Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Committee is asked to elect a Chairman for the Chanctonbury County Local Committee for the 2019/20 municipal year.

1.1        RESOLVED that Mr David Barling be elected Chairman of the Chanctonbury County Local Committee for the municipal year 2019/20.

1.2        In the absence of Mr David Barling, it was agreed that Mr Lionel Barnard would act as the chair of this meeting.

The members of Chanctonbury County Local Committee are Lionel Barnard, Pat Arculus, David Barling, and Paul Marshall.       

2.1     The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting. Members and Officers introduced themselves.

2.2     Apologies had been received from Mr David Barling.

Members and officers must declare any pecuniary or personalinterest in any business on the agenda. They should also make declarations at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting. Consideration should be given to leaving the meeting if the nature of the interest warrants it. If in doubt contact Democratic Services before the meeting.

3.1 None declared

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 13 March 2019 (cream paper).

4.1     Resolved – that the minutes of the Chanctonbury County Local Committee meeting held on 13 March 2019 be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman.

Items not on the agenda that the Chairman of the meeting is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency because of special circumstances.

5.1        The Committee agreed to consider an additional Micro Fund application (ref: 390/CBY) which would be discussed under the relevant item (item 11).

5.2        The Committee also agreed to consider a late Governor nomination which would be discussed under the relevant item (item 12).

The Committee and members of the public will receive a short presentation on Recycling from a member of the West Sussex County Council Economy, Infrastructure and Environment team.

6.1     Gareth Rollings, Commissioning and Infrastructure Manager attended the meeting and gave an update on the Materials Recycling Facility at Ford. It was agreed that this will be appended to the signed minutes.

6.2     The following questions and subjects were raised:

• What happens to food waste that is collected?  Food waste is taken through anaerobic digestion which is the natural process in which microorganisms break down organic materials.
• Is “check local recycling” just an easy option for big companies and why aren’t they regulated in to making more effort to provide recyclable packaging? There are several measures already in place, which have over the years helped to streamline the packaging being placed on the market, but they probably don’t push producers enough. There was a recent consultation on Extended Producer Responsibility and it will be interesting to see how government responds and whether taxes/levies are implemented to help mitigate these issues.
• Do we recycle black plastics at the MRF?In West Sussex we have access to specialised sorting facilities that are able to sort black plastic, which allows us to collect any colour plastic bottle or container such as yoghurt pots, margarine tubs or food trays regardless of their colour, just pop them in your recycling bin.
• Further to the above then why can we not recycle black/terracotta plant pots? End-use markets are limited and often plant pots were made from different types of plastic, as we couldn't be certain plant pots would be recycled we have chosen not to collect this material via your recycling bin. We continue to monitor with interest the developments in plastic plant pot production, the retailers commitment to switching and the trials for plant pot recycling that are being conducted.  Depending on the outcomes of these trials and our own trials we may look to include this material stream in the future. Some garden centres will accept them back for reuse. 
• Yoghurt pots and lids – are they both recyclable?Yes, yoghurt pots and their plastic formed lid can be recycled, the only thing we can’t take is the plastic film sealing lid.
• Why don’t we encourage the recycling of ink cartridges just as we do batteries? This is something we are working with our Contractor Viridor on currently to see if there is a way we can accept them for recycling at your local HWRS, but for now the advice is either opt for refillable, return them to a recycle point (sometimes in shops or supermarkets) or see if a local charity will accept them.

The document contains brief updates on statements of progress made on issues raised at the previous meeting.  The Committee is asked to note the report.

7.1     Members considered the statements on matters arising from previous meetings (copy appended to the signed minutes) and noted the updates

To invite questions from the public present at the meeting on subjects other than those on the agenda.

The Committee request, where possible, that members of the public submit their questions at least 3 working days before the meeting to allow a substantive answer to be given. Questions should be submitted to jenna.barnard@westsussex.gov.uk

8.1     The Chairman introduced the item and advised that the open forum was an opportunity for comments and questions to be raised on items not already on the agenda, and over which the County Council has a reasonable interest. The following issues were raised and responses made.

·       Mr Ray Quested attended to ask about the regulations and eligibility of Yellow House Builder Directional Signage and House Builder Advertisement signage. The Area Highways Manager responded that the enquiry relates to 2 separate types of Developer signs: “Advertising” which are the responsibility of the Local Planning Authority (District Councils) and “Directional” which are the responsibility of the local Highway Authority (WSCC).

The signs referred at the meeting to are the latter, but the text quoted refers to placement of the former and should not be confused.

·       The West Sussex County Council’s policy on temporary developer signs is available at on the website at: https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/information-for-developers/temporary-development-signs/

·       All developer sign applications must be made in writing to West Sussex County Council 4 weeks prior to erection.

·       Permission must be sought to place signs on all highway infrastructure – when this is granted the applicant is given a permit number which must be displayed on the rear of every sign.

·       There is a fee, based on number of signs, and the fee is annual.

·       Developments must have a minimum of 30 bedrooms to be eligible for a permit.

·       Only the name of the site is permitted on each sign – no other advertising allowed (for example the developer name).

·       All signs must be placed no more than 1 mile or 2 junctions from the site entrance and from the nearest A or B road (though this is subject to size of development and complexity of local highway network).

·       There are to be a maximum of 10 signs per development.

·       The size of a sign is controlled by legend and siting criteria apply.

