Archived decisions

353 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Clarke and Mrs Peskett.

354 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

All Members who believed they had a personal or prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting were asked to declare that interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the County Council's Code of Conduct, to consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with paragraph 12 of the Code. The declaration should be made at the time of the relevant debate.

355 MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting of the County Council held on 22 November 2008 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman subject to the addition of Councillor Mrs Heron to the list of members who declared a personal interest under minute 352(a) concerning the New Forest National Park Plan and the New Forest National Park Recreation Management Strategy consultation drafts.

On minute 341 concerning the question from Councillor Reid to Councillor Kendal, Executive Member for Environment, the Executive Member indicated that good progress was being made towards the adoption of the roads in question.

356 DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations on this occasion.

357 CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS

The Chairman presented his report (Item 5 in the Minute Book) and expanded on the wide range of duties undertaken to represent and promote the County Council and its strong community leadership role.

358 LEADER'S REPORT

It was with sadness that the Leader reported the passing of former County Councillor J.M.A. Gibson who had represented Basingstoke South in the 1980s. Members stood in silence as a mark of respect to his memory.

The Leader also reported the receipt of a question from Councillor Reid under Standing Order 20(b)(ii) concerning the disposal of household waste and recycling controls which the Chairman accepted as urgent business.

It was with much pleasure that the Leader reported that the County Council had received three Real IT awards and had been commended for saving taxpayers' money through its commitment to encouraging innovation and making the best use of technology. The Leader presented the Public Sector (winner and runner-up), Partnership (winner) and Service Improvement (winner) awards to Jos Creese, Head of IT Services and Gavin Wright, Director of Human Resources.

It was also with much pleasure that the Leader congratulated John Coughlan, Director of Children's Services, who had been awarded the CBE in The Queen's New Year's Honours list in recognition of his work in Children's Services. The Leader had also recently received a letter of thanks from the Rt. Hon. Ed Balls M.P. for allowing John to act as Interim Director of Children's Services at the London Borough of Haringey. The Council was also pleased to note that a team of four young engineers from the County Council had recently won the national final of the New Civil Engineer Communications competition, a prestigious competition run by the Institute of Civil Engineers.

The Leader reported on the recent campaign launched by the County Council to urge people in Hampshire to help the County Council to ensure the safety and well-being of children being cared for under private fostering arrangements. This was part of a national drive to highlight the issue. The County Council had produced leaflets which were distributed to GP surgeries, hospitals, libraries, schools and other public places and complemented the County Council's dedicated web pages. Gosport Discovery Centre had been highly commended at the Gosport Business Awards held by Gosport Borough Council recently and the findings of a new survey by Country Life magazine had placed Hampshire second in the list of best places to live. The Leader reported that the importance of the County Council's grants scheme, set up in conjunction with the South East England Development Agency to provide funding for village shops to purchase new equipment and services to help replace lost post office footfall with new customers, had been recognised by Pat McFadden, MP. The County Council was also grant aiding shops in rural communities which had not lost their post office so as to ensure that these remained profitable. In a similar positive vein, the County Council was hosting a one day conference for Council Leaders, Senior Politicians, Government Officials, Directors of Local Authority Services and Public Library Chiefs at the Winchester Discovery Centre on 25 February 2009 to demonstrate the importance of political and managerial ownership in the "transformation" of public libraries. Twenty authorities from across the South East of England would be joining the County Council to consider how political leaders of local authorities, together with senior managers, could work together to ensure that public libraries change and develop around the local communities they serve.

The Leader also brought to the Council's intention the impending retirement of David Hinxman, Head of Democratic Services, on 31 March 2009 after 44 years' service to the Council. On behalf of the Council the Leader expressed his appreciation of the sound advice and guidance David had given to Members over many years and wished him a long and happy retirement. Members expressed their appreciation in the usual way.

To conclude, the Leader, in accordance with Part 3B of the County Council's Constitution, reported that he had made an urgent executive decision on 26 January giving approval for the Council to enter into a revised and renewed contract with Microsoft for software licensing.

359 QUESTIONS UNDER STANDING ORDER 20(b)

Pursuant to Standing Order 20(b)(ii) Councillor T.K. Thornber, CBE, Leader of the Council, answered a question from Councillor Reid concerning the alleged exportation of televisions that could not be re-used. The matter had arisen from national media coverage on 18 February 2009 surrounding an investigation by Sky News and Greenpeace which tracked a television set deposited at one of the County Council's household waste recycling centres to an electronics market in Nigeria. The Leader's reply would be circulated to all members of the Council.

