Agenda and minutes

87.1     The Chairman reported the deaths of two former members of the Council, Lt Col David Jones, who had represented the Bourne division from 1989 to 1997 and Mr Martin Daws-Chew, who had represented The Witterings division from 1989 to 2009.

87.2     Members held a minute’s silence.

88.1     The Chairman asked members to join her in congratulating three  members on 20 years’ service on the County Council. Councillors Pat Arculus, Lionel Barnard and Louise Goldsmith were all first elected to the County Council in 2001. They had served in many important roles, with Cllrs Arculus and Barnard each serving as Chairman and Cllr Goldsmith serving as Leader.

88.2     As it was the last meeting before the election, the Chairman also expressed her thanks to members who were standing down at the end of the term and wished them well for the future.

89.1     Apologies were received from Cllr Bridges, Cllr Goldsmith, Cllr Simmons and Cllr Smith.

89.2     Cllr Purchase and Cllr Barling and gave their apologies for the start of the morning session and joined at 11.10 am and 11.15 am respectively. Cllr A Jones joined at 10.42 am.

89.3     Apologies for the afternoon session were received from Cllr Barling and Cllr R Oakley. Cllr Montyn gave his apologies for the start of the afternoon session and joined at 3.36 pm. Cllr Purchese joined at 2.05 pm.

89.4     Cllr Oppler left at 2.27 pm and Cllr Bucklandat 3.04 pm.

Members are asked to disclose any pecuniary or personal interests in matters appearing on the agenda.

90.1     Members declared interests as set out at Appendix 1.

The Council is asked to confirm the minutes of the ordinary meeting of the County Council held on 12 February 2021.

91.1     It was agreed that the minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the County Council held on 12 February 2021 (pages 9 to 22) be approved as a correct record.

At the discretion of the Chairman, to receive any address by a Cabinet Member on a matter of urgency and/or significant interest to the County Council and which relates to the powers and responsibilities of the County Council or which affects the Council.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People will make a statement on the Council’s Children First Improvement Plan. A report is also attached. Members may ask questions of the Cabinet Member in accordance with Standing Order 2.33.

92.1     Members received an address by the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People on the Council’s Children First Improvement Plan, together with a report (pages 23 to 26).

92.2     In response to a question from Cllr Lord about whether young people were aware of the proposals for Find It Out centres in the early help consultation, the Cabinet Member agreed to review the level of engagement with young people with the Executive Director and respond to Cllr Lord.

The Council is asked to debate the following petition in accordance with Standing Order 3.43(a). A statement by the petitioners (Appendix 1) and a briefing note by the Executive Director Children, Young People and Learning (Appendix 2) are attached.

Halt the planned cuts to West Sussex Children and Family Centres

‘We call on West Sussex County Council to halt the planned cuts to its Early Help service and reverse the proposed closures of the Children’s and Family Centres and Find it Out advice centres across the county.’

(5 minutes is allocated for the Lead Petitioner, 5 minutes for the Cabinet Member’s response followed by an opportunity for a members’ debate of no more than 30 minutes with each member allowed to speak for a maximum of 3 minutes. At the end of the debate and before any proposition is put, the Lead Petitioner and Cabinet Member will each be given 3 minutes for a closing statement.)

93.1     The Council debated the following petition. A briefing note from the Director of Children, Young People and Learning and a statement from the petitioners and been circulated with the agenda (pages 27 to 30).

Halt the planned cuts to West Sussex Children and Family Centres

‘We call on West Sussex County Council to halt the planned cuts to its Early Help service and reverse the proposed closures of the Children’s and Family Centres and Find it Out advice centres across the county.’

93.2     Mrs Catherine Arnold, on behalf of the petitioners, addressed the Council for five minutes in support of the petition.

93.3     The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People responded to the petition for five minutes on behalf of the County Council.

93.4     The Council debated the petition.

93.5     A proposition was moved by Cllr Bennettand seconded by Cllr A Jones as set out below:

‘The Cabinet Member is invited to include this petition and the debate that follows in the consideration of her response to the consultation in due course.’

93.6     A proposition was moved by Cllr M Jonesand seconded by Cllr Oxlade as set out below:

‘This Council supports the petition and asks the Cabinet Member to halt the process of closures.’

93.7     Mrs Arnold, on behalf of the petitioners, and the Cabinet Member were each given three minutes to make a closing statement.

