Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor N Adams-King.

There was no public participation.

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no urgent items.

To approve, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 3 April 2024.

The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 3 April 2024 were proposed by Councillor P North and seconded by Councillor Flood.

Resolved:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 3 April 2024 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

There were no recommendations from Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

There were no recommendations to consider from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Finance and Resources

To report the actual expenditure against budget for the Asset Management Plan in 2023/24 and to update the Asset Management Plan requirement for 2024/25.

Resolved:

1.  That the expenditure for the year on Asset Management projects, as shown in Annex 1, be noted.

2.  That the updated budget for Asset Management projects in 2024/25, as shown in Annex 2, be approved.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which compared the actual expenditure on Asset Management Plan (AMP) projects with the approved budget for 2023/24.

The total revised AMP budget in 2023/24 was £3.560M. Actual expenditure in the year was £1.875M. The outturn position for 2023/24 had been reviewed, following which the AMP requirement for 2024/25 had been updated.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Flood, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

1.  That the expenditure for the year on Asset Management projects, as shown in Annex 1, be noted.

2.  That the updated budget for Asset Management projects in 2024/25, as shown in Annex 2, be approved.

Finance and Resources

To summarise the expenditure on the Capital Programme and explain the reasons for variances.

Resolved:

That the updated Capital Programme, as shown in the Annex to the report, be approved.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder whichsummarised the Council’s Capital expenditure for 2023/24 and explained the reasons for variances from the forecast, including a summary of the total budget slippage within the Capital Programme.

The report contained recommendations for the carry forward of certain unspent capital budgets into 2024/25 and provided an updated capital programme for 2023/24 to 2025/26.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Flood, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

That the updated Capital Programme, as shown in the Annex to the report, be approved.

Finance and Resources

To review the performance of the Treasury Management function in 2023/24.

Resolved:

That the Annual Treasury Management Report for 2023/24 and the Prudential Indicators for the year, as shown in the Annex to the report, be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder which reviewed the performance of the Treasury Management function in 2023/24 compared with the forecasts and policies set out for last year. Investment income for the year was £114,900 higher than included in the forecast.

The Council managed all investments in-house during 2023/24. Most investments during the year were placed in fixed-term deposits. At year-end, the Council also held investments with nine Local Authorities, totalling £59.5M, for periods of up to five years.

The Council achieved an average investment income rate of 4.42% in the year compared with an average benchmark rate of 5.23%, largely due to fixed-rate investments placed before interest rates started to rise

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Flood, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

That the Annual Treasury Management Report for 2023/24 and the Prudential Indicators for the year, as shown in the Annex to the report, be noted.

To approve an amendment to the adopted Statement of Community Involvement.

Resolved:

That the Statement of Community Involvement in Planning (2023), be amended as set out in section 6 to the report.

Consideration was given to a report of the Planning Portfolio Holder which set out an amendment to the Statement of Community Involvement in Planning (2023).

The Statement of Community Involvement in Planning had been amended to provide clarity within the section relating to parish council notification and ensure it was consistent with the requirements under the Town and County Planning Act (1990) (as amended).

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Bundy, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

That the Statement of Community Involvement in Planning (2023), be amended as set out in section 6 to the report.

To approve the allocation of funds to a project.

Resolved:

1.  That £50,618 be allocated to the Koala Community Hub, as set out in section 3 of the report.

2.  That the project identified in recommendation 1, be added to the Council’s Capital Programme, to be funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy Community Projects Reserve.

Consideration was given to a report of the Planning Portfolio Holder which set out a summary of a bid received from More Education in April 2024 for the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Community Projects Reserve.

The Koala Community Hub project had been evaluated against the CIL Bid Assessment Protocol with a recommendation made for funding based on the approved scoring methodology.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Bundy, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

1.  That £50,618 be allocated to the Koala Community Hub, as set out in section 3 of the report.

2.  That the project identified in recommendation 1, be added to the Council’s Capital Programme, to be funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy Community Projects Reserve.

Democracy and Governance

To seek to appoint Councillors to a number of outside bodies.

Resolved:

1.  ThatCouncillors Bundy, Gwynne, Swain and Yalden be appointed to the Eastleigh Borough Council/Test Valley Borough Council Liaison Group.

2.  That Councillor Flood be appointed to Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL).

3.  That the following Councillors be appointed to the Partnership for South Hampshire Committee (PfSH):

(1)  Councillor Adams-King

(2)  Councillor Bundy

4.  That Councillor Adams-King be appointed to South East Councils.

Consideration was given to a report of the Democracy and Governance Portfolio Holder which sought to appoint members to a number of outside bodies that the Council works with to share information and knowledge on matters of mutual interest in order to better fulfil its obligations.

Having considered the options and for the reasons set out in the report, the recommendations were proposed by Councillor Lodge, seconded by Councillor P North and Cabinet agreed to the following:

Resolved:

1.  ThatCouncillors Bundy, Gwynne, Swain and Yalden be appointed to the Eastleigh Borough Council/Test Valley Borough Council Liaison Group.

2.  That Councillor Flood be appointed to Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL).

3.  That the following Councillors be appointed to the Partnership for South Hampshire Committee (PfSH):

(1)  Councillor Adams-King

(2)  Councillor Bundy

4.  That Councillor Adams-King be appointed to South East Councils.