Agenda and draft minutes

The meeting will commence with a short service of prayers.

The meeting commenced with a service of prayers led by Reverend Richard England.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors S Dugan, J M Englefield, Miss J Burton, Mrs P M Bryant and Mrs L E Clubley.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Council Meeting held on 12 December 2024.

RESOLVED that the Mayor be authorised to sign, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 12 December 2024.

The Mayor announced that she had carried out a number of engagements since the last meeting, including the Community First Christmas Day Lunch for socially isolated people who would be alone on Christmas Day, the Holocaust Memorial Day hosted by Havant Borough Council and a Chinese New Year event in Portsmouth  which was a very vibrant and colourful event.

The Mayor also announced that she had attended the opening of the pop-up sand pit in the shopping centre where lots of children played in the sand and enjoyed themselves. The Mayor put forward her thanks to all involved in setting this up.

The Mayor was very pleased to announce that her Charity ‘Bollywood’ Ball will be held at Fareham Live on Saturday 5 April. This will support the Mayor’s Charity, The Stubbington Ark. The night will begin with a drinks reception from 6.30pm, 3-course dinner with carriages at midnight.  After dinner, the celebrations continue with dancing, dazzling Bhangra performances, a live singer and a DJ. Tickets are priced at £65.00 per person or £600.00 for a table of ten.  Booking forms should be returned to the Mayor’s Office by Friday 21 March.  A raffle and auction will take place; prize donations would be greatly appreciated.

Finally, the Mayor announced that her next tea party will take place in the Council Chamber on 6 March at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £5.

The Executive Leader made the following announcements:

Local Government Reform

Members will be aware of the discussions taking place on Local Government Reform. We are working with KPMG and the other Councils in Hampshire on this matter and will be providing an update to MHCLG by 21 March.  To ensure that we follow the correct governance we will be holding a special executive meeting to discuss the report that will be submitted and this will cover both compliant and potential variant options that we may wish to put forward. We will of course keep all members informed of progress as it happens through an all member briefing.

The Municipal Journal

Earlier today, I was pleased to host a visit from the Editor of The Municipal Journal, which is the leading publication for the local government sector.  Heather joined me and the Chief Executive to hear about the incredible things we’ve been doing in our borough, and then had the opportunity to visit our town centre, Fareham Live, the Innovation Centre at Daedalus and Fareham Housing’s scheme at Copella Close.  We spoke about our aspiration to deliver a garden village at Welborne now coming to fruition, our vision for Daedalus delivering thousands since we intervened 10 years ago, and of course our ambitious strategy for the regeneration of Fareham town centre.  We also spoke about local government reorganisation and the critical importance of not diluting the incredible positive impact are achieving now, as we move ahead into a new era.

Leisure and Community

The Executive Member for Leisure and Community made the following announcements:

Fareham Leisure Centre

Our leisure centres in Fareham are thriving community facilities and have around 1.5 million visitors a year.  As a result, many of the classes that are run throughout the day are extremely popular.

Members can book on classes and often have to do this a week in advance to ensure they get a place.  Members unable to secure a place can join a waiting list.

Anyone that is booked onto a class but subsequently unable to attend is asked to cancel at least four hours ahead of the class time.  This is to enable those on the waiting list to have an opportunity to book onto the class and get to the leisure centre. 

If four hours’ notice is not provided, members are charged a ‘no show’ fee of £4.

Everyone Active recognises that some individuals with disabilities may not always know four hours in advance of a class that they cannot attend and, as a result, they are trialling a new support service.

Any customers that have a disability or concerns that they may not be able to provide four hours’ notice for health reasons, are invited to have an informal chat with the centre manager the next time they are at the Leisure Centre to discuss their concerns, while of course fully respecting their privacy.

This new service will be reviewed after a trial period of around six months to see whether or not any tweaks to be made to further support customers.

Pop-up Beach

I had the pleasure of attending the opening of the pop – up beach in Fareham Shopping Centre earlier today which was officially opened by the Mayor and the Active Monsters. 

The much-loved giant sand pit will be in situ for children and families to enjoy for free until October.

I would like to say a special thanks to Everyone Active for sponsoring this year’s pop-up beach. Everyone Active will also be regular visitors to run some family activities and thanks again to Mountjoy who assembled the sandpit for us.

Fareham Park Vision

I am also pleased to report that Phase 1 of the Vision for Fareham Park, to provide new and improved leisure and community facilities is progressing well. The new children’s play area that features our first wheelchair accessible see-saw and a multi-use social area are now open - just in time for the February half-term! An official opening will be held in the Spring when the weather allows for the finishing touches.

Fareham Live

The Executive Member was pleased to update Council that 75,000 tickets have been sold so far, and the venue saw an impressive 45,000 visits between September and December.

Fareham Leisure Centre

When making this announcement, the Executive Member for Leisure and Community expressed her concern how Councillor G Furnivall had chosen to highlight her frustrations with the trial system for individuals with health conditions.  The Executive Member for Leisure and Community therefore wanted to make this announcement as a statement of fact:

Our leisure centres in Fareham are thriving community facilities and have around 1.5 million visitors a year.  As a result, many of the classes that are run throughout the day are extremely popular.

Members can book onto classes and often have to do this a week in advance to ensure they get a place.  Members unable to secure a place can join a waiting list.

