Agenda and draft minutes

To note the names of apologies given and deputy members who are attending the meeting in place of appointed members.

Apologies for the meeting were noted as above.

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, and non disclosable interests in accordance with legislation and the Council’s Code of Conduct.      

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

Councillor White advised that agenda item 8: Winchester District Economy Review, page 50 contained a bullet point relating to the allocation of land for data centres. As a director of a company that builds data centres, she advised that if the discussion this evening centred around the bullet point then she would leave the room and take no further part in the discussion.

As this is the first meeting of the committee in this municipal year, it will be necessary to appoint a Vice-Chairperson.

The Chairperson will call for nominations from committee members.

RESOLVED:                              

That Councillor Chamberlain be appointed Vice-Chairperson for the 2024/25 municipal year.

No announcements were made.

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

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on the 20 February 2024 be approved and adopted.

To receive and note questions asked and statements made from members of the public on matters which fall within the remit of the Committee

Members of the public and visiting councillors may speak at the Policy Committee, provided they have registered to speak three working days in advance.  Please complete this form (https://forms.office.com/r/Y87tufaV6G ) by 5pm on 11 September 2024 or call (01962) 848 264 for further details.

Councillor Horrill and Councillor Cook addressed the committee regarding the agenda item: Housing, Repairs and Maintenance Contract Procurement and their contributions were captured within the agenda item below.

RECOMMENDATION:

1.       That the committee note the responses to the Economy and Housing Policy committee previous resolutions.

Councillor James Batho, Chairperson, introduced the report which set out a review of the Economy and Housing Policy Committee resolutions from the previous 12 months. The introduction included the following points:

1. Officers had compiled a summary of meetings held over the past 12 months, encompassing both housing and economy policy agenda items.
2. The report documented the recommendations and resolutions made, the officers' responses, and the progress of these policies through the council.
3. The Chairperson proposed to examine these updates and invited members to raise any questions, which could then be addressed by officers.
4. For items requiring more detailed responses, it was suggested that they be brought forward to a subsequent meeting.

Members were asked to note the responses to the Economy and Housing Policy Committee's previous resolutions. Several questions were asked arising from the contents of the report, and in summary, the following matters were raised:

1. Questions were raised regarding whether the impact of resident demand for window retrofits had affected any planned activities, and if so, what was the impact.
2. A point was raised about the potential to work with utility bill providers to distribute communications to residents, enhancing engagement in the retrofit housing programme, noting that this suggestion did not seem to be reflected in the action taken.
3. Clarification was sought on the current council position regarding the carbon credit trading scheme, specifically whether it was proceeding or not.
4. A suggestion was made to involve private homeowners and landlords in the retrofit project, particularly when neighbouring houses were involved, to improve efficiency—for example, offering asbestos clearance to private properties adjacent to council houses being retrofitted.
5. Clarification was sought on when the next future review of the festivals, events, and programming policy would be, as many of the action taken responses referred to it.
6. Assurance was sought that the council was adequately recovering costs for cleaning up and restoring locations after large events, particularly in areas like River Park, ensuring that the council was compensated for these expenses.
7. Clarification was sought on the process for informing ward councillors, especially in rural areas, about the local impacts of festivals and events, and what measures would be put in place to facilitate communication with councillors for events affecting their wards.
8. Clarification was sought on whether dates had been set for bringing forward the Older Persons Accommodation Strategy, or if it was still under discussion.
9. Clarification was sought regarding the absence of a response to item number seven of the Green Economic Development Strategy Action Plan.
10. Clarification was sought on the status of the partnership group mentioned in the Cultural Strategy, specifically whether it had been formed and if the terms of reference had been agreed.

These points were responded to by Simon Hendey, Strategic Director and Susan Robbins, Corporate Head of Economy & Community accordingly.

RESOLVED:

The committee noted the report.

RECOMMENDATION

The committee are asked to note the contents of the presentation, provide any comments for the Cabinet member and officers to consider further and are asked to support :

1.    Using the proposed priorities to target and focus our approach to achieving the best economic outcomes for the district.

