Agenda and minutes

Venue: via Remote Video Link

Contact: Email: CommitteeServices@horsham.gov.uk  Direct line: 01403 215465

Items
No. Item

SO/44

Minutes pdf icon PDF 285 KB

To approve as correct the minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 23 November and 7 December 2020

(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.)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meetings held on 23 November 2020 and 7 December 2020 were approved and would be signed by the Chairman at a later date.

SO/45

Declarations of Members' Interests

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Committee

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

SO/46

Announcements

To receive any announcements from the Chairman of the Committee or the Chief Executive

Minutes:

Following a reconstitution of the West Sussex Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee, Cabinet Members were no longer able to sit of this Committee. Following this, Councillor Youtan had to resign from the Committee and had been replaced by Councillor Noel.

SO/47

Report of the Off Street Parking Task & Finish Group pdf icon PDF 265 KB

To receive a presentation from the Head of Strategic Planning and an amended report from the Off Street Parking Task and Finish Group

Minutes:

The first report of the Off Street Parking Task & Finish Group had been considered by Council on 9 December.  This report recommended that the Council develop its own Parking Standards matrix to inform the allocation of parking provision for new development, thus allowing decisions to diverge from the criteria set by WSCC Highways Authority.  Council had resolved that the report should be taken back to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee for further consideration before being brought to a future Council meeting.

The Off Street Parking Task & Finish Group presented their amended report to the Committee.

Following a presentation by the Head of Strategic Planning the Committee agreed and debate the Committee resolved to amend several of the recommendations set out in the report.

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL

i)          Strategic Planning to develop a HDC Parking Standards SPD in consultation with the O&S Off Street Parking Task & Finish Group. The start date of this project to be decided by Strategic Planning.

ii)         A consultant should be engaged for, say, six months to assist Strategic Planning in i) above to develop the parking standards for Horsham District Council similar to the one which had been developed by Arun District Council but fine-tuned to meet Horsham’s particular requirements.

iii)        A Budget be Approved for the employment of a consultant.

iv)        That the HDC Parking Protocol for new residential builds throughout HDC, subject to evidence provided, be:

1 bed - 2 parking spaces

2 bed - 2 parking spaces

3 bed - 3 parking spaces

4 bed - 3 parking spaces

5 bed - 4 parking spaces

v)         A new parking protocol be developed for business sites, retirement homes, care homes and restaurants & takeaways:

v) 1      Business Sites – floorspace plus number of staff & visitor/delivery provision

v) 2      Retirement Homes – one parking space per unit plus space for staff, visitors & deliveries

v) 3      Care Homes – one space per member of staff plus space for visitors & deliveries

v) 4      Restaurants & Takeaways – planning permission only granted if adequate public parking available in the vicinity.

vi)        Ducting for electrical car charging be placed in all off street parking spaces of new builds.

vii)       Review the dimensions of garages and car ports. Are WSCC’s appropriate?

 

viii)       In all new builds put in a Condition prohibiting the conversion of garages or carports into rooms unless suitable garages or car ports are built in replacement on the same site.

ix)        Two cycle racks to be provided for each new unit.

x)         Developers must be made aware that they are responsible for providing appropriate off street car parking and not relying on street parking for their new builds.

REASON

To develop a Parking Standards matrix for Horsham District Council to ensure the provision of adequate off street parking for new development.

 

SO/48

Review of the Council Budget 2021/22 and Medium Term Financial Strategy

To receive details of the proposed Budget from the Director of Corporate Resources  (Cabinet report available from 20 January at:  Cabinet Agenda )

Minutes:

The Director of Corporate Resources provided a summary of the 2021/22 Budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy to 2024/25.

The Council had restructured the Council’s services in 2020/21 to reduce expenditure. The net budget requirement would be higher for 2021/22 than 2020/21 due to the impact of Covid-19. However, the Council had been able to set a balanced budget for the year due to the receipt of some additional Government funding.

The level of Council Tax for 2021/22 was proposed to be the highest permitted, without referendum, whilst remaining in the lowest quartile nationally and the lowest in West Sussex.

The Director of Corporate Resources provided an overview of the Medium Term Financial Strategy. It was projected that the Council would have budget deficits due to the uncertainty of Government funding and the ongoing pandemic.

The Committee noted the contents of the report and requested The Head of Property & Facilities attend the next meeting to receive questions on property investment.

 

SO/49

PDAG Review Update

To receive an update on the Policy Development Advisory Group Review from the Director of Corporate Resources

Minutes:

At a meeting of Governance Committee on 14 December 2020 the decision was made to ask Overview & Scrutiny to provide their thoughts on the review before any decisions were made.

The Director of Corporate Resources presented the Committee with the findings of the Policy Development Advisory Group (PDAG) review.

The two HDC Graduates that had helped undertake the review provided the Committee with a detailed breakdown of responses from Members and Officers to the survey and interviews that had been carried out.

The key findings had been that the majority of respondents would like to see some form of change to the system and that policies and reports would benefit from being taken to PDAGs earlier.

The Graduates presented five questions to the Committee that would be answered via email at a later date.

 

SO/50

Affordable Housing

To receive a presentation from the Head of Housing & Communities on types of affordable housing available in Horsham District

Minutes:

The Head of Housing & Community Services presented an overview on Affordable Housing and the types of tenure available within Horsham District.

The Committee noted the contents of the presentation.

 

SO/51

Work Programme - Sustainable Travel Task & Finish Group pdf icon PDF 347 KB

To discuss the formation of the proposed Task & Finish Group in the light of the adoption of the Horsham Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP)

Minutes:

Following the adoption of the Horsham Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan a suggestion was put forward by Councillor Croker to form a Sustainable Travel Task & Finish Group.

The Committee agreed to remove the third bullet point for the proposed scope/Focus of the review on the suggestion form as it was deemed to no longer be necessary.

All Members would be contacted following the meeting to register interest in becoming a Member of the Task & Finish Group.

            RESOLVED

            That the Sustainable Travel Task & Finish Group be formed.

 

SO/52

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 19 KB

To receive and discuss the Work Programme

Minutes:

The Committee noted the content of the Work Programme.

SO/53

Cabinet Agenda - 28 January 2021

To review items on the Cabinet Agenda (the agenda available from 20 January at:  Cabinet Agenda )

Minutes:

The Committee noted the content of the Cabinet agenda.

SO/54

Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 138 KB

To note the Forward Plan

Minutes:

The Forward Plan was noted by the Committee.

SO/55

Urgent Business

Items not on the agenda which the Chairman of the meeting is of the opinion should be considered as urgent because of the special circumstances

Minutes:

There was no urgent business.