Councillor Fred Birkett
Email: fbirkett@fareham.gov.uk
Council: Fareham
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Activity Timeline
Meetings Attended Note this may include planned future meetings.
60 meetings · Page 1 of 12
Executive - Monday, 2nd February, 2026 6.00 pm
Economic Development & Regeneration Advisory Panel - Thursday, 15th January, 2026 6.00 pm
Decisions from Meetings
106 decisions · Page 13 of 22
Fareham Town Centre Regeneration Strategy 2025-2035
From: SPECIAL, Executive - Thursday, 13th February, 2025 5.00 pm - February 13, 2025
To seek Executive approval of the Fareham Town Centre Regeneration Strategy 2025-2035 alongside approval of the proposed increase to the Revenue Base Budget and identified project budgets to support the long-term delivery of the Strategy. To seek Executive approval of the proposed Stage one Masterplanning work and the associated capital budget. The Council has a strong ambition to reverse the decline of Fareham Town Centre through regeneration, recognising the wider placemaking, economic regeneration and health benefits a more successful town centre would bring. Fareham’s town centre has a key role in supporting the economy of the Borough. It is the highest-ranking destination in the Council’s retail hierarchy and as such, provides the main location for retail, leisure, entertainment and cultural activities for the Borough’s residents. Work has already begun to deliver the Council’s significant regeneration ambition with the construction of Fareham Live, the demolition and replacement of Osborn Road multi storey car park, the purchase of Birks Building (also known as Foresters Hall) for housing development, alongside the purchase of Fareham Shopping Centre in September 2023. The Council appointed an asset manager to manage the Shopping Centre, alongside regeneration consultants to support the development of a deliverable and realistic Regeneration Strategy. Stage 1 and 2 of this work was reported to the Executive in January and March of 2024 respectively. Stage 3 of this work has now been completed after a further round of detailed analysis and consideration. This is provided at Appendix A ‘Fareham Town Centre Regeneration Strategy: Analysis and opportunity Assessment’. This work has informed the development of the Fareham Town Centre Regeneration Strategy 2025-2035, which also considers the Council’s Corporate Priorities resourcing requirements and the need for economic and residential growth in the town as reflected in the Fareham Local Plan 2037. The ‘Fareham Town Centre Regeneration Strategy 2025-2035’ is provided at Appendix B to the report.
Recommendations Approved
Fareham Shopping Centre Asset Management Initiatives
From: SPECIAL, Executive - Thursday, 13th February, 2025 5.00 pm - February 13, 2025
As detailed in the confidential report
Recommendations Approved
Finance Strategy, Capital Programme, Revenue Budget & Council Tax 2025/26
From: SPECIAL, Executive - Thursday, 13th February, 2025 5.00 pm - February 13, 2025
The report seeks final confirmation of the recommendations to be made to Council on 14 February 2025, in respect of the revenue budget, capital programme and council tax for 2025/26. On 13 January 2025, the Executive reviewed the Council’s overall finance strategy and considered proposals relating to the revenue budgets and the council tax for 2025/26. This report updates the Council’s budgets to reflect the decisions taken and other known changes since 13 January 2025, including the provisional local government finance settlement. The net revenue budget for 2025/26 will be £15,050,100. With core funding estimated to be £5,819,957 no payment from the collection fund and other income sources and use of reserves totalling £693,500, this leaves the total amount due from the Council taxpayers to be £8,536,643. This level of council tax for 2025/26 equates to £191.42 per Band D property. This represents an increase of £5.56 per year from the council tax set for 2024/25 and is within the 2.99% referendum threshold set by the Government.
Recommendations Approved
Portchester Foreshore Management
From: Executive - Monday, 3rd February, 2025 6.00 pm - February 03, 2025
To address public health and safety concerns as a result of ongoing coastal erosion of the historical landfill site at Alton Grove to Cador Drive. Since October 2022, our coastal Partners team has been identifying long-term options for addressing coastal flood and erosion risk along the stretch of the Portchester shoreline from Alton Grove to Cador Drive, in collaboration with engineering consultants AECOM, through the Fareham Quay and Alton Grove to Cador Drive Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Studies. Completion of these studies is expected in Summer 2025, by which point significant funding would need to be secured for detailed design and construction of any future scheme. This work is being monitored regularly by the Executive Member for Planning and Development and the Climate Change Scrutiny Panel. The ongoing coastal erosion is leading to historic landfill materials being exposed. Until a permanent solution is in place, any public risks presented by the site need to be managed and, where necessary, mitigated. The risks at this site have been comprehensively assessed and mitigation, in terms of enhanced periodic multi-disciplinary inspections, litter picking, dynamic remedial action and a clear escalation process, is proposed.
Recommendations Approved
Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential Indicators
From: Executive - Monday, 3rd February, 2025 6.00 pm - February 03, 2025
The report considers the draft treasury Management Strategy and Investment Strategy for 2025/26, prior to its submission to the Council for approval. Regulations require the Council to prepare and formally approve both an annual Treasury Management Strategy and Investment Strategy. The latest document updated for 2025/26 is attached as Appendix A to the report for consideration by the Executive before being submitted to Council for approval. In the past 12 months, the Council’s investment balance has tanged between £18 million and £32 million, lower levels are expected in the forthcoming year due to capital programme expenditure. The Council expects to be a long-term borrower and new treasury investments will therefore be made primarily to manage day-to-day cash flows using short-term low risk instruments. The existing portfolio of strategic pooled funds will be maintained to diversify risk into different sectors and boost investment income. BORROWING levels are expected to be £71.3 million at the end of 2025/26, compared to £72.3 million in the last strategy. The Council has previously raised all of its long-term borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) but will consider long-term loans from other sources. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has issued a consultation on the extension of the statutory override on accounting for gains and losses on pooled investment funds. The outcome is expected to be published in February 2025. Whether the override will be extended beyond 31 March 2025 is unknown. The Council has set up a reserve of £500,000 to mitigate the impact of the pooled funds statutory override not being extended as unrealised losses on pooled investment funds are required to be recognised in the General Fund. The actual impact will be based on the valuations of the Council’s long term funds on 31 March 2026.
Recommendations Approved
Summary
Meetings Attended: 60
Average per Month: 2.4
Decisions Recorded: 106