Hampshire County Council County Council Meeting

Apologies were received from Councillors Ann Briggs, Graham Burgess, David Drew, David Harrison, Wayne Irish, Melville Kendal, Hugh Lumby, Rob Mocatta, Tanya Park and Jacky Tustain, and from Honorary Aldermen Patricia Banks, Criss Connor and Marilyn Tucker.

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 Non-Pecuniary 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 Chairman reminded Members that a general dispensation was in place that enables Members to participate in and vote on County Council business relating to the setting of Council Tax and Precepts.

The Minutes of the County Council Meeting held on 24 November 2022 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

There were no deputations.

The Chairman opened her announcements by highlighting a number of awards and accolades the County Council had received:

·         Clare Hobbs, Manager of Wessex Dance Academy has been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to young people in the County.

·         Apprenticeship/Diploma successes in Adults’ Health and Care Directorate - Chelsie Grey, Sarah Baines, Nichola Stott Nash, Tess Kirby, Tiffany Jones, Samantha Goodall, Natalie Oldfield,Laur (Albertino) Tincu and Georgina Flint.

The Chairman reminded Members about her Chairman’s Concert on Friday 28 April in the Great Hall, Winchester for an evening of music from the talented musicians at Hampshire Music Service.

It was with much sadness that the Chairman reported the passing of Honorary Aldermen Patricia Devereux, Peter Kent Mason, Alan Rice and former County Councillor Ray Bolton.

Patricia Devereux represented the Farnborough South division from 1997 to 2009; Peter Kent Mason represented the Bishops Waltham division from 2001 to 2013; Alan Rice represented Milford, Hordle from 1973 and later New Milton North Division until 2017 and Ray Bolton represented the Emsworth and St Faiths division from 2009 to 2021.

The Leader and Councillors Bowerman, Branson, Carpenter, Chegwyn, Collet, Dowden, Glen, Hayre, House, Hughes, McEvoy, Kirsty North, Porter and Tod paid tribute and the Council observed a moment’s silence as a mark of respect.

The Leader opened his report by expressing his deepest sympathies and condolences to all those affected by the devastating earthquakes that had recently struck Turkey and Syria.  Several leading charities had launched appeals and anyone wishing to donate should visit the Disasters Emergency Committee’s website – www.dec.org.uk.

The Leader also reported that Friday 24 February marked the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  The County Council will fly the Ukrainian flag outside the Great Hall on that day and take part in the national moment of silence at 11am as a mark of respect and to pay tribute to the courage of the Ukrainian people.

Over 3,000 Ukrainians (over 1,400 families) had been welcomed in Hampshire through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.  The County Council, in partnership with Hampshire district and borough councils and community partners provide a wide range of services and support and the Leader thanked County Council officers, especially those in the Children’s Services Directorate, who have worked tirelessly over the last 11 months to help Ukrainian families settle in the county and rebuild their lives.  The Leader also expressed his thanks to the 1,900 hosts for their compassion and generosity.  The government had announced that thank you payments for Homes for Ukraine hosts across the UK will increase from £350 to £500 per month from April if their guest/s have been resident in the UK for more than 12 months, however the County Council will increase the thank you payments to £500 per month regardless of how long their guests have been in the UK.

The Leader thanked all officers for the help and support extended to residents and local communities by keeping services going during recent bad weather conditions, which had created a perfect storm of localised flooding, freezing surfaces and a significant increase in potholes.  The Leader extended a special thank you to the frontline Highways Teams who had worked around the clock and often unpleasant circumstances to keep the road network safe.

The Leader referred to recent media and social media interest questioning bonus payments made to County Council staff.  For absolute clarity, the Leader confirmed that special recognition payments were only made to staff members for exceptional achievement and high performance in their role, often going above and beyond to support the needs of residents.  By way of context, the Leader commented that Hampshire County Council is the third largest shire authority in the country and its staff were responsible for delivering a huge number of important local services to Hampshire’s 1.4 million residents, including to growing numbers of the most vulnerable adults and children in Hampshire’s communities. The total cost of in-year and end-of-year special recognition payments for 2022 equated to only 0.19% of the pay bill, with 11.09%of staff being recognised and rewarded.  The efforts of all the County Council’s dedicated staff were greatly valued and where they had proved to be outstanding in a given year, the County Council has the flexibility and capacity to be able to award an additional, one-off payment in recognition, which demonstrated one of the ways the County Council seeks to retain talented and experienced employees.

