Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Committee is asked to elect a Chairman and a Vice Chairman for the Central and South Mid Sussex County Local Committee for the 2019/20 municipal year.

1.1     Resolved – That:

·       Mr Bradbury is elected as Chairman of the Central and South Mid Sussex County Local Committee for the 2019/20 municipal year.

·       Mrs Jones is elected as Vice-Chairman of the Central and South Mid Sussex County Local Committee for the 2019/20 municipal year.

Members of Central and South Mid Sussex County Local Committee are Pete Bradbury, Andrew Lea, Joy Dennis, Kirsty Lord, Sujan Wickremaratchi, Stephen Hillier, Anne Jones and Andrew Barrett-Miles.

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

2.2     Apologies had been received from Mr Barrett-Miles, Mr Lea and Ms Lord.

Members and officers must declare any pecuniary or personal interest 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     Mr Bradbury declared the following personal interests:

·       Trustee of Sussex Learning Trust

·       Chairman of the charity Building Heroes, in relation to the Talk With Us item.

3.2     Mr Wickremaratchi declared a personal interest as a member of Haywards Heath Town Council.

3.3     Mr Hillier declared a personal interest as the Mid Sussex District Council Cabinet Member for Economic Growth in relation to the Progress Statement item.

3.4     Mrs Dennis declared a personal interest as a Governor of Twineham CofE Primary School in relation to the School Place Planning item.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 12 March 2019 (cream paper).

4.1     Resolved – that the minutes of the meeting held on 12 March 2019 be approved as a correct record and 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 Chairman highlighted the request from the County Local Committee (CLC) Review Working Group to have a discussion on purpose and format of CLCs.  The committee declined this, but the Chairman asked all members to ensure they had completed the member survey.

5.2     The public commented that they liked the CLCs as they were an opportunity to raise issues directly with local members.

5.3     Mr Chisnall confirmed that there was a plan for a survey to be circulated to the public and parish councils.

Report by the Director of Law and Assurance.

The Committee are asked to note the report.

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

6.2     Mr Chisnall introduced the report and explained that the Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities had made a 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 not be made on the West Sussex Crowd.  Applications would come to the CLC meetings for a decision.  CLCs were expected to allocate 30% of their budget to micro fund applications, but this was discretionary.

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

6.4     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 Community Initiative Fund is a County Local Committee (CLC) administered fund that provides assistance to local community projects.  Bids should show evidence of projects that have the support of the community and make a positive impact on people’s wellbeing and support The West Sussex Plan.

At its meeting on 12 June 2019 the Central and South Mid Sussex County Local Committee considered the Community Initiative Funding applications received via the West Sussex Crowd as set out in Appendix A.

The following pledges were approved:-

356/CSMS – Ensemble Reza, Reza Community Orchestra, up to £1,000 – Towards venue hire plus publicity and printing costs.

365/CSMS – Holy Trinity CE Primary School PTA, Outdoor Classroom at Holy Trinity School, up to £1,500 - Towards building a wooden outdoor classroom next to the school pond habitat.  This pledge was conditional, subject to the project entering the fundraising stage by the end of the year.

370/CSMS – Hurstpierpoint Churches, The Melting Pot Café, up to £1,000 - Towards purchasing a coffee grinder machine and water module.  This pledge was conditional, subject to the project entering the fundraising stage by the end of the year.

The following pledge was declined:-

369/CSMS – Mid Sussex MS Society, towards cost of hall hire for hosting mindfulness classes.  The Committee felt that the costs were revenue funding and not eligible for Community Initiative Funding

The call-in deadline is 20 June 2019.

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

7.2     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 £15,600 for allocation for the year.

7.3     Resolved -

(a) That the following awards be made:

·       356/CSMS – Ensemble Reza, Reza Community Orchestra, up to £1,000 – Towards venue hire plus publicity and printing costs.

·       365/CSMS – Holy Trinity CE Primary School PTA, Outdoor Classroom at Holy Trinity School, up to £1,500 - Towards building a wooden outdoor classroom next to the school pond habitat.  This pledge was conditional, subject to the project entering the fundraising stage by the end of the year.

·       370/CSMS – Hurstpierpoint Churches, The Melting Pot Café, up to £1,000 - Towards purchasing a coffee grinder machine and water module.  This pledge was conditional, subject to the project entering the fundraising stage by the end of the year.

The Committee agreed that the agreed amounts were subject to a reduction pending on how much was required to bring the projects up to their funding total at the time of pledging.   

(b) That the following application be declined:

·       369/CSMS – Mid Sussex MS Society, towards cost of hall hire for hosting mindfulness classes.  The Committee felt that the costs were revenue funding and not eligible for Community Initiative Funding

Report by the Director of Highways, Transport and Planning & Head of Highway Operations

The Committee will be asked to consider the recommendations within the report.

At its meeting on 12 June 2019, the Central and South Mid Sussex County Local Committee agreed to authorise the Director of Law and Assurance to make the Order as advertised.

The call-in deadline is 20 June 2019.

8.1     The Committee considered a report by the Director of Highways, Transport and Planning & the Head of Highway Operations (copy appended to the signed minutes).

8.2     Mr Speller introduced the report and asked the Committee to authorise the proposed order.

8.3     The Committee asked if bollards had been introduced yet.  – Mr Speller resolved to chase this.  Mr Speller also agreed to investigate the lineage for the order and agreed to add relevant lines to the next Traffic Regulation Order if required.

8.4     Resolved – That the Central and South Mid Sussex County Local Committee agree to authorise the Director of Law and Assurance to make the Order as advertised.

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

9.1     The Committee considered the progress statement on matters

arising from previous meetings (copy appended to the signed minutes).