Councillor M.J. Kendal, Executive Member for Environment, answered a question from Councillor House concerning the impact of the temporary reduction in value of recycled materials on the disposal arrangements for recyclable waste.

Councillor M.J. Kendal, Executive Member for Environment, answered a question from Councillor Harrison about the Rumbridge Street, Totton improvement scheme.

Councillor M.J. Kendal, Executive Member for Environment, answered a question from Councillor Mrs. Bailey concerning the Kickstart Bus Funding competition and bidding for improvements to some Winchester bus services.

Councillor M.J. Kendal, Executive Member for Environment, answered a question from Councillor Mrs. Porter concerning road gritting and the impact of the recent snow and freezing temperatures on smaller and more remote communities.

Councillor M.J. Kendal, Executive Member for Environment, answered a question from Councillor House concerning the South East England Regional Assembly's proposed reduced minerals apportionment for Hampshire of almost 3 million tonnes over the 2010 to 2026 plan period.

Councillor M.J. Kendal, Executive Member for Environment, answered a question from Councillor Mrs. Bailey concerning M3 noise problems for Hampshire residents, in particular between Junctions 9 and 12.

At the expiration of 30 minutes, the Chairman drew this item to a close and it was agreed that written replies to questions 7 to 9 be given by the Executive Members to whom they had been addressed.

360 APPOINTMENTS

On this occasion there were no appointments for consideration by the Council.

361 REVENUE BUDGET AND PRECEPT 2009/10 AND PROVISIONAL BUDGET 2010/11 - 2011/12 AND CAPITAL PROGRAMME 2009/10 - 2011/12

The Council considered the report of the Cabinet (Item 9 in the Minute Book) recommending a council tax increase of 1.9% (£19.17 a year or £0.37 a week for a Band D property) and a proposed budget requirement for the general expenses of the County Council for the year beginning 1 April 2009 of £657,009,000. The proposed budget was within the budget guidelines approved by the Cabinet on 22 December 2008 and took account of the relevant Executive Members' consideration of those guidelines, together with the scrutiny arrangements undertaken through the Select Committees. The budget also included proposals for some additional one off and continuing spending in excess of the budget guidelines. The level of the council tax and the budget which was proposed followed consultation with key stakeholders and careful consideration of the levels of pay awards and price inflation that could realistically be assumed in 2009/10 and 2010/11. The Council took into account the County Treasurer's report under Section 25 of the Local Government Act 2003 in determining its budget and precept for 2009/10.

Councillor Collett, seconded by Councillor Dash, proposed the following amendment:

"A) That it be an amendment to recommendation (b) of item 9A on the revenue budget and precept for 2009/10:

a) Additions to budgets - ongoing improvements in service:

Children's Services			£'000
·	Youth Service		400
	- to increase the positive engagement of young people in Hampshire by recruiting more youth workers
·	School Meals		500
	- to help parents during these harsh economic times by not increasing the cost of school meals
Environment
·	Bus services		500
	- to remove any need for bus service cuts, to maintain rural bus services, to provide a free or flat-rate travel scheme for young people and to provide an improving alternative to the motor car, so reducing the environmental impact of transportation in Hampshire
Policy and Resources
·	Payment of Bills		600
	- to assist businesses in Hampshire during these harsh economic times by paying all bills within 10 working days
Total addition to amended budgets for ongoing improvements			2,000

b) To be financed by reductions to budgets and use of reserves:

·	Reduction in Publicity and Corporate Communications costs throughout the County Council	2,000
	- including making better use of the internet recruitment portal, reducing Hampshire Now by one edition per year, printing fewer county publications in a glossy full-colour format and other savings to be found in the publicity and corporate communications budgets
To finance on-going improvements in service		2,000

c) One-off additions to budgets

Children's Services
·	Youth Facilities		500
	- to provide a boost to the provision of buildings and other facilities for young people
Environment
·	Climate Change Fund		1,000
	- to provide leadership on prevention of climate change including energy reduction
·	Cycle Routes		500
	- to provide a boost to the provision of cycle routes around Hampshire to help encourage this healthy, environmentally friendly and thrifty means of transport during these harsh economic times
·	Highway, Footway and Verge Maintenance		5,060
	- to provide a boost to highway, footway and verge maintenance throughout Hampshire, to help catch up with the massive backlog of work, fixing potholes, making footways safer to walk on and providing solutions where parking on verges is a real problem
Recreation and Heritage
·	Library Book Fund		500
	- to provide for a boost to the fund to put more up to date books on the shelves of Hampshire libraries
Total addition to amended budgets for one-off improvements			7,560

d) To be financed by use of two reserves:

·	Use of the Invest to Save and Modernisation Reserve	1,802
	- to invest part of the invest to save and modernisation reserve to reduce the risk of claims arising from highway defects and the scale of attenuation measures necessary because of climate change
·	Use of the Landfill Allowances Trading Reserve	5,758
	- to use the current balance of the income generated by the sale of landfill allowances to improve services and facilities for Hampshire residents
To finance one-off improvements in service		7,560

B) That the budget requirement in recommendation b) be amended to £647,409,000.

