Agenda and draft minutes

The Chair welcomed Councillors, representatives of the public, press and officers to the meeting. 

            A special welcome was extended to Councillor Giuliano Pinnelli, the newly elected Councillor to the Marine Ward following the By-Election held on 24 April 2025.

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Blanchard-Cooper, English and O’Neill.

            An apology for absence had also been received from the Council’s Honorary Alderman, Mr Dingemans.

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

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. 

            There were no Declarations of Interest made, however, Councillor Amelia Worne queried why her membership to Littlehampton Town Council had not been added to this list.  The Committee Services Manager confirmed that she would investigate this outside of the meeting and would report back to Councillor Worne.

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

The Chair confirmed that four questions had been submitted for this meeting which have been briefly summarised below:

1)    From Mr Rogers to the Chair of the Licensing Committee, Councillor Blanchard-Cooper.  This question was responded to by the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee, Councillor Haywood, in the absence of Councillor Blanchard-Cooper. The question related to the Old Canal Caravan Park at Lidsey.

2)     From Mr Rogers to the Chair of the Licensing Committee, Councillor Blanchard-Cooper.  This question was responded to by the Vice-Chair of the Licensing Committee, Councillor Haywood, in the absence of Councillor Blanchard-Cooper. The question related to the Old Canal Caravan Park at Lidsey.

3)    From Mrs Smith to the Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor McDougall regarding the site known as ‘Land west of Fontwell Avenue, Fontwell”.

4)    From Mrs Smith to the Chair of the Planning Committee, Councillor McDougall, regarding the site known as ‘Land west of Fontwell Avenue, Fontwell and Heras fencing’.

The Chair then drew Public Question Time to a close.

(A schedule of the full questions asked, and the responses provided to include any supplementary questions and responses can be found on the Public Question Web page at: Arun District Council).

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

The Chair confirmed that there were no questions for this meeting.

To consider any petitions received from the public.

The Chair confirmed that no petitions had been received.

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the last Meeting of the Council held on 19 March 2025, which are attached.

The minutes from the last Meeting of the Council held on 19 March 2025 were approved by the Council as a correct record with the Chair confirming that he would sign the minutes at the conclusion of the meeting. 

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

The Chair confirmed that since the last meeting of Full Council held on 19 March 2025, he had attended the following events:

·         27 March 2025 – Bognor Regis Town Council Annual Civic Reception and Presentation of Awards

·         4 April 2025 – The official opening of the Zip Wire on Caffyn’s Field, Littlehampton

·         5 April 2025 – The Arun Choral Society Performance at the Worthing Assembly Halls

·         29 April 2025 – Attended a memorial service for the late Lillian Holdsworth one of the County’s Deputy Lieutenant’s held at Ferring Parish Church

·         2 May 2025 – Attended the launch of the Yellow Fish Campaign promoting clean drains

·         7 May 2025 – Attended the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace

·         8 May 2025 – Attended the lighting of the beacon at the seafront in Littlehampton commemorating the 80^th anniversary of VE day

·         9 May 2025 - Attended the opening of the Lyminster By-pass

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.

The Chair confirmed that there were two urgent matters for the meeting to consider.

The first item required the Council to note a report from the Returning Officer declaring that Councillor Giuliano Pinnelli had been elected as a Member of Arun District Council’s Marine Ward following the By-Election held on 24 April 2025.

            The Chair again formally welcomed Councillor Pinnelli as a member of the council.

            The Chair confirmed that the report had been circulated separately to the agenda and had been emailed to Councillors and uploaded to the Full Council web page earlier in the day. It could be found on Page 1 of the supplement circulated.

            The Council received and noted this report.

The Chair confirmed that the second urgent item was a report from the Group Head of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer reviewing changes in proportionality and to agree revised committee allocations following the result of the Marine Ward By-Election held on 24 April 2025 and a further change in political membership confirmed to the Monitoring Officer on 1 May 2025.

            The Chair confirmed that this report had been emailed to Councillors and uploaded to the Full Council web page earlier in the day as a supplement as well as being circulated to the meeting.

            The Group Head of Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer was invited to present his report where he explained that there was an urgent need for the Council to agree revised Committee allocations reflecting the updated political proportionality following a change to the number of Councillors within the Independent Group because of the By-Election held on 24 April 2025. Since the election, a further change to political membership had been made on 1 May 2025 when Councillor McAuliffe confirmed that he was no longer a member of the Green Group and was now an Ungrouped Independent.

            Appendix 1 to the report set out the allocation of seats prepared by officers to each political group based on the proportionality rules. Table C within that appendix highlighted to Members the changes that needed to be made. Group Leaders had been informed of the changes and what this meant in terms of the number of seats that each political group was now entitled to receive in terms of Committees with a membership of 11, 9 and 5 Councillors.  The calculations had been sent to Group Leaders with a request that they confirm in writing their allocations to seats on committees in response to the changes identified.

            The report was asking council to note the outcome of the review undertaken in respect of political groups and non-aligned councillors and to approve the allocation of seats to political groups so that seats on committees could be reported to the Annual Meeting of the Council on 21 May 2025.

            Councillor Lury then formally proposed the recommendations set out within the report confirming that in looking at proportionality he had been approached by several Councillors of the Alliance asking what was happening with the seats allocated to Political Groups on the Policy & Finance Committee. This was because the Policy & Finance Committee was not an 11 Member committee, it was a 9-member committee, yet the Conservative Group had 4 seats allocated to it. Councillor Lury explained that in looking at the number of Conservative members (19) compared to the number of members for the Liberal Democrats (14), as this was not even a 3 to 2 ratio, the number of seats allocated to the Conservative Group on the Policy & Finance Committee needed to be addressed.  

