Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

All Members of Cabinet were present and no apologies were noted.

All Members who believe they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting must declare that interest and, having regard to Part 3 Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members’ Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code.  Furthermore all Members with a Personal Interest in a matter being considered at the meeting should consider, having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 4 of the Code, whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, consider whether it is appropriate to leave the meeting while the matter is discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Personal interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

The following Councillors declared a personal interest in relation to the Medium Term Financial Strategy item in respect of their membership of another public body, namely a District or Borough Council within the area of the County Council.

-       Councillor Grajewski (Member of Eastleigh Borough Council)

-       Councillor Heron (Member of New Forest District Council)

-       Councillor House (Member of Eastleigh Borough Council)

-       Councillor Humby (Member of Winchester City Council)

-       Councillor Woodward (Member of Fareham Borough Council)

The following Councillors declared a personal interest in relation to the Medium Term Financial Strategy item in respect of the membership of a close family relative of another public body, namely a District or Borough Council within the area of the County Council.

-       Councillor Chadd (father a Member of Rushmoor Borough Council)

-       Councillor Reid (wife a Member of Basingstoke and Dean Borough Council)

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting

The minutes of the last meeting were reviewed and agreed.

To receive any deputations notified under Standing Order 12.

It was confirmed that no requests to make a deputation had been received.

To receive any announcements the Chairman may wish to make.

The Chairman of Cabinet highlighted a number of meetings relating to Brexit preparation and reported his increased confidence in the arrangements for freight traffic to pass through Portsmouth in the event of a no-deal exit from the European Union. He also noted that the local resilience forum, led by the Chief Fire Officer, was operating successfully.

To consider a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the Medium Term Financial Strategy and Transformation to 2021 Savings Proposals.

Cabinet received a report of the Director of Corporate Resources regarding the Medium Term Financial Strategy and Transformation to 2021 Savings Proposals.

The report was introduced and it was explained that this report related to the overall financial strategy to 2021/22 and that the process of budget setting for 2020/21 would be via separate reports to Cabinet in December 2019 and February 2020. Key points in the report regarding cash limits and the assumptions upon which anticipated budget gaps were based on were set out. Particular departmental pressures were detailed, the position on schools funding was highlighted and the need to make an adjustment to funding for the coroner was explained. With reference to the appendices, changes to the pension fund with respect to treasury management were explained, as was the proposal to set aside a contingency for Brexit related activity. The “Serving Hampshire – Balancing the Budget” consultation process and outcomes were highlighted and Cabinet’s attention was drawn to the Equality Impact Assessments in the appendices.

With regard to the savings proposals, an error in the report was noted and an addendum to the report circulated with the corrected text and a minor change to the recommendations at paragraphs 8 and 13 to acknowledge this. It was noted that the savings proposals would have a relatively low impact on staff and it was anticipated that staff reductions could largely be achieved through natural turnover. Proposals relating to economic development and investment were drawn out, as were reserves strategies and in particular the approach to the grant equalisation reserve. The strategy beyond 2021/22 was highlighted and it was noted that current estimates suggested a minimum of £40 million further savings would be required to meet a future Transformation to 2023. A possible mitigating factor in this was identified as the (initially one off) benefit derived from a re-valuation of the pension fund; a further revaluation would be needed to establish whether this could be regarded as a recurring benefit.

The report and presentation by the Director were welcomed by Cabinet, who noted the approach of re-distributing resources to the most vulnerable. Recognising the difficulty in setting achievable savings targets, it was felt that any objections to the proposals should be accompanied by viable alternative suggestions.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor House addressed Cabinet, making a number of points about the impact of national fiscal policy and of Brexit on local funding pressures. He also addressed the approach of demand reduction to achieve savings and the potential impact on both residents and on partners such as District Councils and the NHS.

With the agreement of the Chairman, Councillor Glen addressed Cabinet in relation to the proposed spend on a safe route to access Robert Mays school, calling for more consideration to be given to the final solution.

Cabinet members discussed the content of the report, acknowledging the scale of the challenge and recognising the achievements with initiatives such as the supported living strategy, public health strategies and the investment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 148.

To consider a report of the Director of Adults’ Health and Care regarding progress against the Department Vision and 5 Year Strategy.

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Adults’ Health and Care regarding progress against the Department Vision and 5 Year Strategy.

The background and context of the strategy were introduced and it was confirmed that the department was working well with partners and at the forefront of innovation in the sector. Recognition was given to all those who were working towards achieving the targets set out in the strategy.

Cabinet welcomed the report and the positive progress against the strategy, recognising that demand remained high, but that the department was travelling in the right direction.

The recommendations in the report were proposed and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.

To consider the Annual Report of the Director of Public Health.

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Public Health, presenting his annual report.

This annual report was centred around the theme of violence, with four areas of specific focus. With reference to the report, the actions being taken by the department to prevent violence were highlighted. The success of partnership working was also highlighted, specifically in the contribution of the Deputy Chief Constable.

Cabinet welcomed the report and the recommendations within it were proposed and agreed. A decision record is attached to these minutes.