Test Valley Borough Council
Councillors:
43
Wards:
21
Committees:
17
Meetings (2026):
29
Meetings (2025):
92
Meeting
General Purposes Committee - Test Valley
Meeting Times
Scheduled Time
Start:
Monday, 20th October 2025
5:30 PM
Monday, 20th October 2025
5:30 PM
End:
Monday, 20th October 2025
9:30 PM
Monday, 20th October 2025
9:30 PM
Meeting Status
Status:
Confirmed
Confirmed
Date:
20 Oct 2025
20 Oct 2025
Location:
Conference Room 1, Beech Hurst, Weyhill Road, Andover
Conference Room 1, Beech Hurst, Weyhill Road, Andover
Meeting Attendees
Committee Member
Leader and Strategic Regeneration and Partnerships Portfolio Holder
Committee Member
Deputy Leader and Finance and Resources Portfolio Holder
Officer
Head of HR
Alex Rowland
HR
Expected
Agenda
1
Apologies
Minutes
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Cattell and Adams-King.
2
Public Participation
Minutes
There was no public participation.
3
Declarations of Interest
Minutes
There were no declarations of interest.
4
Urgent Items
Minutes
There were no urgent items for consideration.
5
Minutes of the previous meeting
To approve, as a correct record, the minutes of the meeting held on 26 June 2025.
Attachments:
- Document Minutes - 26 June 2025 10 Oct 2025
Minutes
Councillor Z Brooks proposed and Councillor P North seconded the motion that the minutes of the previous meeting were an accurate record. Upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried.
Resolved:
That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 June 2025 were signed as a correct record.
Resolved:
That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 June 2025 were signed as a correct record.
6
Annual Health and Safety Performance Report 2024/2025
To consider the annual Health and Safety Performance Report for 2024/25
Attachments:
- Document General Purposes HS report 2025 10 Oct 2025
Minutes
Consideration was given to a report of the Corporate Health and Safety Manager which summarised health and safety management activities over a twelve-month period, April 2024 to March 2025.
The report detailed corporate activities and achievements over the last year, and highlighted priorities and areas to focus on for the year ahead. It also demonstrated
Test Valley Borough Council’s commitment to:
Being transparent on the Council’s performance on health and safety, by publishing health and safety performance data.
Detailing the Council’s health and safety performance, accidents, incidents, training, and arrangements for managing risks.
Highlighting how the Council monitors and measures health and safety performance, with a view to highlighting areas where the Council performs well, and areas for improvement.
· The Council’s responsibility for ensuring a safe and healthy environment for service users, members of the public, employees, and contractors.
Councillors asked questions of the Corporate Health and Safety Manager and requested that Neurodiversity training be made available to Councillors. This will be organised.
The following recommendation was proposed by Councillor P Lashbrook and seconded by Councillor Yalden. Upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried.
Resolved:
That the Annual Health and Safety Report 2024/2025 be approved.
The report detailed corporate activities and achievements over the last year, and highlighted priorities and areas to focus on for the year ahead. It also demonstrated
Test Valley Borough Council’s commitment to:
Being transparent on the Council’s performance on health and safety, by publishing health and safety performance data.
Detailing the Council’s health and safety performance, accidents, incidents, training, and arrangements for managing risks.
Highlighting how the Council monitors and measures health and safety performance, with a view to highlighting areas where the Council performs well, and areas for improvement.
· The Council’s responsibility for ensuring a safe and healthy environment for service users, members of the public, employees, and contractors.
Councillors asked questions of the Corporate Health and Safety Manager and requested that Neurodiversity training be made available to Councillors. This will be organised.
The following recommendation was proposed by Councillor P Lashbrook and seconded by Councillor Yalden. Upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried.
Resolved:
That the Annual Health and Safety Report 2024/2025 be approved.
7
HR Policy and Procedure Revisions
To consider changes to the Council’s HR Policies.
Attachments:
- Document HR Policy and Procedure Revisions - Report 10 Oct 2025
- Document HR Policy and Procedure Revisions - Annex 10 Oct 2025
Minutes
Consideration was given to a report of the HR Manager which recommended the introduction of a new AI (artificial intelligence) Policy.
A new policy has been drafted to provide guidance and a responsible framework as AI tools are being made available and deployed within the organisation. The report set out the principles, responsibilities and overarching governance structure to support the secure and ethical deployment and use of AI within the Council.
Alongside the introduction of the policy a new digital area of the intranet has been set up to provide further guidance and examples of how AI tools might be used, together with learning sessions being run for staff to learn how AI tools might support them in their roles and how to use them in a secure, transparent and ethical way in line with this policy.
Members requested that training on Microsoft Co-Pilot be made available to Councillors. This will be organised.
The following recommendation was proposed by Councillor P Lashbrook and seconded by Councillor A Dowden. Upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried.
Resolved:
That the AI (artificial intelligence) Policy attached at Annex 1 to the report be approved.
A new policy has been drafted to provide guidance and a responsible framework as AI tools are being made available and deployed within the organisation. The report set out the principles, responsibilities and overarching governance structure to support the secure and ethical deployment and use of AI within the Council.
Alongside the introduction of the policy a new digital area of the intranet has been set up to provide further guidance and examples of how AI tools might be used, together with learning sessions being run for staff to learn how AI tools might support them in their roles and how to use them in a secure, transparent and ethical way in line with this policy.
Members requested that training on Microsoft Co-Pilot be made available to Councillors. This will be organised.
The following recommendation was proposed by Councillor P Lashbrook and seconded by Councillor A Dowden. Upon being put to the vote, the motion was carried.
Resolved:
That the AI (artificial intelligence) Policy attached at Annex 1 to the report be approved.
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