summons - hart district · executive not later than noon on friday, 23 march 2012. - 1 - ... the...

SUMMONS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A MEETING OF THE HART DISTRICT COUNCIL WILL BE HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, CIVIC OFFICES, HARLINGTON WAY, FLEET ON THURSDAY 29 MARCH 2012 AT 7.00 PM Geoff Bonner Chief Executive

CIVIC OFFICES, HARLINGTON WAY FLEET, HAMPSHIRE GU51 4AE

AGENDA COPIES OF THIS AGENDA ARE AVAILABLE IN LARGE PRINT

AND BRAILLE ON REQUEST 1 PRAYERS

2 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 23 February 2012. Paper A

3 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

4 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST (PERSONAL OR PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL)

5 ENERGY SAVING BUILDINGS – PRESENTATION BY THE SOCIETY FOR ECOLOGICAL BUILDINGS

6 COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULE 12 – QUESTIONS BY THE PUBLIC

To receive any questions from members of the public submitted pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 12.

Note: The text of any question under Council Procedure Rule 12 must be given to the Chief Executive not later than Noon on Friday, 23 March 2012.

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7 COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULE 14 – QUESTIONS BY MEMBERS

To receive any questions from Members submitted pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 14.

Note: The text of any question under Council Procedure Rule 14.3 must be given to the Chief Executive not later than 5.00 pm on Monday, 26 March 2012.

The text of any question under Council Procedure Rule 14.4 must be submitted to the Chief Executive before 10.00 am on Thursday, 29 March 2012.

8 CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

9 CABINET MEMBERS’ ANNOUNCEMENTS

10 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT

11 MINUTES OF COMMITTEES

The Minutes of the following Committees, which met on the dates shown, are submitted.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 14.1, Members are allowed to put questions at Council without Notice in respect of any matters in the Minutes to the Leader of the Council or any Chairman of the relevant meeting at the time those Minutes are received by Council.

Meeting Date Minute

Numbers For Decision

Overview and Scrutiny 21 February 99 - 109 Cabinet 1 March 123 - 133 Planning 14 March 60 - 64

12 PAY POLICY 2012/13

To seek Council’s approval to its Pay Policy for 2012/13. Paper B RECOMMENDATION

That the Pay Policy attached as Appendix A to this report be approved. 13 OUTSIDE BODIES – FEEDBACK FROM MEMBERS

To allow the Council’s representatives on Outside Bodies to report back, and to allow questions of the representatives from other members. See list of Outside Bodies attached.

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Members wanting to ask questions of representatives on Outside Bodies are requested to give advance notice of their questions by 5pm on the Monday preceding the meeting to allowing responses to be prepared. Where advance notice is not given the member may still ask the questions, but the representative may choose not to answer at the meeting, but instead give a subsequent written answer.

Date of Despatch: 20 March 2012

HART REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES 2011/12

Outside Bodies NO. OF REPRESENTATIVES Nominee(s)

Age Concern 1 Councillor Crookes Basingstoke Canal Joint Management Committee

2 Councillor 1. Ambler 2. Kinnell

Blackbushe Airport Consultative Committee

2 Councillor 1 Reserve

1. Billings 2. Harward Reserve:

Blackbushe Metals Liaison Panel 2 Councillor 1. Billings 2 Harward

Blackwater Valley Advisory Committee for Public Transport

2 Councillors 1 Reserve Councillor

1. Davies 2. Glen Reserve:

Blackwater Valley Recreation & Countryside Management Committee

2 Councillors (1xCabinet Member)

1. Kinnell 2. Glen

Citizens Advice Hart 1 Councillor (1xCabinet Member) Crookes Community Safety Partnership 1 Councillor (1xCabinet Member) Singh Crookham Almshouse Charity (Trustee)

1 Councillor Butler G

Farnborough Aerodrome Consultative Committee (FACC)

2 Councillors 1 Reserve Councillor

1. Simmons 2. Radley JE Reserve: Appleton

Fleet & District Community Association (The Point Youth Club)

1 Councillor 1 Reserve Councillor

1. Hunt Reserve: Glen

Fleet Hospital & Community Friends 1 Councillor Barrell Fleet Neighbourhood Watch 1 Councillor Radley JR Fleet Pond Society 1 Councillor

1 Reserve Councillor 1. Wheale Reserve:

Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust

1 Councillor Davies

Hampshire Senate 1 Councillor 1 Reserve (Leader & Deputy Leader)

1. Crookes Reserve: Parker

Hart Access Group (representing interests of disabled in Hart)

1 Councillor Butler G

Hart Neighbourhood Centre Charity

1 Councillor Crookes

Hart Voluntary Action 1 Councillor (1xCabinet Member) Crookes LGA General Assembly (Annual Event)

1 Councillor (Leader or Deputy Leader)

Crookes

Local Government Authorities Hants & IOW

1 Councillor 1 Reserve (Leader & Deputy Leader)


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North East Hampshire CPRE 1 Councillor (Observer) Davies North Hampshire Road Safety Council

1 Councillor Crampton

Odiham Town Centre Management Group


1. Gorys Reserve: Crookes

Project Integra Strategy Board 1 Councillor 1 Reserve Councillor (2xCabinet Members)

1. Glen Reserve: Crookes

Project Integra Scrutiny Committee 1 Councillor 1 Reserve (Not Cabinet Members)

Lit Glen

Sentinel Housing Group 1 Councillor 1. Butler C Reserve: Crookes

South East England Councils (SEEC) 1 Councillor 1 Reserve Councillor


Thames Basin Heaths – Joint Strategic Partnership


1. Radley JE Reserve:

Thames Basin Heaths – Strategic Access Management and Monitoring Project Board


1. Reserve: Radley JE

COUNCIL Date and Time:

Thursday, 23 February 2012 at 7.00 pm

Place: Council Chamber, Civic Offices, Fleet Present: COUNCILLORS – Kennett - (Chairman) Ambler Collett Kinnell Appleton Crookes Lit Axam Davies Murr Bailey Evans Neighbour Barrell Glen Parker Billings Gorys Radley JE Blewett Haffey Radley JR Burchfield Harward Simmons Butler C Hunt Southern Butler G Ive Wheale Cockarill

Officers Present:

Geoff Bonner Chief Executive Emma Broom Corporate Director Daryl Phillips Monitoring Officer / Head of Planning Services Tony Higgins Head of Finance Martine Fullbrook Business Support - Committee Services Matthew Saunders Business Support Manager

PRAYERS

Councillor Chris Butler led a short prayer. 13 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 26 January 2012 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.


Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Crampton and Singh


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Councillor Murr declared a personal and prejudicial interest in item No 12, Clarks Farm, as he lives in Darby Green Lane. Councillor Billings declared an interest in item No 10, Minutes of Licensing Committee, Hackney Carriage License policy - Paper D, as her brother in law runs a taxi business

16 PRESENTATION ON THE HEALTHY WORKPLACE AWARDS

Nick Steevens, Environmental Health Manager, gave a presentation on the Healthy Workplace Award scheme. The motivation behind the scheme is to promote health and wellbeing within the workplace and reduce absence through sickness. Hart District Council is looking at replacing the Healthy Workplace Award scheme with the Hampshire Wellbeing Charter and working in partnership with Rushmoor and Basingstoke & Dean Borough Councils. The charter is more evidence based and is endorsed by the Health & Safety Executive.

The Chairman thanked Nick Steevens for his presentation and asked Councillors to encourage the businesses in their wards to join the scheme.


No questions were received.

18 COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULE 14 – QUESTIONS BY MEMBERS Questions put by Councillors are detailed in Appendix B attached to these Minutes.

Note: Councillor Simmons entered the meeting at 7.23pm. 19 CHAIRMANS ANNOUNCEMENTS The Chairman had attended the following events on behalf of the Council.

5th February 2012 Mayor of Havant's Charity concert 6th February 2012 'Freshstart' and Hart Neighbourhood centre 9th February 2012 Mayor of Test Valley's Charity Reception 10th February 2012 Seminar on Police Commissioners in Winchester 10th February 2012 Mayor of Rushmoor's Charity Dinner 11th February 2012 Mayor of Bracknell's Forest's Charity Dinner 16th February 2012 RAF Benevolent Fund presentation, IWM 17th February 2012 Mayor of Gosport's Charity Concert 18th February 2012 Prize presentation and AGM of Fleet Pond Society 21st February 2012 Meeting re Military Covenant at RAF Odiham 22ndFebruary 2012 Funeral of L/Cpl Gajbahadur Gurung at Aldershot 22ndFebruary 2012 Grow with Hart'

The Vice-Chairman had attended the Girl Guide Happening (an annual review of girl guide activities in 2011) held at Robert Mays School on 27th January

20 CABINET MEMBERS ANNOUNCEMENTS The Leader of the Council, Councillor Crookes, announced

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1 On 27th January the Chief Executive and I attended a meeting of the

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Government Association. The agenda included an extensive presentation and discussion about police reforms and in particular the transition to elected Police Commissioners. Also on the agenda was a report from a working group of Hampshire authority finance executives on the potential impact of the Localisation of Council Tax Benefit. Whilst the arrangements are not finalised it appears that the financial impact on Hart District Council should not be significant.

2. On 6th February we received from the Department of Local Government and

Communities (DCLG) an announcement of the Portas Pilots scheme. This is an invitation for local towns and villages to bid for regeneration funding to be a pilot for the “Town Teams” concept set out in the Portas Review published in December 2011. We have forwarded the details of the Portas Pilots Scheme to parish and town councils and in a recent meeting with the Chairman of Fleet Town Council the Chief Executive and I offered support to the Town Council in taking this forward. The Portas Review and the details of the Portas Pilots scheme can be found on the DCLG web site at:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/regeneration/economicgrowth/townteams/ The Cabinet Member for Planning, Councillor Parker, had no announcements.

The Cabinet Member for Housing & Health, Councillor C Butler, reported that during the latest visit of travellers to the Blackwater car park, the travellers were moved on within a week. This required welfare checks to be carried out, notices to quit and court summons to be served, a court attendance along with Legal Services and an eviction notice to be served, all therefore, carried out as quickly as was possible.

The Cabinet Member for Leisure & Recreation, Councillor Kinnell, had no

announcements

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Glen announced that the strategic body for Project Integra would meet 3 times a year with Viola remaining on the board. The Scrutiny committee has been disbanded and will be taken on by the Revenue board. Councillor Glen will sit on both. Councillor Glen also reminded Members of the Hart Green event which will take place in the Hart Shopping Centre in Fleet on 25 February 2012, from 9.30 am to 4 pm and encouraged Councillors to attend. There will be stands ranging from solar panels to recycling and local Scouts and Guide groups will be running bring and buy and cake sales. At 1pm the winner of the junior school art competition will be announced. Winning entries will appear in a calendar for 2013. James Arbuthnot MP, will be in the centre from 2pm onwards. There were no announcements on behalf of The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Singh:

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http://www.communities.gov.uk/regeneration/economicgrowth/townteams/


The Chief Executive’s report is attached as Appendix C to these Minutes. The Chief Executive also announced that a revised copy of the budget report had been tabled to take account of the Police Authority’s budget, which had been set late.


Meeting Date Licensing Committee 16 January No questions asked Overview and Scrutiny Committee 17 January No questions asked Standards Committee 19 January Councillor Appleton suggested that the minutes were incorrectly worded. The issue would be discussed at the next Standards Committee. Councillor Bailey pointed out that certain papers were referred to under declarations of interest but these had not been included with the minutes. Cabinet 2 February Under Minute 119, Councillor Appleton asked that the Cabinet pay regard to using some of the developer contributions for funding further road improvements. Councillor Crookes responded that how the money would be spent would be decided later. Minute121,Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Annual Investment Strategy RESOLVED: That the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2012/13 be approved, as set out in Appendix 1 Planning Committee 8 February Under Item 102, point 4, Councillor Appleton asked what response had been received regarding the phasing of traffic lights. The Chairman of Planning Committee replied that this would be looked into and a written reply would follow.

23 BUDGET 2012/13

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Crookes, introduced the budget paper and added that he was delighted to have the opportunity to promote a budget with a more optimistic outlook. The Council is in a much better position this year than it has been in the previous few years. Councillor Crookes wished to put on record his

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thanks to officers and members for getting the council to where it is today and expressed particular thanks to Ms Broom (Corporate Director) for everything she had done over the past 3 ½ years in helping the council to get to this position. The financial outlook had improved through making tough decisions and good management, however the future still looked uncertain and the way local government will be financed in future was not clear. This year the council has received a new homes bonus which it didn’t receive last year. The bottom line was that this year there will be no cuts in services, Council Tax is to be frozen and there will be a small surplus of £245,000 allowing the council to increase reserves to £2.6 million, its best figure for some time. He added that it was important to recognise the value delivered to the public by partners in the Voluntary sector, so there would be no cuts in the grants to Hart Voluntary Action, the Citizens Advice Bureau, Hart Neighbourhood Centre, The Point or Basingstoke Canal Society. Employee numbers were less than this time last year, and he proposed that in addition to the recommendation in the report, staff on less than £21,000 per annum receive a salary increase of £250 pro rata to their hours of work, subject to satisfactory performance. This would cost £14026 which would reduce to projected surplus to £231,000. Responding to the budget proposal, Councillor Bailey agreed that it was good to have a budget that was not prioritising cuts and was more optimistic looking forwards. He supported the nil increase in council tax, partial increase in fees and investing in staff. He wished to put on record his recognition and thanks for the openness of the budget process and also record his thanks to Ms Broom for her hard work in putting the budget process together. He added that the future outlook had changed significantly over the past 12 months and one of the problems with making efficiencies was the risk of not taking opportunities and voiced his disappointment that the opportunity to reverse the cuts made to the HVA grants last year was not taken. Councillor Bailey then moved the following amendment: “To support Fleet local traders during the current difficult economic climate the budget for 2012/13 be increased by £37,000 to enable, subject to further consultation with Fleet Town Council, the reinstatement of free car parking in Fleet on a Sunday for 1 year commencing Spring 2012. Funding to be found from reducing the amount going into reserves by £37,000” Under Standing Order No 42.4, a recorded vote was requested on the amendment to the Recommendation by Councillor Bailey, the result of which was as follows: FOR THE AMENDMENT Councillors Ambler, Axam, Bailey, Billings, Blewett, Butler G, Cockarill, Collett, Gorys, Haffey, Harward, Ive, Kennett, Lit, Murr, Neighbour, Radley J E, Radley J R and Southern.