            Councillor Nash then seconded the recommendations set out within the report.

            Councillor Lury confirmed that he wished to make an amendment in respect of the number of seats that should  ...  view the full minutes text for item 690.

The Chair of the Planning Policy Committee, Councillor Yeates, will present recommendations from the meeting of the Planning Policy Committee held on 18 March 2025.

The recommendations for council to consider are set out below:

·       Minute 610 (Arun Local Development Scheme (LDS) Update) – the minutes from the meeting held along with the Officer’s report are attached.

The Chair of the Planning Policy Committee, Councillor Yeates, presented a recommendation following the meeting of the Planning Policy Committee held on 18 March 2025.

            Councillor Yeates referred Members to a recommendation at Minute 610 [Arun Local Development Scheme (LDS) Update) which she duly proposed. The recommendation was seconded by Councillor Lury.

            The Council

                        RESOLVED

The draft Local Development Scheme March 2025 for the period 2025-2028 (as set out in Background Paper 1) be adopted.

The following Motion has been submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rules 15.1 and 15.2.

Proposer – Councillor Ayling

Seconder – Councillor Wallsgrove

The Green Group propose that Arun District Council write to Southern Water, Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Secretary of State to ask, in light of the increase in sewage discharges, despite a dry period, and the significant increase in Arun residents’ bills, can they provide a date when raw sewage will no longer be pumped into our waterways, as we believe that all our residents have a right to safe water.

The Chair confirmed that one Motion had been submitted for this meeting, and he invited Councillor Ayling, as proposer, to present his motion.

            Councillor Ayling then presented his motion, the wording of which is set out below:

“The Green Group propose that Arun District Council write to Southern Water, Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Secretary of State to ask, in light of the increase in sewage discharges, despite a dry period, and the significant increase in Arun residents’ bills, can they provide a date when raw sewage will no longer be pumped into our waterways, as we believe that all our residents have a right to safe water”.

Councillor Ayling outlined that Southern Water had given presentations to the council and other bodies about what they did, however, those presentations did not really reflect the truth in terms of what they achieved, or in terms of action undertaken. Last year, Southern Water’s target was to reduce sewage outfall into the seas and rivers by 40% when this had actually increased by 30%. This was very worrying and as it was happening to all rivers and seas. Also, whilst this was happening, all the people that Councillors represented were seeing an increase in their bills by an average of 26%, some were much higher. This was an ongoing situation which was not stopping, and no end date had been applied to it. Councillor Ayling stated that this was what he did not understand in that Southern Water were stating that they were working hard and doing the best they could, but at the end of the day, the promised progress was not happening and that somewhere someone was making decisions preventing the much-needed action from occurring. Councillors had a duty to find out for their residents exactly what was happening; why it was happening and why the continuing problem of dirty, filthy water that was not safe to enter was continuing.

Councillor Wallsgrove in seconding the motion concurred with the serious points made stating that residents were now becoming ill because of the sewage they were swimming in rivers and the sea. Action was needed to secure an end to this severe problem and so she urged Councillors to support this motion.

The Chair then invited debated.  Many Councillors spoke in full support of the motion and the iniquitous system whereby sewage was continually being pumped into the sea.  In confirming full support, various suggestions were made to include using the district’s three Members of Parliament to lobby for the action required in the House of Commons. A suggestion was also made to refer this matter to the All-Parliamentary Water Group, if this still existed.  All the suggestions made were supported in recognition of the damaging effect sewage pollution would have for tourism in the future.

            Councillor Gunner confirmed that he agreed with all the comments that had been made as part of this debate, but that he wished to make a very small amendment. The wording that Councillor Gunner  ...  view the full minutes text for item 692.

To consider general questions from Members in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 14.3.

The Chair referred Councillors to the Questions from Members that had been submitted in line with Council Procedure Rule 14.3 and the schedule of questions that had been circulated to the meeting. This confirmed that five questions had been received.   All five question had been submitted by Councillor Greenway.

In the absence of Councillor Greenway, the Chair confirmed that he would be happy for the Monitoring Officer to read out his questions on Councillor Greenway’s behalf. Each of the questions would then be responded to by the appropriate Committee Chair. It was explained that the schedule of questions would be updated to include the responses provided and would be uploaded to the Council’s web page within ten working days of the meeting, in line with the Council’s Constitution.

            The questions have been summarised below:

Question (1) to the Chair of the Policy & Finance Committee, Councillor Lury regarding devolution and Local Government re-organisation.

Question (2) to the Chair of the Environment Committee, Councillor Wallsgrove, regarding the recent meeting of the Arun Flood Forum; Question (3) to the Chair of the Economy Committee, Councillor Nash, regarding the importance of the council’s car parks in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

Question (4) to the Chair of the Housing & Wellbeing Committee, regarding crime and disorder incidents; and

Question (5) to the Chair of the Environment Committee, Councillor Wallsgrove regarding the sweeping of the highway, the A259.

Any changes to Committee Memberships that need noting by the Council will be reported at the meeting.

Councillor Wallsgrove, as Leader of the Green Group, confirmed that Councillor Penycate had become her Deputy Leader with immediate effect.

The Council is asked to approve any changes to its representation on Outside Bodies.

The Chair confirmed that there were no updates or changes to report to this meeting.