Anyone that is booked onto a class but subsequently unable to attend is asked to cancel at least four hours ahead of the class time.  This is to enable those on the waiting list to have an opportunity to book onto the class and get to the leisure centre. 

If four hours’ notice is not provided, members are charged a ‘no show’ fee of £4.

Everyone Active recognises that some individuals with disabilities may not always know four hours in advance of a class that they cannot attend and, as a result, they are trialling a new support service.

Any customers that have a disability or concerns that they may not be able to provide four hours’ notice for health reasons, are invited to have an informal chat with the centre manager the next time they are at the Leisure Centre to discuss their concerns, while of course fully respecting their privacy.

This new service will be reviewed after a trial period of around six months to see whether or not any tweaks to be made to further support customers.

Housing

The Executive Member for Housing made the following announcements:

Asylum Seeker Accommodation

The Home Office have been considering using Wates House, on Wallington Hill, to house asylum seekers. Wates House is a privately owned property containing 27 one and two-bed apartments.

I would like to assure Members that, at this stage, the Home Office have made no decision on the use of Wates House.

The Home Office have engaged with Council Officers and the police, and Officers have expressed multiple concerns on matters such as community safety, community cohesion, the location of the building, and the increased pressures to services that would arise from such a concentration of asylum seeker placements.

We have also strongly expressed the need for the Home Office to be completely satisfied and assured on matters such as fire and building safety.

It is anticipated that there will be further engagement from the Home Office should they be minded to lease the property, and we will continue to work closely across our housing and community safety functions, and with our partners in the police, to ensure that our concerns are brought to the attention of the Home Office.

Ophelia Court – Opening

The opening of Ophelia Court was carried out by the Mayor on 6^th February 2025, thank you to Robyn Lyons and the team at Fareham Housing for delivering these 9 Affordable Housing Shared Ownership homes.  These apartments are just part of the ongoing Fareham Housing Affordable and Social housing programme.

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 made 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

(a)  the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on Monday, 13 January 2025 be received;

(b)  the recommendations contained in minute 10(2) be confirmed at item 19 on the agenda;

(c)  the recommendations contained in minute10(3) be confirmed at item 18 on the agenda; and

(d)  the recommendations contained in minute 10(5) be confirmed at item 20 on the agenda.

RESOLVED that

(a)  the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on Monday, 3 February 2025 be received;

(b)  the recommendations contained in minute 10(3) be confirmed at item 16 on the agenda; and

(c)  the recommendations contained in minute 10(4) be confirmed at item 17 on the agenda.

The minutes of the meeting of the Executive to be held on Thursday 13 February 2025 will be tabled at the meeting for consideration.

The minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on Thursday 13 February 2025 were tabled at the meeting. 

RESOLVED that:

(a)   the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on Thursday 13 February 2025 be received; and

(b)  the recommendation contained in minute 8(2) be considered at item 15 on the agenda.

RESOLVED that the Schedule of Individual 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 11 December 2024 be received.

RESOLVED that:

(a)   the minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on Wednesday 15 January 2025 be received; and

(b)  the recommendations contained in minute 6 be confirmed at item 15 on the agenda.

RESOLVED that:

(a)   the minutes of the meeting of the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Committee held on Tuesday 28 January 2025 be received; and

(b)  the recommendations contained in minute 9 be confirmed at item 15 on the agenda.

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 Monday 6 January 2025 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Housing Scrutiny Panel held on Thursday 9 January 2025 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Panel held on Friday 10 January 2025 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Climate Change Scrutiny Panel held on Tuesday 14 January 2025 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Daedalus Scrutiny Panel held on Thursday 16 January 2025 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Health and Public Protection Scrutiny Panel held on Tuesday 21 January 2025 be received.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Leisure and Community Scrutiny Panel held on Tuesday 4 February 2025 be received.

To answer questions pursuant to Standing Order 2.12 for this meeting.

Question by Councillor David Hamilton:

1.    Given Fareham Borough Council’s recent statement acknowledging the educational and community value of Stubbington Study Centre, and considering that any change of use would require planning permission, what specific steps is the Council prepared to take to actively support the retention of this vital facility?

2.    Will the Council commit to engaging directly with Hampshire County Council to explore alternatives that allow both the continued operation of the study centre and the provision of specialist children’s facilities elsewhere, and if so, what form will that engagement take?

Response by the Executive Member for Planning and Development:

1.     The Executive Leader, Councillor Martin, has written to Hampshire County Council in the strongest possible terms, raising objection to the closure of Stubbington Study Centre and its replacement with a specialist secure children’s home. A copy of the Executive Leader’s letter has been shared with Members in advance of this meeting.

At the present time the County Council has not shared any details with this Council of how the site might be developed as a secure children’s home. If the County Council should decide to take the proposals forward notwithstanding the substantial opposition to it, it is highly likely that the works to create the secure children’s home will require planning permission.

I must advise Members, that the County Council has the power to determine planning applications itself, where the development relates to a County Council function. There is a very strong possibility that the County Council will decide any planning application for development at Stubbington Study Centre.

If the County Council decides to the determine the planning application itself, it will consult this Council on the planning application and invite this Council’s views upon it. The Council’s Planning Committee will provide a formal response to the consultation. The Council’s response will have regard for all the relevant policies of this Council’s adopted Fareham Local Plan 2037 and will carefully consider all information submitted by the County Council in support of the application. Members will have the opportunity to address the Planning Committee before they confirm the Council’s response to any planning application consultation.

