Agenda and minutes

Venue: QEII Room, Shoreham Centre

Contact: Neil Terry
Democratic Services Lead
01903 221073  Email: neil.terry@adur-worthing.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

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Declarations of Interests

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.

Minutes:

Councillor Edward Crouch declared an interest in items 8, 9 and 10 as a paid Director for Worthing Homes. 

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Minutes

To approve the minutes of the Joint Strategic Committee meeting held on 8 February 2022, copies of which have been previously circulated.

Minutes:

Resolved that the minutes from the Joint Strategic Committee meeting held on 8 February 2022, were approved as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman.

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Public Question Time

To receive any questions from members of the public.

 

Questions should be submitted by noon on Monday 14 March 2022 to Democratic Services, democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk   

 

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

Minutes:

Mr Barry Hillman, a Shoreham Resident, asked a question regarding allotment refinements.

 

The Adur Executive Member for the Environment agreed to provide Mr Hillman with a written response following the meeting.

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Items Raised under Urgency Provisions

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

Minutes:

There were no items raised under urgency provisions.

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3rd Revenue Budget Monitoring Report (Q3) pdf icon PDF 916 KB

To consider a report from the Director for Digital, Sustainability & Resources, a

copy is attached as item 5.

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability and 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 report updated the Joint Strategic Committee with the latest expenditure and income projections for each Council in the current financial year 2021/22, compared with the Revenue Budget approved by both Councils in February.  Whilst the 'spend to date' was the position as at the 31st December 2021, the forecast position reflected the latest information available to ensure an up-to-date forecast was presented.

 

As at quarter 2, the current projection for the 2021/22 financial year were net operational budget overspends of £585k in Adur and £1.56m in Worthing. Government funding in the form of grants and the Income Guarantee Scheme would offset this and it was currently estimated that the outturn position would be net overspends of £47k in Adur and £14k in Worthing. A breakdown was set out in section 4.4 of the report.

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee noted the report and projected outturn position for the Joint Committee, Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council against the approved revenue budgets and proposed use of reserves (as set out in Appendices 1b and 2b).

 

Call In:

 

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 28th March 2022.

 

 

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3rd Quarter Capital Investment Programme & Projects Monitoring 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 1 MB

To consider a report from the Director for Digital, Sustainability & Resources, a

copy is attached as item 6.

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability and 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 updated the Joint Strategic Committee on the progress made with the 2021/22 Capital Investment Programmes for Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council. The programmes included schemes which supported the delivery of services by the Joint Services Committee.

 

A Member sought clarification in relation to paragraph 7.3 in the report which stated that due to the effective scheme management of Teville Gate, there was an underspend, some of which would be going to a tenant in Montague Place and improvements to railway approach. Officers advised that this related to the partnership working with West Sussex County Council on the railway approach public realm project. It was important that the Council provided a very clear audit trail for where these monies were spent. It was noted that the Council had both the Portland Road scheme and now the Railway Approach scheme which was directly attached to the wider Teville Gate project.

 

Another Member asked a question in relation to the external works to Bushby Close which had been delayed by variations to the contract which had extended the completion to March 2022. What were the variations? In addition, following a complaint from a resident, the Council had been made aware of poor quality work being undertaken and he asked whether this matter had been addressed. Officers agreed to provide a written response to councillors following the meeting. 

 

Decision 

 

The Joint Strategic Committee:-

 

(a)        With respect to the Capital Investment Programme of Adur District Council

 

i)               noted the reprofiling of the Adur District Council capital schemes as advised in   paragraphs 7.2.1 and Appendix 3;

   

ii)              approved the funding of the overspend incurred in the replacement of the HR / Payroll system as detailed in paragraph 7.1.1;

 

iii)             approved the increase in the Disabled Facilities Budget in line with the forecast expenditure funded from Better Care Fund Grant as detailed in paragraph 7.2.2; and

 

iv)             approved the transfer of Disability Discrimination Adaptations Budget to fund Adur District Council’s contribution to the Adur and Worthing Workspaces Project as detailed in paragraph 7.2.3.

 

b)   With respect to the Capital Investment Programme of Worthing Borough Council

 

i)               noted the reprofiling of the Worthing Borough Council capital schemes as advised in paragraphs 7.3.1 and Appendix 4;

 

ii)              approved the funding of the overspend incurred in the replacement of the HR / Payroll system as detailed in paragraph 7.1.1;

 

iii)             approved the addition of the Worthing Public Realm Project to the 2021/22 Capital Investment Programme as detailed in paragraph 7.3.3;

 

iv)             approved the transfer of Disability Discrimination Adaptations Budget to the Adur and Worthing Workspaces Project as detailed in paragraph 7.3.4; and

 

v)              noted the receipt of the Pocket Parks Grant funding of £24,030 to support communities to provide new or renovated parks and approve the  ...  view the full minutes text for item JSC/95/21-22

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Renewal of the Adur & Worthing Wellbeing Partnership pdf icon PDF 1 MB

To consider a report from the Interim Director for Communities, a copy is

attached as item 7.

