Minutes – Community Affairs Committee – 4 September 2025
The agenda and papers for this meeting are available here: Agenda and papers – Community Affairs Committee – 4 September 2025
The minutes of this meeting are presented below.
You can also download a PDF copy of the minutes here: Minutes – Community Affairs Committee – 4 September 2025
COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Minutes
Date: Thursday 4 September 2025
Time: 5.30pm – 8.30pm
Location: The Council Chamber – The Council House • North Street • CHICHESTER • West Sussex • PO19 1LQ
PRESENT: Councillors Quail (SQ), Apel (CA), J Gershater (JG), Chant (RC), Knight (SK), Kondabeka (JK)
EX-OFFICIO: The Mayor, Councillor McHale (SMH)
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Council Services and Support Manager (CSSM), Deputy Town Clerk (DTC), Communities Officer (CO), Town Clerk (TC) WSCC Councillor, Simon Oakley, 13 members of the public
CA2025/27. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Cllr Moore was absent
CA2025/28. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
- SQ declared an interest in the Women’s History Group.
- JK declared an interest as a Trustee of St John’s Trust.
- RC declared an interest in Kitchen Sink Productions, which hires space from Jam Café.
- CA declared an interest as a Trustee of Stonepillow.
CA2025/29. PUBLIC QUESTIONS
There were no questions from the public pursuant to Standing Order 3(e) of Chichester City Council’s Standing Orders (April 2025).
CA2025/30. CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Chairman made several announcements regarding upcoming events and meetings:
- £500 was given to the Creative Beatz event held in the College grounds in July.
- Thanks were extended to staff for their efforts in organising the Gala.
- A vote of thanks was proposed for Helen Marshall (Chichester BID) as she steps down as CEO of the BID.
- The Chairman advised that a new meeting management system was being used and asked for patience with any technical problems.
- The next arts forum will be held on 18th September at 6pm in the Council House.
CA2025/31. REPORTS FROM PREVIOUS GRANT RECIPIENTS
The committee noted the reports received from the following groups:
CA2025/31.1. UPDATES FROM SMALL COMMUNITY GRANT RECIPIENTS
Reports were received from Kitchen Sink Productions, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, My Sisters’ House, and Parklands Residents’ Association.
CA2025/31.2. ANNUAL REPORT FROM LARGE GRANT RECIPIENTS – HOMESTART
Lois Holman from Homestart presented the annual report, highlighting the achievements and challenges faced by the organisation over the past year. Key points included:
- 48% of families they work with are from the City.
- They have a funding gap this year, so the continuing funding is greatly appreciated.
- Many of the families they work with are lonely, isolated, and lack confidence in their parenting skills.
- They offer a number of family groups in the area and home visits.
- They have started providing more specialised care via the Solihull parenting method, which helps parents understand their children’s behaviour.
- They have been part of a research project looking at how this can help parents improve their confidence.
- They have started a baby group and employed a new playworker and will be launching a new scheme to help parents prepare their pre-school children for starting primary school.
- A councillor asked if the location of families they were working with had changed on previous years. Lois Holman advised she would look at the previous years’ data and report back to the Council.
CA2025/31.3. ANNUAL REPORT FROM LARGE GRANT RECIPIENTS – CHICHESTER FESTIVAL
Simon O’Hea and Mark Elliott from Chichester Festival presented the annual report, showcasing the cultural enrichment provided by the festival to the local community. Key points included:
- Funding has allowed them to support the festival, which is largely community-based.
- It has helped to keep entry costs low and has given confidence to plan for the future and invest in better back-end systems.
- The grant has enabled a new website to be developed and refined to support the delivery of the festival and ensure it is sustainable for the future.
Councillors asked if people were booking late this year. There were a lot of last-minute bookings, which is quite common and seems to be a trend. Making on-the-door tickets more extensive seemed to make no difference.
