Portsmouth City Borough Council Full Council Meeting

It was

Proposed by Councillor Steve Pitt

Seconded by Councillor George Madgwick

That the minutes of the Extraordinary Full Council meeting held on 15 October 2024 be confirmed as a correct record.

The minutes were agreed by assent.

It was

Proposed by Councillor Steve Pitt

Seconded by Councillor George Madgwick

That the minutes of the Full Council meeting held on 15 October 2024 be confirmed as a correct record.

The minutes were agreed by assent.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Chris Attwell.

The Lord Mayor read aloud an update letter from the Mayor of Haifa, Portsmouth's twin city in Israel.

Under Standing Order 8, the Lord Mayor advised that, in agreement with the Leader and in consultation with all group leaders, the December Full Council meeting would be held on 17 December 2024 rather than the originally scheduled date of 10 December 2024.

The Lord Mayor further advised that the provisional January Full Council date of 14 January 2025 would not be needed and therefore would be cancelled.

The City Solicitor advised that two oral deputation requests had been made for this meeting. 

The first was from Clare Seek, in support of agenda item 9f, Notice of Motion 'Support for the Repair Cafés – Portsmouth'.

The second was from Steph Richards, in support of agenda item 9(a), Notice of Motion - 'Definitions of sexism, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia'.

At the invitation of the City Solicitor, Clare Seek and Steph Richards delivered their deputations.

The Lord Mayor advised that no questions from the public had been received under the provisions of this standing order.

It was RESOLVED that:

(i)             Councillor Richard Adair replace Councillor Nicholas Dorrington as a member of the Planning Committee; and

(ii)           Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson CBE replace Councillor Leonie Oliver as a member of the Education, Children & Young People Scrutiny Panel.

The Lord Mayor advised that he had not been made aware of any urgent business for this meeting.

The Lord Mayor advised that he had received a request to vary the order of business to allow notice of motion (f) 'Support for the Repair Cafes - Portsmouth' to be the first motion considered. 

Under Standing Order 15, consent was given by Council for the order of business to be so varied.

It was

Proposed by Councillor Mary Vallely

Seconded by Councillor Charlotte Gerada

That notice of motion (a) as set out on the agenda be adopted.

As an amendment it was

Proposed by Councillor Steve Pitt

Seconded by Councillor Darren Sanders

In paragraph 2 to replace 'further note' with 'are deeply saddened and alarmed'

Delete' We therefore define' and replace with 'We recognise UN's Fair and Equal definitions as follows'

Add at the end after 'hate crime...'

'and asks the cross-party Governance, Audit and Standards Committee to consider recommending these definitions and to review other similar content on the council's website to ensure it correctly defines any protected characteristics under the Equality Act and this this review is carried out in conjunction with the relevant officers.'

Following debate, the proposer of the original motion, Councillor Mary Vallely agreed to subsume the amendment in the name of Councillor Steve Pitt into the motion.

Following a vote, the substantive motion incorporating the subsumed amendment in the name of Councillor Steve Pitt was declared CARRIED.

It was therefore RESOLVED that:

Portsmouth City Council (PCC) notes with concern ongoing sexism within society and confusion exists between the definition of misogyny and sexism.

We are deeply saddened and alarmed that between 2012 and 2023 a significant increase in sexual orientation hate crime (+462%) together with a massive increase in hate crime against people who are transgender (+1426%)

We recognise that sexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia, are forms of prejudice and discrimination that have no place in our city.  Moreover, “phobia” is often defined as a ‘fear’ or ‘aversion’ and this causes confusion when using the words homophobia, biphobia and transphobia.

Further, it is noted that while PCC has a policy statement on its website in relation to Equality, Diversity and LGBTQI people there are no definitions. This could cause complications in the future.

This Council believes that definitions are important because they provide:

1.   Clarity and consistency: Ensuring that all stakeholders have a clear and consistent understanding of key terms and concepts can help to avoid misunderstandings and disputes.

