Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

To record the names of apologies given.

Apologies were noted as above.

To give consideration to the approval of alternative arrangements for appointments to bodies set up by Cabinet or external bodies, or the making or terminating of such appointments.

The Leader announced that Fareham Borough Council had agreed the establishment of a Welborne Community Forum with terms of reference as set out on their website.  The terms offered the City Council one representative and nominations had been sought from all Members.

RESOLVED:

            That Councillor Evans be appointed as the Council’s representative on the Welborne Community Forum for the remainder of the 2022/23 municipal year, with Councillors Clear, Cutler and Lumby as her deputies.

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

Note: Councillors are reminded of their obligations to declare disclosable pecuniary interests, personal and/or prejudicial interests in accordance with legislation and the Council’s Code of Conduct.

Councillors Tod and Porter both declared personal (but not prejudicial) interests in respect of various agenda items due to their roles as County Councillors.

– to note the names of members of the public wishing to speak on general matters affecting the District or on agenda items (in the case of the latter, representations will normally be received at the time of the agenda item, after the Cabinet Member’s introduction and any questions from Cabinet Members).

NB members of the public are required to register with Democratic Services three clear working days before the meeting (contact: democracy@winchester.gov.uk or 01962 848 264). 

Imogen Dawson and Chris Higgins addressed Cabinet regarding report CAB3349.  Ian Tait spoke regarding report CAB3354.  Their comments are summarised under the relevant minutes below.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 22 June 2022 be agreed as a correct record.

The Leader and Cabinet Members made a number of announcements as summarised briefly below.

Councillor Tod (on behalf of Councillor Learney)

In 2021, the City Council together with the County Council supported an expression of interest in a “mini Holland” initiative to improve cycling rates.  This bid had been successful and the City Council would continue to work with the County Council on this through the Movement Strategy.  He encouraged people to take part in the online survey: www.cyclefriendlywinchester.commonplace.is

Councillor Thompson

Provided an update on the wide range of outreach facilities and service provided by Everyone Action at the new Winchester Sport and Leisure Park, which included working with Southampton University to offer pre-treatment exercise sessions and Southern Health to offer access to mental health treatment users.

Councillor Tod introduced the report and explained the rationale for the proposed new appointments to Cabinet Committees.  It was noted that the Council’s constitution required that only Cabinet Members be appointed as the decision making members of the two Cabinet Committees but indicated that he intended to nominate three Cabinet Members for the Cabinet Committee: Regeneration

Two additional “backbench” members from both the Liberal Democrat and Conservative groups, in addition to two TACT representatives for the Housing Committee, would be invited to attend and take part in discussions at the meetings.   Nominations had been sought from both political groups together with TACT and were reported at the meeting.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillor Horrill addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below.

Welcomed the proposed establishment of both the Housing and the Regeneration Cabinet Committees but requested clarification on the criteria for a major project being included under the remit of the latter.  She also believed there should be further clarity on which of the various decision routes permitted in the council’s constitution any particular housing decision would be taken by and queried when the constitution review would be undertaken.  She considered that the frequency of the Housing Cabinet Committee should be increased from the suggested four per year.

On behalf of the Monitoring Officer, the Chief Executive responded to comments made including confirming that the review of the constitution would include consideration of the interface between the existing policy committees and the new cabinet committees.

At the invitation of the Leader, David Light (TACT) addressed Cabinet and in summary confirmed TACT’s support for the establishment of a Cabinet Committee: Housing and advised of the TACT nominees.

Cabinet agreed the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

RESOLVED:

1.            That the terms of reference for the Cabinet Committee: Housing and Cabinet Committee: Regeneration be agreed as set out in appendix B to the report subject to the amendment to appoint three Cabinet Members to the Cabinet Committee: Regeneration in addition to the Chairperson

2.            That membership be appointed as follows:

a)    Cabinet Committee: Housing

Cabinet Member for Community & Housing (Chairperson), Cabinet Member for Finance & Value and Cabinet Member for Service Quality

Non-voting invited councillors: Councillors Clear, Batho, Horrill and Miller

Non voting TACT representatives: David Light and David Chafe (Deputy - Lyn Mellish)

b)    Cabinet Committee: Regeneration

Leader and Cabinet Member for Asset Management (Chairperson), Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Cabinet Member for Community & Housing and Cabinet Member for Business & Culture

Non-voting invited councillors: Councillors Edwards, Westwood, Cunningham and Godfrey

c)    Station Approach Open Forum;

Leader and Cabinet Member for Asset Management (Chairperson), Councillors Batho, Westwood, Godfrey and Miller

d)    Central Winchester Regeneration Open Forum.

