Agenda, decisions and minutes

There were no apologies given for this meeting.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 07 October 2024.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on Monday 7 October 2024 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

The Executive Leader made the following announcements:

Welborne Garden Village

The funding to deliver critical infrastructure at Welborne Garden Village is now in place.  The recent announcement confirming the M27 Junction 10 improvements means that all 6,000 new homes at Welborne can be built.

Since 2015 when The Welborne Plan was adopted by the Council, the Council has worked tirelessly to ensure funding for the delivery of the motorway improvements is in place.  The Junction 10 scheme is critical to Welborne being built out in its entirety as the Planning Permission issued by Fareham Borough Council clearly states that only 1160 new homes can be built at Welborne without it.  Fareham Borough Council has worked tirelessly, lobbying Government and meeting with various ministers to ensure the motorway improvements maintained a high profile.

This is terrific news for the Borough.  Fareham Borough Council is set housing targets by Government, so it is really important for us to deliver the number of homes set out in the Council’s Local Plans.  Without the motorway improvements, Welborne would only be able to bring forward 1160 new homes and the Council would need to find space for the additional 4840 homes elsewhere in the Borough.

The Junction 10 works will also improve accessibility to Fareham, as vehicles will now be able to enter and leave the M27 motorway in both directions at Junction 10.

As Welborne Garden Village progresses, Fareham Borough Council will continue to work closely both with Hampshire County Council as delivery body for the J10 improvements and Buckland Development Ltd as the master developer for Welborne. 

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Nitrate Mitigation Fund

In March this year, the government invited local planning authorities affected by nutrient neutrality to submit a bid for Round 2 of the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund.  The funding is to deliver nutrient mitigation schemes, with the aim of progressing stalled housing delivery in affected catchments.  This enables development to progress in areas affected by nutrient pollution such as South Hampshire, while delivering positive environmental outcomes.

Members will recall that the Partnership for South Hampshire was previously successful in securing significant capital and revenue funding through Round 1 of the Fund.  I am now delighted to advise that last week the government announced that the Partnership for South Hampshire has once again been successful and has secured a further £6.93m of capital funding and £424k of revenue funding.  Fareham Borough Council is the lead authority within the Partnership on nutrient neutrality workstreams, and hence will now be working hard with our partner authorities to get this funding committed by the end of this financial year.      

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.

A deputation was received in respect of item 8(1) on the agenda from Robert Guerrier, the leaseholder of Flat 7 Gordon Road.

To receive any references from the committees or panels held.

Housing Scrutiny Panel – 24 October 2024

Minute 8 - Fareham Housing Property Tenure Change and Property Disposal Report

The Panel considered a report by the Director of Housing which provided Members with an overview of the Executive report concerning the tenure change of 29 Cottes Way, Hill Head to shared ownership and the disposal of 5 Gordon Road, Fareham, including the building freehold.

The Panel enquired whether the leaseholder at Gordon Road has been given notice of the Council’s intention to sell the freehold of the building.  The Housing Delivery Manager advised that, at this stage, they have been contacted to advise of the intention to sell and to invite them to contact the Council to discuss options. 

RESOLVED that the Housing Scrutiny Panel puts forward the comments, as detailed above, to the Executive for consideration.

This was considered at item 8(1) on the agenda.

Minute 10 - Melvin Jones House

The Panel received a report by the Director of Housing which provided Members with an overview of the Executive report concerning the future of Melvin Jones House (including St Mary’s Road flats). Approval was sought to include Melvin Jones House as an Appendix to the Fareham Housing Regeneration Strategy for the redevelopment of the site.

Dissatisfaction was expressed by members that ward Councillors had not been included earlier in the process of bringing forward the plans for Melvin Jones House and felt very strongly that, going forward, they must be included and involved throughout the process so that they can ensure that their residents’ needs are accommodated.   The Director of Housing apologised and assured Members that the Housing Team is providing extensive support to residents and allocating priority status to them. Personal needs, individual preferences and circumstances will be taken into account and everyone will continue to be involved and informed. 