2.   Legal compliance: Aligning with statutory requirements or legal standards often necessitates precise definitions to ensure compliance.

3.   Policy implementation: Clear definitions can facilitate the effective implementation of policies and procedures.

4.   Public transparency: Providing clear definitions can enhance transparency and accountability to the public.

This Council therefore resolves to:

Record definitions of sexism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia to assist residents and city officials, together with our agents, in understanding what these terms really mean.

We recognise UN's Fair and Equal definitions as follows:

Sexism: The definition of sexism is prejudice, stereotyping or discrimination against people based on their sex or gender.

Homophobia: The definition of homophobia is the dislike, prejudice, discrimination, hatred or violence towards people attracted to their own sex.

Biphobia: The definition of biphobia is the dislike, prejudice, discrimination, hatred or violence towards people attracted to any sex.

Transphobia: The definition of transphobia is the dislike, prejudice, discrimination, denial of identity, hatred or violence towards people who identify as transgender or gender diverse^.

We further confirm that this council will continue to be working to create a city where everyone can live without fear of discrimination, prejudice, violence or suffer hate crime and asks the cross-party Governance, Audit and Standards Committee to consider recommending these definitions and to review other similar content on the council's website to ensure it correctly defines any protected characteristics under the Equality Act and this this review is carried out in conjunction with the relevant officers.

It was

Proposed by Councillor Darren Sanders

Seconded by Councillor Steve Pitt

That notice of motion (b) as set out on the agenda be adopted.

As an amendment it was

Proposed by Councillor Charlotte Gerada

Seconded by Councillor Graham Heaney

To:

At the end of sentence i) ‘Housing benefit that, too often, has been frozen while rents have gone up. ..’ Include immediately after:

‘This includes in 2016, along with most working-age benefits and in 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.’

At paragraph beginning ‘It also notes that this will not deal with the current crisis’, replace with:

‘It also notes that while these measures are helpful, there are other recommendations from a letter from over 100 council leaders - which the Leader signed up to last year - that we would like the new Government to consider. Including:’

At paragraph beginning ‘Therefore, Council resolves to’, delete 'lobby the city's MP's…' onwards and replace with:

(i)    request that the Council Leader, going forward, contacts the relevant Minister about any potential overspends affecting Portsmouth City Council’s budget, at the appropriate time, ahead of Government fiscal events.'

After end of ‘Therefore, Council resolves’ add the following paragraphs:

(ii)    to work with the city's MPs to approach the Government to find ways to deal with the crisis Portsmouth faces in relation to temporary housing;

(iii)   to request that the Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness asks the University of Portsmouth if they have any accommodation available that could assist in providing temporary accommodation for PCC; and

(iv)   to request that the Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness contacts the Ministry of Defence, with the assistance of the two local MPs if necessary, to ask if they could make available any accommodation they have in the area that could provide temporary accommodation for PCC.

Following debate, the proposer of the original motion, Councillor Darren Sanders did not agree to subsume the amendment in the name of Councillor Charlotte Gerada into the motion.

Following a vote, the amendment in the name of Councillor Gerada was declared LOST.

Council voted on the original motion.

Following a vote, the motion was declared CARRIED.

It was therefore RESOLVED that:

Council notes with despair the nationwide homelessness crisis. In London alone, more than 175,000 - that's one in 50 of the capital's population - live in temporary accommodation, with council spending more than £3m a day housing them there.

Council notes that, in Portsmouth, the number of people in temporary accommodation has gone up by 54% in the last year to more than 500, but that the costs have risen by 84%.

Council also notes that, in Portsmouth, those seeking asylum in this country do not contribute to this problem, as they are dealt with by Government schemes.

Council notes the barriers to that changing, including:

(i) Housing benefit that, too often, has been frozen while rents have gone up. We note the budget pledge to raise social housing rents by CPI plus 1% during this Parliament but that does not close the historic gap and private rents are not affected.

