Agenda and minutes

Members and officers must declare any disclosable pecuniary interests in relation to any business on the agenda.  Declarations should also be made at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting. 

If in doubt contact the Legal or Democratic Services representative for this meeting.

Councillor Kevin Boram declared personal interests in Items 5 and 6 as a Member of West Sussex County Council and senior adviser to the WSCC Cabinet Member for the Environment. He also declared a personal interest in Item 8 as a Member of West Sussex County Council, in Item 9 as the WSCC Representative on the Southern Region Flood & Coastal Committee and in Item 11 as he sat on the JOSC Working Group looking at Adur Homes Repairs and Maintenance.

Councillor Val Turner declared a personal interest in Item 12 as a Member of the South Downs Leisure Trust Board.

To approve the minutes of the Joint Strategic Committee meeting held on 1 December 2020, copies of which have been previously circulated.

Resolved that the minutes from the Joint Strategic Committee meeting held on 1 December 2020, be approved as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any questions from members of the public.

Questions should be submitted by noon on Friday 8 January 2021 to Democratic Services,

democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk  

(Note: Public Question Time will operate for a maximum of 30 minutes.)

There were two public questions received in advance of the meeting. 

1.         Question from Gabrielle Crisp

With the built environment contributing 15% of carbon emissions (1), retrofitting the existing housing stock represents a key step in reaching carbon zero. Whilst supporting the “talk of appointing a lead for Adur Homes retrofitting” (2), will the council seize the opportunity to enable the growth of a local retrofitting industry through skills development, training and apprenticeship opportunities and business leader engagement, working in partnership with further education and other agencies?

(1)     https://www.carbonbrief.org/uk-homes-shockingly-unprepared-for-climate-change-says-ccc

(2)     Item 6:  Section 4.8 of Response to the Joint Overview and Scrutiny review of Climate Change Report by the Director for Digital Sustainability & Resources(2)

The Leader of Worthing Borough Council replied that this was a pertinent question identifying the urgent need to develop skills, training and apprenticeship opportunities in the retrofitting sector, which the Committee on Climate Change has said needs “urgent funding”, including from the Treasury.

The councils were involved in several consortium programmes to support retrofit of housing. These included the West Sussex Affordable Warmth Partnership which was a countywide strategic group supporting the development of retrofit programmes for householders such as

·       LEAP, the very successful energy and money saving advice service, and

·       the Warmer Homes programme (Local Authority Delivery) through which residents on low incomes can access free installations of heat decarbonisation measures such as air source heat pumps and solid wall insulation.

Adur & Worthing Councils were also working with Warmer Sussex and Retrofitworks who aimed to build capacity and delivery in the Retrofit sector and were collaborating with other housing providers across Greater Brighton Economic Region to deliver retrofit measures at scale.

Adur Homes would be developing a comprehensive Asset Management Strategy and action plan, which would include actions towards achieving better energy efficiency and reaching Carbon Zero. The plan would align with ongoing actions in this regard within the Council and included actions to ensure that the right expertise was available to achieve this ambition.

Following the Climate Assembly, a programme of engagement was planned. One area of focus was with businesses, organisations and education providers to support decarbonisation across the area. This would include promotion of housing and commercial retrofit and would include championing the development of skills and capacity across all sectors as well as the delivery of programmes and projects for decarbonisation.

Ms Crisp asked a supplementary question regarding upskilling and retraining and how this could be put in place by September 2021.

The Leader recognised that there was a skills gap for people coming in to do this work and the need for upskilling and / or retraining. He also advised that the LEP was looking at this issue and was working with partners to move this forward.  

2.         Question from Kirsten Wild

We commend the council’s decision in July 2019 to declare a climate emergency, making maintaining community green spaces and increasing biodiversity top goals. Yet the Council is currently consulting to change the designated use of an open access  ...  view the full minutes text for item JSC/97/20-21

To consider any items the Chairman of the meeting considers to be urgent.

There were no items raised under urgency provisions.

To consider a report from the Director for Digital, Sustainability & Resources, a copy is attached as item 5.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability & 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 5.

The Committee received a report back on the highly successful and innovative online Adur and Worthing Climate Assembly which, following approval by Joint Strategic Committee in January 2020, engaged local residents on the community response to climate change.

The Adur & Worthing Climate Assembly Recommendations Report produced by DemSoc and Adur & Worthing Councils was appended to the report and the recommendations were presented by Climate Assembly member Mary Frankland.

Assembly Members had considered the question: How can we in Adur and Worthing collectively tackle climate change and support our places to thrive? What does this mean for the way we live and for our local environment?

At the end of the process, members put forward 18 recommendations they felt necessary for communities, organisations and the councils to take forward. These were presented to Committee members.

The report outlined the deliberative process and proposed a series of next steps to follow through on the Assembly recommendations.

Forty Three Assembly members from a variety of backgrounds and ages representing all communities of Adur and Worthing took part in the Assembly. They went through an exacting process over three months, learning about climate challenges and opportunities from expert speakers drawn from national and local organisations.