2.     In the Executive Leader’s recent response to the County Council consultation, Councillor Martin has been clear that this Council is supportive of the provision of secure children’s home facilities. For a number of reasons, the Stubbington Study Centre site is not the right location for such a facility.

The County Council did not provide any details within the recent consultation of which other sites were considered for the provision of a secure children’s home, how the other sites were selected and why they were discounted. The Council’s Executive Leader and Officers are happy to engage directly with the County Council to consider the suitability of other County Council owned sites to accommodate a secure children’s home.

If Members carry Councillor’s Mrs Needham’s motion to make further written submissions to the County Council, an offer for Fareham’s Executive Leader and Officers to meet with the County Council and discuss alternative sites for providing a secure children’s home, can be included with the further written submission.

Members will be informed, prior to the meeting, of any motion duly notified in accordance with Standing Order 2.6 but received after print and dispatch of the agenda.

The Notice of Motion is in respect of the change of use of Stubbington Study Centre into a secure children’s home.  The Motion states:

“As Members of this Council, we propose to write to Hampshire County council, asking them to find an alternative more suitable site.

The Stubbington Study Centre is a unique outdoor activity site that has been enjoyed by thousands of children since 1935 all over Hampshire and the wider area.

The feelings for the site are very strong, the consultation, the online petition and a march attended by 100’s.

We understand that HCC has huge financial pressures due to Adult Social Care and Children’s services, but now devolution has been granted, surely saving this much loved community asset can be the first good decision to come from it?

This Council endorses the points made by Fareham Borough Council in its formal consultation response submitted to Hampshire County Council voicing our concerns on the suitability of the site for use as a secure children's unit and requesting that an alternative site on land owned by Hampshire County Council is considered.”  

A motion was submitted by Councillor J Needham in respect of Hampshire County Council’s proposed change of use of the Stubbington Study Centre into a secure children’s home. The motion stated:

“As members of this Council, we propose to write to Hampshire County council, asking them to find an alternative, more suitable site.

The Stubbington Centre is a unique outdoor activity site that has been enjoyed by thousands of children since 1935 all over Hampshire and the wider area.

The feelings for the site are very strong, the consultation, the online petition and a march attended by 100’s.

We understand that HCC has huge financial pressures due to Adult Social Care and Children’s services, but now devolution has been granted, surely saving this much loved community asset can be the first good decision to come from it?

This Council endorses the points made by Fareham Borough Council in its formal consultation response submitted to Hampshire County Council voicing our concerns on the suitability of the site for use as a secure children’s unit and requesting that an alternative site on land owned by Hampshire County Council is considered.”

Having been duly seconded by Councillor Mrs K Mandry and following debate on the proposal, the motion was declared CARRIED unanimously.

To consider suspending the provision of Standing Order 2.15 to allow the Executive Leader of the Council to speak on the matters referred to in items 15(2) and 15(3) for longer than five minutes and the spokesman for the Opposition Group to speak for not more than ten minutes; and to consider suspending the provisions of Standing Order 2.16 to allow the Executive Leader of the Council to speak on the matters referred to in items 15(2) and 15(3) more than once to respond to points raised in debate.

Having been duly proposed by Councillor I J Bastable and seconded by Councillor Mrs T Ellis, it was RESOLVED that:

(a)  the provisions of Standing Order 2.15 be suspended to allow the Executive Leader of the Council to speak on matters referred to in item 15(2) and 15(3) for longer than 5 minutes; and also to allow the Spokesman of the Opposition Group to speak for not more than ten minutes; and

(b)  the provisions of Standing Order 2.16 be suspended to allow the Executive Leader of the Council to speak on matters referred to in items 15(2) and 15(3) more than once to respond to points raised in debate.

The minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 13 February 2025, to be presented to Council at its meeting on 14 February 2025 at item 8(2) of the agenda, contain recommendations on the revenue budget and the level of Council Tax for 2025/26.

(Note: a copy of the report is included in this agenda pack).

If Members accept the Executive’s recommendations, formal approval will be sought of the following matters:

(a)  the capital programme and financing of £37,004,800;

(b)  an overall revised net revenue budget for 2024/25 of £14,369,200;

(c)  a net revenue budget for 2025/26 of £15,050,100;

(d)  a council tax for Fareham Borough Council for 2025/26 of £191.42 per band D property, which represents a £5.56 increase when compared to the current year and is within referendum limits;

(e)  an unchanged Council Tax Support scheme for 2025/26; and

(f)   that the Council continues to disregard the whole of any incomes prescribed in the Housing Benefit (War Pensions Disregards) Regulations 2007 and the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2012.

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, there will be a recorded vote on the budget decision.

It was proposed by Councillor S D Martin and seconded by Councillor I J Bastable that the Council accept the recommendation of the Executive and approves:

(a)  the capital programme and financing of £37,004,800;

(b)  an overall revised net revenue budget for 2024/25 of £14,369,200;

(c)  a net revenue budget for 2025/26 of £15,050,100;

(d)  a council tax for Fareham Borough Council for 2025/26 of £191.42 per band D property, which represents a £5.56 increase when compared to the current year and is within referendum limits;

(e)  an unchanged Council Tax Support scheme for 2025/26; and

(f)   that the Council continues to disregard the whole of any incomes prescribed in the Housing Benefit (War Pensions Disregards) Regulations 2007 and the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2012.

