Minutes – Full Council – 23 June 2021
The agenda and papers for this meeting are available here: Full Council – 23 June 2023 – agenda and papers (Discretionary Grants)
The minutes of this meeting are presented below.
You can also download a PDF copy of the minutes here: Minutes – Full Council – 23 June 2021
MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICHESTER HELD IN THE ASSEMBLY ROOM, THE COUNCIL HOUSE ON WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE 2021 AT 2.00PM
PRESENT:
- The Mayor (Councillor Hughes), The Deputy Mayor (Councillor Joy), Councillors Apel, Barrie, Bell, C Hughes, Lishman, Plowman, Quail, Scicluna, Sharp
APOLOGIES:
- Councillors Carter, Dignum, Gaskin, Gershater, Harry, K Hughes
IN ATTENDANCE:
- Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk (Responsible Finance Officer), Member Services Support Officer, The Mayor’s Chaplain, Dr Linda Boize (via Zoom), West Sussex County Councillor Oakley
9. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
As recorded above.
10. MINUTES OF COUNCIL
RESOLVED that the minutes of the Meeting of Council held on 26 April 2021 (Pages 220 to 225), the Extraordinary Meeting of Council held on 5 May 2021 (Pages 231 to 232) and the Annual Meeting of Council held on 5 May 2021 (Pages 1 to 3), having been printed and circulated; be adopted and signed as a correct record at a later date.
11. MAYOR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Mayor reported that his appointments had started to pick up as lockdown had begun to ease.
The Mayor informed Councillors that he had recently attended the reopening of the refurbished parish centre at St Pauls Church. Members were advised that the Mayor had been given a tour of the new facilities along with the Duke of Richmond who had also been in attendance.
Members were further informed that the tour had highlighted the parts of the work that had been funded with the assistance of City Council grants, in particular the new kitchen facilities, a large new window and double glazing.
The Mayor also reported that, the previous day, he had attended a 40th anniversary celebration at the LA Fish chip shop which was located in his City Council ward.
Members were advised that all profits from the day would be sent to the Chichester Boys Club in support of their work.
The Mayor then welcomed Councillor Sarah Quail to her first full Council meeting.
He assured Councillor Quail that the meeting, as it was being held in accordance with Government direction, and it was hoped that a level of normality would be returning soon to the manner in which meetings were conducted.
12. QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
To answer questions (if any) from members of the public being residents of the City pursuant to Appendix 1 of Chichester City Council’s Standing Orders (September 2020)
No questions were submitted.
13. DISCRETIONARY GRANTS
To note that these had already been paid to the organisations.
- CAOS Musical Productions – £390
- Chichester Chamber Concerts – £500
- Chichester Symphony Orchestra – £500
- West Sussex Mediation Service – £500
- West Wall Residents Association – £306
- Business2Schools – £1000
- Chichester Boys Club- £1000
- Chichester City Centre Drop-In – £1500
- Chichester Childrens Bookfest – £1020
- Festival of Chichester- £2500
- 4Sight Vision Support – £734
- Transition Chichester- £1000
- Tylers Trust – £1000
- Voluntary Action Arun and Chichester – £1000
14. MINUTES OF COMMITTEES/NOTES OF WORKING GROUPS
The Mayor informed Councillors that, for expediency, he would not be calling all page numbers for each set of minutes. He advised Members that they could raise specific questions for the Chairmen as each set of minutes was presented.
(a) Planning and Conservation Committee
It was moved by Councillor Plowman, as Chairman of the Committee, that the minutes of the meeting held on 29 April 2021 (pages 226-230) be approved and adopted.
It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Planning and Conservation Committee, held on 29 April 2021, be approved and adopted.
(b) Planning and Conservation Working Group
It was moved by Councillor Plowman, as Chairman of the Working Group, that the notes of the meeting held on 27 May 2021 (pages 4-9) be approved and adopted.
It was RESOLVED that the notes of the meeting of the Planning and Conservation Working Group, held on 27 May 2021, be approved and adopted.
(c) Community Affairs Working Group
It was moved by Councillor Apel, as Chairman of the Working Group, that the notes of the meeting held on 7 June 2021 (pages 10-18) be approved and adopted.
