COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS, 23 NOVEMBER 2006

HAMPSHIRE

At a Meeting of Hampshire County Council held at The Castle, Winchester on

Thursday 23 November 2006.

Chairman:

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Councillor Mrs. P. A. West

Vice Chairman:

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Mrs. P. M. Devereux

Councillors:

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F. G. Allgood J.P.

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Felicity Hindson, M.B.E.

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Mrs. C. A. Bailey

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G. M. Hockley

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Mrs. P. G. Banks

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Keith House

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R. J. Baulk

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R. Hughes

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I. F. E. Beagley

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P. R. C. Hutcheson

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D. R. Blampied

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S. C. James

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Carol Boulton

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Jo Kelly

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Alan Broadhurst

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M. N. Kemp-Gee

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J. V. Bryant

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M. J. Kendal

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Mrs. A. Buckley

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R. J. Kimber

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Mrs. E. M. Byrom

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D. A. Kirk

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Adam Carew

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T. G. Knight

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M. F. Cartwright

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Mrs. C. A. Leversha

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K. G. Chapman

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A. R. Ludlow

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P. J. Chegwyn

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Peter Kent Mason

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N. R. G. Clarke

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J. J. W. Maxwell

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A. P. Collett

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R. C. McIntosh

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M. G. Cooper

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Mrs. A. M. McNair Scott

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B. D. Dash

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E. J. Neal

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Colin Davidovitz

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Sam Payne

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G. W. Davies-Dear

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R. J. Perry

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Mrs. P. Dickens

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Mrs. P. G. Peskett

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A. G. Dowden

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Mrs. J. A. Porter

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L. T. Dunsdon

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Roger H. Price J.P.

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P. R. Edgar

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S. H. Reid

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Anne Edwards

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A. W. Rice, TD

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Dr. R. J. Ellis

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Mrs. A. M. Roling

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A. D. G. Evans

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David Simpson

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K. D. Evans

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Mrs. M. D. Snaith

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Mrs. J. K. Frankum

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Mrs. E. F. Still

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E. F. Gale, M.B.E.

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T. K. Thornber, C.B.E.

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K. L. Gill

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Mrs. M. J. Tucker

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D. Gillett

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John K. West

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J. K. Glen

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A. Weeks

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B. T. Gurden

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Mrs. S. A. Wheale

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D. Harrison

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M. J. Woodhall

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P. A. Heath

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Seán D. T. Woodward

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Mrs. K. Heron

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D. F. Wright J.P.

154

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs. Frankum, Gill,

Mrs. Snaith and Weeks.

155

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were mindful that, where they believed they had a personal or

personal prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should normally at the time of the debate declare their interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed.

156

MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting of the County Council held on 28 September 2006

were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

157

PRESENTATION BY "ISITFAIR?"

The Leader of the Council explained that he had invited Isitfair? to address

the Council but that their representative had been unable to attend. On the Council's behalf, the Leader would convey the County Council's best wishes to Isitfair?.

158

CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS

The Chairman drew to the Council's attention a range of events and activities at

which she had represented the County Council since the previous meeting. These included:

·

a visit from H.R.H. The Princess Royal to open the Equal Access to Justice Conference 2006 held at the Police Headquarters, Netley;

·

the presentation of awards to a number of the County Council's staff who had achieved 40 years service with the County Council;

·

presentation of the County Council's sponsored award at the SCIL Disabled People's Awards for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ceremony;

·

attendance at the Lord Lieutenant's Police Awards Ceremony;

·

Age Concern's Annual General Meeting and Conference;

·

the installation of the Lord Lieutenant as the University of Winchester's first Chancellor;

·

attendance at the Law Courts at the invitation of the High Sheriff of Hampshire;

·

giving the keynote speech at the "Shout about Romsey" Youth Conference;

·

attending the Hampshire Fostering Network Annual General Meeting;

·

playing host to a group of young people from Poland visiting Hampshire;

·

hosting a reception at Serle's House for service reservists working for the County Council;

·

the topping out ceremony for the Whitchurch Library and Community Centre;

·

attending the Prince's Trust event to celebrate exceptional young people.

159

LEADER'S REPORT

It was with great sadness that the Leader reported the passing of Leighton Rich,

the former conductor of the Hampshire County Youth Band. Other leading members echoed the Leader's sentiments.

On a happier note, the Leader reported a range of successes achieved

by the County Council:

·

congratulations to Councillor Ellis on his appointment as a Governor to the

Sir John Cass Foundation;

·

improvements in primary schools' performance;

·

praise for Hampshire's Children's Services from Ofsted and the Commission for Social Care Inspection in their annual performance assessment 2006;

·

ICT Excellence Awards achieved by Horndean Infant School, Westfield Junior School, Yateley and Wildern School, Hedge End;

·

the award of National Secondary Headteacher of the Year in a Secondary School to Jeff Threlfall, headteacher of Wildern School, Hedge End;

·

praise nationally in a report from H.M. Chief Inspector of Schools for 18 County Council schools and one of its colleges in the Ofsted annual report on Quality and Standards in Education 2005/06.

