Eastleigh Borough Council Cabinet Meeting

There were no declarations of interest in relation to items of business on the agenda.

RESOLVED -

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 June 2024 be agreed as a correct record.

There was no public participation on this occasion.

Issues

Committees can refer items to Cabinet under the Council’s Constitution. (Paper 4a)

Considerations

Cabinet must consider any recommendations made by Committee’s as part of their decision-making process.

RESOLVED –

That Cabinet:

(1)  agreed the recommendations made to Cabinet from Policy and Performance Scrutiny Panel and Audit and Resources Committee with regards to Removal of Glass Bring Banks across the Borough and the Procurement Policy; and

(2)  noted the recommendation from Policy and Performance Scrutiny Panel with regards to the Air Quality Action Areas Reporting – Annual Update.

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Issue

The introduction of fixed penalties for fly-tipping, duty of care, and littering supports the delivery of the Corporate Plan 2023-26 themes, in particularly the theme of ‘Protecting Our Environment’, through the application of proportionate enforcement action to deter reoffending. (Paper 5)

Consideration

Fly tipping can be a significant problem to local communities and can harm the environment. It is a drain on Council resources and undermines legitimate waste businesses, where operators undercut those that operate within the legal requirements for waste disposal. Fly tipping and littering cause damage to the natural environment and wildlife.

RESOLVED –

That Cabinet:

1.  approved the use of fixed penalty notices for fly tipping, duty of care and littering offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990;

2.  approved the proposed level of fixed penalties set out in this paper; and

3.  delegated authority to the Service Director for Planning and Environment in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Environment, to vary the level of fixed penalty notice charges within the prescribed legal limits during the current financial year and 2025/26 whilst the service is in its infancy.

Issue

The Strategy provides up-to-date and robust evidence of the need to inform policy, including the Local Plan. The Strategy seeks to enable appropriate formal sports provision based on demand and related to population growth, taking into consideration the quantity and quality of existing facilities. (Paper 6)

Consideration

The Strategy has been developed following Sport England guidance and methodology in consultation with relevant partners and stakeholders and signed off through each stage by a representative steering group.

RESOLVED –

That Cabinet approved the development of the Playing Pitch and Built Leisure Facility Strategy (Appendix 1) and supported its formal adoption as a public document.

[Note: Councillors expressed their thanks to officers for a detailed and comprehensive report.]

Issue

The Service Director - Governance and Support (Monitoring Officer) is responsible for the co-ordination of Corporate Risk Management. The Strategic Risk Management Group (SRMG) are responsible for overseeing and monitoring the Council’s response to Risk Management. (Paper 7)

Consideration

Risk Management is a key element of the Council’s operational and strategic functioning.

RESOLVED –

That Cabinet:

(1)  considered the Annual Risk Management Report; and

(2)  approved the Risk Management Framework, Risk Appetite Statement and Terms of Reference for the Strategic Risk Management Group.

Issue

The Council declared a Climate and Environmental Emergency in July 2019 and agreed that the Council’s Procurement Policy should recognise carbon neutrality as one of the primary considerations. When included within the Council’s total carbon emissions, ‘Scope 3 emissions’ (‘Scope 3’ includes business travel, commuting, working from home and procurement) account for approximately 80% of the overall carbon footprint (of which the emissions relating to the procurement of goods and services account for the overwhelming majority). (Paper 8)

Consideration

The purpose of this Policy is to inform all Council employees, procuring managers, suppliers and contractors of the Council’s new expectations in relation to procuring goods and services in a more sustainable way. This includes considering the wider environmental, social and economic benefits when procuring goods and services, and in particular the suppliers’ carbon emissions.

RESOLVED –

That Cabinet considered the recommendation from the Audit and Resources Committee and adopted the Procurement Policy 2024-2027.

Issue

Regular monitoring and management of the Council’s operational and financial performance is essential to understanding and supporting delivery against the corporate themes set out in the Council’s Corporate Plan 2023-2026 and contributes to the management of corporate risk. (Paper 9)

Consideration

The provisional financial position for 2023/24 represents a £1.7M transfer to the General Fund Reserve and £0.8M transfer to the Interest Reserve, a variance of £2.8M against the Revised Budget. Capital expenditure for financial year 2023/24 was £57.7M which equates to the Rolling Budget for the year as any slippage on schemes has been rolled into future years’ budgets.

RESOLVED –

That Cabinet:

(1)  approved the performance of the Council for 2023/24 and the Council’s provisional financial position for the year of a £1.7M increased transfer to the General Fund, and consider any recommendations from the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Panel;

(2)  noted performance against Service Improvement and Efficiencies targets in Appendix B;

(3)  noted the performance of the Community Investment Programme (Appendix C);

(4)  noted the Treasury Management Outturn Position as at 31 March 2024 (Appendix D);

(5)  approved the Prudential Indicators to the Outturn of 2023/24 financial year (Appendix E); and

(6)  approved the transfer of £814,000 from the General Fund to the interest reserve.

Issue

Eastleigh Borough Council (the Council) introduced four-weekly glass bottles and jars collections from the kerbside in 2006, and in March 2021 enabled households to recycle their glass every two weeks. This has made it easy for glass to be recycled with kerbside collections being put in place. (Paper 10)

Consideration

Glass bring banks were left in place in a number of locations across the Borough. It is now timely to consider removing these banks that are mainly located in car parks, recreation grounds, clubs, and supermarkets across the Borough as residents have access to a comprehensive and reliable kerbside glass collection service.

RESOLVED –

That Cabinet:

(1)  Noted the recommendation from the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Panel; and

(2)  approved the removal of glass bring banks across the Borough from 9 September 2024.

Issue

To consider a property transaction (paper 11)

Consideration

The report sets out a number of matters relating to a property transaction.

RESOLVED –

That Cabinet:

(1)  notes that the Council’s CCTV estate and assets are not fit for purpose and no longer affordable to operate;

(2)  notes that while the Council has some statutory community safety responsibilities, provision of public realm CCTV services is not one;

(3)  approves an eight-week public consultation and a report to Cabinet setting out future options for the Council’s CCTV service; and

(4)  delegates authority to the Corporate Director and Chief Executive to discuss with the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office whether the proposed new police station in Eastleigh town centre may be a suitable location for a CCTV control room.

RESOLVED -

(1)  That, in pursuance of Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they are likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act; and

(2)  That, in pursuance of the public interest test, the public interest in disclosing the information contained in the following item of business was outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the exemption.