Hampshire County Council County Council Meeting

Apologies were received from Councillors Nick Adams-King, Prad Bains, Tonia Craig, Barry Dunning, Dominic Hiscock, Andrew Joy, Rupert Kyrle, Kirsty North, Phil North, Tanya Park, Patricia Stallard, Elaine Still and Jacky Tustain, Rhydian Vaughan and from Honorary Alderman Phrynette Dickens.

All Members who believe they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting must declare that interest and, having regard to Part 3 Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members’ Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore, all Members with a Personal Interest in a matter being considered at the meeting should consider, having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 4 of the Code, whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, consider whether it is appropriate to leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

The Minutes of the County Council Meeting held on 4 November 2021 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.  There were no matters arising.

There were no deputations on this occasion.

The Chairman reported that since the last Council meeting, he had attended some functions including the annual dinner at the Beaulieu Estate of Lord Montague and that the County Council had held its Remembrance Day Service on 11 November 2021.

On 10 February, the County Council was delighted to be able to support the Licoricia Trust to celebrate the unveiling of the statue of Licoricia, a medieval Jewish businesswoman, and her son, Asher following 5 years of fundraising by the Licoricia Trust. The statue is sited on County Council land outside The Arc (formerly the Discovery Centre) in Winchester.  The Trust had also invited HRH Prince of Wales to unveil the statue, however he was unfortunately unable to attend due to contracting Covid therefore the Lord Lieutenant for Hampshire stepped in.  The unveiling was attended by many senior representatives of all parts of the Jewish faith, including the Chief Rabbi, along with representatives from six other major faiths.  For Hampshire, it was a wonderful way to mark the beginning of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, with a truly inspirational event celebrating religious tolerance, inclusion, equality and diversity and the role of women and mothers in our society.   The Chairman thanked the many County Council staff and partner organisations such as the Hampshire Cultural Trust, the Police and Winchester City Council, who worked, with very short notice, to make the event such a success.  It was hoped that the HRH Prince of Wales would be able to visit at a future date.

It was with pleasure that the Chairman announced that two of Hampshire County Council’s most recently completed new primary school buildings had received national awards for their designs.  Firstly, Stoneham Park Primary School has been recognised for its quality, innovation, and sustainability as the national Winner of LABC Building Excellence Award 2021: Best Public or Community Building, and secondly, Barton Farm Primary School was a Winner in the 2022 Civic Trust Awards. The Civic Trust Awards are for the very best in architecture and environmental design, to improve the built environment through design, sustainability, inclusiveness, and accessibility. This project has been recognised by the Civic Trust as one that also offers a positive cultural, social, and environmental benefit to its local community. Both projects were successfully delivered on time, on budget and to a very high standard despite the numerous challenges because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Chairman also announced that the Royal Victoria Country Park had successfully achieved the 'Investing in Volunteers Award' in recognition of good practice in volunteer management.  The country park benefits from the support of many dedicated volunteers who help keep the park maintained and help visitors to learn more about the history of the site.

It was with pleasure that Chairman announced that Kate Steels, liaison officer between the County Council and the Armed Forces, had just been named as the 2021 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year.  Kate had achieved the Ice Sevens that required her to complete seven different Ice Miles at below 5 degrees centigrade in Europe, Oceania, Asia, North America, Africa, South America, and a Polar location. This included a zero-ice mile swam at below 1 degreecentigrade. Kate had also been inducted into the International Ice Swimming Association Hall of Fame and raised money for suicide prevention. 

It was with much sadness that the Chairman reported that former County Councillor Chris Curtis had passed away.  Chris represented the Kingsclere & Tadley Division from 1981 to 1989 and was Leader of the Liberal Group, later the Alliance Group throughout that time.  Councillors Peter Chegwyn, Adrian Collett and Derek Mellor paid tribute and Councillor Mellor gave thanks to Chris for the tremendous work he had done for the people of Tadley and Baughurst.  The Council observed a moments silence as a mark of respect.

