Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence given for this meeting.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Council Meeting held on 22 October 2020.

RESOLVED that the Mayor be authorised to sign as a correct record the Minutes of the Council meeting held on 22 October 2020.

The Mayor announced that since the last Council meeting, the Annual Remembrance Commemorations took place in a very different format from usual due to being in Lockdown restrictions.  The Mayor was pleased to lay a wreath at the Memorial in Portchester on the Saturday morning.  This was organised along with representatives from the Armed Forces and took place very early in the morning with clear social distancing being observed. The Remembrance Sunday was extremely low-key but was observed with the usual dignity.  The Mayor stated that this being the 75^th Anniversary of VE Day and VJ Day it was a great pity not to have the veterans present or members of this Council as I these days are very special to so many people.

The Mayor also announced that, along with the Mayoress, she was delighted to be able to switch on the Christmas lights in the Town Centre, albeit by pressing a switch from the comfort of her lounge and just a little imagination and magic from Officers.

The Mayor further announced that this week she joined members of Swanwick Lions for carols as they served mince pies to residents in sheltered accommodation in Warsash.

The Mayor’s final announcement was that, yesterday, it had been a pleasure to at last open the play area at Daedalus Common.  This will be a popular area in the spring and summer months for the local residents.

The Executive Leader announced that under the New Homes Bonus, the Council will be awarded £240,000 for 2021/2022.  This contrasts poorly with previous awards, for example in 2016 the amount received was £2m.

The Executive Leader also announced that the Government has amended the way Local Planning Authorities should calculate housing need.   Despite the proposed new methodology that was subject to consultation earlier this year which would have reduced Fareham’s housing requirement, the new methodology does not change the number for Fareham.  Our housing requirement therefore remains as it is in the current standard methodology, taking us back to annual levels of housing growth that we had previously consulted upon in earlier Regulation 18 consultations.

The Executive Leader went on to explain that the change involves an added step in the calculation methodology for 20 identified cities and urban areas to apply a 35% uplift to their housing numbers.  Southampton is one of those cities, but Portsmouth is not.

This announcement is likely to have implications for the Local Plan that we are preparing, and we will need to consider the options available to us in advance of submission of the Local Plan for examination.

Health and Public Protection

Councillor T M Cartwright, MBE, the Executive Member for Health and Public Protection, gave an update on the work covered by the Enforcement Teams from 1^st April until end of November 2020.  He stated that this shows that work has been considerably better than it has been in the past with a pro-active, targeted approach being conducted within the team by the Manager, David McAllister. The Executive Member reported the following for members’ information:

Abandoned vehicles

79 Notices have been issued and 26 vehicles recovered (4 were to owners after payment received).  Of the remainder, defects were corrected and vehicles taxed or moved off the highway or FBC land.

Fly Tipping

There were 23 cases of Fly Tipping where evidence was retrieved from the fly tip to enable the Council to pursue the offender.  There were 2 investigations with an invite to interview (which is ongoing), 4 investigations with prosecution ongoing and 15 Fixed Penalty Notices issued.

Litter

There were 22 cases created and 5 Fixed Penalty Notices issued.

Travellers

3 encampments have been dealt with since April.

Off-street PCN’s

833 off-street Penalty Charge Notices were issued from 1st June until 4th November.

Finally, the Executive Member advised that members of the Enforcement Team are currently acting as COVID Marshalls.

Leisure and Community

Councillor S Bell, Executive Member for Leisure and Community provided an update on Fareham Community Lottery. She stated that the lottery will be launched on the 05 January 2021. The community lottery in Fareham aims to raise money for local good courses, such as charities and community groups. The Council previously ran a lottery in the 1970’s which lasted for a few years but it has only recently become popular again and are already running successfully in our neighbouring authorities. Registered groups will receive 40% of the £1 ticket price by encouraging people to purchase the lottery tickets either online or through the call centre and select that organisation as the primary recipient. One Community are running the lottery on our behalf and groups are able to register by contacting them directly.

Councillor S Bell also reminded Members of the one-off Special Grants programme of £250 that is available to help reduce the financial strain. The grant is for smaller organisations in Fareham that may be struggling during the pandemic that are not able to access other types of support. She asked Members to contact such groups that they may be aware of within their Wards and see if they would like to apply. She advised that the online application process is quick and easy, with help and assistance also available through Officers in the Leisure Team.

