The Test Valley Borough Council cabinet is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 1 October 2025, to discuss the North Wessex Downs National Landscape Management Plan, recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and the 2025/26 revenue budget. The meeting will cover financial and strategic issues for the council.

North Wessex Downs National Landscape Management Plan

The cabinet will be asked to consider the adoption of the revised management plan for the North Wessex Downs for 2025-2030, according to the agenda and the North Wessex Downs Management Plan - Report. The plan is required under Section 89 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, and adoption by the council would fulfil its statutory duty to prepare a management plan for the National Landscape.

The North Wessex Downs, designated in 1972, is the third largest National Landscape in England, covering an area to the north of Andover. The report states that the area within Test Valley includes the parishes of:

• Faccombe
• Hurstbourne Tarrant
• Linkenholt
• Vernham Dean, and
• parts of the parishes of Smannell and Tangley.

The report notes that the designated area extends into Basingstoke and Deane, Wiltshire, West Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

The report says that the council's then Executive resolved on 10 October 2001, that the council's statutory duty to prepare a management plan for the National Landscape should be undertaken jointly by the Council of Partners on its behalf.

The report also notes that in January 2024, Natural England set Protected Landscapes 10 ambitious targets designed to help them meet their potential for nature, climate, people and place. The report says that these targets are for Protected Landscapes as places rather than tied to the Protected Landscape organisations themselves and achieving them is a shared responsibility of a range of stakeholders across all sectors.

The report lists the main changes from the 2019-2024 Management Plan:

a) Updated background and context, including reference to legislation and policy, the global and national nature recovery context, farming and land management.

b) Support, collaborative initiatives beyond the boundaries of the National Landscape (AONB), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List standard for protected areas and the importance of cultural landscapes.

c) Reference to the strengthened duty on relevant authorities under Section 85 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, as amended by Section 245 of the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023, and the increased importance of protected landscape Management Plans.

d) A new set of overarching principles to guide use of the Management Plan by everyone involved in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape (AONB).

e) A much stronger emphasis on nature recovery, with reference to the Government's Environmental Improvement Plan, 30 by 30, the North Wessex Downs Nature Recovery Plan 2023 and Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

f) Reference to the DEFRA Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework 2024, including the full set of targets and those apportioned to the North Wessex Downs National Landscape (AONB).

g) Greater prominence given to climate change, and the contribution the National Landscape can make to mitigation and adaptation.

h) More attention to the importance of healthy soils and other opportunities for responsible farming and land management to contribute to the purpose of designation.

i) A shift in emphasis from responsible tourism towards improving and widening access more generally for health and well being.

j) Special Qualities of the protected landscape are now referred to as Valued Qualities, in accord with current landscape character assessment practice.

k) Priorities, designed for all those involved in the National Landscape (AONB), replace Strategic Objectives, which were principally designed for the North Wessex Downs Council of Partners staff unit.

l) Key Issues reviewed, updated and amended where appropriate.

m) Policies reviewed, strengthened and where possible rationalised.

The report states that the legal Duty under Section 85 of the CRoW Act 2000 (as amended by Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023) makes it a legal requirement for relevant authorities , including all public bodies, to seek to further the purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the National Landscapes (AONBs).

Recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

The cabinet will be informed of recommendations referred by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, according to the agenda and the Recs of OSCOM - Report. These recommendations relate to the findings of the task and finish panel focusing on Affordable Housing – Service User Experience.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered a report from the panel, chaired by Councillor Susanne Hasselmann, at its meeting on 27 August 2025. The panel adopted an evidence-led approach, analysing data and gathering feedback from partners and service users, including evidence from housing providers and support organisations.

The recommendations focus on actions the council could take ahead of local government reorganisation but also capture good practice to take forward into the new unitary council.

The recommendations are:

1. Consider the outcomes and recommendations of the Affordable Housing, Service User Experience Panel, and contact relevant local organisations to investigate setting up multi-agency hubs.
2. Recognise the successes of Test Valley Borough Council, including its partnership approach to support residents in accessing and sustaining a home, and use this as best practice to carry forward into local government reorganisation.
3. Improve Housing Register Information and Accessibility by reviewing all literature provided to residents about the housing register process and the online system itself, incorporating easy-read formats, flowcharts, and plain language.
4. Enhance Property Advertisement Quality by taking steps to improve the quality and clarity of property advertisements, including accurate descriptions, more images, and relevant property details.
5. Review Allocations Policy for Transparency to ensure it reflects a realistic, fair, and transparent approach to rehousing prospects, including clearer communication of the likelihood of receiving an offer of accommodation and wait times.
6. Share best practice with Registered Providers (RP) by proactively engaging with them, sharing examples of best practice, and formally recognising areas of strong performance.
7. Sustain Support for Non-Statutory Services by promoting the value of these services and initiatives as essential in helping residents access and sustain accommodation to prevent homelessness.
8. Uphold Rough Sleeping Pledge by maintaining and reaffirming the council's pledge that no local person will experience rough sleeping without first being offered accommodation.
9. Collect data, both quantitative and qualitative, to support evidence-based policy and actions, including demographics of those involved in the process, surveys, and focus groups.

2025/26 Revenue Budget Update

The cabinet will receive an update on the 2025/26 revenue budget, comparing actual revenue income and expenditure against the profiled budget for the three months ended 30 June 2025, according to the agenda and the Revenue Budget Monitoring - Report.

The Revenue Budget Monitoring - Annex shows an analysis of original budget, profiled budget to date, actual expenditure to date and the variance between profiled budget and actual income / expenditure by service. The annex also shows an analysis of key areas of income and expenditure within the budget that are traditionally subject to variations in the year.

The report notes that the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Code of Practice for Treasury Management 2021 requires that Councillors be updated on treasury management activities at least quarterly.

The report says that income from investments during the quarter to the end of June 2025 was £1.226M against an estimated income of £1.124M, a favourable variance of £102,000. The report says that the main reason for this favourable variance is that the average portfolio balance was £8M higher than forecast. The report also says that the average return on investment for the period was 4.86%, outperforming the average benchmark rate of 4.05%.