9.2     Mr Burrett gave reassurance to the attendees that the Woodlands Meed scheme was going ahead and that the budget had been allocated.  The September 2021 target remained.

9.3     The Chair of Governors welcomed the reassurance and reported they were pleased with the chosen architect as they had SEND experience.  Concerns were raised with the contractor appointment and concerns that the SCAPE framework had been withdrawn.  The Chair also queried when the planning application would be made and if renewable energy was being considered.

9.4     Mr Dillon reported that he would be happy to meet with the school and the governors to give a detailed response to the questions that had been submitted by the Chair of Governors.  The design work was currently being costed.  When this was agreed the next stage of the works would continue.  Assurance was given that energy requirements would be fulfilled.

9.5     The public felt that the local members should be involved more in the discussions and it was ultimately agreed that Mrs Jones should attend the project meetings.  It was felt this practice may be good for other County Council projects.

9.6     The Committee agreed that its role was to facilitate and ensure that information flowed appropriately.  The Chair of Governors agreed to keep the Committee up to date on issues.

9.7     The Chairman reiterated his commitment to keep the school on the Progress Statement until the school was complete.

9.8     A resident queried the breadth of classes and governor arrangements for the Haywards Heath Sixth Form.  – Mr Olway confirmed that this would be a matter for Chichester College.

9.9     Mr Speller talked through the highways elements of the Progress Statement and reported that the Annual Delivery Programme for the Mid Sussex area had been included which represented a wish list for the area.

9.10   The Committee made comments including those that follow.

•     Requested an update on the Burgess Hill Business Park.  – Mr Speller explained that the signage scheme for the park was previously considered as part of a transport study.  This may be considered in the future.

•     Queried the plans for the pedestrian crossing near the Burgess Hill Girls School.  – Mr Speller reported that officers were considering a wider area to improve pedestrian safety.

•     Asked about the speed calming project in Queens Road, and that the junction with Mill Road required attention.  – Mr Speller agreed to share scheme details which showed the widening plan to help with this.

•     Sought clarity on the time scales for the pre-advertisement Traffic Regulation Orders.  – Mr Speller reported that the final drawings were due to be handed to the legal team by the end of July.

•     Commented on Section 278 agreements and how local members could be involved in the process.  It was reported that the Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities would be discussing the issue with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

Report by the Head of School Organisation, Capital Planning & Transport.

The Committee are asked to note the report.

10.1   The Committee considered a report by the Head of School Organisation, Capital Planning & Transport (copy appended to the signed minutes).

10.2   Mr Olway introduced the report and explained that School Place Planning was a difficult task and bespoke software packages were used to analyse the data.

10.3   The Planning School Places document was highlighted which was published annually.  Special schools were looking to be included in this document in the future.  Members were sent a copy of the document each year.

10.4   Across West Sussex there were approximately 114,000 children attending schools and 13,000 empty school places across the County, but not necessarily where they were required.  Children did not always attend their local school and there was no guarantee of attending the desired school.

10.5   It was reported that the introduction of academies and free schools had led to the County Council having less control with school placements. Academies and free schools could be built in areas where they were not required.

10.6   Mrs Evans spoke on the admissions process and how the team looked to consider number projections and how Ofsted ratings could change potential preferences.

10.7   The Admissions Team strictly followed statutory guidance in the Admission Code.  The team tried to meet first preferences where possible and had a good success rate compared to neighbouring authorities.  Parents were encouraged to include three preferences on their requests.

10.8   The Appeals Panel was an independent body, separate from the Admissions Team, which considered individual parental appeals.

10.9     The Committee made comments including those that follow.

• Commented that Academies did not always have the budget to increase their placement figures.  – Mrs Evans explained that a growth fund could be utilised to assist schools that had been asked by the County Council to increase the number of places for children.  This was a type of bridging loan that would be used until the census data was updated.  There were currently no academies in Mid Sussex that had been asked by the County Council to increase their placements.
• Asked how catchment areas changed when new houses were built.  – Mrs Evans explained that catchment areas were linked to parish boundaries. Officers could consult on new catchment areas if required.  Free schools and academies in the main did not tend to have catchment areas. The deciding factor worked on straight line distances.
• Sought clarity on the pressures in the south of Haywards Heath for a new school.  – Mr Olway was not aware of particular pressures in the south of Haywards Heath.  Data was submitted to the Department of Education (DfE) to highlight where the needs were.  The DfE were keen to ensure that new schools were full.
• Queried the timescales for the Hurst Farm school.  – Mr Olway reported that there was no particular deadline, but officers would be putting pressure on an autumn decision to the DfE.  A decision on six free schools was still awaited from the DfE.

10.10  The Chairman invited questions from the public.

• Queried  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

To invite questions from the public present at the meeting on subjects other than those on the agenda.  The Committee would encourage members of the public with more complex issues to submit their question before the meeting to allow a substantive answer to be given.

11.1   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.

• A question had been submitted in advance regarding arrangements for the Haywards Heath Sixth Form.  This question had been raised and resolved during the Progress Statement item.
• Other question had been submitted in advance concerning services for vulnerable people.  – Mr Sibanda explained that it was important to clarify which vulnerable people the query related to.  Mrs Jones explained that the Heath and Adult Select Committee had met that afternoon and had discussed this issue.  A taskforce was looking at into this and the long term implications.

The next meeting of the Committee will take place at 7.00 pm on Tuesday 12 November 2019 at a venue to be confirmed.

Members wishing to place an item on the agenda should notify Adam Chisnall via email: adam.chisnall@westsussex.gov.uk or phone on 033 022 28314.

12.1   The Committee noted that the next meeting would take place on Tuesday 12 November 2019 at a venue to be confirmed.