This Week at West Sussex County Council (17th-23rd September 2012)

Committee Meetings:

 

September 17th Governance Committee

2.15 p.m.; County Hall

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/R7u0YF

Governance committee tends, obviously, to deal with the internal workings of the council, rather than policy matters, but there is an important item on the policy of allowing teachers recruited from academies to WSCC schools to count their service as continuous; it might seem rather obvious that it should work that way, but it needs to be made explicit.

September 17th North Horsham CLC

7 p.m.; County Hall North, Chart Way, Horsham, RH12 1XH

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/Ox4DyM

September 18th Planning Committee

10.30 a.m.; County Hall

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/U7Ti8h

Considering the draft West Sussex Waste Plan; there will be more debate at the full Council meeting in October, but this will inform that discussion

September 18th Joint Eastern Arun Area Committee (CLC)

7 p.m.; Woodlands Centre, Woodlands Avenue, Rustington, BN16 3HB

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/S04Zxl

 

Forward Plan Decisions (September-December FP) by Cabinet/Cabinet Member

Full forward plan available here: http://bit.ly/UXVPBi

[Note: decisions outstanding from the previous month, plus decisions made during the past week]

 

Leader

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Communities, Environment & Enterprise

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Children & Families

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Education & Schools

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Health & Adults’ Services

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Public Protection

Decisions made last week:

none

This Week at Worthing Borough Council (17th-23rd September 2012)

Holidays are over, back to work… 🙂

Meetings:

September 17th Licensing Control Committee

6.00 p.m.; Town Hall, Worthing

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/OwPSfA

 

1 application for a Private Hire Driver’s License. Normally these would be delegated to officers, but there may be some specific information in the application that would require more consideration.

 

 

Cabinet/Cabinet Member Decisions

Leader of the Council:

Remembrance Sunday Reception – location: decision due after September 24th

It might seem that deciding where to hold the traditional reception after the Remembrance Sunday service and parade would be uncontroversial and straightforward, but not really. The council has managed to allow almost every possible location in the town hall complex – the committee suite, the Gordon Room, the Assembly Hall – to be booked up for other purposes, or in one case, filled with stored documents. It would seem difficult to be taken by surprise by Remembrance Sunday, but Worthing BC have managed it.

 

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Regeneration:

Portland House/Town Hall Car Park – Marketing Brief: decision due after July 2nd, but still not recorded as made!

 

Cabinet Member for Resources:

Irrecoverable Debts – Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates: decision due after July 6^th, but still not recorded as made.

 

Cabinet Member for Customer Services:

none

(last decision 30/7/12 – joint decision with Adur)

 

Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing:

none

(last decision 16/5/11)

 

Cabinet Member for Environment:

none

(last decision 31/5/12)

 

This Week at West Sussex County Council (16th-22nd July 2012)

Committee Meetings:

 

July 19th Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee

2 p.m.; Hilton Hotel, South Terminal, Gatwick Airport

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/Sudrnf

Includes first presentation of new Gatwick Airport Master Plan

 

July 19th Sussex Police Authority

2 p.m.; Sackville House, Lewes

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/MaCcnv

 

July 20th Full Council

10.30 a.m.; County Hall, Chichester

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/NuxkZg

– includes motion on fracking

 

Forward Plan Decisions (July-October FP) by Cabinet/Cabinet Member

Full forward plan available here: http://bit.ly/MIqoYa

[Note: decisions outstanding from the previous month, plus decisions made during the past week]

 

Leader

Decisions made last week:

Health & Wellbeing Strategy; call-in deadline July 23rd

 

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Communities, Environment & Enterprise

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Children & Families

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Education & Schools

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Health & Adults’ Services

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Public Protection

Decisions made last week:

none

This Week at Worthing Borough Council (16th-22nd July 2012)

Meetings:

July 17th Full Council

6.00 p.m.; Town Hall, Worthing

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/NAPntH

 

 

Cabinet/Cabinet Member Decisions

Leader of the Council:

Mayoral Support – Budget for staff overtime payments: decision due after July 12th

 

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Regeneration:

Portland House/Town Hall Car Park – Marketing Brief: decision due July 2nd

 

Cabinet Member for Resources:

Irrecoverable Debts – Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates: decision due after July 6th

 

Cabinet Member for Customer Services:

none

(last decision 17/8/11)

 

Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing:

none

(last decision 16/5/11)

 

Cabinet Member for Environment:

none

(last decision 31/5/12)

 

Joint Cabinet Decisions with Adur:

none

This Week at West Sussex County Council (2nd-8th July 2012)

Committee Meetings:

 

July 2nd Governance Committee

2.15 p.m.; County Hall, Chichester

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/KT2PO1

– Sussex Police and Crime Panel Draft Constitution; sadly the link within the document to the actual constitution doesn’t work, but there does seem to be provision for public involvement; political balance has not been addressed, however.

