Meeting

Deputations by members of the public may be made on any item where a decision is going to be taken. The request should be made in writing to the contact officer (james.harris@portsmouthcc.gov.uk) by 12 noon of the working day before the meeting (so Monday 10 November 2025 for this meeting), and must include the purpose of the deputation (for example, for or against the recommendations). Email requests are accepted.

To receive and consider the attached report and recommendation from the Cabinet meeting held on 28 October 2025.

To receive and consider the attached report and recommendation from the Cabinet meeting held on 28 October 2025.

Proposed by: Councillor Spencer Gardner

Seconded by: Councillor Russell Simpson

This Council notes that:

i. Angela Rayner (the then Deputy Prime Minister) published the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which creates the ability for the Secretary of State to make regulations regarding planning committees and delegation.

ii. The Government's Planning Reform Working Paper: Modernising Planning Committees sought to consult on options which may limit the role of planning committees.

iii. In its February 2025 response to the Government Working Paper on Modernising Planning Committees, the Local Government Association had written to ministers to express reservations about such a plan, stating:

"Potentially removing the ability for councillors to discuss, debate or vote on key developments in their localities could erode public trust in the planning system and local government itself if there is not an official role for the local community and their representatives in decision-making for the schemes that matter most to them".

iv. The Administration, through Councillor Hugh Mason (Cabinet Member for Planning Policy & City Development), responded to the technical consultation on the Reform of Planning Committees which ran between 28 May 2025 and 23 July 2025 with their strong opposition.

This Council believes that:

i. The proposed changes will allow Government to remove powers from local authorities to decide for themselves what planning applications are decided by the planning committee and what applications can be delegated to planning officers.

ii. It is the democratic role of councillors to be involved in the decision-making process of planning applications and be able to advocate on behalf of residents.

iii. Removing the ability for councillors to discuss, debate or vote on key developments in their localities would prevent councillors from acting on behalf of their communities.

iv. These changes risk further weakening the ability of councillors to try and prevent unsuitable developments in the city, including HMO's, with the Government being able to insist such decisions are made by planning officers only.

This Council resolves that group leaders be invited to send a joint letter to Steve Reed OBE, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, outlining the Council’s opposition to the undemocratic proposal to remove councillor input into proposed local developments.

Proposed by: Councillor Lee Hunt

Seconded by: Councillor Richard Adair

This Council notes:

i. that sixteen year olds already work, pay taxes and serve in the military; and

ii. new proposed changes in election law will also close loopholes that would allow foreign donors via ‘shell companies’ to influence UK political parties.

Therefore, this Council resolves to:

i. Support the ending of 'First Past The Post' in all elections to be replaced by Proportional Representation; and

ii. Ask the Leader to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government welcoming the Government announcement that 16 and 17 year olds will be able to vote at the next General Election and the closure of foreign donors loopholes and furthermore urges the Government to replace 'First Past the Post' elections with Proportional Representation.

Proposed by: Councillor Benedict Swann

Seconded by: Councillor Simon Bosher

Council notes

i. Healthwatch was established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 as the independent champion for people using health and social care services.

ii. Healthwatch Portsmouth plays a vital role in gathering patient and service user feedback, identifying areas of concern, and making recommendations to improve services locally and nationally.

iii. The Labour Party’s stated policy to remove Healthwatch risks losing an important, independent voice for patients and carers in Portsmouth and across the country.

iv. In a time of growing pressures on the NHS and adult social care, maintaining clear, independent channels for public feedback is essential for accountability and service improvement.

Council believes:

i. That the independence and statutory powers of Healthwatch are critical for ensuring that residents’ voices are heard in shaping health and social care provision.

ii. That abolishing Healthwatch would weaken public influence and scrutiny in these vital services.

iii. That Portsmouth residents value and benefit from the work of Healthwatch Portsmouth.

Council resolves to:

i. Write to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, expressing Portsmouth City Council’s strong opposition to the proposed removal of Healthwatch and urging the Government to safeguard and strengthen its role.

ii. Share this letter with the leaders of all political parties represented in Parliament, and with Portsmouth’s MPs, requesting their support in defending Healthwatch.

Proposed by: Councillor Kimberly Barrett

Seconded by: Councillor Steve Pitt

With the announcement that the Labour Government have decided to require everyone in the UK to have mandated digital IDs, this Council notes the upset and worry that this brings to many of our residents across the city and, across the UK as well.

