Agenda and draft minutes

To record the names of apologies given and Deputy Members who are attending the meeting.

Apologies were received from Councillor Langford-Smith for whom Councillor Godfrey deputised, as noted above.

To receive any disclosure of interests from Members or Officers in matters to be discussed.

Note: Councillors are reminded of their obligations to declare disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs), other registerable interests (ORIs) and non-registerable interests (NRIs) in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct.

Councillor Wallace declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in respect of various items on the agenda due to his role as a Hampshire County Councillor.  Councillor Pett also declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in respect of various items on the agenda due to his role on the South Downs National Park Authority.   However, as there was no material conflict of interest, they remained in the room, spoke and voted under the dispensation granted on behalf of the Audit and Governance Committee to participate and vote in all matters which might have a County Council and South Downs National Park involvement.

</AI4>

<AI5>

RESOLVED:

          That the minutes of the previous meeting held 16 June 2025 be agreed as a correct record.

To receive and note questions asked and statements made from members of the public on issues relating to the responsibility of this Committee.

Parish councillors Liz Winn (Chair of Littleton & Harestock Parish Council), and Julian Hamblin (Chair of Headbourne Worthy Parish Council) together with Brendan Gibbs (Clerk to Olivers Battery parish council) all spoke during public participation regarding report LR603 and their comments are summarised under the minute below.

Councillors Horrill and Porter also spoke regarding report LR603 as summarised under the minute below.

The Director (Legal) introduced the report, advising that a cross-party Member Working Group had met twice to consider the scope and content of the terms of reference (ToR).  The Working Group had endorsed the draft ToR for consideration by this committee.

Three representatives of parish councils spoke during public participation as summarised briefly below.

Councillor Liz Winn (Chair of Littleton & Harestock Parish Council)

Councillor Winn confirmed the parish council’s support for the proposals to parish the unparished Winchester town area but not to extend the review to include Littleton & Harestock Parish Council (LHPC). 

She questioned the rationale for splitting the parish, raised concerns about the viability of the remaining parish area, asked to be consulted on the consultation questions and requested assurances that all residents within the LHPC area would be consulted. She also believed there could be a potential lack of independent scrutiny in a review both being conducted and decided by the City Council.

Councillor Julian Hamblin (Chair of Headbourne Worthy Parish Council)

Councillor Hamblin echoed the concerns expressed above regarding the lack of consultation to date and also the support for parishing the Winchester Town area only.  However, he queried the appropriateness of incorporating the new Kings Barton development, arguing it was already forming its own distinct identity and its governance could be compromised within a larger city council.  He also raised concerns about the future viability of Headbourne Worthy Parish Council (HWPC) if Kings Barton were to be separated from it and stressed the need to consult all residents of the HWPC parish.  He highlighted that if, alternatively, Kings Barton was to be included within an expanded HWPC then the numbers of parish councillors would need to be increased.

Brendan Gibbs (Clerk to Olivers Battery Parish Council)

Brendan Gibbs expressed disappointment that the parish council had not been made aware of the proposals at an earlier stage.  He questioned the rationale for expanding the review to include neighbouring parishes and voiced concern that a new town council might take a more benign view on a controversial local planning issue. He requested that neighbouring parishes be consulted more widely and receive regular updates on the process. However, he queried why it was considered necessary to consult all parish councils within the district on the proposals.

At the invitation of the chairperson, Councillors Horrill and Porter addressed the committee as summarised briefly below.

Councillor Horrill

Councillor Horrill supported the proposal to undertake a CGR for the unparished areas of Winchester to help protect the city's historic status.  However she shared concerns expressed above about including some already parishes areas at the edge of the town, raising the potential impact on community cohesion in places like Littleton and Harestock.  She requested that the ToR be amended to explicitly include consulting residents in all parts of affected parishes, such as Littleton village, and recommended that information on the potential precept and services of a new town council be included in the consultation materials to help inform residents' choices.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.