CA2025/31.4. ANNUAL REPORT FROM LARGE GRANT RECIPIENTS – CHICHESTER FRINGE
Simon O’Hea and Andrew Bailey from Chichester Fringe presented their annual report, detailing the various performances and community engagement activities conducted throughout the year. Key points included:
- The continuing funding has helped them to meet their development goals and to start a development grants programme.
- Surplus funds will be used to cover increasing costs and to develop some shows using the space at the CFT Nest.
- They are considering developing an app and expanding the commissioning grants.
- The grant has allowed them to do things that other fringes can’t, such as not charging performers to take part and sharing income and profits with the performers.
CA2025/32. PRESENTATIONS FROM NEW GRANT APPLICANTS
New grant applicants presented their proposals to the committee, outlining their plans and the anticipated impact of the grants on their projects.
CA2025/32.1. CHICHESTER WOMEN’S HISTORY GROUP
Francesca Tambling gave a presentation on the work of the Chichester Women’s History Group (CWHG) and their project to have a statue of Chichester women’s suffrage campaigner Madge Turner erected. Key points included:
- A touring exhibition has been displayed around the City, and a series of monthly talks are being held which are well attended.
- The project is a partnership between CWHG, Sanctuary, My Sisters’ House, and Stonepillow.
- The project will work with beneficiaries of the charity partners to develop a piece of community artwork to bring the flag on the statue to life.
- 12 workshops will be run to develop art for the flag, which will then be scanned and 3D printed to make the final flag on the statue.
- The project will create the flag design, which will be cast into bronze. Children will also be used to create the flowers at the base of the statue plinth.
- The artwork will also be toured and there will be a website explaining the significance of the artwork.
- The project will create a lasting legacy and is already resulting in new connections.
Questions and answers:
Q: Have you got a location for the statue?
A: That is still off in the future and TBC – the flag project stands alone in its own right as a discrete piece of artwork, which can be displayed and toured regardless of if the final statue is cast.
Q: Is the bid for all four charities?
A: That’s correct – it is a bid from all four groups to deliver a wider scheme and project. The plan is to apply for funding to the Arts Council for later phases of the project.
Q: Is each charity asking for £2k equally and what does it cover?
A: Yes, this is enough to allow them to combine resources and work together to deliver the project in a more efficient and cost-effective way.
CA2025/32.2. CREATIVE BEATZ
Sarah Collins gave a presentation on Creative Beatz, a charity based at Jam Café supporting young people into education and work. Key points included:
- They provide alternative provision for children out of mainstream education as well as a drop-in space for local children after school.
- They offer opportunities to develop and grow in the arts – a platform for getting into industry and work.
- They are applying for funding to help with core costs such as staffing, resources, etc.
Questions and answers:
Q: How much funding was applied for?
A: £5k per year.
Q: What is the reach and depth of the provision?
A: Young Peoples Shop project every Wednesday – provide Beats & Bass night at the Boys Club every week. They work with local schools to provide music classes in schools – the café offers a space where these opportunities can be expanded and further developed. Jam Café provides a safe space in the City for young people to drop in and find support when needed.
CA2025/33. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
Decision: The minutes of the previous meeting held on 4 June 2025 were approved and signed as a correct record.
CA2025/34.
UPDATE ON ACTIONS FROM PREVIOUS MEETING
Updates on actions from the previous meeting were provided, indicating that all agreed actions had been completed..
CA2025/35. COMMUNITY OFFICER UPDATE
The Community Officer provided an update on recent activities and initiatives. The committee noted the officer’s report and requested that the charity shadowing be reported back to the Voluntary Sector Working Group. The Mayor advised that he was hosting a charity murder mystery evening on 1st November 2025.
CA2025/36. EVENTS UPDATE
The committee received the following updates:
CA2025/36.1. GALA 2025 REPORT
The Gala 2025 report was presented outlining the final costs. The Mayor requested that it be minuted that the event was a huge success and was very well organised. Music throughout the day was appreciated. The cost of delivering the event was just over £13k. The committee noted thanks to Claire and Tim for all of their work.
