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 an interest as a member of West Sussex County Council

Councillor Hazel Thorpe declared her substitution for Councillor Bob Smytherman

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

held on 23 July 2020, copies of which have been previously circulated.

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting of the 23 July 2020 be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman 

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 15 September

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.)

A Member of the public asked the following question: It has been clear for some years among residents that Worthing Town Centre is in decline. The empty shops and sparse social spaces suggest our current approach to regeneration is failing. Everyone can see this. Will we now see a move away from big ticket developments that lie in eternal limbo like Portland Road and Teville Gate toward supporting smaller regeneration projects to revamp a post-retail town centre? Members were told that the Council had been focusing on a number of initiatives to support the town centre. Outside of the major sites referenced there had been ongoing maintenance of our seafront and town centre which supports the overall look and feel. Not all of this was in the Council’s control as WSCC and the TCI also have a responsibility for the look and feel of our town centre spaces. The town centre delivery was complex as 99% of the commercial buildings in the town centre are privately owned, and therefore have the challenge of attracting new retail / uses with their commercial agents. The Council was stepping in and assisting in the process to stimulate the market - the new HISBE store in Portland Road is a good example whereby the Council have supported their move from Brighton. In terms of the major schemes, there was a focus on these as we believe these will create a step change for the  town centre. Portland Road public realm scheme, which was back on track and would be delivered in 2021, will create a step change in appearance.

A Member of the public asked the following question:  In the recent Which survey of people who had visited Worthing, we were rated 2/5 for attractions and we lay near the bottom of the table for national seaside towns. What regeneration is now in place to remedy visitor’s experience when they come to Worthing? The Exec Member told the committee that the survey was conducted over the winter 19/20. There had been other seaside towns that had a higher percentage because so few people had responded. The Exec Member asked people to ask themselves was Worthing a seaside town or a town by the sea, a holiday destination or a short staycation or day trip location. Worthing did not traditionally have a long two week vacation industry and whatever was put into the town needed to address the needs of the type of visitor who came. The traditional visitor base was from Guilford and south London area. One of the highest scores from the quoted survey was connected to the seafront which scored 4 out of 5 stars. The Council worked hard to enhance the seafront with such things as the observation wheel and the outside circus, along with concessions and accessibility. It was remarked that if compared with other West Sussex Coastal towns (in the survey) Worthing was only marginally behind other big seaside towns such as Brighton and ahead of Towns such as  ...  view the full minutes text for item JOSC/25/20-21

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

There were no urgent items

There were no call-ins

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

The Committee had before it a report attached as item 7,  a copy of which had been circulated to all Members, a copy of which is attached to a signed copy of these minutes.The report before members set out background information on the Portfolios of the Adur and  Worthing Executive Members for Regeneration to enable the Committee to consider and question the Executive Members on issues within their portfolios  and any other issues which the Executive Members are involved in connected with the work of the Councils and the Adur and Worthing communities.

A Member asked the following question: Residents keep asking me when the  planters, you have said will be placed in Montague Place to break up the empty space and make it look a more attractive area, will be installed. When will this happen? Members were told that the planters had arrived at the end of the previous week and the Council was just agreeing the planting mix to ensure these are sustainable in a coastal location, with our contractor. It was expected that  these would be placed in Montague Place and Montague Street West in the proceeding couple of weeks.

A Member asked the following question:  Shoreham traders are concerned that the decision to block-off parking bays in the town centre to assist with social distancing is seriously damaging trade.   Do you support the suspension of the bays and are there any timescales for reinstatement as nearby towns, such as Steyning, have no suspended parking in place? Members were told that The Safer Town Centres actions were taken following emergency measures mandates from central government. The details of these mandates were available and open to public scrutiny. There was an expectation that Local Authorities act swiftly to protect Public Health. A stakeholder consultation with businesses regarding the proposals. West Sussex County Council as the highways authority approved the emergency bay suspensions and road closures. I am sure you can appreciate the measures in relation to road closures and bay suspensions were not taken lightly, the emergency measures, across Adur & Worthing. In response to comments raised by businesses and members of the public, Officers have critically analysed the road closure. We have given a lot of thought to aspects around deliveries / loading and unloading and access rights, whilst retaining safe (socially distanced) outdoor seating areas. The road closures and bay suspensions are reviewed on a weekly basis and will be critically reviewed on Monday 21st September.