Finally, Councillor S Bell asked the Chief Executive, Peter Grimwood to thank all staff on her behalf for all the exceptional work this year. She stated that we have never known a year like 2020 and asked that thanks be passed to all those who have risen to the challenges that have been put before them this year.

Streetscene

Councillor S Martin, Executive Member for Streetscene provided an update on work being carried out in line with the Councils commitment to becoming carbon neutral. The Streetscene Grounds Maintenance teams have been looking at opportunities to reduce the carbon omissions generated from the maintenance of the Boroughs open spaces. The traditional floral displays in the Borough are planted twice a year to provide Spring and Autumn flower which is very resource intensive, requiring several vehicle trips for planting, maintenance and watering, generating a significant volume of carbon dioxide omissions. This winter, Segensworth Roundabout and the flower beds in the cemeteries have been planted with sustainable planting as part of a trial. In the case of Segensworth Roundabout, 70,000 bulbs have been planted. These bulbs will remain in the ground providing annual displays that flower between February and May. This type of display requires no watering and just an annual maintenance visit. The results of the trial will be monitored and reported to the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel in the future providing Panel Members with an opportunity to debate alternative approaches to the Borough’s public open spaces that promote bio diversity and reduce carbon dioxide, whilst ensuring the Borough remains an attractive place to be.

Housing

Councillor F Birkett, Executive Member for housing provided an update highlighting the Station Road Development in Portchester, delivering 16 sheltered housing flats. In April the development received planning permission and following a successful tendering process, Seer Construction ltd have been appointed to complete the building work. They also completed the project at Oak Tree Close for the Council. The work at Station Road is scheduled to start in Spring 2021 for completion in Autumn 2022. Assheton Court and Station Road residents are linked projects. He explained that this means that Fareham Housing Officers will start dialogue with the Assheton Court residents in the summer of 2021 to discuss their needs and preferences for alternative accommodation as they move from one site to the other. These projects combined with those of Rose Court, Coldeast Scout Hut and Sea Lane, Stubbington Lane are already underway and that of Wynton Way, mean that the Housing Strategy is well on track for delivery as promised. Fareham Housing Officers Robyn Lyons and Fleur Allaway have worked from the beginning of the Strategy to deliver diverse, green housing.

Councillor F Birkett also updated Members on the new software that has been rolled out to assist the Housing Maintenance Teams to be more efficient. They are now able to plan more effectively and subsequently have a greener way of working and of providing greener solutions for the Fareham Housing stock.

Councillor F Birkett also highlighted the increasing pressure that Fareham Housing, in particular the Benefits team, have been under this year with the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions this has put on ways of working. They have continued to provide an excellent service and have been instrumental in ensuring that people are getting their money. He also highlighted Andy Wannell, Deputy Chief Executive Officer on how he has been incredibly supportive to his team and also wanted to thank all officers across the Council for their hard work over this period.

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.

To receive any petitions presented by a member of the Council.

Note: any petition so presented will be dealt with in accordance with the Council’s petition scheme.

There were no petitions presented at this meeting.

To receive any deputations of which notice has been given.

There were no deputations given at this meeting.

To receive, consider and answer questions on reports and recommendations of the Executive.  Minutes of the meetings of the Executive and a schedule of individual Executive member decisions are appended.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on Monday 02 November 2020 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on Monday 07 December 2020 be received.

RESOLVED that the Schedule of Individual and Executive Member and Officer Delegated Decisions be received.

To receive the minutes of the following Committees and to consider and answer questions on any reports and recommendations made.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on Wednesday 14 October 2020 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on Wednesday 18 November 2020 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee held on Monday 19 October 2020 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Audit and Governance Committee held on Monday 23 November 2020 be received.

To receive, consider and answer questions on reports and recommendations of the meetings of the Scrutiny Panels.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel held on Thursday 15 October 2020 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Health and Public Protection Scrutiny Panel held on Tuesday 27 October 2020 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Housing Scrutiny Panel held on Thursday 05 November 2020 be received.

To answer questions pursuant to Standing Order 17.2 for this meeting.

There were no questions submitted for this meeting.

Members will be informed, prior to the meeting, of any motion duly notified in accordance with Standing Order 15 but received after print and dispatch of the agenda.

To receive an update on the motion presented to Council on the 21 February 2020 by Councillor R H price, JP:

“I propose that Fareham Borough Council resolves to take the following action regarding Fireworks:

1.    To encourage all public firework displays within the Borough to be advertised fully in advance of the event, allowing residents to take precautions for animals and vulnerable people.

