Archived decisions

AT A MEETING of the CABINET of HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL held at The Castle, Winchester on Monday, 22 April 2002.

PRESENT:

Councillors: T.K. Thornber, CBE (In the Chair); K.B. Estlin; Mrs. S.M. Glasspool, DL; Felicity Hindson, MBE; D.A. Kirk; J. Waddington; J.K. West; M.J. Woodhall.

Also present were:

Councillors: A.P. Collett; B.D. Dash, J.K. Glen and Jo Kelly

79 MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 25 March 2002 were confirmed as a correct record.

80 CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS - CHANCELLOR'S BUDGET STATEMENT

The Chairman drew attention to the implications for the County Council of some of the announcements made in the Chancellor's recent Budget statement, notably those which impacted on the County Council's co-operation with the National Health Service, and the 1% rise in employers' National Insurance contributions. Members shared his considerable concern at the Secretary of State for Health's subsequent announcement that councils would be penalised for the costs of bedblocking and it was hoped that, with the concurrence of the Minority Groups, it would be possible to send a letter signed by the Leaders of the three parties represented on the Council, expressing their concerns at this, and other issues relating to the Budget statement, which it was felt ran counter to the principle of the County Council developing its links with the NHS. The Leader of the Liberal Democrats confirmed that he would be happy to do so, and a decision from the Labour Group was awaited.

81 REGIONALISM - ISSUES FOR COUNTIES IN THE SOUTH EAST

The Cabinet considered the report of the Chief Executive (Item 3 in the Minute Book) on the implications for counties in the South East arising from the Government White Paper on Regionalism, which was expected in May 2002.

Whilst the Cabinet accepted that directly elected Regional Government could be appropriate for the North East, it shared the concerns expressed in the report that, on the evidence currently available, it would be difficult to have a directly elected regional assembly for the South East without further Local Government reorganisation to create a predominance of unitary authorities, and that there was likely to be insufficient public support in the area for a referendum to be successful. The Cabinet felt strongly that the County Council was in the optimum position, close enough to its electorate to be meaningful, yet large enough to act strategically, and that Central Government should direct its attention to devolving powers from Westminster, not drawing up powers from Local Government to some form of regional assembly. There was also a view that the County Council itself could become a European Region and it was agreed that further investigations should be carried out into the feasibility of this suggestion.

Notwithstanding the above, in the interests of developing a balanced and constructive approach, it was agreed the County Council should commission surveys based on Para 6.2 of the report and report back at the earliest possible date.

A copy of the substantive decision sheet reflecting the above is set out as Appendix I to these Minutes.

82 COMPREHENSIVE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

This item was deferred to a special meeting of the Cabinet on Monday, 29 April 2002 (am) to enable further work to be carried out on the detail.

83 HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

The Cabinet considered the report of the County Planning Officer (Item 5 in the Minute Book) on progress with regard to the Corporate Sustainability Development Strategy.

During the course of the ensuing discussion the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services advised that a report would be submitted to an early future meeting of the Executive Member, Policy and Resources which would analyse trends and attempt to develop comparators with other councils on a number of sustainability issues.

The Cabinet adopted the recommendations and in doing so also resolved to use every endeavour to encourage Members to participate fully in training on the subject of sustainability, including attendance at seminars organised by its officers. A copy of the substantive decision sheet is set out as Appendix 2 to these Minutes.

84 FLOOD AND COASTAL DEFENCE FUNDING REVIEW

The Cabinet considered the report of the County Treasurer, County Surveyor and County Planning Officer (Item 6 in the Minute Book) on the proposed response to a Government Consultation Paper on flooding and coastal defence. The Cabinet agreed to the broad thrust of the report, but was particularly concerned that a balance should be struck between large strategic authorities dealing with major risks and the need for local democratic accountability. It objected to the abolition of flood defence committees for this reason and expected adequate democratic representation from the County Council on existing defence committees which spanned larger areas. If regional customer bodies were formed as a result of this consultation, the Cabinet stressed that local democratic accountability must be maintained. The Cabinet also felt that there should be some clarification of the permissive powers for operating authorities, with the suggestion that statutory powers should be clear in terms of carrying out flood and coastal defence activities. This followed the confusion that arose with recent flooding, especially when it had been due to groundwater conditions.

A copy of the substantive decision sheet reflecting the above is set out as Appendix 3 to these Minutes.

85 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL IN 2001

The Cabinet considered the sixth Annual Report (Item 7 in the Minute Book) on major achievements of the County Council. In welcoming the achievements of 2001, and adopting the recommendation, the Cabinet asked that copies of Appendix 2 to the report, setting out the major achievements in 2001 by departments, be circulated to all Members of the County Council. A copy of the decision sheet is set out as Appendix 4 to these Minutes.

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