July 3rd Cabinet

10.30 a.m.; County Hall, Chichester

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/N0fqxG

July 3rd East Crawley County Local Committee

7 p.m.; Crawley Library, Southgate Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6HG

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/O2pA27

July 4th Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee

10.30 a.m.; County Hall, Chichester

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/LaqdI5

• Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust Update on Service Redesign
• Future Model of Services for the Frail Elderly

July 4th Chanctonbury County Local Committee

7 p.m.; Henfield Leisure Centre, Henfield, BN5 9QB

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/OOGe7U

July 5th Policy & Resources Select Committee

10.30 a.m.; County Hall, Chichester

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/MIUJag

July 6th Chichester Harbour Conservancy

2.15 p.m.

This is the correct date for the meeting I published in error last week (based on the WSCC meeting calendar); however, there’s a problem with the Conservancy website and they haven’t been able to upload the agenda. I have been sent a copy however!

 

Forward Plan Decisions (July-October FP) by Cabinet/Cabinet Member

Full forward plan available here: http://bit.ly/MIqoYa

[Note: decisions outstanding from the previous month, plus decisions made during the past week]

 

Leader

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Communities, Environment & Enterprise

Decisions made last week:

Review of fees and charges for public rights of way; call-in deadline 9th July

Review of fees and charges for trade waste at Waste Transfer Stations and Strategic Planning; call-in deadline 9th July

 

Cabinet Member for Children & Families

Decisions made last week:

Procurement of a framework of providers for children’s residential and foster care (call-in deadline 5th July.

 

Cabinet Member for Education & Schools

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Health & Adults’ Services

Outstanding from May:

Preparing for an Ageing Population (has now slipped to July)

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport

Outstanding from May:

Review of on-street parking charges (slipped to September)

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Public Protection

Decisions made last week:

none

This Week at Worthing Borough Council (2nd-8th July 2012)

Committee Meetings:

None

 

Cabinet/Cabinet Member Decisions

Leader of the Council:

None

 

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Regeneration:

None

 

Cabinet Member for Resources:

Irrecoverable Debts – Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates: report 28th June, decision due after 6th July.

Council tax writeoffs total £14,156.63

Non-Domestic Rates writeoffs total £29,691.53; this doesn’t actually cost the council anything as NDR go into the national pool, and these writeoffs are deducted from our contribution, but it does serve as a local economic indicator of sorts.

 

Cabinet Member for Customer Services:

none

(last decision 17/8/11)

 

Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing:

none

(last decision 16/5/11)

 

Cabinet Member for Environment:

none

(last decision 31/5/12)

 

Joint Cabinet Decisions with Adur:

none

This Week at West Sussex County Council (25th June-1st July 2012)

A little bit late this week: last night of the play on Saturday, after-play party, then football.  What can I say, except sorry.

 

Committee Meetings:

 June 25th Regulation, Audit & Accounts Committee

2.15 p.m.; County Hall, Chichester

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/MRGo7e

 

June 25th Chichester Harbour Planning Committee

11.15 a.m.; no venue or agenda available for this meeting. The website for Chichester Harbour Conservancy is at http://www.conservancy.co.uk

 

June 25th Chichester Harbour Conservancy

4.15 p.m.; no venue or agenda available for this meeting. The website for Chichester Harbour Conservancy is at http://www.conservancy.co.uk

 

June 25th North Horsham County Local Committee

7 p.m.; Goodwood Room, County Hall North, Horsham, RH12 1XA

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/L7gz4s

 

June 27th Standards Committee

10.30 a.m.; County Hall, Chichester

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/Ls9QGS

 

June 28th Shadow West Sussex Health & Wellbeing Management Board

2.15 p.m.; County Hall North, Horsham, RH12 1XA

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/OeOjlU

 

June 28th GATCOM Steering Group

10.00 a.m.; no venue or agenda available for this meeting. The website for GATCOM is at http://www.ukaccs.info/gatwick/about.htm

 

June 28th West Crawley County Local Committee

7 p.m.; Longley Room, Crawley Library, Crawley, RH10 6HG

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/MjJBzg

 

 

Forward Plan Decisions (June-September FP) by Cabinet/Cabinet Member

Full forward plan available here: http://bit.ly/JwqAuv

[Note: decisions outstanding from the previous month, plus decisions made during the past week]

 

Leader

Outstanding from May:

none

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Communities, Environment & Enterprise

Outstanding from May:

Chichester Harbour AONB Memorandum of Agreement

Decisions made last week:

URGENT ACTION – Execution of Deed to Secure the Relinquishment of the Option in favour of Biffa Waste Services Limited over “Site Ha” at Brookhurst Wood, Warnham.

