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 Joss Loader declared an interest as a trustee of the cat welfare trust

Councillor Mandy Buxton declared an interest as an Adur Homes Tenant

There were no substitute members

To approve the minutes of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting of

held on 14 July 2022, copies of which have been previously circulated.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting of the 9 June 2022 be approved as the correct record.

So as to provide the best opportunity for the Committee to provide the public with the fullest answer, questions from the public should be submitted by 12.00pm Tuesday 13 September 2022

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.)

There were no questions from the public

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

There were no items raised under urgency provisions

There were no items for call-in

There were no items for call-in

To consider a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability and Resources, copy attached as item 7

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability and Resources, a copy of which had been circulated to all members a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as item 7. As part of its Work Programme for 2022/23, the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JOSC) had agreed to interview the Adur and Worthing Cabinet Members on their priorities for 2022/23. The report set out background information on the Portfolio of the Adur Cabinet Member for Adur Homes and Customer Services to enable the Committee to consider and question the Cabinet Member on issues within his portfolio and any other issues which the Cabinet Member is involved in connected with the work of the Council and the Adur communities.

The Adur Cabinet Member for Adur Homes and Customer Services was present at the meeting to answer questions.

A Member asked the following question: I am aware, through case work, that people have been moved into temporary housing accommodation which lacks basic cooking and laundry facilities. Please confirm if that is currently the case? The Cabinet Member told the meeting that some homeless people were booked into Bed and Breakfast (B&B). B&Bs were only used when no other suitable accommodation is available. Where families with children had been placed in B&Bs, the Council prioritise moving them into more suitable accommodation as soon as possible.

A Member asked the following question: Please can you confirm the criteria for approving temporary accommodation and what is being done to ensure that people can carry out essential daily activities within this? Members were told that all properties used for temporary accommodation were assessed for compliance with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) standards. In line with the code of guidance, all accommodation was free of Category 1 hazards as a minimum.

That a property is compliant with the HHSRS does not mean it will be suitable for every household as each household had unique circumstances. Paragraph 5 of the Councils’ Temporary Accommodation Placement and Procurement Policy describes the factors that will be considered before deciding that a property is suitable for a particular household. These factors include location, size, condition and facilities of the properties, along with the circumstances of the family including any health issues within the household, education, employment and any special circumstances. A vulnerability and suitability assessment is carried to assess these factors each time a household is offered accommodation for the first time or moved to any other temporary accommodation. It is important to note that accommodation that may be deemed suitable for one household, may not be suitable for another due to their personal circumstances. Similarly, accommodation that may be suitable for immediate and short term placement, may not be suitable for long term placement.

A Member asked the following question: What work has been done and what work can we expect to see in the near future to insulate socially rented homes to benefit  ...  view the full minutes text for item JOSC/28/22-23

This item will be heard on another date

This item was deferred to a later meeting

This item will be heard on another date

This item was delayed to a later date

To consider a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability and Resources, copy attached as item 10

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital, sustainability and Resources, a copy of which had been circulated to all members, a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as item 9. The report before Members set out the changes to the Overview and Scrutiny, Joint Overview and Scrutiny and relevant Procedure Rules sections of the Constitutions, which have been proposed by the Joint Governance Committee Constitution Review Working Group.

The Committee discussed the JOSC procedure rules and suggested amendments. of Particular note members discussed the membership and Chairmanship of JOSC, the compilation of Minority reports, and the use of Party Whip. It was noted that the Worthing version of papers was not present at the meeting. Members were told that the Worthing version mirrored the version of Adur.

Resolved: that the following be recommended to the Joint Governance Committee:

Membership of JOSC

Remove 3.2 and 3.3

Replace these with alternative supplied as part of the JGC papers:

The Chair of the [Overview and Scrutiny Committee][Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee] shall be appointed by the Council. The Chair will first be offered to a member of a Political Group that does not form part of the Administration or an ungrouped Member, with the Vice Chair being drawn from any other Political Group.

Minority Reports

Para 12.5 change from 5 working days to 1 week

Para 12.8 after ‘Democratic Services.’ add ‘Support will be provided by the Scrutiny Officer’

Party whip

The Scrutiny Committee wanted it acknowledged that the role of scrutiny was non-political (objectively holding decision makers to account), prior to the paragraphs relating to the Party Whip.

Insert new para 16.1: “Scrutiny is seen as impartial and stays separate from party politics. Scrutiny councillors should use their political skills and understanding of the needs of local people to shape the discussions, whilst not acting in a party political manner or using the discussions to further party political objectives.”

The proposed changes above to be replicated in Worthing OSC procedure rules Adur OSC procedure Rules and JOSC procedure rules

To consider a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability and Resources, copy attached as item 11

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital and Resources, a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes, a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as item 11. The report before Members The report outlined progress in implementing the work contained in the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JOSC) Work Programme for 2022/23.

The Scrutiny and Improvement Officer introduced the report to the Committee. Members were given an outline to changes in the plan. Members were told about scrutiny requests relating to building control and the cost of living crisis. In relation to to building control, members were told that the Committee could look at general policy but not at specific planning matters Members agreed that papers on the cost of living crises should come before the committee.

Resolved: that the work programme be noted as amended