Agenda, decisions and minutes

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 please contact Democratic Services before the meeting.

23.1             Cllr Bob Lanzer declared a personal interest as a Member of Crawley Borough Council in relation to item 7 (Gatwick Northern Runway – Approval of consultation response).

Cabinet Members are asked to agree the minutes of the meeting held on 19 October 2021 (cream paper).

24.1       Resolved – that the minutes of the meeting held on 19 October be approved as a correct record and that they be signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman of the West Sussex Youth Cabinet will address the Cabinet to provide an update on its activities, campaigns and future plans. The Cabinet is invited to consider and discuss the update.

The Chairman of the Children and Young People’s Services Scrutiny Committee will be invited to speak for up to three minutes on the Youth Cabinet address.

Each of the main Minority Group Leaders will be invited to speak for up to three minutes on the Youth Cabinet address.

25.1       Cabinet considered a report by the Chair of the Youth Cabinet. The report was introduced by Daisy Watson, Chair of the Youth Cabinet who outlined their key campaigns including youth safety, tackling racial inequality, environment and transforming education.

25.2       Cllr Jacquie Russell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People thanked the Chair and members of the Youth Cabinet for their hard work and dedication and she looked forward to working with the new cohort to support their campaigns.

25.3       The Leader, Cabinet Members and minority group members thanked the Youth Cabinet Chair and her colleagues and praised the work they had done to inspire and make positive impacts on young people in West Sussex across a broad range of campaigns.

25.4       Resolved – that Cabinet notes the update from the Youth Cabinet and considers other opportunities for the Youth Cabinet to share their work with all members.

Report by the Executive Director of Adults and Health.

The Chairman of the Health and Adults Social Care Scrutiny Committee will be invited to speak for up to three minutes to provide views on the Marjorie Cobby House decision report.

Each of the main minority group leaders will be invited to speak for up to three minutes each on the Marjorie Cobby House decision report.

The Cabinet will then discuss the report and any proposals prior to taking any decision.

Following consideration of the report, Cabinet resolved:

1.          The end of the provision of in-house residential services for adults in Marjorie Cobby House, 38 St Peter’s Crescent, Selsey, PO20 0NA and all the buildings on site including 38a and 38b St Peter’s Crescent. This will include closure of the building, declaration that the buildings are surplus to operational requirements as per the plan set out in Appendix C and for the return of the buildings to the Council’s Property and Assets service to manage or dispose of.

2.          The arrangements for future provision of short-term residential care services in the Chichester and Bognor Regis area as set out in paragraph 2.

3.          To delegate the implementation of recommendation (1) to the Executive Director Adults and Health (DASS) in light of the potential short term use of the building as outlined in paragraph 1.10 of the report.

The call-in deadline is 25 November 2021.

26.1       Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Adults and Health. The report was introduced by Cllr Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults Services who outlined the reasons for the proposal including the under-utilisation of beds, the condition and suitability of the building and facilities at Marjorie Cobby House (MCH) and the increased demand for supporting people in their own homes. The Cabinet Member referred to a letter she had received setting out the concerns of the TFG but she felt that the concerns raised had been fully addressed in the approach to the proposed closure. Keith Hinkley, Director of Adults and Health advised of the commitment to find alternative provision through discharge to assess, reablement programmes, short term residential care and, where appropriate, the Home First pathway. To manage current demand on the health and social care system, the decision could enable the potential use of MCH as an interim social care solution through the winter period.

26.2       Cllr Garry Wall, Chairman of the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee (HASC) provided feedback from a Task and Finish Group (TFG) which convened on 5 November to discuss the proposals. Cllr Wall fed back the TFG’s concerns that closure could aggravate pressures in hospitals and expose a lack of expertise in care homes to provide reablement services. The TFG felt the decision should be deferred for 6 months and that further scrutiny take place by the full committee.

26.3         Cllr Kirsty Lord, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group agreed with the TFG’s conclusion that the decision should be deferred. Cllr Lord expressed concern about pressure created by the ongoing pandemic and what future need might look like.

26.4         Cllr Caroline Baxter, Leader of the Labour Group felt the decision’s timing during the current care staff crisis was poor. The decision would put increased pressures on community health services and would impair the success of the reablement programme. Cllr Baxter felt the decision should be deferred and referred back to HASC.