In presenting the budget proposals, the Executive Leader made the following speech:

I am pleased to present to you my first budget as Executive Leader and this administration’s 26th consecutive Budget and to share with members some of the achievements and highlights from the last municipal year before progressing to the current financial situation and the setting of the Council’s budget and council tax.

This is my first budget as Executive Leader and I am honoured to have been appointed to this role. In what has been a busy and difficult year with many challenges being faced and a new government which seems intent on destroying local government rather than modernising and improving it, I wanted firstly to thank my fellow Councillors for their support and also the Council staff for their hard work and for delivering what has been a string of successes. Whilst this presentation focuses on larger projects, we should not forget the high quality day to day services to our customers that the Council is required to deliver and delivers them outstandingly.

Starting with Housing, I am going to take you through the six priorities in our Corporate Strategy.

We are building the most affordable housing in a generation. The redevelopment of Assheton Court in Portchester is a great example and is on track for completion in August next year, as are the recently opened properties at Capella Close and Ophelia Court.

We have over 3,700 tenants. Last year, the Regulator of Social Housing introduced satisfaction surveys to assess the performance of social landlords.

I’m proud to say that Fareham Housing performs well above regional and national scores, with overall tenant satisfaction rates of 83.4%, which is 12% higher than the average for the South East. 

Town Centre Regeneration will play a major role in providing new homes. We purchased the Foresters Hall site in March to be redeveloped into affordable housing. Since our purchase of the Shopping Centre in October, new units have opened there.  More families are visiting the improved leisure and community uses such as free soft play and indoor pop-up beach. The Executive approved an ambitious, but realistic, Town Centre Regeneration Strategy last night, including funded improvements and longer-term ambitions, which will lead to a more vibrant town centre.

We issued approvals for the first new homes and the Village Centre to be built at Welborne. The first 474 homes are being built as we speak and will form part of the Chesterfield and Dashwood neighbourhoods, with the first residents moving in later this year.  The green light was given for the fully funded improvements to Junction 10 of the M27, which is a key milestone in ensuring all 6,000 new homes can be built at Welborne.

Responding to climate change and protecting the environment is another key priority for the Council. 

Good progress is being made in preparing for Simpler Recycling. This includes the purchase of 5 new refuse vehicles to be run on HVO a low carbon fuel. We are taking steps to significantly increase our recycling rate and this will enable us to recycle a wider range of materials once the programme kicks in the next municipal year.

A more commercial approach to running Trade Waste was approved in January, which includes the introduction of food waste recycling. This will strengthen our commercial offering and reduce our overall service costs.

Clip and Collect garden waste collections continue to thrive with 21,000 subscribers generating much needed income. 

We continue to modernise our fleet and purchase electric vehicles in a considered way, whilst using HVO in around a third of our fleet.

We also promoted two successful energy efficiency schemes to residents during the year, helping our residents to reduce energy costs and emissions.

Carbon reduction measures, including rooftop solar panels, are being installed at Fareham Leisure Centre following a successful bid to Sport England’s Swimming Pool Fund.

Our green and open spaces are attributes that our residents say they love most about Fareham.  I am pleased to say that both Holly Hill Woodland Park and The Sensory Garden were again awarded Green Flags as some of the best parks in the country.

In support of biodiversity, a mini forest planting event will take place next week at Seafield Park in Hill Head.  In December, we were awarded Lottery funding to support £2m of improvements to the well-loved Holly Hill Woodland Park.

Providing and enabling a strong, safe community in Fareham is another top priority of ours.

We know that tackling antisocial behaviour is always a priority for residents and back in August we were awarded £37,500 to provide Public Space Guardian patrols at local ASB hotspots.

A new theatre themed walkway now runs through the Shopping Centre each evening, providing a safe and comfortable route between Fareham Live and the wider town. Footfall in Fareham has increased significantly since the opening of Fareham Live and there has been an economic bounce to restaurants and pubs. From a safety point of view there has been many positive comments on the new walkway.

In the Autumn, staff told us that the lighting and accessibility could be improved at Lysses car park, and we quickly responded with a number of improvements.

We want all our communities to thrive. We work with local partners and charities to run free events to help the 38 Ukrainian families living locally integrate.

Construction of a superb new accessible play area and multi-use social area (MUSA) at Fareham Park Recreation Ground started as part of the transformational Fareham Park project.

We are also committed to supporting diversity in all its forms and our position is that we welcome to all groups and individuals regardless of race, gender and religion.

Moving onto promoting economic development now. This priority attracts investment and high-quality jobs for our residents. We continue to run a number of successful free networking events for local businesses, that form part of a framework of support for local enterprises.

The new surface carpark and relined spaces around Fareham Live opened in time for the venue’s opening, which means there are now over 1,400 Council parking spaces serving the town. A critical component of a vibrant town centre is good quality, accessible and affordably parking. This was mentioned in my Executive announcement earlier this evening. Fareham’s town centre car parks are free for 14 hours a day and there is no charge for evening visits. The strategic review will include an assessment as to whether further free parking would encourage more visitors to the town. It should be noted however that Fareham town centre parking charges have been frozen since 2010 and I think we are probably the only Council in England where that has been the case.

