Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report

1. Executive Summary

1.1. On 12 July 2007 the County Council established a Joint Committee with other Councils in South Hampshire to promote and steer the sub-regional strategy for sustainable economic growth. This arrangement replaced the former voluntary Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH). The Joint Committee was given delegated authority to discharge such functions of the Executive as are necessary to implement the Business Plan for PUSH, subject to the Plan being approved annually by the County Council and other partner authorities. The Council appointed the Leader of the Council as its representative on the Joint Committee, with another member of the Cabinet as substitute. Following a review of governance structures, PUSH appointed the Leader as Chairman of its External Funding Panel, supported by the Council's Chief Executive as lead officer. The Council's representative is now the Deputy Leader of the Council and he has been appointed as Vice Chairman of the Committee for 2008/09; Chairman of the External Funding Panel and a member of the Employment and Skills Board. There is also a PUSH Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

1.2. The Business Plan 2009-11 sets out the outcomes the Partnership is seeking. It identifies the supporting actions and resources required to deliver the strategy for South Hampshire through provision of employment, housing, infrastructure and facilities to meet social and community needs, whilst protecting the environment and developing sustainable communities. The first Business Plan 2008-11 was agreed by the County Council subject to conditions aimed at streamlining the content of future plans to focus on key deliverables which needed joint action; to remove any activities which cut across the statutory functions of the County Council; to ensure there was no overlap with Transport for South Hampshire; and to remove joint actions which were better taken at the Countywide level. A further review of governance arrangements was anticipated and it was desired that these should be proportionate and appropriate to the more streamlined joint actions.

1.3. A South Hampshire Multi Area Agreement (MAA) was also developed in 2008 to provide a mechanism to improve partnership working with Government and assist in the delivery of the Business Plan objectives. The MAA included transport provisions, which were approved by the Transport for South Hampshire Joint Committee. The MAA provides a mechanism for securing greater Government and stakeholder commitment to the implementation of key aspects of the Business Plan. The MAA is currently being refreshed, to add in mechanisms for areas of Government activity not included in the first Agreement.

1.4. The purpose of this paper is to outline the key elements of the business plan and to review progress with the issues raised by the County Council last year.

1.5. This paper recommends approval of the Business Plan 2009-11, but notes that this does not signify the County Council believes the economic and housing targets can be achieved. Authority to approve the MAA refresh is sought. The MAA contains a series of commitments from Government Agencies which will facilitate delivery of the development strategy.

2. Contextual information

2.1. The PUSH Joint Agreement identifies the Business Plan as the key document defining the scope and detail of activity that the Partnership undertakes and the powers and functions exercised by the Joint Committee. Delivery of the South Hampshire Strategy is a responsibility shared by all South Hampshire local authorities and other agencies and partners operating in the sub-region. The Business Plan sets out the activities to be undertaken by partners on a collaborative basis and at a strategic level to contribute towards delivery of the sub-regional strategy. The Business Plan also indicates, where relevant, how other activity complements PUSH core actions.

2.2. The Plan has been significantly streamlined, compared with the previous document, and substantially addresses the conditions set out as part of the Council's approval in 2008. The Plan summarises the key activities intended and sets out both the resources secured and where further resources are required to deliver its actions. Enabling measures, including further measures to be sought as part of the MAA refresh later in the year are listed in the report. Chapter 8 sets out all its funding sources and the allocation of those resources. Part of the funding for PUSH activity comes from authorities' contributions to the core budget, which had been set in the Plan at £300,000 for 2008/09, rising with inflation in each of the following two years. SEEDA also contributes £165,000 each year to core funding. New Growth Point Funding forms the lion's share, and has been awarded at £8.1 million for 2009/10 and £10 million for 2010/11 - mostly as capital funding. The funding is allocated between the Delivery Panel Themes and to Transport for South Hampshire.

2.3. The review of governance structures has led to the creation of five non-executive delivery panels and an Employment and Skills Board. While Transport for South Hampshire is a separate Joint Committee, its key targets and enabling measures are reported in the Business Plan, given the linkage with the delivery of the strategy and the New Growth Point funding awarded to it. The Transport for South Hampshire Business Plan will be reported separately to the County Council for approval.

2.4. PUSH is also attracting a growing amount of Government funding to support the delivery of economic growth and, to underpin that, the new communities envisaged in the draft South East Plan. As the Partnership becomes accountable for this significant spend, so the Business Plan will provide a framework for managing those budgets and ensuring that they are allocated to the correct priorities. It will also provide the PUSH partners with a sound basis for securing additional funding.

