Decisions

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

St Philip Howard Catholic School is a 6 form entry (6FE) 11-18 Secondary School with a 6th form. The school has grown in recent years to meet the demand for places which has led to the requirement for more teaching and administrative space, as well as washroom facilities. The school has continued to take additional children over and above their Published Admission Number (PAN) and projections indicate an ongoing need for the additional places created meaning additional accommodation is required to support the increased pupil numbers.

The school is proposing to deliver a new teaching block incorporating 8 classrooms, office space, toilets and a lift for disabled access.

Section 106 funds have been received totalling £970,000 which must be spent on additional educational infrastructure and/or equipment at St Philip Howard Catholic School. The demand for places is high and the desire to provide the best possible experience for all students is the key driver for this build.

Approval is required for the allocation of Section 106 funding from the Capital Programme to enable the project to proceed.

The Director of Property and Assets has approved:

(1) The passporting of £970,000 of received funds to St Philip Howard Catholic School in accordance with the relevant Section 106 Agreements to fund the work outlined in Section 2.1 of the report, and

(2) The settlement and completion of the Development and Funding agreement as a condition for the transfer of the funds.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 became law on 29 April 2021 and this report concerns the duties placed on West Sussex County Council under this Act.

The Act places a duty on Local Authorities in England to:

• provide support to victims of domestic abuse and their children in refuges and other safe accommodation;

•     provide all eligible homeless victims of domestic abuse with an automatic ‘priority need’ for homelessness assistance;

•     ensure that when Local Authorities rehouse victims of domestic abuse, they do not lose a secure lifetime or assured tenancy;

•     provide all eligible homeless victims of domestic abuse with an automatic ‘priority need’ for settled housing under the homelessness legislation.

Each Tier One Local Authority is required to undertake a needs assessment and prepare strategies to support victims of domestic abuse in safe accommodation. In Sussex a collaborative approach has been taken to the completion of the needs assessment and a strategy that covers East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove has been developed.

West Sussex County Council has been allocated £1,498,174 from Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)  to respond to the results of the required needs assessment and strategy.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Services has approved;

(1)   the Pan Sussex Domestic Abuse Accommodation and Support Strategy and its implications for West Sussex alongside its publication on 5^th January 2022; and

(2)   the delegation of  authority to the Director of Communities to approve appropriate allocations of the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities funding in line with the needs assessment and strategy.