C) That the Band D council tax in recommendation c) be amended to £999.00.

D) That the County Council's council tax for properties in each band in recommendation d) be amended to:

	£
Band A	666.00
Band B	777.00
Band C	888.00
Band D	999.00
Band E	1,221.00
Band F	1,443.00
Band G	1,665.00
Band H	1,998.00

E) That the precept in recommendation e) be amended to £500,102,337.06.

F) That it be an amendment to recommendation of item a) on item 9B on the capital programme 2009/10-2011/12.

a) Additions to capital programme:

Children's Services		£'000
·	Youth Facilities		500
	- to provide a boost to the provision of buildings and other facilities for young people
Environment
·	Highway, Footway and Verge Maintenance		5,060
	- to provide a boost to highway, footway and verge maintenance throughout Hampshire, to help catch up with the massive backlog of work, fixing potholes, making footways safer to walk on and providing solutions where parking on verges is a real problem
·	Cycle Routes		500
	- to provide a boost to the provision of cycle routes around Hampshire to help encourage this healthy, environmentally friendly and thrifty means of transport during these harsh economic times
Total			6,060"

Councillor Kelly, seconded by Councillor Wright, proposed the following amendment:

A) "That it be an amendment to recommendation (b) of item 9A on the revenue budget and precept 2009/10:

a) To add £1m on a one-off basis to the Environment budget:

· as a boost to highways maintenance to take remedial action in 2009/10 to repair damage caused by the recent bad weather and to deal with similar conditions which may occur again in winter 2009/10.

b) To add £300,000 each year to revenue contributions to capital:

· to finance a continued programme of urban regeneration schemes in Environment's capital programme, taking account of community support to prevent blight occurring during the economic recession.

c) To add £250,000 on a recurring basis to Children's Services:

· to provide mentoring, home tuition and homework clubs for children and young people and to parents and foster carers of vulnerable and looked after children.

d) These additions will be financed by:

· saving £800,000 in 2009/10 only from suspending the members' grant scheme, with its administrative support

· saving £285,000 by deleting the additional one-off support for members' locality working in 2009/10, together with £115,000 included in the base budget for Hampshire Action Teams (£400,000 in total in 2009/10 and a reduced £200,000 from 2010/11 onwards)

· reducing the spending on publicity by £350,000 from 2009/10.

e) If the Council is not minded to agree with our cost saving proposals then let the money be taken from reserves.

B) That it be an amendment to recommendation (a) of item 9B on the capital programme 2009/10 - 2011/12:

a) To add £300,000 to the Environment's capital programme for urban regeneration schemes."

The amendment proposed by Councillor Collett was put to the meeting and, pursuant to Standing Order 24, a recorded vote was called for. Voting was as follows:

Supporting the amendment:

Councillors Blampied, Bolton, Broadhurst, Buckley, Carew, Chegwyn, Collett, Cooper, Dash, Dickens, Dowden, Dunsdon, Gill, Gurden, Harrison, House, Hughes, Ludlow, Mason, Payne, Price, Roling, Simpson, Weeks.

Total : 24

Opposing the amendment:

Councillors Allgood, Baulk, Beagley, Bryant, Byrom, Cartwright, Chapman, Davidovitz, Devereux, Edgar, Ellis, Evans A, Evans K, Gale, Gillett, Glen, Heron, Hindson, Hockley, Hutcheson, Kemp-Gee, Kendal, Kimber, Kirk, Knight, Leversha, Maxwell, McIntosh, McNair Scott, Neale, Perry, Reid, Rice, Snaith, Still, Thornber, Tucker, West Mrs P.A., West J.K., Wheale, Woodward.

Total: 41

Abstentions

Councillors Edwards, Frankum, Kelly, Woodhall, Wright

Total: 5

The amendment was, therefore, lost.

The amendment proposed by Councillor Kelly was put to the meeting and was lost.

The recommendations set out in the report of the Cabinet were put to the meeting and, pursuant to Standing Order 24, a recorded vote was called for. Voting was as follows:

Supporting the recommendations:

Councillors Allgood, Baulk, Beagley, Bryant, Byrom, Cartwright, Chapman, Davidovitz, Devereux, Edgar, Edwards, Ellis, Evans A, Evans K, Frankum, Gale, Gillett, Glen, Heron, Hindson, Hockley, Hutcheson, Kelly, Kemp-Gee, Kendal, Kimber, Kirk, Knight, Leversha, Maxwell, McIntosh, McNair Scott, Neale, Perry, Reid, Rice, Snaith, Steele, Thornber, Tucker, West Mrs P.A., West J.K., Wheale, Woodward.

