Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber

Contact: Email: committees@midsussex.gov.uk 

Items
No. Item

1.

To receive Declarations of Interest from Members in respect of any matter on the Agenda.

Minutes:

Councillor Hillier declared a personal interest with respect to Item 7 - Procurement for Burgess Hill Place and Connectivity Programme as he is a Member of West Sussex County Council who is a delivery partner.

2.

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

None as all Members were present.

 

3.

To confirm Minutes of the meeting held on 3 June 2019. pdf icon PDF 67 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman noted a minor typographical error on P.5, Paragraph 4 which should say ‘scene’ rather than ‘scheme’. He added that Councillor Clarke was also in attendance at the meeting but was not listed. Once the amendments to the Minutes were made, the minutes of the meeting held on 3 June 2019 were agreed.

4.

To consider any items that the Leader agrees to take as urgent business.

Minutes:

None.

5.

Budget Management 2019/20 – Progress Report April to May 2019 pdf icon PDF 90 KB

Minutes:

Peter Stuart, Head of Corporate Resources, introduced the report which reviewed progress on the Revenue Budget, Capital Programme and Treasury Management for 2019/20 and presented a forecast revenue outturn position at the end of May of a projected net underspend of £347,000 against the original estimate. He added that this early in the year, there is an expectation that much will change in the financial year however currently the Council is in a good position to react to any change.

 

The Deputy Leader reiterated the comments made by the Head of Corporate Resources and expressed that it is the right position for the early part of the year.

 

The Cabinet Member for Customer Services drew attention to Paragraph 13, P.10 in which it outlines that the Garden Waste income is slightly below target with a further 400 customers required to reach the target. She speculated whether the service needs to be promoted more through the Council’s social media platforms and communication team.

 

Judy Holmes, Assistant Chief Executive, explained that the Council regularly promotes the scheme and has a campaign that supports its promotion. She expressed her confidence that the target will be met.

 

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Service Delivery sought clarification about the extra cost pressures on the Outdoor Facilities Grounds maintenance outlined in Appendix A, specifically whether the costs arise from salaries of staff or the management of more parks and playgrounds. He also asked for confirmation about the programme for ensuring the safety of the Council’s playgrounds.

 

The Head of Corporate Resources explained that he did not have the figures however was happy to respond to the Cabinet Member with the exact figures.

 

The Assistant Chief Executive highlighted the Council’s rigorous inspection scheme to ensure the safety of all of the playgrounds in Mid Sussex.

 

The Leader commended the stability of the Council which enabled to make the investments contained in the report. He then took the Cabinet to recommendations which were agreed unanimously.

 

            RESOLVED

           

Cabinet noted the report, and recommended to Council;

 

                      i.        that £17,484 grant income relating to Local Authority EU Exit preparation Grant be transferred to Specific Reserve as detailed in paragraph 22;

 

                     ii.        that £9,916 grant income relating to Cold Weather Fund Payment Grant be transferred to Specific Reserve as detailed in paragraph 23;

 

                    iii.        that £5,893 grant income relating to Local Authority Data Sharing Programme Grant be transferred to Specific Reserve as detailed in paragraph 24;

 

                   iv.        that £28,200 grant income relating to New Burdens Universal credits be transferred to Specific Reserve as detailed in paragraph 25;

 

                    v.        that £24,857 grant income relating to Implementing Welfare Reform Grant be transferred to Specific Reserve as detailed in paragraph 26;

 

                   vi.        that £756 grant income relating to New Burdens Single Fraud Investigation Service Grant be transferred to Specific Reserve as detailed in paragraph 27;

 

                  vii.        that £31,658 grant income relating to New Burdens Verify Earnings & Pensions Grant be transferred to Specific Reserve as detailed in paragraph 28;

 

                 viii.        the variations to the Capital  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Performance Outturn 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 188 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Peter Stuart, Head of Corporate Resources, introduced the report which set out the Council’s outturn performance for the year 2018/19, analysed using a suite of previously agreed performance indicators. He outlined that performance has overall been positive with 80% of indicators meeting or exceeding their target compared to the previous years’ which only achieved 65%. He set out the indicators which were slightly off target and the resolutions to improve them, naming Customer Services response and staff sickness rates as just a few which have improved. Members’ attention was also draw to the new performance indicators for sustainability and economic development.

