Home | All about HIOW | Members and Officers | Association meeting dates | Key documents | Links | Election Results | Responses | Officer Networks  | Other Useful Information |

Back to 2004 Meetings Index | Back to Agenda Page

Paper 6B - 16 July 2004 Meeting

________________________________________________________________________

That the Association endeavours to draw up a Compact for Joint Working with Government Departments on public sector land disposals.
________________________________________________________________________

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE ESTATES

1. Defence Estates will be giving a presentation to Members on current Ministry of Defence policy. This will be a co-ordinated presentation involving the South East and South West Divisions of Defence Estates. The three officials attending are:

Lee Davis, Head of Estates (South West)
Martin Lloyd, Head of Disposals (South East)
Stephen Little, Deputy Area Manager (Portsmouth)

2. The background to the presentation from the Association’s point of view is that last year we lobbied the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for better consultation over public sector land releases, supporting representations from East Hampshire District Council. This lobbying was particularly aimed at improving liaison with the Ministry of Defence. The Association sought:

Ž relaxation of Treasury rules on disposals and Crown Immunity
Ž disposals to reflect local planning policy
Ž better consultation, building on some excellent local practice (e.g. Project Connaught and the Aldershot urban extension in Rushmoor)
Ž consultation with Local Strategic Partnerships.

3. Meanwhile the Government was pressing ahead with its Communities Plan through the ODPM. English Partnerships were beginning to take a co-ordinating role and drawing up a register of unused public sector land. Recently the Secretary of State for Health has announced an agreement to transfer over 100 surplus NHS sites to the ODPM. The money raised will be reinvested back into the NHS to fund frontline services.

4. The officers, in particular Ian Parker at Hampshire County Council and Malcolm Crocker, Gosport Borough Council, have been in touch with ODPM to improve liaison. Ian Parker gave a presentation on our behalf to an ODPM-sponsored meeting of central government departments in February. We understand that a review of Treasury rules is now underway.

5. It is suggested that the Association now promotes a "Compact for Joint Working" with English Partnerships. We understand that the Government Office for the South East agrees that this is a good way forward, so with Members’ approval the officers will be working with government departments to achieve such a Compact.

Date: 8 June 2004
Annex: 0
Contact: Nick Goulder - 023 8068 8431, E-mail hiow@eastleigh.gov.uk

TOP OF PAGE