(ii) A subsidy cap, based on housing benefit levels in 2011, that means the Council gets back in rent much less than it pays out, increasing pressure on the General Fund budget.

Council notes the positive steps taken by the administration to deal with this, including:

(i)  More than £70m spent on buying back more than 500 homes sold under the Right to Buy programme, many of which have gone to homeless people.

(ii) Building new council homes in Paulsgrove, Hilsea and Somerstown, as well as approving more council homes at the former Leamington and Horatia House sites and Passivhaus schemes elsewhere.

(iii) A focus on prevention in the recent homelessness strategy.

Council believes many of the measures taken by the Government, such as delivering on the previous Government's commitment to end no-fault evictions, allowing councils to keep all right-to-buy receipts and multi-year rent settlements, will help in the longer-term.

It welcomes the extra £233m for homelessness and rough sleeping from April 2025 announced in the recent budget.

It also notes that this will not deal with the current crisis and urges the Government to deal with the causes, including measures recommended in a letter from over 100 council leaders which the Leader signed up to last year that were not in the Budget, including:

·   Pegging Local Housing Allowance and the housing benefit subsidy rate for local authority homelessness placement to at least 30% of local market rent every year. 

·   Doubling cash for Discretionary Housing Payments and the Homelessness Prevention Grant. 

·   Developing policy to stimulate retention and supply in the private rented sector. 

·   Giving councils the long-term funding, flexibility and certainty needed to increase the supply of social housing. 

It also wants Government to end barriers to councils like Portsmouth building more homes at social rent levels, such as too high hurdles on access to the current Affordable Housing Programme, and to offer 10-year rent settlements.

Therefore, Council resolves to lobby the city's MPs and Government to deliver an emergency injection of £5.6m to deal with the crisis Portsmouth faces this financial year and to join with other councils lobbying for a national settlement that is realistic in recognising the true scale of this crisis.

It was

Proposed by Councillor Charlotte Gerada

Seconded by Councillor George Fielding

That notice of motion (c) as set out on the agenda be adopted.

As an amendment it was

Proposed by Councillor Brian Madgwick

Seconded by Councillor George Madgwick

To

 Under “This Council Notes:” section add (v) & (vi)

(v) It is accepted that social media interactions can already be used within the construct of code of conduct member complaints.

(vi) Case law already exists that helps govern elected members relationship and responsibilities on social media. "Ken Livingstone v The Adjudication Panel for England", High Court decision can be referred to when questioning an elected members social media interactions.

Under “This Council Resolves:”

Remove (i) and replace it with;

(i)             To request an experienced Independent Panel of residents (Chaired by the Monitoring Officer), not connected to a political party, to review the Portsmouth City Council members’ code of conduct, with a view to strengthening it, to include reference to conduct on social media or establish a separate social media policy for elected member. For this review feedback to then be published to the Governance & Audit & Standards committee for scrutiny and potential adoption within the Code of Conduct framework and/or a separate Social Media Policy to be considered.

As an amendment it was

Proposed by Councillor Steve Pitt

Seconded by Councillor Hugh Mason

To:

Under 'this Council resolves' (i):

After 'to request' delete 'a' and insert 'the'. After 'cross party' insert 'Governance, Audit and Standards Committee'. Delete 'working party group is established to'.

• Under 'this Council resolves' (iii)

Delete 'explore' and replace with 'reinforce'.

Following debate, the proposer of the original motion, Councillor Charlotte Gerada, agreed to subsume the amendment in the name of Councillor Steve Pitt into the motion, but not the amendment in the name of Councillor Brian Madgwick.

Following a vote, the amendment in the name of Councillor Brian Madgwick was declared LOST.

Following a vote, the substantive motion incorporating the subsumed amendment in the name of Councillor Steve Pitt was declared CARRIED.

