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 02 November 2020.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Executive held on 02 November 2020 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

The Executive Leader announced that as we leave the period of the second national lockdown and move into Tier 2 of the regional framework, it is helpful to reflect on the impacts of the pandemic on our community. The Leader stated that the good news is that the infection rate continues to fall across the borough, and it appears that the recent period of self-isolation has been successful.  However, as with the rest of the country, it has deeply wounded many households and there have been over 108 Covid related deaths across the borough - residents who have perished since this appalling pandemic began.  Not only has this resulted in the loss of loved ones, but many local people have lost their livelihoods as a result of this cruel virus.  The Leader commented that you only need to walk around the town centre to see the impact on the retail and hospitality sector, the shops and restaurants, some of which sadly, have closed for good.  Local Business are increasingly announcing redundancies and the immediate impact can be seen in the increase of the workload of the Benefits team and the Borough’s council officers.

The Executive Leader went on to announce that, fortunately, it is not all doom and gloom. Now that we are out of the national lockdown, our leisure centres and community centres have re-opened and our communities can participate again in their favourite pastimes. Our voluntary agencies continue to provide an excellent level of support to vulnerable residents and smaller community groups are taking advantage of our special covid community grants. We are also busily distributing £1.5m of government funding to those businesses who have been forced to close during the lockdown period. In addition, we have been allocated £2.3m to support local businesses through a discretionary grants programme and we will be discussing the details of these schemes later on this agenda.

The Executive Leader advised that our Covid marshals are out and about in the community providing advice and support to local businesses and individuals.  They are also working with rough sleepers to make sure that we keep these vulnerable individuals as safe as possible. The Leader stated that it is worth repeating that nobody needs to sleep rough in our Borough as we can accommodate rough sleepers as long as they are willing to co-operate with us.

The Executive Leader announced that while we were unable to have any formal switch on events, the Christmas lights are on in many of our shopping areas and hopefully over the next few weeks our shops will benefit from increased spending over the festive period.

The Executive Leader also announced that throughout the pandemic our workforce has continued to keep the Borough clean and tidy as well as moving mountains of additional waste. Established Christmas arrangements are in place, including the collection of Christmas trees which is a very popular service appreciated by residents.

The Executive Leader stated that the impact of the pandemic on the Council’s budget is a real challenge and that members will be aware of the scale of the problem following the recent approval of an emergency budget.  The Leader went on to state that members would see again in tonight’s agenda that the funding gap continues to grow as a result of the second lock down and that there would, undoubtedly, be some tough decisions ahead.

On a final note, the Executive Leader acknowledged the effort and tremendous commitment of council officers in keeping things going and providing much valued support to our local communities.  He went on to state that we are very fortunate indeed to have such a strong team in place at a time of crisis like this.

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.

There were no references from other Committees made at this meeting.

A report by the Director of Planning and Regeneration.

At the invitation of the Executive Leader, Councillor L Keeble addressed the Executive on this item.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves the disposal of the land to the rear of 22 Cort Way on the terms and conditions as detailed in the confidential Appendix B attached to the report.

A report by the Director of Planning and Regeneration.

At the invitation of the Executive Leader, Councillor L Keeble addressed the Executive on this item.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  approves the content of the Statement of Common Ground, included as Appendix A to the report; and

(b)  delegates the signing of the document to the Chief Executive Officer.

A report by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

RESOLVED that the Executive notes the Finance Monitoring Report 2020/21.

A report by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

At the invitation of the Executive Leader, Councillor L Keeble addressed the Executive on this item.

RESOLVED that the Executive notes the Treasury Management and Capital Monitoring Report for 2020/21.

A report by the Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

A revised Appendix A – Additional Restrictions Grant Scheme was tabled at the meeting to clarify some of the proposed principles of the scheme.

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees that:

(a)  the key principles to be followed when designing the Additional Restrictions Grant Fund Scheme, as outlined in the tabled item, revised Appendix A to the report, are approved for adoption in Fareham; and

(b)  authority is delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, following consultation with the Executive Member for Policy and Resources, to approve the individual elements of the scheme as they are designed.