Carbon reduction specialists, Beyond Procurement, have been appointed to help local businesses to decarbonise, with 27 companies so far engaging with them.

2024’s review of our vision for Daedalus highlighted the significant progress made since we took control of the site for £1 in 2015. The Aeronautical Ground Lighting (AGL) works are progressing well and when complete will allow operations in bad weather and until 6pm in the winter.  

We recently approved an investment in modern PVC hangars to ensure sufficient aircraft storage at the Airport and support the future delivery of Swordfish Business Park.

A world class, dedicated search and rescue training facility for Bristow Helicopters is being constructed at Faraday Business Park and talks continue with other organisations interested in Daedalus.

We can be proud of the high-quality community and leisure facilities and opportunities we provide our residents. Communities came together across the Borough during the year. For example, the Mayor opened Crossfell Walk play area in the spring following £100,000 worth of improvements.

It was great to meet the Council’s three Citizen and Young Citizen of Honour winners and it was also good to see so many people attending the 12 Leisure events we held during the year. There were nearly 1.4 million visitors to our excellent Leisure Centres during the year. Local groups are also making the most of the new dance studio at Fareham Live and this was noted on and commented on by the Duke of Edinburgh at his visit to the facility in November 2024.

Looking at Fareham Live in more detail now. Its opening was probably the highest profile achievement of the year.  I’m pleased to say that the venue is thriving with 74,000 visitors through its doors so far, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from the public so far, it is proving to be an invaluable asset to Fareham.

A glittering gala event was held at Fareham Live in September to thank the sponsors of the stunning ‘A Wave of Thanks’ artwork, and a visit from his Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh shortly followed. Having a pantomime back in Fareham was a joy to behold and every show was sold out over the Christmas break. We asked some of the surrounding hospitality venues if they have noticed an improvement in business since Fareham Live opened in October 2024 and their responses were extremely positive with reports of significant upturn in trade.

More local businesses have told us they are seeing the benefits of Fareham Live.  It’s important to remember, like the building of Holly Hill Leisure Centre, no Council Tax payers’ money was used for the building of Fareham Live, which was funded through Community Infrastructure Levy payments.  This is something which surprised both customers and staff at the new venue.

Being a responsive and inclusive Council is the sixth and final of our key priorities.

Talking with and listening to our residents is key to providing the services they need.  With this in mind, we recently consulted on a new strategy that will improve communications and engagement.

Our new in-person engagements at high footfall events such as the Christmas Lights Switch On, allow hundreds of residents to talk to us informally about local issues.  As part of our new Tenant Engagement Strategy, we held a pilot Estate Action Day at Bishopsfield Road, a known fly tipping hotspot, enabling us to engage with hard-to-reach tenants at the same time as tackling an issue important to residents.

So it is now time for me to turn our attention to the Council’s finances and discuss what the five-year outlook looks like for us.

The medium-term finance modelling includes a proposed annual 2.99% increase in council tax. Calls for councils to be able to increase by more than 3% have so far been rejected by the government.

We have a balanced budget for 2024/25 which will see a contribution of £285,700 from our reserves. As I will discuss in more detail shortly, in 2025/26 we will have no shortfall and no call on reserves being used to balance our budget. However, the shortfall will grow, rising to £1.3m by 2026/27 and so we will need to review our services and the opportunity plans that we have developed for income generation as there will not currently be enough available reserves to balance the budget in 2027/28.

I am not overly concerned about this at this stage as in 2023 the prediction was a shortfall of £1.5 M  for 2024/25 and a £2.25M shortfall in 2025/26. In the 2024 budget there a forecast of £404k in 2024/25, £1.4 M in 2025/26 and £2M in 2026/27. On every occasion, through our sound financial management and innovation, we have been able to deal with these budget shortfalls and I am confident that we will do so again.

Although we must keep a minimum of 5% as a spending reserve for emergencies, we have prudently chosen to increase this figure to 7.5% for the next year. Reserves are important to ensure that we can respond to unforeseen events and as the government expects councils to use reserves before seeking additional council tax increases or any other help from the government this needs to be born in mind.

The Opportunities Plan has helped generate income and reduce costs and this work will need to be accelerated as we anticipate the long overdue Fair Funding Review. District councils are unlikely to come out well from this due to pressures in areas such as social care and education. We will also see a business rates reset during 2026, that will likely impact on the resources we receive from that funding.

Continuing with our challenges, 2025/26 will see a further one-off settlement from central government, even though we have been asking for longer-term clarity and the opportunity to set Council Tax beyond the 3% restrictions. 

We must also plan for other budget pressures, such as changes brought by Simpler Recycling from April 2025 onwards. Rising expectations from our customers also come at a cost, particularly in keeping the borough tidy or maintaining the high standards of our parks and open spaces.

I would like to turn my attention to the Council’s General Fund capital programme now, which is a very generous £37 million over the next 5 years.

As mentioned earlier, Fareham Live was funded through CIL payments and will be fully paid for by the end of 2024/25.

We continue to see investment at the Solent Airport Daedalus site with a further £5.1 million being allocated with the larger share being spent on non-airside projects through to 2029.