CA2025/36.2. CHRISTMAS 2025 UPDATE
The committee considered the proposals for Christmas 2025 and resolved to support the allocation of £6,700 from the events budget to deliver the lighting installation at the Cathedral.
Decision: The committee resolved to support the allocation of £6,700 from the events budget to deliver the lighting installation at the Cathedral.
CA2025/37. POLICING AND SECURITY IN THE CITY
The committee received the following updates:
CA2025/37.1. COMMUNITY WARDENS
Reports from the Community Wardens were noted, highlighting their efforts in maintaining safety and security in the city. The committee also met the new City Centre Community Warden, Dawn White, who introduced herself to the committee. Dawn has been a warden for 16 years, previously in Tangmere and Oving and then in the Witterings. She is familiarising herself with the City and will be in post from 24th September 2025. The committee requested that a meeting be arranged with the Police to discuss security concerns in the City.
Task: Arrange a meeting with the Police to discuss security concerns in the City. @Clerk
CA2025/37.2. BID AMBASSADORS
Reports from the BID Ambassadors were reviewed, detailing their activities and contributions to the city’s security and business environment. Helen Marshall thanked the committee for their kind words and support in addressing known issues in the City. Ambassadors are increasingly reporting seeing knives being carried by people they interact with. Shoplifting is still a major challenge and intimidation is becoming worse. Anti-social behaviour has improved at Cathedral Green but is being displaced to other areas. Councillors asked what the issues were with illegal traffic redirection – Helen explained that this was safely marshalling lost vehicles through the pedestrian precinct. Natasha McLeod introduced herself as the new BID Chief Executive and advised she was looking forward to working with the City Council.
CA2025/38. TO NOTE REPORTS RECEIVED FROM COMMUNITY GROUPS
Reports were received from Friends of Chartres, Friends of Ravenna, Friends of Speyer, Friends of Valletta, and Chichester Tree Wardens. The committee noted the valuable contributions of these groups to the community and expressed their appreciation for their efforts.
CA2025/39. COMMUNITY ASSET REGISTER
The committee agreed the following venues should be nominated for inclusion on the Community Asset Register, as per Minute Reference 28 from the Community Affairs Meeting on 4 September 2023:
• 12th Chichester Scout Hut,
• Bartholomews/Chichester Arts Centre,
• Clay Lane Sports Club,
• Parklands Green Pavilion.
The committee requested that the Devolution Working Group look at acquiring the land in front of the scout hut if possible.
Decision: The committee approved the nomination of the venues for inclusion on the Community Asset Register.
Task: Submit nominations to CDC @Communities Officer
Task: Add land in front of Scout Hut to next Devolution Working Group agenda. @Clerk
CA2025/40. ANNUAL REVIEW OF COMMITTEE POLICY DOCUMENTS
The committee reviewed the following policy documents:
CA2025/40.1. COMMITTTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE AND SCHEME OF DELEGATION
The terms of reference and scheme of delegation were reviewed. The committee recommended that the delegated responsibility for Civic Awards be returned to full council, that oversight for flower beds, hanging baskets and other City Centre amenities be transferred to the Planning & Conservation Committee, and that the committee numbers be amended to remove the maximum limit with no less than a third of members constituting a quorum.
Decision: The committee recommended that the delegated responsibility for Civic Awards be returned to full council.
Decision: The committee recommended that oversight for public realm amenities be transferred to the Planning & Conservation Committee.
Decision: The committee recommended that committee numbers be amended to remove the maximum limit with no less than a third of members constituting a quorum.
Task: Add recommended changes to committee terms of reference and scheme of delegation to next full council agenda. @Clerk
CA2025/40.2. COMMUNITY GRANTS POLICY
The committee discussed proposed changes to the current grant guidelines. The primary focus was on clarifying the position regarding grant applications from schools and the requirements for joint grant applications from two or more organisations.
