Agenda item

Members question time will last up to 30 minutes, questions will be taken in order of receipt, in rotation from each political group on the Council. The deadline for submission of questions is 25^th March 2024 at 12 noon. Questions to be submitted to democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk

Questions received can be asked of the following:

a)    The Chairman

b)    A Member of the Cabinet

c)    The Chairman of any Committee

d)    The Councils representative on any outside body

Questions cannot be asked on the following

a)    A specific planning or licensing application

b)    A specific staffing appointment, appeal or Standards determination

Cllr Shinn asked the following question

What more can be done to compel Southern Water to come to committee to face questioning by Adur and Worthing Members?

It is now over one year since you made a decision to explore a hybrid-surface solution for the Meads Recreation Ground. Local parents, children and other residents have yet to see any significant progress. Could you please update residents and members on the situation?

Response

The Council has been working with specialist contractors to prepare a design and provide up to date costings.  There is a Project Manager assigned to the project who is holding monthly meetings with the School, West Sussex and the Head of Governors.  West Sussex is currently resolving the necessary governance approvals to release the ring fenced s106 funds so that the project can commence on site.  Ideally work during the summer months would be preferable with better weather and less impact on the school but this is dependent on timings around the governance and procurement processes

Cllr Shinn asked the following question

You may be aware of recent problems in relation to the management and maintenance of new housing developments in our district. For example, there have been criticisms levelled at Hyde Housing by residents of the Waterfront development in Shoreham, which have been brought to the attention of our local MP and cabinet members. Could you please indicate what steps could be taken by this council going forward to hold Hyde and other preferred developers to account for the management and maintenance of developments following completion?

Response

Generally, the management and maintenance of new developments is the responsibility of a Management Company set up by the developers, with occupiers of new properties contributing to the ongoing management costs.  This can include on-site drainage, roads and open spaces unless transferred to the District Council or County Council with a commuted sum payment to cover future maintenance costs.  This is usually stipulated in the s106 planning obligation signed at the planning application stage.

In terms of the issues identified with the Waterfront development (north of the Ropetackle development), following complaints Hyde did investigate the flooding issues and identified that the issue is not with the on site drainage system but with the outfall to the River.  The outfall pipe has been inspected by a local Civil Engineering Company and they have identified that it is blocked by silt. 

The responsibility to clear the Chamber rests with the Environment Agency and it is hoped that the problem will be rectified as soon as possible.  In the meantime Hyde is continually to over pump into the river at periods of low tide to avoid any further flooding issues on site or to neighbours.

The Council does have enforcement powers against either the developers or appointed Management Company if developments are not built in accordance with approved plans or areas not maintained in accordance with agreed management plans.  At Mariners Point in Shoreham the developer was threatened with enforcement action to remedy a number of breaches with the implementation of various flood protection matters as well as a failure to implement an agreed landscaping scheme.  At New Monks Farm the Country Park and off site drainage scheme have to be maintained in accordance with an agreed management plan and this is a requirement of the s106 agreement that binds the developer in perpetuity.

Cllr Crisp asked the following question

A resident has been asking me about the voids situation for several months. She has emailed both me and Cllr Carson Albury on many occasions. I have emailed Cllr Albury to ask him to respond directly to her. But unfortunately this has not yet happened. So, since my resident is currently undergoing surgery she has asked me to put this question to Cllr Albury on her behalf.

How many voids do we currently have? How many households in Emergency and Temporary accommodation? How many households are on the AH waiting list? What is the mean average turnaround time for void properties? And most importantly what is being done to bring these figures down?

Response

Officers have been reporting on the progress of AHs to council over the last year including our work on voids and so this information is something that we invite all of our members to read and engage with, including the available statistics that have been included. We have also just updated the Joint Strategic Committee in March about the latest numbers of households on the waiting list and emergency accommodation and again I would invite Members to look at this report in more detail

For the specific purpose of this question:

As at the end of February 2024 Adur Homes had 132 void properties.

There is a significant amount of work underway to address the voids issue and this is reported back to council through the improvement plan reporting.  We have gone through a contract process to employ two contractors to solely concentrate on the voids work and this is now working well and effectively.  It is envisaged the impact of this is starting to be seen and subject to the number of new properties coming into the process and the number of “new” residents are housed through these, it is planned the overall number will start to reduce. 

We don’t yet have an average void turnaround time due to the issues around some of the voids which have significant issues. It does depend on the amount and complexity of works required with many requiring asbestos removal and major works that take added time when compared.  The simplest voids can be turned around within 10-15 days.

As at 29th February 2024 there were 124 Adur households placed in temporary accommodation which is an increase of 9 households from the previous month and an increase of 28 households since this time last year.  There are now 959 households on the Adur housing register, which is an increase of over 50 since this time last year.

Cllr Crisp asked the following question

We have heard much about the Restructure, new ways of working and the changes to responsibilities, officer and management posts. This has recently been flagged on public social media posts from Adur and Worthing councils. This has been a thorough and lengthy process, but has not been shared with most opposition members. At what level has this been discussed? How will the new structures be shared with councillors and the public so we can understand where responsibilities lie post-restructuring?

Response

While designs are discussed in advance with the cabinet that  will share details with all members, residents and partners  after the staff consultation period for each of the changes.  This is to ensure that we run a fair process for staff. 

The first group of consultations will be complete early in the summer with further updates later in the year.