·

an "excellent" rating in the Healthcare Commission's latest report for local community services provided by the Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust.

·

the designation of the Hampshire Record Office by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council as an outstanding collection of national and international importance.

The Leader also reported that Hampshire had been chosen for the recent launch

of the Local Government White Paper "Strong and Prosperous Communities", because the County Council could illustrate particularly well the partnership working themes of the White Paper and demonstrate the success of close joint working at all levels across local government without the need for costly and disruptive restructuring. The Leader welcomed the extent to which the White Paper moved towards fewer national targets but was disappointed that the Government had not gone further to devolve powers from national government to local government. He would be pressing them on that issue in the weeks and months ahead. The White Paper was strong on what national government expected of local government but weak on what local government could expect from national government. Related to the White Paper, the Leader was delighted to report that the Chief Executive's Corporate Communications Team had been selected by Government as a best practice example for the re-launch of the DCLG/IdEA "Connecting with Communities" best practice website. This was the second time that the Communications Team had been used as a best practice example by Government and it was good to know that Hampshire remained at the leading edge when it came to keeping in touch with its community and keeping its residents and staff well informed

In conclusion, the Leader brought the Council up-to-date following its decision

at its September meeting regarding the control of ragwort. As requested by the Council, the Probation Service had been approached about offering assistance with the deployment of volunteers through the community help programme and the Leader was pleased to report that the Probation Service was prepared to help and to provide volunteers for weed clearance. This was very much appreciated. Work would initially be concentrated on the New Forest where animals were free to roam and there was a high number of equestrians and the greatest risk from ragwort. The work would be carried out over a six week period during the plant flowering season from July to the end of August. The volunteers would operate on low speed, unfenced roads having had appropriate training and wearing the required high visibility protective clothing. A risk assessment would be undertaken by the Probation Service in conjunction with the County Council and the Forestry Commission was keen to be involved.

160

QUESTIONS UNDER STANDING ORDER 20(b)(i)

Councillor Thornber, the Leader of the Council, answered a question from

Councillor Dowden concerning the full cost, including officers' time, of the formal eligibility criteria consultation concerning care services.

Councillor Kendal, Executive Member for the Environment, answered a

question from Councillor Carew about proposals by South West Trains to replace rolling stock on the London to Portsmouth railway line, the impact of this on commuters from the Havant and East Hampshire areas and the provision of spaces for fold-up and normal bicycles on trains.

Councillor Mrs. Banks, the Executive Member for Adult Social Care, answered

a question from Councillor Porter about the quality of services provided by professional care services and complaints procedures. It was agreed that the reply given by Councillor Mrs. Banks be circulated to all members of the County Council.

Councillor Thornber, the Leader of the Council, answered a question from

Councillor Dowden about the current risk of terrorist attack in Winchester and The Castle offices in particular.

161

APPOINTMENTS

The Council considered proposals put by the Leader of the Council and agreed

as follows.

RESOLVED:

a)

that Councillor Mrs. Wheale be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Hart and Rushmoor Hampshire Action Team (HAT) and that Councillor Edgar be appointed the Vice-Chairman of the Fareham and Gosport HAT;

b)

that Councillor Glen be appointed the County Council's deputy representative on the South East England Regional Assembly.

162

MEMBERS' WEB PAGES - ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

The Council considered the report of the Governance Committee and received a

presentation from the Head of Corporate and Legal Services and Monitoring Officer about the expectations of the County Council's Code of Conduct for members in relation to members' use of the proposed Hantsweb facility. Members raised a number of questions and issues and accordingly it was

RESOLVED:

a)

that arrangements be made for a seminar for members of the County Council on the proposed acceptable use policy in relation to members' web pages and that a further report be made to the County Council in due course;

b)

that the officers take the necessary action to qualify or remove any existing members' web page information which could be deemed misleading by the community at large.

163

DEMOCRATIC REVIEW

The Council considered and approved the report of the Head of Corporate and

Legal Services and Monitoring Officer (Item 10 in the Minute Book) pursuant to Minute 146 of the previous meeting when the Council had asked for the issue of proportionality on scrutiny working groups to be reviewed and for further information about the Executive Member with Special Responsibility for Education's plans for the monitoring of schools' performance following the Democratic Review.

RESOLVED:

a)

that scrutiny working groups be established with a minimum of three County Councillors of whom at least one shall be a Liberal Democrat, or a maximum of six County Councillors of whom at least two shall be Liberal Democrats and that, where the second minority group wishes to nominate, that nomination - whether for a working group of 3,4,5 or 6 elected members- would be accepted;

b)

that the Policy Review Committees' operating protocol approved by the Governance Committee in September 2006 be revised accordingly;

c)

that the Executive Member with Special Responsibility for Education's plans for keeping members informed about schools' performance be welcomed and that, when required, ad hoc informal groups of elected members and others be appointed on the basis set out in (a) above, led by the Executive Member with Special Responsibility for Education.

