Agenda and draft minutes

          RESOLVED:

                     That Councillor Westwood be elected Chairperson and     Councillor Eve be appointed Vice-Chairperson for the 2026/27         municipal year.

To record the names of apologies given

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Batho, Becker, Reach and Scott.

To receive any disclosure of interests from Councillors 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.

If you require advice, please contact the appropriate Democratic Services Officer, prior to the meeting.

Councillor Tod declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in respect of items on the agenda due to his role as a Hampshire County Councillor.  However, as there was no material conflict of interest, he 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 involvement.

There were no announcements made at this meeting.

That the minutes of the meeting be signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 9 March 2026 be approved and adopted.

·       8 June 2026 – meeting cancelled

·       11 August 2026 – additional meeting (originally scheduled for 5 August)

·       10 September 2026

·       9 November 2026

·       21 January 2027

·       8 March 2027

RESOLVED:

                     That the date of future meetings for 2026/27, as set out on the          agenda, be noted.

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

Members of the public and visiting councillors may speak at the Forum, provided they have registered to speak three working days in advance. Please contact Democratic Services by 5pm on Wednesday 5 August 2026 via democracy@winchester.gov.uk or (01962) 848 264 to register to speak and for further details.

Two members of the public addressed the Forum. Ian Tait spoke during public participation, as summarised below. 

In addition, Patrick Davies spoke during items 8 and 9 and a summary of their comments are set out under the relevant minute below.

Ian Tait raised concerns regarding antisocial behaviour and shoplifting in the city centre, questioning the effectiveness of current policing strategies. He highlighted the following points:

·       His attendance at the Town Forum meeting on 22nd January where Chief Inspector Korine Bishop provided an update on Operation Compile, which was established to tackle city centre crime.

·       A discrepancy between the "rose-tinted" statistics provided by the police regarding arrests and prison sentences and the daily reality witnessed in the city centre.

·       Knowledge of specific instances where community behaviour orders had been issued but subsequently breached.

·       Personal observations of individuals openly drinking stolen wine outside Marks and Spencer as early as 10:30 am.

·       The regular occurrence of individuals entering retailers to steal and only retreating temporarily if challenged.

·       Reports from staff at several major retailers—including Greggs, Pret, M&S, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Boots, and Iceland—that they are instructed not to challenge thieves.

·       The perceived lack of purpose and policing of the city centre’s alcohol exclusion zone.

·       Concerns that government pressure to reduce the prison population will lead to non-custodial sentences for the worst offenders, allowing them to continue stealing.

·       The assertion that most of these problems are drug-related.

·       A comparison between the lack of shop security and the "disciplined approach" drug dealers take regarding payment for their goods.

·       The issue of under-reporting, as many members of the public feel it is "not worth it" to report incidents, meaning official arrest figures are only the "tip of the iceberg".

·       A follow-up on a specific individual mentioned during the meeting on 11th November 2024 who continued to cause problems despite being recently re-arrested.

·       A warning that the community was becoming "blind" to a serious problem that will continue to worsen without custodial sentences.

In response, the Chairperson clarified the response of the Community Safety Team who they had approached prior to the meeting in anticipation of these concerns raised and that further comments would be taken back to the team to obtain a further update in due course.

Patrick Davies addressed the Forum on this item. His comments are summarised below:

·       Expressed his long-standing involvement with the city, noting that he first attended a council meeting in the building 60 years ago.

·       He raised concerns that the current proposals could potentially make the situation for the city much worse.

·       Mr Davies stated that the reimposition of two-tier government was a "grave error," as he believed the city functioned best without such a system.

·       He expressed the hope that any new unitary authority would be based within the city and highlighted a requirement in new legislation for proper neighbourhood governance to be instituted by the new unitary authority, which he noted was not mentioned in the meeting papers.

·       He described the proposed parish council as "expensive" and "pointless," arguing it would have limited powers no greater than a village parish council.

·       He contended that calling the new body a "city" would be a "grave insult" to the history of Winchester.