·       Signs can be placed on infrastructure containing other road signs

·       All signs must be reflective.

West Sussex County Council does not have the resource for widespread removal at the present time but will address any potential safety issues. A trial is currently underway in Mid Sussex for Town Councils to remove the signs currently in place which were not placed with a valid permit – the effectiveness is being monitored for potential roll-out elsewhere.

·       Mr Ray Quested also asked a question regarding the Peer Challenge Report and whether the 100-day plan has yet been implemented – The Committee agreed this was a question for the Cabinet Member. The Democratic Services officer agreed to seek a response from the Cabinet Member and append to the Signed Minutes.

The Committee are asked to have a collective discussion about their views on the purpose and format of CLCs.

The views will be passed on and considered at the next CLC Review meeting on 11 July.

9.1     Further to the current CLC review that was taking place, members agreed to take 10 minutes to discuss their collective views, the format and purpose of CLC and different options for the future.

9.2        Mr Burrell, Senior Advisor Democratic Services, ran through the details of the recent Member Survey which was carried out as part of the review, explaining that it was planned to roll this out to Towns and Parishes to gain their formal feedback.

9.3        The main items that arose from this item were:

·    Several residents took the opportunity to stress that they felt that the Committee meetings were a vital tool for members of the public to be heard but also to hear from Committee Members about what is going on in their local areas.
·    Advertising of the meetings needs consideration and could be pushed more, to create much greater awareness of the meetings.

·    A resident asked what has now, if anything replaced “Better Tomorrow’s”? The Democratic Services Officer agreed to look in to this and the response will be appended to the signed minutes.

·       As the Committee covers such a rural area, should the meeting venue be fixed, would this help attendance? Committee agreed to discuss this at their next Pre-Agenda Meeting.

The Committee is asked to consider the attached report by the Director of Law and assurance.

10.1   The Committee considered a report by the Director of Law and Assurance (copy appended to the signed minutes).

10.2   Mr Burrell introduced the report and explained that the Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities had made the decision to introduce a micro fund following feedback received from groups relating to small projects. Applications to the micro fund would be for projects with a total cost of £750 and would be made via a paper application form. Applications would come to the CLC meetings for a decision. CLCs were expected to allocate a maximum 30% of their budget to micro fund applications, but this was discretionary.

10.3   The decision had cleared call-in and was now live, so the fund was available for applications.

10.4   Resolved – That the Committee note the report.

Report by the Director of Law and Assurance.

The report summarises the Community Initiative Funding applications received via The West Sussex Crowd.  The Committee is invited to consider the applications and pledge funding if appropriate.

The Committee considered a report by the Director of Law and Assurance (copy appended to the signed minutes) which detailed applications for Community Initiative Funding.  The Committee debated the respective merits of the project for which funding was sought.

11.1 Resolved -

(a)        That the following awards be made:

·       385/CBY – Thakeham Village Hall – Towards chairs with arms for a new Village Hall: £750.00 (total project cost) – To purchase 20 new chairs with arms and a trolley for transportation.

386/CBY – Storrington Community Partnership, Later life planning event, £464.00 – Towards publicity and marketing materials costs and event venue hire.  

·       390/CBY – Pulborough Lunch Club, £740.00, Towards providing hot cooked meals for more than 50 members in 2019/20.

The call-in deadline is 11 July 2019.

11.1   The Committee considered a report by the Director of Law and Assurance (copy appended to the signed minutes).

11.2   The Chairman informed the Committee that following a decision by the Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities the Community Initiative Funding budget had been reduced from £280,000 to £140,000. The decision was linked to the CLC Review Working Group. Pending consideration from the CLC Review Working Group, the Committee had £8000 for allocation for the year. 390/CBY – Pulborough Lunch Club, was accepted as a late application, as agreed under urgent maters.

11.3 Resolved –

(a)        That the following awards be made:

-      385/CBY – Thakeham Village Hall – Towards chairs with arms for a new Village Hall: £750.00 (total project cost) – To purchase 20 new chairs with arms and a trolley for transportation.

-      386/CBY – Storrington Community Partnership, Later life planning event, £464.00 – Towards publicity and marketing materials costs and event venue hire.

-      390/CBY – Pulborough Lunch Club, £740.00, Towards providing hot cooked meals for more than 50 members in 2019/20.

Report by Director of Education and Skills.

The Committee are asked to approve the nominations of Authority School Governors as set out in the report.

The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education and Skills (copy attached to the signed minutes).

Resolved – that the Committee approved the following nominations:

Ms Claire Maye: West Chiltington Community School, for a four-year term.

Mr John Evans: Arun Villages Federation, for a Four year term.

The call-in deadline is 11 July 2019.

12.1   The Committee considered a report by the Director of Education and Skills (copy appended to the signed minutes).

12.2   Resolved – that the Committee approved the following nominations:

·       Ms Claire Maye: West Chiltington Community School, for a four-year term.

·       Mr John Evans: Arun Villages Federation, for a four-year term.

The next meeting of the Committee will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 20 November 2019, at a venue to be confirmed.

Members wishing to place an item on the agenda should notify Jenna Barnard via email: jenna.barnard@westsussex.gov.uk or phone on 033 022 24525.

13.1 The Chairman confirmed that the next meeting of the Committee will take place on 20 November at 7pm at The Steyning Centre.