Agenda, decisions and minutes

To approve as correct the minutes of the meeting held on 24^th November 2016

The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 24^th November 2016 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Leader.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Cabinet

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any announcements from the Leader, Cabinet Members or the Chief Executive

There were no announcements.

To receive questions from and provide answers to the public in relation to matters which in the opinion of the person presiding at the meeting are relevant to the business of the meeting

No questions had been received.

Joint report of the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets on the appointment of a building contractor for the construction of the Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre

            RESOLVED

(i)         That the tender received from Company A be approved and that they be formally appointed as the Council’s contractor for the construction of the Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre.

(ii)        That the Director of Community Services be authorised to enter into the contract for the appointment of Company A.

(iii)       That the Director of Community Services be authorised to agree the final contract sum.

REASON

To appoint a contractor to undertake the construction of the Leisure Centre.

The Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture and the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets reported that, following approval for the redevelopment of the leisure centre at Broadbridge Heath by Cabinet on 23rd November 2015 and approval of the necessary budget by Council on 9th December 2015, the design phase of the project had been completed and approval was now being sought for the appointment of the building contractor for the construction of the leisure centre.

As the value of the contract exceeded the EU procurement threshold of £4,100,000, the works had been procured via the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and tendered via the OJEU Competitive Negotiation route.

Of the five contractors selected for the invitation to tender stage, two had submitted tenders.  Details of the two contractors were submitted.

The evaluation process for the tenders had used a 60/40 quality/price split assessment, to ensure a blend between an assessment of the quality of the project and a competitive price.  The cost and quality elements of the tenders had been marked with Company A achieving a score of 99% and Company B 87%.  On this basis it was therefore recommended that Company A should be appointed as the contractor for the construction of the Leisure Centre.

Members of the Finance and Assets and Leisure and Culture Policy Development Advisory Groups had been consulted and no adverse comments had been received.

            RESOLVED

(i)         That the tender received from Company A be approved and that they be formally appointed as the Council’s contractor for the construction of the Broadbridge Heath Leisure Centre.

(ii)        That the Director of Community Services be authorised to enter into the contract for the appointment of Company A.

(iii)       That the Director of Community Services be authorised to agree the final contract sum.

REASON

To appoint a contractor to undertake the construction of the Leisure Centre.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Housing and Public Protection on the review and update of the Contaminated Land Strategy

            RESOLVED

            That the new Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy be approved as set out in the report.

            REASONS

(i)         All local authorities are under a statutory duty to review their contaminated land inspection strategies.

(ii)        The outcome of the consultation did not result in any objections to the proposed new inspection strategy.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Public Protection reported that, in accordance with Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Council was required to produce a written inspection strategy to identify areas of contaminated land within the district.

The Council’s original contaminated land inspection strategy had been agreed in September 2001 and was reviewed and amended in 2007.  A further review and statutory consultation had recently been undertaken and a new contaminated land strategy was now recommended for approval and publication.

The Housing and Public Protection Policy Development Advisory Group supported the proposal

            RESOLVED

            That the new Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy be approved as set out in the report.

            REASONS

(i)         All local authorities are under a statutory duty to review their contaminated land inspection strategies.

(ii)        The outcome of the consultation did not result in any objections to the proposed new inspection strategy.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture on the adoption of the Sport and Physical Activity Strategy

            RESOVED

            That the Sport and Physical Activity Strategy be approved as set out in the report.

            REASON

            The Horsham District Planning Framework plans for the delivery of 16,000 new homes between 2011 and 2031 and, although pressure on public finance is unlikely to abate during this period, the framework brings opportunities to secure and deliver new sports infrastructure. Given these factors, it is important that the Council has a clear vision of its sport and physical activity priorities and how these can be achieved.

The Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture reported that a Horsham District Council Strategy for Sport and Physical Activity had been produced which framed the Council’s priorities for Sport and Physical Activity for the period up to 2031 within five work strands, with a simple overall aim which was ‘To increase participation in sport and physical activity and improve the health and wellbeing of people living, working or visiting the Horsham District’.

