Decisions

Following a competitive procurement process in 2017 a contract for the supply of primary phase school meals supplying 7 schools in the Horsham area was awarded to Easy Lunch. The initial award was for a period of 4 years, with the option to extend for up to a further 5 years.  The initial 4-year term of the contract is due to expire in July 2021.

Following extensive recent stakeholder engagement, the County Council proposes to extend the contract with Easy Lunch for the full 5-year period.

The Director of Education and Skills has approved the extension of the Primary Phase School Meals Contract for seven Horsham Schools for a period of 5 years ending in July 2026.

Cabinet Member decision ECR01 19-20 approved the commencement of a procurement process in November 2019 for services to help deliver a replacement business management system for the Council.  Whilst the project has progressed as planned, a review of the scope of remaining work and the specific skills required has indicated that additional resources and specialist services are required to bring the project to completion.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Corporate Resources will be asked to approve the additional measures and resources needed and to delegate authority to the Director of Finance and Support Services to procure the necessary service support.

The additional resources required will be funded from the service transformation budget.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Corporate Resources has approved:

1)   the procurement of a data migration solution and additional external resources as detailed in section two of the report which are required to complete the delivery of a replacement business management solution; and

2)   delegated to the Director of Finance and Support Services the scoping and award of the required contracts.

The County Council’s Future West Sussex Plan set out its ambition to minimise the burden of local taxation, delivering the best outcomes for residents with the money it spends, whilst living within its means.  In 2018 the County Council agreed to adopt an Asset Management Policy and Strategy. An objective of the strategy is to acquire, manage, maintain and dispose of property effectively, efficiently and sustainably, together with optimising financial return and commercial opportunities.

This report seeks approval by the Cabinet Member for Finance to confirm surplus declarations for a number of assets, deemed surplus to service operational requirements. Declaring them surplus enables a further decision to be made on either a sale of the asset (for a capital receipt) or to retain it for wider non-service led activities of the County Council such as redevelopment for investment, regeneration or other alternative uses.

The Cabinet Member has agreed thatthe following assets be declared surplus to service operational requirements:

a)   Warninglid Primary School, Slaugham Lane, Slaugham, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH17 5TJ

b)   7, Winton Place, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1HN

c)   12, South Close, Northgate, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 8DG

d)   Cottage, 29 Barnham Lane, Walberton, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 0AX

e)   6-8, Ashdown Road, Worthing Central, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1DF

The County Council’s Future West Sussex Plan set out its ambition to minimise the burden of local taxation, delivering the best outcomes for residents with the money it spends, whilst living within its means.  In 2018 the County Council agreed to adopt an Asset Management Policy and Strategy. An objective of the strategy is to acquire, manage, maintain and dispose of property effectively, efficiently and sustainably, together with optimising financial return and commercial opportunities.

To accord with Standing Orders, this report advises on the outcome of the marketing of a vacant and surplus former lorry park and seeks the approval of the Cabinet Member for Finance to dispose of the County Council’s freehold estate in the property.    Offers have been received and approval is sought to sell to the preferred and highest bidder.

The Cabinet Member has endorsed:

(1)         That the County Council disposes of its freehold estate in this surplus asset to the highest bidder as identified in Appendix A (restricted for members only), comprising a former Lorry Park at Albion Street, Southwick, West Sussex, BN42 4EN as identified on the plan in Appendix B of this report; and that

(2)         Authority is delegated to the Director of Property and Assets in conjunction with the Director of Law and Assurance to conclude the terms of the sale with the purchaser. 

Due to the ongoing public health emergency the County Council has received a number of support packages from Central Government.  As funds are received the Council needs to determine arrangements to distribute, allocate or make other preparations for the appropriate use of funds received.

The relevant decision maker is determined by the intended use of the allocated funds.  The Council may be required to comply with a number of conditions set out in the terms of the grant which may mean decisions need to be taken quickly due to the need to provide timely financial support related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Members will be consulted or advised of planned decisions with as much notice as can be provided.

As part of the government’s response to the pandemic the council received, in the local government finance settlement, a council tax support grant intended to support councils to deal with the impact of the pandemic on council tax income.  

This report sets out the proposal to use £3 million of this grant to support proposed council tax hardship schemes across the West Sussex districts and boroughs.

