Agenda item

The Cabinet is requested to consider the following recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee as set out below.

Recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

1)    That if Chichester District Council officers wish to run a future temporary ice rink, Priory Park or any other site would be offered at an open-tender commercial rent. 

2)    That no decision will be made on the repeat of an ice rink until the new Council, after 2 June 2019.

RESOLVED BY THE CABINET

That the Cabinet considered the recommendations received by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and agreed the responses provided by the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Services at the meeting as set out below.

Recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

That if Chichester District Council officers wish to run a future temporary ice rink, Priory Park or any other site would be offered at an open-tender commercial rent.

Response:

If a decision is made for the ice rink to return to council land, the tender process undertaken for 2018 will be reviewed. If following this review further tenders are required a report will be brought back to the Cabinet.

Recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

That no decision will be made on the repeat of an ice rink until the new Council after 2 June 2019.

Response:

The decision for hire of land is under delegated authority to officers and all statutory functions must continue in accordance with statutory guidance and timescales.

Mr Dignum invited Mrs Apel to the table to introduce the recommendations made by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 12 March 2019.

Mrs Apel read out the following recommendations:

·       That if Chichester District Council officers wish to run a future temporary ice rink, Priory Park or any other site would be offered at an open-tender commercial rent.

·       That no decision will be made on the repeat of an ice rink until the new Council after 2 June 2019.

Mrs Apel then suggested that the recommendation should read May 2019.

Mrs Lintill provided the following responses:

·       If a decision is made for the ice rink to return to council land, the tender process undertaken for 2018 will be reviewed. If following this review further tenders are required a report will be brought back to the Cabinet.

·       The decision for hire of land is under delegated authority to officers and all statutory functions must continue in accordance with statutory guidance and timescales.

Following requests for clarification from Mrs Apel, Mrs Shepherd explained that the council would be required to follow due process to carry out statutory functions if a planning application or licensing application were received prior to the District Elections.

Mr Dignum explained that officers are working on an Events Policy which will provide members with the opportunity to consider the governance arrangements for future events of this kind.

Mr Dignum then invited Mr Plowman to the table.

Mr Plowman read the following statement:

On behalf of the nearby residents and users of Priory Park I would like to ask Cabinet to carefully consider the recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and urge a cautious and considered approach to where the venue of the ice rink is in the future.

Mr Dignum reassured Mr Plowman that the Cabinet had considered the recommendations.  He confirmed that the governance arrangements would be reviewed after the District Elections.  He suggested Mr Plowman put forward any alternative venues to officers for consideration.

Mr Dignum then invited Mr Oakley to the table.

Mr Oakley requested clarification as to whether only a planning or licensing applicant would be classed as an operator or whether a separate tendering process would also take place separate from any applicants for particular permissions.  Mrs Shepherd confirmed that both planning and licensing applications require their own separate statutory processes.  Seeking agreement to hire the council’s land would be a separate process.

Decision

The Cabinet then voted unanimously to make the resolutions below.

RESOLVED BY THE CABINET

That the Cabinet considered the recommendations received by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and agreed the responses provided by the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Services at the meeting as set out below.

Recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

That if Chichester District Council officers wish to run a future temporary ice rink, Priory Park or any other site would be offered at an open-tender commercial rent.

Response:

If a decision is made for the ice rink to return to council land, the tender process undertaken for 2018 will be reviewed. If following this review further tenders are required a report will be brought back to the Cabinet.

Recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

That no decision will be made on the repeat of an ice rink until the new Council after 2 June 2019.

Response:

The decision for hire of land is under delegated authority to officers and all statutory functions must continue in accordance with statutory guidance and timescales.