Agenda item

• The Leader of the Council, and Portfolio Holder for Strategic Direction, and Partnerships, Councillor Neighbour said that he would not be making any announcement about local authority reorganisation.  There was a white paper on combined authorities due by end of month (Saturday).

Hart had received its fifth green flag for Hartland Park.  We have not had 5 green flags before, the most we have had is 4.

• The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance, Councillor Radley :  had nothing to report in advance of the budget meetings in the New Year

• The Portfolio Holder for Community Services, Councillor Bailey :  In Cllr Bailey’s absence, Cllr Neighbour reported that the Community Partnerships and Projects Team have selected the successful Winter Cost of Living projects and payments have been processed. A full list of these can be found on the Council's website and the press release from last week. The team are now shortlisting the applications for the Armed Forces Community Support Fund, and we will be able to announce successful bidders in coming weeks. 

The night of Wednesday 13th November was our Annual Rough Sleeper count, the figure that will be reported to central Government is that we had 1 rough sleeper out on that night. This is a decrease on last year where we reported 4, This is just a snapshot, but it does reflect the work of the team in bringing into accommodation our vulnerable residents, where ever it is possible to do so.  

Last week we held our annual Landlords Forum, which was incredibly well attended by 40 landlords. We use these networking events to provide free training to landlords, and also as an opportunity to further develop our relationships with them. They are a key piece in the jigsaw of helping to prevent homelessness. So far this year we have signed up 45 households into the private sector. We thank those landlords for working with us, and we thank the team for putting on events like these to nurture those relationships. 

• The Portfolio Holder for Digital and Communications, Councillor Clarke  announced that as Members probably already knew, Hart was to have an LGA Corporate Peer Review coming up next spring.  Prior to that, we arranged a one day LGA Communications Health Check which took place here earlier this month.

It was a snapshot improvement-orientated review to externally assess and validate, to make helpful suggestions and to highlight potential opportunities.

Initial feedback is good and useful.  Our team is highly regarded and communications are considered effective and improving.  And there are various helpful suggestions that we agree and are looking to implement.

Meanwhile, something that we can all help with, to help better inform and engage our residents, is to encourage sign-up to the email newsletter via the website.

We now have nearly 3,000 subscribers and growing, but there is obviously much more potential.

I would also remind all members to get in touch with our Communications team in good time if there are local items that you think could be considered for future lease.

It all helps.  Thank you.

• The Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy and Development Management, Councillor Oliver had one announcement.  That is to thank officers and members that organised and participated in the Economic Development strategy development workshop on the 25th November. this chamber was full of stakeholders and interested partners. their input and knowledge will help inform the evolving economic development strategy that will support our Local Plan as it evolves

• The Portfolio Holder for Regulatory, Councillor Wildsmith reported on the following:

Environmental Enforcement 

The Service from East Hampshire ceased on 31 March 2024 and Hart has implemented its own service which started on 6 September 2024. The Officer spends three days a week on-Street with two days a week on back-office admin for the processes of the Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs), data management, statement writing and letter generation and Court pack creation. 

Key to the service is education and prevention. In terms of issuing Fixed Penalty Notices, since the service was set up, 52 have been issued. The focus is on keeping the streets of our towns and villages litter free, and healthy places to be as well as making Hart a great place to live. A number of the FPNs have been for smoking in work vehicles, or with children in the car.  

The team are also working on a pre-Christmas campaign around dog fouling which will be pushed out via social media in coming weeks.  

Fly tipping Enforcement

I want to continue to highlight the ongoing work of our fly tipping enforcement officer as to reassure members and members of the public this is something that Hart have and do take seriously as it is a blight on our towns and countryside.

We currently have 7 active prosecution cases, or cases pending for non payment of Fixed Penalty Notices. Our Fly-tipping officer is currently doing some really great work in pursuing all possible leads and chasing down offenders. There is a lot of work involved behind the scenes in building these cases to a prosecutable standard. I would also like to reassure members and members of the public that despite recent comments on social media where is possible and advantageous Hart will pursue those who fly tip on private land as demonstrated by the case we highlighted in July where an individual was fined £3800 throught the courts for fly tipping asbestos.

• The Portfolio Holder for Parking and Community Safety, Councillor Collins  :  announced that the Community Safety team, as part of their Stay Safe Campaign at Calthorpe Park School this week, has reached 340 Year 9 students with messages on County Lines, Healthy Relationships and the dangers of knife carrying.

The team also presented at Fleet Festivities yesterday with beer/drug goggles to talk through the dangers of impairment and the importance of planning to drive or be driven safely, particularly through the festive period.

So far this academic year, the Community Safety Team has visited Robert May’s and Yateley Schools with their Stay Safe delivery, reaching over 500 students and over 80 parents at Parent Evening Country Lines sessions.  They will be at Courtmoor in March and Frogmore in July 2025.

• The Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Corporate Services, Councillor Quarterman : I am delighted to announce that Cabinet have decided to extend our existing joint waste collection contract with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Serco for a further eight years from 2025. This decision was a complex one, given the impact of recent legislation and the need to continue to work with our partners across Hampshire to update and further extend the range of recycling that we can collect from our residents. The full arguments were set out in the papers that went to Overview and Scrutiny in October and to Cabinet earlier this month, but the decision to retain our existing contractor was based on an assessment of the risk of changing contractors, the fact that they are well established in the district, have a good relationship with our joint client team, and have been performing well over the last few years.

A key element of the decision was that we will start kerbside collection of food waste in 2025. Government legislation requires all local authorities to start food waste collection from March 2026, but our decision is to proceed with planning and procurement immediately with a view to implementing in October next year.

Hart is already one of the top three performers for recycling rates in Hampshire, with the top three separated by just 0.5%. But food waste accounts for around a third of the household waste in Hart, with over 9,000 tonnes discarded every year. By separating food waste, we should be able to deliver over 20% increases in recycling rates across the district. And food waste collection is increasingly what our residents expect from local authorities – nearly 42% of authorities already collect food waste, and the question why we haven’t done it so far in Hart is one of the most frequently asked questions I encounter on the doorstep. We also believe that proceeding immediately will mitigate some risks around procurement, as many other authorities will also be preparing to roll out this service over the next 14 months.

However, we do acknowledge that there are costs and a degree of financial risk associated with this decision. Frustratingly, the full details of central Government funding have not yet been announced, although we do now have greater clarity than was previously the case. However, our assessment is that we are able to mitigate these risks, and that if anything the risk of not progressing might actually be greater than that of progressing. This is why there is a motion later in the agenda this evening for Council to approve the financial implications of this decision, which we will cover in more detail when we come to it.

This change will have a direct impact on all residents, and will require a programme of communication and education to support it. In order to better prepare Councillors for these changes, I have asked the client team to prepare a detailed all-member briefing session which will cover the operational implications of this new service, and present an opportunity for members to ask more detailed questions. This is to be scheduled, but will be sometime in the first half of next year.