·       He criticised the public consultation results, noting that only 337 responses were received from 19,860 leafletted households, representing less than 1% of the town area.

·       Mr Davies argued that the proposal was unnecessary and confusing, and that it was a "nonsense" to suggest it would be welcomed by the public.

·       He expressed concerns regarding the financial cost, specifically the expense of hiring a new chief officer and additional staff.

·       In conclusion, Mr Davies suggested that the council should not proceed as recommended and should instead allow a new unitary authority to establish proper governance for the city.

The Strategic Director gave a presentation regarding the Community Governance Review and the draft budget for the proposed Winchester Town Council. The key points of the presentation were highlighted as follows:

(i)         Meeting purpose and timeline: The Forum was convened to consider   the draft list of assets for transfer to the new town council. It was    noted that the Licensing and Regulation Committee would also     consider the draft list at its meeting on 12 August 2026. While full           Council was originally intended to consider the final order on 20      August, the Monitoring Officer had recently advised that this decision       had been rescheduled for 7 October 2026.

(ii)        Opportunity for review: Due to the revised timeline for the full Council   decision, the recommendations made at the current stage were not      final, allowing an opportunity to revisit the work regarding asset     transfers.

(iii)     Principles of asset transfer: The primary principle was that "assets        follow services". The starting position for transfer includes assets for     which services are currently, or have historically been, provided and        funded by the Winchester Town Forum budget.

(iv)     Transfer of assets not currently funded by the Forum

(v)       Service transfer (The Market)

(vi)     Assets proposed for retention by the District/Unitary Council

(vii)         Financial impact of retained assets

(viii)       New Town Council operational costs

(ix)     Budget Savings and Ground Maintenance

(x)       Future considerations: It was recognised that the new town council       would need to establish a reserve equivalent to at least  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

Patrick Davies addressed the Forum on this item. His comments are summarised below:

·       He raised several concerns regarding the proposed asset transfer and the Community Governance Review (CGR) process and stated that the matter only reached public notice when the agenda for the current meeting was published.

·       He criticised the use of CGR working groups that meet in private, arguing that a major issue such as this should have had public involvement from the outset.

·       He described the lack of public transparency in the exercise as scandalous, asserting that open local government requires such meetings to be held in public.

·       Mr Davies highlighted perceived irregularities in the handling of the Town Forum, noting that the chair was only re-elected in mid-August despite the municipal year beginning in May.

·       He claimed that the process had been handled privately and secretly within a single party group.

·       Mr Davies suggested the process had been "bungled from start to finish," citing the officer's update that the decision would no longer be going to Council the following week.

·       He argued that the current trajectory would result in a "complete muddle" for Winchester residents rather than a clear-cut unitary authority.

·       He characterised the proposed new body as a "glorified parish council" that would take significant resources from the public without a good reason and maintained that the functions of the proposed council should be carried out by the unitary authority, as intended by legislation.

·       Mr Davies referenced extensive personal knowledge of existing parishes in the district, describing most as "glorified talking shops" that struggle to attract members.

·       He pointed to the lack of contested seats and the high number of vacancies (24 seats) in recent local parish elections as evidence of low public interest and stated that there is no public demand for "tin pot parishes" in the city of Winchester.

·       In conclusion, Mr Davies suggested that Winchester town should have a governance setup where local matters were managed by a committee of the unitary authority.

The Strategic Director drew members attention to the draft list of assets for potential transfer to Winchester Town Council, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report. 

The forum proceeded to ask questions and comment on the following matters which were responded to by the Strategic Director, as summarised below.

(a)       A question was asked regarding the potential impact on residents if         cemeteries were moved to unitary control and whether residents would   notice any difference in service. It was noted that residents currently          received discounted burial rates at Magdalen Hill Cemetery, and there        was a possibility that these discounts would not continue under unitary control, although the availability of cemeteries would remain        unchanged.