Having a large, centralised database is a threat to privacy and civil liberties. Our residents should not be turned into criminals, just because they cannot have a digital ID or, choose not to. This proposal is particularly worrying for millions of older people, disabled people and people living in poverty who are more likely to be digitally excluded. The idea of extending it to 13-year-olds - mentioned in the consultation is frightening.

We should not force people to turn over their private data just to be able to go about their personal lives.

This Council therefore opposes and records its opposition to the introduction of Digital IDs.

Proposed by: Councillor Charlotte Gerada

Seconded by: Councillor Garaham Heaney

This council notes:

According to Portsmouth's Community Safety Survey (CSS) 2024, the overall level of anti-social behaviour (ASB) experienced by residents has been fairly stable since 2013/14, despite a reduction in the number of incidents reported to the police.[1]

ASB takes many forms, including rowdy and inconsiderate behaviour in public, loud parties and persistent noise, drunken or aggressive behaviour in public places, street drinking, misuse of loud vehicles, drug dealing/taking in public places, nudity, vandalism.

ASB is one of the main issues residents, businesses and city institutions contact councillors and MPs about, with ASB hotspot areas often persisting for months and years. The issue is city-wide, with loud bike and vehicle racing in Portsdown Hill and Cosham, to issues of vandalism and ASB in many Southsea parks and high streets.

Persisting ASB and vandalism is having a detrimental impact on local businesses, with many having to face the financial burden of replacing smashed windows, managing shop lifting and challenging behaviour. As a result, businesses are being forced to change their working hours, move areas or shut up shop completely.

Targeted intervention and collaboration does take place between the city council, police, MPs, Police and Crime Commissioner and organisations to tackle hotspots of ASB, but issues for many are still ongoing.

The government’s recent investment boost to increase neighbourhood policing, to recruit 13,000 extra neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs by 2029, to restore local visible policing with a named, contactable officer for every neighbourhood. This additional resource has a focus on tackling ASB, shop-lifting and local town-centre crime. [2]

This council believes:

Persisting ASB hotspots are causing areas of the city to feel run down, unsafe and undesirable.

That all residents have the right to feel safe and respected in their communities.

Our local independent businesses are the bedrock of our communities and high streets and as a council and city, we should be doing all we can to make where they operate as safe and as welcoming as possible. ASB is bad for our local businesses and bad for the local economy.

That tackling ASB requires a partnership approach that is visible, consistent, and rooted in the specific needs of each neighbourhood.

That prevention and early intervention are just as important as enforcement, and that education, youth engagement, and support for those at risk of offending are vital.

This council resolves to:

Ask the Transport, Environment and Community Safety Scrutiny Panel to review the city’s current ASB strategy, report mechanisms, and partnership working, to bring forward recommendations within six months.

Request that the Cabinet Member explores the potential forthe Corporate Communications Team to improve public communication around how residents and businesses can report ASB.

Work closely with Hampshire Constabulary, social landlords, local businesses and voluntary sector partners to coordinate interventions and share data more effectively.

Requests that the Cabinet Member explores the potential topilot a “Respect Portsmouth” campaign, promoting civic pride, mutual respect, and support for victims of ASB, in partnership with local schools, community groups, and businesses.

Request that the Cabinet Member with the responsibilityfor Community Safety brings a progress report to Full Council within 12 months outlining measurable outcomes and next steps.

References:

[1] Portsmouth Community Safety Survey, Portsmouth City Council, 2024: https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/portsmouth-community-safety-survey-2024-exec-summary-aa-accessible.pdf

[2] £200 million boost to transform neighbourhood policing, Gov.uk, January 2025:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/200-million-boost-to-transform-neighbourhood-policing

Proposed by: Councillor Joe Standen

Seconded by: Councillor George Madgwick

Over the summer it was revealed that Portsmouth had been at the heart of a national news story that revealed HMOs were being used, by Home Office Contractors, for asylum seekers without the knowledge of the council. Our own city records showed that we hadn’t had an update for over two years from the Home Office and the extent of the issue was unknown to us.

Home Offices’ third-party contractors have been offering landlords high value and secured term contracts which have directly resulted in tenants, usually the most vulnerable in our society, to be issued Section 22 notices to evict them from their homes. This has directly added additional burden and strain on our social housing sector in Portsmouth by removing homes for local people and prioritising the needs of people whom, in most instances, have come here via illegal methods.

Recently published figures show that around 700 asylum seekers are living in Portsmouth, which, staggeringly, is more than every other local authority in Hampshire combined. Portsmouth is burdened with a disproportionately larger share of asylum seekers which is causing additional strain on multiple services.

