Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Cllr Gary Robinson.

Declarations of Interest

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting held on 27 January 2021.

Proposed by Cllr Davis and seconded by Cllr Sceal, the minutes of the previous meeting held on 27 January 2021 were agreed as a correct record.

There were no questions for the Mayor on his published report.

Proposed by Councillor Turner and seconded by Councillor Crellin, it was RESOLVED that Councillor Raines be provisionally appointed as Mayor for 2021/22.

Proposed by Councillor Wilson and seconded by Councillor Satchwell, it was RESOLVED that Councillor Patrick be provisionally appointed as Deputy Mayor for 2021/22.

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).

No public questions had been received under Standing Order 13.4(f).

· The Leader will give his speech to the Council

· Reply by the Leader of the Opposition

· Leader’s reply to the Opposition

· Questions of Clarification to the Leader

The Leader presented his budget speech to Council. He thanked the S.151 Officer and the new in-house finance team for producing a balanced budget in difficult times.  He believed that the budget put forward was strong and would support the various strategies of the Council.  In addition, no services had been cut and community grants were proposed to be retained at the same levels.  He commended the budget to Council and believed that it demonstrated the Council’s commitment to supporting residents and businesses.

Cllr Hart spoke on behalf of the Labour Group.  He explained that this would be his last opposition reply, as he would be retiring as a Councillor in May after 40 years’ service.  He felt that 2020/21 had been a very difficult year and congratulated officers on producing a balanced budget which did not propose blanket increases to fees and charges in order to generate income.  He supported the budget and believed that the Council would continue to offer good value.

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, a recorded vote will be taken on this item.

The recommendation contained within the report was proposed by Cllr Inkster and seconded by Cllr Keast.

Council supported the budget proposals, however during debate the following points were raised:

·       An increase in the Capital Budget to allow council owned play equipment to be replaced every 25 years;

·       Investment in the Capital Budget for West Beach, Hayling Island; and

·       The reduction or removal of legal services fees and charges for non-commercial enterprises, such as local charities and community groups who often undertook work on the council’s behalf.

In response, Cllr Inkster, Cabinet Lead for Finance, confirmed that he was aware of these matters and would be happy to discuss further.

Following the discussion, it was RESOLVED that Council agrees:

a. the proposed Revenue and Capital budgets for 2021-22 including a Council Tax rate of £214.48 at Band D, representing a £5 increase on the current charge;

b. the proposed Medium Term Financial Strategy, Capital Strategy, Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential Indicators;

c. the Fees & Charges Schedule for 2021/22; and

d. the Council Tax Resolution:

(1) That it be noted that (on 31st January, 2021) the Chief Finance Officer calculated the Council Tax Base 2021/22 for the whole Council area as 41,448.02 [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 – 41,448.02

(2) That the following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2021/22 in accordance with Sections 31 and 34 to 36 of the Act.

      (i)         £ 62,261,129 (expenditure) being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act;

      (ii)         £53,371,510 (income) being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act;

      (iii)        £8,889,619 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)        £214.48 being the amount at c(iii) above (Item R), divided by Item T  (b 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;

(3)      Valuation Bands

being the amounts given by multiplying the amount at 2(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.

(4)      That it be noted that for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

Recommendation arising from the meeting of the Cabinet held on 10 February 2021

(a)  Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL): Proposed Spending of Neighbourhood Portion.

Recommendation arising from the meeting of the Cabinet held on 10 February 2021:

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL): Proposed Spending of Neighbourhood Portion.

Proposed by Cllr Turner and seconded by Cllr Crellin it was RESOLVED that the allocation of Neighbourhood CIL funds to the projects and the amounts as set out below be APPROVED:

Coastal Communities

West of the A3(M)

Wider Havant

Following the adoption of the new Constitution by Council on 27 January 2021 and the associated revised committee structure to take effect from 1 March 2021, it is recommended that the Council:

(i) Notes the political balance of the Council, as set out in Appendix A;

(ii) Reviews the representation of the different political groups on each of the Committees set out in Appendix B and determines:

(a) the allocation of seats on each of those bodies to each of the political groups into which the Council is divided and

(b) the membership of those bodies in accordance with the wishes of those groups; and

(v) Approves:

1 the appointment and functions of the various Committees and Boards

2 the appointment of Councillors to those Committees and Boards

3 the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs (as appropriate) to those Committees and Boards all as set out in Parts B and C of Appendix B;

4 All appointments at (v)(1) to (3) to take effect from 1 March 2021 and remain in place until the next Annual meeting of the Council.

Proposed by Cllr Wilson and seconded by Cllr Lloyd it was RESOLVED that Council:

(i) Notes the political balance of the Council, as set out in Appendix A of the report;

(ii) Reviews the representation of the different political groups on each of the Committees set out in Appendix B and determines:

(a) the allocation of seats on each of those bodies to each of the political groups into which the Council is divided and

(b) the membership of those bodies in accordance with the wishes of those groups; and

(v) Approves:

1 the appointment and functions of the various Committees and Boards

2 the appointment of Councillors to those Committees and Boards (attached as Appendix B to these minutes)

3 the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs (as appropriate) to those Committees and Boards all as set out in Appendix B to these minutes

4 All appointments at (v)(1) to (3) to take effect from 1 March 2021 and remain in place until the next Annual meeting of the Council.