 

Cabinet Member for Children & Families

Outstanding from May:

none

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Education & Schools

Outstanding from May:

Extension of Education Provision for 14-19 year olds in Area A Special Schools

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources

Decisions made last week:

Sidney Walter Centre, Worthing – Proposed Community Asset Transfer

The Beacon Centre, Hassocks – Proposed Community Asset Transfer

Former Ferring Rifers Youth and Community Centre, Ferring – Proposed Community Asset Transfer

Social Enterprise Fund – Funding Allocations

 

 

Cabinet Member for Health & Adults’ Services

Outstanding from May:

Preparing for an Ageing Population

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport

Outstanding from May:

Residents Parking Scheme for Pound Hill Crawley

Review of on-street parking charges

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Public Protection

Outstanding from May:

none

Decisions made last week:

none

This Week at Worthing Borough Council (25th June-1st July 2012)

Committee Meetings:

None

Cabinet/Cabinet Member Decisions

Leader of the Council:

Use of Borough Coat of Arms: well, now, the report for this is listed as being published on 8th June, but it certainly hasn’t been up on the website for 2 weeks. It appears to have gone up at the same time (20th June) as the decision, which is to allow Worthing Lions Club and Worthing & Adur Community Fund to use the Borough Arms, the former on memorabilia to celebrate the club’s diamond jubilee, and the latter as the Mayor is supporting the fund for his charities during his mayoral year. No controversy there, glad

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Regeneration:

Marketing Brief for Town Hall Car Park: report 22nd June, decision due after 2nd July. This follows on from a decision in October 2011 to sell of part of the car park (the north west corner, at the junction of Stoke Abbott Road and Christchurch Road). The tenor of the brief is that a sale for residential or health/community facility is appropriate (although other uses would be considered). 54 car parking spaces would be lost according to the report, although a quick count on Google Earth indicates it’s 60 or 61 – I count around 132 spaces in the rest of the car park so it’s roughly 30% of the total car parking, and of the ground area. That’s going to have an impact on the council employees, and on visitors to the Assembly Hall.

The report recommends a maximum development height of 3 to 4 storeys; not unreasonable given the relationships to neighbouring houses and buildings, but I think we can take it as read that ‘3 to 4; will turn out to be ‘4’. The report also hints at high density flats for families, or sheltered accommodation for the elderly.

I’m concerned about the knock-on effects from reducing the car parking available (although it would be nice to see the Council to more to encourage cycling and other sustainable transport!), and also that essentially this is carrying forward the commercial part of the ‘Civic Hub’ plan of the Worthing Masterplan of a few years ago without any of the civic and cultural enhancements that were supposed to go with it.

It also seems really unfortunate that the council is beginning to progress this when they haven’t yet agreed their Community Infrastructure Levy policy, so any prospective developers may be available to pay to the council than they might have otherwise

Cabinet Member for Resources:

none

(last decision 1/5/12)

Cabinet Member for Customer Services:

none

(last decision 17/8/11)

Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing:

none

(last decision 16/5/11 – 404 days and counting…)

Cabinet Member for Environment:

none

(last decision 31/5/12)

Still no word from WBC on why the Allotments Policy was not a key decision…

Joint Cabinet Decisions with Adur:

Joint Adur & Worthing Comments and Complaints Procedure Review: decision due after 19/6/12

This Week at West Sussex County Council (18th-24th June 2012)

Committee Meetings:

 

June 19th Planning Committee

10.30 a.m.; County Hall

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/KQLXlJ

The only item on the agenda for this meeting is the motion put forward at the last County Council meeting on ‘fracking’ – exploration for, and extraction of, oil by hydraulic fracturing.

 

June 20th Environmental and Community Services Select Committee

10.30 a.m.; County Hall

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/L619Sj

• Future of Mortuary Provision in West Sussex
• West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service – proposals for efficiency savings: this follows on from the decision not to pursue the merger with East Sussex Fire & Rescue; West Sussex still need to find £2.5m savings by 2013/14. The report merely outlines the areas for scrutiny, and the proposals for consultation; more details in September…
• Budget Monitoring & Performance Outturn 2011/12
• Response to Thameslink Rail Franchise Consultation: comfirming that the Committee (and Council) see this as important to the county, and hence the committee will scrutinise the draft response once it is written.

