Agenda and minutes

To receive and record any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Hughes, Howard and Patrick.

To receive any declarations of interests from Members.

Councillor Lenaghan declared a non-pecuniary interest in minute 67(B) below as a Trustee of Hayling Island Community Centre.

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting held on 7 December 2016.

Proposed by Councillor Perry and seconded by Councillor Buckley, it was

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 7 December 2016 were approved as a correct record.

To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting.

There were no matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting of the Council.

The Council received a Motion proposed by Councillor Ponsonby and seconded by Councillor Francis seeking to support the Havant Fairtrade Group in its effort to maintain the Borough’s recognised status as a Fairtrade Borough.

Mrs Maureen Thompson of the Havant Fairtrade Group was given an opportunity to address the Council in support of the Motion.

Proposed by Councillor Ponsonby and seconded by Councillor Francis, it was

RESOLVED that that this Council reaffirms its commitment to using Fair Trade products at its meetings and within the Plaza as far as possible, and to encouraging retailers, cafes and restaurants in the Borough to also sell or use a proportion of FairTrade products.  The Borough Council additionally supports the annual Fair Trade fortnight.

This will maintain its status as a Fair Trade Borough.  

This Council further supports the Fair Trade Foundation in its condemnation of the exploitation of workers and remains committed to provide Fairtrade Tea and Coffee where possible at events held in the Public Service Plaza.

Following the debate on this Motion, Mrs Thompson presented the Mayor with a Certificate in recognition of the Borough’s ongoing status as a Fairtrade Borough and thanked the Council for its support.

In addition to her published report, the Mayor referred to her planned abseil down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth in April and encouraged members to support her in this fundraising event.

To receive questions from, and provide answers to, the public, provided they have been submitted in accordance with the requirements of Standing Order 13.4(f).

There were no public questions.

Proposed by Councillor Weeks and seconded by Councillor Ken Smith, it was

RESOLVED that Councillor Elaine Shimbart be provisionally nominated as Mayor for the 2017/18 municipal year.

Proposed by Councillor Sceal and seconded by Councillor Cheshire, it was

RESOLVED that Councillor Peter Wade be provisionally nominated as Deputy Mayor for the 2017/18 municipal year.

(1)          Budget Speech by the Leader of the Council;

(2)          Reply by the Leader of the Opposition;

(3)          Leader’s Reply to the Opposition;

(4)               Questions for Clarification of the Leader of the Council.

The Leader delivered his budget speech to Council, setting out the Council’s approach to maintaining financial sustainability in the context of increasing pressures nationally on local government finances. The Leader gave an outline as to how the Council had delivered on its objectives of the previous year, the innovative approach to deliver services differently going forward, and a focus on income generation through investment in commercial property

As Leader of the Opposition, Councillor John Perry was given an opportunity to reply, setting local challenges in the context of national government policy and voicing concerns with regard to the borrowing to invest strategy outlined by the Leader..

Recommendation from the Cabinet held on 8 February 2017:

            Revenue Budget 2017/2018 to 2021/2022

            RECOMMENDED That Council:

(a)        that the following be approved, as set out in the report to the Cabinet on 8 February 2017:

(1)       The proposed Revenue and Capital Budget for 2017/2018 including a Council Tax rate of £192.78 at Band D (0% increase);

(2)       The Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential Indicators; and

(3)        Proposed Prices for Services for 2017/2018

(b)       That it benoted that (on 31st January, 2017) the Chief Finance Officer calculated the Council Tax Base 2017/2018 for the whole Council area as 39,937.93 [Item T in the formula in Section 31B(1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended, (the “Act”)] and that this Council Tax base be split between the regions of the Environment Agency as follows:

Southern – 39,937.93

(c)        That the following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2017/2018 in accordance with Sections 31 and 34 to 36 of the Act.

               (i)      £ 69,303,234 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act;

        (ii)     £ 61,604,000 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act;

                                    (iii)    £7,699,234 being the amount by which the aggregate at d(i) above exceeds the aggregate at d(ii) 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 31A(4) of the Act);

        (iv)    £192.78 being the amount at d(iii) above (Item R), divided by Item T  (c above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year;

(e)       Valuation Bands

A                      B                     C                     D

£128.52            £149.94          £171.36            £192.78

E                       F                     G                      H

£235.62            £278.46           £321.30           £385.56

being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at d(iv) above by the number which, in the proportion set out in Section 5(1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation band D, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands.