RECOMMENDED that the draft Calendar of Meetings for 2021/22 be approved.       

Proposed by Cllr Wilson and seconded by Cllr Bowerman it was Resolved that the Calendar of meetings for 2021/22 be approved.

The Leader updated that he had been involved in initial discussions in respect of a Boundary review for the Borough.  The ward boundaries had not been reviewed in 20 years and these reviews were necessary in order to ensure that wards sizes and the number of councillors remained appropriate.

Cllr Hughes updated that a positive response and nominated contact had been received from Natural England in respect of developing the Hayling Seafront Strategy.  He hoped to attend a site meeting once lockdown restrictions permitted with an aim to accelerate improvements to the seafront.

(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

In response to questions about the Aquind interconnector, Cllr Bains explained that the council was a consultee at the Hearing held on 17 February and afforded the council, along with neighbouring authorities whose areas would be affected, the opportunity to raise issues.  The applicant had requested an exemption to remove the council’s powers for noise enforcement under section 82 of the EPA 1990 during construction and operational phases, to which Havant Borough Council and the other three local authorities affected put forward the same case against this request.  The decision was ultimately for the Planning Inspectorate to determine and members would be informed once the decision had been made.

Cllr Hughes believed that disruption to the transport network during construction posed the biggest concern, as it was estimated that 100m per week would be constructed and the route of the interconnector would run the full length of the A3 in the borough.

In response to a question from Cllr Keast in respect of the impact of coastal erosion at West Beach on Hayling Island, Cllr Hughes believed that the concerns expressed were merited and that the existing policy may need to be reviewed.

In reply to a question from Cllr Branson about ceasing verge cutting as part of the ‘No Mow May’ national campaign Cllr Hughes explained that this was by default already implemented where daffodils flowered.  He did not favour this being extended to all verges in the Borough due to the carefully calculated rotas for verge cutting to preserve the appearance of the street scene throughout the borough.

In response to a question from Cllr Francis, the Leader confirmed that engagement would be offered and welcomed with Leigh Park ward councillors if the bid for the Health Foundation’s Economies for Healthier Lives funding programme was successful.

In reply to Cllr Francis, Cllr Rennie confirmed that he had spoken with the digital team in respect of progressing the possibility of loaning IT Equipment to councillors.

In reply to a question from Cllr Pike about officers not undertaking site visits to assess the need for temporary Traffic Regulation Orders, specifically in Warblington. Cllr Bains explained that staff safety was a primary concern. She did however believe that such visits would likely be one of the first areas to recommence and she confirmed that she would raise the matter with the Head of Service.

In response to a question from Cllr Crellin, Cllr Turner believed that the delays around the potential redevelopment of Brent House centred around legal matters between the owner and the council but believed that these were nearing completion.

In reply to a question from Cllr Patrick about the deterioration of the Hook Lane Multi-User Games Area (MUGA), Cllr Rennie explained that the facility was not well used, hence the proposal for it to be converted to a car park. He agreed to investigate the background in respect of the deterioration of the MUGA and provide these details to Cllr Patrick.

Cllr Patrick requested scrutiny into the work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

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

No questions had been submitted under the provision of this Standing Order.

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

No questions had been submitted under the provision of this Standing Order.

The following motion, signed by the Mayor and Cllr Rennie, has been submitted in accordance with Standing Order 14:

The default position of this Council is to be paperless, with all copies of paperwork only being sent digitally from March 1^st 2021. If any Councillor wishes to receive a manual copy of paperwork for a specific meeting from that point onwards, they can request to do so in writing to Democratic Services. With benefits from both a financial and environmental standpoint, it enables us to do what’s right on behalf of the residents we serve.

The Mayor advised that he had withdrawn the motion that he had submitted.

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

Site Viewing Working Party – 7 January 2021

https://havant.moderngov.co.uk/documents/g11272/Printed%20minutes%2007th-Jan-2021%2016.00%20Site%20Viewing%20Working%20Party.pdf?T=1

Site Viewing Working Party – 12 January 2021

https://havant.moderngov.co.uk/documents/g11274/Printed%20minutes%2012th-Jan-2021%2016.00%20Site%20Viewing%20Working%20Party.pdf?T=1

Cabinet – 13 January 2021

https://havant.moderngov.co.uk/documents/g11266/Printed%20minutes%2013th-Jan-2021%2014.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=1

Proposed by Cllr Scott and seconded by Cllr Satchwell was RESOLVED that the minutes of Committees held since the last meeting of Council be received.

The Leader led speeches of gratitude from members to Cllr Ken Smith, Cllr Joanne Thomas, Cllr John Davis and Cllr Terry Hart, who would not be standing in the May 2021 elections.

Council particularly commended the 40 years of service provided by Cllr Hart and his tireless work during this time for the residents of the Borough.