93.8     The proposition by Cllr Bennett was put to a recorded vote under Standing Order 3.35.

(a)         For the proposition – 44

Cllr Acraman, Cllr Arculus, Cllr Atkins, Cllr Baldwin, Cllr Barnard, Cllr Barrett-Miles, Cllr Bennett, Cllr Boram, Cllr Bradbury, Cllr Bradford, Cllr Burgess, Cllr Burrett, Cllr Catchpole, Cllr Cloake, Cllr Crow, Cllr J Dennis, Cllr Edwards, Cllr Elkins, Cllr Hall, Cllr High, Cllr Hillier, Cllr Hunt, Cllr A Jones, Cllr A Jupp, Cllr N Jupp, Cllr Kennard, Cllr Kitchen, Cllr Lanzer, Cllr Magill, Cllr Markwell, Cllr Marshall, Cllr McDonald, Cllr Mitchell, Cllr Montyn, Cllr R Oakley, Cllr S Oakley, Cllr Pendleton, Cllr Purnell, Cllr Russell, Cllr Sparkes, Cllr Turner, Cllr Urquhart, Cllr Waight and Cllr Wickremaratchi.

(b)         Against the proposition – 5

Cllr Buckland, Cllr M Jones, Cllr Oxlade, Cllr Quinn and Cllr Sudan.

(c)         Abstentions – 13

Cllr Brunsdon, Cllr N Dennis, Cllr Duncton, Cllr Fitzjohn, Cllr Lea, Cllr Lord, Cllr Millson, Cllr O’Kelly, Cllr Patel, Cllr Purchese, Cllr Smytherman, Cllr Walsh and Cllr Whittington.

93.9     The proposition was carried.

93.10  The proposition by Cllr M Jones fell away.

Following deferral at the last meeting due to lack of time, the Council is asked to approve the Pay Policy Statement 2021/22, in the light of a report from the Governance Committee.

94.1     The Council considered the Pay Policy Statement 2021/22, in the light of a report from the Governance Committee (pages 31 to 42).

94.2     Resolved –

(1)         That the proposed revisions to the Pay Policy Statement, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be approved; and

(2)         That authority be given to the Directors of Law and Assurance and of Human Resources and Organisational Development, in consultation with the Chairman, to finalise the wording of paragraphs 10.1 and 11.1 of the Statement once revised Regulations on any public sector pay cap have been published’.

Following deferral at the last meeting due to lack of time, the Council is asked to consider a proposal for the inclusion in the constitution of the Regulation, Audit and Accounts Committee of an independent member and a minor change to the joint scrutiny arrangements, in the light of a report by the Governance Committee.

95.1     The Council considered a proposal for the inclusion in the constitution of the Regulation, Audit and Accounts Committee of an independent member and a minor change to the joint scrutiny arrangements, in the light of a report by the Governance Committee (pages 43 to 50). It was noted that paragraph 11 of the report had been included in error and should be deleted.

95.2     Resolved –

(1)        That the changes to the constitution of the Regulation, Audit and Accounts Committee, as set out at Appendix 1 to the report, be approved;

(2)        That the Director of Law and Assurance and the Director of Finance and Support Services be given delegated authority to make arrangements to finalise the job description, advertise and take all other steps necessary to recruit to the role, for which travel expenses will be payable; and

(3)        That the changes to the constitution of the Joint Scrutiny Steering Group, with effect from 1 May 2021, as set out in paragraph 9 of the report, be approved.

Questions to the Leader and Cabinet Members on matters contained within the Cabinet report, written questions and any other questions relevant to their portfolios. As this item was deferred at the last meeting due to lack of time, the written questions submitted for the meeting of the Council on 12 February are also attached at Appendix 1. Members may also ask questions of the Leader on anything that is currently relevant to the County Council. The report covers relevant Council business or developments in respect of portfolios arising since the meeting of the Council on 11 December 2020. A supplementary report may be published.

(2 hours is allocated for Question Time)

96.1     Members asked questions of members of the Cabinet on matters relevant to their portfolios, as set out at Appendix 3. This included questions on those matters contained within the Cabinet report (pages 51 to 66) and a supplementary report (supplement pages 1 and 2) and written questions and answers pursuant to Standing Order 2.38 (set out at Appendix 2).

96.2     As this item was deferred at the last meeting due to lack of time, the Cabinet report also included an Appendix 1 which set out the written questions submitted for the meeting of the Council on 12 February 2021.

Following deferral at the last meeting due to lack of time, the Council is asked to note urgent action taken under regulation 11 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012.

97.1     The report of urgent action taken under regulation 11 of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 (pages 67 to 70) was noted.

The Council is asked to consider and approve the Soft Sand Review: Adoption of changes to the West Sussex Joint Minerals Local Plan, in the light of a report by the Cabinet Member for Environment.