The Cabinet Member has agreed to the setting aside of £3 million of the council tax support grant to support the additional relief provided for the council tax reduction schemes administered by the West Sussex District and Boroughs Councils.

The proposal related to a request from residents of Erica Way, Horsham for parking restrictions throughout Erica Way and was approved by Horsham CLC in November 2018/2019 for delivery in 2019/2020 TRO works programme.

The issue is obstructive and inconsiderate parking close to junctions and accesses during school drop off and pick up time.  This is affecting driver and pedestrian access and visibility.

Following the Statutory Public Consultation from the 29 October 2020 there were 17 objections from 15 households.

The Director of Law and Assurance, in consultation with the Chairman of the Crawley County Local Committee and the Chairman of the Environment and Communities Scrutiny Committee, has used his delegated powers under Standing Order 3.45 to decide the following:

The North Horsham CLC having considered the consultation responses agree that the advertised TRO is not implemented, and that the TRO is deselected from the programme.

The Community Initiative Fund is a County Local Committee (CLC) administered fund that provides assistance to local community projects.

The Director of Law and Assurance, in consultation with the Chairman of North Horsham County Local Committee and the Chairman of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee, has used his delegated powers under Standing Order 3.45 to decide the following CIF application:

-      625/NH – Station Road Gardens, ‘Apple tree theatre’, up to £1,558.00 (crowdfunding target), to purchase apples trees and materials for local primary and secondary school students to plant and create an outdoor performance space.  The committee agreed to pledge the amount of up to £1,558.00, on the condition that their most recent annual return is provided.

-      630/NH – Rudgwick Preservation Society, ‘Access to Downs Link, including disabled access’, £720.41 (total project cost) – to purchase and install directional signage and a noticeboard for visitor’s information. The Committee have agreed to fund the total amount of £720.41.

The County Council’s Future West Sussex Plan set out its ambition to minimise the burden of local taxation, delivering the best outcomes for residents with the money it spends, whilst living within its means.  In 2018 the County Council agreed to adopt an Asset Management Policy and Strategy. An objective of the strategy is to acquire, manage, maintain and dispose of property effectively, efficiently and sustainably, together with optimising financial return and commercial opportunities.

To accord with Standing Orders, this report advises on the outcome of the marketing of a vacant former adult services day centre site and seeks the approval of the Cabinet Member for Finance to dispose of the County Council’s freehold estate in the property.  Offers have been received and approval is sought to sell to the preferred and highest bidder. 

The Cabinet Member has agreed:

(1)         disposal of the County Council’s freehold estate in the surplus day centre site known as The Wrenford Centre, Terminus Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8TX as shown on the plan at Appendix B of the report; and that 

(2)         Authority is delegated to the Director of Property and Assets in conjunction with the Director of Law and Assurance to conclude the terms of the sale with the purchaser. 

Demand for places at single-sex boys’ schools in West Sussex has been declining in recent years and this is evidenced by a reduction in the overall number of families applying for boys schools as first preferences.  Reduced pupil numbers impacts upon the finances available to schools and thereby on how the school can deliver the opportunities required to both staff and pupils. 

During June 2020, the County Council consulted on changing from a single sex boys’ school to a co-educational school from September 2021 entry.

Following the outcome of the consultation, in October 2020 the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills approved the proposal to change The Forest School in Horsham from a Boys’ School to co-educational from September 2021 (decision reference ES08(20/21)).  This will enable more school places to be available for girls in the Horsham area.

Following approval of a Strategic Outline Case and subsequent approval of capital funds for design fees, in accordance with the capital programme governance process, the County Council’s Multi-Disciplinary Consultant (MDC), Faithful+Gould, were appointed in November 2020 to take forward the design for an agreed first phase of works to be carried out at the school.

This report seeks approval for the allocation of funding required to undertake a first phase of works necessary to enable the school to accommodate girls from September 2021. The new facilities will provide increased opportunities for both boys and girls.

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills has approved:

(1)The allocation of £1m to fund the phase 1 works as outlined in paragraph 2.1 of the report to enable The Forest School to admit girls from September 2021;

(2)The authorisation to commence a procurement process and delegation to the Director of Property and Assets to appoint contractors to fully design and cost the new accommodation;

(3)The submission of a planning application for any works requiring planning permission; and

(4)That subject to receipt of planning permission and statutory consents, the delegation of the authority to enter into a construction contract with the successful provider to the Director of Property and Assets.