Several Members commented that the building is looking very shabby and in need of maintenance. Officers advised that cleaning and repair services are still being supplied for the building and that this has not been scaled back in anyway. If there are communal area cleaning issues that need to be resolved, these can be taken forward through contract performance management.

It was suggested that Melvin Jones House has been in need of significant improvement works for many years and Members asked why it has taken so long to bring forward plans to address it. The Director of Housing advised that Housing Revenue Account borrowing caps were only relaxed in 2018 which has now enabled regeneration and development plans to be brought forward on various sites.

RESOLVED that the Housing Scrutiny Panel puts forward the comments, as detailed above, to the Executive for consideration.

This was considered at item 8(2) on the agenda.

Streetscene Scrutiny Panel – 29 October 2024

Minute 7 - Food Waste Collection Service

The Panel considered a report by the Director of Neighbourhoods which presented a draft report to the Executive at its meeting scheduled to take place on 4 November 2024 and which set out plans for the introduction of a food waste collection service across the Borough in 2026.

Members enquired what the lead-in time for the purchase of the vehicles would be, whether funding has been received and whether interest is earned on funding received. The Director of Neighbourhoods advised that the lead in time for delivery of vehicles is around 26 weeks, that capital funding has been received and that, as far as she was aware, interest is not received on the funding.

Members raised concern that there are significant budget pressures for the government at the present time and asked what contingency arrangements were in place for financing the plans detailed in the report in the event that Defra is targeted by the government for budget cuts.  The Director of Neighbourhoods advised that Primary Legislation for the changes had been passed and that Secondary Regulations requiring separate household food waste collections are now in place. It is therefore a statutory requirement that the Council introduces a food waste collection service.  The Director of Neighbourhoods advised that it remained a sovereign decision for the Council but cautioned that it is not known what the sanctions for not doing so would be. She advised that, should the purchase of the vehicles go ahead but they become surplus to requirements, there would be a re-sale value to them.

Members enquired where the Council sources its supply of Hydro-treated Vegetable Oil and were advised that it is purchased from a firm based in Southampton through the National Procurement Framework. 5,000 litres are purchased every 2-weeks and the supply is readily available.

Members also enquired how it was possible that there could be carbon emissions generated from the use of electric vehicles if the electricity generated was on a green tariff.  The Policy, Research and Engagement Manager advised that, while generating electricity from burning natural gas produces more emissions than generating electricity from sustainable and renewable sources, there were still currently Scope 2 CO2 emissions associated with it.

RESOLVED that the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel agrees that the comments, as detailed above, be put forward to the Executive for consideration in respect of the proposed introduction of a Food Waste Collection Service.

This was considered at item 9(1) on the agenda.

Minute 9 - Vehicle Replacement Service

The Panel received a report by the Director of Neighbourhoods which presented a report, to the Executive at the meeting scheduled to take place on 4 November 2024, in respect of the Council’s five-year rolling Vehicle Replacement Programme. 

The significant revenue overspend on maintenance, repair and hire vehicles was raised as a concern.  The Director of Neighbourhoods reminded Members that the Panel had considered Fleet Performance at their last meeting and that an Improvement Plan was now in place to address the budget overspend.  Members were advised that a further report would be brought on this matter in due course. 

The Panel discussed what steps are taken to ensure that the best return possible on each vehicle is achieved and questioned the approach of running a vehicle to the extent that there was no further option than to sell it for scrap. The Director of Neighbourhoods explained that, as outlined in paragraph 10 of the report, a data-driven approach had been introduced to assess when a vehicle needed replacement. The Chairman also reminded Members that the data in the report would have included the Covid-19 pandemic period which meant that officers had had to manage the fleet as best as they could as a result of the lack of availability of vehicles.

RESOLVED that the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel agrees that the comments, as detailed above, be put forward to the Executive for consideration in respect of the Council’s five-year rolling Vehicle Replacement Programme.

