Cabinet - Monday, 15th December, 2025 6.30 pm - Agenda and minutes

Under the Council’s Code of Conduct for Councillors, all Members are required to disclose relevant Interests in any matter to be considered at the meeting.  Where the matter directly relates to a Member’s Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Registrable Interest, that Member must not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must not remain in the room unless they have been granted a dispensation (see note below). If the matter directly relates to ‘Non-Registrable Interests’, the Member’s participation in the meeting will depend on the nature of the matter and whether it directly relates or affects their financial interest or well-being or that of a relative, friend  or close associate, applying the tests set out in the Code.

NOTE:

On 27th May, 2021, the Council’s Corporate Governance, Audit and Standards Committee granted dispensations to Members appointed by the Council to the Board of the Rushmoor Development Partnership and as Directors of Rushmoor Homes Limited.

Having regard to the Council’s Code of Conduct for Councillors, no declarations of interest were made.

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on 25th November, 2025 (copy attached).

The Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 25th November, 2025 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman.

To consider resolving:

That, subject to the public interest test, the public be excluded from this meeting during the discussion of the undermentioned item to avoid the disclosure of exempt information within the paragraphs of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972 indicated against such item:

Item                Schedule      Category

No.                  12A Para.

                        No.

4                      3                      Information relating to financial or business affairs

RESOLVED: That, taking into account the public interest test, the public be excluded from the meeting during the discussion of the under mentioned item to avoid the disclosure of exempt information within the paragraph of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972 indicated against the item:

Minute           Schedule      Category

No.                  12A Para.

                        No.

48                   3                      Information relating to financial or business affairs

To consider Exempt Report No. REG2542 (copy attached), which sets out options for the disposal of 82 residential units contained within the Union Yard scheme in Aldershot.

The Cabinet considered Exempt Report No. REG2542, which set out options  for the disposal of 82 residential units contained within the Union Yard scheme in Aldershot town centre. The Leader of the Council welcomed Cllr M.J. Tennant who had requested to address the Cabinet on this issue.

Members were reminded that, at its meeting held across 8th and 14th April, 2025, the Cabinet had resolved to dispose of the units to Prime Developments Limited.  Work had commenced to effect that decision when, on 11th November, 2025, Prime had notified the Council that the company were not in a position to proceed with the acquisition. It was for this reason that the matter was back in front of Members. It was considered that the remaining alternative options had not changed materially since they had previously been evaluated.  The Cabinet had previously considered and discussed the risks of each option and had decided that disposal to Rushmoor Housing Limited (RHL) had carried a significant short-term risk to the Council’s revenue account, meaning that this option had been the least favourable in terms of short-term financial risk. The Cabinet had agreed, therefore, to discount this option and it was not felt that this option had become any more viable over the following time period. The options relating to the direct sale or rent of the units to the open market had been discounted as it had been considered that this would carry a high risk in terms of potential delays in receiving the capital receipts when compared to the other options. There had been a further risk in respect of the future sales of the units not achieving the same value as agents had forecasted. For these reasons, those options had also been discounted. Although it was acknowledged that, since that time, optimism within the sales and rental market had increased, it was not felt that this was sufficiently substantive to make these options viable in terms of risk at this time. The remaining option was for the disposal of the units to a named registered housing provider. When considered previously, this option had been narrowly ruled out in favour of the Prime Developments key worker option. It was considered that this now offered the most viable option for the disposal of the units.

The Cabinet heard from Cllr Tennant, who expressed concern that the report did not contain new financial information on the impact of this matter on the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS). He suggested that the adversity of the Council’s financial position had been exaggerated over the previous two financial years and that each year had ended up in surplus. It was also felt that there was a lack of evidence as to the urgency of the disposal to help to deliver financial sustainability to the Council. Cllr Tennant explained that it was the belief of his Group that there was sufficient time to explore the alternative options more fully, with fresh financial modelling being carried out. In particular,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.