The strategy highlighted current priorities, actions and measures through which the successful delivery of the strategy could be measured and identified additional work being undertaken to refine future requirements for pitches and facilities.

The Leisure and Culture Policy Development Advisory Group supported the proposal.

            RESOVED

            That the Sport and Physical Activity Strategy be approved as set out in the report.

            REASON

            The Horsham District Planning Framework plans for the delivery of 16,000 new homes between 2011 and 2031 and, although pressure on public finance is unlikely to abate during this period, the framework brings opportunities to secure and deliver new sports infrastructure. Given these factors, it is important that the Council has a clear vision of its sport and physical activity priorities and how these can be achieved.

Report of the Cabinet Member for Local Economy on the Horsham District Economic Development Strategy

            RESOLVED

            That the Horsham District Economic Strategy be approved.

            REASON

            Approval of the Economic Strategy ensures that the priorities and actions are endorsed by the Council as a whole. It will be a visible document that demonstrates to businesses and residents, the commitment to securing economic growth for the District.

The Cabinet Member for Local Economy reported that Local Authorities needed to set out a clear economic vision and strategy for their area which positively and proactively encouraged sustainable economic growth.  Therefore, in December 2015, work had commenced on producing an Economic Strategy for the District.  The proposed new strategy set the key economic priorities for the District and identified the resources needed to deliver economic growth.

The five priority areas for the Economic Strategy were summarised as: inward investment; enterprise; skills and employment; infrastructure; and promoting the District offer.  The key economic challenges facing the District were also summarised. 

The strategy would set the context for the work of the Economic Development Team and would seek to deliver the economic growth the District needed.

The Local Economy Policy Development Advisory Group supported the proposal.

Members discussed a number of issues including the need for local planning policies that supported economic growth and development; the importance of good transport infrastructure including individual company travel plans; the need for fit for purpose business accommodation at all levels of operation; and the value of an attractive environment and adequate technology infrastructure in attracting and retaining businesses.

            RESOLVED

            That the Horsham District Economic Strategy be approved.

            REASON

            Approval of the Economic Strategy ensures that the priorities and actions are endorsed by the Council as a whole. It will be a visible document that demonstrates to businesses and residents, the commitment to securing economic growth for the District.

Report of the Monitoring Officer on the creation of a Property Investment Advisory Sub-Committee of the Cabinet

The Monitoring Officer reported that decisions about the acquisition of property investments were likely to be for financial amounts that exceeded the Council’s key decision threshold of £250,000.  Under the revised Constitution and Governance regulations agreed by Council such decisions were required to be made by the Cabinet collectively meeting in public.

Section 102 (4) of the Local Government Act provided for the Cabinet to appoint a Sub-Committee to advise it on any matter relating to the discharge of its functions.  In order to provide greater understanding and more certainty about property decisions, the Cabinet needed to receive advice from a wider group of members before making a key decision on property investment.  It was therefore recommended that a Cabinet Property Investment Advisory Sub-Committee should be formed for this task.

The Leader advised Cabinet of his nominations for the membership of the sub-committee in addition to the positions reserved to the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, the Leader of the Council, the Deputy Leader and the Leader of the Opposition.

            RESOLVED

(i)         That a Property Investment Cabinet Advisory Sub-Committee of six Members of the council be created in accordance with the report.

(ii)        That the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets, the Leader of the Council, the Deputy Leader, the Leader of the Opposition and Councillors Nigel Jupp and Brian O’Connell be appointed to the membership of the Advisory Sub-Committee.

(iii)       That the terms of reference for the Sub-Committee be agreed as set out in the report.

REASON

To discharge the purposes of the Constitution of the Council, by enabling decisions to be taken efficiently and effectively, and ensure that those responsible for decision making are clearly identifiable to local people.

To consider any matters referred to Cabinet by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee – there are currently no matters for consideration

There were no matters for consideration.

To note the Forward Plan

The Forward Plan was noted.

There were no matters of special urgency to be considered.