Leader and Cabinet Member for Asset Management (Chairperson), Councillors Edwards, Laming, Bolton and Horrill

1.     That the indicative project outline be noted and the overall work plan be agreed ahead of the Strategic Outline Case submission in December/January 2022/23.

2.     That the study area for the Station Approach project, set out in paragraph 11.7 of report CAB3349, be agreed (NB replacement map of study area published in an addendum to the report).

3.     That the draft development principles that will be consulted on as part of the initial communication and engagement phase set out in paragraph 11.10 of report CAB3349 be agreed.

4.     That the Communications and Engagement Strategy for the Station Approach project be agreed as set out in report CAB3349/Appendix 1 to the report.

5.     That the public engagement and consultation process for the Station Approach project be launched on 1 August 2022 and run to 23 October 2022.

6.     That the council should continue exploring opportunities with Network Rail and London & Continental Railways (LCR) to produce a joined-up plan for the area.

7.     That a cross-party reference group for the Station Approach project be established as set out in paragraph 6.2 of report CAB3349 and the finalisation of these arrangements be delegated to the Strategic Director – Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Asset Management.

Councillor Tod introduced the report and highlighted the importance of the project for the district and that the report set out a new beginning for the project with a different approach to bring this development forward.  The report had been considered at the Scrutiny Committee on 13 July 2022 and a minute extract of that Committee’s recommendations had been circulated prior to the meeting.  In addition, responses to each of the points raised had been prepared and circulated.  Both additional papers have been published as addenda to the report on the council’s website. 

Two members of the public spoke during public participation as summarised briefly below.

Imogen Dawson

Reiterated her comments made at the Scrutiny Committee requesting that the project be paused because of the large degree of uncertainty with the economy and future ways of working, post pandemic.  In addition, the impact of the planned new park and ride at north Winchester should be assessed before any decisions were made regarding the Cattle Market car park. Queried how the council would manage and phase major projects in the city.  Highlighted the complicated nature of the area with multiple different uses.  There needed to be an integrated transport plan and suggested that the area should provide new housing accommodation and green spaces rather than shops and offices.  Suggested that the radius of consultation be extended to one mile.

Chris Higgins

Supported the principle of the development of the station approach area and emphasised the importance of learning lessons from past projects.  Highlighted that the locally based architect’s firm, Design Engine had undertaken a great deal of work for the previous project and would be a valuable source of information for the council.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Wallace and Read addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below.

Councillor Wallace

Along with the Central Winchester Regeneration project, Station Approach offered a fantastic opportunity for Winchester to position itself as a green city.  Highlighted the requirement for at least a 10% reduction in transport emissions by 2030 and that the site offered a great opportunity to eliminate car usage and focus on sustainable transport.  The site development process should include minimising the carbon impact of the project build itself together with ongoing carbon costs.  Suppliers should be asked to provide the carbon impact of their proposals.

Councillor Read

Welcomed the restart of the project as the opportunity to offer better use of council owned land, but queried what had changed in terms of the strategic objectives of the project compared to the last time.   In addition, questioned the purpose of new public consultation if the strategic objectives remained largely unchanged.  Considered the timing of the Scrutiny Committee did not offer adequate opportunity for comments to be properly considered prior to Cabinet.

The Leader thanked the public and invited councillors for their contributions which were addressed in the following Cabinet discussion.  In particular, the Leader outlined the very different approach being proposed in the current iteration of the project and confirmed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

1.     That the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Prospectus and UK Shared Prosperity Fund Allocations be noted.

2.     That the list of potential projects and indicative UKSPF allocation as outlined in Table 2 of report CAB3356 be noted, to be funded from the Council’s allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

3.     That authority be delegated to the Corporate Head of Service: Economy & Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Business and Culture, to take the necessary decisions and actions required to submit an investment plan and accept the allocation of funds.

4.     That authority be delegated to Corporate Head of Service: Economy & Communities to implement and administer the scheme and all related plans in accordance with the requirements and priorities of the prospectus and fund.