Councillor Apel advised Councillors that, further to the item referring to appointments to outside bodies (minute 16 refers), her position as a Chichester District Council representative at the Pallant House Gallery could be seen as a potential conflict of interest with the Oxmarket Centre of Arts representation.
Councillor Apel further advised that Councillor Quail had agreed to take her place as the City Council’s representative at the Oxmarket Centre of Arts.
Councillor Bell, as a Trustee of the Oxmarket Centre of Arts, welcomed Councillor Quail’s appointment as the City Council’s representative. He also informed Members that Councillor Lishman would be welcome to return as a City Council representative if she wished to in the future.
It was then RESOLVED that the notes of the Community Affairs Working Group meeting held on 7 June 2021 be approved and adopted and that the updates given by the Chairman be noted.
(d) Finance Working Group
It was moved by Councillor Scicluna, as Chairman of the Working Group, that the notes of the meeting held on 15 June 2021 be approved and adopted excluding the Recommendations in Minutes 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 22, which should be discussed separately.
It was RESOLVED that the notes of the meeting held on 15 June 2021 be approved and adopted excluding the Recommendations in minutes 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 22, which would be discussed separately.
i. Minute 8 – Statement of Accounts 2020/2021
It was RECOMMENDED to Full Council on Wednesday 23 June 2021 that the Statement of Accounts 2020/2021 be approved and signed by the Mayor and the Responsible Finance Officer.
It was RESOLVED that the Statement of Accounts 2020/2021 be approved and signed by the Mayor and the Responsible Finance Officer.
ii. Minute 10 – Annual Governance Statement (Part 1 of the Annual Return) – 2020/2021
NOTE: The Agenda item states that the approved return be signed by the Mayor and the Responsible Finance Officer. This should read “The Mayor and the Town Clerk” and has been corrected in these minutes.
It was RECOMMENDED to Full Council on Wednesday 23 June 2021 that the Annual Governance Statement (Part 1 of the Annual Return) 2020/2021 be approved and signed by the Mayor and the Town Clerk.
It was RESOLVED that the Annual Governance Statement (Part 1 of the Annual Return) 2020/2021 be approved and signed by the Mayor and the Town Clerk.
iii. Minute 11 – Account Statements (Part 2 of the Annual Return) – 2020/2021
NOTE: There is a typing error in the agenda in the recommendation which gave the date for Part 2 of the Annual Return as 2021/2021 – this should read 2020/2021.
It was RECOMMENDED to Full Council on Wednesday 23 June 2021 that the Account Statements (Part 2 of the Annual Return) 2020/2021 be approved and signed by the Mayor and the Responsible Finance Officer.
It was RESOLVED that the Account Statements (Part 2 of the Annual Return) 2020/2021 be approved and signed by the Mayor and the Responsible Finance Officer.
iv. Minute 12 – Internal Control Policy
It was RECOMMENDED to Full Council on Wednesday 23 June 2021 that the amended Internal Control Policy be adopted and signed by the Mayor and Responsible Finance Officer.
It was RESOLVED that the amended Internal Control Policy be adopted and signed by the Mayor and Responsible Finance Officer.
v. Minute 13 – Internal Audit Plan 2021/2022
It was RECOMMENDED to Full Council on Wednesday 23 June 2021 that the Internal Audit plan for the financial year 2021/2022 be approved.
It was RESOLVED that that the Internal Audit plan for the financial year 2021/2022 be approved.
vi. Minute 18 – Over the Rainbow Funding
It was RECOMMENDED to Full Council on Wednesday 23 June 2021 that the Grant application from Over the Rainbow be approved in the sum of £2,000 to be funded from the Discretionary Grants budget.
Councillors Apel and Plowman declared personal interests as members of the Over the Rainbow organising committee.
Councillor Scicluna explained to Members that the grant application had been brought forward as the event would be taking place later than the Discretionary Grant deadlines would allow.
Members were further advised that, due to this, the Community Affairs Working Group had deferred to the Finance Working Group to assess the application and allocate Grant funds accordingly.
The Councillors were supportive of the event and it was RESOLVED to award £2,000 in support of the Over the Rainbow event to be funded from the Discretionary Grants budget.