(f)        That it be noted that for the year 2017/2018 the Hampshire County Council (see (h) below) and Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority have stated the following amounts in precepts issued to the Council, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each of the categories of the dwellings shown below:

Valuation Bands – Hampshire County Council Basic Charge

A                      B                      C                      D

£755.40            £881.30            £1,007.20        £1,133.10

E                       F                     G                      H

£1,384.90         £1,636.70        £1,888.50         £2,266.20

Valuation Bands  ...  view the full agenda text for item 67.

The Leader presented a report and recommendation from Cabinet seeking approval of the proposed revenue and capital budget, reserves and balances, treasury and prices for services for 2017/18.

As Chairman of the Scrutiny Board, Councillor Buckley referred to the significant amount of work undertaken during the course of the year by the Budget Scrutiny Panel led by Councillor Hughes, and took the opportunity to thank all those involved for their contribution.

Proposed by Councillor Cheshire and seconded by Councillor Turner, it was:

RESOLVED that:

(a)          the following be approved, as set out in the report to the Cabinet on 8 February 2017:

              (1)          The proposed Revenue and Capital Budget for 2017/2018 including a Council Tax rate of £192.78 at Band D (0% increase);

              (2)          The Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential Indicators; and

              (3)          Proposed Prices for Services for 2017/2018

(b)          That it be noted that (on 31st January, 2017) the Chief Finance Officer calculated the Council Tax Base 2017/2018 for the whole Council area as 39,937.93 [Item T in the formula in Section 31B(1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended, (the “Act”)] and that this Council Tax base be split between the regions of the Environment Agency as follows:

Southern – 39,937.93

(c)          That the following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2017/2018 in accordance with Sections 31 and 34 to 36 of the Act.

              (i)      £ 69,303,234 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act;

              (ii)      £ 61,604,000 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act;

              (iii)     £7,699,234 being the amount by which the aggregate at d(i) above exceeds the aggregate at d(ii) 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 31A(4) of the Act);

              (iv)    £192.78 being the amount at d(iii) above (Item R), divided by Item T (c above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B(1) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year;

(e)    Valuation Bands

                        A                      B                     C                     D

                        £128.52            £149.94          £171.36            £192.78

                        E                       F                     G                      H

                        £235.62            £278.46           £321.30           £385.56

                        being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at d(iv) above by the number which, in the proportion set out in Section 5(1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation band D, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands.

(f)                    That it be noted that for the year 2017/2018 the Hampshire County Council (see (h) below) and Police and Crime Commissioner for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 67.

To consider the following recommendations to full Council arising from the meeting of the Cabinet held on 8 February 2017.  The Agenda and reports to Cabinet can be viewed via the following link:

http://havant.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=128&MId=10049

(A)         Public Sector Audit Appointments

RECOMMENDED that the Council opts in to the appointing person arrangements made by the Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA) for the appointment of external auditors.

(B)         CIL Spending 2016/17

RECOMMENDED to Council that

(1)       the Council invests part of the available CIL Pot of £1,250,724.12 in the following capital infrastructure projects:

(a)  Langstone Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Scheme (FCERM) Feasibility Assessment £75,000.

(b)  Southmoor Lane, Harts Farm Way Junction Improvements (Short Term) £190,405.

(c)  Havant Railway Footbridge Detailed Design up to £150,000, subject to negotiation with Hampshire County Council

(d)  Warblington Station Footbridge – Whilst the funding bid for Warblington Station Footbridge scored very highly using the CIL Protocol, the option of Network Rail providing this infrastructure will be explored. S106 funds of £647,784 have already been secured until 2025 to support this project.  A contribution from CIL will be considered further during the next round of bidding.

The cumulative effect of expenditure on the CIL 123 List of the above bids is illustrated in Table A:

Table A: Cumulative total of all recommended CIL Pot bids

(2)       that the Council invests part of the available Neighbourhood Portion of £163,305.49 in the following projects:

a)    The Hub – Hayling Island Community Centre Association £42,638

b)    Northney Coastal Path £90,000 –

Funding will be contingent upon other funding opportunities having been exhausted and planning permission being obtained. As there is some uncertainty over the delivery of this project at present it is recommended that a two year time limit is added to this recommendation (that funds be spent by the Council by 31 March 2019).

