Hart Borough Council Council Meeting

The Minutes of the meeting of 27 July 2023 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Chief Inspector Cox gave a presentation outlining a new locally based police structure, new policing priorities and provided supporting data.

Councillors asked questions around the following areas:

·       Yateley Police Station

·       Knife crime

·       Rural crime

·       PCSOs

·       Staffing levels

·       Perception of crime data

·       Shoplifting

 The Chairman thanked Chief Inspector Cox for attending Council.

Apologies were received from Councillors Butler, Coburn, Farmer, Forster, Makepeace-Browne and Southern.

Councillor Engström declared an interest in Minute 34 as she is an employee of BAE Systems who were a user of Farnborough Airport.

A Question has been received from Mr Cornwell, detailed in Appendix A.

Questions had been received from Councillor Crampton and Councillor Farmer detailed in Appendix B.

The Chairman’s engagements since the last meeting were noted.

14 September:          Showcasing Test Valley at the Army Flying Museum, Middle Wallop 

19 September:          Mayor of Basingstoke Civic Afternoon at The Vyne, Sherborne

20 September:          Meeting with Allan Walker, Church Crookham & Fleet Men’s Shed

21 September:          Hart Countryside photocall at Whitewater Meadows Play Park

26 September:          Meeting with Alex Stewart, Yateley Community Pantry

26 September:          Meeting with Caroline Winchurch, HVA

The Chairman announced some key upcoming events, the Chairman’s Civic Service will be held at All Saints Church, Fleet on 24 February 2024 and a Chairmans Carol Service is to be held in Yateley, further details will be announced shortly.  A series of visits to local schools is also planned.

The Leader of the Council, and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Direction, and Partnerships, Councillor Neighbour?had nothing to report.

The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Radley had nothing to report.

The Portfolio Holder for Communities, Councillor Bailey gave members updates on 2 issues. He reported that the buy-to-let housing market had been severely affected by the current economic situation and higher interest rates. For many years Hart had been able to find rental properties for people facing homelessness. Local buy-to-let landlords were now withdrawing from the market, this was having a significant impact on officer workloads, and we were increasingly relying on bed and breakfast options. 

The government had recently allocated funding to Hart to secure up to nine additional affordable homes for evacuees from Afghanistan and Ukraine. In partnership with Vivid, six of these homes would be availableto let within the next two months, 5 Ukrainian families and 1 Afghan family would be moving in. There were three more properties to secure and when Ukrainian and Afghan guests return to their home countries these homes would all become part of Hart’s stock for local people on the housing register. 

Work to deliver the UK Shared Prosperity Fund funding was underway.  The team were talking to local agencies, town parish councils, charities, and local organisations to discuss the funding available, and get an understanding of the type of projects that may come forward. They were helping them to provide compliance and to assist those who wish to put in a bid to understand the guidelines. Expressions of interest need to be submitted by 31 October 2023, and project submissions required by the end of November. The team had been a undertaking an extensive data mining exercise to fully understand the issues of inequality and poverty throughout the district which would help determine where the funding goes. A briefing next Wednesday 04 October at 7pm for all Councillors would be held to show what has been learnt form the data exercise and enable them to share their knowledge of their wards.

The Portfolio Holder for Digital and Communications, Councillor Clarke informed Members that the latest edition of the email newsletter was being issued tomorrow and now has over 1,000 subscribers.  The next edition of HART news is being prepared with a planned publication date of 27 November 2023.

The Portfolio Holder for Regulatory, Councillor Collins?had nothing to report. 

The Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Development Management, Councillor Oliver confirmed that he had attended several meetings with the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) over the last month. In addition to the reopening of Yateley Police station, the PCC was looking for a potential police station site in Fleet.

The Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Corporate Services, Councillor Quarterman?reported that the first meeting of the Hart Climate Emergency Engagement Group had taken place on Tuesday 26 September 2023, with 17 representatives of local Towns, Parishes and interest groups attending. Initial feedback was encouraging, and this group would continue to meet on a quarterly basis to encourage local stakeholders to work with the Council to achieve climate change targets.

The Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy and Place, Councillor Cockarill?reported that the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) consultation has now closedand that responses were being sifted and with a view to bring the responses to O&S in November. Work was underway on two Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), one on viability and another on car parking, which were scheduled to be brought before Cabinet over the next 2 months. The revised Winchfield Neighbourhood Plan had now reached the Referendum stage with a Cabinet report scheduled for October. Following on from the O&S task & finish group on Conservation Area appraisals, the team is working on how we could follow up the group’s recommendations.  The 5-year land supply statement is now completed and as of today, our 5-year land supply stands at 10.8 years.