The Leader opened his report by reflecting on the latest position with Covid, with the focus moving more towards it being the responsibility of individuals to prevent the spread of the virus. Whilst the County Council continues to do everything possible to keep Hampshire safe, the Leader highlighted the importance of taking personal responsibility to follow the preventative principles.

Protecting and caring for vulnerable children remained a priority, and the Leader was pleased to report that the County Council had awarded grants totalling £398,979 to local organisations that are providing free activities and a meal to lower income children during the forthcoming half-term break.  He was also pleased to report that the County Council had agreed to maintain contract payments for community transport operators at 100% from 1 April 2022 through to 31 March 2023, to assist transport operators in the recovery and operation of their vital services and to support them to maintain service levels while they experience lower than usual passenger numbers as user confidence rebuilds.

The Leader reported that from 27 January, the Government had returned to Plan A measures, and further information was awaited on their ‘strategy for living with Covid’.  Meanwhile Members and Officers were making a gradual return to the office and embracing the hybrid approach to working.

The County Council welcomed the recent publication of the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper, which contained the long-awaited details of a new devolution framework, alongside details of the wider role of local government in the levelling up agenda.  Whilst it was disappointing that Hampshire had not been selected as one of the pilot areas for a county deal, the County Council remained committed to their ambition of bringing more power to the people and places of Hampshire.  The work undertaken to date with partners had built a firm foundation from which plans for a county deal would continue to be developed in line with the White Paper, before putting them forward to members of the public and stakeholders for their views.  The Leader also confirmed that a Pan-Hampshire County Deal was also being explored.  Positive conversations with neighbouring authorities including Surrey County Council were underway on the potential for a wider Economic Prosperity Board, which would complement any County Deal and enhance economic development and regeneration opportunities post-Covid.

The Leader reported that Cabinet had been able to recommend prudent plans to balance the budget, which would be considered later in the meeting. This had been a challenging task given annual funding shortfalls and the major new budget pressures that had emerged due to the financial impact of Covid and the growth in the cost of adult social care. It was particularly disappointing that the Government had limited the amount that could be raised via the adult social care precept, which has been reduced from a 2% increase in council tax, down to 1% resulting in approximately a £7m loss for the County Council.  The Leader emphasised he would continue to press MPs and Ministers on the severity of the financial position and to make the point that without a long-term sustainable funding solution to the growth in social care costs, the County Council was simply not financially sustainable in the longer-term. Whilst the County Council was in a better position than many councils due to careful financial planning and was capable of dealing with some pressure, a resolution from national government was nonetheless needed urgently.

The Leader reported that he was delighted to mark the start of the County Council’s Platinum Jubilee year celebrations last Thursday with the unveiling of a new life-sized bronze statue - ‘Licoricia of Winchester’ – outside the Arc, as the Chairman referred to in his announcements.  The Platinum Jubilee presents a remarkable opportunity to not only celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s 70 years of dedicated public service, but to also come together again as a community. A wide range of events and activities to help Hampshire residents commemorate and celebrate were being planned, including a special Queen’s Platinum Jubilee concert with performances from the Hampshire Music Service.

The Leader had been pleased to approve proposals for a £0.5 million initiative to create a living, environmental legacy in recognition of the Jubilee. The aim is to help schools, organisations, communities, and individuals to plant thousands of trees across Hampshire, which will contribute towards the Queen’s Green Canopy project, and further the County Council’s own environmental ambitions for tree planting.  The Leader encouraged all Members to support this project.

Lastly, the Leader was delighted that Hampshire County Council is backing Southampton City Council’s bid for the UK City of Culture in 2025.  The opportunity of becoming the UK City of Culture 2025 would not only bring millions of pounds worth of investment but would create jobs and attract thousands of visitors to the city and the wider Hampshire area. The final bid was submitted earlier this month, and the Government will announce the winner of the prestigious title in the spring.