This was considered at item 9(2) on the agenda.

Health & Public Protection Scrutiny Panel – 08 October 2024

Minute 7 – Food Safety Service Plan 2024

The Panel considered a report by the Head of Environmental Health on the Food Safety Service Plan.

Councillor Mrs Bryant enquired as to how strict Fareham was in enforcing premises to display their Food Hygiene Rating (0-5). The Head of Environmental Health advised that there is no requirement in England for food premises to display this; it is only required by law in Wales. He confirmed that the Food Standards Agency website will contain all up to date food ratings for all inspected food premises in the Borough.

Councillor Dr West addressed the Panel on this item and referred to the pages 20-21 of the agenda pack which referred to the Risk rating Scores A-E. She requested that more information be provided in this section of the report as she found it confusing. The Head of Environmental Health confirmed that he would re-word this section of the report before it went before the Executive for approval.

The Chairman enquired as to whether Fareham was meeting its required inspections. The Head of Environmental Health confirmed that this was the case and that our inspection rate was usually around 100%.

RESOLVED that, subject to the rewording of the section of the report on pages 20 and 21 of the agenda pack, along with a few minor spelling corrections, the Panel recommend that the Executive endorses the Food Safety Service Plan at its meeting on 4 November 2024.

This was considered at item 10 (1) on the agenda.

Policy and Resources – 21 October 2024

Minute 9 – Communications and Engagement Strategy

The Panel considered a report by the Assistant Chief Executive Officer on the draft Communications and Engagement Strategy document, which will support the Council’s Corporate Strategy 2023-2029.

Councillor Burgess commented on the effectiveness of the summer CAT meetings and noted that there has been a poor attendance at these meetings. She enquired as to whether any consideration had been given to raise the profile of these meetings with better publicity and marketing. The Policy, Research and Engagement Manager confirmed to the Panel that it can be challenging to encourage the public to attend these meetings and they are looking to change their approach to the meetings, with the focus of Council representatives attending popular Community events to deliver messages rather than asking the public to attend a Council run event.

Councillor Harper enquired as to how the Council can tackle the issue of information being spread, especially across social media. The Communications Manager explained to the Panel that misinformation is quite often not deliberate, and that people believe information that they see or hear, and this gets communicated to others. She explained that it is impossible to control or manage information in the public domain and that we can only ensure that our communications are accurate. However, where misinformation has been identified, the Council does attempt to communicate with the groups or organisations that have publicised the incorrect information to get it corrected.

Councillor West requested that the wording on page 69 that refers to older people could be renamed and this could cause offence to some. In addition to this she requested the removal of the word SID when referring to the Intranet as it is an internal reference and would have no meaning to the public.

RESOLVED that subject to the changes requested above, the Panel recommends that the Executive endorse the Communication and Engagement Strategy at its meeting on 4 November 2024.

This was considered at item 12(1) on the agenda.

A report by the Director of Housing.

A deputation was received in respect of this item from Robert Guerrier, the leaseholder of Flat 7 Gordon Road. 

The comments of the Housing Scrutiny Panel were taken into account in considering this item.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  approves the change of tenure (and the associated works costs) of 29 Cottes Way to Shared Ownership:

(b)  approves the disposal of 5 Gordon Road and the building freehold;

(c)  delegates authority to the Director of Housing to establish the best route to sale, for the disposal; and

(d)  delegates authority to the Director of Housing, following consultation with the Executive Member for Housing, to accept the most appropriate offer for the disposal.

A report by the Director of Housing.

The comments of the Housing Scrutiny Panel were taken into account in considering this item.

At the invitation of the Executive Leader, Councillor Mrs P Hayre addressed the Executive on this item.

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees:

(a)  to approve the inclusion of the site-specific Melvin Jones House and St Marys Road Flats as Appendix C to the Fareham Housing Regeneration Strategy, as attached as Appendix A to the report; and

(b)  the in-principle redevelopment of Melvin Jones House and St Marys Road Flats.

