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 declarations of pecuniary interest.

To approve the minutes of the Adur Joint Strategic Sub-Committee meeting held on 6th December 2022, copies of which have been previously circulated.

The minutes of the Adur Joint Strategic Sub-Committee meeting held on 6th December 2022 were agreed as a correct record.

To receive any questions from members of the public.

Questions should be submitted by noon on Thursday 5th January 2023 to  Democratic Services, democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk    

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

There were no public questions submitted.

Pre-submitted Members questions are pursuant to rule 12 of the Council & Committee Procedure Rules.

Questions should be submitted by noon on Thursday 5th January 2023 to  Democratic Services, democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk    

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

There were no pre submitted questions from Members.

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

There were no urgent items raised.

To consider a report from the Director for Communities, a copy is attached as item 6.

Before the Committee was a report by the 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 6.

The report outlined the opportunity to obtain funding from Central Government, as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and use this to deliver against predetermined interventions relating to People and Skills, Community and Place and Supporting Local Business. The funding would assist Adur deliver interventions against agreed core themes which are pertinent locally. These include; Cost of Living, Community-led Sustainable Transport Solutions, Community Participation and Engagement, Fuel Poverty and Business Support.

Members were given an outline of the impact of the UKSPF and associated interventions for Adur District Council (ADC) with particular reference to those priorities that have been identified through other work strands and presented with the rationale for ADC to deliver the projects and agree relevant delegations and budgetary requirements to facilitate this.

Members welcomed the report and additional income and discussed the issue of governance. It was agreed that delegations be made but that Cabinet Member consultation be made part of the process.

Decision

That the Adur JSC Sub-Committee

a)    Noted that the s151 Officer had entered into a non-legally binding Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (SOS) regarding the administration and delivery of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

b)    Delegated authority to the Director for the Economy and/or the S151 Finance Officer to enter into a binding Funding Agreement with the SOS for receipt of the funding (if required to do so) on terms substantially the same as those set out in the MOU and this report.

c)    Approved the virement of the UKSPF into the Council’s budgets and for that budget to facilitate accurate reporting for the receipt and spend of funds.

d)    Delegated authority to the Director for the Economy, Director for Communities and Director of Digital, Sustainability and Resources to develop a procurement strategy for the delivery of the interventions and to enter into any necessary contract, grant funding agreement, or make any required investment under the Council’s Treasury Management Policy, to enable the interventions specified in the report, providing the spend did not exceed the UKSPF Budget, in consultation with the appropriate Cabinet Member.

e)    Agreed to an annual report being submitted to JSC to provide an update on the intervention delivery and monitor the spend against authorised budget.

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 20th January 2023.

To consider a report from the Director for Communities, a copy is attached as item 7.

Before the Committee was a report by the 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 a motion (attached as Appendix 1) referred from the meeting of Adur District Council on the 15th December 2022.

Members of the Adur Joint Strategic Sub-Committee were asked to consider and determine the Motion.

Members could either support the motion and ask for further work to be carried out in this regard, or, members could reject the motion.

The Motion on Fair Tax was presented by the proposer of the motion who took questions from the Sub-Committee.

Members debated the motion and it was agreed that the motion be rejected on the basis that the complexities of applying the motion would be beyond the resources and expertise of the Authority. However, there were matters that could be considered particularly in relation to procurement and it was agreed that a report be brought back to the Sub-Committee for consideration.

Decision

The Adur Joint Strategic Sub-Committee

a)    Rejected the motion

b)    Requested that a report on the matter be brought back before the Sub-Committee

Call-in

The call-in deadline for the decision will be 5.00pm on the 20th January 2023.