[Note In accordance with standing order 14.11 of Chichester District Council’s Constitution, this item is allocated a maximum duration of 40 minutes]
Minutes:
The questions to the executive asked by members and the responses given were as follows:
Question: Report to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on the Chichester ice rink
Mrs C Apel (Chichester West) requested, in her capacity as the chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC), for a report to be submitted to the OSC as soon as possible on the subject and issues of the temporary ice rink in Priory Park Chichester following the final day of its operation on 6 January 2019.
Response
Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) said he would defer to officers for a response but he agreed that the matter should be brought to the OSC for consideration.
Question: Recent visit by the Leader of the Council to Midhurst Society public meeting
Mr F Hobbs (Easebourne) thanked Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) and his wife Mrs P Dignum (Chichester South) for their attendance by the invitation of the Midhurst Society to a public meeting in Midhurst. He asked for Mr Dignum’s appraisal of the value of the evening and whether he would attend a similar event in the future. He also referred to the emerging Midhurst Vision and said that he felt that once it was completed it would be valuable for relevant members and officers to meet with the community to discuss how to implement the project.
Response
Mr A Dignum said that it had been a very worthwhile occasion for the airing and addressing of issues of concern to local residents. On the subject of the disposal of the land at the Grange for example, whereas inevitably some people felt unable to alter their strongly-held opinions, other people were willing to engage in discussion about the issues.
Mrs P Dignum added that she was aware that the Midhurst Society believed it had been a worthwhile event with people feeling that their voice had been heard and their point of view taken into account even if not all their hopes, views and wishes could be realised. Local people had appreciated that CDC had chosen to engage with their community. She hoped that this event would help the town to move forward towards cohesion.
Question: Need for recreational opportunities for young people in Midhurst
Caroline Neville (Stedham) described how, after the aforementioned Midhurst Society meeting which she had attended, she was approached by several people who canvassed with her the lack of opportunities for the youth in the town and a feeling that they had nowhere to go. She had previously raised this matter with a request for a venue to be provided in the town for the local youth to be able to meet after school free from disapproving scrutiny of older people who did not understand them or their need for social interaction with their peers. The town’s youth club was only open during term time from 18:00 to 20:00 on Tuesdays for 11 to 13 year olds. Buses stopped running too early in the evening. Older young people had nowhere suitable for their generation to congregate. There was a drug problem. She wondered if there might be a suitable room at The Grange which could be made available. It was very important to engage with young people and encourage them to stay in their communities.
Response
Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) said that the youth and bus services were within the remit of West Sussex County Council (WSCC) and cuts were of course being made across the county to a range of services. He suggested that Caroline Neville direct these concerns to WSCC. As he had said at the aforementioned Midhurst Society event, he could see no reason why she could not approach The Grange with her proposal.
Mr S Morley (Midhurst) said that he would give Caroline Neville details about the town’s youth club.
Mr G McAra (Midhurst), while asking a question later during this item, remarked that he repudiated Caroline Neville’s assessment of youth provision in the town.
Question: Withdrawal of the proposed care home at The Grange in Midhurst in favour of an alternative use for the site
Mr S Morley (Midhurst) referred to Midhurst Town Council’s recent confirmation in its emerging Vision document that the town’s top priority was a supermarket. The proposed care home on part of The Grange site would not help to promote the town’s social and economic vitality. Midhurst needed more time to achieve the best possible outcome for the town on this site. He suggested that The Grange site should be withdrawn from the market until improved economic times or consideration be given to a mixed use.
Response
Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) said that the site would not be withdrawn. The planning application would be determined by the South Downs National Park Authority and if refused CDC would then re-examine options for the site. It was essential to dispose of the site in order for CDC to defray the costs of redevelopment for The Grange.
Question: Need for an expansion of the facilities at Chichester Crematorium
Mr R Plowman (Chichester East) referred to Chichester Crematorium’s single chapel and the frequent need for mourners to queue before and during services. He wondered what could be done to improve the infrastructure so that adequate cremation facilities could be provided within the city.
Response
Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) noted the point. He was unsure if this was covered by CDC’s adopted Local Plan or the emerging review thereof but pointed out the general supply shortage of crematorium and graveyard sites.
Question: State of readiness for a second referendum on Brexit
Mr S Lloyd-Williams (Chichester North) enquired whether CDC would organise and be ready for a second referendum on Brexit.
Response
Mrs D Shepherd (Chief Executive) said that an assessment had been undertaken of the various risks posed to CDC by a no-deal Brexit and this included the calling of a second referendum. CDC was not unused to being ready with its experienced and well-trained staff to do all that was required to organise and oversee sudden elections, as happened for example with the 2017 general election.
Question: Prospect of a Velo South event in 2019
Mr S Oakley (Tangmere) enquired whether CDC was aware of any proposal to hold a Velo South event in 2019 in the aftermath of last autumn’s abortive outcome and what notice it would receive if this was to be pursued.
Response
Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) said that he was wholly unaware of any proposal to attempt to organise Velo South in 2019. It was a matter principally for West Sussex County Council as the highways authority and Sussex Police. If there were to be a repeat attempt to hold the event, CDC’s logo would only feature in the publicity if the Council had first given its approval.
Mrs D Shepherd (Chief Executive) added that there was no statutory obligation for CDC to be consulted on such a proposal and the lead authorities were those just mentioned by Mr Dignum. CDC had only a non-statutory safety role in such events.
Question: Need for an urgent solution to the A27 Chichester Bypass problem
Mr C Page (North Mundham) referred to a recent meeting which he (in common with CDC and West Sussex County Council (WSCC) members and Gillian Keegan MP) had attended in West Wittering. The issue of the unresolved problem of A27 Chichester Bypass had dominated the start of the meeting with great emphasis placed on being proactive to find an urgent solution rather than wait on Highways England. He hoped that progress could be achieved at an A27 update meeting at County Hall on 25 January 2019 between the two leaders and senior officers of CDC (including its Chief Executive) and WSCC and the Chichester MP.
Response
Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) said that CDC’s press release on 20 December 2018, issued after Highways England’s decision to reject the new A27 Chichester Bypass options put forward by the Build a Better A27 group, (a) expressed CDC’s extreme disappointment and its determination to continue to campaign for a better A27 and (b) referred to the forthcoming meeting mentioned by Mr Page, at which the local MP would be asked to help identify a way forward.
Question: Reorganisation of local government in West Sussex
Mr G McAra (Midhurst) enquired about the prospects of local government reorganisation within West Sussex to achieve unitary status in place of the current three-tier hierarchy.
Response
Mr A Dignum (Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth and Place) did not consider that there was any appetite for such a change within the county.
Question: Performance of the opera Push at Westminster
Mr A Moss (Fishbourne) drew attention to the opera Push, which having been performed at Chichester Cathedral and St Paul’s Church in Chichester would be performed at the Speaker’s House in Westminster on 28 January 2019 to mark international Holocaust Memorial Day and remember those who died in concentration camps.The production with Chichester performers retold the true story of Simon Gronowski’s escape from Nazi terror. His colleague Mrs C Apel (Chichester West) was a member of the local organising committee and the opera had been supported and seen by many, including Gillian Keegan, the MP for Chichester and Martyn Bell, the Mayor of Chichester He praised the production and said that its performance in London was a wonderful coup for Chichester.
Response
The Council as a whole noted the very positive commendation given by Mr Moss.
[Note End of Questions to the Executive]