Agenda and minutes

Prayers were led by Reverend Sharland.

Apologies were received from Councillors Borg-Neal, Burnage, Gregori, Johnston and Warnes.

There was no public participation.

Councillor Bundy declared a personal interest in respect of agenda item 8 – Provision of New Pavilion at Nursling Recreation Ground and left the room during consideration of the item.

Councillor Dunleavey declared a personal interest in respect of agenda item 8 – Provision of New Pavilion at Nursling Recreation Ground and left the room during consideration of the item.

Councillor Swain declared a personal interest in respect of agenda item 8 – Provision of New Pavilion at Nursling Recreation Ground and left the room during consideration of the item.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 16 October 2024

The minutes of the Council meeting held on 16 October 2024 were proposed by Councillor P North and seconded by Councillor Flood.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meetings of the Council held on 16 October 2024 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

There were no formal announcements from the Mayor.

To receive and, where necessary, adopt reports of Committees.

Minutes of Meetings

The minutes of meetings were proposed by Councillor P North and seconded by Councillor Flood.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the following Committees and Cabinet meetings be received:

Cabinet – 2 October 2024

Licensing – 3 October 2024

Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 9 October 2024

Southern Area Planning Committee – 15 October 2024

Northern Area Planning Committee – 31 October 2024

Southern Area Planning Committee – 5 November 2024

General Purposes Committee – 18 November 2024

Cabinet - 20 November 2024

To adopt recommendations from the following:

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor P North and seconded by Councillor Flood.

Cabinet – 20 November 2024

Capital Programme Update 2024/25 to 2026/27

Resolved:

1.  That the new capital schemes with a total cost of £450,220 as shown in Annex 2 to the report, be added to the 2024/25 to 2026/27 Capital Programme.

2.  That the continuation of statutory capital projects, as shown in Annex 2 to the report, be added to the 2024/25 to 2026/27 Capital Programme.

3.  That the revised estimates and financing for the 2024/25 to 2026/27 Capital Programme, as shown in Annex 1 to the report, be approved.

4.  That the Head of Housing & Environmental Health, in consultation with the Head of Finance and Revenues; the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder; and the Housing and Environmental Health Portfolio Holder, be authorised to allocate the Affordable Housing Grants budget to new projects when they are identified.

Asset Management Plan Update

Resolved:

1.  That the revised 2024/25 and original 2025/26 Asset Management Plan, as shown in annexes 1 and 2 to the report, be approved.

2.  That the Head of Finance and Revenues, after consultation with the Finance and Resources Portfolio holder and Head of Service responsible for any project, be authorised to amend the Asset Management Plan during the year, as discussed in paragraph 7.3 of the report.

To allocate Section 106 developer contributions in the Capital Programme for the project of a new pavilion in Nursling and Rownhams.

Councillors Bundy, Dunleavey and Swain left the room for consideration of the item having declared a personal interest.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which considered the release of funding requested by Nursling and Rownhams Parish Council to fund a new pavilion and associated improvements to existing facilities at the Nursling Recreation Ground by way of extension to the Village Hall.

The request aligned with the requirements of the s106 agreements regarding the use of developer contributions to support improvements to local facilities to fund the provision of and/or improvement of public open space in the parish of Nursling and Rownhams.

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Flood and seconded by Councillor P North.

Resolved:

1.  That Section 106 developer contributions secured for improvements to Sports Ground/Formal recreation under the planning permissions listed in paragraphs 2.5 and 2.6 be used to fund construction of a new Pavilion and associated improvements to existing facilities at the Nursling Recreation ground in the amount of £928,000 subject to the Head of Planning and Building Services being satisfied with the costs claimed.

2.  That the expenditure and funding be added to the Council’s capital programme.

Consideration was given to a report of the Democracy and Governance Portfolio Holder which presented a proposed Calendar of meetings for the municipal years 2026/27 and 2027/28.

The schedules of meetings followed the usual six-week cycle of meetings for Cabinet, General Purposes, Licensing and Overview and Scrutiny, with the Audit Committee meeting four times a year and Council continuing to meet 7 times a year.

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Lodge and seconded by Councillor P North.

Resolved:

1.  That the Calendar of Meetings for 2026/2027, as set out in Annex 1 to the report, be approved.

2.  That the Calendar of Meetings for 2027/2028, as set out in Annex 2 to the report, be approved.

In relation to the minutes of the Council meeting held on 16 October 2024 minute number 231, Councillor Parker noted that the Council had lost a recent planning appeal in respect of the Churchill Retirement Living application for Edwina Mountbatten House. Councillor Parker asked whether the Planning Portfolio Holder was confident that the Council had the right approach and reasons for robust refusal of planning applications and whether the Council had the right approach to defending planning appeals?

Councillor Bundy responded to confirm that the decision was taken out of the Council's hand and determined by the Planning Inspector.

Councillor Parker asked whether the Council had the right facilities in-house to defend against planning appeals and were the right external people contracted?

Councillor Phil North responded to say that going forward appeals may become more difficult to defend depending on the outcome from the NPPF consultation which was expected from Government tomorrow and the Council would be working to do its best to maximise Housing Land Supply. With respect to defending against appeals the Leader noted that there maybe some learning to take from the planning appeal referenced.

The Monitoring Officer advised that she was confident in the Council’s choice of Counsel and that she did not believe that the planning appeal was lost due to the fault of Counsel.

