Agenda item

Members’ question time will last up to 30 minutes, with questions being taken in the order of receipt and in rotation from each political group on the Council. The deadline for submission of questions is Friday 10 December at 12 noon.

Questions should be submitted to democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk

Questions can be asked of the following:

a)     The Mayor

b)     A Member of the Executive

c)     The Chairman of any Committee

d)     The Council’s representative on any outside body

Questions cannot be asked in relation to the following:

a)     A specific planning or licensing application

b)     A specific staffing appointment, appeal or Standards determination

The Mayor announced that the Proper Officer had received 12 questions from Members in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12. He advised that one supplementary question could be asked which must arise out of the original question, or, the reply. 

Questions would be asked in rotation of the Groups represented in the Chamber and there were 30 minutes allowed for questions with 5 rotations of speakers possible. At the end of 30 minutes the Mayor explained that he would extend the time to conclude the current rotation of questions.

First rotation:

Question 1 from Councillor Sally Smith (read by Rosey Whorlow) to the Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing

Residents and visitors to the town wanting to enjoy the night time economy have reported their  fears  over criminal use of illegal drugs to 'spike' drinks and 'spiking' by injection, both of  which have been widely reported in the media. Incidents have been reported in Sussex and have been investigated by Sussex Police. Can the Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing give us any data on incidents in Worthing?

Members were told that Officers from the Public Health and Regulation and Safer Communities Team had been working alongside licensed premises, Pubwatch, Worthing TCI and Sussex police to raise awareness of predatory behaviours in the night time economy, including spiking through drugs or additional alcohol. This has included promoting the Ask Angela Campaign, sharing educational resources and signposting to training and guidance. Worthing TCI has procured training from the Night Time Economy Solutions Company with a bespoke package on drink spiking for Worthing businesses on Tuesday December 14th. From October 1st- mid November there were 6 reports of spiking across West Sussex, none of which were in Adur or Worthing. We are awaiting statistics for the last month which were unavailable at the time of writing. Statistics must be viewed with caution as there is anecdotal evidence which suggests reluctance to report due to having to present at hospital etc.It is also important to remember that alcohol remains the primary method of spiking through stealth ordering ( doubles/shots etc) and that is why the focus must remain on spotting predatory behaviour as much as method. Working with partners and using funding from the Sussex Police Crime Commissioner, we will be expanding this work throughout 2022 to include Bystander intervention Training and increased access to safe spaces.

Question 2 from Councillor Hazel Thorpe to the Member for Digital and Environment

You will be aware that Tarring Park is a popular one and one which has public events such as Picnic in the Park on a regular basis when possible. The statistics for the budget over the last five years clearly shows a lack of investment. Just a brief look shows that Brooklands, Beach House Park and High Down Gardens aside, top of the leaderboard is Homefield Park £458.519, followed by Northbrook £247,560, West Park £95,850, and Victoria Park £32,703. When will Tarring Park, or Tarring Recreation ground as it is known locally, get its fair share of investment given over the last five years no money was in the budget for improvements and, how much investment can the people look forward to?

The Council was asked to note from the Capital Programme presented at the Joint Strategic Committee that £16,800 was identified to deliver a new irrigation system for the Bowling Green at Church House Grounds as part of for next year’s programme: and that a very significant sum of £251,300 had been identified for reconstruction and associated fencing and paving, including the installation of an electrical access gate linked to an online booking system for the Church House grounds tennis courts for the following year’s programme.

The other key aspects of the capital programme to draw attention are the sums set aside for playground equipment renewal and park improvements generally (items 28 and 29).  The Executive Member stated that they would be happy to discuss further what the priorities were for Tarring both in terms of the park and wider improvements to the streetscape.

Question 3 from Councillor Charles James to the Executive Member for Regeneration (answered by the Leader)

Councillors and the public have been notified that work is expected to begin imminently on the Worthing Integrated Care Centre. When do you expect the work to begin and when can Worthing residents expect to be enjoying the benefits of this fantastic new development?

Members were told that Worthing Town Hall car park would be officially closed on Monday 25 October to enable exclusive use by the construction contractor to commence preliminary works and to hoard off the site.   The new Integrated Care Centre and Multi Storey car park would take an estimated 20 months to construct and is anticipated to be operational in the Summer of 2023. It was stated that this was a great example of using the Government’s ‘One Public Estate’ initiative to make the best use of the land owned by the authorities.  In this case, the proposed development would bring together Coastal West Sussex CCG, Worthing Medical Group, Sussex Community Foundation Trust, and Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust services into one integrated health care facility in the heart of Worthing. It would be the first of its type in Worthing and would deliver significant care benefits for the local community with GP, community, mental health and pharmacy services - all under one roof.