 

June 19th North Chichester County Local Committee

7.00 p.m.; Rogate & Terwick Village Hall, North Street, Rogate, GU31 5BH

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/KEvF5R

 

 

Forward Plan Decisions (June-September FP) by Cabinet/Cabinet Member

Full forward plan available here: http://bit.ly/JwqAuv

[Note: decisions outstanding from the previous month, plus decisions made during the past week]

 

Leader

Outstanding from May:

none

Decisions made last week:

Agreed to the Adult & Community Learning Service ‘New Company’ being confirmed as an outside body.

Appointed Mark Dunn (councillor) to Chichester Harbour Conservancy Board

 

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Communities, Environment & Enterprise

Outstanding from May:

Chichester Harbour AONB Memorandum of Agreement

Decisions made last week:

Agreed plans for temporary closure of 22 libraries to allow self-service terminals to be installed.

Appointed Peter Jones (councillor) to Board of of Action in Rural Sussex.

 

Cabinet Member for Children & Families

Outstanding from May:

none

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Education & Schools

Outstanding from May:

Extension of Education Provision for 14-19 year olds in Area A Special Schools

Decisions made last week:

Appointed Diane Ashby (officer) as Officer Trustee to the Adult & Community Learning ‘New Company’

 

Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources

Outstanding from May:

none

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Health & Adults’ Services

Outstanding from May:

Preparing for an Ageing Population

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Highways & Transport

Outstanding from May:

Residents Parking Scheme for Pound Hill Crawley

Review of on-street parking charges

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Public Protection

Outstanding from May:

none

Decisions made last week:

none

 

Notes

* Recurs every month

† Joint decision between two or more cabinet members

This Week at Worthing Borough Council (18th-24th June 2012)

Committee Meetings:

 

June 19th Joint Planning Committee

This is listed on the Meetings Schedule, but no papers are on the council website, so I assume it has been cancelled.

 

June 21st Joint Strategic Committee

6.30 p.m.; Gordon Room, Town Hall, Worthing

Full agenda and reports at: http://bit.ly/KJY71n

Tendering for a Disposal Contract for Commercial and Industrial Waste

There is currently a lot of discussion going on about the possibility – in the Draft Waste Plan for West Sussex – of a waste to energy plant being sited at Decoy Farm. There is already such a plant in Lancing, run by a commercial operator, and this report recommends that the councils run a tendering process for a contract for commercial waste (collected by the councils) to be disposed of at this plant.

There’s no mention in the report of recyclables being separated from this waste before disposal – is this an omission in the report, or in action? Hopefully this can be dealt with at the meeting.

National Graduate Development Programme

The councils are supporting graduate employment by joining this programme and employing… one graduate. For two years. That’ll do it.

Theatres Business Plan

Supposed to be presented at this meeting, but now delayed until July. It’s surprising that the council felt confident enough to award the management of the theatres to the in-house team on the basis of a business plan which wasn’t finished, and now still isn’t ready three months later when they asked for it. Come on, people!

Disposal of High Street Car Park

Obviously an important decision, but it’s a confidential item so we’ll have to wait to see what the result is. When I was a councillor, I found it annoying that many reports of this type were confidential when only a small part of the information needed to be (such as bid amounts, fees, etc.). I still find it annoying. Freedom of Information should mean that the default assumption is to have things in the public domain, and that a case has to be made to have confidential information, not the reverse.

 

Forward Plan Decisions (June-September FP):

 

Capital Strategy: this is agenda item 6 for the Joint Strategic Committee, above.

 

(no decisions are listed in the next four months as due to be made exclusively in Worthing, whether by the cabinet, a cabinet member or the council; three joint decisions with Adur are on the Plan: the Capital Strategy (above), Medium Term Financial Strategy and possible arrangements for localised Council Tax Schemes. All these are to be considered in June/July)

 

Cabinet/Cabinet Member Decisions

 

Leader of the Council:

none

(last decision 27/3/12)

 

Deputy Leader/Cabinet Member for Regeneration:

none

 

Cabinet Member for Resources:

none

(last decision 1/5/12)

 

Cabinet Member for Customer Services:

none

(last decision 17/8/11)

 

Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing:

none

(last decision 16/5/11 – 397 days and counting…)

 

Cabinet Member for Environment:

none

(last decision 31/5/12)

Still no word from WBC on why the Allotments Policy was not a key decision…

 

Joint Cabinet Decisions with Adur:

Joint Adur & Worthing Comments and Complaints Procedure Review: report issued 11/6/12, decision due after 19/6/12