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report by the Interim 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 7.

 

The report set out the proposed new commissioning arrangements for Adur & Worthing Wellbeing from April 2022, for a period of five years.  The programme had been in place in Adur and Worthing since 2011, and was delivered through a partnership agreement with West Sussex County Council (WSCC) to provide a programme of wellbeing prevention and early intervention work with adults, through a blended approach of Wellbeing Advisors and additional health and wellbeing interventions, funded through a health inequalities formula.

 

Adur and Worthing Wellbeing provided an important contribution to the Councils’ new health and wellbeing strategy HealthyAW, by helping to improve the health and wellbeing of all our communities but particularly those people with the poorest health and wellbeing.  It formed an important part of the Councils’ wellbeing work in relation to Proactive work with our communities.

 

The current three year partnership agreement ended on 31 March 2022 and the report informed Members of the outcomes of the current programme and the new conditions and requirements for the new partnership and funding arrangements for the five year period from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2027.

 

A funding allocation had been proposed for the 2022-2023 financial year which had been signed off at WSCC Full Council in February 2022. Indicative funding for each subsequent financial year would be agreed by December, annually.

 

As we continued to move through the pandemic there was a renewed emphasis on reducing health inequalities and more targeted work with under-represented groups within the new service specification and partnership agreement. The programme was an important preventative support and advice provision that was intended to help to reduce pressure on the social care and health systems.

 

Members were asked to consider this work and agree to a new partnership agreement with WSCC Public Health for five years, which would be shaped and developed mutually through annual business plans.

 

The Committee welcomed the report and the approach being taken.

 

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee:-

 

      I.         approved that the respective Councils continued to work in partnership with West Sussex County Council to deliver the Wellbeing programme in Adur and Worthing from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2027, subject to funding being agreed on an annual basis;

     II.         delegated authority to enter into the Adur Partnership Agreement and the Worthing Partnership Agreement with West Sussex County Council, as set out in paragraph 4.3, to the Interim Director for Communities, in consultation with the Executive Members for Health and Wellbeing, and subject to annual business plans;

   III.         agreed to receive the annual funding allocation from West Sussex County Council for the next five years of the partnership agreement, and recommended to the Councils to amend the revenue budget accordingly. The indicative amount for 2022-2023 was £513,973; and

 

   IV.         agreed for the in-kind  ...  view the full minutes text for item JSC/96/21-22

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Pathways to Affordable Homes - Delivery Plans pdf icon PDF 239 KB

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

item 8.

Minutes:

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 8.

 

The report followed the publication of the Adur and Worthing Housing Strategy for 2020-2023 and ‘Delivering Pathways to Affordable Homes’ documents. It described how Adur and Worthing intended to meet the commitments set out in Delivering Pathways to Affordable Homes, which was described in the attached delivery plans.

 

The delivery plans provided details of how delivery programmes and teams could be structured as well as a detailed delivery structure providing an overview of work streams and timescales for completion.

 

Members sought clarification as to how realistic the delivery of the work streams outlined was. Officers advised that a lot of the delivery figures were happening towards the end of the programme and in recognition of that the Councils had put forward a housing enabling role, which would be an officer sitting within the planning team helping to drive the delivery through regular contact with the delivery partners, responsible for some of the key strategic sites. Worthing Borough Council in particular, owned a number of the key strategic sites which enabled greater control and certainty over delivery.      

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee recommended that Adur and Worthing Councils adopt the Delivery Plans set out in Appendix A as part of the Housing Strategy for 2020-2023.

 

Call In:

 

There is no call-in for recommendations to Adur and / or Worthing Full Councils.

* Councillors Neil Parkin, Brian Boggis, Kevin Boram, and Emma Evans left the meeting at 7.05pm in accordance with the Joint Committee Agreement. Cllr Kevin Jenkins chaired the meeting for items 9 to 16.

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Union Place Joint Venture with Roffey Homes Update pdf icon PDF 148 KB

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

item 9.

Minutes:

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.

 

Following consideration of a report at the Joint Strategic Committee in February, it was requested that an update on progress be provided to the Joint Strategic Committee at its meeting on the 16th March 2022.        

