Here is a summary of the upcoming Eastleigh Borough Council Cabinet meeting. The meeting will cover a range of topics including a final proposal on local government reorganisation, changes to the Hampshire Home Choice scheme, updates to parking standards, corporate performance, fees and charges, a proposal to revoke an air quality management area, and the community asset transfer programme. It is important to remember that this is only a summary of the reports provided to the Cabinet members, and we do not know if these topics will actually be discussed, or what decisions will be made.

Local Government Reorganisation

The Cabinet will consider a report on the final proposal for local government reorganisation (LGR) in Hampshire and the Solent, and will make recommendations to the Council.

The report pack includes a letter received by Councillor Keith House, Leader of the Council, and James Strachan, Chief Executive, on 5 February 2025, which stipulates the criteria to be met for any proposals. These criteria include that proposals should:

• Cover the whole of Hampshire and the Solent and create sensible economic areas that will help to increase housing supply and meet local needs .
• Create councils that are the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks .
• Prioritise the delivery of high-quality and sustainable public services .
• Show how the councils have worked together to come to a view that meets local needs .
• Support devolution arrangements including sensible population size ratios between local authorities and any strategic authority .
• Enable stronger community engagement and deliver genuine opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment .

The report pack details three options that have been shortlisted:

• Option 1: four new unitary councils (plus the Isle of Wight), including a South West Hampshire council comprising Eastleigh and Southampton.
• Option 2: four new unitary councils (plus the Isle of Wight), including a South West Hampshire council comprising Eastleigh, New Forest and Southampton.
• Option 3: four new unitary councils (plus the Isle of Wight), similar to Option 1 but including boundary changes to move some parishes between council areas.

The report pack includes the outcomes of a collective public engagement survey¹ and targeted local engagement work² to gather public opinion on the proposals.

The Cabinet will also consider legal advice regarding boundary changes, specifically concerning a modification of Option 1, conditional on a request for boundary modification by the Secretary of State.

The report recommends that Cabinet recommends to Council to approve the final proposal to Government on LGR, notes the legal advice concerning boundary change, and recommends a preferred option for approval by Council.

Community Asset Transfer Programme

Cabinet will consider a report about the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) programme, which transfers assets to town and parish councils. The report pack states that requests have been received from nine of the 11 parish and town councils for approximately 170 assets, including open space, amenity space, community buildings and car parks. The report pack also notes that some sites have been identified that cannot be transferred, for reasons such as the council not owning the land. The CAT Board has recommended that pre-emption rights and restrictive use covenants are removed for most asset transfers, with more complex or higher value assets being assessed on a case-by-case basis. The report recommends that Cabinet approves the removal of pre-emption rights and restrictive use covenants for assets listed in Appendix 2, delegates the decision to apply to the Secretary of State for express consent for proposed transfers where the undervalue is more than £2M to the Service Director of Finance, Improvement & Strategic Housing and the Head of Property, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the appropriate Local Area Committee Chair, and delegates authority to the Head of Legal Services (Deputy Monitoring Officer) to appropriate land and buildings to applicable Holding Powers to enable disposal.

Corporate Fees and Charges

Cabinet will consider a report on proposed changes to corporate fees and charges levied by the council for various services, with the intention of implementing changes from October 2025. The report pack states that the fees and charges are anticipated to achieve an additional yield of £319,910, representing an average increase of 4.4% in 2026/27.

New fees are proposed for services including:

• The Point Theatre and The Berry Theatre hire
• Eastleigh House virtual office service
• Event charges
• Court costs
• Collection of domestic soft seating waste containing Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
• Hire of 1100L bin for general waste use
• Hackney carriage compliance retests
• Licensing of primate owners and zoos
• Tennis courts at Long Lane, Bursledon and The Hub, Bishopstoke Road
• Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) pre-licence advice
• Registration for nitrate and phosphate credits

The report recommends that Cabinet approves all proposed fees and charges in Appendices A to F to come into effect on the dates outlined in the report.

Parking Standards Supplementary Planning Document

Cabinet will consider a report on the Parking Standards Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). The report pack states that the SPD provides guidance on parking standards for new residential and non-residential development, and prioritises cycle parking. The SPD aligns with the principles of Hampshire County Council's Local Transport Plan (LTP4).

The report pack notes that the document has been amended following receipt of comments arising from the formal public consultation period between 24 July and 18 September 2023.

The report recommends that Cabinet approves the Parking Standards SPD as amended for formal adoption and publication on the Council website.

Corporate Performance Report

Cabinet will consider the corporate performance report for the first quarter of 2025/26. The report pack states that the Council is on target to meet this year's actions as set out in the Corporate Plan, while preparation for Local Government Reorganisation and the release of the first homes at One Horton Heath have become the key corporate priorities.

The report pack notes that the forecast financial position for the Council is an underspend of £1.078M against Budget, primarily relating to interest savings and additional NDR grant received.

The report recommends that Cabinet considers any recommendations from the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Panel, approves the performance of the Council for the first quarter of 2025/26 and the Council's forecast financial position for the year of a £3,945,000 transfer from the General Fund, approves proposed budget adjustments, approves proposed transfer of non-ringfenced reserves to a new reserve to fund the future costs of Local Government Reorganisation, approves the distribution of the vacancy management target to services, notes the performance of the Community Investment Programme, notes the Treasury Management Position as at 31 July 2025, approves the Prudential Indicators to Quarter 1 of the 2025/26 financial year and approves purchase of a road sweeper for up to £88,000 using capital receipts.

Revocation of Air Quality Management Area 4 High Street, Botley

Cabinet will consider a report on the proposed revocation of Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) No. 4 (High Street, Botley). The report pack states that AQMA No. 4 has been compliant with the relevant national objective for more than six consecutive years, as evidenced through monitoring.

The report recommends that Cabinet approves the revocation of the Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) No. 4 (High Street Botley).