Executive Members responded to questions submitted in accordance with Standing Order 16.1.1 as published.

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive seeking approval of several appointments, as proposed by the Leader.

RESOLVED:

That the County Council:

a)        Approves the appointment set out in paragraph 1 of the Report.

b)        Approves the recommendations of the sub-committee of the Conduct Advisory Panel, as detailed in section 2 of the Report, and that Julia Abbott, David Heck, Martin James, Pinky Kwok, and Rosemary Lynch be appointed as the County Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel for a four-year term of office commencing on 1 March 2022, expiring on 28 February 2025.

The Council considered a report of Cabinet providing an update on the Pan- Hampshire County Deal.

In presenting the report, the Leader firstly referred to the Covid update received by Cabinet at their meeting on 8 February (attached as Appendix 1b to the Council report) and the work that had been carried out by the Director of Public Health, which had been first class.

In referring to the Government’s White Paper on Levelling Up, the Leader expressed disappointment, as he had done so in his earlier report, that the County Council had not been one of the Councils chosen for the first wave of pilots.  Members noted that no South-East Councils had been included in the first wave.  However, he remained confident that the work carried out thus far, which had been highly commended by the Government, put the County Council in a strong position going forward.  The Leader drew Members’ attention to the Statement of Common Ground, detailed in Appendix 3 to the report, and referred to the continuing work and direction of travel of a Pan-Hampshire County Deal and aligned devolution opportunities potentially beyond the Pan-Hampshire geography involving bordering areas.

During the ensuing discussion, Members expressed general support for the proposals and the opportunities it offered; highlighted the importance of full Member engagement going forward and welcomed the economic data that was available.  Some concern was raised about the level of resource being spent without any certainty of securing a deal, however the point was made that this work was running in parallel with work already being done in such areas as Regeneration Boards.

RESOLVED:

That the County Council:

a)      Notes the opportunities that were set out in the “Levelling Up the United Kingdom” White Paper.

b)      Endorses the continuing work and direction of travel of a Pan-Hampshire County Deal and aligned devolution opportunities potentially beyond the Pan-Hampshire geography involving bordering areas, as set out in the Cabinet report of 8 February 2022 Learning to live with Covid-19 and working towards Economic Recovery in line with the White Paper.

c)      Endorses the continued work and direction of travel for a Hampshire County Deal, to include the Unitary Authorities should they wish. In addition, that the County Council will continue the work that has been carried out towards the creation of an Economic Prosperity Board which will ideally include Surrey and the Unitary Authorities.

The Council considered the Revenue Budget and Precept for 2022/23 and the Capital Programme for the period 2022/23 to 2024/25. 

In presenting the report, the Leader highlighted the County Council’s approach of having a two-year budgeting process and referred to the savings proposals considered at the Council last November, which had been adjusted in line with the annual finance settlement from Government last December.  The County Council had received a lower settlement than expected due to the lower Social Care Precept and it was therefore important that money raised through the Government’s National Insurance initiative was targeted away from the NHS to Adult Social Care to ease the pressure on these services.  The Leader also highlighted that funding for schools had exceeded £1bn.

In turning the to the Capital Programme of just over £0.75bn for the three-year period, the Leader referred to the schools building programme and the use of reserves to support projects.  He also referred to the Government’s encouragement to Pension Funds to invest locally in infrastructure, which he had discussed with the Chairman of the Hampshire Pension Fund Panel and Board.

In commending the revenue budget proposals Councillor Steve Forster, Executive Member for Commercial Strategy, Estates and Property referred to the setting of a balanced budget against the backdrop of increased adult social care costs, Covid, and associated recovery costs, which demonstrated good management and robust use of reserves.  The Executive Member referred to the funding for schools, including new schools, recycling facilities, roads and bridges and supporting younger adults.  He acknowledged the extensive lobbying of Government by the Administration regarding the County Council’s financial position.  He also reported that the County Council acknowledged the increased cost of living together with energy and fuel cost pressures and referred to the Council Tax rebate for Bands A-D announced by the Government.  Lastly, the Executive Member drew attention to how the Capital Programme could help to generate income towards the £157m funding gap.