Our diverse capital programme also includes £2m worth of improvements at Holly Hill Woodland Park, £2m allocated for a potential Solar Farm at Hook Recreation Ground, a £1.5m investment in the town centre and a commitment to the Fareham Park vision of just under £2.5 million. All of these items have been included in the 2025/26 budget and I would like to draw attention to the Solar Farm which will not only generate enough electricity to ensure that Fareham Borough Council becomes carbon neutral through insetting but also generate a surplus of electricity that can be sold to the grid which will generate a significant income which will help to reduce the budget shortfall in 2026-27.

As well as these big-ticket items we will continue to invest in housing grants, leisure schemes, ICT and our own vehicle fleet, helping to ensure continued service provision. This is a fully funded programme, paid by a combination of Council resources and external sources, thereby protecting Council taxpayers. By 2029, it is estimated that there will be a surplus of £6.7 million which represents a prudent contingency of 18% across the capital programme.  It is also important to note that we will need to spend just under £200 million within the next 30 years to ensure all our assets remain fit for purpose and operational.

I will now turn to the Housing Revenue Account, which will cost just over £15.8 million in 2025/26, with almost 90% of its income coming from rents.  I can confirm that the average weekly rent in Fareham will be £123.93 in 2025-26, an increase of 2.7%.

As with council tax, rent levels are set centrally, stopping those who know their customers and stock the best from agreeing charges.  In total, £48 million will be invested in our housing stock over the next 5 years, including £20 million at Assheton Court, £2.2m on the former Birks building in town and £1.8m on Ophelia Court in Sarisbury Green. 

Looking forward, Melvin Jones House in Stubbington, will be redeveloped, although this is in the early stages, so no cost projections are available yet.

In addition, there will be other smaller new builds, improvements to our stock alongside further acquisitions and vehicle purchases for the repairs team.

Listening to our residents is important and I’m pleased to say that 79% of the over 300 people who took part in a recent survey agree it’s reasonable to increase Council Tax by 2.99% for 2025/26.

The public want us to explore new opportunities to generate income and to lobby government for additional revenue from other tax streams. However, there is very little appetite to reduce the quality our services or to change how we provide them.  Over 65% think it would be reasonable for Council Tax to increase by up to 5% in future years, which is an increase of almost £10 per year, but that does appear to be the limit that respondents are willing to go up to for council tax increases.

The majority of results on the consultation were looking for us to explore new opportunities for generating income and I am pleased to say that this is our focus, our priority and what our opportunities plan is all about.

Turning to the budget proper, in 2025/26 we are planning to spend £49.5m running our 57 separate services.  £38.2m in income is generated by their operation, leaving a net cost of £11.3m.

Capital charges and revenue contributions towards capital spend add a further £3.7m, giving an overall net budget of £15m, which is almost £167,000 more than the net service for 2024/25.

With funding from investments, business rates and government grants considered, £8.5m must be raised from our Council taxpayers in 2025/26. This equates to paying £191.42 for a Band D property.  At this point it is also important to remember that Fareham’s Band D council tax is £81 below the average charge in the country and £227 below the highest. That authority will be able to increase their council tax by over £12, which is double our proposed increase.  This makes the gap between prudent Councils that offer good value to their customers, such as Fareham, and others even greater. 

So, in 2025/26, a Band D property household will pay a total of £2,164.55, which represents a 4.9% increase over 2024/25 figure.  As this graphic shows, Fareham’s element is only 9% of this total figure. This equates to just over a penny a day or 9p per week.

There are over 51,000 properties in Fareham, each of which are split into a banding. Council Tax for each band is calculated as a proportion of a Band D property, with Band A being the smallest at 6/9 the cost of Band D, whilst Band H is the most expensive and double that of a Band D.

So, to sum up. I have proposed a capital programme for the next 5 years, valued at £37 million. Although we have spending and funding pressures, a balanced budget has been set with no draw on our reserves.

Although we have increased Council tax, it remains one of the lowest band D charges in the country, which is a significant achievement.

Finally, we have not reduced any of our services or their quality, something we know is a priority for our residents. This budget also includes the costs next year of our town centre regeneration plan.

This is an excellent budget for the residents of Fareham that ensures services are maintained, we have a programme of innovation and regeneration and this shows how a well organised local authority should be run which is by being in control of its capital programme, maintaining its revenue budgets to ensure continued service delivery and in managing its services by our staff who know what they are doing.

On that note, the Executive Leader asked Members to approve the recommendations set out under item 15.

Having been duly proposed by Councillor S D Martin and seconded by Councillor I J Bastable, the Mayor opened the item for debate.

Following the debate and on the motion being put to the meeting, the recommendations (a) to (f), as outlined on pages 3 and 4 of the agenda were declared carried unanimously.

(Councillors C A Bainbridge, I J Bastable, Mrs S M Bayford, R N Bird, F W Birkett, Mrs L M Birkett, F L Burgess, M R Daniells, Mrs T L Ellis, D G Foot, M J Ford, G Furnivall, D J Hamilton, Miss T Harper, Mrs P K Hayre, Mrs C L A Hockley, S P Ingram, Mrs K Mandry, S D Martin, A M J Murphy, Mrs J Needham, P M Nother, A West, L J Whittle, P W Whittle, D P Wiltshire and K Wiltshire voting in favour)

RESOLVED that the recommendations of the Executive be accepted and accordingly the Council approves:

(a)  the capital programme and financing of £37,004,800;

(b)  an overall revised net revenue budget for 2024/25 of £14,369,200;

(c)  a net revenue budget for 2025/26 of £15,050,100;

(d)  a council tax for Fareham Borough Council for 2025/26 of £191.42 per band D property, which represents a £5.56 increase when compared to the current year and is within referendum limits;

(e)  an unchanged Council Tax Support scheme for 2025/26; and

(f)   that the Council continues to disregard the whole of any incomes prescribed in the Housing Benefit (War Pensions Disregards) Regulations 2007 and the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2012.