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AGAINST THE AMENDMENT Councillors Appleton, Barrell, Burchfield, Butler C, Crookes, Davies, Evans, Glen, Hunt, Kinnell, Parker and Simmons ABSTENTIONS: Councillor Wheale.

The Amendment was declared CARRIED. Councillor Crookes proposed and Councillor Burchfield seconded “That the budget as amended be approved.” Under Standing Order No 42.4, a recorded vote was requested on the amended budget, the result of which was as follows: FOR Councillors Ambler, Appleton, Axam, Barrell, Burchfield, Butler C, Butler G Crookes, Davies, Evans, Glen, Gorys, Haffey, Hunt, Kennett, Kinnell, Lit, Murr, Parker, Radley J E, Radley J R, Simmons, Southern and Wheale

AGAINST Councillor Ive ABSTENTIONS: Councillors Bailey, Billings, Blewett, Cockarill, Collett , Harward, and Neighbour

RESOLVED

1 1. That it be noted that on 5 January 2012 the Council calculated the Council Tax Base 2012/13

(a) for the whole Council area as 38,262.16 [Item T in the formula in Section

31B(1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the "Act")]; and

(b) for dwellings in those parts of its area to which a Parish precept relates as

in the attached Appendix. 2. That it be calculated that the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own

purposes for 2012/13 (excluding Parish precepts) is £5,809,726 3. That the following amounts be calculated for the year 2012/13 in accordance

with Sections 31 and 34 to 36 of the Act: (a) £38,748,339 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates

for the items set out in Section 31A(2) of the Act taking into

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account all precepts issued to it by Parish Councils.

(b) £30,683,300 being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in Section 31A(3) of the Act.

(c) £8,065,039 being the amount by which the aggregate at 3(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 3(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 31A(4) of the Act as its Council Tax requirement for the year. (Item R in the formula in Section 31B(1) of the Act).

(d) £210.78 being the amount at 3(c) above (Item R), all divided by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year (including Parish precepts).

(e) £2,255,313 being the aggregate amount of all special items (Parish precepts) referred to in Section 34(1) of the Act (as per Column 2 of Appendix A1 ).

(f) £151.84 being the amount at 3(d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 3(e) above by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no Parish precept relates.

(g) The amounts set out in column 6 of Appendix A1 for each part of the Council's area being the amounts given by adding to the amount at 3(f) above the amounts of the special items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council's area mentioned in Appendix A1 divided in each case by the amount at 1(b) above, calculated by the Council in accordance with Section 34 of the Act, as the basic amounts of its Council Tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.

(h)

The amounts set out in columns 1 to 9 of Appendix A2 for each part of the Council's area being the amounts given by multiplying the amounts at 3(g) above by the number which, in the proportion set out in Section 5(1) of the Act, is applicable to dwellings listed in a particular valuation band divided by the number which in that proportion is applicable to dwellings listed in valuation band D, calculated by the Council, in accordance with Section 36(1) of the Act, as the amounts to be taken into account for the year in respect of categories of dwellings listed in different valuation bands.

2 That it be noted that for the year 2012/13 the Hampshire County Council,

the Hampshire Police Authority and the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority have stated the following amounts in precepts issued to the

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Council, in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each of the categories of dwellings below:

Valuation

Band

Hampshire County Council

(£)

Hampshire Police Authority

(£)

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

(£) A(R) 576.60 83.89 34.10

A 691.92 100.67 40.92 B 807.24 117.44 47.74 C 922.56 134.22 54.56 D 1,037.88 151.00 61.38 E 1,268.52 184.56 75.02 F 1,499.16 218.11 88.66 G 1,729.80 251.67 102.30 H 2,075.76 302.00 122.76

3 That, having calculated the aggregate in each case of the amounts at 3(h) and

2.2 above, the Council, in accordance with section 30(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the amounts shown in Appendix A4 as the amounts of Council Tax for the year 2012/13 for each of the categories of dwellings in each of the Parishes.

4 That for the purposes of section 35 (2) (d) of the Local Government Finance

Act 1992, any expenses incurred by the District Council in the financial year 2012/13 in performing functions in a part of the district which elsewhere in the district are performed by a Parish Council, shall not be special expenses of the District Council.

5 The revenue estimates including contributions to and from reserves as summarised in Appendix 2, with the following amendments:-

(a) That budget provision of £14026 be made to allow a salary increase of £250 per annum to full time staff earning less than £21,000, with pro rata provision for part time staff, subject to satisfactory performance. Funding to be found from reducing the amount going into reserves by £14026

(b) That, to support Fleet local traders during the current difficult economic climate, the budget for 2012/13 be increased by £37,000 to enable, subject to further consultation with Fleet Town Council, the reinstatement of free car parking in Fleet on a Sunday for 1 year commencing Spring 2012. Funding to be found from reducing the amount going into reserves by £37,000

6 The fees and charges for 2012/13 as set out in Appendix 3, subject to the amendment at 5(b) above.

7 The revised Capital Programme for 2011/12 to 2014/15 as detailed in Appendix 4.

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8 That the Section 151 officer’s statutory report regarding the robustness of the estimates and the adequacy of reserves detailed in section 12 be noted.

24 CLARKS FARM, READING ROAD, YATELEY – CONSIDERATION OF

RECOMMENDATION FROM PLANNING COMMITTEE

To ask Council to agree the recommendation of the Planning Committee that planning permission be granted for the redevelopment of Clarks Farm for residential development notwithstanding this represents a departure from the Development Plan.

RESOLVED

That the decision of the Planning Committee to grant permission for the development as a Departure from the Hart District Local Plan be agreed.

