Eastleigh Borough Council Council Meeting

There was no public participation on this occasion.

The Mayor gave an overview of recent Council highlights:

The last Council meeting was Mayor Making and since then the Mayor and Mayoress had attended over 70 engagements. The Deputy Mayor and Past Mayors represent the Mayor and Mayoress when they  are unable to attend and they were grateful for their support.

Recent events had included the Community Lunch organised by the Asian Welfare and Cultural Association where 500 free meals were served.  The Mayor also officially relaunched The Point’s café which was now being run by the excellent catering company, The Beetroot Group.

The Mayor and Mayoress enjoyed the Festival of Remembrance organised by the Eastleigh, Chandler’s Ford and District Branch of the Royal British Legion at the Point and, over the past two weeks he had attended Remembrance Services in Eastleigh, Netley and West End. The services were very poignant, especially with current events around the world. The Mayor was represented at services around the Borough and in Eastleigh’s twin towns in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges and Kornwestheim by the Deputy Mayor and most recent former Mayor, and he thanked them both for ensuring Eastleigh Borough was represented at those ceremonies

The Mayors charity appeal beneficiary was Eastleigh Citizens Advice. They had been supporting residents for over 80 years and were needed more than ever as we continue to see increases in our cost of living. They were available for a wide range of advice, including support with benefit claims and debt advice.

A charity night had been organised in aid of the Mayors charity appeal and local band ‘The Burns Unit’ would be performing at the Railway Institute on 8 December. The Mayor encouraged people to come along to see the band and support Eastleigh Citizens Advice.

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

RESOLVED -

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 May 2023 be agreed as a correct record.

The Leader gave his report (copy appended to minutes).

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Legal Services and Data Protection Officer.

RESOLVED –

That Council adopts the Statement of Licensing Policy for the period 2024 to 2029 to commence from 1 January 2024.

Consideration was given to the report of the Service Director – Governance and Support (Monitoring Officer).

Councillor House, moved the following amendment, seconded by Councillor Corben:

Article 10 – page 29

f) At its meeting on 27 November 2023, Council approved the creation of a ‘Joint Area Committee’ to determine planning applications that the Service Director – Planning and Environment in consultation with the Leader of the Council or by email request of a majority of councillors, considers to be of Borough-Wide significance. The relevant Local Area Committee will be consulted on the proposal and their comments reported to the Joint Area Committee.

The Joint Area Committee will be politically proportionate, and membership will be made up of the five Local Area Committee Chairs, the Chair of Horton Heath Development Management Committee and 5 others to achieve proportionality, but exclude other Cabinet members. The Chair of this Committee will be appointed annually and will not be a Local Area Committee Chair

Part 4 Page 93

Planning Applications

f) The following categories of development applications shall remain for determination by the Joint Area Committee*:

i.  Development constituting a substantial departure from any approved statutory or non-statutory plan where the Local Area Committee wishes to take a decision contrary to the recommendation of the Service Director- Planning and Environment or Planning Manager.

ii.  Development which has a Borough-wide significance or impact or is likely to cause wide public interest beyond the boundary of the Borough where the Local Area Committee wishes to take a decision contrary to the recommendation of the Service Director - Planning and Environment or Planning Manager.

iii.   Development referred by email request of a majority of Councillors

*the Service Director - Planning and Environment in liaison with the Leader of the Council will determine as soon as possible after the receipt of an application if a development is likely to have Borough-wide significance or impact and it likely to cause wide public interest and if (ii) will apply be determined this way by (i) or (ii).

The amendment was voted on and carried.

RESOLVED –

That Council approved the proposed amendments to the Constitution as set out in appendix 1 of the report and amended as above.

RESOLVED –

That the following appointments be made, effective immediately:

(1) That Councillor Derek Pretty be appointed to the Audit and Resources Committee

(2) That Councillors Attrill, Couldrey, O’Sullivan, Pretty and Reynolds be appointed to the newly formed Joint Area Committee (JAC) along with all five Local Area Committee Chairs (LAC) and the Chair of the Horton Heath Development Management Committee

(3)  That  Councillor Derek Pretty be appointed as Chair of the JAC

(4) That Councillor Jane O’Sullivan be appointed as Vice Chair of the JAC

Consideration was given to the report of the Service Director – Governance and Support (Monitoring Officer).

RESOLVED –

(1)  approved the appended Modern Slavery Statement for 2022/23; and

(2)  agreed that a signed copy is displayed on the Council's website and Home Office Modern Slavery Statement Registry.

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of HR which outlined the Local Pay Policy.