 

The Leader stated that it is a positive outlook which demonstrated a strong level of performance across the services areas and gives the Council more financial strength than in previous years. He added that this good performance hasn’t happened by accident, with changes and investments in services tailored to improving the quality of the services provided.

 

The Deputy Leader expressed that performance has been good. She believed that the target and performance indicators are challenging, of a high quality and relevant and are kept relevant through the scrutiny process. The new indicators allow the Council to continue to monitor performance.

 

The Cabinet Member for Community acknowledged the efforts of Sussex Police which made Mid Sussex the safest place to live in West Sussex. He appreciated that anti-social behaviour is still present in Mid Sussex however efforts by the Council are starting to come to fruition. He also drew attention to the Mid Sussex Wellbeing service which has helped 313 clients lose weight, be more active, drink less and smoke less. 

 

The Cabinet Member for Economic Growth commended the report. He sought clarification on whether the 6.3% return on the Council’s tenanted non-residential property portfolio was a good target for a return. He also questioned whether the drop in attendance levels to the Council’s leisure centres could be attributed to the improvement works carried out at the leisure centres.

 

The Head of Corporate Resources explained that the Council does not have a target for the rate of return on the Council’s property portfolios because the return will vary from day to day, so it would be hard to quantify due to the fluctuations.

 

The Cabinet Member for Economic Growth requested to have information on whether the fluctuations are positive or negative.

 

The Assistant Chief Executive expressed her satisfaction with the attendance figures. She did note that the figures are subject to fluctuations depending on a variety of factors such as improvement works.

 

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning reminded the Cabinet of the ongoing challenges of homelessness and drew attention to the increase in households who are homeless to 51, up from 37 last year. He also drew attention to the Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme which was targeted to reach 75 people, however helped 102 households and highlighted the need for the scheme in the District. He expressed that despite working hard to prevent homelessness, this was becoming increasingly  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Procurement for Burgess Hill Place and Connectivity Programme. pdf icon PDF 79 KB

Minutes:

Judy Holmes, Assistant Chief Executive, introduced the report which asked Cabinet to approve the proposed procurement approach for the civil contracting works required to deliver the projects within the Place and Connectivity Programme which are led by this Council. She explained that the aim of the programme is to secure a 15% modal shift to more sustainable forms of transport.

 

The Leader stated that the project is a good example of all tiers of local government working together. He thought it was worth reflecting on the work the Council had done to secure the funding for this programme and highlighted the significance of the projects; designed to ensure that the connectivity improvements across the town are delivered support the growth programme. He commended the Officers for the work that had been done to secure the infrastructure and ensuring value for money.

 

The Cabinet Member for Community felt honoured to be involved in the remaking of Burgess Hill. He drew attention to the electric charging points, town-wide cycle paths and new cycle routes in the District which now links into the South Downs Cycle Network. He outlined that the foresight of this Council brought the programme to fruition.

 

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning stated that it has taken a lot of work with the landowners to bring the projects forward and indeed a lot of work to achieve cycle ways.

 

The Cabinet Member for Economic Growth welcomed the investment from Central Government. He enquired whether the key partners are happy with the progress.

 

The Assistant Chief Executive confirmed that they are.

 

The Leader took the Cabinet to recommendations which were agreed unanimously.

 

            RESOLVED

 

Cabinet recommended to:

 

                      i.        delegate responsibility to procure civil and associated works via the Scape Procure Civil Engineering Framework, up to the value of £6.839m to the Assistant Chief Executive, in consultation with the Head of Corporate Resources; and

                     ii.        add the Mid Sussex led Place and Connectivity Programme projects detailed in Appendix 1 to the Council’s Capital Programme.

 

8.

Questions pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 10 due notice of which has been given.

Minutes:

None.