24 OUTSIDE BODIES – FEEDBACK FROM MEMBERS

There were no feedback reports made The meeting closed at 9.00pm

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Appendix A

COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULE 12 QUESTIONS BY THE PUBLIC

No questions were asked

Appendix B

COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULE 14 QUESTIONS BY MEMBERS

Councillor Appleton asked the leader: What meetings have been held between Hart's councillors and/or officers and developers over the past 5 years regarding possible development at the SHLAA site SHL124? Councillor Crookes responded. We do not have access to the diaries of all possible people and so it is not possible to go back 5 years with any certainty. No member however, has declared that they have had any meetings although Cllr. Appleton will doubtless have records of meetings he held, Cllr. Radley may be able to help him on any meetings he held when he was the responsible Cabinet Member.

There are no known recent officer meetings other than presentation by Roger Rippon to Members on 30th November 2009 and a 28th October 2009 pre-meeting with officers.

Councillor James Radley asked the leader: In January's Full Council you kindly answered my question on meetings with Berkeley Homes by putting on record a meeting with them on 10th May 2011 which included yourself, the head of planning and the Chief Executive. I believe that this was a significant meeting in that it was through this discussion that Grove Farm became a late entry into the proposed LDF Core Strategy document. Would it be possible for members to have a copy of the minutes of this important meeting and if not, why not? Councillor Crookes responded. That meeting was held at the request of the Chairman of the Berkeley Homes Group. No formal minutes were taken of it – officers do not automatically take minutes of informal meetings such as this. Mr Phillips has however kindly provided some background and context to that meeting which I am content to share with members:

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In January 2011 Cabinet considered what the total number of houses in the LDF should be, and fixed on a figure of 200 houses per annum, being the South East Plan “Option 1”number, lower than the figure in the SE plan (220). This 200 p.a. included an additional 250 houses at Hitches Lane. Accordingly officers were already in dialogue with Berkeley Homes over the development of the “transition land” and the “s106 land” at Hitches Lane. At this stage Grove Farm was not included in any plan. During the spring of 2011 it became plain to the officers that the “option 1” figure was unrealistic, and that the council would be forced to increase the total back up to at least the SE Plan figure. There was a need, therefore, to look at how the increased number of houses (400) could be found. By early May 2011, officers were making it clear that they believed that to provide a more robust Core Strategy housing number there was a need both to find land for the additional 400 houses needed to meet the higher target. Potentially available sites included Grove Farm and Pale Lane. Grove Farm offered the additional advantage that it could also provide land for the long term expansion of Calthorpe Park school. Planning officers therefore asked Berkeley Homes to consider whether an overall plan for both Grove Farm and Hitches Lane could be drawn up, to try to cover both needs. Following this request, the Chairman of Berkeley Homes asked for a meeting with the Leader and Chief Executive to discuss this concept. He wanted reassurance that it was a serious possibility before undertaking the additional design work which might otherwise prove abortive. At the meeting Council officers explained that while officers would be recommending that the total number of houses should be increased to 220 per annum, and that this growth should take place on either Grove Farm or Pale Lane, there had as yet been no member consideration of the proposal. This would take place at the LDF Steering Group on 24 May 2011. However, it would help the Steering Group to understand Berkeley Homes’ views. For Berkeley Homes, it was explained that they were interested in developing Grove Farm following the completion of Hitches Lane. Following that meeting, the LDF Steering Group met on 24 May 2011 and after lengthy debate decided to recommend to Cabinet that: 1. The Council’s housing target should be set at 220 homes per year in line with the figure in the South East Plan. 2. To bridge the gap between the previous 200 homes per year target and the revised 220 target, Officers should make a recommendation to Cabinet on an additional strategic site at: a) Grove Farm, West Fleet (south of Calthorpe Park School east of Hitches Lane); or b) Pale Lane Farm, North West Fleet (between the Fleet Rd (A323), the M3 motorway and the railway line); or c) To deliver this shortfall through three smaller sites of at least 150 dwellings. That assessment was carried out by Officers and the findings considered by O&S Committee on 7 June 2011 and then by Cabinet on 9 June 2011. Grove Farm was chosen, in accordance

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with the Officer recommendations, as the preferred development site in the Draft Core Strategy. This approach was then subsequently endorsed by Council. I do not therefore agree that the meeting on 10 May 2011 has the significance the member attaches to it. It was part of a process that started well before 10 May and was concluded well after that date. The most significant meetings were in fact the meetings of the LDF Steering Group on 24 May 2011, the 7 June O&S Committee meeting, and finally the 9 June 2011 Cabinet meeting, at which the inclusion of Grove Farm in the Core Strategy was supported. Supplementary Question from Councillor Radley: So the synopsis of your answer is; 'No, there were no minutes taken'. As this was an important meeting that brought forward a late additional site into the LDF core strategy do you not think that it was an error of judgement not to have recorded the meeting or to have involved more members in a discussion with the developer (as had been the case with the other sites)?" Councillor Crookes responded. I have made it clear that this meeting was simply part of the process, the more important meetings were at the LDF Steering Group, Cabinet and Council where recommendations were made and decisions taken.

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Appendix C

COUNCIL MEETING – 23 FEBRUARY 2012 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT 1. Corporate Directors As many Members are already aware, Emma Broom has accepted a position with

Logica, a large multi national company specialising in consultancy, outsourcing and other services. Emma will be leaving the Council at the end of March. Staffing Committee has agreed to appoint a replacement for Emma, and work on recruiting to the post is underway. It is hoped to complete the appointment process by the end of April, with the successful applicant coming into post in June or July. Staffing Committee also agreed to re-designate Daryl Phillips’ post as a second Corporate Director, on its existing salary, terms and conditions. This change will take place on 1 March.

2. District Auditor The Council recently received notification that our external auditor, Patrick Jarvis,

has left the Audit Commission‘s employment at short notice. Patrick had been our auditor for the last 3 years, and the Council enjoyed a constructive relationship with him. No doubt Council will want to offer him best wishes for the future. He is being replaced on an interim basis by Mr Stephen Taylor, until a permanent successor is appointed by the Audit Commission later in the year.

Geoff Bonner Chief Executive 23 February 2012

PAPER B

HART DISTRICT COUNCIL DATE OF MEETING: 29 MARCH 2012 TITLE OF REPORT: PAY POLICY 2012/13 Report of: Chief Executive 1. PURPOSE OF REPORT 1.1 To seek Council’s approval to its Pay Policy for 2012/13.

2. RECOMMENDATION 2.1 That the Pay Policy attached as Appendix I to this report be approved. 3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 3.1 Section 38(1) of the Localism Act 2011 requires councils to produce a Pay Policy

each financial year, starting in 2012/13. The legislation stipulates that the policy must be approved by the full Council before 31 March in the preceding financial year. To comply with the legislation, therefore, councils have to approve their Pay Policies for 2012/13 by 31 March 2012.

3.2 The legislation requires the policy to set out the Council’s approach to setting the pay for its chief officers, its lowest paid employees, and the relationship between the remuneration of chief officers and those employees who are not chief officers.