Councillors Apel and Plowman did not vote.
vii. Minute 22 – Chichester BID Ranger Funding – 2021/22 and beyond
It was RECOMMENDED to Full Council on 23 June 2021 that the City Council respond to the Chichester BID requests as follows:
- Defer giving provisional commitment until later in the year after the BID re-election results were known and BID’s future for 2022/27 was secured.
Refers to the City Council giving provisional commitment to supporting the BID Rangers in the next term of the BID, assuming they carry on after the elections
- Approve the increase in the BID Ranger funding for the current financial year only, ending on 31 March 2022. This increase of £3,770 to be funded from the Public Realm budget as per the rest of the Ranger funding.
Councillor Scicluna explained the requests that had been received from Chichester BID.
Councillor Bell advised Members that he felt the BID Rangers were doing excellent work in supporting the city centre and its businesses.
It was therefore RESOLVED that the City Council would respond to the BID requests as follows:
- Provisional commitment to support the BID Rangers for 2022/2027 would be deferred until later in the year after the BID re-election results were known and BID’s future confirmed.
- The requested immediate increase in the BID Ranger funding for the current financial year only, ending on 31 March 2022 be approved. This increase of £3,770 to be funded from the Public Realm budget as per the rest of the Ranger funding.
(e) Property Working Group – 10 May 2021
The notes of the Property Working Group meeting held on 10 May 2021 were presented.
There were no comments from Members.
15. REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES
Councillor Apel, as the City Council’s representative on the Chichester Welfare Trust, advised members that two new Syrian families had arrived in the area and were receiving broad support from the Trust.
Councillor Apel praised the Welfare Trust for its work in the community.
16. WARD REPORTS FROM CHICHESTER CITY COUNCILLORS
Councillor Apel, as a West Ward representative, informed Members of her concerns about reports she was receiving from private tenants receiving notices to quit from their landlords. She advised Council that these were often larger families which Chichester District Council was having difficulty with rehousing
Councillor Apel also advised Members of concerns raised by residents newly moved in at the White House Farm development. She reported that, currently, the sewage system was not complete so waste from the site was being collected twice a week by tanker and being taken away. Members were further advised that this situation was expected to last up to two years.
Councillor Bell, as a Central Ward representative, expressed his concerns about ongoing NHS GP surgery provision in Chichester. He informed Councillors that NHS Commissioners the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for Sussex had decided that they could not justify additional GP surgery provision at White House Farm despite the developers’ willingness to provide the necessary physical facilities.
Councillor Bell emphasised that this decision was not the responsibility of Chichester District Council or the developers.
He further informed Members that the NHS Commissioners and the CCG had been looking to expand existing provision within the current city surgeries. Members were further informed that NHS Commissioners had recently applied to Chichester District Council to expand the existing Langley House facility in West Street as part of this expansion and with very little consultation.
Members were also advised that NHS Commissioners and the CCG had discussed a hub being included in the Southern Gateway development, although this project had been delayed due to the current financial situation. Councillor Bell stated that he felt that a new facility south of the railway would be inappropriate due to the distance from the new development at White House Farm.
Councillor Apel advised Members that, for several years now, GPs were effectively self-employed and that facilities were provided according to their resources and willingness to invest. This meant that new facilities were more likely where larger populations were present, making new facilities viable. She also advised that she felt the projected population at White House Farm would make this a possibility in the future even if the current population was insufficient.
The Mayor expressed his agreement with the general concerns and principles being raised and it was suggested that this could be discussed at the Community Affairs Working Group.
Councillor C Hughes, as a representative of the City’s East Ward, reported that SPRING (Swanfield Park Residents Involvement Group) had been making good progress and that planning was under way to provide food and activities for local children during the summer and Christmas holidays. Members were advised that this would be funded by the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme.
Councillors were informed that the new secretary of the SPRING committee was settling in very well and that the Group had recently been involved in the creation of a new community garden and associated gardening club.
Councillor Plowman reported that the Westgate vaccination centre had now administered its 100,000th jab and that both AstraZenica and Pfizer vaccines were being offered.
17. REPORTS FROM CHICHESTER DISTRICT AND WEST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL WARD MEMBERS
Councillor Scicluna expressed her support for Councillor Joy, as had Councillor Sharp, who had recently become a members of West Sussex County Council.