2.    To actively promote a public awareness campaign about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare and vulnerable people – including the precautions that can be taken to mitigate risk.

3.    To encourage local suppliers of fireworks to stock “quieter” fireworks for public safety.

4.    To write to the UK government urging them to introduce legislation to limit the maximum noise level of fireworks to 90dB for those sold to the public for private displays.  This letter to be copied to the Local Government Association asking for their support to obtain this legislative change.”

A notice of motion was received from Councillor R H Price, JP.

“I propose that Fareham Borough Council resolves to take the following action regarding Fireworks:

1.    To encourage all public firework displays within the Borough to be advertised fully in advance of the event, allowing residents to take precautions for animals and vulnerable people.

2.    To actively promote a public awareness campaign about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare and vulnerable people – including the precautions that can be taken to mitigate risk.

3.    To encourage local suppliers of fireworks to stock “quieter” fireworks for public safety.

4.    To write to the UK government urging them to introduce legislation to limit the maximum noise level of fireworks to 90dB for those sold to the public for private displays.  This letter to be copied to the Local Government Association asking for their support to obtain this legislative change.”

On presenting the motion, Councillor Price put forward an amendment to the motion to include that the Council write to Hampshire County Council to ask that, as the relevant Licensing Authority, they request that legislation in respect of fireworks is reviewed.

Having been duly proposed by Councillor R H Price, JP, the motion was seconded by Councillor J G Kelly.

Councillor T Davies proposed an alteration to the motion which was agreed by Councillor R H Price, JP.  As this alteration did not amend the substantive motion, its agreement required no vote on the matter.

“Fareham Borough Council resolves to take the following action regarding Fireworks:

1.    to encourage all public firework displays within the local authority boundaries to be advertised in advance of the event, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals and vulnerable people.

2.    to actively promote a public awareness campaign about the impact of fireworks on animal welfare, vulnerable people and the environment – including the precautions that can be taken to mitigate risk.

3.    to encourage local suppliers of fireworks to stock ‘quieter’ fireworks for public & private display.

4.    to commit to using fireworks for its own events that are below the proposed maximum noise level of 90dB and are deemed environmentally friendly.

5.    to encourage the use of 'quieter' fireworks at public events.

6.    To write to the UK government urging them to introduce legislation to limit the maximum noise level of fireworks to 90dB for those sold to the public for private displays.  This letter to be copied to the Local Government Association asking for their support to obtain this legislative change.

7.    Also write to Hampshire County Council as the relevant licensing Authority asking them to request that legislation be reviewed.”

The alteration to the motion was seconded by Councillor Mrs K K Trott.

Having been duly proposed and seconded the amended motion was put to the vote and was carried unanimously.

To receive an update on the motion presented to Council on the 21 February 2020 by Councillor Mrs K K Trott:

“I propose that Fareham Borough Council calls upon the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to review the way Councils can use the proceeds from the ‘Right to Buy’ policy, in order to facilitate the provision of more, much needed, Affordable homes including those for Social Rent.” 

Councillor Mrs K Mandry, Chairman of the Housing Scrutiny Panel, provided an update on the motion presented by Councillor Mrs K K Trott at the Council meeting held on 21 February 2020 in respect of the use of proceeds from the Right to Buy policy.  

Councillor Mrs Mandry advised members that a letter was sent to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the 18 March 2020 requesting a review of the way that Councils can use the proceeds from the ‘Right to Buy’ policy in order to facilitate the provision of more, much needed, Affordable homes including those for Social Rent.  As no response was received a further letter was sent on 03 August and hopefully a response will be received shortly.

A report by the Director of Leisure and Community which presents the revised Corporate Strategy 2017-2023 to Council for approval. 

RESOLVED that the Council:

(a)  notes the results of the annual review of the Corporate Strategy; and

(b)  approves the updates to the Corporate Strategy.

A report by the Head of Democratic Services which presents the draft Schedule of Council and Committee meetings 2021/22 to Council for approval.

RESOLVED that the Council:

(a)  approves the proposed schedule of Council, Committee and Panel meetings for the municipal year 2021/22, as set out at Appendix A to the report; and

(b)  notes the dates for the Partnership of South Hampshire Joint Committee and Overview and Scrutiny Committee are provisional until approved by the Joint Committee at its meeting in January 2021.

To make any changes in appointments to the seats on committees in accordance with the wishes of political groups.  Such appointments will take effect from 18 December 2020.

There were no changes made to the appointments to the Committees made at this meeting.