 

Members welcomed the update on the progression made with such an important scheme and looked forward to the scheme coming forward over the coming months.

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee noted the update provided in the body of the reportand that a further update would be provided in the Summer with final details of the proposals for approval.

 

Call In:

 

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 28th March 2022.

 

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Teville Gate Update & Hyde Housing Proposed Development Partnership pdf icon PDF 2 MB

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

item 10.

Minutes:

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 10.

 

The report recommended working with Hyde Housing group to deliver a minimum of 343 affordable homes (40% social rent, 60% shared ownership) and over 20,000 sq.ft of commercial space on the Teville Gate site.

Following the consideration of a report by the Joint Strategic Committee in December, the Council were approached by the registered provider Hyde Housing with a view to working in partnership to develop the site. The report provided an update on these discussions.

It set out how the proposed partnership would fulfil the three priority workstreams identified in the December report and a draft Memorandum of Understanding for the proposed partnership was provided for approval in conjunction with a proposed timetable for developing this partnership.  

A Member sought clarification as to who would have the nomination rights to the social rented units. Officers advised that normally, nomination rights were linked to those units covered by the s106 agreement, however, there was an avenue to negotiate and agree levels under the lettings agreement and this would be raised with Hyde and reported back to the Committee.

 

The Committee also gave consideration to the types of accommodation provided in the proposed scheme as well as the procurement route used for identifying Hyde as the preferred partner. It was noted that Hyde was a registered provider who had a strategic relationship with Homes England and experience of working with the Councils’ team.

 

Decision

 

That the Joint Strategic Committee:-

 

i)               noted the progress made since December 2021 for the development of the Teville Gate site in partnership with Hyde;

 

ii)              agreed the proposed route set out for the sale of the land at Teville Gate following joint working to agree a development scheme and secure planning permission; and

 

iii)             delegated authority to the Head of Major Projects & Investment, in consultation with Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Resources, to develop the draft heads of terms for the sale of the land at Teville Gate to Hyde, and thereafter to take a further report to the Joint Strategic Committee for authority to enter into the conditional sale contract for the sale of the land subject to those heads of terms.

 

Call In:

 

The call-in deadline for decisions will be 5.00pm on the 28th March 2022.

 

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Carbon Neutral 2030: Worthing Heat Network Progress Update pdf icon PDF 1 MB

To consider a report from the Director for Digital, Sustainability & Resources, a

copy is attached as item 11.

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability and 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 11.

 

The report updated Members on work undertaken since September 2021 which had focused on developing the procurement documentation required to appoint a concessionaire to fund, design, build, operate and maintain a new, low carbon heat network within Worthing Town Centre.

 

The Heat Network Investment Programme (HNIP) funding was awarded to the council in autumn 2021 and the Joint Strategic Committee had delegated authority to the Director for Digital, Sustainability & Resources to enter into any contracts for expenditure of this funding to progress the Heat Network Delivery.

 

The procurement documentation had been developed with significant support from external technical, commercial and legal advisors and presented bidders with key requirements that must be met by the future network operator. It also set out obligations on customers of the network, including parameters of future Heat Supply and Connection Agreements to which the council would be party should a concessionaire be appointed. These weare explained further in Section 6 of the report.

 

The procurement documentation was now ready for publication, ahead of the next steps set out at section 5.9 of the report,  Members' continued endorsement was sought prior to the advertisement of the tender opportunity.

 

Members considered and noted that it was not a requirement of the procurement that the winning bidder utilises sewer heat but that the scenario developed in detail by the project team to date, was to be used as a reference and minimum requirement. Therefore, if a bidder was able to demonstrate that an alternative solution was at least as advantageous than utilising the sewer, this was to be deemed as acceptable to the Council. Officers reaffirmed that it was the outcomes being sought rather than the solution and that they didn’t want to constrain the market. A 3,000 tonne reduction in carbon emissions was the target. 

 

The Committee also gave consideration as to how the scheme would connect with up and coming major development sites such as Union Place and Teville Gate and who the Council anticipated coming forward through the procurement process. 

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee

 

      I.         noted the progress set out in the report;

 

     II.         approved the publication of the procurement documentation, as set out in section 5 of the report;

 

   III.         noted the indicative Heat Supply and Connection Agreement parameters and reaffirmed the council's commitment to executing these documents upon completion of the procurement process; and

 

   IV.         requested that a further update report be brought to the Committee prior to the appointment of the concessionaire, to include delegation of authority to the Director for Digital, Sustainability & Resources to enter into Heat Supply and Connection Agreements with the appointed concessionaire.