5.     That use of the available £20,000 to undertake initial preparatory work for the UKSPF be authorised, including developing the local investment plan for submission.

6.     That use of the UKSPF 4% administration allocation to support the productive delivery and administration of the fund be authorised.

Councillor Thompson introduced the report and highlighted that the all the proposals would be required to take account of the council’s climate emergency strategy and green economic development strategy would play an important role in the decision making process. 

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillor Horrill addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below.  She welcomed the report and the table setting out the indicative list of projects to be funded.  She was hopeful that the shared prosperity fund gave an opportunity for funding be prioritised outside of the city, including market towns and green spaces.  Made a number of detailed suggestions regarding the indicative spending profile as set out in Table 2 at paragraph 11.16 of the report.  Suggested that the membership of the Partnership Board (as proposed at paragraph 11.22 of the report) be extended to include the two shadow cabinet members.

Councillor Thompson responded to the comments made and confirmed that funds would be spent across the district and the membership of the Partnership Board could be extended as suggested.

One Cabinet Member raised the possibility of using some funding to introduce new skilled apprenticeship schemes and Councillor Thompson agreed to examine this possibility further.

Cabinet agreed the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

RESOLVED:

1.            That the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Prospectus and UK Shared Prosperity Fund Allocations be noted.

2.            That the list of potential projects and indicative UKSPF allocation as outlined in Table 2 of the report be noted, to be funded from the Council’s allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

3.            That authority be delegated to the Corporate Head of Service: Economy & Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Business and Culture, to take the necessary decisions and actions required to submit an investment plan and accept the allocation of funds.

4.            That authority be delegated to Corporate Head of Service: Economy & Communities to implement and administer the scheme and all related plans in accordance with the requirements and priorities of the prospectus and fund.

5.            That use of the available £20,000 to undertake initial preparatory work for the UKSPF be authorised, including developing the local investment plan for submission.

6.            That use of the UKSPF 4% administration allocation to support the productive delivery and administration of the fund be authorised.

1.     That the General Fund Revenue Outturn and Capital Programme Outturn be noted as set out in report CAB3352.

2.     That the proposal to establish an “Exceptional Inflation Pressures” risk reserve be approved and that £2m be transferred to that reserve pending the preparation of a revised forecast for the 2022/23 budget in October 2022 to assess the impact of current inflation and energy price pressures on the original budget.

3.     That the transfers to and from the Major Investment reserve be approved as detailed in appendix 1 of report CAB3352 and the reserves and closing balances at 31 March 2022 be noted (as set out in appendix 2).

4.     That the revised 2022/23 capital programme be approved, as set out in appendix 5 of report CAB3352.

5.     That the revised 2022-2032 capital programme be noted, as set out in appendix 6 of report CAB3352.

Councillor Power introduced the report.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillor Wallace addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below.  He requested confirmation that the intention remained for the garden waste collection scheme to be cost neutral, noting the higher than anticipated uptake.  He also asked for the data in support of the statement in the report that the new eastern park and ride site (the Vaultex site) would reduce traffic into the city and support the council’s carbon neutrality pledges.

Councillor Power and the Strategic Director and Section 151 officer responded to the points raised, including confirming that any decision on future charging for garden waste would be a matter for Cabinet.  The Strategic Director agreed to seek clarification regarding the impact of the new park and ride site.

Cabinet agreed the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

RESOLVED:

1.         That the General Fund Revenue Outturn and Capital Programme Outturn be noted as set out in report CAB3352.

2.         That the proposal to establish an “Exceptional Inflation Pressures” risk reserve be approved and that £2m be transferred to that reserve pending the preparation of a revised forecast for the 2022/23 budget in October 2022 to assess the impact of current inflation and energy price pressures on the original budget.

3.         That the transfers to and from the Major Investment reserve be approved as detailed in appendix 1 of report CAB3352 and the reserves and closing balances at 31 March 2022 be noted (as set out in appendix 2).

4.         That the revised 2022/23 capital programme be approved, as set out in appendix 5 of report CAB3352.

5.         That the revised 2022-2032 capital programme be noted, as set out in appendix 6 of report CAB3352.

1.     That the HRA Outturn figures for 2021/22 be noted, as detailed in Appendices 1 and 2 of report CAB3354.

2.     That the carry forward of £0.038m of HRA revenue funding from 2021/22 be approved, as detailed in Paragraph 11.4 of the report.