A Survey of Assembly Members confirmed the Assembly had been a positive experience and would have positive ongoing impact:

o   97% felt inspired by what was achieved by working together

o   83% feel they have more knowledge about climate change

o   89.5% felt the Climate Assembly will lead to positive changes and will support our places to thrive

o   67% want to now get involved in actions to help tackle climate change

o   97% were happy they took part

During consideration of the item, Members discussed the ACOM report, the continued promotion of cycling and walking, publication of the Councils’ Carbon Audits and availability of resources in future to fund the delivery of this work.

Members thanked all of the Climate Assembly Members for their participation and welcomed the ambitious recommendations.

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Daniel Humphreys, seconded by Councillor Angus Dunn and unanimously supported by the Committee. 

Decision: 

The Joint Strategic Committee

       i.         noted the success of the Climate Assembly and recognised the extraordinary commitment shown by Assembly Members during the 3 month Assembly process;

     ii.         formally received the Assembly recommendations, in particular those which fell within the remit of the councils to take forward; and

    iii.         approved the proposed next steps (Appendix 5) to start working up the response to the recommendations.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for this decision will be 5.00pm on 22 January 2021.

To consider a report from the Director for Digital, Sustainability & Resources, a copy is attached as item 6.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability & 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 6.

The report provided a response and recommendations to the Joint Strategic Committee to the recommendations contained within the Joint Overview and Scrutiny working group review of Climate Change initially presented to this committee in November 2020.

The report by the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Working Group produced 10 recommendations. The very fast moving nature of work on the climate and sustainability agenda through Platforms for our Places and SustainableAWhad seen several of the recommendations implemented since the Working Group concluded.

The recommendations already actioned include:

1.1.1    The publication of the annual report on council carbon reduction;

1.1.2    Learning from best practice at other councils through the UK100 Cities network, the vanguard group local authorities leading on climate best practice

1.1.3    The development of the Sustainable Procurement Strategy and Sustainability Code of Practice;

1.1.4    The development of a Sustainability Checklist for Planning;

1.1.5    A new Sustainable Energy Supplementary Planning Document requiring submission of the energy and carbon strategy of new development;

1.1.6    The draft Worthing Local Plan has developed energy and carbon standards in advance of national standards; and

1.1.7    The allocation of funding for active travel to the County Council, Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council to enable greater promotion of active travel to the community.

The recommendations in the report were proposed by Councillor Daniel Humphreys, seconded by Councillor Carson Albury and unanimously supported by the Committee.

Decision: 

The Joint Strategic Committee

I.               In relation to Recommendation One - agreed that officers add the Fairtrade Directory once updated to the council website under SustainableAW pages;

II.              In relation to Recommendation Three on Adur Homes - agreed that officers ensured decarbonisation and energy efficiency opportunities were considered in future Adur Homes capital investment plans.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for this decision will be 5.00pm on 22 January 2021.

To consider a report from the Director for Digital, Sustainability & Resources, a copy is attached as item 7.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability & 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 7.

The procurement strategy was last approved in 2017 with an intended life of three years. The report introduced a new Sustainable Procurement Strategy which highlighted the need to continue to transform the Councils approach to procurement in order to deliver the aspirations in Platforms for our Places:Going further and greater environmental impact and social value.  The Strategy illustrated how improved procurement activity would help deliver the Councils corporate ambitions for Platforms.

The Committee gave consideration to the forms of measurement proposed, the Action Plan and Benchmarking against other authorities. Benchmarking was already proposed with Brighton & Hove City Council and members suggested that further benchmarking should also take place with other District / Borough Councils. Members also discussed the make up of the Procurement Working Group and method of implementation.

The recommendations in the report were proposed by Councillor Daniel Humphreys, seconded by Councillor Val Turner and unanimously supported by the Committee.

Decision: 

The Joint Strategic Committee

i.                approved the Sustainable Procurement Strategy;

ii.              noted the action plan; and

iii.             approved the sustainability code of practice.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for this decision will be 5.00pm on 22 January 2021.

To consider a report from the Director for Communities, a copy is attached as item 8.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Communities, 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 report provided a high level overview of the progress that had been made on the Councils Public Health Strategy, which was due to come to an end March 2021; discussion of the significant work that had been underway in relation to Covid and the challenges the Councils faced to build back in a post-pandemic world, especially around tackling inequalities and being more inclusive; and a starting point for the development of a new strategy during 2021 which would engage partners and communities.

Members welcomed the report acknowledging the impressive range of work that was being undertaken.

The recommendations in the report were proposed by Councillor Daniel Humphreys, seconded by Councillor Val Turner and unanimously supported by the Committee.

Decision: 

The Joint Strategic Committee noted the contents of the report and strategically supported the proposal to develop a ‘place based’ approach to tackling health inequalities to meet local needs.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for this decision will be 5.00pm on 22 January 2021.

To consider a report from the Director for the Economy, a copy is attached as item 9.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for the Economy, 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 9.