98.1     The Council considered the Soft Sand Review: Adoption of changes to the West Sussex Joint Minerals Local Plan, in the light of a report by the Cabinet Member for Environment (pages 71 to 118).

98.2     Resolved –

That the changes to the Joint Minerals Local Plan identified through the Soft Sand Review, as set out at Appendix 1 to the report, be adopted.

The Council is asked to endorse the draft Armed Forces Strategy for approval by the Leader after the Council meeting, in the light of a report by the Armed Forces Champion.

99.1     The Council considered the draft Armed Forces Strategy for approval by the Leader after the Council meeting, in the light of a report by the Armed Forces Champion (pages 119 to 126). It was noted that in Appendix 1 on page 125, in Figure 1 of the draft Strategy there should be a dotted line between the West Sussex Civilian Military Partnership and the WSCC Armed Forces Champion to indicate it was a reporting line.

99.2     The recommendation was put to a recorded vote under Standing Order 3.35.

(a)        For the recommendation – 58

Cllr Acraman, Cllr Arculus, Cllr Atkins, Cllr Baldwin, Cllr Barnard, Cllr Barrett-Miles, Cllr Bennett, Cllr Boram, Cllr Bradbury, Cllr Bradford, Cllr Brunsdon, Cllr Burgess, Cllr Burrett, Cllr Catchpole, Cllr Cloake, Cllr Crow, Cllr J Dennis, Cllr N Dennis, Cllr Duncton, Cllr Edwards, Cllr Elkins, Cllr Fitzjohn, Cllr Hall, Cllr High, Cllr Hillier, Cllr Hunt, Cllr A Jones, Cllr M Jones, Cllr A Jupp, Cllr N Jupp, Cllr Kennard, Cllr Kitchen, Cllr Lanzer, Cllr Lea, Cllr Lord, Cllr Magill, Cllr Markwell, Cllr Marshall, Cllr McDonald, Cllr Millson, Cllr Montyn, Cllr O’Kelly, Cllr S Oakley, Cllr Oxlade, Cllr Patel, Cllr Pendleton, Cllr Purnell, Cllr Quinn, Cllr Russell, Cllr Smytherman, Cllr Sparkes, Cllr Sudan, Cllr Turner, Cllr Urquhart, Cllr Waight, Cllr Walsh, Cllr Whittington and Cllr Wickremaratchi.

(b)         Against the recommendation – 0

(c)         Abstentions – 0

99.3     Resolved –

That the Armed Forces Strategy, subject to the minor amendment set out in minute 99.1 above, be endorsed for approval by the Leader.

The Council is asked to consider proposed contingency arrangements for holding Council and committee meetings if the regulations allowing virtual meetings are not extended or replaced with similar provisions, in the light of a report by the Director of Law and Assurance.

100.1  The Council considered proposed contingency arrangements for holding Council and committee meetings if the regulations allowing virtual meetings are not extended or replaced with similar provisions, in the light of a report by the Director of Law and Assurance (pages 127 to 132). The report was moved with a minor revision to Appendix 1, as shown below in bold, italic text with a deletion struck through, which had been circulated.

‘3.09d  Other members of the Council or a committee may participate in the meeting virtually via audio or video conferencing, including the right to speak on matters not requiring a decision or vote where the Chairman of the meeting agrees. They will not be entitled to vote on any business on the agenda. Virtual attendance at meetings convened under these arrangements shall be recorded and treated as a special dispensation for non-attendance at the meeting under section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972.’

100.2  Resolved –

(1)         That the Council approves the adoption of emergency Standing Orders (Appendix 1 to the report, subject to the revision set out in minute 100.1 above) for use for any meeting of the Council or of a committee at which business is required to be transacted requiring member vote or approval and which cannot otherwise we lawfully convened;

(2)         That these arrangements only be applied for as long as all leaders of the political groups of the Council approve of their use;

(3)         That the supplementary Council Standing Orders approved by the Council to enable the use of virtual meetings be confirmed to continue and to be used where required;

(4)         That attendance via virtual link by a member at meetings convened under these arrangements be recorded and that this be treated as a special dispensation for non-attendance at the meeting under section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972; and

(5)         That the Director of Law and Assurance keep all members advised of any changes in the regulatory framework leading to the need for this contingency.

To consider and debate the following motion, submitted by Cllr Michael Jones, which was considered by the Governance Committee following referral at the meeting of the County Council on 6 November 2020.

‘In line with the principles previously supported by this Council in taking strong local action to address the climate emergency and recognising the strength of public opinion, as evidenced by the large demonstration at the full County Council meeting in February 2020, this Council calls on the West Sussex Pensions Committee to take all necessary steps to divest all of its investments from fossil fuel companies as soon as practicable.’

and the report of the Governance Committee.