The Group Leaders responded to the proposals and recognised the challenges that the County Council faced. They expressed reservations about the County Council’s financial position going forward, which was considered to be unsustainable, questioned whether the lobbying of Government had been successful and felt this needed to be stepped up, and referred to the overall pressures on residents and the impact that was having.  Some concern was also expressed about the impact on senior office time regarding the County Deal work.

Councillor Alex Crawford proposed the following Amendment, which was seconded by Councillor Kim Taylor:

“To insert an additional recommendation for the Revenue Budget & Precept 2022/23 as follows:

n)    That the Leader of the Council be asked to prepare a submission for the County Council to make to the Government (DLUHC) and Hampshire MPs setting out the minimum extra funding that the County Council will need for its finances to be sustainable over the next four years.”

No further Amendments were proposed.

During a full debate, Members expressed both support and concerns about the proposals before them.  Concern was expressed about support to the Voluntary Sector, and in general terms, highlighting the importance of ensuring residents were made aware of all that the County Council was doing regarding its financial future to secure a fair funding position.  Views were also expressed that more support was required of Hampshire’s MPs.

In responding to the wide-ranging debate, the Leader highlighted that the budget had been prepared in the shadow of Covid and that the economic situation continues to be challenging.  Nonetheless, the County Council was required to set a balanced budget which meant doing the best it could with the available funding and making difficult decisions when it was necessary to do so.  The County Council would continue to use its reserves wisely to make savings in the longer term.   Regarding the proposed Amendment, the Leader reported that progress was being made in the discussions with Government and MPs, therefore his view was that the Amendment was not necessary.  Finally, the Leader commented that the work carried out on the County Deal put the County Council in a good position to have the opportunity of more devolved power and more control of funding in the future.

The Leader commended the budget proposals to the Council and moved the recommendations.

The Amendment was put to the vote in accordance with Standing Order 22.2, the outcome of which was recorded as follows:

FOR (16)

Councillors: Peter Chegwyn, Adrian Collett, Mark Cooper, Alex Crawford, Alan Dowden, Tim Groves, David Harrison, Keith House, Wayne Irish, Gavin James, Louise Parker-Jones, Jackie Porter, Roger Price, Kim Taylor, Martin Tod and Malcolm Wade.

AGAINST (47)

Councillors: Lulu Bowerman, Jackie Branson, Ann Briggs, Steven Broomfield, Pamela Bryant, Graham Burgess, Fran Carpenter, Roz Chadd, Rod Cooper, Debbie Curnow-Ford, Tim Davies, Chris Donnelly, David Drew, Liz Fairhurst, Michael Ford, Steve Forster, Jonathan Glen, Marge Harvey, Pal Hayre, Juliet Henderson, Edward Heron, Zoe Huggins, Gary Hughes, Rob Humby, Adam Jackman, Mark Kemp-Gee, Peter Latham, Hugh Lumby, Keith Mans, Alexis McEvoy, Lesley Meenaghan, Derek Mellor, Rob Mocatta, Arun Mummalaneni, Russell Oppenheimer, Sarah Pankhurst, Stephen Parker, Neville Penman, Stephen Philpott, Lance Quantrill, Stephen Reid, Tom Thacker, Michael Thierry, Andy Tree, Jan Warwick, Bill Withers and Seán Woodward.

ABSTAIN (1)

Councillor Melville Kendal.

The Amendment was lost.

