Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no apologies for absence given for this meeting.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 03 April 2023.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on Monday 03 April 2023 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

The Executive Leader welcomed the new Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Wannell to his first meeting of the Executive in the role of Chief Executive.

The Executive Leader also welcomed Councillor D G Foot to the Executive and thanked Councillor Mrs C L A Hockley for all of her work as the previous Executive Member for Housing.

To receive any declarations of interest from members in accordance with Standing Orders and the Council’s Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest made at this meeting.

There were no petitions submitted at this meeting.

To receive any deputations, of which notice has been lodged.

There were no deputations made at this meeting.

To receive any references from the committees or panels held.

Leisure and Community Scrutiny Panel – 10 May 2023

Minute 6 - Cams Alders Vision – Conclusion

The Panel received an Executive report from the Director of Leisure and Community on a proposed conclusion to the Cams Alders Vision which is no longer a viable project.

Members of the Panel expressed their regret and frustration that the Cams Alders Vision had not be realised, despite the best efforts from Officers over the past 9 years but agreed that the funds now needed to be allocated to another project.

RESOLVED that the Leisure and Community Scrutiny Panel:

(a)  notes the contents of the report attached at Appendix 1; and

(b)  pass the comments above to the Executive for consideration at their meeting on the 15 May 2023.

This was considered at item 11(1) on the agenda.

Policy and Resources Scrutiny Panel – 02 May 2023

Minute 6 - 5 year Rolling Vehicle Replacement Programme

The Panel considered a report by the Director of Planning and Regeneration on the Vehicle Replacement Programme and received a presentation (appended to these minutes) from the Policy, Research and Engagement Manager and the Policy, Research and Engagement Officer which provided a summary of the key points of the report.

At the invitation of the Chairman, Councillor Mrs T Ellis, Chairman of the Climate Change Scrutiny Panel, addressed the Panel on this item.

Members asked questions of officers regarding the battery life of electric vehicles (EV), training of staff for maintenance and repairs of EV’s, costs of renting and purchasing of vehicles, fuel and maintenance costs, and the rationale behind the proposed recommendation for the Executive.

Members acknowledged that the market for Electric Vehicles is still very much an emerging market and that the future use of electric for some vehicle types is currently unknown. They acknowledged that this has been factored into the proposed replacement programme and the proposals for increased EV use is typically limited to those vehicle types where there is greater usage data to draw on. The Panel was also pleased that the programme will be reviewed annually to take account of any changes in the market that may have arisen during the period, which then provides the Council with the opportunity to adapt the replacement programme accordingly.

 RESOLVED that the Panel:

(a)  notes the contents of the Executive report on the Vehicle Replacement Programme (and accompanying appendices);

(b)  recommends the report to the Executive at its meeting on 15 May 2023 for endorsement; and

(c)  thanks the Policy, Research and Engagement Manager, and the Policy, Research and Engagement Officer for their informative presentation.

This was considered at item 13(1) on the agenda

Minute 7 - Corporate Strategy 2023-2029

The Panel considered a report by the Director of Leisure and Community on the Corporate Strategy 2023-2029.

The Policy, Research and Engagement Officer addressed the Panel to update them on a few amendments to the draft Executive report since it has been published. The title of the report has now been updated to ‘Draft Corporate Strategy 2023-2029’, and that the recommended to the Executive has now been updated to ‘It is recommended that the Executive approves the draft Corporate Strategy to be circulated for public consultation’.

Members commented that the Strategy document was easy to read and well set out. They took note of the updates to the strategy and felt that these represented the Council’s values well.

At the invitation of the Chairman, Councillor Mrs Trott addressed the Panel on this item and pointed out an error on page 14 of the Strategy document in that the picture shown is not of Fareham Creek but that of the River Hamble, and that this needs to be changed.

RESOLVED that the Panels comments above be noted by the Executive when considering this item at their meeting on 15 May 2023.

This was considered at item 13(2) on the agenda.

The Executive Leader is invited to confirm the appointment of Executive Members to the areas of Executive responsibility.

The Executive Leader confirmed that his decision to appoint Executive Members to the areas of Executive responsibility for the municipal year 2023/24 was as follows:

Planning and Development – Councillor S D Martin

Leisure and Community – Councillor Mrs S Walker

Housing – Councillor D G Foot

Health and Public Protection – Councillor Miss J Burton

Streetscene – Councillor I J Bastable

Policy and Resources – Councillor S D T Woodward

To appoint Executive Members to the following bodies for 2023/24:

(i)            Portchester Crematorium Joint Committee (the current appointments made by the Executive are Councillors Miss J Burton and Mrs S M Walker with Councillor I J Bastable as Deputy.  (N.B in the past, the Executive has not appointed ‘substitute’ members to this Joint Committee.  However, the Executive may, if it so wishes, authorise other members of the Executive to act as deputies).

(ii)          Fareham and Gosport Building Control Members’ Panel (the appointment made by the Executive in 2022/23 was Councillor Miss J Burton.

(iii)         Partnership for South Hampshire (PfSH). As PfSH is a formal Joint Committee, the following appointments are required to be made by the Executive for 2023/24:

(a)  Joint Committee representatives (the Borough Council representatives appointed by the Executive in 2022/23 were Executive Leader Councillor S D T Woodward and Deputy Executive Leader Councillor S D Martin.

(b)  Sub-Group Meetings (the current Borough Council representatives appointed by the Executive are the appropriate Executive Members, as relevant); and

(c)  Meetings with Key Consultees and similar Consultation Meetings (the Borough Council representatives appointed by the Executive in 2022/23 were Councillors S D T Woodward and S D Martin.

