Test Valley Borough Council Cabinet Meeting

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors A Johnston and T Swain.

Mr Flippance had registered to speak in accordance with the Council’s Public Participation Scheme under agenda item 12 – Local Enforcement Plan.

Councillor Bundy declared a personal interest in respect of agenda item 9 – Capital Programme Update 2024/24 to 2026/27, as Chair of Nursling and Rownhams Parish Council and having been instrumental in progressing the application for a new pavilion at Nursling recreation Ground. He left the room during discussion and consideration of the item.

There were no urgent items.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 15 January 2025 were proposed by Councillor Adams-King and seconded by Councillor Flood.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2025 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

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

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which presented details of economic development small grants funded by Test Valley borough Council.

The report proposed the consolidation and streamlining of the Business Incentive Grant, Independent Retailer Grant and the Andover Skills Training Fund to enable them to be managed more effectively.

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:

That the Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development, in consultation with the Head of Finance and Revenues and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources, be delegated authority to administer and set the criteria for the Economic Development Small Grants.

Consideration was given to the report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which presented the Treasury Management and Annual Investment Strategies of the Council and had been produced in accordance with the latest statutory requirements and relevant codes of practice.

The report and annexes demonstrated how the Council planed to minimise its risks to the current economic climate by stipulating creditworthiness requirements on lenders and limiting the maximum amount that can be invested with any counterparty at any one time.

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 Treasury Management Strategy Statement and the Annual Investment Strategy for 2025/26, as set out in the report, be approved.

2.  That the Minimum Revenue Provision policy, as shown in paragraph 4.6 of the report, be approved.

3.  That the Prudential Indicators, as set out in Annex 1 to the report, be approved.

Councillor Bundy declared a personal interest and left the room during discussion and consideration of the item.

Consideration was given to the report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which updated Councillors on the progress of the existing 2024/25 Capital Programme and included forecast changes to its timescale and total cost.

One new community project has been added to the Capital Programme following approval at Council on 11 December 2024 which was for a new Pavilion at Nursling Recreation Ground and would be fully funded by S106 contributions.

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:

That the revised estimates and financing for the 2024/25 to 2026/27 Capital Programme, as shown in the Annex to the report, be approved.

Consideration was given to the report of the Planning Portfolio Holder which sought approval to amend the Local Development Scheme.

A review had been undertaken of the timetable for preparing the draft Local Plan due to the revised National Planning Policy Framework published by Government on 12 December 2024. The Government’s position had increased the number of homes the Council needed to plan for. Given the scale of new development the Council would need to repeat a consultation which required a review of the scope and an amended timetable. 

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 progressed in accordance with the revised scope and timetable set out in section 5 of 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 three quarters of the 2024/25 financial year.

The report examined the main differences between the original estimate and actual spend to 31 December 2024, providing an explanation for significant variances.

Overall, the net expenditure to 31 December 2024 was £297,000 lower than budgeted. This comprised lower income and additional costs of £123,000 due to service-related activities, offset by £420,000 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.

In accordance with the Council’s Public Participation Scheme, Mr Flippance made a statement in respect of the Local Enforcement Plan.

Consideration was given to the report of the Planning Portfolio Holder which presented a new Local Enforcement Plan 2025, setting out the Council’s aims and approach towards the delivery of this service across the borough.

The Plan has been reviewed to ensure it remained relevant to communities and to align with current government guidance and policy and legislative changes. Public consultation on the revised document had been undertaken in December 2024 with 15 responses received.

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 new Local Enforcement Plan 2025 be approved and that the Head of Planning and Building be authorised to undertake any minor changes to the plan.

Consideration was given to a report of the Community, Leisure and Tourism Portfolio Holder which reviewed the impact of the current three-year revenue funding programme and made recommendations for funding from 2026/27 to 2027/28.

Funding was recommended over the next three years to maintain the support provided by the Council to key voluntary sector organisations to increase the quality of life of residents of Test valley and reduce the demand on public services.

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

Resolved:

1.  That the strategic funding for 2025/26 as outlined in the report and shown at Annex 2 to the report be approved, subject to the approval of the Council’s revenue budget.

2.  That the recommended funding for 2026/27 and 2027/28 shown in Annex 2 to the report be agreed in principle.

3.  That the Head of Finance and Revenues will apply an appropriate level of additional inflationary increases in 2026/27 and 2027/28, subject to affordability in context of pressures on the Council’s overall budget.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which presented the proposals for the final Revenue Budget and Council Tax for the financial year 2025/26.

The report took into account the previous budget information and options for changes in service delivery that were presented to the Cabinet in October 2024 and January 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 Forecast for 2024/25, as set out in Column 3 of Annex 1 to the report, be noted.

2.  That the Income Generation Proposals, Savings Options and Revenue Pressures, as set out in Annexes 2 and 3 to the report, be approved.

3.  That the transfers to or from reserves as detailed in paragraph 4.23 of the report be approved.

4.  That the creation of a Transformation Reserve, as set out in Annex 7 to the report, be approved and that the Head of Strategy and Innovation, in consultation with the Democracy and Governance Portfolio Holder, the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder and the Head of Finance and Revenues be authorised to draw from this reserve.

5.  That subject to recommendations 2 and 3 above and taking due regard of the Head of Finance and Revenues’ comments in Annex 7 to the report, the budget for 2025/26, as set out in Column 6 of Annex 1 to the report, be approved.

6.  That subject to recommendations 2, 3 and 4 above, the revenue estimates for each Service contained in Annex 6 to the report be approved.

7.  That the pre-application fees and charges as set out in Annex 8 and detailed in paragraph 4.29 to the report be approved.

8.  That a Council Tax Requirement for 2025/26 of £11,708,040 be approved.

9.  That a Special Expenses Levy of £350,692 be made in respect of the area of Andover to cover the cost of providing burial grounds, sports grounds and playgrounds.

10.  That a general precept of £8,852,066 be levied for the year 2025/26.

11.  That the Medium Term Forecast contained in Annex 5 to the report be noted.

12.  That a Band D Council Tax, excluding Parishes and Special Expenses, of £168.91 in 2025/26 be approved.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which presented the Business Plan for Valley Housing Ltd.

Twenty-four properties were currently managed by the company to help generate income and meet identified unmet demand for housing within the borough.

During the current year directors had focussed on bringing properties currently owned by the Council into use. It was expected that the company would make a profit of around £41,000 in the current year.

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

Resolved:

That the Valley Housing Ltd Business Plan, attached in the Annex to the report, be approved.