Decisions

To consider the tenders received and to award a contract for the provision of Gas Servicing Maintenance and Installation works to council properties.  

This report provides the Executive with information on the Council’s statutory duty to manage gas appliances.  It provides details on a new contract to provide Gas Servicing, Maintenance and Installation works for the next 5 years with an option of 2-year extension.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves that:

(a)  a contract is awarded to the contractor who submitted the most economically advantageous tender as detailed in Appendix A to this report.

(b)  authority be delegated to the Director of Finance and Resources, in consultation with the Director of Fareham Housing, to jointly approve an extension of the above contract by a further two years, subject to satisfactory performance of the contractor; and

(c)  the existing contract for Gas Servicing, Maintenance and Installation with TSG Building Services is extended for up to 6 months from its existing expiry date of 30^th April 2018.

To inform the Executive of the response to the Highways England consultation on the proposed regulations to introduce variable mandatory speed limits to the planned M27 Smart Motorway scheme between junctions 4 and 11.

Highways England wrote to the Council on 12 March 2018, advising that it has launched a consultation seeking views on the proposed regulations to introduce variable mandatory speed limits to the planned M27 Smart Motorway scheme between junctions 4 and 11.  Officers have prepared a suggested response to this consultation which is detailed in this report.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves the response to the Highways England consultation, as detailed in the Briefing Paper to this report.

To agree to fund and construct an informal path to link the car park at Holly Hill Leisure Centre with the existing footpath that leads to the entrance of Sarisbury Infant School.

Prior to the opening of the new Holly Hill Leisure Centre parents predominantly used the Holly Hill Woodland car park when dropping off and collecting children attending Sarisbury Infant School.

Some parents are now using Holly Hill Leisure Centre car park to avoid crossing Barnes Lane.  However, there is currently no direct path from the car park to the school entrance.  This mean parents and children sometimes get wet and dirty shoes when walking across the grass to the school entrance.  The proposal is to provide an informal path to link the car park at Holly Hill Leisure Centre with the existing footpath that leads to the entrance of Sarisbury Infant School.

There is no revenue budget available in Streetscene to cover the estimated £6,200 to construct the path.  There is a capital budget of £36,000 for footpath improvements which is used to repair or replace existing footpaths on public open space and in cemeteries.  It is proposed to fund the cost of constructing the path from this budget.

The path will be constructed of resin bound gravel and will require periodic works to maintain a level surface.  The grass edges of the path will require trimming on a regular basis along with treatment of weed growth.  These will be additional maintenance tasks for the Streetscene team to undertake with the cost funded from the existing Streetscene revenue budget.

A specialist Engineering Design Team has been consulted about the construction of the path and they have confirmed there is no requirement to undertake a formal risk assessment.

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees:

(a)  to construct an informal path to link the car park at Holly Hill Leisure Centre with the existing footpath that leads to the entrance of Sarisbury Infant School; and

(b)  that the estimated cost of £6,200 to construct the path is funded from the Footpath Improvement capital budget.

To seek approval of Fareham Borough Council’s response, as outlined in this report, with Appendices 1 & 2 which are the Council’s full and detailed response to the two separate Government consultations, to be submitted prior to the end of the consultation period (10 May 2018).

On 05 March 2018, the Government launched a series of documents centred on the planning system for consultation up until 10 May 2018 (reference Papers A-E).

This report briefly outlines the most significant proposals within these Government five consultation documents (Reference Papers A, B, C, D & E).

This report also sets out the Council’s overall response to the two Government consultation documents that seek specific answers to the questions posed (Reference Papers A & E)

It is important to highlight that, like the Council’s previous response last year to ‘Planning for the right homes in the right places: consultation proposals’, this report emphasises that the Council is very concerned about the immediate and significant increase on housing requirements that the Government’s proposed new standard method for calculating local need would have.   This would in turn have an adverse and negative impact on the five-year housing land supply in the Borough and its local communities.

If the Government impose these consultation proposals, it would rapidly increase the level of housing need in the Borough and leave local authorities exposed to the potential requirements to accommodate the unmet need from neighbouring authorities.

These two aspects would have an immediate significant detrimental effect on the Council’s five-year housing land supply position.

In addition, the Government is proposing a Housing Delivery Test (Reference Paper D) potentially with a 2018 start date but using retrospective three-year requirements.  If imposed, this would rapidly further increase levels of future housing need, resulting in totally unrealistic housing delivery targets.

These proposed reforms are comprehensively and specifically targeted at local authorities to deliver.  Local authorities like Fareham, with negligible ownership of deliverable sites, can permit (i.e. determine planning applications for housing) but not deliver.  The proposals, if fully imposed, would result in an immediate and unrealistic significantly increased level of housing need numbers to deliver.

All of this would lead to a wholly unaccountable decision-making process for local communities, as in effect national policy will simply dictate local planning decisions, further undermining the plan-led system and local authorities such as Fareham Borough Council.