Councillor Joy thanked Councillor Scicluna and advised Members that he was now a member of the Highways and Rights of Way Committee, the first meeting of which would take place on 24 June 2021. He further advised he was looking forward to addressing issues such as the CHEM Route and southern access road.
Councillor Lishman reminded Councillors that the byelection in the Chichester District Council East Ward would be taking place on Thursday 24 June 2021.
Councillor Oakley, as the West Sussex County Council Member for the Chichester East Ward, made the following reports:
- the controlled parking extension in the east of the city was now in effect. Councillor Oakley advised Members that they were awaiting feedback on the changes.
- Shopwhyke Lakes – changes to the priorities at the Oving traffic lights on the A27 junction as well as the footbridge at Portfield were progressing.
- redevelopment of the St James site – notices regarding temporary closure of and subsequent changes to the twitten on the east side of this site were now on display.
- Barnfield Drive – the expansion joints between the concrete rafts that formed the under-structure of the land near Harvester and Homebase were degrading and becoming a maintenance issue.
Councillor Oakley then requested updates from the City Council on the following subjects:
- Swanfield Drive bus shelter
The Mayor responded and stated that work had been ongoing for two years with discussions between the City Council, the District and County Councils and A2 Dominion (the developers of the Swanfield Estate). The Mayor reported that the Property Manager had advised that the District Council and A2 Dominion were discussing the matter but that the Mayor felt that no progress was being made despite Section 106 funding being available.
The Mayor also stated that it was for Chichester District Council and A2 Dominion to resolve and that any further input from the City Council would be limited by this.
Post meeting note :- the current position was outlined in an email to Councillor Oakley (and others) dated 17th May 2021 from the Property Manager. As a result of Councillor Oakley’s continuing representations in this matter, the Town Clerk spoke to Mr Bennett of Chichester District Council on 24th June requesting that joint CDC/A2 Dominion action be expedited. The type of shelter, which includes RTPI, has been identified with WSCC; once the issues involving CDC and A2 Dominion are resolved, the Property Manager can action the order using the allocated Section 106 funds.
- pedestrian access to the LIDL site from Story Road
No response was made to this question.
Post meeting note :- the Planning Adviser made representations to WSCC’s Rights of Way section about this matter several months ago. No response has been received and this matter is being pursued with WSCC. The City Council’s Property Team actioned the spreading of bark chippings as an immediate action when the matter was raised.
18. QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
To answer questions from Members of the City Council pursuant to Standing Order 8.
No questions had been received.
19. REVIEW OF REMOTE MEETING ARRANGEMENTS AND COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
The Mayor advised Members that he felt that the Working Group structure and the use of Zoom should continue while advice from central Government remained fluid and future arrangements for lockdowns remained uncertain.
He proposed that the current Working Group arrangements worked well and should continue in place until September as there were only a small number of meetings that would be affected.
Councillor Scicluna expressed her support for this view and stated that the City Council should wait until the situation had stabilised before any changes to the current arrangements were made.
She reminded Councillors that the original agreement had been to put the Working Groups in place until the 21 June 2021 when the Government had hoped to relax the social distancing requirements. As this had not happened, Councillor Scicluna further emphasised her support for Working Groups until at least September 2021.
Councillor Plowman added his support to the views being expressed. He further informed Councillors that he felt that there had been positive effects from the use of Zoom meetings with less travelling, less environmental pollution and more efficient working including home working.
Councillor Plowman also expressed the hope that changes would soon be made to the regulations that would allow the City Council to make better choices about flexible working and meeting arrangements. He further commented that he felt that forcing people to attend public meetings could have an effect on the democratic process if they were unwilling to join physical meetings.
It was noted that the Town Clerk had circulated a copy of the representations made to the Government by the National Association of Local Councils about meeting arrangements.
After a short further debate it was RESOLVED that the current structure of Working Groups meeting on Zoom and reporting to physical Council meetings would continue until the meeting of Council on September 29 2021 at which point the arrangements would be further reviewed.
20. COMMON SEAL
RESOLVED that Common Seal be affixed to any documents necessary to give effect to the resolutions passed at the meeting.
DATE OF NEXT ORDINARY MEETING: WEDNESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2021
The meeting closed at 2.51pm