Labour Government have recently announced a plan to move asylum seekers out of hotels. This is causing concerns amongst residents about more being placed directly within communities. That being said, the Government have stated they will be exploring and opening secured detention facilities across the UK so that people who enter the country via illegal methods are not dispersed within communities until such time they are processed.

Council notes:

i. Portsmouth is carrying a disproportionate share of supported asylum seekers in Hampshire. The most recent House of Commons Library local-authority dataset shows Portsmouth has around 700 people on asylum support. By comparison, the rest of Hampshire’s local authorities combined account for a materially lower total, including: Southampton, Rushmoor, Winchester, Fareham, Gosport, Basingstoke & Deane, Isle of Wight and several other districts. On these data, Portsmouth alone houses more supported asylum seekers than the rest of Hampshire combined.

ii. The use of family homes and HMOs in Portsmouth without prior notification. Despite previous assurances to the contrary, it has emerged that at least 55–58 private rental properties (HMOs) in Portsmouth have been used as “dispersal” accommodation, information the council says it was not notified of at the time, with numbers rising sharply from 10 properties in 2019.

iii. The historic and ongoing concern about “secret” placements. Local reporting documents repeated instances of the Home Office or its contractor placing people in accommodation without adequate engagement or transparency with the council, prompting formal complaints from Portsmouth City Council dating back years. Furthermore, it was proven that landlords have evicted good tenants to make way for government contracts for higher revenue, which puts additional strain on our social housing sector.[1]

iv. Hotel use in the city (Royal Beach Hotel, Southsea). The Royal Beach Hotel has been used to accommodate asylum-seeking households, prompting public protest and concern. Local coverage also references serious alleged criminal incidents involving residents at asylum hotels, heightening community unease.

v. Portsmouth is a proud multi-cultural city with a diverse history. Legal migration and genuine refugees from authorised government relocation schemes should be supported where possible.

vi. Portsmouth supports the Labour Government’s announcement to begin placing asylum seekers who enter the country illegally into secure detention facilities, such as the military bases announced, instead of community placements, until they have been processed.

Council believes:

i. Fairness across Hampshire matters. Portsmouth’s public services, housing market, and communities are under intensified pressure where dispersal is concentrated in one city. Dispersal should be shared fairly across local authorities in the county and wider region, in line with population and service capacity.

ii. Transparency is non-negotiable. The Home Office and contracted providers must not use family homes or HMOs for asylum accommodation in Portsmouth without prior, formal notification and agreement with the council’s responsible officers and members.

iii. Hotels are unsuitable as a long-term solution. The continued use of hotels, especially in dense urban areas, creates avoidable safeguarding, community cohesion, and cost pressures, and should be wound down safely and swiftly. Solutions should then be sought in detention facilities or disused military sites nationwide.

Council resolves

i. To make formal representations to the Secretary of State (Home Office) and Minister for Immigration requesting an immediate review and re-allocation of dispersal placements so that the supported asylum-seeker population is fairly distributed across Hampshire (and neighbouring areas in the South East), reflecting both population and service capacity.

ii. To request a temporary cap (moratorium) on any new placements into Portsmouth, including through HMOs, private rentals, or hotels until the Home Office has implemented a fair-share distribution across Hampshire, and until a binding local engagement and notification protocol is agreed.

iii. To insist that no family homes or HMOs in Portsmouth are used for asylum accommodation without prior formal notification to the Director of Housing, Neighbourhood & Building Services and the Cabinet Member for Housing & Tackling Homelessness, and with a published register of addresses, redacted for privacy, but aggregated for ward-level impact reporting.

iv. To call for the closure of the Royal Beach Hotel to asylum use, with a clear, time-bound plan to relocate guests to more appropriate accommodation outside Portsmouth unless and until dispersal is demonstrably fair and a full safeguarding/impact assessment is agreed with the council.

v. To publish quarterly public dashboards on asylum placement impacts in Portsmouth (education, housing, community safety, primary care access), drawing on Home Office and contractor data, and to invite Hampshire authorities to do likewise for county-wide transparency and accountability.

vi. For the Chief Executive to write to all Hampshire local authority Leaders (districts, city, and county) inviting a joint county-wide position urging the Home Office to:

a. Implement a county fair-share dispersal formula;

b. Cease unnotified HMO and family-home use; and

c. Phase out hotel use in dense urban centres in favour alternative secure accommodation away from access to residential areas.

vii To refer this motion to the Local Government Association (LGA) seeking national backing for mandatory Home Office notification and fair-share dispersal rules, given similar issues reported in other councils.