2.5. Finally, the Business Plan offers a basis for PUSH to be accountable to its own Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Government and other funders, and to local communities.

3. The Business Plan

3.1. The Business Plan was approved by the PUSH Joint Committee in March 2009 for recommendation to partnership authorities to formally adopt it, subject to the document being amended to show the three year targets considered undeliverable. It is a key document for the Partnership. The Plan is made up of eight chapters. Chapter one summarises the PUSH vision and the outcomes the Partnership seeks in the context of changing circumstances arising from the recession. The next five Chapters then set out the strategy, performance indicators, targets, enabling measures and priority actions for each of the five themes - economic development, transport, community infrastructure and sustainability, housing and planning, and creating quality places. The penultimate chapter outlines the organisational, governance and performance management arrangements for partnership working and sets out improvement actions. The final chapter sets out the financial strategy and the appendix contains a diagram of the PUSH governance arrangements.

4. Finance

4.1. The County Council's financial contribution to PUSH in 2008/09 is £84,000, subscriptions being determined by an established population-based formula. In addition, a number of staff across the County Council are contributing to the work streams.

5. Performance

5.1. A performance framework has been developed by PUSH and progress was reported to its meeting on 19 May 2009.

6. Other key issues

6.1. Although the Plan still contains some waste and energy matters which are being addressed on a county-wide basis by the County Council, the scale of development in South Hampshire does mean that there are particular implications for the South Hampshire Area which need to be addressed to ensure that new development is sustainable. While this could be set out more clearly, this is considered a minor point which could be addressed in the major revision of the Plan in 2010, when these agendas will be more advanced.

6.2. A significant issue debated by the PUSH Committee when considering the Business Plan was whether targets should be revised, given the economic downturn. On balance it was considered too early to revise the targets because there was no firm foundation on which to do so, and it would mean partners were held accountable for the revised targets. It was agreed that a full review of the Business Plan would be undertaken for 2010, when a robust evidence base for revised targets had been assembled.

6.3. PUSH has clearly acknowledged this issue in the foreword to the Business Plan and in Chapter 1 and agreed that the final version of the Plan should indicate where targets are thought to be undeliverable. The economic and housing targets are both annotated accordingly. On that basis the PUSH Joint Committee agreed to recommend the Plan to its constituent authorities. It may be a matter for concern for some authorities, given the strong performance framework imposed by Government, that these targets still stand, notwithstanding the caveats included in the Plan. To leave no room for doubt about the status of the targets, PUSH has written to the Government Office for the South East and a response acknowledging the position is expected.

7. Future direction

7.1. A full review of the Business Plan will be undertaken for 2010.

8. Recommendations

8.1. That Cabinet recommends to the County Council that:

(i) the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire Business Plan be approved but noting that:

(ii) the Council's approval of the Plan does not signify approval of all the targets it contains and which the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire acknowledges are undeliverable on the basis of the current timetable as a consequence of the recession; and

(iii) the Council's representative on the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire be authorised to agree the Multi Area Agreement refresh.

2063Rpt/773/AQ

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Links to the Corporate Strategy

IMPACT ASSESSMENTS:

1. Equalities Impact Assessment:

1.1. There are no impacts arising from this report.

2. Impact on Crime and Disorder:

2.1. There are no impacts arising from this report.

3. Climate Change:

a) How does what is being proposed impact on our carbon footprint / energy consumption?

There are no impacts arising from this report.

b) How does what is being proposed consider the need to adapt to climate change, and be resilient to its longer term impacts?

There are no impacts arising from this report.

Resolutions of June 2008 County Council in Relation to the 2008-11 PUSH Business Plan

That the PUSH Business Plan be approved on condition that significant progress is made to address the following issues:

(a) the future scope of the Plan is reshaped to focus on key deliverables that need substantial joint action by several partners;

(b) that statutory responsibilities, accountabilities and ambitions of the County Council for the whole of Hampshire are recognised, including the Local Area Agreement and statutory Department for Education and Skills (DfES) targets, and noting that Hampshire-wide commitments and arrangements need to be acknowledged and embraced in future updates;

(c) the responsibilities and Terms of Reference for Transport for South Hampshire are not affected by the Plan;

(d) further discussion on the governance arrangements alluded to in the document which need to be proportionate and appropriate in relation to the revised scope of the Business Plan;

(e) progress with the above issues to be evidenced and reported to the County Council as part of the annual submission in 2009;

(f) the Leader be authorised to conclude any negotiations on the MAA subject to the Agreement adding value to outcomes for residents of Hampshire.