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.

There were no declaration of interests or substitute members

There were no substitute members

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

held on 27 January 2022, copies of which have been previously circulated.

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting of the 27 January 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 Tuesday 15 March 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 urgent items

To consider a report by the monitoring officer, copy attached as item 6.

There were no call-ins

To consider a report by the Director for Digital, Sustainability and Resources, copy

attached as item 7.

The Committee had before it 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 a signed copy of these minutes as item 7. The report before members 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 July to December 2021.

The Chief Executive was at the meeting to present the report and answer questions from Members

A Member asked the following question: Platforms for Our Places: Going Further 6 months progress report is described as an 'Autumn and Winter Recovery' strategy. The Omicron variant was identified in the UK in November and as we know, it spread rapidly. What lessons about strategic planning during a pandemic can be learnt from the impact of the Omicron variant? Members were told that data was important and would help quick reaction in the right place. Health inequalities were being addressed. There was value placed on resilience of the organisation and time would be taken to achieve this.

A Member asked the following question: I was disappointed, to say the least, to learn that funding for the One Stop Employment Youth Hub in Marine Place was due to cease at the end of this month. The Hub provides an invaluable service in preparing clients for employment and aiding their mental health. Has any new funding been secured for this project and if not, are you exploring ways and means of continuing this valuable work alongside the DWP? Members were told that the Chief Executive shared the disappointment that the DWP funding was no longer there. However there was work ongoing to find further funding streams

A Member asked the following question: Paragraph 6.21 on agenda page 20 - Platform 3 discusses WSCC EV Network. Enabling truly ‘green’ transport will be a key deliverable for the Net Zero Vision. I welcome opportunities being explored for Hydrogen fuel for Transport and freight vehicles. Focusing on the existing, conventional vehicles in our waste fleet - does the Waste Team's research also include the adaptation - through conversion using fuel cell technology - and/or the gradual replacement of conventional vehicles with new hydrogen powered alternatives? If the later, is there a waiting time for these new vehicles and what is it? The Committee was told of the process for fleet strategy and how this might run along developments with other partners such as the green hydrogen hub being developed by Shoreham Port and Ricardos as well as innovative thinking about the fleet there was also a need to consider how the Councils designed rounds for the vehicles

A Member asked the following question: Platform 1 Prosperous places - Page 16 Paragraph 6.4 - I was very pleased to read that a lease agreement has finally been agreed with Audio Active. It seemed a long time in coming.  ...  view the full minutes text for item JOSC/1/67/21-22

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

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for the Economy, a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes, a copy of which had been circulated to all members. The report before members provided the Committee with a detailed understanding of the approach being undertaken to deliver Seasonal Concessions across Adur and Worthing and how they supported economic activity.

The Head of place and Economy was present at the meeting to answer questions

A member asked the following question: Given that there is a finite amount of space along the promenade in Worthing and that the space is shared by cyclists and pedestrians, is there a maximum number of pop up businesses that will be licensed along Worthing seafront. Based on the positive feedback received about the concession programme, the Councils had grown the available areas to a manageable but yet visible programme in recent years. The Authorities were mindful not to have too many concessions on Worthing seafront as the promenade had multiple uses, so the current number was foreseen as the maximum. However, things did change and the officer would liaise with Members and adapt the programme based on feedback if it was needed. It’s was worth noting that the authorities restricted concessions to a maximum of 3 tables and 12 chairs for this very purpose as well, with all running east west, rather than north south to not hinder the overall promenade.

A Member asked the following question: Paragraph 5.2 on agenda page 60 - With the increase of concessions operating along Marine Parade - licensed concession traders who are not permitted to leave their vehicles at the licensed location overnight, are often seen parked nearby along Marine Parade in "car parking only" spaces after the close of business instead. What will you do to further support these small local businesses and increase provision of 'any vehicle parking' availability - so that they can park nearby to their allocated licensed locations? Members were told that the current programme was designed for businesses to ‘setup’ and ‘set down’ on the same day, with businesses responsible for their units whilst not accessing their concession site. For all of the businesses, they take their unit back to their home premises. There were 3 businesses that currently parked on Marine Parade, all of which were local residents – all based in Central Ward - in the controlled parking zone. The Council was in dialogue with those concession operators to seek alternative parking provision and, where possible, encourage businesses to work together to find solutions. For example, some were exploring the option to share combined storage parking out of town. The businesses were keen to work with the Councils to explore this as these businesses had experienced break-ins to their trailers when parked on Marine Parade overnight.

A Member asked the following question: What work has been done to assess the financial impact of concessions on existing 12 local businesses, who operate from fixed premises  ...  view the full minutes text for item JOSC/1/68/21-22

To consider a report by the Director for Digital,Sustainability and Resources, copy

attached as item 9.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director of Digital, Sustainability and Resources, a copy of which had been circulated to all members, a copy of which is attached to a copy of these minutes as item 9. The report 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 the Adur and Worthing evening and night time economy (ENTE).

The Chairman of the Working Group introduced the report to the Committee and took questions on the content of the report. Questions were asked about groups that had been involved in the review.

Resolved: JOSC consider the report and recommendations from the ENTE Working Group and refer the recommendations to the Joint Strategic Committee (JSC) for consideration in due course.

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 10. The report before Members outlined progress in implementing the work contained in the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JOSC) Work Programme for 2021/22. The report also includes a draft JOSC Work Programme for 2022/23 for consideration.

Members discussed the situation regarding vulnerable people being moved to temporary accommodation outside of the District and Borough. It was agreed that an item be added to the Work Programme for further investigation into the processes and impact involved.

Members agreed that the work programme as amended be submitted to Council for approval.

Resolved:

i)               That JOSC note the progress in delivering the JOSC Work Programme for 2021/22;

ii)              That JOSC and confirm draft Work Programme as amended for 2022/23;

iii)            That the amended draft JOSC Work Programme for 2022/23 be reported to the Council meetings in April 2022 for approval.