Hampshire County Council Cabinet Meeting

Apologies were noted from Councillor Lulu Bowerman, Executive Member for Highways and Waste. Apologies were also received from standing observers Councillor Jonathan Glen, Chairman of Hampshire 2050 Corporate Services and Resources Select Committee, and Councillor Rob Mocatta, Chairman of Universal Services Select Committee.  

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Personal interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

The minutes of the last meeting held on 14 October 2024 were reviewed and agreed.

The Chairman made the following announcements:

• The National Budget Announcement and Spending Review had been of limited benefit to local authorities, although there were positives with levelling up funding for regeneration projects in Andover and Gosport confirmed and freeports to be retained
• Positive discussions were continuing locally regarding a possible devolution deal
• He had attended the County Council’s Network Conference which provided opportunities to learn from other councils
• The Chairman of the Council had laid a wreath on Remembrance Day on behalf of the County Council as a symbol of our respect and gratitude to Hampshire’s Armed Forces
• The Deputy Leader had attended the Local Government Association Conference
• The Leader highlighted the excellent and important work of the Hampshire Improvement and Advisory Service (HIAS) Special Education Needs (SEN) and inclusion team, embedding a consistent standard of provision in all schools across the county for children to access without needing to have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
• The Leader highlighted that the last 12 months had seen above average rainfall with significant flooding affecting communities in Hampshire. A ‘Community Toolkit’ had been developed by the County Council to support individuals and communities to understand flood risk and make themselves more resilient
• At the Executive Member for Hampshire 2050 and Corporate Services Decision Day in October the Leader had taken a decision approving a Rail Station Interchange Improvement Plan, to assess all 48 rail stations in Hampshire to help prioritise investment. This Plan was the first of its kind at a county level and had been developed in partnership with South Western Railway and other stakeholders
• The Hampshire Cultural Trust celebrated it’s 10^th Anniversary on 7 November 2024 with an event at Milestones Museum in Basingstoke
• A meeting of the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens Trust Board would be taking place on 25 November 2024 which the Leader would be attending, and he highlighted the ‘Light up Trails’ event running at the Gardens from 28 November to 1 January

There were no deputations on this occasion.

Cabinet received an update report of the Director of Hampshire 2050 on the updated Economic Strategy and the work of the Hampshire Prosperity Partnership Board and regional working proposals, including the submission of an expression of interest to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for a potential Hampshire and Solent devolution deal.

It was noted that powers had transferred from Local Enterprise Partnerships to the Local Authority on the first of April 2024 including the duty to prepare an Economic Strategy. The existing strategy had been refreshed and focused on sustainable growth.

Following questions Cabinet heard that a devolution deal presented opportunities for devolved powers over transport and adult education decisions and investment that would enable better linkages between training providers and the skills needed by local businesses.

The recommendations in the report were considered and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

Cabinet received a report of the Chief Finance Officer and Director of Corporate Operations providing an update on the financial forecasts for the next two financial years, taking into account the latest information from the in-year monitoring and the impact of the 30 October budget announcement for 2025/26 budget setting.

It was highlighted that in November 2023 the budget gap in April 2025 had been predicted to be £132 million, however following increasing pressures this gap had increased to £182 million. Savings had been agreed under the Savings Programme 2025, however a budget gap of £116 million remained. Sufficient reserves were not available to cover the gap in 2025/26 and it was reported that a further £24.3m of savings were therefore required to balance the budget, which were expected to be delivered through SP25 Phase 2. It was noted that a government spokesperson had recently ruled out any change to the amount Council Tax could be raised by before requiring a referendum. The Council could consider seeking Exceptional Financial Support from the Government in the form of an above referendum level council tax increase and failing that, could pursue a Council Tax Referendum in order to enable higher Council Tax to be charged to help meet the budget gap.

Following questions Cabinet heard that another option available was a capitalisation direction. However, the Chief Finance Officer pointed out that while a capitalisation direction would potentially meet the budget gap for one year, it would mean taking on borrowing that would need paying back over a long period, and an equivalent or larger budget gap would remain the following year.

As part of the discussion Cabinet received comments from non executive member Councillor Wallace who encouraged further lobbying of local MPs and central government to find a long term solution to local government finance, and non executive member Councillor Latham regarding the Manydown project that would eventually provide a return on investment for the Council. 

The recommendations in the report were considered and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

Cabinet received a report of the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Corporate Operations providing an update on the financial position for 2024/25. It was noted that regarding confidence in the delivery of SP25 phase 1 savings 63% were rated amber, however this was not unusual at this point in the year.

The recommendations in the report were considered and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

Cabinet received a report of the Director of Public Health regarding the Strategic Partnership between Hampshire County Council (HCC) and Isle of Wight Council (IWC) for the provision of Public Health leadership. It was proposed not to renew the arrangement when the current agreement expires at the end of August 2025 and to expedite an exit from the Partnership in line with the agreement, identifying the appropriate timescales and no later than the end of the current term. It was noted that a report had also been taken to the Isle of Wight Council the previous evening and the recommendations approved.

The recommendations in the report were considered and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

Cabinet received a report of the Director of Public Health providing an update on progress made since Hampshire County Council’s Public Health Strategy 2023- 2026 was agreed by Cabinet in June 2023. The Director highlighted examples of successful delivery of the strategy including working across the County Council services and with partners to enable ‘healthy places’, improving access to drug and alcohol treatment services and supporting uptake of vaccinations.

The recommendations in the report were considered and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

Cabinet received a report of the Director of Adults Health and Care providing an update on the progress made by Adults’ Health and Care to deliver its Vision and refreshed five-year Strategic Plan following it’s approval by Cabinet in October 2023. It was noted that good performance had been achieved within a challenging context. There had been a focus on maximising wellbeing to avoid demand for statutory services.

The importance of supporting unpaid carers was discussed. The Executive Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health highlighted the difference services made to individuals lives including the provision of extra care and supporting younger disabled adults to live independently. 

The recommendations in the report were considered and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

Cabinet received a report of the Director of People and Organisation regarding updates made to the Corporate Risk Management Strategy 2022-25 since the last report to Cabinet in October 2023.

It was noted that this included the proposed introduction of risk appetite statements for use by the County Council as a guide to support Chief Officers and the Council with recommendations and decision making. It was discussed that the risk appetite statements would enable the Council to take considered calculated risks in some areas.   

Organisational changes were also noted that brought all risk and resilience focused functions together under the responsibility of a new Head of Organisational Resilience from October 2024. This supported the provision of assurance regarding compliance with organisational controls. 

The recommendations in the report were considered and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

RESOLVED:

That the public be excluded from the meeting during the following item of business, as it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during this item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within Paragraphs 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, and further that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons set out in the exempt report.

Cabinet received an exempt report of the Director of People and Organisation regarding the key strategic corporate risks to the County Council that are held and monitored through the central corporate Risk Register system.

The recommendations in the report were considered and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.