Chichester District Council
Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Virtual

Contact: Edward Baker-Moore  Email:  ebaker-moore@chichester.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

66.

Chairman's Announcements

Any apologies for absence will be noted at this point.

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence received.

67.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 238 KB

To approve the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 22 March 2022.

 

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED

 

That the minutes from the meeting held on 23 March 2022 were agreed as an accurate reflection of the meeting.

68.

Urgent Items

The Chairman will announce any urgent items that due to special circumstances are to be dealt with under the agenda item below relating to late items.

Minutes:

There were no urgent items.

69.

Declarations of Interests

Members and officers are reminded to make any declarations of disclosable pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interests they may have in respect of matters on the agenda for this meeting.

Minutes:

Cllr Sharp declared a personal interest in relation to agenda item 7 as a member of West Sussex County Council.

70.

Public Question Time

The procedurefor submittingpublic questions in writingbyno later thannoon 2 workingdays before the meetingis availablehereorfromthe Democratic Services Officer (whose contactdetailsappear on thefrontpage of thisagenda).

Minutes:

There were no public questions received.

71.

Member Questions to Sussex Police Chief Inspector Nick Bowman

Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will have the opportunity to ask questions of Sussex Police Chief Inpsector Nick Bowman.

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed Chief Inspector (CI) Nick Bowman of Sussex Police.

 

CI Bowman explained that he took over as District Commander a few months ago and his area of responsibility is for the Chichester District and Arun District as far as Littlehampton. In addition to this role, he is the lead Officer in charge of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) for the whole of Sussex and takes a lead role in the response to Domestic Abuse in West Sussex.

 

The Chairman invited Members who had to pre-submitted written questions to ask those first.

 

Cllr Barrett:

 

Over the past few years the Police Precept has increased by over 30% to go towards providing a visible police presence, PCSO's, in and around the villages.   Referring to the attached documents the Witterings were allocated 55 hours of PCSO support a week. At a Parish meeting about a year ago the assigned PCSO was asked why he was not being seen in the area. The response was that he spent most of his time dealing with household issues which kept him tied up for many hours, some through mental problems which he is not trained to deal with. So, the local residents are still awaiting to see the local PCSO patrolling on foot in the area as was the case around ten years ago. Also, there appears to be a lack of communication between the Community Warden and the assigned PCSO's. Can you please address these matters of concern?

 

Response:

 

CI Bowman acknowledged he was aware that Parish Councillors did not seem satisfied with the visibility of the PCSO responsible for the Witterings. He also acknowledged the additional pressure in the area during the summer months. CI Bowman assured that the police would endeavour to work more closely with the Community Warden and explained that as a force they are working on improving their community engagement, which should reach further than social media.

 

Cllr Bangert:

 

Although Southbourne is a low crime area, recently we have had issues with a gang of youths (under 16) riding on one e-scooter, intimidating car drivers (and putting themselves in danger) and throwing stolen eggs at cars.  I reported this to the police and met with Pam Bushby to determine the most appropriate response.  Two things came from this – firstly, the operators on the switchboard in Lewes took some time to believe that Southbourne was in West Sussex rather than Hampshire.  I have been told of a number of similar incidents happening.  Surely as a prerequisite of the job, knowledge of the area is vital.  In extreme cases this could lead to loss of life.  Secondly, people reporting crime on social media, and not to the police.  I would say that this is a serious problem in our area and no doubt in many others.

 

Response:

 

CI Bowman acknowledged that some difficulties arise as ‘999’ and ‘101’ calls are handled in Lewes, East Sussex, and staff swap desks shift by shift meaning that day to day a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

72.

Statement from the Leader of the Council - Cllr Eileen Lintill

The Committee will receive a verbal statement from the Leader of the Council, Cllr Eileen Lintill, who will update the Committee on the Future Services Framework and the Levelling Up Fund. Members will then have the opportunity to ask questions.

Minutes:

The Chairman invited the Leader, Eileen Lintill, to update the Committee on the Levelling Up Fund and the Future Services Framework.