Were Adur District and/or Worthing Borough Council,  part  of the 68 Councils that  participated in the Dept. Transport’s  survey last year – on Parking on the Pavement ? If not, why not and if it did so what were the outcomes for Worthing in particular? he issue has been reinstated and the Government are now proposing 3 options: a. Improving the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process, under which local authorities can already prohibit pavement parking. b. A legislative change to allow local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers  ...  view the full minutes text for item JOSC/28/20-21

To consider a report by the Director for Digital and Resources,copy attached as item 8

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital and Resources, attached as item 8. The report provided the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JOSC) with an overview of progress on the delivery of the commitments set out in

Platforms for our Places: Going Further over the period January to June 2020.

The Chief Executive was present to answer questions

A Member asked the following question: The report outlines the important developments of The Downview scheme and Rowlands Road. With higher numbers in emergency accommodation and some forecasts suggesting circumstances that will further precipitate that, what moves are possible around meeting this need over the next 6-12 months? Members were told that Accommodating individuals at risk of sleeping rough this winter and preventing households from losing their homes as the furlough support comes to an end and the restrictions on evictions are lifted are likely to be some of the main challenges over the next 6 to 12 months. The Councils did not know what the exact impact would be, however some modelling had been done to get a rough idea and the Councils were erring on the side of caution. There could be no let up in the work being undergone about preventing homelessness. The Council had recently employed a homelessness prevention officer whose roll would be to liaise with the courts as and when evictions started to happen to see what interventions could be applied prior to eviction. Accommodation for the homeless over the winter: The Councils had submitted a bid for funding to the government’s Next Steps Accommodation Programme (NSAP). If successful the bid could help with developing temporary accommodation, development of person centered needs, developing community support networks and how the remit of the opening doors scheme could be extended. The Authority had learned a lot from lockdown and would use this knowledge if another lockdown should occur. The Councils have been working with a multi-agency group and a service design agency to develop a plan for how different organisations work seamlessly together to identify people at early risk of debt across all housing tenure so that we can support them earlier. It is intended that this plan will be shared widely among various professionals. The Councils were trying to design one system on debt relief to simplify the system for users. The Housing Needs Team was building on its successful working relationship with the DWP and WSCC’s Early Help Team, which had helped identify more vulnerable households at risk of homelessness through the teams physical presence at these agencies two days a week. The aim was to raise awareness of the end of furlough support and resumption of evictions among these agencies to ensure that they are able to identify those at risk of homelessness and continue to link them with the Housing Needs Team. A campaign was also being developed to raise awareness within the community on the risk of homelessness from debt and arrears and the support available. Private sector landlords  ...  view the full minutes text for item JOSC/29/20-21

To consider a report by Digital and Resources, copy attached as item 9

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for Digital 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 recommendations from the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JOSC) Working Group which was created as part of the JOSC Work Programme to review climate change issues in Adur and Worthing.

The Chair of the Working Group introduced the recommendations.

The Members debated the working group. A Member told the Committee that the report from the working group contained factual inaccuracies and moved that the report be taken to the Joint Strategic Committee but that it be not endorsed by the Joint Strategic Committee. The proposal was seconded debated and on a vote was approved 

Resolved: that the working group report be sent to the Joint Strategic Committee with a note that the Committee did not endorse the working group report

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

The Committee had a report before it attached as item 11, a copy of which had been circulated to all Members, a copy of which is attached to a signed copy of these minutes.

Members were given an update on the current status of the Work Programme and some minor amendments to it

Resolved: that the report and progress of the Work Programme be noted 

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

The Chairman asked the Committee to move this item to the next meeting due to the absence of the Working Group Chairman. This was agreed by the Committee

            Resolved: that the item be moved to the October meeting