26.5         The following points were made by Cabinet Members in discussion:

Ø  Cllr Jacquie Russell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People noted the strategic intention to keep people in their homes for longer, that the building was not fit for purpose and accommodated very few patients from the immediate community, clearly demonstrating the reduced demand.

Ø  Cllr Steve Waight, Cabinet Member for Support Services and Economic Development outlined that if the facility remained open from December to March 2022, this would allow the development of medium term community based capacity which could lead to longer term capacity for the future, whereas this would not happen if the decision was deferred for 6 months.

ØCllr Jeremy Hunt, Cabinet Member for Finance and Property appreciated the closure of any service is an emotive issue, however proposals did have to be prioritised within a limited budget and this decision offered savings without cuts to services. The current model did not provide value for money and a better service could be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 26.

Report by the Executive Director of Adults and Health.

The Chairman of the Health and Adults Social Care Scrutiny Committee will be invited to speak for up to three minutes to provide views on the Shaw Healthcare Day Services Review decision report.

Each of the main minority group leaders will be invited to speak for up to three minutes each on the Shaw Healthcare Day Services Review decision report.

The Cabinet will then discuss the report and any proposals prior to taking any decision.

Following consideration of the report, Cabinet resolved:

1.   The permanent closure of the Shaw Day Services and undertaking of a contract variation to remove the provision of day services from the Shaw Healthcare contract.

2.   The utilisation of existing provision as alternatives for current and future potential customers.

The call-in deadline is 25 November 2021.

27.1     Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Adults and Health. The report was introduced by Cllr Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults Services who outlined the proposals which showed the day services as under-utilised with insufficient demand, and those small numbers using the services having been found alternative arrangements, including other day services, increased Direct Payments and increased care and support at home. Keith Hinkley, Director of Adults and Health advised that, like the MCH closure, this decision delivered savings without cuts to support, moved away from buildings-based care and delivered care which could better reflect individual need.

27.2     Cllr Garry Wall, Chairman of the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee (HASC) provided feedback from a TFG which convened on 5 November to discuss the proposals. Cllr Wall fed back that the TFG’s views were mixed, with concern about the continuing effects of the pandemic and therefore the timeliness of the closures, capacity in the voluntary sector, impact on carers, and how quickly other arrangements could be put in place, but the majority supported the proposals.

27.3     Cllr Kirsty Lord, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group expressed concern about the impact on clients and carers, particularly the respite available to carers and that the alternative provision did not appear to benefit them in the same way as Shaw Day services. She added community provision being available for milder illness could lead to patients needing residential care sooner and that one mitigation provided only 8 places over 5 days at Horsham and Burgess Hill.

27.4     Cllr Caroline Baxter, Leader of the Labour Group questioned the medium and long-term impact of the proposals, the loss of opportunities for patients to socialise and to give carers breaks, the risk to service users having declining health and pushing costs for healthcare further along.

27.5     The following points were made by Cabinet Members in discussion:

Ø  Cllr Jacquie Russell advised the council plan sought to develop new ways of working, and that people deliver services not buildings. The day services had been closed since the pandemic and alternative arrangements made for those people who were using them.

Ø  Cllr Jeremy Hunt highlighted the current block payment did not provide value for money and the proposal would save £0.75m, which would otherwise have to be found elsewhere. He added carers having respite was fully considered.

Ø  The Leader advised customer choice was showing that the services were under-utilised and to maintain them with significant under-use would prevent more targeted services and help.

27.6     Cllr Amanda Jupp summarised that this had been an important outcome from the pandemic, discovering what other community-based support is available and opportunities to assess individuals on their needs. Cllr Jupp highlighted the work of Carers Support West Sussex which provided a lot of support to carers and that the council works closely with them.

27.7     Resolved – that Cabinet agree to:

1.   Permanent closure of the Shaw Day Services and undertaking of a contract variation to remove the provision of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

Report by the Director of Highways, Transport and Planning.

The Chairman of the Communities, Highways and Environment Scrutiny Committee will be invited to speak for up to three minutes to provide views on the Gatwick Northern Runway consultation response report.

