Archived decisions

AT A SPECIAL MEETING of the CABINET of HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL held at The Castle, Winchester on Monday, 6 January 2003 to discuss items deferred from the meeting held on 23 December 2002.

PRESENT:

Councillors: T.K. Thornber, CBE (in the Chair); D.G. Allen; K.B. Estlin; Mrs. S.M. Glasspool, DL; P.A. Heath; Felicity Hindson, MBE; D.A. Kirk; J. Waddington;

M.J. Woodhall.

Councillors A.P. Collett, B.D. Dash, A.G. Dowden and M.J. Roberts were also present.

165 2003/04 PROVISIONAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE SETTLEMENT AND BUDGET GUIDELINES

The Cabinet considered the report of the County Treasurer (Item 8 in the Minute Book) on the provisional local government finance settlement and its implications for the 2003/04 budget strategy.

The Cabinet expressed the gravest concern at the level of the provisional settlement and its implications for Hampshire rate payers if service levels were to be maintained, and criticised a number of the key elements of the new grants system which was regarded as wholly inequitable. Members expressed particular concerns at the introduction of resource equalisation, the changes in area cost adjustment and the education formula spending share, the continued significant underfunding of social care, and the Government's failure to recognise the problems of deprivation in certain parts of the County.

The Cabinet also discussed in some detail the proposal of the County Treasurer (Recommendation 12 refers) that the Executive Members for Education and Social Care respectively should report back on the implications of 1% and 1.5% reductions in passported cash amounts for the schools' block and social care, to provide some flexibility in making final budget decisions. Some Members felt that the strong commitment of the County Council to its Education and Social Care services rendered the exercise superfluous and that its purpose could be misconstrued by those most directly affected. Others, however, considered that it was justified in order to demonstrate the realities of some of the difficult decisions facing the County Council in the light of the provisional settlement. In conclusion, it was agreed to adopt Recommendation 12 subject to an amendment of the wording to more accurately reflect the position.

Subject to the amendment referred to in the preceding paragraph, the recommendations were adopted and a copy of the substantive decision sheet is set out as Appendix 1 to these Minutes.

166 PLANNING AND COMPULSORY PURCHASE BILL - IMPLICATIONS FOR HAMPSHIRE

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Environment (Item 10 in the Minute Book) which discussed the implications of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill introduced in Parliament on 4 December 2002.


Since initial consideration of the report, the Executive Member for Environment and the Director of Environment had discussed further the position if the Bill was not amended to give County Councils a statutory role in sub-regional planning having regard to the concerns of some Members about the alternative suggestion that an agency role might be pursued through the South East England Regional Assembly. The Cabinet preferred to examine the proposals of other County and unitary authorities before taking a firm decision in the matter, and an amended resolution to this effect is set out in the substantive decision sheet.

Members also placed considerable importance upon establishing a role for the County Council in the development of local development frameworks, and whilst support from Hampshire District Councils in this regard was extremely important, the Cabinet wished, nonetheless, to pursue the matter in any case through seeking amendments to the Bill.

A copy of the substantive decision sheet prepared in the light of the foregoing is set out as Appendix 2 to these Minutes.

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