[1] Housing Charities Silent as Tenants Evicted for State Contracts | Charity Today News

Proposed by: Councillor George Fielding

Seconded by: Councillor Yinka Adeniran

Council notes:

i. That Portsmouth maintains a proud and historic association with the Royal Navy, the Armed Forces, and the veterans’ community, and is home to thousands of service personnel and their families.

ii. That transitioning from military to civilian life can be challenging, particularly in securing suitable housing, employment, and access to ongoing welfare and health support.

iii. That on 22 May 2025, the UK Government announced the establishment of VALOUR (Veterans Accommodation and Liaison for the Unity of Resettlement), a UK-wide £50 million initiative to improve coordination between housing, welfare, health, and employment services for veterans.1

iv. That on 27 June 2025, The Portsmouth News reported that dozens of former Service Family Accommodation (SFA) homes in Portsmouth have been declared “unfit for human habitation” due to damp, mould, broken windows, and disrepair, despite recent MOD reacquisition of these properties.2

v. That in the Portsmouth area, 44 SFA properties are currently not available for occupation because of their condition.

vi. That the Ministry of Defence has committed up to £1.5 billion nationally through its Defence Housing Strategy and Consumer Charter to upgrade service family accommodation and return tens of thousands of military homes into safe use.

vii. That refurbished and repurposed military housing in Portsmouth presents an opportunity to address local housing shortages and to prioritise accommodation for veterans, service leavers, and their families, in alignment with the objectives of VALOUR.

Council believes:

i. That every veteran and service family deserve access to safe, decent, and affordable housing as a matter of principle and in recognition of their service.

ii. That the current state of some MOD housing stock in Portsmouth, as highlighted by The Portsmouth News, demonstrates the urgent need for investment, oversight, and partnership between local and national bodies.

iii. That the Government’s VALOUR initiative provides a strategic opportunity for Portsmouth to integrate local housing efforts with national veteran support systems, ensuring the city’s veterans receive the full benefit of the new network.

iv. That collaboration between Portsmouth City Council, the Ministry of Defence, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, housing providers, and local veteran charities can ensure that renovated military homes are managed sustainably and allocated fairly.

v. That Portsmouth should position itself as a regional hub for VALOUR activity, ensuring that the city’s historic and ongoing role in supporting the Armed Forces community is recognised through practical, coordinated delivery.

Council therefore resolves to:

i. Formally express full support for the UK-wide VALOUR network and its objectives and commit to ensuring Portsmouth’s inclusion in the network’s regional delivery structure.

ii. Support in principle the restoration, refurbishment, and reuse of former MOD and military housing in Portsmouth, with the aim of allocating a proportion of these homes for veterans and service families, including the possibility of seeking Council acquisition of the SFA properties, partnership management, or advocacy for the MOD to refurbish and allocate these properties.

iii. Request that the Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness, together with the Armed Forces Champion, engage with VALOUR, the Ministry of Defence, and relevant housing providers to explore opportunities for partnership working and funding, identify suitable properties or land for veteran housing, and ensure the renovated housing meets both local and veteran-specific needs.

iv. Request that the Cabinet Member for Housing & Tackling Homelessness considersa report assessing the availability, condition, and ownership status of renovated and surplus MOD housing in Portsmouth; potential models for acquisition, renovation, and management in partnership with VALOUR; and the potential for allocating a proportion of refurbished homes for veterans and service families.

v. Advocate that Portsmouth be considered as a VALOUR Support Centre location or priority site for a Regional Field Officer, ensuring the city benefits directly from the network’s funding and infrastructure.

vi. Write and confirm the Council’s expression of support to the Secretary of State for Defence, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, local Members of Parliament, and the South East Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association, calling for national collaboration with Portsmouth City Council to deliver the shared objectives of VALOUR and the Defence Housing Strategy.

vii. Encourage the Council to liaise with the independent review team overseeing the Defence Housing Strategy to represent Portsmouth’s local interests and ensure that the voices of veterans and service families are heard.

viii. Request that the Cabinet Member for Housing and Tackling Homelessness, together with the Armed Forces Champion report back to the July 2026Full Council on progress with VALOUR engagement.

References

1.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-of-veterans-to-benefit-from-new-uk-wide-support-network

2.

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defence/royal-navy-army-raf-houses-portsmouth-damp-mould-5198301