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 15 July at 12 noon. Questions to be submitted to democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk

 

Questions can be asked of the following:

a)    The Mayor

b)    A Member of the Cabinet

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 7 questions from Members in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12. She 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 6 rotations of speakers possible. At the end of 30 minutes the Mayor explained that she would extend the time to conclude the current rotation of questions.

 

The Mayor announced that the following Councillors had submitted questions:

 

Councillors Atkins, Thorpe, Cochran, Nowak and Mercer.

 

First rotation:

 

Question 1 from Councillor Noel Atkins to the Leader

 

At the public meeting at Chatsmore farm Cllr Cooper you announced to the public that you wanted more brown-field sites to come forward. What brown-field sites have you been able to identify so far coming forward?

 

The Leader replied that the Council was actively looking at all opportunities for brownfield sites, particularly to find much needed land for emergency and temporary accommodation.  The Council was reviewing its own land holdings as well as watching closely when property came to market.  In addition, the Council was keen to engage West Sussex and other partners.

 

Cllr Atkins asked a supplementary question regarding the provision of new homes on brownfield sites such as Teville Gate.

 

The Leader advised that the new administration was absolutely committed to looking at the social housing stock and increasing it in any way they could. In terms of the brownfield sites that were available, the Council was reviewing what were the best options and models and the most affordable way to deliver more social housing on these sites.    

 

Question 2 from Councillor Hazel Thorpe to the Leader

 

I am sure that you are aware that

 

·         Not being able to pay bills on time is an indicator of the cost of living crisis.

 

·         The closure of bank branches in many parts of Worthing, the removal of as many as one in four ATM machines making it harder for working people and pensioners to access cash and the failure of large banks to offer mobile banking services to compensate for the closure of branches is causing  unnecessary hardship to our residents.

 

·         Not all local residents are confident about using online banking facilities because of concerns about technology and internet banking scams and small businesses necessarily deal with cash and require local facilities for banking cash and obtaining change.

 

Therefore are you willing to promote and encourage the use of some of the replacements for traditional banking trialled by the Cash Action Group in particular;

 

o   to encourage in those parts of Worthing where branches have been closed the use of shared banking hubs and mobile banking facilities, and

 

o   by carrying out a study to determine the current and future needs of Worthing residents for the delivery of banking services.

 

The Leader replied that she was in agreement with what had been said. A number of banks in Marine Ward had been closed and she had numerous older residents getting in touch to say that they were really struggling to get into town to access banks. 

 

In terms of solutions, the Leader was happy to meet with Cllr Thorpe to discuss the cash action group and what could be done to support those residents who found it more difficult to use online banking services.  

 

Councillor Thorpe asked a supplementary question regarding the timeline for initiating such an initiative. 

 

The Leader suggested meeting with Cllr Thorpe to determine and put forward a timeline.

 

Second rotation

 

Question 3 from Councillor Russ Cochran to the Deputy Leader

 

With a total of £368 million being distributed amongst 650 wards nationally, solely for ring-fenced, ward specific, Youth Projects in the UK, We were all very pleased to hear that Northbrook ward was granted this and is also the only qualifying ward in Worthing. 

 

this money is being made available by the government to directly improve

health and wellbeing of young people, equip young people with skills for work and life, empower young people to be active members of their communities and society 

 

Therefore a potential share given to the ward, for the council to apply for, is an award worth up to around £550,000 and even possibly more if the right approach is made in the application, 

 

The council, by now should have acted swiftly to secure funding for Youth work in the ward and proposals will hopefully incorporate a youth centre or working project to ensure we utilise and build on any strengths in the area by encompassing green areas of the ward such as Whitebeam woods and Northbrook pond, with further community bring-ins such as; to Ensure Food banks are well supported with a working kitchen in such a centre where families can not only receive food parcels, but to save on rising Energy costs and concerns, be cooked for, by their own youths and fed in a restaurant style manner, this is all working towards a demonstration youths are empowered, are able to take ownership, whilst taking care of many concerns under one banner and providing deprived areas of the community with a chance to unite.

 

The ultimate goal here would be a purpose built working youth centre and a proposal had previously already been forwarded and several sites had been identified to pursue

 

That said, Progress and updates in the application seem to have been lacking since the change in administration as there has been no communication inclusively as ward councillor. 

 

As I am without any current data to share or relay openly regarding it, residents will be pleased to hear what has now been put in place to obtain the central government funds via any material plans via an application, after it was announced it had been awarded.

 

Can I obtain a pledge on record from the executive on behalf of local residents that an application has been pursued?

 

The Deputy Leader replied that the Council was currently undertaking an options appraisal with regards to applying to the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DMCS) Youth Inclusion Funding (YIF). 

 

There were 45 upper tier authorities and 600 wards that were eligible to make an application, and applications could be made by both statutory and civil society sectors (including voluntary sector, community and uniformed youth groups). This could include for example; schools, housing associations, development trusts, health trusts, police commissioners or local youth partnerships. Worthing had 1 eligible ward, which was Northbrook.

 

Applications could be made as of September 2022 with the overall programme ceasing in March 2025, and the Council aimed to have the draft options appraisal ready for the beginning of August, which would need to be consulted on and agreed by key decision makers and wider stakeholders.

 

The fund was weighted to provide 80% of capital investment and a maximum of 20% in revenue funding, an expectation of the fund, was that successful applicants would be able to satisfy the awarding body that all matters in terms of the physical asset building, such as planning, lease, land ownership were secure and as such warranted the investment. Additionally the Council would need to be able to identify that the related revenue costs for running the facility were either in place or were self-sustaining through an income generating finance model.