The Leader reported on a letter of engagement from the Levelling Up Minister, Dehenna Davison, to upper tier and unitary councils across the wider Hampshire area to discuss a potential County Deal as part of the next wave of the national programme.  Meetings were taking place.  The Leader and Deputy Leader had sent letters to all Hampshire MPs and undertook discussions with several of them last month.

Finally the Leader conveyed his warmest wishes to Their Majesties the King and Queen Consort ahead of the Coronation of the King on Saturday 6 May 2023.  The Leader was pleased to confirm that the new round of Members Devolved Budget would open earlier this year in order to support local Coronation events.  He also recommended anyone who is considering holding a local event or street party to check their district or borough council’s website as soon as possible in case a road closure or other application might be required.

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

The Council considered the report of Cabinet regarding a proposed change to Standing Order 13 and changes to the terms of reference for the Health and Wellbeing Board.

In presenting the report the Leader highlighted the change to Standing Order 13 was to enable Chief Officers to answer technical questions on reports to full Council on matters which fall within their respective areas of responsibility, which should the recommendations be approved, would take effect immediately.  The Standing Order has also been amended to reflect current practice as set out in Appendix 1 to the report for which a revised version had been published as a supplementary document.”

The report also sought approval to a change to the Terms of Reference for the Health and Wellbeing Board, namely: to receive updates and reports from the Hampshire Health and Social Care Place Board and that the Health and Wellbeing Board contributes to the Integrated Care Partnership Strategy for both Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board and that of Frimley Integrated Care Board.”

During the course of a short debate, the Leader confirmed that the proposed change to Standing Order 13 would not apply to his Leader’s Report that was a standard item on the agenda for full Council Meetings.

RESOLVED:

That the County Council:

a)      Agree an amendment to Standing Order 13 as set out at Appendix 1 (as revised) to the Cabinet report.

b)      Agree the revised Terms of Reference of the Health and Wellbeing Board as referred to at the recommendation at Paragraph 4 of the Cabinet report.

The Council considered the report of the Chief Executive as presented by the Leader of the Council.

RESOLVED:

That the County Council approve the appointments set out in the report.

The Council considered the Revenue Budget and Precept for 2023/24 and the Capital Programme for the period 2023/24 to 2025/26.

In presenting the report the Leader opened by stating that the system of local government finance was broken, resulting in the County Council having to contend not only with cuts to government grants since 2010 but also having had to deal with largely unfunded social care pressures.  This position had been exacerbated over the past year with post covid demand pressures across children’s and adult services, hyper-inflation and workforce pressures across many of the County Council’s key services.  This had led to an unprecedented increase in Directorate cash limits over those set for 2022/23 - a total increase of nearly £300m in a single year.

A council tax increase of 4.99% was being recommended which was below the rate of inflation.  However, the Leader commented that he did not underestimate the impact this would have on household finances but there really was no choice against the pressures faced, now and in the future.

The Leader highlighted that the County Council could not continue to make savings to meet the growth in demand for social care services and he would therefore continue to lobby the government and Hampshire MPs very strongly in the lead up to the next Spending Review, which might be the last chance to address the fundamental flaws in a broken local government finance system.

Despite the difficult circumstances faced, the Leader highlighted that the County Council would continue to have one of the lowest county council, council taxes in the country.  Services had been transformed over the last decade and over £0.6 billion pounds had been saved.  The County Council continues to provide some of the best services in the country, as judged by residents and government inspectors.  The capital programme totalling £1.2 billion was creating investment, jobs and infrastructure to help grow the local economy.  Furthermore, the Leader reported that an ambitious and forward looking prospectus for a county deal had been produced and as referred to in his earlier Leader’s report, the County Council was now working with the Government and partners on a potential deal for the pan-Hampshire area.

Looking to the future, the Leader was optimistic that the position could be turned round.  With strong political leadership and the newly restructured Corporate Management Team, he expressed confidence that the County Council would get through this and maintain Hampshire as a place to be proud of.

The Leader commended the budget to Members and moved the recommendations.