The County Council has a statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for all children who need a place.

There is a need to reduce the number of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) moving from maintained schools and academies into costly education provision in the Independent and Non-Maintained Special School sector, often at schools not situated in West Sussex.  Increasing provision for children and young people with SEND through the creation of additional places in County Council Special Schools will assist with the aim of enabling children to attend school locally.

Oak Grove College in Worthing caters for a wide range of Special Educational Needs, for children aged between 11 and 19 with moderate, severe or profound learning needs.

In March 2020 the Director of Property and Assets approved the budget required to  develop the design for the expansion of Oak Grove College in accordance with capital governance processes. Following this the County Council’s Multi-Disciplinary Consultant, Faithful+Gould Ltd. (MDC) were appointed to undertake the full design  in accordance with the Royal Institute of British Architects recommended process stages 2-7.

This report seeks approval for the allocation of funding from the Capital Programme to increase accommodation at the school in order to provide sufficient capacity for an increase of 15 planned places from 156 to 171, including all associated fees, ICT and furniture and equipment. The 4 additional classrooms will provide additional planned places and will enable reorganisation of existing accommodation to ensure appropriate provision for some pupils with very complex needs thereby maximising opportunities for future cost avoidance from expensive placements in the independent sector. The new facilities will provide increased opportunities and resources for the complex young children attending Oak Grove. Without these facilities these young children will be at risk of attending independent provisions which typically cost four times as much (not including travel costs) and potentially move them further away from being educated locally.

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills has approved:

(1)The allocation of £2.25m to fund four additional classrooms with ancillary accommodation to enable an increase in planned places of 15 from 156 to 171 at Oak Grove College, in Worthing;

(2)The authorisation to commence a procurement process and delegation to the Director of Property and Assets to appoint contractors to fully design and cost the new accommodation;

(3)The submission of a planning application for full planning permission and statutory consents; and

(4)That subject to receipt of planning permission and statutory consents, the delegation of the authority to enter into a construction contract with the successful provider to the Director of Property and Assets

The Director of Law and Assurance, in consultation with the Chairman of North Horsham County Local Committee and the Chairman of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee, has used his delegated powers under Standing Order 3.45 to decide the following CIF application:

·       598/CBY – Storrington Community Speedwatch, ‘Action on Road Safety in Storrington’,  up to £2,028.00 to purchase a second laser speed gun device and the cost of local print advertising.

·       620/CBY – Friends of Steyning Primary School, ‘Build a Mile Track for our children, up to £1,089.00 to install an all-weather running track to be used by pupils, afterschool clubs and community sports.

·       622/CBY – Steyning Health Centre Patient Participation Group, ‘Good Health’, Members agreed to give £750.00 (total project cost) – to produce a magazine promoting positive health benefits delivered to every household in the local area by volunteers.

The Director of Law and Assurance, in consultation with the Chairman of North Horsham County Local Committee and the Chairman of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee, has used his delegated powers under Standing Order 3.45 to decide the following CIF application:

·       598/CBY – Storrington Community Speedwatch, ‘Action on Road Safety in Storrington’,  up to £2,028.00 to purchase a second laser speed gun device and the cost of local print advertising.

·       620/CBY – Friends of Steyning Primary School, ‘Build a Mile Track for our children, up to £1,089.00 to install an all-weather running track to be used by pupils, afterschool clubs and community sports.

·       622/CBY – Steyning Health Centre Patient Participation Group, ‘Good Health’, Members agreed to give £750.00 (total project cost) – to produce a magazine promoting positive health benefits delivered to every household in the local area by volunteers.

The County Council has a statutory obligation to provide suitable education for all learners including those who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; this is termed Alternative Provision.

Currently the requirement for Independent Alternative Provision (IAP) is predominately for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and is commissioned on a case by case basis with Individual Placement Agreements (IPAs) ensuring that the provision meets the needs of the child/young person for each placement.