In relation to the minutes of the Council meeting held on 16 October 2024 minute number 231, Councillor Mark Cooper noted that the outcomes from the NPPF consultation were expected tomorrow. He further noted that there were currently 1M planning permissions nationally that were not built out. Councillor Mark Cooper asked whether the Leader agreed that point 4 c) of the motion agreed by Council at its meeting on 16 October 2024 was the substantive part of the motion and whether this could be followed up?

Councillor Phil North confirmed that this point was made robustly in the letter sent to Government. A response had now been received to a letter sent to the minister over the summer however a response to the letter sent following the Council meeting was still awaited. Councillor Phil North advised that the Government had announced that they would be established a taskforce to help unlock development sites across the country which had not been built. The Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development had been asked to look at the detail of this proposal.

Councillor Daas asked the Leader the following question:

‘In the corporate peer review position statement (Page 40) it is stated an 'internal review' was conducted in 2023. Please could the portfolio holder inform us which month in 2023 this took place and the reasoning for this review to take place?’

Councillor Phil North responded to confirmed that the internal review was undertake between May and July 2023. Fifteen members of staff from across the organisation came together to undertake an internal review to explore what the council does well, where improvements could be made, and how the council could continue to build upon its strong foundations. 

The review was designed to help with preparations for a future corporate peer challenge and was based on the LGA framework which formed the focus for the recent peer challenge that took place in November this year. 

The internal review team undertook a series of activities including a review of key documents, interviews with staff groups and senior managers in the organisation including the Chief Executive. They reported to the council's management team that they felt the council was doing well across the five areas of the LGA framework, and that there was a clear appetite and enthusiasm for ongoing improvement in place. 

The approach taken to this project was very much part of the council’s overall innovative approach to the development of staff and the organisation as a whole and formed an important part of the culture and stability of the Council. 

Councillor Daas asked a supplementary question enquiring as to whether the recommendation for a new staff intranet had been implemented yet?

Councillor Phil North confirmed that the new staff intranet had been implemented.

Councillor Gwynne asked the Community and Leisure Portfolio Holder the following question:

‘The 2023 tourism review identified that in 2019 Test Valley achieved a total of 4.1m tourism visits, resulting in £198m tourism spend and supporting 5,600 jobs. Now that TVBC is beginning to implement some of the recommendations from that review, are there tourism growth targets associated with these actions? If the answer to that question is yes - can it be confirmed what those targets are? But if the answer is no - when will such targets be developed?’

Councillor Swain responded to confirm that there was a target within the Economic Development Strategy 2024-2029 to deliver the recommendations outlined in the Tourism Review by December 2025. 

Although there were no confirmed growth targets at this time, The review identified potential growth areas which would increase visitor numbers, spend and jobs through better destination marketing, development and management. 

As well as the work undertaken locally, the future targets would be influenced by the work being taken at a regional and national level. The Hampshire Local Visitor Economy Partnership proposal was being led by Tourism South East and with other stakeholders it would establish shared priorities and targets by the end of 2025.

Councillor Gwynne indicated that he would be happy to work with the Portfolio Holder  ...  view the full minutes text for item 300.

Council considered the following motion moved by Councillor Daas and seconded by Councillor Gidley.

This Council is dismayed to learn that the Romsey Post Office is at risk of closure – alongside 115 other branches across the country. 

Romsey Post Office is a vital community hub for residents and the surrounding area. Thousands of local residents rely on its services as their nearest post office. 

This Council firmly opposes any proposal to shut the Romsey Post Office. 

This Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd expressing Council’s deep opposition to the Romsey post office being closed and asking for assurances that it will not be shut.

Council also requests the Chief Executive write to the Government’s Business Minister, Justin Madders, to request the Government immediately intervene and protect our local Post Office from closure.

Upon being put to the vote the Motion was carried.

Council considered the following motion moved by Councillor Geoff Cooper and seconded by Councillor Gidley.

Motion to Establish a £1 Million Insulation Fund for Supporting Vulnerable Residents in Test Valley

Test Valley Borough Council Notes:

• The UK is facing an energy crisis, with soaring energy bills disproportionately affecting the poorest households. A situation which has been aggravated by the government's removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance for millions of pensioners.
• Poorly insulated homes are a major contributor to fuel poverty and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Investing in home insulation reduces energy consumption, lowers bills, and helps meet environmental targets, including the council's own 2019 declaration of a Climate Emergency, which committed this council to combating climate change.
• Test Valley Borough Council has financial reserves that could be utilized to help address the pressing community needs, while supporting long-term sustainability goals.

Test Valley Borough Council Believes:

• No resident should have to choose between heating their home and other essentials.
• Investing in home insulation is a cost-effective and long-term solution to reduce fuel poverty and support the council's climate ambitions.
• Targeted support for the most vulnerable households ensures fairness and maximizes the impact of public funds.

Test Valley Borough Council Resolves To:

• Establish a £1 million Insulation Fund by ring-fencing funds from the council's financial reserves. 
• Use this fund to help the poorest and most vulnerable households in Test Valley improve the insulation of their homes, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions.
• Work in partnership with local energy efficiency experts, charities, and contractors to identify eligible households and deliver high-quality insulation upgrades.
• Explore opportunities to leverage additional funding or match-funding from national government schemes, local partnerships, or private sector contributions.
• Commit to transparency and accountability by producing an annual report on the fund's use, including the number of homes improved, estimated energy savings, and environmental impact.
• Promote awareness of this initiative among residents and provide advice on energy efficiency improvements for all households.

By adopting this motion, Test Valley Borough Council will lead by example in tackling fuel poverty, supporting vulnerable residents, and reducing carbon emissions, ensuring a greener, fairer future  ...  view the full minutes text for item 301.