Decision details

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital & Resources, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 8.

The Committee agreed to consult on the document ‘Engaging Adur and Worthing’ in November 2019. That consultation concluded on 17 January 2020.

At the Committee’s request, the revised Engaging Adur and Worthing - Adur & Worthing Councils’ Engagement Guide (Attachment A)  was being presented for agreement following the consultation process which involved members of the public, staff and elected members.

A consultation report (Attachment B) had been prepared to provide a summary of the responses received and how officers had sought to incorporate these into the revised Guide which did not represent a significant change from the draft Guide considered by the Committee in November 2019.

Officers had also used the consultation process to update the Councils’ website, as recommended by the Joint Overview and Security Committee, making it easier for the Councils’ communities to get involved, have their say and stay informed.

Members considered the number of responses to the consultation and the weight that should be given to them. Officers advised that a similar point had been raised at the Joint Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting which had considered the guide. It was noted that consultation formed a part of the decision making process, but a number of strands of information were considered by Officers.

A Member sought clarification regarding the consistency of reporting and whether any structure was in place. Officers advised that the objective of the proposed toolkit was to enable the Councils to be more consistent in their approach to engagement.  

Decision: 

The Joint Strategic Committee:

1.    noted the comments on the draft Engagement Guide outlined in the Consultation Report (Attachment B);

2.    agreed to the Councils’ adopting Engaging Adur and Worthing - Adur & Worthing Councils’ Engagement Guide (Attachment A), replacing the Adur & Worthing Councils’ Consultation Policy Statement;

3.    noted the updates to the Councils’ website to support our communities to get involved, have their say and stay informed on the Councils’ activities.      

Call In:

The call-in deadline for this decision will be 5.00pm on 21 February 2020.