 

Sites had to have a primary focus for young people, but dual use was an acceptable operating model, if this was how the primary youth focus and delivery was sustained in terms of revenue.

 

Cllr Cochran asked a supplemental question about the transparency of the application process. 

 

The Deputy Leader replied that the big listening campaign sought to reach into all parts of the town and establish how the Council could best support residents. He was happy to have conversations with Cllr Cochran and residents in Northbrook around this. In terms of taking forward this application, the Council wanted to do this in the most effective way possible to try and get the best possible application for the people of Northbrook.    

 

Third rotation

 

Question 4 from Councillor Richard Nowak to the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services

 

Would the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services please confirm what the latest available data reveals regarding the percentage of domestic waste being recycled in the borough?

 

The Cabinet Member replied that recycling rates vary throughout the year and over time so looking at one snapshot was of limited use - overall trends were more informative

 

She had liaised with the officers and the latest DEFRA figures released in May showed that Worthing achieved a recycling rate of 41.5% from April 2020 - March 2021.  This was an increase of 1.5% from the previous year - itself an increase of 2.4% from April 2018 - March 2019. 

 

The Cabinet Member was happy to note this increased trend, but clearly there was more that the Council could do to increase the recycling rate in the Borough. The Council was committed to improving its recycling rates and was aiming to exceed national recycling targets every year.

 

Overall, the amount of household recycling in England actually fell by 1.5% in 2020 to an unimpressive 44%, well below the EU minimum target of 50%.

 

Data for April 2021 - March 2022 would be released by DEFRA in May next year and the Cabinet Member would be liaising closely with the officers to review the level of progress made in Worthing. 

 

Cllr Nowak asked how this would be achieved as a supplementary question. 

 

The Cabinet Member replied that the national ambition is to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035. So in the next 13 years, the Council would need to increase recycling rates by 23.5%. This was at an average of 1.8% per year.

 

The three main ways being proposed to improve recycling rates moving forwards were through increased education, collection of food waste and the collection of small electronic items such as kettles, irons and toys.   

 

Fourth rotation 

 

Question 5 from Councillor Richard Nowak to the Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency

 

Would the Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency please advise whether or not the commitment made by her Cabinet colleague Cllr Wells during her election campaign to work to improve the biodiversity of every green space in the Borough of Worthing is endorsed by her and is it the Labour administration's official policy?

 

The Cabinet Member replied that she was delighted to endorse Cllr Well’s commitment to work to improve the biodiversity in all the Borough’s green spaces. Working to improve biodiversity wherever possible in the town was one element in the Council’s response to the twin emergencies of Climate Change and Nature Degradation. The word biodegradable did not appear in the administration's manifesto, as such, but it was implicit in all of the administration’s green and environmental policies. It was the administration's policy to improve the natural plant and animal life across the Borough.      

 

Cllr Nowak asked a supplementary question regarding the work commissioned by the Cabinet Member to understand and measure the current level of biodiversity in each and every green space in Worthing, particularly the parks and recreation grounds, and how long we will have to wait before she publishes the data and specific plans for biodiversity improvement in those green spaces.  

 

The Cabinet Member replied that there was some overlap between the environmental services and climate emergency portfolios. The broad differentiation was that the Climate Emergency portfolio was primarily concerned with the Council meeting its targets in 2030 and 2045 for global warming emissions. Cllr Wells was responsible for the Borough’s parks and green spaces. There was an overlap and, as such, the Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency would need to refer the question regarding data and specific plans to the Cabinet Member for Environmental Services.    

 

Fifth rotation

 

Question 6 from Councillor Richard Nowak to the Leader

 

What value does the Leader and her Labour administration place on securing green spaces in this Borough for future generations?

 

The Leader replied that the Council placed an incredibly high premium on the green spaces in the Borough both for now and for future generations. It was incredibly important on many levels. The Council had to address the Climate Emergency and make sure that the health and wellbeing of all residents is addressed by green spaces. Green spaces have an immense positive benefit in terms of physical and mental wellbeing. The Council was committed to ensure that the green spaces in the Borough are preserved, that they thrive, are used well by local communities and promote biodiversity now and in the future.      

 

Cllr Nowak asked a supplementary question regarding the acquisition of land at Chatsmore Farm for Worthing residents. 

 

The Leader replied that she would wait to see what the outcome of this week’s high court action was. If it was successful, she would look to enter discussions with Persimmons to see what the best way forward was.   

 

Sixth rotation

 

Question 7 from Councillor Heather Mercer to the Leader 

 

Can the Leader advise Council as to the cost of the recent WSCC election for Worthing West, on the7th July, called because of your resignation when you became leader of the Council despite stating frequently, in the last 6 months, to being, 'the administration in waiting'.

 

The Leader replied that the exact cost of the election held on 7 July was not yet known as not all aspects of the election had been invoiced. However, the Leader had been advised that a ballpark figure would be in the region of £7-10k.  

 

As a supplementary question, Councillor Mercer asked why Cllr Cooper had not resigned from the County Council prior to the local elections to save Council Tax Payers money and prevent extra work for Officers

 

The Leader replied that it had been possible to balance being a County Councillor and Leader of the Opposition in the Borough Council. However, on becoming Leader of Worthing Borough Council it had no longer been possible to sit as a County Councillor.