Contact: Jon Pittam (01962) 847400 [email protected]

Karen Murray (01962) 847876 [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 The County Council has prepared and published a Capital Strategy each year since the Government made it a requirement in 2001. That requirement was removed in 2004 but an up-to-date Capital Strategy remains an important part of the Council's sound asset management. It will continue to be a key consideration under the Comprehensive Performance Assessment by the Audit Commission. It is also one of the key documents that underpin the Council's Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2008/09 to 2010/11. The Medium Term Financial Strategy requires that the Capital Strategy is reviewed annually.

1.2 An updated draft of the Capital Strategy is attached as Appendix 1.

2 Recommendation

That the updated Capital Strategy set out in Appendix 1 be approved.

3 Revisions since 2007

3.1 Apart from updating the statistics and examples, there are few significant changes in the attached draft Capital Strategy compared with the version approved for 2007. This is consistent with the concept of a `strategic' document that sets the scene for asset management and capital investment for at least the duration of the three-year capital programme.

3.2 The main changes in the draft Capital Strategy, compared with the approved version for 2007, cover:

· the progress on starting work on a range of projects as a pilot authority for the Primary Capital Programme including a new primary school in Andover (paragraph 5.4)

· the Council's inclusion in the Department for Children, Schools and Families' 0-19 capital project which will review opportunities to secure better integration of the use of capital at a local level (paragraph 5.4)

· the Corporate and Central Services Review (paragraph 7.1)

· developments with the Improvement and Efficiency South East (IESE), which has replaced the South East Centre of Excellence (SECE) (paragraph 12.2)

· the development of three corporate work streams aimed at reducing primary energy consumption and CO₂ emissions (paragraph 12.12)

· the new three-year capital programme for 2008/09 to 2010/11.

3.3 There is also a need to report and update the more detailed corporate asset management plan (AMP). This focuses on the Council's property assets and complements the Local Transport Plan for highways and transport assets and the Education AMP for schools. An updated corporate AMP will be reported to the Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel later in the year. This will take account of the preparations for the start of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme for secondary schools. The Capital Strategy has not been updated for the start of the BSF, at this stage.

4 Impact assessment

4.1 The Capital Strategy draws upon existing documents prepared in accordance with the County Council's financial and asset management policies. These policies apply equally to all services and ensures consistent decisions across all services.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works.

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

None.