Agenda item

PART I – ITEMS RESOLVED BY CABINET

 

Item 1 – Medium Term Financial Plan – General Fund Update

 

A councillor referenced the revenue contribution to capital outlay and that the income received from interest rates was likely to be higher than that anticipated.  It was felt that consideration should be given to reviewing financial management from a different perspective in light of Local Government Reorganisation and the expected finite future of the District Council.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate responded highlighting that the future was uncertain, however there continued to be a need to plan for the long term and of the importance of sound financial management.

 

Item 2 – Medium Term Financial Plan – Housing Revenue Account

 

There were no speakers on this item.

 

Item 3 – Allocation of community infrastructure levy (CIL) to local infrastructure projects

 

A member sought clarity on whether the District Council or the new unitary authority would determine the bids for the 2027/28 financial year, when applications would be invited in spring 2026.  A member highlighted that a two-month window for submission of applications was not a long period of time and it was suggested that officers work and consult with potential applicants to ensure that anyone wishing to apply was able to do so.

 

Another member expressed the view that as CIL receipts related to developments in the district, that this money should be spent within the district towards projects to benefit the residents of the New Forest, rather than being passed to any new unitary authority.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy reported that it was the intention for CIL monies to be allocated and spent within the district and that should there be any unspent funds, they would pass to the new unitary authority.

 

Item 4 – Half Yearly Update Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report

 

A councillor highlighted that there had been a discussion at the last Resources and Transformation Overview and Scrutiny Panel meeting regarding the rise in complaints, following the roll-out of phase 1 of the waste and recycling service.  This was a single issue and therefore needed to be recognised.  The next reporting period for complaints would include the roll-out of phases 2 and 3 of the waste service and that this should also be recognised.  One member acknowledged that lessons had been learnt from the first phase of the roll-out.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Finance and Corporate acknowledged the points made and confirmed that it was important to be careful when looking at the figures, to ensure that a single issue did not skew the report.

 

PART II – RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL

 

Item 5 – Council Tax 2026/2027

 

Cllr Heron introduced the report and moved the recommendations.  Cllr S Davies seconded the motion.

 

A councillor acknowledged that the report included the number of second homes in the district which had had an impact on the figures.  Thanks were expressed to officers for calculating this.

 

Cllr Heron responded to this, reporting that last year the council tax base had been calculated using an estimate for the number of second homes in the district.  The calculation within the report had been based on the actual number of second homes which had made a difference to the tax base outcome.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Council approved:

 

1.     The calculation of the tax base for the year 2026/27 of 74,305.8; and

 

2.     Pursuant to the report and in accordance with the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) (England) Regulations 2012, the amount calculated by this Council as its council tax base for the year 2026/27 as detailed in paragraph 13 of the Cabinet report.

 

Item 6 – Council Tax Support Scheme, Council Tax Premiums, S13A Policy, Discretionary Housing Payments Policy and Crisis Resilience Fund

 

Cllr Heron introduced the report and moved the recommendations.  Cllr S Davies seconded the motion.

 

A councillor highlighted that he had asked a question about the number of people who had been disproportionately affected by the last approved changes to the support scheme and payments policy but had not received a full explanation.    Cllr Heron reported he would be happy to speak directly with the councillor outside of the meeting to ensure that he was provided with an answer to his query.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Council approved:

 

1.     The current Council Tax Reduction scheme continues from 1 April 2026 with no proposed changes;

 

2.     The current application of Council Tax Premiums continues from 1 April 2026 with no proposed changes;

 

3.     The S13A (1) (C) Policy be approved; and

 

4.     The Discretionary Housing Payments Policy be approved

 

Item 7 – Lymington and Pennington Neighbourhood Development Plan, Examiner’s Report

 

Cllr Tipp presented the report and moved the recommendations, highlighting that the plan had been nine years in the making and congratulated the hard work of Lymington and Pennington Town Council in developing it.

