Test Valley Borough Council
Councillors:
43
Wards:
21
Committees:
17
Meetings (2025):
93
Meetings (2024):
86
Meeting
Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Test Valley
Meeting Times
Scheduled Time
Start:
Wednesday, 16th April 2025
5:30 PM
Wednesday, 16th April 2025
5:30 PM
End:
Wednesday, 16th April 2025
9:30 PM
Wednesday, 16th April 2025
9:30 PM
Meeting Status
Status:
Confirmed
Confirmed
Date:
16 Apr 2025
16 Apr 2025
Location:
The Annexe, Crosfield Hall, Broadwater Road, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 8GL
The Annexe, Crosfield Hall, Broadwater Road, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 8GL
Meeting Attendees
Officer
Head of Strategy and Innovation
James Moody
Expected
Officer
David Growcott
Expected
Vice-Chairman
Delivery Lead - Community Led Projects Portfolio Holder
Agenda
1
Apologies
Minutes
Apologies were received from Councillor K Brooks, Leech and Parker.
2
Public Participation
Minutes
There was no public participation.
3
Declarations of Interest
Minutes
There were no declarations of interest.
4
Urgent Items
Minutes
There were no urgent items.
5
Minutes
To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 5 March 2025,
Attachments:
- Document $$Minutes 08 Apr 2025
Minutes
Councillor xxxx proposed and Councillor xxxx seconded the motion that the minutes of the meeting held on 5 March 2025 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.
6
Call in Items
Minutes
There were no call in items.
7
Urgent decisions taken since last meeting
Minutes
There were no urgent decisions.
8
Appointment of Vice Chairman
Minutes
Councillor Budzynski proposed and Councillor Gregori seconded Councillor Matthews as Vice-Chairman of the Committee.
Upon being put to the vote Councillor Matthews was appointed as Vice-Chairman.
Resolved:
That Councillor Matthews be appointed as Vice-Chairman until the first meeting after Annual Council in 2025.
Upon being put to the vote Councillor Matthews was appointed as Vice-Chairman.
Resolved:
That Councillor Matthews be appointed as Vice-Chairman until the first meeting after Annual Council in 2025.
9
Programme of Work for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
To enable Members to keep the Committee’s future work programme under review (10 minutes)
Attachments:
- Document Work Programme - Report April 25 08 Apr 2025
- Document Work Programme - Annex 1 08 Apr 2025
- Document Work Programme - Annex 2 08 Apr 2025
- Document Work Programme - Annex 3 08 Apr 2025
- Document Work Programme Annex 4 08 Apr 2025
Minutes
The Chairman took members through the work programme and advised that The Leader has now taken over regeneration for the south as well as the north and will be attending the meeting in July to give a presentation around regeneration particularly around funding and how the Council can deliver regeneration in Andover and Romsey.
Members suggested and discussed;
· Strategic Revenue Grants round table – This to include a more strategic view and an understanding how the Council can develop more proactively for charities and the voluntary sector. Also how to measure the impact.
· Away Day – the session to discuss the Away Day next steps will be circulated shortly.
Panels
Budget Panel – Next meeting of the Budget Panel will take place on 5 July 2025.
Housing Panels – the Lead Member of the User Experience panel reported that Louise Thorpe from Aster had attended the last panel meeting and explained what the main housing providers provided to users and the support that is available. The next step will be for the panel to review service user data and survey results from stakeholders. The Affordable Housing panel last met on 19 February 2025 and the next meeting will be confirmed. It is anticipated that recommendations from both panels will come to the committee in August.
The committee discussed the Cabinet Work Programme and how they could have a longer term view of the work programme and how they could add input and be more involved. The committee would like to consider the property disposal item which will go to Cabinet in July and this will be added to the work programme.
Councillor Matthews proposed and Councillor Gregori seconded the motion as set out in the agenda. Upon being put to the vote the motion was carried.
Resolved:
1. That the current Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme (updated for April 2025), as shown in Annex 1 to the report, be approved.
2. That the update on Panels shown in Annex 2 to the report be noted.
Members suggested and discussed;
· Strategic Revenue Grants round table – This to include a more strategic view and an understanding how the Council can develop more proactively for charities and the voluntary sector. Also how to measure the impact.
· Away Day – the session to discuss the Away Day next steps will be circulated shortly.
Panels
Budget Panel – Next meeting of the Budget Panel will take place on 5 July 2025.
Housing Panels – the Lead Member of the User Experience panel reported that Louise Thorpe from Aster had attended the last panel meeting and explained what the main housing providers provided to users and the support that is available. The next step will be for the panel to review service user data and survey results from stakeholders. The Affordable Housing panel last met on 19 February 2025 and the next meeting will be confirmed. It is anticipated that recommendations from both panels will come to the committee in August.
The committee discussed the Cabinet Work Programme and how they could have a longer term view of the work programme and how they could add input and be more involved. The committee would like to consider the property disposal item which will go to Cabinet in July and this will be added to the work programme.
Councillor Matthews proposed and Councillor Gregori seconded the motion as set out in the agenda. Upon being put to the vote the motion was carried.