It was therefore RESOLVED that:

This council notes:

(i)    Social media is now a dominant feature of elected officials’ contact with the public. Many councillors have made the decision to use social media to keep residents updated and many residents use social media to raise issues, ideas and concerns. 

(ii)   The Local Government Association (LGA) has published social media guidance for councillors, with guides explaining how to use various social media platforms, provide advice on creating good content, give tips on accessibility and best practice and show the best ways to engage in healthy debate and tackle online abuse.

(iii)  It is common practice for local authorities’ code of conduct for members to include content about the proper use of social media or to adopt a separate social media policy for members. Birmingham, Sheffield, Bristol, Brighton & Hove and Plymouth councils have social media embedded in codes of conduct for members, whilst Southampton, Leeds, Liverpool and Milton Keynes have separate social media policies for elected members. 

(iv)  At present, Portsmouth City Council’s code of conduct for members has no reference to social media use and has no separate social media policy for members.

This council believes:

(i)    Social media has the ability to be a force for good, with it being an additional way elected members can engage with residents.

(ii)   However, social media can be used irresponsibly or it can be a source of abuse - having clear guidance on social media use for members can help to set clear boundaries, principles and standards for online communications.

(iii)  Elected councillors are civic leaders, with social media use being a way to engage and influence members of the Portsmouth community. 

(iv)  The Portsmouth City Council code of conduct for members should be relevant to modern times and reflect the new ways residents engage with members, including via social media and online communications.

This council resolves:

(i)    To request the cross-party Governance, Audit and Standards Committee review the Portsmouth City Council members'code of conduct, with a view to strengthening it, to include reference to conduct on social media or establish a separate social media policy for elected members.

(ii)   To encourage all elected councillors to use social media responsibly, in line with best practice from the LGA - council resolves to ask that the LGA’s ‘Guide to the role of councillors on social media’ is shared with all current elected members of Portsmouth City Council.

(iii)   For the council to reinforce social media training for members and share any opportunities with all elected councillors.

It was

Proposed by Councillor Peter Candlish

Seconded by Councillor Lee Hunt

That notice of motion (d) as set out on the agenda be adopted.

As an amendment it was

Proposed by Councillor Graham Heaney

Seconded by Councillor Charlotte Gerada

To

Delete (viii) and replace with:

'Council notes the Portsmouth BSIP published in April 2024 states that, ‘The DfT £2 bus fare cap has been agreed to run until December 2024 and no Government support for continuing the scheme has been announced at the time of writing. Subsequent changes will depend on Government policy. On this basis, we anticipate that fare levels may return to those comparable to 2019 levels during 2025’.

‘Council therefore welcomes the decision that funding has been found to continue with a cap on fares, as without this it would have caused a cliff-edge for bus operators that would have seen vital services put at risk across the country.’

Delete (v) and (vi) under ‘This Council believes that’.

Replace (i) under ‘This Council therefore Resolves’ to the following:

‘The Cabinet Member for Transport undertakes a thorough impact assessment of how the £1 bus fare cap increase may affect bus patronage (including contacting local bus companies) and to bring the findings of the assessment to a future Cabinet Member for Transport decision meeting. Once the evidence has been gathered, for the Cabinet Member for Transport to decide a course of action depending on the outcome. 

Following debate, the proposer of the original motion, Councillor Peter Candlish did not agree to subsume the amendment in the name of Councillor Graham Heaney into the motion.

Following a vote, the amendment in the name of Councillor Graham Heaney was declared LOST.

Following a vote, the original motion was declared CARRIED.