Each of the main minority group leaders will be invited to speak for up to three minutes each on the Gatwick Northern Runway consultation response report.

The Cabinet will then discuss the report and any proposals prior to taking any decision.  

Following consideration of the report, Cabinet resolved:

(a)     to approve the comments in paragraphs 2.36-2.98 of the report and the detailed comments on the PEIR in Appendix C of the report as the County Council’s formal response to the consultation on the Northern Runway Project;

(b)       to authorise the Director of Highways, Transport and Planning to respond to any further stages of pre-submission consultation and to make minor or technical changes to the pre-submission in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change – in support of the formal response approved under (a);

(c)     if an application for a Development Consent Order is submitted, authorises the Director of Highways, Transport, and Planning to:

(i)      approve the County Council’s ‘adequacy of consultation’ response;

(ii)     prepare and submit the County Council’s written representation and Local Impact Report, and to negotiate with the applicant on the DCO requirements, any S106 Agreement, and the preparation of a Statement of Common Ground – all in support of the formal response approved under (a); and

(iii)    attend the examination hearings and answer the Examining Authority’s questions in support of the County Council’s position; and

(d)     if a Development Consent Order is made, approves the County Council becoming a relevant authority for the discharge of requirements, provided that the Authority’s costs are met in full.

The call-in deadline is 25 November 2021.

UPDATE – Wednesday 17 November 2021

Following approval by Cabinet, the Director of Highways, Transport and Planning, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, has made some minor changes to the Northern Runway Project report and to Appendix C (detailed comments on PEIR) for the reasons set out in the Schedule of Post-Cabinet Changes.

28.1     Cabinet considered a report by the Director of Highways, Transport and Planning. The report was introduced by Cllr Deborah Urquhart, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change who outlined the council’s response to Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) on the consultation for the permanent use of the standby runway. Whilst the council would continue to engage with GAL on the process, the Council could not support the proposal due to issues with air and noise pollution, required housing and related infrastructure, the basis of passenger forecast and the impact on the natural environment. Cllr Urquhart added there was a proposed amendment to recommendation b) which would enable delegation to officers to make minor or technical changes to the submission on the basis of further input or information being received.

28.2     Cllr David Britton, Chairman of Communities, Highways and Environment Scrutiny Committee provided feedback from a TFG which met on 10 November to consider the matter. He advised the TFG were in broad agreement with the response and, whilst they did recognise the potential significant economic benefits, the lack of sufficient evidence underpinning the consultation proposal was disappointing and relied upon optimistic or even unrealistic assumptions. The TFG was further disappointed that GAL had adopted a ‘do minimum’ approach to mitigation.

28.3     Cllr Kirsty Lord, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group considered the proposal to be unsustainable and that GAL hadn’t shown the development to be necessary. Cllr Lord highlighted the council’s Climate Change strategy which indicated support for sustainable business whereas Gatwick brings increased emissions and air quality impacts.

28.4     Cllr Caroline Baxter, Leader of the Labour Group agreed with the response not to support the proposal for the reasons of a lack information from GAL and little justification for proposals or consideration for the environment and climate change.

28.5     The following points were made by Cabinet Members in discussion:

Ø  Cllr Bob Lanzer highlighted that this was not a planning application and noted that without the northern runway, there was a growth projection figure. He added the safeguarded land should be used for more sustainable purposes which still boost the economy of the county.

Ø  Cllr Duncan Crow highlighted the importance of Gatwick to the county but that there was not enough evidence to allay concerns at the current time. Greater expansion at Gatwick would exacerbate pressures already felt, such as housing, however continuing a constructive dialogue with GAL is important.

Ø  Cllr Jeremy Hunt advised he could not support the project on the basis of the preliminary environmental consultation document.

Ø  Cllr Jacquie Russell highlighted issues created by the airport currently such as highly congested roads, increased flight paths and low flying aircraft but that the airport was a major employer for many residents and the dialogue should continue.

Ø  Cllr Joy Dennis agreed that many residents were reliant on the Gatwick diamond, but that the papers did not show a credible need for expansion, nor did they adequately consider the impact on the environment.

Ø  Cllr Steve  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

The next meeting of the Cabinet will be held on 3 December 2021.

29.1        The next meeting of the Cabinet will be held on 3 December 2021.