Agenda item

To ask questions of Portfolio Holders. Questions received will be tabled at the meeting. (Members are reminded that questions must be submitted to the Chief Executive or to the Executive Head of Governance and Regulation by no later than noon on Friday 12 October 2018.)

Question 1

Cllr Wade asked the Portfolio Holder for Housing Services whether she could give reassurance that the existing and any future Conservative led administration would not borrow money to build council housing only to see it lost under the "Right to Buy" scheme. 

The Portfolio Holder reported that the current Administration was determined to deliver new homes to address the need for affordable housing. The Council would utilise its existing HRA reserves, capital receipts and prudent borrowing in order to do this.

The Right to Buy Scheme had been set through national legislation. The number of new homes the Council planned to acquire and build in the future far outweighed those that would be lost through Right to Buy. 

Question 2

Cllr Steele asked the Portfolio Holder for Local Economic Development, Property & Innovation how existing District Council assets were being maximised for the benefit of the New Forest community. 

The Portfolio Holder explained that the Economic Development Strategy recognised that there was an undersupply of suitable business units in the District, which restricted economic growth.  He gave examples of the Council was helping to deliver repurposed modern business centres which would enable job creation, business growth and the development of local skills.  In addition, the Council held 23 commercial properties valued at approximately £9.6 million, providing annual rental income of £673,000, a gross yield of 7%.  The total income received from all non-housing leases was approximately £900,000 per annum.

The Council had also disposed of land which was surplus to operational requirements, including a former car park sold for £1.95 million and another site for £675,000.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the achievements would not have been possible without the hard work of staff.  The Council’s Economic Development Strategy set out ways to maximise assets in the District.

Cllr Kendal disclosed a non-pecuniary interest in relation to Question 2, as a Member of Hampshire County Council, which had granted funding to the IncuHive business centre.  He concluded that there were no grounds under common law to prevent him from remaining in the meeting and there was no discussion on this item.

Question 1

From Cllr Alex Wade to Cllr Jill Cleary, Portfolio Holder for Housing Services:

"Will she give reassurance that the tail-end of this administration and any future Conservative led administration won't borrow money to build much needed council housing only to see it lost under the "Right to Buy" scheme?”

Answer

The Portfolio Holder responded that the building of council housing was much needed.  The current Administration was determined to do all it could to deliver new homes in light of the desperate need for affordable housing in the District. The Council would utilise its existing Housing Revenue Account reserves, capital receipts and prudent borrowing in order provide housing. The Council had committed to spend £19 million on the acquisition and building of much needed homes for social rent in the District in the current financial year. 

The Right to Buy Scheme had been set through national legislation. The number of new homes that the Council planned to acquire and build in the future far outweighed those that would be lost through Right to Buy.

The Council would continue to accelerate the acquisition and new build programme to produce more affordable housing in order to meet the great need for affordable housing in the District.

Question 2

From Cllr Mark Steele to Cllr Michael Harris, Portfolio Holder for Local Economic Development, Property & Innovation

When many think of economic development, they think of creating something new – new industrial sites, new marketing campaigns, new talent attraction, and new business recruitment.  But, in many of our communities in the New Forest, the key to economic competitiveness in some instances I believe is repurposing and improving existing assets, indeed in some of the New Forest Communities, this could mean a shift from building a new business park to redeveloping existing real estate.  Can the Portfolio Holder for Local Economic Development, Property and Innovation - Cllr Michael Harris please confirm, how are we maximizing our existing assets in the New Forest community?

Answer

The Portfolio Holder reported that the Economic Development Strategy recognised that there was an undersupply of suitable business units in the District, which restricted economic growth.  The Council had disposed of land surplus to operational requirements, including a former car park sold for £1.95 million and land at Hardley Industrial Estate which had been sold for £675,000.

The Council held 23 commercial properties valued at approximately £9.6 million, providing an annual rental income of £673,000, a gross yield of 7%.  The total income received from all non-housing leases was approximately £900,000 per annum.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the Council was helping to deliver repurposed modern business centres which would enable job creation, business growth and the development of local skills.  He gave the example of the C4Si site on the former National Park Headquarters in Lymington, which had received seed funding from the District Council and Hampshire County Council and the former Advertiser and Times site in New Milton which would reopen as a modern IncuHive business centre.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the achievements would not have been possible without the hard work of staff.  The Council’s Economic Development Strategy set out ways to maximise assets in the District.