The substantive Revenue Budget recommendations a) to m) were put to the vote in accordance with Standing Order 22.2, the outcome of which was recorded as follows:

FOR (46)

Councillors: Lulu Bowerman, Jackie Branson, Ann Briggs, Steven Broomfield, Pamela Bryant, Graham Burgess, Fran Carpenter, Roz Chadd, Rod Cooper, Debbie Curnow-Ford, Tim Davies, Chris Donnelly, David Drew, Liz Fairhurst, Michael Ford, Steve Forster, Jonathan Glen, Marge Harvey, Pal Hayre, Juliet Henderson, Edward Heron, Zoe Huggins, Gary Hughes, Rob Humby, Adam Jackman, Mark Kemp-Gee, Peter Latham, Hugh Lumby, Keith Mans, Alexis McEvoy, Lesley Meenaghan, Derek Mellor, Rob Mocatta, Arun Mummalaneni, Russell Oppenheimer, Sarah Pankhurst, Stephen Parker, Neville Penman, Stephen Philpott, Lance Quantrill, Stephen Reid, Tom Thacker, Michael Thierry, Jan Warwick, Bill Withers and Seán Woodward.

AGAINST (16)

Councillors: Peter Chegwyn, Adrian Collett, Mark Cooper, Alex Crawford, Alan Dowden, Tim Groves, David Harrison, Keith House, Wayne Irish, Gavin James, Louise Parker-Jones, Jackie Porter, Roger Price, Kim Taylor, Martin Tod and Malcolm Wade.

ABSTAIN (2)

Councillor Melvyn Kendal and Andy Tree.

The Capital Programme recommendations n) to p) were put to the vote and carried unanimously.

RESOLVED:

A.        Revenue Budget and Precept 2022/23

That the County Council approve:

a)        The Treasurer’s report under Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 (Appendix 6) be taken into account when the Council determines the budget and precept for 2022/23.

b)      The Revised Budget for 2021/22 set out in Appendix 1 of the Cabinet report.

c)      The Revenue Budget for 2022/23 set out in Annex 1 of this Part I report.

d)      Revenue funding of £3.783m in 2022/23 to progress the Strategic Land Programme, together with the ongoing commitment in future years as set out in paragraph 60 of the Cabinet report.

e)      Revenue funding of £0.5m in 2022/23 to develop highways schemes for grant bidding purposes, to be met from savings in contingencies in 2021/22.

f)       Recurring revenue funding of £388,000 per annum to cover the cost of unavoidable SharePoint licence costs

g)      That the council tax requirement for the County Council for the year beginning 1 April 2022, be £738,072,349.

h)      That the County Council’s band D council tax for the year beginning 1 April 2022 be £1,390.86, an increase of 2.99%, of which 1% is specifically for adults’ social care.

i)       That the County Council’s council tax for the year beginning 1 April 2022 for properties in each tax band be:

      £

Band A                                                  927.24

Band B                                               1,081.78

Band C                                               1,236.32

Band D                                               1,390.86

Band E                                               1,699.94

Band F                                               2,009.02

Band G                                               2,318.10

Band H                                               2,781.72

j)        That precepts be issued totalling £738,072,349 on the billing authorities in Hampshire, requiring the payment in such instalments and on such date set by them previously notified to the County Council, in proportion to the tax base of each billing authority’s area as determined by them and as set out below:

Tax base

Basingstoke and Deane                 67,823.40

East Hampshire                               51,908.73

Eastleigh                                           48,373.35

Fareham                                            44,002.60

Gosport                                              27,154.20

Hart                                                     41,815.86

Havant                                               41,771.36

New Forest                                        72,122.10

Rushmoor                                         32,795.29

Test Valley                                        51,338.00

Winchester                                        51,554.09

k)      The Capital & Investment Strategy for 2022/23 (and the remainder of 2021/22) as set out in Appendix 7 of the Cabinet report.

l)       The Treasury Management Strategy for 2022/23 (and the remainder of 2021/22) as set out in Appendix 8 of the Cabinet report.

m)     Delegated authority to the Director of Corporate Operations to manage the County Council’s investments and borrowing according to the Treasury Management Strategy Statement as appropriate.

