Agenda item

The Chairman, Councillor Dingemans, will present the Minutes from the meeting of the Overview Select Committee held on 29 January 2019.  There are no recommendations.

            The Chairman, Councillor Dingemans, presented the Minutes from the meeting of the Overview Select Committee held on 29 January 2019.

            Councillor Dr Walsh confirmed that he wished to make several Statements in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 13.1.  The first related to Minute 377 [Greenspace Management Contract - Update] in which he referred to the employment of qualified health and safety risk assessors.  This was because he had had a recent meeting with the Maltravers Bowling Club, in which a variety of matters had been discussed.  Councillor Dr Walsh stated that he had health and safety concerns because petrol was stored on the premises.  Councillor Dr Walsh stated that any storage was incompatible with public use of a building and was a potential and serious public health issue.  He asked if he could be provided with a steer as to what was classed to be unsafe and then could become safe.

            The Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services, Councillor Wotherspoon, confirmed that he would look into the points of concern raised and would respond to Councillor Dr Walsh outside of the meeting.

            Councillor Buckland confirmed that he wished to make a Statement in relation to Minute 376 [Council Budget – 2019/20] in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 13.1 and in relation to Minute 382 [Work Programme].  Councillor Buckland outlined that both of these Minutes referred to West Sussex County Council’s decision to reduce funding for housing and homelessness charities and he spoke on behalf of the veterans who were members of his Veteran’s Breakfast Club.  He asked what the Council would be doing about the growing problem with newly retired veterans not being able to quickly be placed on the housing register.  It was Councillor Buckland’s view that the Council could have done more in assisting with these cases. 

            The Cabinet Member for Residential Services, Councillor Bence, responded stating that he was not prepared to discuss individual cases in an open forum but would contact Councillor Buckland following this meeting to review the points of concern raised.

            Councillor Dendle confirmed that he wished to ask a question in relation to Minute 379 [Feedback from Meeting of the Sussex Police and Crime Panel] as he wanted to know what the Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing’s views were on the Police and Crime Commissioner’s decision to increase the Police’s precept by 14.5%.  He asked if the Cabinet Member had scrutinised the value that council tax payers would receive from such a huge increase?

            The Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Councillor Clayden, responded stating that the Police had a big shopping list of priorities to consider.  The increase would provide 200 more Police Officers over the next four years.  It was confirmed that all sides of the Panel had agreed with the proposal to raise the precept. 

            Councillor Dr Walsh confirmed that he also wished to make a Statement on the same Minute [Minute 379] in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 13.1.  Councillor Dr Walsh referred to the meeting of the Overview Select Committee held on 12 March 2019, though the Minutes were not featured on the agenda for this meeting.  He confirmed that the residents of the District were continuously fed up with the increasing levels of anti-social behaviour; vandalism; and open drug dealing in the streets of Arun.  The way to prevent such crime was to reintroduce community policing at a sensible level.  

            Councillors Edwards, Mrs Stainton, Northeast and Wells also spoke on the same Minute in support of the comments made.  Councillor Edwards, however, reassured Members that Sussex Police had 72 new recruits that had just commenced a 15 week training programme and so they would be delivered in June this year onto the streets, this should be seen as a step in the right direction.

            In response, the Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing, Councillor  Clayden, stated that he accepted that there was an anti-social behaviour problem in the District, however, the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Team was working hard to get to the cause of the issues raised.  The PCC would be spending the increased funds to the best of her ability and was commencing a great push to get more Police presence back into Towns.