3.3 Policies can, however, include other information relevant to pay, and advice from the

LGA and others is that councils should do this. 3.4 In line with the guidance, and to comply with the legislation, the attached pay policy

has been drafted and is recommended to Council for approval. It should be stressed that the policy simply summarises the Council’s existing approach to pay, in accordance with the requirements of the new legislation, and makes no change to the remuneration or the terms and conditions of employment of any of the Council’s employees. It is purely a statement of the Council’s existing pay policies and practices.

3.5 In view of the short timescale for producing the paper, it has not been practicable to

take the policy through Staffing Committee prior to this Council meeting. In future years, however, the policy will be submitted to Staffing Committee on its way to Council.

3.6 Council are asked to formally approve the policy for the 2012/13 financial year.

1

PAPER B

2

4. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 4.1 There are no direct financial implications arising from this report, which makes no

change to either salary levels or other elements of employee remuneration.

CONTACT: Geoff Bonner – Chief Executive EXTENSION: 4108 EMAIL: [email protected] Appendix A: Pay Policy 2012/13

mailto:[email protected]

PAPER B Appendix 1

Pay Policy Statement Financial Year 2012-13

Date created 8 March 2012 Department Human Resources Review date 28 February 2013 Version 0.5

Effective date 1 April 2012

Hart District Council believes that interests of staff and the Council are best served by the formulation and implementation of clear and consistent employment policies and procedures. This policy statement details the Authority’s policy on pay. It takes into consideration all legal requirements and will be applied in accordance with the Authority’s Equality and Diversity Commitment to treat all its employees with dignity and respect.

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HART DISTRICT COUNCIL PAY POLICY MARCH 2012 1. PURPOSE 1.1 This Pay Policy Statement is provided in accordance with Section 38(1) of the

Localism Act 2011 and will be updated annually from 1 April each year. 1.2 The Pay Policy Statement sets out Hart District Council’s policies relating to

the pay of its workforce for the financial year 2012-13, in particular:

1. the remuneration of its Chief Officers 2. the remuneration of its “lowest paid employees” 3. the relationship between:

a. the remuneration of its Chief Officers and b. the remuneration of its employees who are not Chief Officers

1.3 The purpose of the statement is to provide an open and transparent

framework that ensures clarity, fairness and consistency in the remuneration of Chief Officers. This includes officers designated as Chief Executive, Corporate Directors, Statutory Chief Officers and Non Statutory Chief Officers. It also ensures that employees at all levels of the council are paid on a fair and equitable basis in accordance with equality legislation.

2. DEFINITIONS 2.1 For the purpose of this statement the following definitions will apply: 2.2 “Pay” in addition to salary will also include charges, fees, allowances, benefits

in kind, increases in/enhancements to pension entitlements, and termination payments.

2.3 “Chief Officer” refers to the following roles within Hart District Council:

• The Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) • The Monitoring Officer1 and the Chief Finance Officer (Section 151

Officer) as the council’s statutory Chief Officers • Corporate Directors as non-statutory Chief Officers

2.4 “Lowest paid employees” refers to those staff employed on Grade A of

the council’s pay framework (ie those posts assessed through the job evaluation scheme as having the least amount of complexity and responsibility and therefore attracting the lowest salary).

1 The Monitoring Officer role is performed as part of the duties of one of the Corporate Director

posts

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3. PAY FRAMEWORK 3.1 General approach 3.1.1 Remuneration for all employees needs to be at the appropriate level to secure

and retain high-quality employees dedicated to fulfilling the council’s business objectives and delivering services to the public. This has to be balanced by ensuring remuneration is proportionate and appropriate for the role. Each council has responsibility for balancing these factors and faces its own unique challenges and opportunities in doing so. As a small council with limited staff resources it is important that Hart District Council retains flexibility within its pay framework to cope with a variety of circumstances that might necessitate the use of market supplements or other such mechanisms for individual categories of posts where appropriate. Using such solutions should only be short term and reviews should ensure that they are discontinued when circumstances change.

3.2 Responsibility for decisions on remuneration 3.2.1 It is essential for good governance that decisions on pay and reward packages

for Chief Executives and Chief Officers are made in an open and accountable way.

3.2.2 Pay for employees at all grades is based on the national agreements on pay as

follows:

• National Joint Council for Local Government Services (for Grades A to M and Heads of Service),

• Joint Negotiating Council for Chief Officers (for Corporate Directors and Chief Finance Officer)

• Joint Negotiating Council for Chief Executives (for Chief Executive).

3.2.3 The pay and remuneration packages (including pension issues) for the Chief Executive, Corporate Directors, Monitoring Officer and Chief Finance Officer are set by Council on the advice of Staffing Committee, which comprises elected Councillors from the main political parties.

3.2.4 Responsibility for setting the pay and remuneration of all other officers is

delegated to the Chief Executive (or his/her nominee), and is carried out in accordance with national agreements and the council’s local employment policies and practices as appropriate.

3.3 Salary grades and grading framework 3.3.1 Grades for all posts governed by the National Joint Council for Local

Government Services (ie Grades A to M and Heads of Service) are determined by the council’s job evaluation process. This followed a national requirement for all Local Authorities and other public sector employers to review their pay and grading frameworks to ensure fair and consistent practice for different groups of workers with the same employer.

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3.3.2 The council uses the Hay Job Evaluation Scheme. Job Evaluation is a systematic process for ranking jobs within an organisation ensuring consistency of approach and outcomes appropriate to the complexity and accountability of the role.

3.3.3 The council’s pay structure is based on the pay spine issued by the National

Joint Council (NJC) as part of the National Agreement for Local Government Services. This incorporates posts on Grade A to M and Heads of Service. There are 14 grades in total. Each grade contains no more than five points to provide incremental pay points within the grade. The incremental rises occur on each 1 April, subject to satisfactory performance in the role, until the maximum pay point for the grade is reached. Annual increments will not be awarded to employees who commence employment on or after 1 October. Increments will be withheld where performance has not met the required standard and where the issue has been raised with the employee formally.

3.3.4 Chief Officers are appointed to a fixed salary point so incremental progression

does not take place for these posts. The precise salary level is determined at the time of appointment by negotiation with the successful candidate, taking account of their skills and experience and market conditions at the time.

3.3.5 The current pay and grading structure was agreed by the Council in 2009

following a review, in order to ensure compliance with equal pay legislation. 3.3.6 Pay awards are normally made in line with the national agreements detailed in

3.2.2 on an annual basis for all employees, in conjunction with the nationally recognised trade unions. In the financial year 2010/11 the council did not pay the nationally agreed award due to the financial constraints it was facing; instead staff were given an additional day’s annual holiday.

3.3.7 There has been no ‘cost of living’ pay award to any group of staff since April

2009 other than a one-off payment of £250 gross, pro rata, made to those employees earning a full time equivalent salary of £21,000 per annum or less during 2011/12. The council has agreed to make a similar award in 2012/13 although at the time of writing this has not yet been implemented.