3.     That the extension of the current tenancy support programme into a third year 2023/24 be approved. Funded by the drawdown of the remaining unallocated funding for welfare support of £88,000, together with the underspend of £144,006 from 2021/22 as detailed in Paragraph 2.3 of report CAB3354.

4.     That the Housing capital programme outturn for Major Works and New Build be noted, as detailed in paragraphs 11.5 to 11.8 and appendices 3 & 4 of report CAB3354.

5.    That the funding of the 2021/22 HRA capital programme be approved, as detailed in paragraphs 11.10 & 11.11 and appendix 5 of report CAB3354.

6.    That the re-forecast capital programme budget of £38.369m for 2022/23 be approved, as detailed in paragraphs 11.12 & 11.13 and appendix 6 & 7 of report CAB3354 that takes account of potential programme slippage.

Councillor Tod introduced the report on behalf of Councillor Ferguson and Cabinet noted that the report had been considered at Scrutiny Committee on 13 July 2022 which had raised no issues for Cabinet’s attention.

David Light (TACT) and Ian Tait addressed Cabinet during public participation as summarised briefly below.

David Light

Stated that the Strategic Director would be attending a full TACT meeting the following week to assist with the understanding of the report as TACT did not feel able to comment until further explanation had been received.

Ian Tait

Spoke in support of the proposal to establish a Cabinet Housing Committee, emphasising the importance of affordable housing provision.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Wallace and Horrill addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below.

Councillor Wallace

Expressed concern that the budget for the climate emergency programme had not been completely spent for the previous two years and there was now a proposal to reduce it for future years.  However, delays to the programme would had a significant impact on tenants in terms of energy bills and queried how this position could be reversed.  Considered that £50m was insufficient to retrofit the entire council stock.  Highlighted the underspend in both the major repairs and improvements and conversions budgets and asked how these could be used to accelerate the energy efficiency improvements to the housing stock.

Councillor Horrill

Had raised a number of questions at Scrutiny Committee which she would not repeat.  Raised concerns about the significant number of underspends and queried whether these were due to a lack of sufficient resources within the HRA team.  In particular, the new build variance should be urgently addressed if the council was to meet its new homes target.

The Strategic Director responded to the comments made. A number of factors had impacted on the commencement of the retrofit programme and the council’s voids contractor, Osbornes has now been formally appointed to undertake these works.  The budget for 2022/23 has been revised to £600k, although officers were reviewing options for increasing the pace and investment in the programme, together with also preparing a bid for additional government funding.  In addition, he explained the different reasons for some of the HRA underspend and confirmed that an update on the new homes programme would be considered by the new Cabinet Housing Committee.

Cabinet agreed the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

RESOLVED:

1.         That the HRA Outturn figures for 2021/22 be noted, as detailed in Appendices 1 and 2 of the report.

2.         That the carry forward of £0.038m of HRA revenue funding from 2021/22 be approved, as detailed in Paragraph 11.4 of the report.

3.         That the extension of the current tenancy support programme into a third year 2023/24 be approved. Funded by the drawdown of the remaining unallocated funding for welfare support of £88,000, together with the underspend of £144,006 from 2021/22 as detailed in Paragraph 2.3 of the report.

4.         That the Housing capital programme outturn for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Councillor Tod introduced the report and advised that it had been considered at a previous Scrutiny Committee and Performance Panel.

Cabinet agreed the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

RESOLVED:

That the Statement of Licensing Policy as relates to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles, Drivers and Private Hire Operators contained in appendix 1 of report CAB3353 be adopted.

Councillor Porter introduced the report and it was noted that it had been considered at the Licensing and Regulation Committee on 7 June 2022 (minute extract contained as appendix B to the report).

The Licensing Manager (interim) responded to Members’ questions regarding the consultation undertaken.

Cabinet agreed the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

RESOLVED:

That the Statement of Licensing Policy as relates to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicles, Drivers and Private Hire Operators contained in appendix 1 of the report be adopted.

Councillor Tod noted that a report on the council’s carbon roadmap would be considered at a future Cabinet meeting

RESOLVED:

  That the list of future items, as set out in the Forward Plan for August 2022, be noted.