Whilst the County Council’s ambition is to reduce dependence on the external market, and provides some of these services, the demand is such that a significant amount of provision has to be purchased from the external market and evaluation shows this is a trend expected to continue. In order to meet this demand, it is proposed to set up a Pseudo-Dynamic Purchasing System (P-DPS) to enable the efficient sourcing of Independent Alternative Provision services from qualified providers.

The P-DPS will ensure a consistent yet flexible approach to purchasing the variety of Alternative Provision education services required for children and young people and will help facilitate and manage the market to meet the anticipated demand, both in terms of the volumes and complexity of children and young people requiring support. It will also maximise the potential to encourage competitive pricing; West Sussex schools will also access this P-DPS.

The P-DPS itself has no actual contract value as it makes no guarantee of business for any provider. However, the 2019/20 spend by the County Council was £1.1m per annum. Based on a calculation using known hours that schools have commissioned over a set period the West Sussex schools spend has been estimated as £1.5m per annum.

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills has approved:

(1)The commencement of a procurement process for a new Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing System (P-DPS) in Spring 2021 which will facilitate the purchasing of Independent Alternative Provision (IAP) to support the educational requirements of individual children. The term of the P-DPS will be 4 years and 9 months years in total, starting on 1 June 2021 and concluding on 31 January 2026;

(2)The delegation of authority to the Director of Education and Skills to implement the P-DPS for the supply of Independent Alternative Provision for the initial period 1 June 2021 to end February 2024 and further extension periods as necessary.

This report provides detail in addition to background and context to support the proposal that the Executive Director Place Services confirms the appointment of a commercial organisation, named as preferred bidder, with which the County Council is to enter into a Joint Venture Partnership Agreement in accordance with Cabinet Member decision FR05 19-20  28/06/2019 (Procurement - Property Development Enterprise). 

The organisation will become the partnering company in the joint venture with the Council and will provide property development funding, resources and services in order to bring forward for development areas of land in which the Council has an interest, subject to assessment of commercial viability and value, in accordance with a partnership agreement. The report explains the mechanisms for decisions of the partnership and joint venture governance.

The full report is restricted to members only and concerns the procurement of the partner and the output of the procurement in relation to the achievement of the aims of the original decision.

The Executive Director Place Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance has agreed: -

(1)         from the procurement process, the appointment of the preferred bidder, Morgan Sindall Group plc;

(2)         to complete the partnership agreement with the selected partner in accordance with decision FR05 19-20(Procurement - Property Development Enterprise);

(3)         jointly with the Director of Law and Assurance to implement the governance arrangements for the operation of the partnership as set out in this report to meet the requirements of the joint venture arrangement.

The Council sources a range of different accommodation options as part of preparing young people aged 16 years and over who are looked after for living independently. Accommodation is also provided for other eligible 16+ young people, such as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC). These accommodation services are currently accessed via a dynamic purchasing system (DPS), a mechanism that enables the Council to match a young person’s needs with a suitable accommodation provider.

The current DPS for 16+ services will expire on 31st March 2022. A framework agreement (under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 “light touch” regime – this will allow for a more flexible framework structure to be adopted) is proposed to replace the DPS as the mechanism for sourcing these services, to go live on 1st April 2022 and run for 5 years, with an option to extend for a further 2 years if required. Based on the full-year cost of existing placements sourced through the current DPS, the estimated annual value of these services is £5.9m, giving an estimated maximum total contract spend of £41.3m.

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People has approved:-

(1)The commencement of a procurement process for a 16+ Older Looked After Children and Care Leavers Framework Agreement, to run for a period of 5 years, commencing April 2022, with an option to extend for a further 2 years.

(2)The delegation of authority to the Executive Director of Children, Young People and Learning to implement the framework agreement (including the award of contracts to successful bidders) and to extend the framework agreement if required.

(3)The delegation of authority to the Executive Director of Children, Young People and Learning to award contracts to successful providers on completion of mini competitions undertaken to obtain services from the framework agreement.

The County Council’s Future West Sussex Plan set out its ambition to minimise the burden of local taxation, delivering the best outcomes for residents with the money it spends, whilst living within its means.  In 2018 the County Council agreed to adopt an Asset Management Policy and Strategy. An objective of the strategy is to acquire, manage, maintain and dispose of property effectively, efficiently and sustainably, together with optimising financial return and commercial opportunities. 