101.1  At the County Council meeting on 6 November 2020 the following motion had been moved by Cllr Michael Jones, seconded by Cllr Oxlade, and referred to the Governance Committee for consideration. A report by the Committee was included with the agenda (pages 133 to 136).

‘In line with the principles previously supported by this Council in taking strong local action to address the climate emergency and recognising the strength of public opinion, as evidenced by the large demonstration at the full County Council meeting in February 2020, this Council calls on the West Sussex Pensions Committee to take all necessary steps to divest all of its investments from fossil fuel companies as soon as practicable.’

101.2  An amendment was moved by Cllr Lanzer and seconded by Cllr Wickremaratchi as set out below:

‘In line with the principles previously supported by this Council in taking strong local action to address the climate emergency and recognising the strength of public opinion, as evidenced by the large demonstration at the full County Council meeting in February 2020, this Council calls on the West Sussex Pensions Committee to focus on sustainable investment for growth through the application of its environmental, social and governance principles  take all necessary steps to divest all of its investments from fossil fuel companies as soon as practicable.’

101.3  The amendment was put to a recorded vote under Standing Order 3.35.

(a)        For the amendment – 37

Cllr Acraman, Cllr Arculus, Cllr Atkins, Cllr Barling, Cllr Barnard, Cllr Barrett-Miles, Cllr Bennett, Cllr Boram, Cllr Bradbury, Cllr Burgess, Cllr Burrett, Cllr Catchpole, Cllr Cloake, Cllr Crow, Cllr Duncton, Cllr Edwards, Cllr Hall, Cllr High, Cllr Hillier, Cllr A Jupp, Cllr Kennard, Cllr Kitchen, Cllr Lanzer, Cllr Magill, Cllr Markwell, Cllr Marshall, Cllr McDonald, Cllr Mitchell, Cllr Montyn, Cllr S Oakley, Cllr Purnell, Cllr Russell, Cllr Sparkes, Cllr Turner, Cllr Waight, Cllr Whittington and Cllr Wickremaratchi.

(b)         Against the amendment – 14

Cllr Brunsdon, Cllr N Dennis, Cllr Fitzjohn, Cllr M Jones, Cllr Lea, Cllr Lord, Cllr Millson, Cllr O’Kelly, Cllr Oxlade, Cllr Purchese, Cllr Quinn, Cllr Smytherman, Cllr Sudan and Cllr Walsh.

(c)         Abstentions – 10

Cllr Baldwin, Cllr Bradford, Cllr J Dennis, Cllr Elkins, Cllr Hunt, Cllr A Jones, Cllr N Jupp, Cllr Patel, Cllr Pendleton and Cllr Urquhart.

101.4  The amendment was carried.

101.5  The amended motion, as set out below, was agreed.

‘In line with the principles previously supported by this Council in taking strong local action to address the climate emergency and recognising the strength of public opinion, as evidenced by the large demonstration at the full County Council meeting in February 2020, this Council calls on the West Sussex Pensions Committee to focus on sustainable investment for growth through the application of its environmental, social and governance principles.’

To consider and debate the following motion, submitted by Cllr Crow, notice of which was given on 25 February 2021.

‘This Council supports the campaign to build the UK’s first ‘Emergency Services Cenotaph’, dedicated to all who have served and volunteered in the NHS and all the emergency services, including Fire and Rescue - whom we are very proud to have as part of West Sussex County Council.

Additionally, this Council records its support for the UK’s annual national ‘Emergency Services Day’ which is held on 9 September and which is supported by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; and that this Council places on record its sincere appreciation for the two million people who work and volunteer in the NHS and emergency services, especially throughout the Covid-19 pandemic when the demands placed upon our emergency services have significantly increased.

In recognition of Emergency Services Day, this Council asks the Chairman to agree to fly the official flag of the ‘Emergency Services Day’ at County Hall on 9 September each year.’

102.1  Due to lack of time the motion on emergency services fell away.

To consider and debate the following motion, submitted by Cllr Oxlade, notice of which was given on 26 February 2021.

‘Although the coronavirus pandemic has impacted everyone in West Sussex, not everyone will have been experienced its consequences in the same way. The effects of social distancing, lockdown, the loss of loved ones to the virus and stress-inducing media reports has had a huge impact on the mental health and wellbeing of a large number of our residents and will continue to have lasting effects long after lockdown is over. West Sussex County Council has a vital role to play in ensuring that residents of West Sussex experiencing mental health issues have access to the support they need. This Council therefore asks the Cabinet to:

(1)        Ensure that access to mental health services will remain a priority both whilst lockdown restrictions remain in place and beyond; and

(2)        Consider the potential impact on the mental health of residents when taking decisions for the foreseeable future.’

