Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bastin, Mrs Blackett, Bolton, Edwards, Hart, Kennedy, Mackey, Pierce Jones and Smith.

To confirm the minutes of the Scrutiny Board held on 4 March 2014.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Scrutiny Board held on 4 February 2014 be approved as a correct record.

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

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

There were no declarations of interests from any of the members present.

The Chairman reminded members that the Scrutiny Board originally scheduled for 20 May 2014 had now been rescheduled for 3 June 2014.

The Board was also informed that Individual Electoral Registration training for Councillors had been scheduled for 12 March 2014.

The Board received a report from the Environment and Neighbourhood Quality Panel in connection with its Sustainability Review. The Panel had investigated work undertaken by Havant Borough Council to address sustainability throughout the borough and to help set a strategic way forward.  

The Sustainability Adviser, Transport Fleet Operations Team Leader and the Building Services Officer joined the Scrutiny Lead Councillor for the debate on this item.

The following matters were raised during the course of the discussion:

·        The need to ensure Havant Borough Council’s Workplace Travel Plan was as rigorous as possible in order to increase usage of the Council’s bike facilities and encourage further use of the car sharing scheme. The Scrutiny Lead agreed to examine the usage of the car sharing scheme and report back any findings to the Board.

·        The use of electric/hybrid vehicles had been considered by the Council however the cost, reliability and life of such technology meant that procurement of such vehicles was currently not sustainable. An option to install a charging point for electric vehicles was available at the Plaza, although with three different chargers currently on the market it was suggested a decision on which type to install should be delayed.

·        In response to a question over which properties would benefit from the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, the Sustainability Adviser agreed to circulate details following the meeting.

·        Opportunities for Solar Energy projects were currently being explored.

·        The second Switch Hampshire scheme had just closed which helped residents, including those in properties on pre-payment meters, obtain improved tariffs. In response to a question over what options were available to decrease the number of properties in the borough which had pre-payment meters installed, the Sustainability Adviser agreed to raise this with the Housing Department.

·        A new definition of fuel poverty had recently been introduced by the Government and this would be circulated to the Board following the meeting.

·        Improving the energy efficiency of council owned assets was discussed and the Scrutiny Lead agreed to provide an update on any buildings which had been earmarked for the solar thermal scheme.

·        The Board expressed concern that the Planning Inspector had modified the Council’s core strategy so that new homes built until 2026 needed only to conform with Code Level 3. Following a discussion it was suggested members of the Board raise the issue at the future public enquiry.

At the conclusion of the debate the Chairman thanked the Panel and officers for all their hard work and effort in producing an informative report.

RECOMMENDED to the Cabinet that the key actions set out in paragraphs 4.1 to 4.7 of the Environment and Neighbourhood Quality Panel’s report be implemented.

The Council’s constitution required the Scrutiny Board to report annually to Full Council on its workings and to make recommendations for future work programmes and amended working methods, if appropriate.

The report provided a summary of the work undertaken by the Scrutiny Board in 2013/14 and gave the Board an opportunity to review its performance over the last year.

RESOLVED that the annual report be submitted to Full Council.

The Board was given an opportunity to review progress to date with regard to the various scrutiny and policy reviews currently being undertaken by the Panels and to identify potential new matters for scrutiny.

The Chairman expressed his thanks to those Councillors who were attending their last meeting of the Scrutiny Board for all their hard work and effort.

RESOLVED that no additional matters be included in the Board’s work programme at the present time.