Resolved:
1. That the current Overview and Scrutiny Work Programme (updated for April 2025), as shown in Annex 1 to the report, be approved.
2. That the update on Panels shown in Annex 2 to the report be noted.
10
Economic Development Strategy
To provide an update on the Economic Development Strategy (30 minutes)
Attachments:
- Document EDS Report OSCOM FINAL 08 Apr 2025
- Document OSCOM Appendix 1 Economic Development Strategy 08 Apr 2025
- Document OSCOM Appendix 2 - Year One Work Plan tracker 08 Apr 2025
- Document OSCOM Appendix 3 FINAL_Pilot_Dem_Report (1) 08 Apr 2025
- Document OSCOM Appendix 4 Absolar Report TVBC_29_4447 Plot 37 Macadam Way 08 Apr 2025
Minutes
Consideration was given to a report of the Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development which provided an update on the progress of the Year One actions of the Economic Development Strategy 2024-2029 – Year One actions (April 2024 – March 2025.
The presentation on the Economic Development Strategy was delivered by the Economic Development Manager and was structured around the 6 main priorities and what had gone well and what hadn’t.
The presentation covered:
· Engaging business around the skills necessary within green technology.
· Moving to a new model of tourism delivery
· Grant programmes
· Small business support service
· School business support service and partnership with IncuHive for the next 2 years.
· Promotion of newsletter
· Rural England Prosperity Fund
· Low carbon – business resilience and future business opportunities
· Rural Net Zero Grants programme
· Working with Andover College on skills and job fairs
· Employment and skills plan
· Reflecting the changing workforce
Members discussed and suggested:
· Expanding the Andover Skills Training Fund to cover the whole of Test Valley. Support for rural businesses are being looked at through a rural grant.
· Andover college limited in what it covers need to look further afield.
· How to measure success of the strategy and survival rates. This is being monitored but could be done more often.
· Measuring economic growth in the future. The real outcome will be when we start to look at the figures again through social economic analysis.
· How getting right message into those businesses by trying to be integrated as much as possible and being more proactive.
· Better communication and distribution of the business newsletter. This has increased to over 3,000.
· How to communicate with businesses outside the BID.
· Engage with secondary school children.
· Skills training for charities and voluntary sector. The Communities team already engage with voluntary sectors.
· Leaflet to drop into businesses including contacts and what is available.
The Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development took the comments on board and will look to reflect the comments in the implementation of the strategy.
To develop initiatives under the “Reflecting the changing workforce and new life stages” will require increased research review, local intelligence and insight together with engagement with local partners. It is proposed that the committee are well placed to support these types of activities and therefore, the committee was asked to note the content of this paper and to consider how it might take a role in identifying opportunities to support the “Reflecting the changing workforce and new life stages” priority.
The motion was proposed by Councillor Gregori and seconded by Councillor Hasselmann. Upon being put to the vote the motion was carried.
Resolved:
1. That the contents of the report be noted.
2. That the Committee identifies opportunities to support the work reflecting the changing workforce in life changes priority using intelligence, networks and contacts to generate new ideas.
The presentation on the Economic Development Strategy was delivered by the Economic Development Manager and was structured around the 6 main priorities and what had gone well and what hadn’t.
The presentation covered:
· Engaging business around the skills necessary within green technology.
· Moving to a new model of tourism delivery
· Grant programmes
· Small business support service
· School business support service and partnership with IncuHive for the next 2 years.
· Promotion of newsletter
· Rural England Prosperity Fund
· Low carbon – business resilience and future business opportunities
· Rural Net Zero Grants programme
· Working with Andover College on skills and job fairs
· Employment and skills plan
· Reflecting the changing workforce
Members discussed and suggested:
· Expanding the Andover Skills Training Fund to cover the whole of Test Valley. Support for rural businesses are being looked at through a rural grant.
· Andover college limited in what it covers need to look further afield.
· How to measure success of the strategy and survival rates. This is being monitored but could be done more often.
· Measuring economic growth in the future. The real outcome will be when we start to look at the figures again through social economic analysis.
· How getting right message into those businesses by trying to be integrated as much as possible and being more proactive.
· Better communication and distribution of the business newsletter. This has increased to over 3,000.
· How to communicate with businesses outside the BID.
· Engage with secondary school children.
· Skills training for charities and voluntary sector. The Communities team already engage with voluntary sectors.
· Leaflet to drop into businesses including contacts and what is available.
The Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development took the comments on board and will look to reflect the comments in the implementation of the strategy.
To develop initiatives under the “Reflecting the changing workforce and new life stages” will require increased research review, local intelligence and insight together with engagement with local partners. It is proposed that the committee are well placed to support these types of activities and therefore, the committee was asked to note the content of this paper and to consider how it might take a role in identifying opportunities to support the “Reflecting the changing workforce and new life stages” priority.
The motion was proposed by Councillor Gregori and seconded by Councillor Hasselmann. Upon being put to the vote the motion was carried.
Resolved:
1. That the contents of the report be noted.
2. That the Committee identifies opportunities to support the work reflecting the changing workforce in life changes priority using intelligence, networks and contacts to generate new ideas.
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