RESOLVED –

That Council formally confirmed its acceptance of the attached Pay Policy Statement which is in compliance with the Council’s obligation under Section 38 of the Localism Act 2011. This Pay Policy Statement will then be updated on the Council’s website for easy public access at any time.

Councillor Bicknell updated the meeting that since his statement had been published residents had moved into Babbington House and two families had moved into houses that the Council had purchased as part of the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF).

Councillor Craig gave an update on the Afghan Evacuee response (copy appended to minutes).

RESOLVED –

That the Cabinet Statements, as set out in the agenda pack, be noted.

Councillor Jarvis moved the following motion, seconded by Councillor Gomer:

To consider the following motion proposed by Councillor Liz Jarvis, and seconded by Councillor Richard Gomer:

Council notes that:

a)  at least 1.3 million disposable vapes end up in landfill in the UK every week, posing a significant risk to the environment;

b)  disposable vapes create a fire hazard for waste and litter collection services, and hazardous litter in our countryside, with some entering our waterways, placing our precious wildlife at risk;

c)  according to the RSPCA single-use vapes pose significant and potentially devastating risks to animals both domesticated and wild;

d)  disposable vapes are designed as one unit with a lithium ion battery, which cannot be separated from its plastic, making them difficult to recycle; and that

e)  in May 2023, data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) showed there had been a 50 per cent rise in the proportion of children trying vaping in Great Britain in the last year, with disposable vapes the vape of choice for children currently vaping.

Council agrees that:

f)  Council is not anti-vaping, which has been shown to be less harmful than smoking and has a place as a tool to use in smoking cessation; but that

g)  the Government should be doing all it can to discourage children from vaping, including age warnings on packets, an end to toy-like advertising targeted at children, and a ban on the sale of single-use vapes and free samples.

Council resolves to:

h)  write to the Secretary of State for Health supporting an immediate ban on the sale of single-use vapes and free samples, and to implement mandatory age-of-sale signage on vaping products with sanctions for breaching these rules as per under tobacco display regulations; and to

i)  investigate the potential to introduce proper collection points for disposable vapes.

RESOLVED –

That the motion be approved.

Councillor Jarvis, seconded by Councillor Dedhia, moved the following motion:

Council notes:

a)  Our gratitude to the dentists, doctors and staff across Eastleigh who continue to strive to provide the best possible dental care for patients despite the pressures of working in a dysfunctional target-driven system;

b)  access to NHS dentist appointments is limited for children and adults across Hampshire, which is creating additional pressures in other parts of the health service, particularly urgent and emergency care and primary care*;

c)  Eastleigh, similarly to the rest of the country, is facing an acute NHS dental crisis;

d)  there are particular concerns by the impact of a lack of dental care for children and the impact this can have on the rest of their lives, with tooth decay still the number one reason for hospital admissions among young children (aged five and over);

e)  according to the British Dental Association, Government spend on general dental practice in England has been cut by about a third in the last decade in real terms;

f)  in July the Health and Social Care Committee concluded its inquiry into NHS dentistry, describing the state of the service as unacceptable in the 21^st century, and set out recommendations to Government for real urgent reform**; and that

g)  the Government’s response to the inquiry has been overdue since 14 September 2023.

Council agrees that:

h)  the Government should implement an emergency rescue plan for NHS dentistry, including spending any funding that has gone unspent in recent years to boost the number of appointments as well as the removal of VAT on children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Council resolves to:

i)  write to the Secretary of State of Health outlining concerns over local provision and access to services, outlining urgent reforms which need to take place, including boosting spending, reforming commissioning to tackle the twin crises of access and affordability, recognising overseas dentistry qualifications, implementing an urgent programme to recruit and retain more NHS dentists, and to undertake a wholesale reform of NHS dental contracts to make it more financially sustainable and better structured for dental practices to remain in the NHS system; and

j)  seek the backing of Eastleigh’s Members of Parliament for these actions.

*Source: According to research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats from the House of Commons library, 48.7% of children in Hampshire have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the year to June 2023. Over 62% of adults in Hampshire have not been seen by an NHS dentist in the past two years.

**Source: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmhealth/964/report.html

RESOLVED –

That the motion be approved.

Councillor Tidridge, seconded by Councillor Parker-Jones, moved the following motion:

This council will commission an independent review of the One Horton Heath Development project.

RESOLVED –

That the motion be lost.

There were Councillors questions as set out in the Agenda, and supplementary questions were answered by the Leader and relevant Cabinet Members.  Councillor Parker-Jones will receive an email response to questions 1, 4 and 5 in her absence.

RESOLVED -

That the Minutes of the following meetings be received: