The Council met to make appointments and confirm its governance arrangements for the coming year. Councillors noted the use of emergency powers to purchase a shop in Chandler's Ford, and agreed to appoint a new independent member to the Audit and Resources Committee.

Election of Mayor

The Council elected Councillor David Pragnell as Mayor and Councillor Janice Asman as Deputy Mayor. The outgoing Mayor, Councillor Nick Couldrey, and Mayoress, Ann Couldrey, were thanked for their service and presented with badges to commemorate their year in office. The Mayor made a short speech reflecting on his year, and gave particular mention to the work of the Asian Welfare and Community Association. He also noted the work of Ahmad Tea, based in Chandler's Ford, and congratulated them on winning a King's Award for Enterprise in recognition of their sustainable development work in the UK and abroad.

Appointment of an Independent Co-Opted Member to the Audit and Resources Committee

Following the withdrawal of a previously appointed candidate, the Council voted to approve the appointment of Stefan Hargrave to the Audit and Resources Committee. Mr Hargrave is a Director of Internal Audit at Triodos Bank. He will receive an annual retainer of £600, plus £100 per meeting attended. The appointment was made in response to a recommendation from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), who advise that:

audit committees include at least two independent members

Use of Emergency/Special Delegated Powers

The Council noted that the Leader and Chief Executive had used emergency powers to approve the purchase of 25 and 25a The Precinct in Chandler's Ford. The decision was made in order to allow the Council to access funding from the Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF) which is only available to Councils purchasing all of the freehold of a building.

Councillors' Questions

Councillor Parker-Jones asked the Leader of the Council how many community assets had not been transferred into community use within a year of the completion of the development in which they were sited. She also asked the Cabinet Member for the Environment what progress the Council had made towards it's target of being carbon neutral by 2025. The minutes do not record the content of the responses to these questions.

Modern Slavery Statement 2023/24

The Council noted Eastleigh Borough Council's Modern Slavery Statement 2023/24. The statement sets out the Council's commitment to complying with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. The statement was approved and published on the Council's website, and also uploaded to the Home Office Modern Slavery Statement Registry. Among other things, the statement describes the work the Council will do in the coming year to try to ensure that Modern Slavery is not taking place in its supply chains.

Appointments to Committees

The Council approved the appointment of Councillors to its committees. A full list of appointments can be found in the minutes of the meeting.