Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed Councillors, representatives of the public, press and Officers to this Special Meeting of the Council.  She extended a special welcome to Honorary Aldermen Mrs Stinchcombe and Mr Dingemans. 

The Chairman announced the sad news that former Tree Officer, Mark Everson, had recently passed away and that she wished to take a minute to remember him as he had been a true and original member of the ‘Arun family’ having started with Arun in 1974 up until his retirement in 2010. 

It was outlined that Mark had an encyclopaedic knowledge of plants and trees which was regularly tapped into by his colleagues – he also knew many of the more interesting trees in the District personally.  Mark would not only be remembered by many colleagues and Members, but also by many residents of Arun.

            The Chairman asked Members and those present to join her in sending Mark’s family and friends the Council’s condolences and she asked if they could join her in taking part in a minute’s silence.

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Chapman Northeast, Smith and from Honorary Aldermen Mrs Goad and Mrs Morrish. 

Members and Officers are invited to make any declarations of pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interests that they may have in relation to items on this agenda, and are reminded that they should re-declare their interest before consideration of the item or as soon as the interest becomes apparent.

Members and Officers should make their declaration by stating:

a)  the item they have the interest in

b)  whether it is a pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interest

c)  the nature of the interest

d) if it is a pecuniary or prejudicial interest, whether they will be exercising their right to speak under Question Time

            There were no Declarations of Interest made.

The Declaration of Interest Sheet set out below confirms those Members who had made a declaration of their personal interest as a Member of a Town or Parish Councillor or a West Sussex County Councillor, as confirmed in their Register of Interest as these declarations could apply to any of the issues to be discussed at the meeting. 

To receive questions from the public (for a period of up to 15 minutes)

The Chairman invited questions from members of the public who had submitted their questions in advance of the meeting in accordance with the rules of the Council’s Constitution. 

The Chairman confirmed that five questions had been submitted – these have been very briefly outlined below:

(1)  From Mr Cosgrove to the Leader of the Council regarding the closure by West Sussex County Council of family centres and youth provision in the District;

(2)  From Mr Cosgrove to the Leader of the Council regarding Bognor Regis regeneration;

(3)  From Mr Cosgrove to the Leader of the Council regarding Coast to Capital funding for the Place St Maur project;

(4)  From Mr Cosgrove to the Leader of the Council regarding the Bognor Regis Town Hall; and

(5)  From Mr Cosgrove to the Leader of the Council regarding the Bognor Regis Masterplan

(A schedule of the full questions asked ; the responses provided and the detail of supplementary questions and responses can be found on the Public Question Time Web page at https://www.arun.gov.uk/public-question-time).

The Chairman then drew Public Question Time to a close.

To receive questions from Members with pecuniary/prejudicial interests (for a period of up to 15 minutes)

There were no questions from Members with prejudicial/pecuniary interests.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Meetings of the Council held on 13 and 25 January 2021, which are attached.

            The Minutes of the Council Meetings held on 13 and 25 January 2021 were approved by the Council as a correct record and would be signed by the Chairman when normal office functions started again.

To receive such announcements as the Chairman may desire to lay before the Council.

            The Chairman asked the Council to join with her in sending the Council’s thoughts and prayers to the Royal Family in reaction to the news announced earlier in the day that the Duke of Edinburgh had been admitted to hospital as a precaution.

            The Chairman then provided a brief outline of a virtual event that she would be holding on 23 March 2021 which would reflect upon the last year and how the Covid-19 pandemic had so overwhelmingly affected the District.  Further details would follow soon.

To deal with business not otherwise specified in the Council summons which, in the opinion of the Chairman of the Council (in consultation with the Chief Executive), is business of such urgency as to require immediate attention by the Council.

            There were no items for this meeting.

The Council is asked to consider the Revenue and Capital Budgets for the 2021/22 financial year for both the General Fund and Housing Revenue Account. 

