Test Valley Borough Council Cabinet Meeting

There were no apologies for absence.

Councillors Gwynne and Parker had indicated they wished to speak on agenda item 10 – King John’s House Grant.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no urgent items.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 4 October 2023 were proposed by Councillor P North and seconded by Councillor Adams-King.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 4 October 2023 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

There were no recommendations to consider from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Consideration was given to the report of the Democracy and Governance Portfolio Holder which presented a revised Enforcement Policy in respect of Scrap Metal Dealer Licensing that reflected current requirements and best practice.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Lodge, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

That the Enforcement Policy and Service Standards set out as Annexes to the report be adopted in respect of Scrap Metal Dealer licensing and any associated enforcement work undertaken by the Licensing Section of the Legal and Democratic Service.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which provided an update on the approved 2023/24 Asset Management Plan (AMP) and recommended projects to be included in the 2024/25 budget.

The report provided an update on the financing of AMP projects, including a forecast of the balance on the Asset Management Reserve at 31 March 2025.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Flood, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Recommended to Council:

1.  That the revised 2023/24 and original 2024/25 Asset Management Plan, as shown in Annexes 1 and 2 to the report, be approved.

2.  That the Head of Finance and Revenues, after consultation with the Finance and Resources Portfolio holder and Head of Service responsible for any project, be authorised to amend the Asset Management Plan during the year, as discussed in paragraph 7.3 to the report.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which provided an update on the Capital Programme 2023/24 to 2025/26.

The update included a summary of progress of the existing 2023/24 Capital Programme and included forecast changes to its timescale and total cost.

Proposals for new capital schemes recommended to be added to the Capital Programme over the period 2023/24 to 2024/25 were also included. The total cost of new projects recommended for inclusion in the Capital Programme was £2.009M. After taking into account external funding and contributions from reserves, the net cost of these bids is £259,000.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Flood, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Recommended to Council:

1.  That the new capital schemes with a total cost of £2,009,000, as shown in Annex 2 to the report, be added to the 2023/24 to 2025/26 Capital Programme.

2.  That the revised estimates and financing for the 2023/24 to 2025/26 Capital Programme, as shown in Annex 1 to the report, be approved.

Councillor Gwynne made a statement in respect of the proposals for the King John’s House Grant.

Councillor Parker made a statement in respect of the proposals for the King John’s House Grant.

Consideration was given to a report of the Community, Leisure and Tourism Portfolio Holder which consider an alternative use for the remainder of the King John’s House grant for 2023/24.

The change of use for the remainder of the grant for the current year would support the Trust in exploring alternative, more sustainable operating models and the submission of a bid for external funding.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Swain, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

That the remaining grant for King John’s House for 2023/24 be used for the purposes outlined in paragraph 6.2 and 6.3 to the report.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which reviewed the Council’s revenue spending for the first six months of the 2023/24 financial year.

Overall, net expenditure to 30 September 2023 was £1.503M lower than budgeted at this stage of the year. The favourable variance comprised additional income and savings of £761,000 due to service related activities and £742,000 more income from the Council’s investing and borrowing activities.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Flood, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

1.  That the financial position for each Service and the key revenue areas contained in the Annex to the report be noted.

2.  That the Treasury Management Update in paragraph 4 of the report be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Planning Portfolio Holder which set out a proposal to amend the Local Development Scheme to reflect an amended timetable for the next Local Plan.

The timeline for the development of the Local Plan 2040 had been reviewed in order to ensure that updated evidence studies, used to inform proposals, were completed.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Bundy, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

That the Test Valley Local Development Scheme be updated in accordance with the timetable set out in section 5 of the report.

Consideration was given to a report of the Climate Emergency and Countryside Portfolio Holder which sought approval for the creation of a Climate Emergency Working Group.

The Climate Emergency Working Group would be an informal cross-party working group which would serve in an advisory capacity to Cabinet in respect of the Council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan, considering policy development and identifying potential actions.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Johnston, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

1.  That a Climate Emergency Working Group be established.

2.  That the Climate Emergency Working Group shall be politically proportionate and comprise seven Councillors with its members to be nominated by political group leaders.

3.  That the Terms of Reference set out at Annex 1 to the report be approved.