Having made the necessary calculations in relation to its own budget, the Council must proceed to set the Council Tax for 2025/26 taking account of the amounts in precepts issued to the Council by Hampshire County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority. These precepts will not be issued before publication of this agenda and will therefore be reported at the meeting, with provisional figures being given for those that are not yet approved. 

In order to enable Council Tax bills to be issued within the statutory timescale, it is recommended that the Council agrees to delegate authority to the Assistant Director (Finance & ICT) to amend the Council Tax 2025/26, in the event that any of the precepting authorities change their precept calculation from that expected and reported at the Council meeting.

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014 there will be a recorded vote on the budget decision.

(Note: a schedule will be tabled at the meeting for approval, showing the formal calculations the Council must make, incorporating any figures recommended by the Executive.  Members will also be advised of the wording of the formal resolution they must adopt to set the Council Tax for 2025/26, taking account of the requisite calculations and the precepts of Hampshire County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Authority).

The Council considered information tabled at the meeting in the form of a schedule showing the formal calculations for setting the Council Tax and a graphical breakdown of Council tax rates. A copy of the Schedule is attached to these minutes. 

Having been duly proposed by Councillor S D Martin and seconded by Councillor I J Bastable and on having been put to the meeting, the recommendations were declared CARRIED unanimously.

(Councillors C A Bainbridge, I J Bastable, Mrs S M Bayford, R N Bird, F W Birkett, Mrs L M Birkett, F L Burgess, M R Daniells, Mrs T L Ellis, D G Foot, M J Ford, G Furnivall, D J Hamilton, Miss T Harper, Mrs P K Hayre, Mrs C L A Hockley, S P Ingram, Mrs K Mandry, S D Martin, A M J Murphy, Mrs J Needham, P M Nother, A West, L J Whittle, P W Whittle, D P Wiltshire and K Wiltshire voting in favour)

RESOLVED that the Council:

(1)       Notes that on 14 February 2025 the Council calculated the Council Tax Base 2025/26 for the whole Council area as 44,596.4   [Item T in the formula in Section 31B(1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the "Act")]

(2)       Calculates that the Council Tax requirement for the Council's own purposes for 2025/26 is £8,536,643

(3)       Agrees that the following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2025/26 in accordance with Sections 31 to 36 of the Act:-

            (a) £57,460,800     being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils.

            (b) £48,924,157     being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act.

            (c) £8,536,643       being the amount by which the aggregate at 3(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 3(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its Council Tax requirement for the year. (Item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act).

            (d) £191.42           being the amount at 3(c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year.

            (e)   £0.00                being the aggregate amount of all special items (Parish precepts) referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act.

            (f)    £191.42           being the amount at 3(d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 3(e) above by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no Parish precept relates.

(4)       Notes that the County Council and the Fire Authority have issued precepts to the Council in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 for each category of dwellings in the Council's area as indicated in the table below.

(5)       Notes that the Police and Crime Commissioner will issue their precept prior to 28 February 2025 in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 for each category of dwellings in the Council's area as indicated in the table below.

            Should the figures change from the draft report then it is recommended that the decision to recalculate the precept to the approved figures is delegated to the Council’s Section 151 Officer.

(6)       Agrees that the Council, in accordance with Sections 30 and 38 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the aggregate amounts shown in the tables below as the amounts of Council Tax for 2025/26 for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings.

(7)       Agrees that in accordance with the set of principles set by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for the year, it is determined that the relevant basic amount of council tax for 2025/26 is not excessive.

The minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 03 February 2025, to be presented to Council at its meeting on 14 February 2025 at item 10(2) of the agenda contain recommendations on the Housing Revenue Account Spending Plans including the Capital Programme for the years 2024/25 and 2028/29.  If Members accept the Executive’s recommendations, formal approval will be sought of the following matters:

(a)  rents be approved for Council Dwellings as set out in paragraph 28 with effect from 1 April 2025;

(b)  rents for Council garages be increased by 2.7% with effect from 1 April 2025;

(c)  the revised budget for 2024/25 be approved;

(d)  the base budget for 2025/26 be approved; and

(e)  the Fees and Service Charges at confidential Appendix E to the report be approved.

(Note: a copy of the report to the Executive is included in this pack.)

Having been duly proposed by Councillor S D Martin and seconded by Councillor I J Bastable, the Mayor opened the item for debate.

On being put to the meeting the recommendations of the Executive, as outlined on pages 3 and 4 of the agenda were CARRIED unanimously.