3.3.8 Full details of the Councils pay structure (A to Heads of Service) is attached as

Appendix 1. 3.4 Market Comparison 3.4.1 The council benchmarks its pay and benefits by comparing pay and rewards

for similar posts in neighbouring areas. The council seeks to position itself within the median salary levels in order to keep costs down while still being able to attract a good range of suitable candidates for posts.

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4. REMUNERATION 4.1 Remuneration details including benefits in kind are set out in the council’s

published Annual Statement of Accounts. 4.2 “Chief Officers”, as defined in paragraph 2.3 of this statement, are paid

within the council’s pay framework which applies to all other employees. Typically, Chief Officers have received the same percentage pay award as other managers and staff groups within the council. Current chief officer remuneration levels are shown in the following table:

ROLE

REMUNERATION RANGE*

Chief Executive (1 post)

£103,578

Corporate Directors (2 posts)

£81,300

Chief Finance Officer (0.4 post+)

£ 35,000

* Includes all charges, fees, allowances and benefits in kind + Part time post, 2 days per week

4.3 “Lowest paid employees” 4.3.1 The lowest paid employees are paid within the salary range for Grade A which

covers seven salary points ranging between £12,245 and £13,953. 4.4 Honoraria and Acting Up Allowances 4.4.1 The Chief Executive (or his/her nominee) has the discretion to award an

honorarium payment to recognise temporary increased responsibility or work of a particularly high standard. Generally it should be the case that this must have been carried out for at least one month before an honorarium payment will be considered. The amount awarded should reflect the nature and duration of the work or responsibility and not normally exceed the value of an increment point in the employee’s salary scale.

4.4.2 Where the employee has been covering in the absence of a more senior

officer (eg maternity leave cover or long term sickness absence), honoraria payments are calculated based on the difference between the employee’s scale point and the bottom scale point of the role they are covering. Temporary acting-up arrangements of this nature will not exceed more than 12 months duration and should generally be undertaken for at least one month before payment will apply.

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4.5 Other pay elements 4.5.1 Chief Officers are subject to the same performance management process as

all other employees. The Chief Executive has an appraisal involving the Leader of the Council in consultation with all Political Group Leaders.

4.5.2 Targets and objectives are set and performance is assessed through an

appraisal process. All employees apart from Chief Officers receive incremental progression until the top of their grade is reached, unless they fail to perform adequately against targets and objectives.

4.6 Charges, fees or allowances 4.6.2 Any allowance or other payment will only be made to an employee in

connection with their role or the patterns of hours they work and must be in accordance with the council’s employment policies.

4.6.2 No fees for election duties are included in the salaries of any employee. Any

additional fees payable for such responsibilities are calculated in accordance with the statutory rules and recommendations of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Election Fees Working Party for all local government elections and by central government for Parliamentary elections. Special fees are paid for Returning Officer duties which are not part of the post holder’s substantive role. These fees are payable as required and can be made to any senior officer appointed to fulfil the statutory duties of this role.

4.6.3 The Returning Officer is an officer of the District Council who is appointed

under the Representation of the People Act 1983. Whilst appointed by the District Council, the role of the Returning Officer is one which involves and incurs personal responsibility and accountability and is statutorily separate from his/her duties as an employee of the District Council. As Returning Officer, he/she is paid a separate allowance for each election for which he/she is responsible.

4.6.4 The council pays a market supplement to certain posts where it has not

proved possible to recruit staff at the salary level resulting from Job Evaluation of the post.

4.6.5 The council pays overtime for grades A to F. Paid overtime will be paid if the

equivalent of 37 hours per week has been completed at a rate of time and a half for any day other than a Sundays and public holidays and a rate of double time on Sunday. Special rates apply on public holidays.

4.6.6 The council offers car allowances to staff who are required to use their cars

for business purposes, in accordance with the appropriate NJC/JNC schemes 4.6.7 The contractual remuneration package for Chief Officers includes either a

lease car allowance or essential users allowance. This benefit also applies to all staff at Grade 9 and above who are not Chief Officers.

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4.6.8 The Council pays a standby allowance to certain key posts to ensure 24 hour emergency cover for the provision of vital public services.

4.6.9 For certain posts the council pays the membership subscription fees to

recognised professional bodies, where the employee’s continued membership of that body is in the council’s interests.

4.7 Performance related pay 4.7.1 The council does not offer performance related pay to any employee. 4.8 Benefits in kind 4.8.1 The council provides free workplace parking to all its staff. 4.8.2 The council offers its staff subsidised access to council owned sports facilities

via its “365 Card” 4.9 Pensions 4.9.1 All employees, as a result of their employment, are eligible to join the Local

Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Employee contribution rates vary depending on their whole-time equivalent pay, as follows:

Whole-time equivalent pay band

Employee contribution rate from 1 April 2012

Up to £13,500 5.5% £13,501 to £15,800 5.8% £15,801 to £20,400 5.9% £20,401 to £34,000 6.5% £34,001 to £45,500 6.8% £45,501 to £85,300 7.2% More than £85,300 7.5%

4.9.2 In addition to the employee’s own contribution, the council makes a

contribution of 13.1% towards the pension of each member of the LGPS scheme.

4.10 Termination of employment 4.10.1 The LGPS requires employers to prepare and publish a written statement of

policy in relation to pensions. The council’s policy on pensions and discretionary redundancy payments is set out in the ‘Discretionary Policy Statement on Pensions and Severance.²

4.10.2 The policy for the award of any discretionary payments is the same for all staff

regardless of their pay level. The following arrangements apply: ² Please note this is a revised policy and consultation is due to close on 30 April 2012.

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4.10.3 Redundancy

Where it is in the Council’s interest, it will opt to enhance the redundancy calculation for compulsory/voluntary redundancy, by making payments based on the statutory redundancy formula (published by the Department of Trade & Industry), multiplied by 1.6. The council will allow any redundancy payment in excess of the statutory amount to be used to buy additional pension membership (the employee must request to do this prior to leaving their employment). All of the non-statutory amount must be transferred to pension membership. It is not possible to relinquish only part of the payment.

Where it is in the Council’s interest, it will consider awarding up to 10 years pension membership or additional amounts of pension of up to £5,000 per annum to employees.

4.10.4 Early termination of employment (for reasons other than redundancy)

The council may award additional years service in cases of early termination of employment in exceptional circumstances, in accordance with the Discretionary Policy Statement on Pensions and Severance²

4.10.5 Compromise agreements

In exceptional circumstances, and specifically so as to settle a claim or potential dispute, the Chief Executive can agree payment of a termination settlement sum for any post. In such cases, each decision as to the level of payment will be taken on its individual merits and with the advice of the Chief Finance Officer.