The Opposition Group Leaders responded to the proposals and all recognised the challenges that the County Council faced and the unenviable task it was to prepare this budget in such difficult circumstances.  The Opposition Group Leaders took the opportunity to thank the Chief Financial Officer and his staff for the work they had done in what must have been a near impossible task.

Although recognising the difficulties the County Council faced, Opposition Group Leaders expressed concern about the cost of living crisis and the impact on the daily lives of residents of the loss of many discretionary services.  Retention of staff, budgetary pressures affecting social care, people’s mental health, rationalising tiers of local government and the effects of Brexit were also commented on.  The continued lobbying of the Government for a fair funding settlement going forward was welcomed.  No amendments were proposed.

During the course of general debate views in support of, or raising concern, about the proposals were expressed.  It was recognised that the proposals represented a balanced budget which the County Council had a duty to do.  The challenges faced by the County Council were a common thread throughout the debate and there was support for the action taken by the Leader in sending a joint letter with the Leader of Kent County Council clearly setting out their Council’s financial position.  Nonetheless concerns about the loss of discretionary services such as youth services were raised.  The importance of continuing to work together with partners and communities was highlighted as was having a focus on income streams and making more of the County Council’s assets.  The County Council’s prudent use of its reserves to provide flexibility was also commented on.

In responding to the debate, the Leader thanked all Members for their views, which he had made note of, and in particular the pressure households were under was recognised.  However, the County Council’s record of strong financial management and the flexible use of its reserves put the County Council in a better position now than many other Councils.  Despite the many challenges the County Council faced, the Leader’s outlook remained positive and he reminded Members of the excellent work carried out across the County Council’s many services.

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

FOR (47):

Councillors: Nick Adams-King, Lulu Bowerman, Jackie Branson, Steven Broomfield, Pamela Bryant, Fran Carpenter, Roz Chadd, Rod Cooper, Debbie Curnow-Ford, Tim Davies, Christopher Donnelly, Barry Dunning, Liz Fairhurst, Michael Ford, Steve Forster, Jonathan Glen, Pal Hayre, Juliet Henderson, Edward Heron, Zoe Huggins, Gary Hughes, Rob Humby, Adam Jackman, Andrew Joy, Peter Latham, Mark Kemp-Gee, Keith Mans, Alexis McEvoy, Lesley Meenaghan, Derek Mellor, Arun Mummalaneni, Kirsty North, Phil North, Russell Oppenheimer, Sarah Pankhurst, Stephen Parker, Neville Penman, Stephen Philpott, Lance Quantrill, Stephen Reid, Patricia Stallard, Elaine Still, Tom Thacker, Michael Thierry, Rhydian Vaughan, Jan Warwick and Bill Withers.

AGAINST (12):

Councillors Prad Bains, Peter Chegwyn, Adrian Collett, Mark Cooper, Tim Groves, Dominic Hiscock, Gavin James, Louise Parker-Jones, Jackie Porter, Roger Price, Martin Tod and Malcolm Wade.

ABSTAIN (5):

Councillors Alex Crawford, Alan Dowden, Marge Harvey, Kim Taylor and Andy Tree.

RESOLVED:

A. Revenue Budget and Precept 2023/24

That the County Council approve:

a)      The Revenue budget for 2023/24 as set out in Annex 1 of this Part I report.

b)      That the council tax requirement for the County Council for the year beginning 1 April 2023, be £781,761,571.99.

c)      That the County Council’s band D council tax for the year beginning 1 April 2023 be £1,460.25, an increase of 4.99%, of which 2% is specifically for adults’ social care.

d)      That the County Council’s council tax for the year beginning 1 April 2023 for properties in each tax band be:

   £

Band A                                                  973.50

Band B                                                1,135.75

Band C                                               1,298.00

Band D                                               1,460.25

Band E                                                1,784.75

Band F                                                2,109.25

Band G                                               2,433.75

Band H                                               2,920.50

e)      That precepts be issued totalling £781,761,571.99 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:

Local Authority                                                           Council Tax Precept

Tax base                                    (HCC share)

Basingstoke and Deane         69,037.30                             100,811,717.33

East Hampshire                       52,581.28                                76,781,814.12

Eastleigh                                   48,510.23                                70,837,063.36

Fareham                                    44,139.40                                64,454,558.85

Gosport                                      27,056.00                                39,508,524.00