Total : 44

Opposing the recommendations:

Councillors Blampied, Bolton, Broadhurst, Buckley, Carew, Chegwyn, Collett, Cooper, Dash, Dickens, Dowden, Dunsdon, Gill, Gurden, Harrison, House, Hughes, Ludlow, Mason, Payne, Price, Roling, Simpson, Weeks.

Total : 24

Abstentions

Councillors Woodhall and Wright

Total : 2

RESOLVED:

A)That, in relation to the revenue budget:

a) the revenue budget for 2009/10 (as set out in the attached draft budget book) and the provisional budgets for 2010/11 and 2011/12 be approved

b) the total budget requirement for the general expenses of the County Council for the year beginning 1 April 2009 be £657,009,000

c) the County Council's band D council tax for the year beginning 1 April 2009 be increased by 1.9% to be £1,018.17

d) the County Council's council tax for the year beginning 1 April 2009 for properties in each tax band be:

	£
Band A	678.78
Band B	791.91
Band C	905.04
Band D	1,018.17
Band E	1,244.43
Band F	1,470.69
Band G	1,696.95
Band H	2,036.34

e) precepts be issued totalling £509,698,895.42 on the billing authorities in Hampshire, requiring the payment, in such instalments and on such dates set by them and previously notified to the County Council, in proportion to the taxbase of each billing authority's area as determined by them and as set out below:

	£
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council	62,657.70
East Hampshire District Council	47,514.78
Eastleigh Borough Council	43,666.14
Fareham Borough Council	42,383.00
Gosport Borough Council	27,670.70
Hart District Council	37,892.60
Havant Borough Council	42,674.00
New Forest District Council	72,350.90
Rushmoor Borough Council	31,184.03
Test Valley Borough Council	45,327.00
Winchester City Council	47,282.09

f) That the annual investment strategy and policy for the level of minimum revenue provision (Appendix 2) be approved

g) That the prudential and financial health indicators ( Appendix 3) be approved.


B) That, in relation to the Capital Programme,:

(a) the capital programme for 2009/10 and the provisional programmes for 2010/11 and 2011/12 be approved as set out in the accompanying report and subject to the conditions set out in section B.3 of the County Council's Financial Procedures on the responsibilities for managing the capital programme and, where appropriate, to the approval of the Executive Member for Policy and Resources to proposals by executive members to retain more than a 25% share of capital receipts;

(b) expenditure on preliminary design and planning work for major transport schemes be permitted when they have achieved a place in the County Council's Local Transport Plan, subject to the cost being met within existing Government allocations;

(c) authority be given to incur expenditure on land purchases as follows:

(i) up to the sum specified in respect of sites still required for the schemes included in the capital programme for the period 2009/10 to 2011/12 provided that the relevant scheme has been the subject of a feasibility or design project appraisal approved by the relevant executive member

(ii) up to the amount included in the programmes for 2009/10 to 2011/12 in respect of advance and advantageous land purchases.

362 HAMPSHIRE LOCAL AREA AGREEMENT YEAR 1 REFRESH

The Council considered and approved the report of the Chief Executive (Item 10 in the Minute Book).

RESOLVED:

That progress and the process to complete the refresh of the Hampshire Local Area Agreement be noted and that the Leader and Chief Executive be authorised to finalise the detailed submission with partners.

363 HAMPSHIRE POLICE AUTHORITY

No questions had been received pursuant to Standing Order 20(d). The Council received the report of the Authority.

364 HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY

No questions had been received pursuant to Standing Order 20(e). The Council received the report of the Authority and, with the leave of the Council, Councillor Cartwright, Chairman of the Authority, reported that the Authority had received the highest possible score from the Audit Commission in their `Direction of Travel' assessment having been assessed as `improving strongly'.

365 REPORTS FOR INFORMATION

The Council received the reports of the following:

a) Cabinet/ Leader

b) Executive Lead Member for Children's Services (Education) and Executive Member for Children and Families

c) Executive Member for Recreation, Heritage and Communities

On paragraph 422 Councillor D.F. Wright declared a personal interest and commented on the impact on wildlife of work proceeding on the former Fareham - Gosport railway line in relation to the proposed Fareham to Gosport bus link.


i. Executive Member for Adult Social Care


ii. Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee


iii. Executive Member for Environment