 

Call In:

 

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 28th March 2022.

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Worthing Lido Structural Investigations and Proposed Next Steps pdf icon PDF 150 KB

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

item 12.

Minutes:

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 updated members on work being undertaken to ensure that the Lido remained an integral part of Worthing’s seafront and to protect this important piece of architectural heritage in Worthing.

Members were informed of current measures being taken to ensure that the Lido was kept safe and was able to continue to operate as well as presenting a ‘concept ideas report’ for the Lido based on architectural experiences of similar heritage buildings elsewhere.

The report proposed public consultation and community engagement with local communities to inform the Council’s approach to delivering the restoration and improvement of the Lido as well as to explore funding options.

 

The Committee welcomed the report.

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee:-

 

1.1  noted the ongoing structural investigations being undertaken for the Substructure and the Lido Feasibility report produced by Marshall & Kendon on concept ideas for the Superstructure;

1.2  agreed that officers undertake public consultation with the local community and stakeholders to help shape the Council's approach for protecting and renovating the facility, including exploring how this could be funded; and

1.3  requested that a further report be presented to the Committee providing the following:

·       Key findings from the Mott Macdonald and Historic England workstreams

·       Results from the public consultation

·       Financial Strategy

·       Proposed Next Steps

 

Call In:

 

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 28th March 2022.

 

 

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Referral of Motion on Notice from Worthing Borough Council pdf icon PDF 120 KB

To consider reports from the Interim Director for Communities, copies are

attached as item 13.

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report by the Interim 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 Worthing Borough Council on the 22nd February 2022.

 

Members of the Joint Strategic committee were 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, could reject the motion. 

 

The Committee gave consideration as to whether this was something the Council should establish or whether it should be sector lead.

 

It was proposed and seconded that the motion be accepted.

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee supported the motion and requested that a briefing note be provided to Members setting out how this issue work could be taken forward.

 

Call In:

 

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 28th March 2022.

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Referral of Motion on Notice from Worthing Borough Council pdf icon PDF 125 KB

To consider reports from the Interim Director for Communities, copies are

attached as item 14.

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report by the Interim 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 14.

 

Councillor Jon Roser  attended the meeting to present his motion.

 

The report set out a motion referred from the meeting of Worthing Borough Council on the 22nd February 2022.

 

Members of the Joint Strategic committee were 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, could reject the motion. 

 

The Committee gave consideration to exploring the impact that Fairtrade Town status had had on the town since 2005. Members wanted to establish what the cost implications were and to ensure that the Fairtrade consideration was not to the exclusion of all others and was inclusive and considered in the round.

 

It was suggested that a report be brought back to the Committee on this matter in due course and in addition, that the issue be raised through the TCI Working Group.

 

It was proposed and seconded that the motion be accepted.

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee supported the motion and requested that a report be brought back to the Committee setting out how this issue work could be taken forward.

 

Call In:

 

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 28th March 2022.

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Referral of Motion on Notice from Worthing Borough Council pdf icon PDF 139 KB

To consider reports from the Interim Director for Communities, copies are

attached as item 15.

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report by the Interim 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 15.

 

Councillor Cathy Glynn-Davies attended the meeting to present her motion.

 

The report set out a motion referred from the meeting of Worthing Borough Council on the 22nd February 2022.

 

Members of the Joint Strategic committee were 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, could reject the motion. 

 

The Committee sought advice as to whether the Council could legally reject the rebate. Officers advised that the Council was not able to do this. It was also clarified that the £200 rebate from the Energy Companies was payable over 5 years, residents were not required to repay the £150 Council Tax rebate.

 

It was proposed and seconded that the motion be rejected.   

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee rejected the motion.

 

Call In:

 

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 28th March 2022.

 

 

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Referral of Motion on Notice from Worthing Borough Council pdf icon PDF 124 KB

To consider reports from the Interim Director for Communities, copies are

attached as item 16.

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report by the Interim 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 16.

 

The report set out a motion referred from the meeting of Worthing Borough Council on the 22nd February 2022.

 

Members of the Joint Strategic committee were 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, could reject the motion. 

 

Councillor Edward Crouch presented his motion acknowledging that both Councillor Hazel Thorpe and Councillor Helen Silman had assisted him with the drafting of the motion which had cross party support.

 

It was proposed and seconded that the motion be accepted.   

 

Decision

 

The Joint Strategic Committee accepted the motion and requested that a report be brought back to the Committee setting out options to enable a scheme to be adopted and amendments made to the relevant local planning policy document(s).

 

Call In:

 

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 28th March 2022.