Hart                                            42,313.27                                61,787,952.51

Havant                                       41,898.30                                61,181,992.58

New Forest                                72,271.70                             105,534,749.92

Rushmoor                                 32,959.11                                48,128,540.38

Test Valley                                51,968.00                                75,886,272.00

Winchester                                52,626.87                                76,848,386.92

f)       That any early delivery of savings approved in November 2023 will be contributed to the Budget Bridging Reserve rather than Directorate Cost of Change Reserves.

g)      That the Treasurer’s report under Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 (Appendix 6 of the Cabinet report) be taken into account when the Council determines the budget and precept for 2023/24, including the update set out in paragraph 1.16 of this report.

h)      The Revised Budget for 2022/23 set out in Appendix 1 of the Cabinet report.

i)       The Capital & Investment Strategy for 2023/24 (and the remainder of 2022/23) as set out in Appendix 7 of the Cabinet report.

j)        The Treasury Management Strategy for 2023/24 (and the remainder of 2022/23) as set out in Appendix 8 of the Cabinet report, and the revised Tables 1 and 2 as set out in Annex 2 of this report.

k)      An increase to the allocation targeting higher yields from £250m to £320m (as set out in the Treasury Management Strategy in Appendix 8 of the Cabinet report) to provide extra flexibility given the forecast level of cash balances.

l)       The delegation of 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 2023/24 to 2025/26

That the County Council approve:

a)        The Capital Programme for 2023/24 and the provisional programmes for 2024/25 and 2025/26 as set out in Appendix 1 of the Cabinet report, including the identified carry forward of resources.

b)      The revised capital programme cash limits for 2022/23.

c)      That the scheme value for the Botley Bypass project within the Universal Services capital programme is increased by £8m from £23.1m to £31.1m to be funded from a combination of local resources (£5.09m) and the corporate capital inflation risk reserve (£2.91m).

d)      That the scheme value for the Stubbington Bypass scheme within the Universal Services capital programme is increased by £2.2m from £42.0m to £44.2m to be funded from a combination of LTP grant (£1.23m) and the corporate capital inflation risk reserve (£0.97m).

e)      That the scheme value for the Uplands Development Infrastructure scheme within the Universal Services Capital programme is increased by £3.837m from £28.489m to £32.326m to be funded from the corporate capital inflation risk reserve.

f)       That the scheme value for the Hiltingbury Junior School SCOLA recladding project is increased by £2.265m from £1.546m to £3.811m to be funded from unallocated SCA grant (£1.765m), Universal Services climate change resources (£0.2m) and Salix grant (£0.3m).

The Council considered a report of the Employment in Hampshire County Council (EHCC) Committee, as presented by Councillor Kirsty North in her capacity as Chairman of the EHCC Committee, seeking approval of the County Council’s Pay Statement for the financial year 2023/24 as set out in the Report and Appendix A to the Annex.

There were no questions or debate and it was therefore

RESOLVED:

That the County Council approve the Pay Statement for 2023/24 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.

Councillor Kim Taylor declared a personal interest as someone affected by the change of state pension benefits.

The Council considered the Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor Malcolm Wade and seconded by Councillor Jonathan Glen, submitted in accordance with Standing Order 18.1:

“With reference to the outstanding payment of altered state pension benefits for women born after 1950, this Council requests that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions arrives at an early solution.”

“This Council also requests that fair compensation is made to the surviving spouses and family of the affected beneficiaries who have died during this process.”

No amendments were proposed.

During the course of debate the Motion received much support and several Members spoke about how the changes to state pension benefits had affected family members and constituents in the areas they represented.

Speaking in reply to the debate the Leader was pleased at the cross-party support for the Motion.

The Motion was put to the vote and was carried.  It was therefore

RESOLVED:

With reference to the outstanding payment of altered state pension benefits for women born after 1950, this Council requests that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions arrives at an early solution.

This Council also requests that fair compensation is made to the surviving spouses and family of the affected beneficiaries who have died during this process.

The question submitted in accordance with Standing Order 16.3, as published, was responded to by the Chairman of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority.

There was no report of the Authority on this occasion.

The Council received and noted the report of the Health and Wellbeing Board for Hampshire reporting changes to the membership of the Board taken under delegated authority by the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

There were no Executive or Committee reports on this occasion.