Issue - meetings

To receive the joint report of the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets and the Cabinet Member for Local Economy

            RESOLVED

(i)         Agreed in principle that the sites within Horsham District, namely Parkside (including the Capitol Theatre), Hop Oast Depot and Horsham Museum, be part of a 20 year lease of new dark/passive fibre infrastructure as part of a contract between West Sussex County Council and the selected supplier subject to central Government funding, agreed lease terms and on a cost neutral basis.

(ii)        That the Director of Corporate Resources be authorised to enter into the necessary agreements once the tendering process has been satisfactorily completed.

REASONS

(i)         To take advantage of Central Government Gap Funding.

(ii)        To achieve the availability of world class digital infrastructure is vital to facilitate the delivery of public services, drive economic growth and enhance community wellbeing.

The Cabinet Member for Finance & Assets reported that West Sussex County Council was planning to change its wide area network site connectivity in eight key towns in the County by installing a gigabit capable dark fibre network connecting local authority sites in the selected towns and had invited relevant District and Borough Councils to join the project. 

The project would deliver new end-to-end dark fibre networks in Worthing, Shoreham, Chichester, Bognor Regis, Horsham, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and Crawley through a 20-year lease agreement with a single supplier.  The selected sites would all be connected at 1000Mb (gigabit) speeds, with the County Council making the initial capital investment on behalf of the partner councils and then charging partners annually under the current wider area network arrangements without any increases in charges.

The Policy Development Advisory Groups for Economic Development and Finance & Assets had been consulted and supported the proposal.

            RESOLVED

(i)         Agreed in principle that the sites within Horsham District, namely Parkside (including the Capitol Theatre), Hop Oast Depot and Horsham Museum, be part of a 20 year lease of new dark/passive fibre infrastructure as part of a contract between West Sussex County Council and the selected supplier subject to central Government funding, agreed lease terms and on a cost neutral basis.

(ii)        That the Director of Corporate Resources be authorised to enter into the necessary agreements once the tendering process has been satisfactorily completed.

REASONS

(i)         To take advantage of Central Government Gap Funding.

(ii)        To achieve the availability of world class digital infrastructure is vital to facilitate the delivery of public services, drive economic growth and enhance community wellbeing.