4.10.6 Re-employment of officers

The council needs to retain the flexibility to respond to unforeseen circumstances as regards re-employing former local government employees. Such an occurrence would be considered very much the exception rather than the rule. If the council were to re-employ a previous local government employee who had received a redundancy or severance package on leaving, or who was in receipt of a pension covered by the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government, etc) (Modification) Order 1999 (known as the Modification Order) (with the same or another authority), then the council’s policy is to ensure that the rules of the Modification Order are applied. In addition, the council will ensure that an open and fair selection process has taken place before any appointment is confirmed. The same principle would be applied to such a person if they were to be engaged by the council on a ‘contract for services’ basis.

4.11 Remuneration on appointment and promotion 4.11.1 The starting salary on appointment or following promotion will normally be at

the lowest incremental level on the salary scale. In exceptional circumstances, a Head of Service can approve appointment on a higher incremental point

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within the salary scale, following consultation with the relevant Corporate Director, based on the appointee’s level of relevant experience, difficulty in recruiting to a post or other relevant factors.

4.11.2 As regards Chief Officer posts, pay and remuneration is determined by council

at the time of appointment, following negotiation with the successful candidate, taking account of their skills and experience and market conditions at the time.

5. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REMUNERATION OF CHIEF

OFFICERS AND OTHER EMPLOYEES 5.1 The Local Government Association has offered advice on the Government’s

requirement in reporting remuneration relationships. The advice is that the measure of the relationship between Chief Officers and other employees be considered by the ratio between the highest paid employee and the median earnings across the organisation as a multiple. This has been calculated as follows:

Remuneration for the Chief Executive (excluding pension contributions)

£98,840

Median remuneration for all employees at the council

£28,946

Ratio 3.41

6. DATA TRANSPARENCY

6.1 Under the Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data

Transparency, pay and benefits information for staff paid over £58,200, are required to be published. This information is contained on the “Your right to know” page on the council’s external website. Information on senior employees’ remuneration can also be found in the annual Statement of Accounts.

6.2 In addition to the Chief Officer posts listed in paragraph 4.2 above, the

following posts have remuneration levels in excess of £58,200:

ROLE REMUNERATION RANGE*

Heads of Service (3 posts) £66,176

* Includes all charges, fees, allowances and benefits in kind

Hart District Council March 2012

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Appendix 1

Salary Scales 1st April 2011

Job Evaluation Score GRADES SCP Salary per

month per

hour

A

4 12245 1020.45 6.35 5 12410 1034.15 6.43 6 12584 1048.70 6.52 99 or below 7 12879 1073.25 6.68 8 13277 1106.39 6.88 9 13671 1139.27 7.09 10 13953 1162.73 7.23

B

11 14837 1236.45 7.69 100-122 12 15141 1261.71 7.85 13 15541 1295.10 8.06 14 15820 1318.31 8.20

C

15 16145 1345.45 8.37 123-134 16 16528 1377.30 8.57 17 16913 1409.41 8.77 18 17241 1436.73 8.94

D

19 17876 1489.64 9.27 20 18520 1543.33 9.60 135-191 21 19187 1598.90 9.95 22 19677 1639.75 10.20 23 20248 1687.35 10.50

E

24 20902 1741.81 10.83 192-227 25 21306 1775.52 11.04 26 22001 1833.40 11.40 27 22730 1894.20 11.78

F

28 23473 1956.10 12.17 228-268 29 24402 2033.51 12.65 30 25220 2101.67 13.07 31 26016 2168.03 13.49

G

32 26784 2231.99 13.88 269-313 33 27573 2297.75 14.29 34 28353 2362.74 14.70 35 28947 2412.23 15.00

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H

36 29714 2476.19 15.40 314-370 37 30546 2545.46 15.83 38 31439 2619.95 16.30 39 32475 2706.26 16.83

I

40 33328 2777.33 17.28 371-438 41 34207 2850.54 17.73 42 35079 2923.24 18.18 43 35953 2996.10 18.64

J 44 36838 3069.83 19.09

439-509 45 37665 3138.76 19.52 46 38575 3214.62 19.99

K 47 39460 3288.34 20.45

510-559 48 40338 3361.47 20.91 49 41204 3433.65 21.36

L

50 42284 3523.64 21.92 51 43361 3613.38 22.48 52 44441 3703.45 23.04 53 45515 3792.93 23.59

M

54 46592 3882.67 24.15 55 47660 3971.63 24.70 56 48734 4061.19 25.26

HS1

57 49817 4151.44 25.82 58 50894 4241.18 26.38 59 51972 4331.00 26.94 60 57911 4825.91 30.02 61 59227 4935.60 30.70

HS2

62 60543 5045.28 31.38 63 61860 5154.97 32.06 64 63176 5264.65 32.75

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COUNCIL

Date and Time: Thursday, 29th March 2012 at 7.00 pm

Place: Council Chamber, Civic Offices, Fleet

Present:

COUNCILLORS –

Kennett - (Chairman)

Ambler Crookes MurrAppleton (7.20 pm) Davies NeighbourBillings Evans ParkerBlewett Glen Radley JEBurchfield Gorys Radley JRButler C Haffey Simmons (7.20 pm)Butler G Ive (7.30 pm) SinghCollett Kinnell WhealeCrampton Lit

Officers Present:

Geoff Bonner Chief ExecutiveEmma Broom Corporate DirectorDaryl Phillips Monitoring Officer / Head of Planning ServicesGill Chapman Business Support - Committee Services

PRAYERS

Councillor Singh led a short prayer.

109 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

In Councillor Southern’s absence he had asked that it be noted that he voted againstthe amendment Minute 108, pg CL.68.

With this change noted, the Minutes of the Meeting held on 23 February 2012 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.


Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Axam, Bailey, Barrell, Cockarill, Harward, and Southern.


No declarations were made.

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112 PRESENTATION ON ECOLOGICAL BUILDINGS

Mr Brian Layton, member of the AECB, Sustainable Building Association gave a presentation on the way forward on low energy buildings. Traditional building methods would not be disregarded, but commitment was needed towards developing and including modern technologies that aid the basic principles of low energy building.

Mr Layton concentrated on the major aspects of using sunlight in buildings – solar gain, the thermal envelope and airtightness, and super-insulation and ventilation. Upgraded skills would be needed to build new low energy houses to achieve super insulation and make it draft free.

Members asked questions on how to make present houses super insulated and draft free. Secondary glazing, poorly fitted windows and doors, difficulties with timber framed buildings, and cost were all discussed.

Members thanked Mr Layton for his interesting presentation.

NB Councillors Appleton, Ive and Southern entered the meeting during this item.


None received.

114 COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULE 14 – QUESTIONS BY MEMBERS

None received.

115 CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Chairman had attended the following events on behalf of the Council.