2.    The “business as usual” approach of delivering green economic growth from the council’s work.

Councillor Lucille Thompson, Cabinet Member for Business and Culture introduced the agenda item which set out a presentation regarding the Winchester District Economy Review, (available here).  The introduction included the following points.

1. The presentation contained a wealth of information and data that would inform the council's position on various policy initiatives moving forward.
2. That there had been significant growth in the district's population between the 2011 and 2021 census data, noting an increase of almost 9.4%.
3. Despite the population growth, the number of economically active individuals had decreased by a similar percentage.
4. Councillor Thompson emphasized the district's ageing population, highlighting it as an imbalance that needed to be addressed.
5. She referred to the council's quarterly economic dashboard, which provided up-to-date statistics and insights into the district's economy, noting its usefulness for keeping track of ongoing changes.

Susan Robbins, Corporate Head of Economy & Community and Professor Suzanne Dixon, Economic Development Officer (Green Growth) provided a presentation which gave an overview of the Winchester District Economy Review which could be summarised as follows:

1. The review aimed to provide high-level data and insights, and it discussed emerging policies, the changing economic landscape, and aligned council priorities with plans.
2. While the presentation offered a flavour of key performance indicators, they noted that more detailed data was available from the Office of National Statistics.
3. The district had experienced a slight decrease in economic activity and an increase in economically active retired individuals, reflecting the ageing population.
4. Although the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits was relatively low, over half were in the 25 to 49 age group, indicating a specific demographic concern.
5. The district boasted a diverse mix of jobs across sectors such as the public sector, retail, technical, and professional roles, which helped guard against economic shocks in any single sector.
6. There were over 8,000 enterprises in the district, approximately 82% were micro-enterprises (0 to 9 employees), highlighting the importance of small businesses to the local economy.
7. The presence of high-quality educational institutions contributed to residents being highly qualified and consistently performing well in skills and qualification levels.
8. Residents earned slightly more than those working in the district, with recent data showing a slight divergence that could affect affordability and cost of living.
9. There was a decrease in people commuting by car and an increase in home working, possibly influenced by COVID-19 and changing work patterns; this had resulted in fewer people both entering and leaving the district for work.
10. Winchester had a high number of jobs per working-age population, attracting more people into the district for employment.
11. Vacancy rates on the High Street remained low, and business sentiment showed optimism despite external challenges like the cost of living and rising energy costs.
12. Businesses faced challenges in retaining and recruiting staff, rising operational costs, and difficulties unique to rural areas such as transport and digital connectivity.
13. They concluded that while the Winchester economy was performing well, certain areas required monitoring to ensure sustained and improved performance, particularly considering the ageing population and changes in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

RECOMMENDATION:

1.    That the Policy Committee notes the contents of the presentation.

2.    That the views and comments of the committee are sought to inform the Cabinet Member for Housing prior to the Cabinet meeting on the 20^th November 2024.

Councillor Chris Westwood, Cabinet Member for Housing introduced the agenda item on the Housing, Repairs and Maintenance Contract Procurement. He highlighted that the repairs and maintenance contract with Cardo had been in place for around 13 years, during which much had changed. He emphasised the necessity of reviewing the council's requirements and identifying the best partner to deliver these services moving forward. Acknowledging that 80% of tenants were satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service and 78% were happy with its timeliness, he expressed that there was still room for improvement.

He stated his desire for Winchester City Council Housing to be easier to do business with, noting that this could mean different things to different people and outlined several key outcomes desired from the new contract:

1. Establishing a partnership rather than a supplier relationship, with the chosen partner representing the council's values in tenants' homes.
2. Improving customer service and experience, including a strong digital offering and continuous customer feedback at all interactions.
3. Enhancing the quality of service to ensure repairs were done right the first time, every time.
4. Ensuring transparency and visibility for both tenants and internal management to effectively oversee operational processes and the contract.
5. Reducing repair costs to deliver value for money to the council and tenants.
6. Fostering continuous innovation to improve services and drive further value.
7. Expanding services beyond repairs and maintenance to potentially include planned upgrades, retrofit activities, decarbonisation of housing stock, voids management, and other future services.