It was therefore RESOLVED that:

This Council notes:

(i)     Buses are one of the most accessible, affordable and sustainable modes of public transport, especially in densely populated urban areas like Portsmouth;

(ii)    Buses are relied upon by key disadvantaged groups unable to afford a car like the low-income workers needing to get to work and the elderly needing access to medical appointments at QA and other local services;

(iii)    Portsmouth won a £48Mn grant (Portsmouth Bus Service Improvement Plan or BSIP) in 2021 to improve bus services and grow bus patronage in Portsmouth;

(iv)   This BSIP is investing in improved bus infrastructure including new bus lanes and (electric) buses; improved signage and real time information; improved bus services and extended schedules (eg night buses, more early morning/late evening buses to help shift workers and new bus tickets and promotions (free bus- weekends to drive (re-)trial and targeted new tickets and promotions (U-19, extension to concession hours and free bus weekends);

(v)    Bus ridership has recovered from covid-induced lows faster in Portsmouth than any other city and over 12Mn bus trips were made within Portsmouth last year, up over 20% year on year;

(vi)   The £2 maximum single fare ticket, introduced nationally in 2021, has been fundamental to that growth by offering affordable travel to low-income groups and encouraging (re-) trial of improved bus services;

(vii)  The Cabinet Member for Transport at Portsmouth City Council, together with his counterpart at Labour-run Southampton City Council, recently wrote a letter to the Minister for Transport in support of the retention of the £2 capped single fare;

(viii) The Government has announced that the £2 cap on single fares will now be withdrawn from Jan 2025 and a £3 cap put in its place; a 50% increase in one go; and

(ix)   Metropolitan areas like Manchester and London with devolved power and control over their bus services have chosen to retain the £2 single fare cap.

This Council believes that:

(i)   Increasing bus usage is a critical part of making transport in Portsmouth more accessible, especially for some disadvantaged groups, and more sustainable;

(ii)  The £2 maximum single fare ticket has been fundamental to the success that Portsmouth has had in gaining re-trial and growing the use of buses locally;

(iii) The £2 cap has had the biggest benefit for low income and disadvantaged groups like low income workers and elderly residents without access to a car;

(iv) The government subsidy per ticket required to retain a £2 single fare in densely populated urban areas like Portsmouth is small and outstanding value for money, helping both bus users and all residents in the city through helping tackle congestion and improve air quality;

(v)  The government's blanket increase from £2 to £3 for a capped single fare from January 2025 has not been properly thought through and poorly executed; and

(vi)  A 50% increase from £2 to £3 in a single jump is far too aggressive.

This Council therefore Resolves that:

(i)   The Leader of the Council should write to the PM expressing our concern that the increase from £2 to £3 for a single capped fare will undermine Portsmouth's success in growing bus patronage, negatively impact disadvantaged groups and have a negative effect on its efforts to tackle congestion and air quality in the city; and

(ii)  The Council should seek to join forces with other like-minded Councils of all political colours to reverse the national Government’s changes in policy and give higher priority to supporting bus services.

It was

Proposed by Councillor Graham Heaney

Seconded by Councillor George Madgwick

That notice of motion (e) as set out on the agenda be adopted.

As an amendment it was

Proposed by Councillor Steve Pitt

Seconded by Councillor Darren Sanders

To

Under 'Council requests'

Delete 'That the Chief Executive in consultation with group leaders…' and replace with 'That the cross-party Governance, Audit and Standards Committee….'

Following debate, the proposer of the original motion, Councillor Graham Heaney agreed to subsume the amendment in the name of Councillor Steve Pitt into the motion.

Following a vote, the substantive motion incorporating the subsumed amendment in the name of Councillor Steve Pitt was declared CARRIED.

It was therefore RESOLVED that:

Council notes:

That at the last meeting in October the Labour Group and three independent members declined to support the nomination of an Honorary Alderman.

The process for selecting nominees for Honorary Alderman is rather informal with political group leaders agreeing who to put forward and then a formal notification is sent out to all members.

Council requests:

That the cross-party Governance, Audit and Standards Committee review the current process and criteria for deciding on nominations to go forward to Council.

The review to include consideration of a more formal process of notifying all councillors that a nominee is being considered and seeking the view of all members before the final decision is made and it is put on a council agenda.