The Executive Director – Corporate on behalf of the Chief Executive reported that a formal review of the polling district is due to begin on 02 October 2023, it is a formal review on how appropriate, fit for purpose and inclusive our polling stations are. Further information will be posted on the website.

The Minutes of the following Committees, which met on the dates shown, were received by Council.

A member asked a question regarding how easy is it to move funds once they have been ringfenced, and why ring-fence funds now before the autumn statement? 

Cllr Radley explained that the 3 items from the August Cabinet meeting for approval were ultimately Council decisions to ring-fence and therefore it would be for council to un ring-fence. This would be done during the normal process of the yearly budget in February. He explained that financial movements are simple and equitable. Hart was projecting a surplus of close to £1M next year, in part due to higher interest rates, recycling credits being higher than expected and additional car parking monies. The aim is to ring-fence the money as closely as possible to where it came from. In relation to high inflation rates there was a negative aspect in that any contracts that were due to be renegotiated could potentially be more expensive. Ring-fencing funding would assist with the financial challenges the Council could expect to face. Other movements relate to funds ring-fenced for COVID purposes and were being moved to the equivalent function without any restriction in what they could be spent on.

The Cabinet items were proposed by Councillor Neighbour and seconded by Councillor Radley. Unanimously agreed.

The following motion was proposed by Councillors Dorn and Radley, it was moved by Cllr Dorn and seconded by Cllr Radley.?

Councillor Dorn introduced the motion highlighting both his and Councillor Radley’s membership of the Farnborough Aerodrome Consultative Group. Farnborough Airport Ltd (FAL) were consulting on several issues which many members were not comfortable with.  There had been negative comments from residents. Alongside the motion, a detailed set of comments will be completed with the Chief Executive to be submitted to the pre-planning application consultation. It is anticipated that a full planning application will be submitted by FAL in late 2023. 

 “Hart District Council is dismayed that Farnborough Airport Ltd (FAL) should seek to increase their overall flight number cap, as the impact of this will only exacerbate the Climate Change Emergency declared by Hart District Council, Rushmoor Borough Council and the UK government. Hart District Council also recognises that many residents of Hart and surrounding areas will adversely suffer increased noise annoyance from extending the number and operational window of weekend and bank holiday flights. The Chief Executive (in conjunction with Hart's Farnborough Airport Consultative Committee Members) shall submit a more detailed set of comments to the FAL consultation to reflect these views.”

The motion was debated. Key areas of discussion were:

• The motion should be supported from a climate change perspective as the aviation industry will find carbon neutrality a challenge and that executive travel has one of the highest impacts on climate change and HART should not support an increase in air traffic.

• The council has declared a climate change emergency, and it would be disingenuous to support the proposals put forward by FAL.

• FAL are not close to hitting their overall capacity targets, this increase request is to enable additional weekend flights where they have hit capacity.

• The average flight departs FAL with an average of 2.5 passengers and travels to holiday locations where mainstream airlines fly.

• A move to earlier weekend morning flights will impact on residents' quality of life.

Cllr Woods left at 8:19pm during this item and therefore did not participate in the recorded vote.

A recorded vote was held on the Motion: 

For:?Axam; Bailey; Blewett; Butcher; Clarke; Cockarill; Collins; Crampton; Crisp; Davies; Delaney; Dorn, Hale; Harward; Kennett, Neighbour; Oliver; Quarterman; Radley; Smith; Thomas; Vernon; Wildsmith, Worlock, Wright (25)

Against:?(0)

Abstain:? Engström (1)  ?

The motion was CARRIED.  

Councillor Quarterman updated members on his Blackbushe Airport Consultative Committee attendance. The airport’s previous application to deregister as common land some of the airfield is still awaiting determination by the planning inspectorate. In the meantime, the airport is preparing a new application for a section 16 land exchange to remove an area of the operational airport from the common and replace it with a similar plot of land at Cottage Farm. Consultation with local stakeholders on this proposal was expected before the end of the year.

A six-monthly update on their plans to move the airport toward carbon neutrality had been requested and an initial report was presented at the meeting, details were in the Airport Managers' report on their website.

Councillor Neighbour gave Councillor Woods report from the Blackwater Valley Transport Forum. The rail companies were asking that we advertise the upcoming strike days to residents. A footbridge was going to be installed at Farnborough North station to replace a crossing.  This station is heavily used by 6th Form students from the Yateley and Blackwater areas.