103.1  Due to lack of time the motion on mental health fell away.

Following deferral at the last meeting due to lack of time, to consider and debate the following motion, submitted by Cllr Michael Jones, notice of which was given on 26 January 2021.

‘This Council considers that licensed Hackney Carriages and private hire taxis offer a means of getting around the county for those who either do not have access to their own vehicle or need to get to places that are not already served by other forms of public transport. This Council considers that licensed Hackney Carriages and private hire taxis carrying more than one passenger results in a reduction of carbon emissions, which contributes towards this Council’s ambition to tackle climate change. This Council also believes that this would also assist in reducing traffic congestion at peak times, so would have a substantial impact on reducing pollution in general.

This Council therefore calls on the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure to:

(1)        Facilitate a 12-month pilot scheme to enable licensed hackney carriages and private hire taxis to utilise the bus lanes in Crawley (excluding the Fastway network of guided bus lanes);

(2)        Report back to the Environment and Communities Scrutiny Committee ahead of the end of the pilot scheme on the benefits or otherwise ahead of a decision whether to make it a permanent arrangement; and

(3)        Explore opportunities when future new developments and infrastructure improvements are programmed and designed to expand the bus lane network around the county to facilitate the reliability and punctuality of the public transport network and contribute towards the reduction of carbon emissions.’

104.1  Due to lack of time the motion on bus lanes fell away.

Following deferral at the last meeting due to lack of time, to consider the following motion, submitted by Cllr Michael Jones, notice of which was given on 26 January 2021.

‘This Council recognises that romance fraud has been a growing problem since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with many people experiencing loneliness potentially being targeted.

Romance fraud is the engineering of a supposed friendship or relationship for fraudulent, financial gain. Criminals invest significant amounts of time into socially engineering their victims – knowing that as they gain the victim’s trust, their chances of extracting considerable funds from them simultaneously increase.

This Council notes that Sussex Police indicated in October 2020 that nearly £3m had been lost by victims of romance fraud in 128 incidents, with a total of 195 reports of romance fraud being received from January to September 2020. It is concerned to note that this was a 56% rise on the previous year from the same period and that there are estimates that this could be only a fraction of the true extent of the crime, with many victims either too embarrassed to report it, or simply unaware that they have been deceived. Moreover, in 2020 the Times newspaper described Sussex as ‘the nation’s dating fraud capital’.

This Council welcomes the work undertaken so far by the Council’s Community Safety Team to promote awareness and educate on the risks of romance fraud to residents of West Sussex, but calls on the Cabinet Member for Fire & Rescue and Communities to continue to commit to supporting the ‘Get Safe Online’ initiative as well as putting stronger energy, capacity and resource into efforts to support the Sussex Police campaign to provide a seamless solution, through continuing to reach potentially vulnerable residents via virtual means while restrictions on movement remain in place during 2021.’

105.1  Due to lack of time the motion on romance fraud fell away.

To consider and debate the following motion, submitted by Cllr Goldsmith, notice of which was given on 1 March 2021.

‘At the last Council meeting there was a 4.99% increase to the Council Tax for the coming financial year which was agreed. This was a further 1% increase on last year's Council Tax increase of 3.99%. For some who are struggling financially due to the economic impact of Covid this increase will represent a further unwelcome financial burden and greater pressure on the Foodbanks and Charities who are supporting people who are no longer ‘just getting by’.

Last month government borrowing reached a stratospheric high of £34.1 billion with the economy in recession. At some time we will need to start paying off this debt through further taxes which will undoubtedly mean we will all have to tighten our belts including the County Council. There is a strong prospect that in future years the residents of West Sussex will be receiving less in the way of services when demand is growing while paying more.

This Council believes that one way to counter this prospect is to actively seek a change from a two-tier authority to a single unitary authority. Instead of one County Council and seven district councils there would be one single County Authority. The merging of departments and streamlining of services will undoubtedly mean greater savings which should be channelled into services. The other very tangible benefits would be a much simpler service for residents to navigate as it will be one authority delivering a full range of services across the county.

This Council therefore resolves:

(1)         To support the Unitary Model in favour of the current two tier model; and

(2)         To ask the new Administration’s Governance Committee formed in May 2021 to actively and urgently seek agreement from the Department for Communities and Local Government to proceed.’

106.1  Due to lack of time the motion emergency services fell away.