(Councillors C A Bainbridge, I J Bastable, Mrs S M Bayford, R N Bird, F W Birkett, Mrs L M Birkett, F L Burgess, M R Daniells, Mrs T L Ellis, D G Foot, M J Ford, G Furnivall, D J Hamilton, Miss T Harper, Mrs P K Hayre, Mrs C L A Hockley, S P Ingram, Mrs K Mandry, S D Martin, A M J Murphy, Mrs J Needham, P M Nother, A West, L J Whittle, P W Whittle, D P Wiltshire and K Wiltshire voting in favour)

RESOLVED that the recommendations of the Executive made at its meeting on 3 February 2025 in respect of the Housing Revenue Account Budget and Capital Plans 2025/26 be accepted and, accordingly, the Council agrees that:

(a)  rents be approved for Council Dwellings as set out in paragraph 28 with effect from 1 April 2025;

(b)  rents for Council garages be increased by 2.7% with effect from 1 April 2025;

(c)  the revised budget for 2024/25 be approved;

(d)  the base budget for 2025/26 be approved; and

(e)  the Fees and Service Charges at confidential Appendix E to the report be approved.

The minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 03 February 2025, to be presented to Council at its meeting on 14 February 2025 at item 17 of this agenda, contain recommendations that the Treasury Management Strategy and Investment Strategy 2025/26 be submitted to Council for approval.  If Members accept the Executive’s recommendation, formal approval will be sought that the Council approves the Treasury Management Strategy and the Investment Strategy 2025/26.

(Note: a copy of the report to the Executive together with the Treasury Management Strategy and Investment Strategy 2025/26 are included in this agenda pack).

Having been duly proposed by Councillor S D Martin and seconded by Councillor I J Bastable, and having been put to the meeting, the recommendations of the Executive contained at item 15(2) of the agenda were accepted.

RESOLVED that the Treasury Management Strategy and Investment Strategy 2024/25 be approved.

The minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 13 January 2025, to be presented to Council at its meeting on 14 February 2025 at item 10(1) of this agenda, contain recommendations on the Capital Programme and Capital Strategy 2025/26.  If Members accept the Executive’s recommendations, formal approval of the Capital Programme and Capital Strategy for 2025/26 will be sought.

(Note: a copy of the report to the Executive, together with the Capital Programme and Capital Strategy for 2025/26 is included in this agenda pack.)

Having been duly proposed by Councillor S D Martin  and seconded by Councillor I J Bastable, and on having been put to the meeting, it was agreed that the recommendations of the Executive at its meeting on 13 January 2025 contained at item 10(1) of the agenda be accepted.

RESOLVED that the Capital Programme and Capital Strategy 2025/26 be approved.

The minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 13 January 2025, to be presented to Council at its meeting on 14 February 2025 at item 10(1) of this agenda, contain a resolution by the Executive that the Medium-Term Finance Strategy  be approved.

Attached to the Medium-Term Finance Strategy as Annex 2 is the updated Pay Policy Statement 2025/26 which Council is now asked to approve.

(Note: a copy of the updated Pay Policy Statement for 2025/26 is included in this agenda pack).

Having been duly proposed by Councillor S D Martin and seconded by Councillor I J Bastable, and on having been put to the meeting, it was agreed that the recommendations of the Executive made at its meeting on 13 January 2025 be accepted.

RESOLVED that the updated Pay Policy Statement 2025/26, as annexed to the Medium-Term Finance Strategy, be approved.

A report by the Director of Neighbourhoods.

RESOLVED that the recommendations of the Executive made at its meeting on 13 January 2025, contained at item 10(1) of the agenda, be accepted and accordingly that the Council approves the Gambling Statement of Principles 2025-2028.

Council will be asked to note the cancellation of the Audit and Governance Committee meetings scheduled to take place on 10 February 2025 and 10 March 2025 and endorse their replacement with a single meeting to take place on 27 February 2025 at 6pm.  This is to ensure that the Committee is able to review the audited Statement of Accounts ahead of the required deadline.

RESOLVED that Council:

(a)  notes the cancellation of the Audit and Governance Committee meetings scheduled to take place on 10 February 2025 and 10 March 2025; and

(b)  endorses the replacement with a single meeting to take place on 27 February 2025 at 6pm in order that the Committee is able to review the audited Statement of Accounts ahead of the required deadline.

The Council will be asked to note that the date of the meeting of the Council due to take place on Thursday 24 July 2025 will be moved to Tuesday 22 July 2025. 

RESOLVED that the Council notes that the date of the meeting of the Council due to take place on Thursday 24 July 2025 will be moved to Tuesday 22 July 2025.

To receive a report by the Assistant Director (Democracy) which invites Council to appoint the nominations of the political groups to committees and also to appoint the role of Chairman and Vice-Chairman for each committee.

The Council received a report by the Assistant Director (Democracy) which put forward a revised schedule of allocations to seats to its committees for the remainder of the municipal year ending May 2025.

RESOLVED that the Council approves:

(a)  the committee functions and number of seats on each committee for the remainder of the municipal year ending May 2025, as listed at paragraphs 5, 6 and 7 of the report;

(b)  the allocation of seats to political groups for the remainder of the municipal year ending in May 2025, as set out in Appendix A to the report;

(c)  the nominations of the political groups to seats on committees, deputies and spokesmen, for the remainder of the municipal year ending May 2025, as set out in Appendix B to the report; and

(d)  the appointment of a Chairman and Vice-Chairman for each committee for the remainder of the municipal year ending in May 2025, as set out in Appendix B to he report.