This report seeks authority for West Sussex County Council to enter into an Option Agreement with a Housing Association, for the eventual disposal of 0.83ha (2.06 acres) of land to the rear of Browns Lane accessed from Ravenscroft located on the southern periphery of Storrington as shown on the attached plan in Appendix B (available for members only).

This land is currently leased to the Storrington and Sullington Parish Council for allotment use and in conjunction with adjoining land the whole area has been allocated in the Storrington, Sullington and Washington Neighbourhood Plan as a residential development site for at least 35 dwellings.  The Housing Association owns the adjoining land and has approached WSCC with a view to developing their adjoining land in conjunction with the WSCC land, subject to the grant of planning permission and on the basis that the existing Parish allotment use can be relocated on nearby land also in the Housing Association’s ownership. 

The Cabinet Member has agreed:

(1)That the County Council enters into an Option Agreement for the disposal of the freehold land at Ravenscroft, Storrington, West Sussex, RH20 4LQ, as set out in Appendix A (available for members only)  and that in the event that all conditions of the option agreement are met the land is declared surplus to the Council’s requirements and;

(2) That Authority is delegated to the Director of Property and Assets in conjunction with the Director of Law and Assurance to conclude the terms of the option agreement and, subject to all the option conditions being met, agree the eventual sale of the land to the Housing Association based on the minimum sale price.

The County Council’s Future West Sussex Plan set out its ambition to minimise the burden of local taxation, delivering the best outcomes for residents with the money it spends, whilst living within its means.  In 2018 the County Council agreed to adopt an Asset Management Policy and Strategy. An objective of the strategy is to acquire, manage, maintain and dispose of property effectively, efficiently and sustainably, together with optimising financial return and commercial opportunities.

To accord with Standing Orders, this report seeks the approval of the Cabinet Member for Finance to grant a new ten-year commercial lease and a ten-year Farm Business Tenancy of Holding 132 Hatches Smallholdings Estate (known as Southlands Farm), West Sussex RH20 2JU.

The Cabinet Member has agreed:

(1)        That the County Council grants a new ten-year lease and a ten-year Farm Business Tenancy of Holding 132 Hatches Smallholdings Estate (known as Southlands Farm), West Sussex RH20 2JU; and that

(2)        Authority is delegated to the Director of Property and Assets in conjunction with the Director of Law and Assurance to conclude the terms of the lease and tenancy. 

Discharge to Assess with Reablement services are designed for hospital patients who are medically fit for discharge, but unable to immediately return home; it is a model recognised by NHS England as facilitating earlier discharge and/or reducing the number and length of delays in discharge from hospital for older people.  There is a focus on these services of reablement which supports people to relearn skills with the aim of supporting people to be able to return home and avoid long term admission to residential care.

The key objectives delivered through Discharge to Assess are:

• Reduction of delays and enablement of timely discharges from hospital;
• Reduced level of dependency for as many people as possible by reabling them to increase their independence;
• Ensuring that long-term decisions concerning people’s care needs are not made in an acute hospital setting.

Contracts for the provision of Discharge to Assess with Reablement services were awarded in 2018, for an initial fixed term of 2-years with options to extend to a maximum of 5-years, through an EU Procurement exercise conducted following approval of Cabinet Decision AH0117-18. The initial extended contract term comes to an end on 31st March 2021. The Executive Director Adults and Health will be asked to approve the proposed plans for the future of these contracts.

The Executive Director of Adults and Health has approved;

(1)the extension of Discharge to Assess with Reablement contracts as outlined within the proposals, for a further 12 months until 31 March 2022 at a cost of £0.87m; and

(2)the repurposing of ten beds at the Shaw Healthcare service Burleys Wood from Discharge to Assess with Reablement to nursing beds.

The Community Initiative Fund is a County Local Committee (CLC) administered fund that provides assistance to local community projects.

The Director of Law and Assurance, in consultation with the Chairman of the Joint Easter Arun Area Committe and the Chairman of the Performance and Finance Scrutiny Committee, has used his delegated powers under Standing Order 3.45 to decide the allocation of CIF as

follows:

That the following Community Initiative Funding awards be made:

West Sussex Crowd

601/JEAAC – The Victoria Institute Arundel, ‘Revitalising Victoria’, up to £3,000.00 - to convert the billiard hall into a multi-functional community space including a small theatre.