He emphasised that this contract was one of the most important and valuable for the council and sought feedback on the work completed to date to inform the procurement process over the next 18 to 24 months.

Simon Hendey, Strategic Director, Yvonne Anderson, Service Lead - Housing Landlord Services and Jamie Butt, Procurement Officer further introduced the item and provided a presentation and explained the procurement process planned for the next two years leading up to the selection of a new contractor. They detailed the stakeholder engagement activities undertaken:

1. Conducted a resident survey sent to all households in the council's stock, receiving 823 responses, which was considered a positive level of engagement.
2. Hosted resident workshops, although attendance was lower than anticipated, with efforts made to encourage participation.
3. Held discussions with Cardo and CCS to understand what worked well and areas needing improvement.
4. Engaged with housing staff to gather their insights, given their close involvement with the service.
5. Consulted with members to obtain valuable feedback.
6. Reached out to contractors to gauge their interest in the contract, following an advertised invitation and an online event to attract further interest.

They further described the proposed scope of the contract, which would include:

1. Repairs and maintenance services.
2. Voids management to prepare empty homes for new tenants promptly.
3. Compliance services, particularly focusing on the "big six" regulatory requirements.
4. Cyclical and planned programmes.
5. Potential inclusion of the retrofit programme.
6. Consideration of whether the repairs hub would continue to be operated by the council or managed by the provider.
7. Co-location of the provider's team  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

RECOMMENDATION

The Policy Committee is asked to review and comment on the direction of the Council Plan, including the vision, themes and priorities.

Councillor Martin Tod, Leader and Cabinet Member for Asset Management; introduced the agenda item which set out proposals for the Council Plan 2025-30, an overarching high-level document covering what the council wanted to achieve and informing other strategies and plans, including the Local Plan and individual service plans.

Councillor Tod explained that the two policy committees and Scrutiny Committee were being asked to look at their relevant responsibilities of the current plan, he specifically, wanted to reassure the Cabinet, that  each committee had considered:

1. Their thoughts on the future challenges faced.
2. How the current plan had performed.
3. Where the committee thought the council needed to be by 2030.

He stated that this committee was asked to focus on:

1. Homes for All.
2. Vibrant Local Economy.
3. Pride in Place.

Simon Howson, Senior Policy and Programme Manager provided the committee with a presentation and introduced the process for developing the next council plan, he highlighted the following key points:

1. The presentation included a quick look back and a look forward, outlining challenges, knowns, and unknowns, and sought councillors' input on priorities, focus areas, and evaluation of what had worked or hadn’t.
2. The current council plan was adopted in January 2020 and runs until 31 March 2025; from 1 April 2025, a new plan would commence.
3. This was an opportunity to review outcomes and priorities for the council and the district, with priorities being evidence-based, using data from the recently completed resident survey.
4. Engagement was ongoing with councillors, parish councillors, businesses and the voluntary sector to gather input for the new plan.
5. The engagement phase aimed to listen to residents and businesses in the district in order to input into the next council plan.
6. The draft council plan would be considered by the Cabinet in December 2024, before going to full Council for adoption in January 2025.
7. He reminded the committee of the current council plan and vision, and the current priorities: tackling the climate emergency, homes for all, living well, vibrant local economy, your services your voice.
8. The focus for this evening was on homes for all, vibrant local economy, and pride in place.
9. He outlined the roles of various committees in the plan review and presented key questions for the committee to consider, including how challenges had changed since 2020, expected future challenges by 2030, and what success would look like.

The committee was asked to review and comment on the direction of the Council Plan, including the vision, themes and priorities.

The committee proceeded to ask questions and debate the report. In summary, the following matters were raised:

1. A question was asked about what evidence would be used to formulate the new council plan, referencing the corporate peer review feedback that highlighted perceptions of the council being too focused on the city at the expense of the wider district.
2. Further information was requested on the potential to better utilise the voluntary and community sectors.
3. A question was raised regarding how housing challenges had changed since 2020, noting that private landlords  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

RESOLVED:

The current work programme was noted.