To consider including some assessment of the nominee and their record of service as a councillor and whether they have had any complaints upheld against them which might be a reason for not proceeding with a nomination.

To consider whether to include an independent person in the process for selecting nominees for Honorary Alderman.

That all councillors be invited to submit any views they have for this review.

It was

Proposed by Councillor Kimberly Barrett

Seconded by Councillor Dave Ashmore

That notice of motion (f) as set out on the agenda be adopted.

Council debated the notice of motion.

Following a vote, the motion was declared CARRIED.

It was therefore RESOLVED that:

This Council recognises the dedication and hard work of the staff, volunteers and supporters who worked to set up Share (Portsmouth) and who run Portsmouth's first Repair Café.

Their aim is to make it easier for people to reduce carbon, waste and raw material use through sharing, repairing and re-use, and it involves two projects.

Repair Café Portsmouth allows repairers to share their skills with people who have broken objects that generally aren’t able to be repaired on the high street, and Portsmouth Library of Things helps people to borrow items that they infrequently use. They are run entirely by keen volunteers who in many cases are also experienced and competent technicians. Both help to reduce waste and carbon, as well as saving people money. Therefore, Portsmouth Library of Things and the Repair Café are promoting a strong message of choosing repairing and reusing of household items which has huge benefits for the environment and for the Council, by reducing waste to landfill.

However, we note with concern that the UK is the second highest producer of electronic waste per capita in the world and are on track to become the top producer. Yet the UK is falling behind other countries in support for repair and reuse to tackle throwaway products.

This Council commends the Portsmouth Library of Things in their achievement of winning £135,000 worth of funding from the National Lottery for the next 3 years which will enable them to develop further projects, help even more people, save items from landfill and help towards the Climate ambitions we have as a city.

This Council further notes that repair and reuse are central to achieving a truly circular, less wasteful, economy. They help to tackle climate change and achieve our net-zero ambition, reduce living costs for UK households and create green skilled jobs.

This Council therefore wants to put on record its thanks to those involved in Share (Portsmouth) and believes that volunteers running community repair initiatives like Repair Cafes play a vital role in responding to increasing public demand for repair services and skills, as well as advocating for a return to a strong UK fixing economy and championing reuse to give products a second life.

This Council calls on the Leader of the Council to sign the UK Repair and Reuse Declaration which calls on Central Government and decision makers at all levels to support repair and reuse to thrive by:

(i)       Making repair more affordable, through tax reductions and repair vouchers.

(ii)       Expanding the UK’s right to repair regulations to cover all consumer products, strengthen design standards and remove barriers to repair for everyone.

(iii)      Introducing a repair index to help the public choose more repairable and durable products.

(iv)      Introducing requirements and targets for reuse and repair to be prioritised over recycling and providing investment to make this a reality. This should be a key part of amended extended producer responsibility rules.

(v)       Supporting a new generation of repairers through repair training, accreditation and apprenticeships.

We also call on this Council to explore ways to encourage and support the growth of Repair Cafes (and associated activities such as Library of Things initiatives) to encourage greater sustainability in Portsmouth.

It was

Proposed by Councillor Lee Hunt

Seconded by Councillor Richard Adair

That notice of motion (g) as set out on the agenda be adopted.

Council debated the notice of motion.

Following a vote, the motion was declared CARRIED.

It was therefore RESOLVED that:

This council notes that successive Governments have set challenging house building targets for Portsmouth and other towns and cities across the country; in turn this council has challenged the sheer numbers imposed on Portsmouth. 

This council also notes the concerns of residents that in the face of these targets there are some brownfield sites that remain undeveloped and an eyesore in Portsmouth’s townscape. 

The council notes the latest guidance by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/compulsory-purchase-compensation-power-to-remove-hope-value#:~:text=When%2520assessing%2520the%2520open%2520market,to%2520as%2520%E2%80%9Chope%2520value%E2%80%9D.

