Minutes:
The Leader of the Council, Councillor Neighbour announced that:
· Fleet Pond had been awarded the Green Flag and he thanked all parties involved
· Funding of £10k per year had been awarded for the stewardship scheme at Odiham Common which will help to fund the management plan coming to Cabinet in the spring.
· Whitewater Meadow at Hook has now been adopted and play equipment will be installed over the next year.
· Council Leaders met in Hampshire to discuss the potential for a County Deal. Another meeting will be held in January after the Government White Paper is released. Potential options are being worked out in anticipation of this. More will be reported back after this.
The Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services, Councillor Radley reminded Council that there will be a meeting for all Councillors on 16th December to discuss Tier 3 savings, and about the importance of these discussions in respect to Budget setting going forward. A briefing paper will be provided for Councillors as a starting point.
The Cabinet Member for Community, Councillor Bailey made the following announcements:
· Household Support Grant – a new grant fund launched in November (funded by government but distributed by HCC) – to help offer financial support to residents impacted by covid, with essentials over the winter. The aim is to give small grants for food, clothing, utilities. This is being administered by the Community Team - details on our website. Please refer in any residents that you know are struggling.
· Community Safety have been focusing on community engagement and attended the World Sight Day event on 06/11/2021 in Fleet with the Hart Lions, allowing members of the public to challenge their sight by using our beer goggles and then thinking about the impact of alcohol on capabilities.
Councillor Delaney returned to the meeting at this point, 8.03pm
Councillor Bailey continued:
· Every November we report the rough sleeping estimate for Hart based on our knowledge of who was sleeping rough on a date in November. I can confirm we are reporting 1 rough sleeper out on the night of the 10th of November going into the morning of the 11th. This is half the number last year. He is known to us, and we have been working with him for a fair while, but engagement has been sporadic, and he has been alternating between a tent and friends sofas however I'm pleased to say he has now moved into settled accommodation. They have left behind a fair bit of mess so have contacted the street cleaning team to get this
The Cabinet Member for Place, Councillor Cockarill made the following announcements:
· I am pleased to announce that this Administration is delivering what we promised: A strong and robust Local Plan to ensure that we provide both the new homes that the district needs, but which also enables us to resist development in areas where we don’t want it to happen. Key to this was putting in place a robust 5-year land supply. As a result, we have already seen off the unacceptable developments at both West of Hook and Pale Lane.
· Tonight, I can announce that we have reinforced that land supply position. We can demonstrate an ongoing 10 years’ supply including supporting the delivery of much needed new homes for Surrey Heath. Just as importantly, we have reinforced the Local Plan’s housing trajectory to ensure that we meet the Government’s Housing Delivery test beyond 2028. I am pleased that Council unanimously supported the adoption of our Local Plan in 2020 and that we are delivering on what we promised to our residents.