Agenda item

An opportunity for the Portfolio Holders to provide an update to the Panel on developments within their portfolios.

The Panel received updates from the Portfolio Holders on issues within the purview of the Panel.

Cllr Blunden, Environment and Sustainability

Further to discussions earlier in the meeting, Cllr Blunden reiterated officer advice and encouraged members to use the Waste Advisors service and attend the member briefings. 

Details were given of recent cliff falls between Barton on Sea and Hordle. Eroding cliffs were part of the character of the area and significant rainfall had exacerbated the problem. The Coastal team had assessed the issue and some 650m of the area remained closed for safety reasons.

On Open Spaces, work was underway on facilities such as replacement of  Langdown Bridge, Hythe.  Repairs and improvements to Hythe promenade were also underway and should be completed in the next few weeks.

Environmental signage design was also in progress with local input.

Increased resources had been made available to improve the cleanliness of the Council’s 23 public conveniences.

A pilot project to help businesses reduce energy use was also highlighted. The Climate Change and Nature Emergency Task and Finish Group’s report would be brought to the next Panel meeting in March.

Cllr Tipp, Planning and Economy

The Portfolio holder reported on the following:

Replacement of old village notice boards was underway across the District. These were previously Council owned and passed to Go New Forest.  Procurement work was complete and work was to begin shortly.

Recent Business & Community Grants awards totalled £58.4k for business  and £50.1k community.  A total of 46 applications were received (30 community; 16 business). All applicants provided at least 10% match funding. Visits were currently being carried out and were projects to be completed in March.

On the NEET Support Project (Not in Education Employment or Training),

NFDC currently delivered the Better Futures New Forest Enterprise Project , which supported small groups of young people through mentoring, enterprise training, and work placements, aiming to build confidence and improve employability.

The Economic Development Team was developing a project to establish a NEETS Hub in the New Forest for 16–24-year-olds, including employer engagement, targeted employment, training advice, and practical guidance.

This year the Council was a sponsor of the New Forest Business Show which was organised by the NFBP and 2026 show will be a business to business exhibition with networking and catering areas to be held on 18th June at the New Forest Showground.

The Council was delivering practical workshops in February and March to help local small businesses strengthen resilience and continuity planning in cases of emergency.

On the Local Plan, the Panel were advised that public consultation on  development sites was postponed due to it clashing with the Government consultation on LGR. It was now expected to take place during February and March. During this period there would be a series of drop in events across the District. Dates and venues were being finalised and will be shared. The cross-party Members Working Group would meet on 19 January to give Member input.  There would be an opportunity for all Members to have their input once the public consultation was over and Officers had refined the Plan as a result.

The Cabinet member highlighted recent proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, Planning and Infrastructure Act and the Building Safety Levy.

It was noted that the Totton Regeneration Partnership, had agreed to hold a public exhibition of the master plan on 30 January at Totton & Eling cricket club, followed by a two week online consultation.