B.      Capital Programme 2022/23 to 2024/25

That the County Council approve:

n)      The Capital Programme for 2022/23 and the provisional programmes for 2023/24 and 2024/25 as set out in Appendix 1 of the Cabinet report.

o)      The increase in the capital programme value of the Stubbington Bypass scheme of £2.701m from £39.295m to £41.996m with the increase to be funded by a mix of Section 106 contributions, CAVAT funds, savings from Eclipse Busway scheme and Local Transport Plan funding (LTP) as set out in paragraph 72 of the Cabinet report.

p)      The increase in the capital programme value of the Lynchford Road improvement scheme phase 1 of £2.91m from £7.97m to £10.88m with the increase to be funded by a mix of S106 contributions and LTP funding as set out in paragraph 73 of the Cabinet report.

The Council considered a report of the Employment in Hampshire County Council (EHCC) Committee, as presented by Councillor Stephen Reid in his capacity as Chairman of the EHCC Committee, seeking approval of the County Council’s Pay Statement for the financial year 2022/23 as set out in the Report and Appendix A to the Annex.  Councillor Reid reported that the County Council is required to prepare and publish its Pay Statement on an annual basis and commended the draft Pay Statement to the Council.

RESOLVED:

That the County Council approve the Pay Statement for 2022/23 as detailed in the report to the Employment in Hampshire County Council Committee (Annex and Appendix A to this Report), and agrees that EHCC Committee remains the appropriate Committee to agree Chief Officer remuneration for Chief Officers above Grade K, including individual salary offers in respect of any new Chief Officer appointments, any changes to Chief Officer salaries after appointment and any severance packages for Chief Officers leaving the County Council, in accordance with the Pay Statement.

The Council considered the report of the Employment in Hampshire County Council (EHCC) Committee seeking approval of an amendment to the Members’ Allowance Scheme for 2021/22 and setting a Members’ Allowances Scheme for 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26, as presented by Councillor Stephen Reid.

Councillor Crawford noted that the Opposition Leader formula used to determine whether a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) be paid was adopted some time ago and requested that this be reviewed.  Councillor Reid suggested that Councillor Crawford write to him with supporting information with a view to it being considered by the Independent Remuneration Panel.

RESOLVED:

That the County Council, taking into account the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel, approves:

a)        An SRA of £4,645 per annum (25% of an Executive Member SRA) be payable to the Assistant to the Executive – Adult Services and Public Health from the date of appointment to this role (13 July 2021) and reviewed again in 12 months’ time.

b)      An SRA of £4,645 per annum (25% of the SRA for an Executive Member) be payable to the Assistant to the Executive – Children’s Services from the date of appointment to this role (13 July 2021) and reviewed again in 12 months’ time.

c)      That the list of approved duties for the purposes of payment of travelling and other relevant expenses should include the role of Assistant to the Executive.

d)      An SRA of £3,097 per annum (25% of the SRA for a Select Committee Chairman) be payable to the Chairman of the River Hamble Harbour Board from the date of appointment to this role (County Council AGM on 27 May 2021) and reviewed again in 12 months’ time.

e)      That the present formula for calculation of an SRA to the Leader of a Minority Political Group on the County Council when a Minority Political Group comprises four or more Members should remain.

f)       A Members’ Allowances Scheme for the years 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26, whereby Basic Allowances and Special Responsibility Allowances payable to Members are adjusted from 1 April 2022, and thereafter annually, in line with the Pay Award (if any) for Senior Managers at Grade H.

The Council considered the report of the Audit Committee recommending that the County Council accepts the invitation to opt-in to Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA) national scheme for the appointment of external auditors for Hampshire County Council (including the Hampshire Pension Fund) for the five-year period from April 2023.

RESOLVED:

That the County Council accepts the invitation to opt-in to Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA) national scheme for the appointment of external auditors for Hampshire County Council (including the Hampshire Pension Fund) for the five-year period from April 2023, noting that the decision to opt-in will be taken before contract prices are known.

-       Regulation 11 (Key Decision)

-       Events Celebrating Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee