Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Park Suite, Parkside, Chart Way, Horsham

Contact: Email: committeeservices@horsham.gov.uk  Direct Line: 01403 215465

Items
No. Item

EX/16

Minutes pdf icon PDF 215 KB

To approve as correct the minutes of the meeting held on 10 June 2021

(Note: If any Member wishes to propose an amendment to the minutes they should submit this in writing to committeeservices@horsham.gov.uk at least 24 hours before the meeting.  Where applicable, the audio recording of the meeting will be checked to ensure the accuracy of the proposed amendment.)

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 10 June were approved as a correct record and signed by the Leader.

EX/17

Declarations of Members' Interests

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Cabinet

Minutes:

Councillor Claire Vickers declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 6 (Gatwick Airport Development Consent Order) because she was a member of GatCom’s Passenger Advisory Group Sub-Committee.

EX/18

Announcements

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

Minutes:

Councillor Chris Brown, Cabinet Member for the Local Economy, made the following announcements:

 

·         The Horsham Y-Wish Employment Youth Hub was now fully open as a drop-in centre giving support to 18 to 24 year olds in their search for employment.  He congratulated staff on their work in putting this resource together, and looked forward to its formal opening this Friday.

 

·         An on-line resource of high quality pre-recorded training sessions had been developed with consultants Digital Islands to help small and medium sized enterprises.  The Cabinet Member encouraged local businesses and entrepreneurs to visit this on-line training and support programme.

 

·         A series of short films and podcasts celebrating different areas of the district to encourage tourism and support local businesses had been produced.  The project was called ‘Visit’ and included films on Billingshurst, Henfield, Horsham, Pulborough, Steyning, Storrington and Sullington.

 

Councillor Claire Vickers, Cabinet Member for Community & Wellbeing, announced she had attended Collyer’s School for the relaunch of the Mobile Community Hub (previously called the Snack Wagon).  It will be seen in Horsham Park and across the district.  She commended the student who had won the competition to create an imaginative design to decorate the vehicle.

EX/19

Public Questions

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

Minutes:

No questions had been received.

EX/20

Gatwick Airport Development Consent Order pdf icon PDF 333 KB

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Planning & Development

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

To delegate authority to the Director of Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development and the Cabinet Member for the Local Economy, to respond to procedural consultations and engagement as part of the Development Consent Order application process.

 

REASON

 

Without delegated authority, it is unlikely that the Council will be able to effectively engage with the DCO process.  If responses are not submitted in accordance with the statutory timescales they cannot be taken into account.  Without the requested delegation in place, this could result in a recommendation made to the Secretary of State regarding the future of Gatwick Airport, which does not fully take account of impacts upon Horsham District.

Minutes:

Councillor Lynn Lambert, Cabinet Member for Planning & Development, summarised Gatwick Airport’s proposal to expand by bringing their standby runway into routine use.  Due to the scale of the proposal, it was classified as a ‘Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project’ and would be determined through a Development Consent Order with the final decision made by the Secretary of State. 

 

The report set out the timescales for the determination of the Development Consent Order.  The Cabinet Member advised that in order to allow the Council to respond to the consultation process in a timely manner it would be necessary to delegate the authority to respond to procedural consultations, rather than go through the cycle of Cabinet or Council meetings.  The Cabinet Member emphasised that she would seek the views of Local Members during the process, and residents would also be able to put their views both through the Council or directly to the Planning Inspectorate.

 

The Leader agreed that they would be grateful for Councillor Liz Kitchen’s input during this process, given her experience and engagement as the Council’s representative on GatCom.

 

RESOLVED

 

To delegate authority to the Director of Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development and the Cabinet Member for the Local Economy, to respond to procedural consultations and engagement as part of the Development Consent Order application process.

 

REASON

 

Without delegated authority it is unlikely that the Council will be able to effectively engage with the DCO process.  If responses are not submitted in accordance with the statutorytimescales they cannot be taken into account.  Without the requested delegation in place, this could result in a recommendation made to the Secretary of State regarding the future of Gatwick Airport which does not fully take account of impacts upon Horsham District.

EX/21

Sustainable Procurement Charter pdf icon PDF 178 KB

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste, Recycling & Cleansing

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

i)          To approve the Sustainable Procurement Charter for implementation (as set out in the appendix to the report), with a formal review after 12 months to take account of feedback from businesses.

 

ii)         To delegate authority to the Director of Corporate Resources to finalise the Charter and make arrangements for the future monitoring and reporting mechanisms and to make minor amendments to the Sustainable Procurement Charter when required due to changes in policy or legislation. The latter will be in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets.

 

iii)        To note the process for obtaining carbon data from suppliers delivering high value contracts flows from one of the commitments in the Charter.

 

REASON

 

A Sustainable Procurement Charter ensures all of the Council’s priorities relating to its environmental and socio-economic ambitions, along with compliance with procurement best practice and legislation are stated in one document, with a proportionate and transparent approach to the commitments required of suppliers.

Minutes:

Councillor Philip Circus, Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste, Recycling & Cleansing, introduced the Sustainable Procurement Charter, which would support the Council’s journey towards becoming a carbon neutral organisation for its indirect emissions. The Charter would commit businesses, as part of the procurement process, to demonstrating practical action to reduce emissions. 

 

He advised of the importance of achieving a balance so that the Charter would not be unduly onerous for businesses.  There is therefore an exemption for contracts for goods up to £50k and for works up to £100k, where the Charter could be adhered to but not as a formal obligation. 

 

The Charter would be reviewed in 12 months to ensure its effectiveness in supporting the Council’s environmental objectives, and that the Charter is not causing any undue problems for businesses.  

 

The original draft had a requirement for companies to use their ‘best efforts’; this had been changed to ‘reasonable efforts’, as was common practice in commercial practice.  It was noted that the reference to ‘best efforts’ in the executive summary of the report should have read ‘reasonable efforts’. 

 

RESOLVED

 

i)          To approve the Sustainable Procurement Charter for implementation (as set out in the appendix to the report), with a formal review after 12 months to take account of feedback from businesses.

 

ii)         To delegate authority to the Director of Corporate Resources to finalise the Charter and make arrangements for the future monitoring and reporting mechanisms and to make minor amendments to the Sustainable Procurement Charter when required due to changes in policy or legislation. The latter will be in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Assets.

 

iii)        To note the process for obtaining carbon data from suppliers delivering high value contracts flows from one of the commitments in the Charter.

 

REASON

 

A Sustainable Procurement Charter ensures all of the Council’s priorities relating to its environmental and socio-economic ambitions, along with compliance with procurement best practice and legislation are stated in one document, with a proportionate and transparent approach to the commitments required of suppliers.

EX/22

Electric Vehicle Charge Point Contract pdf icon PDF 285 KB

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste, Recycling & Cleansing

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

i)          To delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for the Local Economy to award and enter into the contract to secure a supplier to purchase, install, maintain, and operate a network of Electric Vehicle Charge Points to the preferred supplier.

 

ii)         To delegate authority to the Director of Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Local Economy, to grant any leases required under the contract terms (and serve any notices required to exclude the security of tenure provisions in respect of such leases).

 

REASON

 

A fully compliant above threshold tender process is underway, and a preferred supplier should be identified in August. However, the next Cabinet meeting is not scheduled until 23 September 2021.  Therefore, delegated approval is sought to ensure there is no delay in starting the project.

Minutes:

Councillor Chris Brown, Cabinet Member for the Local Economy, reminded Members that Cabinet had approved an Electric Vehicle charge Point Strategy in March 2020.  The strategy focussed on providing charge points for residents without access to off-street parking, and supported the installation of charge points on Council owned land.  The Council had collaborated with the County Council and most of the councils within West Sussex to procure a supplier to purchase, install, maintain and operate the network at no net cost to the councils.  

 

The previous procurement process had been abandoned for the reasons set out in the report.  A second procurement process was now underway with the hope that a preferred supplier would be identified in September. 

 

All the councils involved wished to avoid any further delay and the Cabinet Member sought delegated authority to award and enter into a contract to allow the project to start as soon as possible.

 

RESOLVED

 

i)          To delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for the Local Economy to award and enter into the contract to secure a supplier to purchase, install, maintain, and operate a network of Electric Vehicle Charge Points to the preferred supplier.

 

ii)         To delegate authority to the Director of Place in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Local Economy to grant any leases required under the contract terms (and serve any notices required to exclude the security of tenure provisions in respect of such leases).

 

REASON

 

A fully compliant above threshold tender process is underway, and a preferred supplier should be identified in August. However, the next Cabinet meeting is not scheduled until 23 September 2021.  Therefore, delegated approval is sought to ensure there is no delay in starting the project.

EX/23

Museum Opening Hours pdf icon PDF 245 KB

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Leisure & Culture

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

To delegate authority for the decision on altering opening hours at Horsham Museum to the Director of Community Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture.

 

REASON

 

The ability to have a flexible approach to opening hours will enable the service to focus its resources effectively to serve the needs of its customers, volunteers and other stakeholders.

Minutes:

Before presenting the report, Councillor Roger Noel, Cabinet Member for Leisure & Culture, announced that Jeremy Knight, Horsham Museum’s curator for 32 years, would be retiring in September.  

 

The museum had been closed during the pandemic and was currently undergoing a significant refurbishment of its displays, under the guidance of Jeremy and with the help of volunteers, and was due to re-open by the autumn of 2021.

 

For safety and operational reasons, initial opening would be 10am – 4.00pm Tuesday to Saturday, with the expectation of extending this in due course.  The Cabinet Member outlined the reasons for the proposed flexible approach to opening hours, which would maximise the potential of the museum, having regard to visitor patterns and the needs and availability of the indispensable volunteers.

 

The Cabinet Member stated that delegating authority to make changes to opening times would ensure any alterations could be made when needed.  He would keep the Leisure & Culture Policy Development Advisory Group informed and consult more widely on any major changes in opening times policy.

 

A number of Councillors expressed their admiration for Jeremy Knight’s outstanding knowledge and his contribution over the years. The Leader wished him well for his retirement, and it was hoped that he might agree to remain involved with the museum to some degree.

 

RESOLVED

 

To delegate authority for the decision on altering opening hours at Horsham Museum to the Director of Community Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture.

 

REASON

 

The ability to have a flexible approach to opening hours will enable the service to focus its resources effectively to serve the needs of its customers, volunteers and other stakeholders.  

EX/24

Overview & Scrutiny Committee

To consider any matters referred to Cabinet by the Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Minutes:

There were no matters currently outstanding for consideration.

EX/25

Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 180 KB

To note the Forward Plan

Minutes:

The Forward Plan was noted.

EX/26

To consider matters of special urgency

EX/26a

Collection of Business Waste from West Sussex schools pdf icon PDF 154 KB

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste, Recycling & Cleansing 

 

This item was not published on the Forward Plan with 28 days' notice because the tender bid needs to be submitted within a short timescale.  It is therefore submitted under the Special Urgency rules set out at 4g.22 of the Constitution

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

To approve the decision to bid for the collection of school’s waste contract.

 

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

 

That, if successful in the bid, a capital budget of £110k be approved in 2021/22 for the purchase of the bins needed to service the contract.

 

REASON

 

i)        Winning the bid will help grow the business and fill in the gaps on existing rounds, helping to make the service more efficient.

 

ii)       A capital budget is required before the procurement and expenditure on bins can be made. This needs to be done as soon as possible following the award of the tender contract. Revenue budgets will be requested in due course once areas and numbers are defined from any successful award.

Minutes:

Councillor Philip Circus, Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste, Recycling & Cleansing, explained that this had not been on the Forward Plan for 28 days because West Sussex County Council had only recently invited the Council to bid for this contract. 

 

He stated that the Council already ran a successful trade waste collection service and, should the contract be awarded, it would allow the Council to grow this service and increase the authority’s income. If successful in the bid, a capital budget would be required.

 

RESOLVED

 

i)        To approve the decision to bid for the collection of school’s waste contract.

 

RECOMMEND TO COUNCIL

 

ii)         That, if successful in the bid, a capital budget of £110k be approved in 2021/22 for the purchase of the bins needed to service the contract.

 

REASON

 

i)        Winning the bid will help grow the business and fill in the gaps on existing rounds, helping to make the service more efficient. 

 

ii)       A capital budget is required before the procurement and expenditure on bins can be made. This needs to be done as soon as possible following the award of the tender contract.  Revenue budgets will be requested in due course once areas and numbers are defined from any successful award.