 

A few members spoke in support of the recommendations recognising the time and work which had been put into the production of the development plan. They reported they were pleased to see it being taken forward and hoped that it would be supported. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Council:

 

1.     Noted the recommendations made in the Examiner’s Report (Appendix 1) into the Lymington and Pennington Neighbourhood Plan (Appendix 2 shows the submission plan);

 

2.     Agreed the Examiner’s proposed modifications (including further minor modifications identified by the two planning authorities) and the NFDC responses to them as set out in the Decision Statement (Appendix 3); and

 

3.     Subject to the separate agreement of the New Forest National Park Authority, agree for officers to make the necessary arrangements for the Lymington and Pennington Neighbourhood Plan to proceed to Referendum (the date of the referendum is anticipated to be towards the end of January 2026).

 

Item 8 – Waste Service Budgetary Position

 

Cllr Blunden introduced the report and moved the recommendations.  Cllr Blunden reported that it detailed the current position on the roll out of the council’s new waste collection service and the steps needed to maintain its success.  The service had been delivering clear environmental benefits including improved recycling rates and a reduction in littering.  It was essential to continue to meet the statutory obligations under the Environment Act 2021.

 

The Portfolio Holder clarified, there had been an updated confirmation of the bin manufacturing schedules and that the delivery of bins to households in phase 3 would commence in March, with the new service collections for residents commencing in early May 2026.  This would see the whole district on a new modernised service which would see increased recycling rates, cleaner streets and be better for the hard-working crews.

 

The report addressed the operational challenges in the areas of the district where there was free roaming livestock, and it recommended making permanent the behind the gate collection policy for food waste caddies in these areas.  The policy had proved effective in reducing animal interactions and safeguarding the reputation of the service.  The report also sought the approval of additional funding to maintain the service continuity and the bring sites provision. 

 

The Portfolio Holder reported that the recommendations included a commitment to a full review after the roll-out of phase 3 had been completed, set out in paragraphs 30 and 31 of the report.  The review would also allow the consideration of wider approaches to collections in these areas in the future, including the bring sites and would be informed by data, financial modelling and operational experience.  The recommendations were clearly financially significant, but they would ensure that the service remained resilient, environmentally responsible and legally compliant, while leaving scope for further consideration of longer-term operations once the service had bedded in.

 

Cllr S Davies seconded the motion.

 

Several councillors spoke about the waste hierarchy and the importance of education to reduce the volume of waste collected throughout the district.  It was hoped that this could be considered through the proposed review of the service following the roll-out of phase 3.

 

It was questioned by one member whether the complaints received had been dealt with appropriately, recognising that there had been a back log with the roll-out of phase 1.

 

A councillor noted that a recommendation was to carry out a review following the roll-out of phase 3 and sought assurance that it would be carried out in a timely matter.

 

A number of members spoke about the roll-out of phases 1 and 2 and highlighted issues of concern, as well as the success of the roll-out, particularly with the roll-out phase 2 and lessons being learnt from phase 1.  It was recognised that more resources had been put into the service and that residents in phase 3 would benefit from this.

 

A councillor raised concern about fly tipping, and the impact on bring sites, particularly with the next phase of the roll out which might increase the problem further.

 

A recommendation within the report related to a supplementary budget of £301,000 to support the management of bring sites.  Further information was sought by one councillor to ascertain how this would be spent, in particular whether it would try to reduce the waste collected at the bring sites, possibly through education.

 

Cllr Blunden responded at the end of the debate and agreed with the points made on the importance of educating residents on waste reduction.  He confirmed that the complaints received had been responded to.  In relation to the review which was proposed to be conducted following the roll-out of phase 3, this would be carried out swiftly and any proposed actions would be implemented in a timely manner.  Lessons had been learnt from phase 1 and this had been seen through the roll-out of phase 2 and it would continue in relation to phase 3.  The problems around the bring sites and fly tipping were recognised.  The data from the materials collected at the bring sites, suggested that they differed from those of fly tipping incidents, often relating to business waste.  He reported that he would respond directly to the councillor who had asked for further detail on how the supplementary budget would be spent to support the management of the bring sites.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That Council:

 

a)    Approved an additional £1.500m of annual budget to be added to the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan from 2026/27 onwards to maintain collection service continuity, bring site services and retain the collections of food waste containers from behind gates in areas open to free roaming livestock;

 

b)    Approved an additional £967,000 to be added to the Council’s Capital Programme for 2026/27 to accommodate the purchase of the additional vehicles required to support Cabinet recommendation 1; and

 

c)     Approved a supplementary budget of £301,000 to 2025/26 to support the continued bring-site service.