 

Levelling Up Fund

 

Cllr Lintill briefly outlined the background to the Levelling Up Fund (LUF), explaining that it is £4.8billion fund from National Government to invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life in the UK. It is distributed through a competitive bidding process and all local authorities are assigned a priority category. Before phase 2 of the Fund was rolled out, Chichester was moved from category 3 to category 2 and therefore Full Council agreed to submit a bid. She noted the short time scale for this bid and explained that authority was given to her as Leader, the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Executive and the Director for Growth and Place. The options have been reviewed in weekly meetings before a final sign off later this week to meet the 6th July deadline, after which Members will receive an email with details of the bid.

 

Cllr Lintill also referenced the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which sits alongside the LUF. It differs to the LUF in that it is a finite amount of money; CDC has been awarded £1million spread over three years. Officers have been working on an investment plan which must be submitted. The Shared Prosperity Fund requires the Council to work with partners, from whom the Council have received a  number of bids exceeding the allotted amount of money. Once Officers have concluded assessments, Cllrs Lintill and Moss will agree what is to be included in the plan. As the LUF will benefit Chichester City only, it has been agreed that monies from the Shared Prosperity Fund will be weighted towards projects outside of the City or those which benefit the District as a whole.

 

Future Services Framework

 

Cllr Lintill explained that the Future Services Framework (FSF) is a model developed to allow CDC flexibility if faced with uncertain financial circumstances.

 

Phase One included looking for as many efficiencies as possible to reduce costs without affecting frontline services. On conclusion the total saving is likely to be lower at 75% of the original projected £2.5 million.

 

Phase 2 looked at savings options, including rent levels at Westwood House and the costs of CCTV amongst others.

 

Phase 3 aimed to prioritise Council services that are discretionary and not legally required. The priority of services was agreed at Full Council.

 

Cllr Lintill expressed that whilst CDC hope to be able to provide all services, this important preliminary work had been completed highlighting which services could be cut should it be necessary. The process also highlighted that CDC currently provide well over the statutorily required services.

 

The Chairman expressed concern for the potential impact on communities if services were cut; Cllr Lintill offered assurance that in the short term they would not and explained that the financial model is reviewed regularly by SLT and Cabinet who would always endeavour to preserve services.

 

Cllr Moss added that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

73.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2021-2022 Annual Report and 2022-2023 Work Programme pdf icon PDF 132 KB

The Committee is asked to consider the report and its appendices and make the following recommendation to Full Council:

 

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is requested to consider and agree its 2021-2022 Annual Report and the 2022-2023 Work Programme and to recommend them to the Council for noting.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman expressed her thanks to Officers for compiling the report which highlights the volume of work carried out by the Committee in the last year.

 

In a vote the recommendation was unanimously carried as follows:

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee considers its 2021-2022 Annual Report and 2022-2023 Work Programme and recommends them to Council for noting.

74.

Novium T&F Group

The Committee will receive a verbal update from Mrs Peyman.

Minutes:

The Chairman invited Cllr Roy Briscoe to give a verbal update on the Novium Task and Finish Group.

 

Cllr Briscoe provided a brief background to the creation of the Task and Finish Group, which was established to review the Novium business plan.

 

He highlighted the following work undertaken by the group:

 

-        Opening hours were reviewed to balance visitor numbers and staffing costs at weekends

-        Charged exhibitions have been introduced to generate income

-        Energy saving methods have been implemented

-        External banners have been placed in Tower Street advertising the museum and helping to guide tourists

-        Social media marketing has been successfully expanded.

 

He explained that at the latest meeting in April Members felt the outcomes had been achieved and the work within the remit of the Task and Finish Group was completed, with matters moving forward being directed through either the Economic or Housing and Communities Panels.

 

Cllr Briscoe concluded highlighting that the Novium delivers many social and economic benefits to the District and noting that visitor numbers have increased significantly from 12,000 p/a in 2012 to 51,000 in 2019/20 which likely would have exceeded 60,000 were it not for the challenges presented by COVID-19.

 

Cllr Bangert led Members in congratulating the Novium team and CDC Officers on their success.

 

The Chairman added her congratulations and thanked Cllr Briscoe for his presentation.

75.

Late Items

Consideration of any late items as follows:

 

a)    Items added to the agenda papers and made available for public inspection.

b)    Items which the Chairman has agreed should be taken as matters of urgency by reason of special circumstances reported at the meeting.

Minutes:

There were no late items.

 

 

76.

Exclusion of the Press and Public

 

There are no restricted items for consideration.

 

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