The cumulative effect of expenditure on the CIL 123 List of the above bids is illustrated in Table B:

Table B: Cumulative total of recommended Neighbourhood Portion bids

(3)       That the Council agrees a Revised CIL Funding Decision Protocol set out at Appendix F to the Cabinet report.

To consider any recommendations arising from the Extraordinary Cabinet meeting held on 22 February 2017.

The agenda and reports for the Cabinet meeting can be viewed via the following link:

http://havant.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=128&MId=10416

(C)         Revenue and Capital Budget 2017/18

(A)            Public Sector Audit Appointments

              Councillor Wilson presented a recommendation from Cabinet seeking approval of the proposed process for the appointment of an external auditor from the financial year 2018/19.

              As Chairman of the Governance and Audit Committee, Councillor Ken Smith reported that the Committee had considered and fully endorsed the proposal as recommended by Cabinet.

              Proposed by Councillor Wilson and seconded by Councillor K Smith, it was:

              RESOLVED that the Council opts in to the appointing person arrangements made by the Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA) for the appointment of external auditors.

(B)            CIL Spending 2016/17

              Councillor Guest presented a report to Cabinet providing an analysis of the 26 bids received following the CIL Bidding process and setting out recommendations on the spending of CIL funds.

              Councillor Guest also reported that Cabinet members had been minded to support a proposal that the time limit in relation to the Northney Coastal Path project be extended to three years to support efforts to secure match funding.

              Proposed by Councillor Guest and seconded by Councillor Turner, it was:

              RESOLVED that

              (i)      the Council invests part of the available CIL Pot of £1,250,724.12 in the following capital infrastructure projects:

                      (a)     Langstone Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Scheme (FCERM) Feasibility Assessment £75,000;

                      (b)     Southmoor Lane, Harts Farm Way Junction Improvements (Short Term) £190,405;

                      (c)     Havant Railway Footbridge Detailed Design up to £150,000, subject to negotiation with Hampshire County Council

                      (d)     Warblington Station Footbridge – Whilst the funding bid for Warblington Station Footbridge scored very highly using the CIL Protocol, the option of Network Rail providing this infrastructure will be explored.  S106 funds of £647,784 have already been secured until 2025 to support this project. A contribution from CIL will be considered further during the next round of bidding.

                                 The cumulative effect of expenditure on the CIL 123 List of the above bids is illustrated in Table A:

                                 Table A: Cumulative total of all recommended CIL Pot bids

                        (ii)     that the council invest part of the available Neighbourhood Portion of £163,305.49 in the following projects:

                                 a)      The Hub – Hayling Island Community Centre Association £42,638

b)        Northney Coastal Path up to £90,000–

                                           Funding will be contingent upon other funding opportunities having been exhausted and planning permission being obtained. As there is some uncertainty over the delivery of this project at present it is recommended that a three year time limit is added to this recommendation (that funds be spent by the Council by 31 March 2020).

                                           The cumulative effect of expenditure on the CIL 123 List of the above bids is illustrated in Table B:

                                           Table B: Cumulative total  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

There were no matters the Leader wished to add to his published report.

Councillor Turner provided a verbal update to her published report on the serious weather protocol for assisting rough sleepers and on a recent successful bid for funding to support victims of domestic abuse.

(i)                the Leader and Cabinet Leads to answer questions on matters within their respective reports.

(ii)           Chairmen to answer questions on minutes since the last Council meeting

Members of the Council were given an opportunity to ask questions of the Cabinet Leads in connection with their published reports.  There were no questions of the Committee Chairmen.

To receive questions from Councillors in accordance with the requirements of Standing Order 23.4(a).

There were no questions under Standing Order 23.

To receive urgent questions from Councillors submitted in accordance with the requirements of Standing Order 23.4(b).

There were no urgent questions.

The Council to receive the following minutes of meetings held since the last meeting of the Council:

Development Management Committee – 8 December 2016

Scrutiny Board – 21 December 2016

Development Management Committee – 12 January 2017

Scrutiny Board – 31 January 2017

Propose by Councillor Ken Smith and seconded by Councillor Branson, it was

RESOLVED that the minutes of committees held since the last meeting of the Council be received.