Agenda and minutes

Venue: QEII Room, Shoreham-Centre, Shoreham-by-Sea

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

Note: There will be limited public access to the meeting. Admission is by prior arrangement only, bookable via democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk. The meeting will also be available to watch live via the media link below. 

Items
No. Item

JGC/11/21-22

Substitute Members

Any substitute members should declare their substitution.

Minutes:

Councillor Debs Stainforth substituted for Councillor Lee Cowen.

 

Councillor Daniel Humphreys substituted for Councillor Louise Murphy.

 

JGC/12/21-22

Declarations of Interest

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 Steve Wills declared an interest in item 6 as a Non-Executive Director for Worthing Homes.

 

Councillor Andy McGregor declared an interest in item 7 as a member of both Lancing Parish Council and Sompting Parish Council.

 

Councillor Kevin Boram declared an interest in item 7 as a member of Lancing Parish Council.

 

Councillor Rob Wilkinson declared an interest in item 7 as a member of Sompting Parish Council.

JGC/13/21-22

Minutes

To approve the minutes of the Joint Governance Committee meeting held on 27 May 2021, copies of which have been previously circulated.

Minutes:

The minutes of the Joint Governance Committee meeting held on 27 May 2021 were agreed as a correct record.

JGC/14/21-22

Public Question Time

To receive any questions from members of the public.

 

In order for the Committee to provide the fullest answer, questions from the public should be submitted by noon on Tuesday 27 July 2021.

 

Where relevant notice of a question has not been given, the person presiding may either choose to give a response at the meeting or respond by undertaking to provide a written response within three working days.

 

Questions should be submitted to Democratic Services,

democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk  

 

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

 

Minutes:

No questions from the public were received.

JGC/15/21-22

Items Raised under Urgency Provisions

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

Minutes:

There were no urgent items raised.

JGC/16/21-22

Annual Treasury Management Report 2020-21 for Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council pdf icon PDF 391 KB

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

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report from the Director for Digital, Sustainability and Resources copies of which had been circulated to all Members and copies are attached to the signed copy of these Minutes as Item 6.

 

The report asked the Committee to note the Treasury Management performance for Adur and Worthing Councils for 2020/21 as required by regulations issued under the Local Government Act 2003.

 

The Committee questioned whether the report complied with the regulations, how that was verified, whether training would be provided to Members of the Committee and how the operation of the treasury management function was approved. Officers advised that professionally, the Councils adhered to the code through the setting of an annual strategy and reporting on it during the year. In addition, as part of the external audit each year, treasury management activities were reviewed. Officers confirmed that training would be provided for Members, however, dates for the delivery of this training had not been agreed. 

 

Clarification was sought as to whether the two £5m loans to Worthing Homes offered good value, how many homes had been built as a result of the loans and assurance that the GBMet loan was safe. Officers advised that the primary consideration behind the loans to Worthing Homes had been the provision of housing rather than the return on the loan. However, due diligence was carried out to ensure that the return was beneficial to the Council and that it was not unsecured. Officers agreed to provide details of the number of houses that had been built following the meeting.  In relation to the loan to GBMet, Officers advised that the loan sought to support educational provision and was secured against property and land.

 

Consideration was given to various aspects of the Investments held by Adur District Council as at 31 March 2021 with the following Counterparties:

·       The maturity date of the Handelsbanken investment;

·       The long term ratings of investments with CCLA Local Auth Property Fund & Boom Credit Union & War Bond;

·       What type of investment was the War Bond?

 

Officers clarified that the interest rates were at the point the investments had been made and agreed to provide details of the maturity date for the Handelsbanken investment and details of the Boom Credit Union and War Bond investment.

 

A member queried the net underspend of £2.181m in relation to Adur District Council’s HRA which had been attributed to a number of projects that the Council had been unable to deliver and sought clarification as to whether these had been profiled in for the next 12 to 18 months. Officers confirmed that the projects had been deferred and would come back in relation to the time period.

 

Resolved

 

That the Joint Governance Committee noted the annual report.

JGC/17/21-22

Joint Governance Committee Appointments: Parish Councillors pdf icon PDF 123 KB

To consider a report by the Monitoring Officer, copy attached as item 7. 

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report from the Monitoring Officer, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and copies are attached to the signed copy of these Minutes as Item 7.

 

The report advised the Committee of the nominations from Lancing Parish Council and Sompting Parish Council for Parish representatives to be appointed to the Joint Governance Committee as co-opted Members in accordance with the Constitution.

 

The recommendations were proposed by Cllr Kevin Boram, seconded by Cllr Rob Wilkinson and supported by the Committee.

 

Resolved

 

That the Joint Governance Committee

 

I.               noted the nomination from Lancing Parish Council of the appointment of Cllr Mike Mendoza as a Co-opted Member of the Joint Governance Committee for 21/22 and recommended the appointment to Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council.

 

II.              the nomination from Sompting Parish Council of the appointment of Cllr Liz Haywood as a Co-opted Member of the Joint Governance Committee for 21/22 and recommended the appointment to Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council.

JGC/18/21-22

Conferment of Honorary Alderman - Paul Baker pdf icon PDF 188 KB

To consider a report by the Interim Director for Communities, copy attached as item 8.

Minutes:

Before the Committee was a report from the Interim Director for Communities, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and copies are attached to the signed copy of these Minutes as Item 8.

 

 

The Joint Governance Committee was asked to consider conferring the title of Honorary Alderman of the Borough of Worthing, on former Mayor Paul Baker, who was no longer a member of the Council.

 

The recommendations were proposed by Cllr Steve Wills, seconded by Cllr Roy Barraclough and supported by the Committee.

 

Resolved

 

The Joint Governance Committee

 

1.     approved the granting of the Honorary Aldermanship of the Borough of Worthing to former Mayor Paul Baker, and

 

2.     recommended to Worthing Borough Council that a special meeting of the Council be arranged, under section 249(1) of the Local Government Act, for the specific purpose of conferring the title of ‘Honorary Alderman’ to Paul Baker.