Agenda item

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

The Cabinet Member for Community Matters & Wellbeing made two announcements:

·         She gave an update on the advice given by Environmental Health & Licensing to businesses to ensure Covid-19 compliant operation.  She confirmed that there were high levels of compliance across the district, both for businesses and residents. Grants received enabled the funding of temporary Covid-19 information offers, who were deployed to give advice to residents in public spaces such as parks and the Town Centre.

·         The Cabinet Member thanked and congratulated officers for the organisation and rollout of the vaccination programme at Christ’s Hospital.  She also thanked the volunteers who had given their time to help.  The success of this vaccination rollout was a significant contribution to the national success.  The Cabinet Member for Planning & Development endorsed these comments and in particular thanked Councillor David Skipp and his wife for their work giving out vaccinations at Christ’s Hospital.

The Leader of the Council praised the Glebe Surgery in Storrington for their work in vaccinating people from different parts of the district at the beginning of the national vaccination rollout before Christ’s Hospital was set up.

The Cabinet Member for Leisure & Culture made the following announcements:

·         The leisure centres would reopen in a Covid-secure manner as soon the restrictions were lifted. The Council were working with Places Leisure to ensure costs were kept to a minimum. A second Deed of Variation was being issued to cover the changes in law brought by the second lockdown, and a further deed was anticipated for the current lockdown period.  The Council was working well within the agreed maximum support package this financial year.  The Cabinet Member was hopeful that the bid for funding from the National Leisure Recovery Fund, to be announced at the end of the month, would be successful.

·         A website and printed guide for Rookwood were being launched.  These would address misconceptions and present the Council’s vision for a new country park, extension to Warnham Nature Reserve, and a highly sustainable eco-friendly development.

·         The Wilder Horsham District project was progressing well.  Mapping the nature recovery network for the district had begun, including work on how HDC-owned land can contribute, and the Landowner Adviser was working with a number of landowners and community groups. The project was using social media effectively.  Three Nature Recovery Reward applications had been granted; these would help groups and landowners kick-start wildlife enhancing projects in the district.  He urged Members to ensure their Parish Councils were aware of these awards.  

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling & Waste announced that he was setting up an advisory group to help the Council achieve its ambitious targets for carbon reduction.  This will involve external stakeholders and experts who can contribute towards these targets. Membership and the precise terms of reference would be confirmed shortly.

The Cabinet Member for Finance & Assets thanked the teams in Horsham and Northamptonshire for their hard work in handling grants and payments to businesses and individuals resulting from the pandemic. He explained the complicated nature of the different grants available and who was eligible to apply for them.  ln the latest tranche of grants, £6.55m had been dispersed.  There had been 2,740 requests, of which so far 2,075 had been granted, 156 were under consideration, and 508 refused.