164

HAMPSHIRE PUPILS' ACHIEVMENTS - NOTICE OF MOTION

The Council considered the following Notice of Motion submitted in

accordance with Standing Order 17 by Councillor Kirk and seconded by Councillor Felicity Hindson:

"This Council congratulates Hampshire pupils on, once again, achieving GCSE results that outperform the national trend. The results reflect tremendous credit on Pupils, Teachers, Parents, Governors and County Council Officers who have all contributed to this success. They were gained despite the fact that, of the 150 Local Education Authorities funded by Government, Hampshire receives the lowest per pupil funding support of any LEA in the South East and is in the bottom ten in the Country as a whole.

At £3,740 pa the Hampshire figure is well below the average for England of £4,130 pa and a fraction of the amount paid in Central Government grant to the top eighteen Authorities who receive up to just under £6,500 pa.

In the new era of Direct Schools Grants this Council does not accept that it costs half as much to educate a child in Hampshire as it does in Hackney and calls on Government to recognise this in its current commitment to bring State School Pupil Funding to parity with Private Schools."

In seconding the motion, Councillor Hindson proposed the following

amendment to add the words "Furthermore, this Council supports the work going on to raise the educational attainment of children and young people in its care and to whom members are corporate parents." after the words "parity with private schools".

In the course of debate the following further amendment was moved and

seconded:

i)

this Council recognises that the direct schools grant is calculated using demographic and other factors relating to need. However, Surrey receives £133 per child more than Hampshire whilst having a deprivation index half that of our county and we call upon the Government to review this anomaly;

ii)

Government must review funding for Children's Services in Hampshire urgently because, like funding for Adult Services, grant shortfall threatens the quality of services available to the most vulnerable in our community.

After a wide-ranging debate taking into account all the issues and in the spirit

of co-operation across the County Council, the original motion was reviewed by its proposer and the following resolution was unanimously agreed.

RESOLVED:

"This Council congratulates Hampshire pupils on, once again, achieving GCSE

results that outperform the national trend. The results reflect tremendous credit on pupils, teachers, parents, governors and County Council officers who have all contributed to this success. They were gained despite the fact that, of the 150 local education authorities(LEAs) funded by government, Hampshire receives the lowest per pupil funding support of any LEA in the South East and is in the bottom ten in the Country as a whole.

At £3,740 per pupil per annum the Hampshire figure is well below the average

for England of £4,130 per pupil per annum and a fraction of the amount paid in central government grant to the top eighteen authorities who receive up to just under £6,500 per pupil per annum.

This Council recognises that the Direct Schools Grant is calculated using

demographic and other factors relating to need. However, some counties receive more grant net of Area Cost Adjustment whilst having lower deprivation levels than Hampshire and accordingly this Council calls upon the government:

a)

to review this anomaly;

b)

to review funding for Children's Services in Hampshire urgently because, like funding for Adult Services, grant shortfall threatens the quality of services available to the most vulnerable in our community; and

c)

to recognise this in its current commitment to bring state school pupil funding to parity with private schools.

Furthermore this Council supports the work going on to raise the educational

attainment of children and young people in its care and to whom Members are corporate parents."

165

HAMPSHIRE POLICE AUTHORITY

The Council received and noted the report of the Hampshire Police Authority.

No questions had been received pursuant to Standing Order 20(d).

166

HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY

The Council received the report of the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

No questions had been received pursuant to Standing Order 20(e).

167

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Leader introduced an open debate as the start of a long-term process for

the County Council to produce a sustainable community strategy. The Leader's objective for the County Council was that "within a decade, Hampshire will prosper without risking our environment." In that context he announced that he planned to set up a commission of inquiry into climate change to which every member of the County Council would be invited to give evidence and that other opportunities would be provided for members to engage and contribute through seminars, working groups and other means. Key issues included coastal erosion, rising sea levels, water supplies, other public utility services, housing demand and the impact of the County Council's own strategies and development. A balance needed to be struck between how the County Council could impact most positively on the economy of Hampshire without compromising Hampshire's environment.

A number of members contributed to the debate at the conclusion of which the

tensions between environmental protection and economic prosperity were well understood. It was also accepted that the County Council could not consider the matter in isolation and that input should be sought from a wide variety of sources including academia and international contacts and, importantly, young people in the Hampshire community whose future was of paramount importance.

In conclusion, the Leader of the Council welcomed the views expressed during

the debate and looked forward to further member involvement as the project progressed.

168

REPORTS FOR INFORMATION

The Council received the reports of the following:

a)

Cabinet/Leader;

b)

Executive Member for Environment;

c)

Executive Member for Adult Social Care;

d)

Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee;

e)

Executive Lead Member for Children's Services and Executive Member with Special Responsibility for Education.