February 27th Hart Voluntary ForumFebruary 29th Basingstoke Charity bowlsMarch 4th Passing out parade at Gibraltar BarracksMarch 6th Eastleigh's Charity ConcertMarch 8th International Women's Day event in BasingstokeMarch 9th Basingstoke Charity DinnerMarch 10th Hart Charity Barn DanceMarch 11th St. John Ambulance service in WinchesterMarch 17th Yateley charity dinnerMarch 20th EHDC Forum on DisabilityMarch 28th Test Valley Civic DayMarch 29th Gosport Civic Day

The Chairman announced that this would be Emma Broom’s last meeting of the Council as she was leaving to join the private sector, and thanked her for her contribution to the Council. Miss Broom had been a major force in driving forward efficiencies, both internally and externally, with joint working and outsourcing. She

CL.79

had made a major contribution to the, now healthier, financial position of Hart, and the Chairman wished her well for the future.

Members paid tribute to Miss Broom’s energy, enthusiasm and determination, and her work with members and Committees was commended. Members also wished her well in her forthcoming marathon run for charity.

Miss Broom thanked members for their kind words, adding that she was looking forward to new challenges in the private sector, and the marathon.

116 CABINET MEMBERS ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Crookes, announced

“On 7th March I attended the District Councils Network Assembly. I have forwarded to all members the report of that meeting and the DCN Chairman’s report.

On 9th March I attended a Local Government Association (LGA) workshop on the localisation of Council Tax benefits. From April 2013 the government will reduce by 10% the total funding for Council Tax benefit and require Councils to have a scheme to save that money. We have established an officer working group to address the issue.”

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Councillor Parker, reported

“On Tuesday the National Planning Policy Framework was published. Officers presented a preliminary brief to the LDF Steering Group on that evening. There are a number of changes made to the framework but the element which may encourage members is that there is a twelve month transition period in which we can adopt planning policies to protect Hart. This gives us the time to take forward the draft core strategy published last year under my predecessor, Councillor Appleton taking account of consultation responses, but not for a major rejig. However, on the Monday after adoption, work will start on a full review.

Following on from the Leader’s comments about District Councils Network, Mr Phillips and I are attending a seminar on the NPPF just next week.

I have asked the officers to arrange meetings with some of the principal SHLAA developers, in order to get a better understanding of their ambitions for their sites. I am not in a position to make any commitments to them, but it offers them an opportunity to make their case.”

The Cabinet Member for Housing & Health, Councillor Butler, had no announcements.

The Cabinet Member for Leisure & Recreation, Councillor Kinnell, announced:

“As members will recall, this Council recently signed a military covenant which pledged our support to the armed forces, many of whom are based or live in the area.

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Following discussions with the local services liaison officer I am pleased to announce that we are introducing a new scheme, directed at service personnel and their families. With effect from 9th April the activities at our two leisure centres will be made available to service personnel and their families at a 50% concessionary price. Service personnel will simply be asked to show their ID at the time of attendance. Serving and ex-service personnel who are registered as disabled can already take advantage of the existing free access scheme for both themselves and a carer.

This is our way of saying ‘ thank you’ to those people who serve our country and I hope that it will be well received.”

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Councillor Glen, reported that the hosepipe ban in Hampshire would start on 5th April, and gave details of exclusions.

He announced that the waste section had decreased the cost per year per household for waste removal from £63 to £44, and paid tribute to Sarah Incher and the waste team for their work in keeping costs down.

He announced that a grant of £200,000 had been made to reduce flooding in Phoenix Green, and thanked the team, especially Ian Plummer, for their work in acquiring these funds.

As a result of the attack on the Council’s dog warden, widely reported in the press, the Council had been in contact with Hampshire County Council to seek assistance for one of the individuals involved.

The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Singh, had nothing to report.


The Chief Executive had nothing to report.


Meeting Date

Overview and Scrutiny

No questions asked.

21 February 2012

Cabinet

No questions asked.

1 March 2012

Planning Committee

On page PL.137, Councillor Davies asked how it was possible that a house could be thought to be in a conservation area when it was not.

14 March 2012

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Daryl Phillips explained that it had been officer error in that the mapped buffer zone around the conservation area, in which the house was located, had been misread as being part of the conservation area.

119 PAY POLICY 2012/13

Council were asked for their approval to the draft Pay Policy for 2012/13. The Chief Executive explained that the timescale had been very short between the publication of the Localism Act and the deadline for Council’s approval of a Pay Policy.

Members asked for clarification on various points, and discussed the inclusion of the structure, median points and ranges, the need for review by the Staffing Committee, and the paragraph on Redundancy (4.10.3).

Councillor Appleton moved an amendment that the second paragraph in 4.10.3 (Redundancy), be deleted. After discussion it was agreed that the whole of paragraph 4.10.3 would be deleted, on the understanding that the Staffing Committee would meet early in the new municipal year to enable it to review the policy.

Councillor Appleton also moved that the ratio of highest to lowest salaries be included in paragraph 5.1 (Relationship between Remuneration of Chief Officers and their Employees). After discussion this was also accepted.

RESOLVED

That the Pay Policy be approved, with the following conditions and amendments:

1 That the Staffing Committee meet early in the new municipal year to review the policy and, if necessary, return to Council for approval.

2 That Paragraph 4.10.3 be deleted.

3 That the ratio of lowest to highest paid members of staff be added to Section 5.

120 OUTSIDE BODIES – FEEDBACK FROM MEMBERS

Councillor Crampton reported on her meetings of the North Hampshire Road Safety Council.

“A meeting of the road safety council took place on 3rd February. We were given a school crossing patrol update. There is to be installed a Puffin crossing on the King's Road/Aldershot road in July of this year. A Puffin crossing is like a Pelican crossing only more high tech. For example it can detect if there are any people waiting to cross after the crossing button has been pressed, so if waiting pedestrians have moved away the lights will not change and traffic will no longer have to stop if no one is waiting to cross.

The National Walk to School week will be from 21st to 25th May this year. An extra 20 schools will be taking part in the Junior Road Safety Officer training.

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Older drivers were of particular concern. Deteriorating eyesight may, as we get older, not be recognised as a problem and various awareness campaigns have begun,largely sponsored by Specsavers. As well as having eyesight checks, appraisal courses for older drivers are available at a cost of £30 for an hour and a half session.

Operation Holly, the multiagency drink drive campaign, which ran over Christmas and the New Year saw 5,031 drivers tested with 242 arrests, however a quarter of all road accidents are due to impairment by drugs not alcohol. A road side saliva test is being developed and is awaiting National approval.

Just one final bit of information, if you are the first to arrive at the scene of an accident be wary of putting potentially injured people in your car. Make sure they are safe of course, but if the experts arrive and feel the injured person may have a back or neck injury, they may feel that they cannot exit your car by the doors. The only way out is to remove the roof of the car with cutting machinery which will in a matter of moments will turn the car from a saloon into a convertible.”

Members gave additional information on the siting of new puffin, pelican and zebra crossings. Councillor Crampton agreed to circulate details of school crossing vacancies to members to disseminate through their wards, in an effort to fill these vacancies.

The meeting closed at 8.40 pm

summons - hart district · executive not later than noon on friday, 23 march 2012. - 1 - ... the...

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