Decision: Authority was delegated to officers to make the necessary changes to the grant guidelines, clarifying the position regarding grant applications from schools and the requirements for joint grant applications from two or more organisations.
Task: Make necessary changes to grant guidelines. @Communities Officer
CA2025/40.3. CRITERIA FOR ANNUAL AWARDS AND FREEDOM OF THE CITY
The committee resolved to make changes to the Civic Awards criteria, typically limiting the number of awards to no more than five in any one year. Additionally, the committee accepted the proposed new process for awarding Freedom of the City, subject to the nomination being referred to full council rather than the Community Affairs Committee.
Decision: The committee resolved to limit the number of Civic Awards to no more than five in any one year.
Decision: The committee accepted the proposed new process for awarding Freedom of the City, subject to the nomination being referred to full council.
Task: Update criteria for Civic Awards and publish procedure for awarding Freedom of the City. @Clerk.
CA2025/40.4. MAYORAL ENGAGEMENT FORM
The committee reviewed the Mayoral Engagement Form and discussed its purpose and effectiveness. It was resolved to amend the form to state that while efforts are made to accommodate all requests, it cannot be guaranteed that a representative will be sent to every event. Subject to this amendment, the committee resolved to adopt the form.
Decision: The committee resolved to amend the Mayoral Engagement Form to state that while efforts are made to accommodate all requests, it cannot be guaranteed that a representative will be sent to every event.
Decision: Subject to the amendment, the committee resolved to adopt the Mayoral Engagement Form.
Task: Amend Mayoral Engagement Form and publish on website. @Communications and Civic Support Officer
CA2025/41. COMMITTEE BUDGET FOR 2026-2027
The committee discussed proposed changes to the Community Affairs Committee budget for 2026-2027 and it was agreed that it would be finalised in December.
Decision: The Committee agreed the budget would be finalised in December.
CA2025/42. ITEMS TO BE INCLUDED ON THE NEXT AGENDA
1. Risks to charity sector support post-LGR
2. Statuary Working Group Report
3. Budget
Task: Ensure items are included on December meeting agenda. @Communities Officer
CA2025/43. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next ordinary meeting is Thursday 4th December 2025 at 17:30.
CA2025/44. PUBLIC SECTOR BODIES (ADMISSION TO MEETINGS) ACT 1960
Decision: The committee resolved to exclude members of the press and public from the meeting for Agenda Item 17 due to the confidential nature of the business to be transacted.
CA2025/45. CONSIDERATION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS
The committee considered various grant applications and made the following awards:
Decision: The committee resolved to award Sea Cadets £1,729.
Decision: The committee resolved to award Disability Challengers £0.
Decision: The committee resolved to award St Johns Trust £3,000.
Decision: The committee resolved to award Volya Choir £2,000.
Decision: The committee resolved to award Chichester Women’s History Group £12,000.
Decision: The committee resolved to award Creative Beatz £5,000 per year for 2 years.
Task: Advise applicants of the outcome of their application. @Communities Officer
The meeting closed at 8.30pm
ACTIONS ARISING FROM THIS MEETING
| Minute ref. | Agreed action | Assigned for action to |
| CA2025/37.1. | Arrange a meeting with the Police to discuss security concerns in the City. | TC |
| CA2025/39. | Submit nominations to CDC | CO |
| CA2025/39. | Add land in front of Scout Hut to next Devolution Working Group agenda. | TC |
| CA2025/40.1. | Add recommended changes to committee terms of reference and scheme of delegation to next full council agenda. | TC |
| CA2025/40.2. | Make necessary changes to grant guidelines. | CO |
| CA2025/40.3 | Update criteria for Civic Awards and publish procedure for awarding Freedom of the City. | TC |
| CA2025/40.4. | Amend Mayoral Engagement Form and publish on website. | CCCSO |
| CA2025/42. | Ensure items are included on December meeting agenda. | CO |
| CA2025/45. | Advise applicants of the outcome of their application. | CO |