Furthermore, this council notes the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, allows bodies such as Homes England and councils using Compulsory Purchase Orders and looking to build, to apply to the Secretary to remove ‘hope value’. This is under the condition development is in the public interest and is facilitating affordable or social housing, health or educational uses.  

Compulsory Purchase Orders have previously been successfully used across the country to facilitate development. Examples include:

• The ongoing major regeneration of Leicester’s Waterside and the development of up to 500 new homes, as well as new office and retail space. This involved Leicester City Council acquiring the Friars Mills site via a Compulsory Purchase Order and helping bring derelict industrial land back into use;
• The development of derelict land on the edge of Sheffield city centre for a mix of new homes, offices, retail, leisure and a hotel;
• The acquisition of an empty supermarket and a terrace of empty shops in Wellingborough to pave the way for housing development;
• The development of new housing in Helmsley, North Yorkshire that had been stalled by the former landowner

This council requests a report by officers to the Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy & City Development on ‘Hope Value’ sites in Portsmouth and will work with partners - including the Government, to bring about regeneration of such sites.

One question from a member had been received under Standing Order No 17.

This question was from Councillor Graham Heaney

"We are approaching a year since the on-street vehicle electric charge points in the city were all turned off due to safety concerns. What more can be done to persuade the energy supplier SSEN to complete the restoration of the whole network after this year of disruption for electric vehicle users?"

In reply the Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Peter Candlish, explained that ensuring public safety was of the utmost importance and since SSEN had raised safety concerns in November 2023, the council had continued to work with SSEN and charge point operators to re-energise residential 'lamppost' charge points; noting that across the network there had been differing complexities in doing this, with each charge point having to be reviewed individually.

Since 2019, Portsmouth had been a pioneer of lamp column EV charging, a new and innovative technology.  With this, one of the main challenges the council had experienced had been the lack of consistency in policies and approaches to installing lamp column EV charge points across different regions and this had made it difficult to move forward quickly.

Whilst the council was expecting a number of the remaining ubitricity charge points to be re-energised in the coming months, he was pleased to announce that following a thorough procurement process, the council had now appointed Zest for the next phase of the on-street residential charge point scheme.

This would involve Zest putting in place over 300 new charge points in early 2025, using a grant won from the Government's On-Street Residential Charge Point Scheme (ORCS) with matched funding from Zest, to help those without driveways to choose to transition to EVs. This would more than triple the current potential network and represented over seven times today's available charge points.  Zest were already operating lamp column charge points in London and would use a technical solution in Portsmouth which to meet all necessary policies and standards. 

With existing charge point network contracts coming to an end this financial year, the procurement process allowed for the new supplier to take on some or all of the existing network which the council would be working through with Zest as a priority.

In response to supplementary questions, Councillor Candlish explained that the number of EV charging points working at any given point in time had fluctuated and that delays around their reinstatement had centred around the number of charge point operators that had been involved, SSEN and the associated legal, insurance and safety standard considerations.  In particular, clarity around the safety standards required by SSEN remained a little unclear to operators.

Given that the existing contracts were coming to an end it was believed that there was less incentive for the current suppliers to remedy the situation given that they would not be the new supplier going forwards.

Councillor Candlish confirmed that it had come as a surprise to the council that a particular charge point being able to be used when records had shown that it had not been approved for reinstatement.  It did however demonstrate the issue faced around a lack of a consistent solution in place for the stable operation of these charging points.

In respect of Zest, the new supplier, Councillor Candlish was confident that there had been a thorough procurement process and did not believe that the council had been at fault when the current contract had been specified.  The current solution had operated well for several years prior to safety concerns being raised by SSEN. Technology was moving very quickly, and he believed that there was a need for national standards and protocols around on street electric vehicle charging points to prevent such issues reoccurring.  There were no remaining liabilities on the council and if any liabilities were to exist, they would instead sit with the suppliers.