The report brought Members up to date with the actions of the officers to secure continuance of the Southeast Strategic Regional Coastal Monitoring Programme (SSRCMP) through the National Network of Regional Monitoring Programmes (National Programme). Both Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council delivered this service on behalf of partner organisations.

As part of the SSCRMP the Coastal Monitoring Survey Team within Technical Services had successfully executed the monitoring programme for the coastal frontage between Selsey Bill and Beachy Head (Coastal Cell 4d) since 2002. The current National Programme tranche was due to end on 31st March 2021.

The National Programme led by New Forest District Council (NFDC) sought continuance funding through the Environment Agency as a Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) project. If successful, the full cost of the monitoring programme would continue to be met via a Service Level Agreement with NFDC. Confirmation of funding was expected in January/February 2021.

The monitoring programme provided freely available data for the justification, design, performance and impact monitoring of any coastal intervention (defence and protection works), monitoring of coastal change (flood and erosion risk) and the wider benefit of an increased understanding of the effects of climate change.

Members welcomed the report, recognising the added benefits of this long lasting partnership. Consideration was given to the options outlined in paragraph 6.3 of the report and the recommendations put forward.

The recommendations in the report were proposed by Councillor Daniel Humphreys, seconded by Councillor Brian Boggis and unanimously supported by the Committee.

Decision: 

The Joint Strategic Committee

·       confirmed its continued support of the National Programme subject to the confirmation of grant funding; and

·       delegated authority to the Head of Facilities & Technical Services to continue to deliver the programme within the limits of the Service Level Agreement and funding stream referred to at Clause 3.9.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on 22 January 2021.

To consider a report from the Monitoring Officer, a copy is attached as item 10.

Before the Committee was a report by the Monitoring Officer, 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 10.

The report requested that Members consider existing governance arrangements surrounding staffing matters and recent practice.

The Committee was advised that this situation had been remedied with Heads of Service being reminded of the correct procedure. 

The recommendations in the report were unanimously supported by the Committee.

Decision: 

The Joint Strategic Committee noted the contents of the report.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on 22 January 2021.

To consider a report from the Director for Communities, a copy is attached as item 11.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Communities, 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 11.

The report provided JSC with a response to the JOSC review of Adur Homes repairs and maintenance services and an update on actions taken so far in relation to the recommendations of the JOSC Working group.

The report was welcomed by the Committee and the ACF representative applauded the changes proposed and the improving communication provided.

The recommendations in the report were proposed by Councillor Carson Albury, seconded by Councillor Brian Boggis and unanimously supported by the Committee.

Decision: 

That the Joint Strategic Committee

I.               noted the contents of the report;

II.              agreed that a timeline for the implementation of the recommendations was provided to the JOSC Working Group by 31 March 2021.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for this decision will be 5.00pm on 22 January 2021.

To consider a report from the Director for the Economy, a copy is attached as item 12.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for the Economy, 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 12.

The report updated the Committee on progress toward the Direct Award of the provision of leisure services in Adur to South Downs Leisure Trust and to secure agreement to the Council providing a financial indemnity to South Downs Leisure Trust to reflect the risks associated with operation of the leisure facilities.

A decision was sought on the provision of an indemnity in excess of the limit associated with delegated authority.  The outcome resulting from this decision would be the finalising of the Direct Award and the re-opening of the leisure facilities in Adur at the soonest opportunity.

A Member questioned the increase in membership prices and requested that they be kept as reasonable as possible. Officers advised that pricing rested with the operator, however, it was noted that South Downs Leisure had held a successful opening event and frozen the membership rates for previous members under ACL.

The recommendations in the report were proposed by Councillor Angus Dunn, seconded by Councillor Kevin Boram and unanimously supported by the Committee.

Decision: 

The Joint Strategic Committee

i)               noted progress toward the Direct Award of the provision of leisure services in Adur to South Downs Leisure Trust; and approved the contractual and appropriate financial indemnity (the commercially sensitive details of which are set out in detail in a confidential appendix under item 16 of this Agenda) to South Downs Leisure Trust to reflect the risks associated with operation of the leisure facilities; and

ii)              noted that in the event this liability arose, the Council would have to draw down from the working balance to fund those costs; with  the Council having the contractual ability to recover either in whole or in part any payments made under the indemnity from the contractual risk reserve at the end of the 5 year period.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on 22 January 2021.

To consider a report from the Director for Communities, a copy is attached as item 13.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Communities, 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 13.

The report set out a motion (attached as Appendix 1) referred from the meeting of Adur District Council on the 29th October 2020.

The Joint Strategic Committee was asked to consider and determine the Motion and could either support the motion and ask for further work to be carried out in this regard, or, members could reject the motion.

The Committee acknowledged that the situation had changed and that Housing Targets would not change locally. Representation had been made in response to the consultation and the Council would wait for the revised paper.

A recommendation to reject the motion was proposed by Councillor Angus Dunn, seconded by Councillor Brian Boggis and unanimously supported by the Committee.

Decision: 

That the Joint Strategic Committee rejected the motion.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for this decision will be 5.00pm on 22 January 2021.