Micro Fund

602/JEAAC – Arundel Youth Football Club, ‘SAQ training equipment’, £533.28 - to purchase SAQ (Speed, Agility, Quickness) training equipment including ladders, hurdles, and hoops. 

623/JEAAC - Arun Veterans & Armed Forces Breakfast Club, ‘Storage for the Welfare of our Veterans’, £720.00 – to store food reserves for veterans in a storage container for one year. 

The Councils main contract for the provision of Primary Phase school meals is delivered by Chartwells, who currently provide a service to a total of 194 schools. The contract was let on a 5-year term, commencing 31 July 2016, with the option for a period of up to 5 years extension. The meals provided through the contract include Free School Meals (FSM), Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM), and parent paid Key Stage two (KS2) meals.

Following extensive recent stakeholder engagement, marketplace consultations and significant supplier negotiations the County Council proposes to extend the contract with Chartwells for the available full 5-year period.

The Director of Education and Skills has approved the extension of the Primary Phase School Meals contract for a period of 5 years ending in July 2026.

The County Council carries out repair, maintenance and refurbishment work throughout the corporate estate, a construction framework arrangement is required to deliver work around and within the County Council buildings. This will include repairs and refurbishment as well as new build requirements where needed. It will enable the County Council to place works orders with a variety of qualified contractors to deliver works that fall outside of the current maintenance contract.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Corporate Resources has approved:

1.   The commencement of a Find A Tender Service restricted procurement process to establish a new Construction Framework Agreement to commence 01 September 2021 and run for a period of 4 years; and that

2.   Authority be delegated to the Director of Property and Assets to award the Framework Agreements and any call-off contracts as a result of mini-competitions run under the Frameworks.

A previous decision about Halewick Lane approved the capital allocation of £11.6M for the development of a 20MW battery storage system owned and operated by the County Council.

The project has been revised and the Cabinet Member for Environment has considered changes to the Halewick Lane Battery Storage scheme.

The Cabinet Member for Environment has approved the changes to the Halewick Lane Battery Storage Project and the Halewick Lane site with focus on the following two key items:

(1)        the change to the previous system configuration, reducing the system size from 20MW to 12MW whilst retaining the residual export capacity on site; and

(2)     delegated authority to the Director of Environment and Public Protection to, at the conclusion of the procurement process, award the grid connection contract and the design and build contract(s) for the scheme.

The Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure has discretion to approve up to 15 additional Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to be processed above those selected annually by the County Local Committees (CLCs).

Community requests for TROs that cost under £3,000 to implement are considered annually by CLCs. More complex TROs are considered for progression as a Community Highways Scheme and so fall outside the process.

The TRO requests in the year to July 2019 have been assessed and scored and the results were presented to the relevant CLCs for consideration. The CLCs can select a specified number of TROs each – totalling 23 across the county. The CLCs had 29 TROs to consider and selected 20 to proceed.

The Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure has approved the nine remaining Traffic Regulation Orders that have scored ten or above to be processed and, subject to due process, implemented in the 2021/2022 financial year.

The County Council, in partnership with the South Downs National Park Authority, was required to undertake a Soft Sand Review (SSR) of the West Sussex Joint Minerals Local Plan (JMLP), which is part of the statutory ‘development plan’ for West Sussex.  The SSR considers the need for soft sand during the plan period (to 2033) and identifies changes to the JMLP to meet this demand, including the need for new site allocations. 

Informal public consultation on issues and options took place in January–March 2019 (under Regulation 18) followed by a formal period for representations on proposed changes to the JMLP in January-March 2020 (under Regulation 19).  In April 2020, the draft was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination, for which hearing sessions took place in August 2020. 

Following the hearings, the Government-appointed Inspector indicated that the submitted changes needed to be modified.  Consultation on Proposed Modifications took place during November–January 2021.  The Inspector considered the Proposed Modifications and the representations made on them.  He then reported that the submitted changes (as modified) are ‘sound’ and suitable for adoption.

The Cabinet Member for Environment has recommended to County Council on 19 March 2021 that the changes to the Joint Minerals Local Plan identified through the Soft Sand Review (in Appendix A) be adopted.