A report from the Group Head of Corporate Support confirming the recommendations being made to the Council is attached.  Members will also be asked to refer to the recommendations contained within the Minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 8 February 2021 with regard to the Budget for 2021/2022, which will have to be circulated separately.

The 2021/2022 Budget was considered at the meeting of the Overview Select Committee held on 26 January 2021 and these Minutes can be accessed by clicking on Overview Select Committee – 26 January 2021 - Minutes

Details of the associated statutory resolutions in agreeing the Budget, following receipt of the West Sussex County Council and the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner precepts, will be circulated just before the meeting.  

This item will be presented using the order below:

(i)         Welcome by the Chairman – Councillor Mrs Worne

(ii)        Leader of the Council’s Budget Statement – Councillor Dr Walsh will make his Budget Statement and will propose the recommendations, including the associated statutory resolutions required in agreeing the Budget, which will be circulated just prior to the meeting.

            To be moved by – Cllr Dr Walsh

(iii)        Cllr Oppler to second (may reserve his right to speak)

(iv)        Cllr Gunner to respond on behalf of the Conservative Group

(v)          Cllr Dixon to respond on behalf of the Independent Group

(vi)        Cllr Ms Thurston to respond on behalf of the Green Group

(vii)       Cllr Miss Seex to respond on behalf of the Arun Independent Group

(viii)     Open Debate

(ix)        Cllr Oppler to respond as seconder

(x)          Cllr Dr Walsh to respond as proposer

(xi)             VOTE REQUIRED

            The Leader of the Council, Councillor Dr Walsh, presented his Budget Statement, a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of the Minutes. 

            An extract from the Minutes from the meeting of Cabinet [Minute 465] held on 8 February 2021; an amendment to those recommendations, and Appendix 4 setting out the statutory resolutions that the Council was also required to consider, had been uploaded to the Council’s website prior to the meeting and had been emailed to all Councillors.  

            In proposing the recommendations at Minute 465 from the Cabinet meeting held on 8 February 2021, Councillor Dr Walsh confirmed that he needed to propose an amendment to include the additional statutory recommendations listed in the Group Head of Corporate Support’s report as set out on pages 31 and 32 of the agenda. 

            The amendment added further recommendations (8), (9) and (10) which had also been circulated as part of the second bundle of papers.  The additional wording has been set out below in bold:

            The Council is recommended to RESOLVE - that

                                (1)        The General Fund Revenue Budget as set out in Appendix 1 is approved;

                                (2)        Arun’s Band D Council Tax for 2021/22 is set at £191.52, an increase of 2.65%;

                                (3)        Arun’s Council Tax Requirement for 2021/22, based on a Band D Council Tax of £191.52, is set at £11,994,514 plus parish precepts as demanded, to be transferred to the General Fund in accordance with statutory requirements;

                                (4)        The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget as set out in Appendix 2 is approved;

                                (5)        The HRA rents for 2021/22 are increased by 1.5% (CPI plus 1%) in accordance with the provisions of the rent standard;

                                (6)        HRA garage rents are increased by 5% to give a standard charge of £12.93 per week (excluding VAT), and heating and water/sewerage charges increased on a scheme by scheme basis, with a view to balancing costs with income;

                                (7)        The Capital Budget as set out in Appendix 3 is approved;

                                (8)        The statutory resolutions required by the Council in agreeing its budget for 2021/22, as set out in Appendix 4 circulated at the meeting, be approved;

                                (9)        It be noted that the Group Head of Corporate Support, in consultation with the Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Corporate Support, has approved i) a Council Tax base of 62,6284 for 2021/22 and ii) the submission of the Council’s NNDR1 return (the estimate of the Council’s Business Rate income for 2021/22) to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; and

                             (10)        For 2021/22, any expenses incurred by the Authority in performing in part of its area a function performed elsewhere in its area by a Parish/Town Council or the Chairman of a Parish Meeting shall not be treated as special expenses for the purposes of Section 35 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

            The Leader opened his budget statement confirming that this was the second budget to be delivered by the Liberal Democrat administration and that moving  ...  view the full minutes text for item 478.