(b)       Further clarification was sought regarding the future management of cemetery costs. It was stated that the cost of cemeteries would be           determined by the district and eventually the unitary council, rather than by the Town Forum. In addition, it was also noted that the          principal cemetery was located outside the town boundary.

(c)       A question  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Forum received individual updates from the Chairpersons of various Town Informal Groups, where available. Each summarised the work that had been carried out by the respective groups since the last meeting of the forum had taken place. 

Councillor Murphy – Streets and Spaces Informal Group

Progress updates from the group were as follows:

(a)      Speed Indicator Devices – the group were due to meet officers next week to discuss progress and potential timing towards delivery.

(b)      Winchester BID – It was noted that Sarah Davis of BID was due to    provide an update at the next meeting of the forum in September. The   latest barometer of business report reflected how much Winchester    was thriving and the low vacancy rate across the city centre.

An update was given on behalf of Councillor Batho re: Youth Provision

Progress updates from the group were as follows:

(a)       Youth Options had been contracted to undertake a consultation with           young people during August and September, with the initial steering    group for the project due to take place on 24 August 2026. 

Councillor Tippett-Cooper – Culture Informal Group

Progress updates from the group were as follows:

a)    The Buttercross – The additional funding to repair the Buttercross was considered at the last meeting of Cabinet. The current expectation was that the restoration would be completed in early December 2026 and the council’s social media feed provided an update of the amazing work that was being carried out on this project.

b)    Hyde Abbey Gateway – scheduled monument consent had been granted by Historic England during early 2026 and the council were now seeking quotes for the work to take place with the project split into two parts; firstly, repairs to the gateway itself and secondly, the surrounding landscape, with gateway repairs due to commence this year.

Councillor Aron - Grants and Community Empowerment Informal Group

Progress update from the group including:

a)    Members of the forum were asked to continue to encourage charities in the local area to apply for grant funding that was available, subject to the application process

          RESOLVED:

                     That the updates received from the Town Informal Groups as     set out above, be noted.

The Forum considered the work programme and its appointments to the Winchester Town Informal Groups for 2026/27, as set out in the report and its appendices.

The Chairperson emphasised the importance of the work undertaken by the informal groups and provided an overview of the positive results achieved and ongoing projects, as a consequence of the work by the groups during the previous municipal year.

          RESOLVED:

                                                                                                                                                                                             1.       That the items listed in Appendix 1 and 2 of the report be                           noted, the 2026/27 work programme be approved and authority            be delegated to the Strategic Director, in consultation with the             Chairperson, to further set the detailed work programme for the                      municipal year.

2.         That the informal groups, as set out in paragraph 11.2 of the         report, be re-appointed for 2026/27.

3.         That the membership of the Forum’s informal groups for          2026/27 be approved as stated above, and appointed as set out        below:

(i)             Winchester Town Forum (Streets and Spaces) Informal Group

                               Cllrs: Murphy (Ch), Aron, Batho, Eve, Tod, Thompson                         and Westwood

                               Lead Officer: C Williams

(ii)            Winchester Town Forum (Climate and Open Space) Informal Group

                               Cllrs: Eve (Ch), Batho, Murphy and Learney

                               Lead Officer: R Smith

(iii)          Winchester Town Forum (Culture) Informal Group

                               Cllrs: Tippett-Cooper (Ch), Eve, Morris and Thompson                         Lead Officer: A Gostelow

(iv)          Winchester Town Forum (Grants and Community Empowerment) Informal Group

                               Cllrs: Aron (Ch), Batho, Becker, Eve and Wise

                               Lead Officer: S Lincoln

(v)           Winchester Town Forum (Transition to Town Council) Informal Group

                               NB: Name changed from ‘Community Governance                                Review’ Informal Group on 22 January 2026 and merged                 with Winchester Town Forum (Account) Informal Group                       comprising of existing membership of both groups.

                     Cllrs: Batho (Ch), Learney (retains leadership for town account                     financial activities), Aron, Eve, Morris and Thompson

                     Lead Officer: D Kennedy and G John/S Hendey