council Plan.  He highlighted the key areas of the report stating the council had a strong balance sheet with diversified investments, sizeable reserves and zero borrowing which enabled a number of measures such as freezing of Council Tax, car parking charges and charges for garden waste together with a below average increase on fees and charges.  He highlighted investment in services such as the new Green Team, expansion of the Ranger Team, permanent employment of six temporary grounds maintenance positions and additional planning officers.  He added that income from Treasury Management was forecast to rise significantly due to the increase in interest rates.

The committee discussed the report and asked questions which established:

·         Work was underway to review financial support to organisations providing festivals and assist them to find alternative sources of funding.  Additional funding was being proposed for the Basingstoke Festival.  Officers would provide a response regarding funding for the Transport Festival.

·         The two additional Environmental Health posts would be fundamental in activities to deter anti-social behaviour particularly around car park areas.

·         That consideration could be given to reducing the garden waste service to a ten month service to reduce the cost to residents however it was clarified that the cost for the annual service had been frozen and was a popular service.

·         The policy criteria and application of the policy in respect of the replacement of black waste bins should be reviewed particularly with regard to bins not being returned where collected from the kerbside.

·         The price of purchasing a green waste bin for residents would be £36.05 due to the service change from sacks to bins.  It was questioned whether the service would be more accessible and would increase the recycling rate if the cost of the bin was reduced.

·         Officers agreed to provide a response regarding details of the review into Dial-A-Ride services.

The committee thanked officers for producing a balanced budget and welcomed the staff increases, budget provision for a waste options appraisal, freeze in Council Tax and car parking charges.  The annual impact of 1% change in key underlying forecast assumptions and the effect on key sensitivities was noted.

Resolved: The committee note the report and recommend the pricing of green waste bins be included to provide more clarity.

The committee considered and noted the recommendation tracker.

The committee considered the work programme and noted the following:

·         The new Customer Experience Strategy and Digital and IT Strategy would be presented in March.

·         The item on how the council works with local businesses to support economic recovery would be reconsidered as part of the work programme in the new municipal year.

The committee considered a topic suggestion form in relation to a review of public transport.  It was agreed to progress the review and invite Stagecoach to attend the next meeting of the committee in January 2023.