Also, as the Council highlighted in its previous response to the Government proposals consulted upon last year, ‘Planning for the right homes in the right places’, if enacted, such reforms would significantly undermine the collaborative and beneficial work already undertaken by the Council and with the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH).

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees:

(a)  Fareham Borough Council’s overall response to recent Government consultations (Reference Papers A, B, C, D & E) as outlined in this report, along with both Appendices 1 and 2 attached to this report, which directly answer specific questions posed by the Government in Reference Papers A and E respectively, and for these to be submitted to the Government prior to 10 May 2018 for their consideration;

(b)  that the Director for Planning and Regulation be authorised to make any necessary minor amendments in consultation with the Executive member for Planning and Development to Appendices 1 and 2, prior to their submission to the Government’s consultation deadline (10 May 2018), provided these do not change their overall direction, shape or emphasis; and

(c)  to write to local Members of Parliament (MPs) highlighting the unreasonable, unrealistic nature of the proposals and seeking their support for the Council’s position and write to relevant Government Ministers (Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Minister of State for Housing) to convey the Council’s overall opposition to the Government’s current consultation proposals. 

To consider the Project Integra (PI) action plan for 2018 to 2021.

This report outlines the Project Integra Action Plan 2018-21, which represents Project Integra’s approach to delivering waste management in Hampshire for the next 3 years. A copy of the action plan can be found at Appendix A.

The Project Integra Strategic Board considered and approved the 2018-21 plan at a meeting on 15 February 2018.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves the 2018-2021 Project Integra action plan as attached at Appendix A to this report.

To provide an update on progress on delivery of affordable housing schemes within the borough and to seek approval to proceed with the scheme at Highlands Road, Fareham.

The report attached provides Members with an update on six schemes being promoted for affordable homes.  To date, the scheme designs have been developed assuming that the Council’s housing joint venture company, Aspect, would deliver them.  This is due to the funding restrictions that apply to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and the competing priorities for the limited, ring-fenced resources.

However, in anticipation of a new Housing strategy and in light of the establishment of the new Housing Department, a slightly different approach is proposed as a pragmatic way to ensure that delivering affordable homes on the most advanced sites (Highlands Road and Bridge Road) is not unduly delayed.  If agreed, the Highlands Road site would be promoted directly by the Council, which would utilise some of the borrowing headroom in the Housing Revenue Account.  It may also allow the Council to secure Government grants, and allow a greater proportion of the units to be delivered at social rents.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  notes the progress on the schemes within the report; and

(b)  agrees that the Highlands Road scheme is transferred from the General Fund enabling capital programme, to the Housing Revenue Account capital programme.

To consider changes to the Council’s Business Rate Discretionary Relief Policy to provide assistance to businesses.

In the March 2017 Spring Statement, The Chancellor announced measures to assist businesses following the revaluation of all Non-Domestic Properties from 01 April 2017.  Two of those measures need to be reviewed for 2018.  These are:

·         Revaluation Relief Support for businesses that have suffered the largest increases in their Business Rate Bills. Fareham will receive a maximum, of £311,000 funding over a 4-year period

·         Relief of up to £1,000 for public houses with Rateable Values up to £100,000.

This Council already has an established policy for granting Discretionary Rate Relief and the review will require a small amendment to that policy.  This report seeks to vary the local policy to incorporate those changes.

The Government will full reimburse local authorities for the local share of the discretionary relief granted.

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees to a small variation to the Business Rate Discretionary Relief Policy to allow relief to continue to be granted in the specific circumstances detailed in the report from 01 April 2018.

This report presents an application for funding under the Council’s Community Fund Programme.

An application for community funding has been received from Fareham Men’s Shed, for the sum of £1,812 to purchase some metal working equipment for their organisation. 

Fareham Men’s Shed is an Unincorporated Association that is currently applying for charitable status.  It has the specified aims of providing a workshop and social centre for its members, to maintain wellbeing and enable its members to enjoy working together on a range of practical projects. 

The group meets weekly at a workshop space sub-leased from Titchfield Festival Theatre, and currently attracts 40 members from across the Borough.  They work on projects that will benefit the community, with recent examples being the renovation of the playground at Redlands School, the creation of a base computer for the PALS Society, the installation of new seating at the Titchfield Festival Theatre, and the creation of Santa’s letterbox for the Locks Heath Rotary Club.  In addition, the group raises funds by selling renovated or unwanted tools and materials.

At the close of 2017, the group had £11,530.28 in their accounts. However, nearly £1,000 is ringfenced for storage equipment from a previous Co-op grant, and a large outlay is anticipated this year for first aid training, PAT training and trustee training.

Both Ward Councillors, Cllr Mrs Hockley and Cllr Harper, have indicated their full support for this application.

That the application for £1,812 from Fareham Borough Council’s Community Fund submitted by Fareham Men’s Shed to purchase some metal working equipment for their organisation, be approved.