A report by the Director of Neighbourhoods.

The comments of the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel were taken into account in considering this item.

In making the recommendations to the Executive, the Executive Member for Streetscene, Councillor I Bastable proposed removing from recommendation (c) the number “47,500” because the actual number of caddies afforded by the grant allocated and/or the number of properties needing caddies may fluctuate.

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees that:

(a)  subject to any unforeseen changes to primary and secondary legislation and the availability of new burdens revenue funding, a weekly household food waste collection service is introduced from 30 March 2026;

(b)  five 7.5 tonne diesel food waste vehicles are purchased at a cost of up to £613,800;

(c)  23L kerbside food waste caddies are purchased at a cost of up to £218,335;

(d)  the cost of the minor upgrade at Broadcut Depot is funded within the Defra capital grant; and

(e)  all the food waste vehicles in the Council’s fleet are run on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) to minimise the impact of the new service on the Council’s carbon emissions.

A report by the Director of Neighbourhoods.

The comments of the Streetscene Scrutiny Panel were taken into account in considering this item.

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  endorses the 2025-2030 Vehicle Replacement Programme;

(b)  agrees to take forward a sum of £693,900 for consideration in the General Fund capital budget for 2025/26, funded from capital reserves, for the purchase of nine vehicles; and

(c)  agrees to take forward a sum of £83,800 for consideration in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) capital budget for 2025/26, funded from capital reserves, for the purchase of two vehicles.

A report by the Director of Neighbourhoods.

The comments of the Health and Public Protection Scrutiny Panel were taken into account in considering this item.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves the revised Food Safety Service Plan 2024-2026 as detailed at Appendix A to the report.

A report by the Director of Planning and Regeneration.

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees:

(a)  the implementation of the Hill Head to Portsmouth Harbour Beach Management Plan 2024-2034;

(b)  to submit the Outline Business Case to the Environment Agency to secure funding;

(c)  the submission of planning and consenting for the proposed works in Fareham; and

(d)  that the Director of Planning and Regeneration be authorised to procure and subsequently enter into an agreement to enable delivery of these works.

A report by the Director of Planning and Regeneration

RESOLVED that the Executive:

(a)  notes the principles of the Inter Authority Agreement;

(b)  agrees that the Director of Planning and Regeneration , following consultation with the Council’s Section 151 Officer and Executive Member for Planning and Development, is delegated to agree to final terms to the Inter Authority Agreement as may be agreed between the parties and once finalised, to enter the Inter Authority Agreement on behalf of the Council as Local Planning Authority;

(c)  agrees that the Director of Planning and Regeneration is delegated to agree to the Council being a Benefitting Authority and/or Monitoring Authority for projects delivered through the Inter Authority Agreement following consultation with the Council’s Section 151 Officer and Executive Member for Planning and Development. This postholder will be the “Authorised Officer” acting on behalf of the Council as Local Planning Authority under the Inter Authority Agreement;

(d)  notes the role and responsibility for Fareham Borough Council as Lead Authority, and the mitigations in place to manage potential risks; and

(e)  notes the role and responsibility for Fareham Borough Council as Host Authority in relation to the Land at Stubbington project, and the mitigations in place to manage potential risks.

A report by the Assistant Director (Democracy).

The comments of the Policy and Resources Scrutiny Panel were taken into account in considering this item.

RESOLVED that the Executive approves a public consultation on the Draft Communications and Engagement Strategy.

A report by the Assistant Director (Finance & ICT).

RESOLVED that the Executive notes the General Fund Revenue Monitoring Report.

A report by the Assistant Director (Finance & ICT).

RESOLVED that the Executive notes the Housing Revenue Account Monitoring Report.

A report by the Assistant Director (Finance & ICT).

RESOLVED that the Executive notes the Capital and Treasury Management Report for 2024/25.

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

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

A report by the Assistant Director (Finance & ICT)

RESOLVED that the Executive agrees that the debts listed in the confidential Appendix A to the report be written off as irrecoverable.