(iv)         Fareham & Gosport Environmental Health Partnership Panel (in 2022/23 the representative appointed by the Executive was Councillor Miss J Burton.

(v)          Aspect Building Communities Ltd (the current representative appointed by the Executive is Councillor Mrs C L A Hockley).

(vi)         Joint Member Share Coastal Management Board (the appointments made by the Executive in 2022/23 were Councillor S D Martin as the Borough Council’s representative and Councillor M Daniells as Deputy).

(vii)        Solent Airport Consultative Committee (the appointments made by the Executive in 2022/23 were the Executive Leader, Councillor S D T Woodward as the Chairman of the Committee, the Deputy Executive Leader, Councillor S D Martin as the Vice Chairman of the Committee and Councillors Miss T Harper, S Dugan and Mrs J Needham from the Titchfield, Hillhead and Stubbington wards respectively as members of the Committee.

RESOLVED that the Executive appoints Executive Members to the following bodies for the 2023/24 municipal year:

(i)     Portchester Crematorium Joint Committee - Councillor Miss J Burton and Mrs S M Walker with Councillor I J Bastable as Deputy.

(N.B. in the past, the Executive has not appointed ‘substitute’ members to this Joint Committee. However, the Executive may, if it so wishes, authorise other members of the Executive to act as deputies.)

(ii)    Fareham and Gosport Building Control Members’ Panel – Councillor Miss J Burton.

(iii)   Partnership for South Hampshire (PfSH)

As PfSH is a formal Joint Committee, the following appointments are required to be made by the Executive for 2023/24:

(a)  Joint Committee representatives – Executive Leader Councillor S D T Woodward and Deputy Executive Leader, Councillor S D Martin.

(b)  Sub-Group meetings – The Borough Council’s representatives are the appropriate Executive Members.

(c)  Meetings with Key Consultees and similar Consultation Meetings – Councillor S D T Woodward and Councillor S D Martin.

(iv)         Fareham and Gosport Environmental Health Partnership Panel – Councillor Miss J Burton.

(v)          Aspect Building Communities Ltd – Councillor D Foot.

(vi)         Joint Member Shared Coastal Management Board – Councillor S D Martin and Councillor M Daniells as Deputy.

(vii)        Solent Airport Consultative Committee – Executive Leader Councillor S D T Woodward as Chairman of the Committee, Deputy Executive Leader, Councillor S D Martin as the Vice Chairman of the Committee and Councillors Miss T Harper, S Dugan and Mrs J Needham from the Titchfield, Hillhead and Stubbington wards respectively as members of the Committee.

A report by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

RESOLVED that:

(a)  the draft Empty Homes Strategy (as provided in Appendix A to the report, be published for a minimum six-week period of public consultation; and

(b)  the Head of Housing Delivery be authorised to make any necessary minor amendments to the draft Empty Homes Strategy, prior to publication, provided these do not change the overall direction or emphasis and following consultation with the Executive Member for Housing.

A report by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves the use of the Capital Receipt to fund capital improvements to, or further delivery of, affordable housing in the borough.

A report by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

RESOLVED that the authority be delegated to the Head of Housing Delivery, following consultation with the Executive Member for Housing, to appoint Rand Associates to undertake a Stock Condition Survey of the Council’s housing assets.  This work to take place over a five-year period from 2023/24 to 2027/28.

A report by the Director of Leisure and Community.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  notes the contents of the report and agrees to conclude the Vision for Cams Alders;

(b)  agrees to divert £1.75million of the Section 106 developers’ contributions held for outdoor sports and recreation to help fund the Vision for Henry Cort Fareham North-West; and

(c)  agrees to allocate £100,000 of the Section 106 developers’ contributions for outdoor sports and recreation to fund the repairs to the roof and masonry of the Cams Alders Pavillion.

A report by the Director of Leisure and Community.

It is recommended that the Executive agrees that there is no variation to the management agreement.

A report by the Director of Planning and Regeneration.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  approves the Draft Self and Custom Build Supplementary Planning Document, as set out at Appendix A to the report, for public consultation; and

(b)  delegates authority to the Director of Planning and Regeneration, following consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Development, to make any minor amendments to the document following consideration by the Executive, prior to the consultation.

A report by the Director of Planning and Regeneration.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves:

(a)  the use of a proposed rolling vehicle replacement programme for the next 5-years;

(b)  that the replacement programme, alongside the level of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) use, be updated on a rolling basis each autumn to inform budget setting for the following year and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy;

(c)  an increased general fund capital budget of £584,000 funded from capital reserves, for 2023/24 for the purchase of 11 vehicles (excluding Solent Airport vehicles);

(d)  an increased Housing Revenue Account (HRA) capital budget of £94,200 funded from capital reserves for 2023/24 for the purchase of three vehicles; and

(e)  the installation of upgraded electric vehicle infrastructure at the Broadcut Depot site at an estimated cost of £50,000.

A report by the Director of Leisure and Community.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves the draft Corporate Strategy to be circulated for public consultation.

To consider whether it is in the public interest to exclude the public and representatives of the Press from the remainder of the meeting on the grounds that the matters to be dealt with involve the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED that in accordance with the Local Government Act 1974, the Public & Press be excluded from the remainder of the meeting, as the Executive considers that it is not in the public interest to consider the matters in public on the grounds that they will involve the disclosure of exempt information, as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Scheduled 12A of the Local Government Act.

A report by the Director of Planning and Regeneration.

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees the recommendation as stated in the report.