Agenda item

The Committee will receive the minutes from the meetings of the Council Vision Working Party held on 19 September, 23 October and 13 November, which are attached.

There are recommendations for consideration as set out below:

23 October 2023

Minute 12 [Council Vision – 2022-2026 – Review of Council Vision Indicators]

13 November 2023

Minute 18 [Revised Vision Outcomes]

A revised Council Vision Objectives and Outcomes document is attached for approval. This can be found at the back of these minutes.

The Chair confirmed that the Committee had received recommendations from the Council Vision Working Party following its meetings held on 19 September, 23 October and 13 November 2023.

          The Chair invited the Chair of the Working Party, Councillor Tandy, to present the minutes and recommendations.

          Councillor Tandy reminded Members that in 2022 the Council agreed its four year Vision 2022 to 2028 and a set of measures that would be used to judge progress against its aims and objectives.

          In July 2023, the Policy & Finance Committee had been presented with the Annual report on the Vision measures for 2022-2023 alongside a proposal that a Vision Working Party be established to review these measures.  Since its establishment, the Working Party had met on 19 September, 23 October and 13 November 2023. At its first meeting held on 19 September 2023, the Working Party reviewed the wording of the Vision Aims and Objectives and confirmed that it was happy with the four vision themes, and it discussed the aims and objectives attached to each theme.

          At its second meeting held on 23 October 2023, the Working Party agreed revised wording for the aims and objectives set out in the original Vision document. At the meeting held on 13 November detailed discussion took place on the performance measures of progress and outcomes for the Vision that Members wishes to see in the final version for 2024/25. It was explained that some of the previous Vision measures were recommended by the Working Party to be removed from the Vision document as it was felt that they were detailed or very technical and so it was appropriate that they be reported to the relevant Service Committee on an annual basis.  Where this had been recommended it had been clearly identified in the Vision document attached to the minutes using tracked changes.

          As a result of the three meetings, all the proposed changes had been incorporated into a revised Vision document using tracked changes. Councillor Tandy confirmed that the Leader of the Council had suggested that the picture of most Councillors taken after the May Election be used in the final version of the Vision.

          Councillor Tandy drew Members’ attention to the recommendations that the Committee was required to consider.  These are set out below:

          From the meeting held on 23 October 2023:

That the revised Council Vision document, to include the changed outlined in the minutes, be approved and recommended onto Full Council for approval.

From the meeting held on 13 November 2023:

(1)  The revised Vision Outcomes as amended by the Working Party be agreed;

(2)  The performance measures as set out in the revised Vision Outcomes be used to measure progress against the Vision aims and objectives for 2024/2025 and 2025/2026; and

(3)  Should minor changes  be needed to be made to these measures, then the Group Head of Organisational Excellence be given delegated authority in consultation with the Chair of the Policy & Finance Committee to make such changes.

  Councillor Tandy confirmed that he wished to slightly amend the recommendations (1) and (2) into a combined recommendation.  He also confirmed that the third recommendation could be resolved by the Committee and did not need to be forwarded onto Full Council for approval.  The revised recommendation is set out below:

The revised vision document, as attached, including the Vision themes, overall aims and objectives, and measures of outcomes and progress for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 be agreed.

Finally, Councillor Tandy confirmed that this amendment meant that the recommendation from the Working Party meeting held on 23 October 2023 had been superseded as it had been included in the amendment.

          Councillor Nash then proposed the recommendation which was seconded by Councillor Walsh.

          The Chair then invited debate. Concern was expressed that given all the recent flooding and sewage issues being experienced throughout the district, that no measure to address this had been added to the Vision. EN12 had been added confirming that the Flood Forum approved by Full Council be established and that a report be brought back to Full Council with recommendations on future action, but action was needed urgently and was felt to be of such a significant problem that a separate measure to address this warranted being added to the Vision document with the measure being how the Council could pressure Southern Water and the Environment Agency to respond to the concerns by upgrading sewage systems in areas of large development.

          Councillor Walsh confirmed that he was mindful to request that an amendment be made to the Vision document to include this concern as an Outcome under Supporting our Environment to Support us. The Outcome to be added was “To require Southern Water upgrade their sewage systems especially in areas with large new dwellings to enable the increase in sewage volume to be fully accommodated”. This needed to be a strategic aim for this Council.

          The Chair outlined that once the Flood Forum had met and as soon as there were recommendations approved by Council, those recommendations would be incorporated into the Vision document under EN12. There was concern that adding an additional outcome as this stage could impact or override some of the work that might happen as part of the Flood Forum.

          Following detailed debate, concern was expressed by the Joint Interim Chief Executive and Director of Growth and the Group Head of Organisational Excellence over the use of the word ‘require’ in the amendment. Although the sentiment of the amendment was supported, the challenge was that the Council could only work within the legislative framework that existed. This meant that the Council could not ensure that Southern Water would upgrade their sewage systems but that it did have the ability to influence as the council was not Southern Water’s regulatory body.

          In response, Councillor Walsh confirmed that he wished to formally propose his amendment and that he would be happy to change the wording of his amendment from require to lobby. The amendment was “To lobby or require Southern Water to upgrade their sewerage systems especially in areas of large volume new dwellings to enable the increased sewage volume to be fully accommodated”. The important factor was that action was needed now and not in the months ahead that might be needed in setting up the Forum.

Councillor Brooks seconded the amendment.

          There was some concern expressed over the amendment as sewage and surface water were now confirmed by Southern Water to be separate entities. Although the amendment was well intentioned, the question was asked as to why it was necessary as it was felt that the Council did not need to add a statement to its Vision about the need to lobby Southern Water, this could be actioned without the need for this amendment.

An update was then requested in terms of how the Flood Forum was progressing and what the timelines for its first meeting were.  The Joint Interim Chief Executive and Director of Environment and Communities confirmed that the first meeting of the Forum was being planned for January 2024. Listening to the concerns of Councillors, the suggestion was made that at this first meeting, Southern Water be invited to attend to address the issues of concern with this being the first item on the agenda.

          Following further debate, a recorded vote was requested.

          Those voting for the amendment were Councillors Birch, Brooks, Cooper, Greenway, Gunner, Nash, Pendleton, Stanley and Walsh.

          The Committee therefore unanimously agreed the amendment.

          Debate on the remaining elements of the Vision document continued. Councillor Gunner wished to have it recorded that he had not agreed to his photograph being removed from the covering pages of the Vision document. Other questions asked related to:

·       EN4 [% of Council homes that are SAP C rating and above] should this outcome sit under delivering the right homes to the right places rather than supporting our environment to support us? The Group Head of Organisational Excellence explained that as this was a measure covering sustainability, this was why it had been placed under environment as the emphasis was on environmental impact.

·       On supporting our environment to support us – how will we achieve this (5) – there was disappointment expressed over the fact that the percentage targets for waste and recycling had been watered down. How would these be achieved? It was explained that this was the only statement that had identified a target. No targets were being watered down; it was about having consistent statements within the document.

·       EN11 [Number of new metres of new cycleway] why was this being removed as it was felt that this would provide the Council with the opportunity to work with West Sussex County Council to see if there was scope to produce more cycle ways.  It was explained that the Working Party had wanted the Vision document to focus on issues that the Council had direct control over, and cycleways was a responsibility of WSCC.

The Committee then

          RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL       

That the revised Vision document, as attached, including the Vision themes, overall aims and objectives, and measures of outcomes and progress for 2024-25 and 2025-2026 be agreed, with the addition of a new outcome under Supporting our Environment to support us as set out below:

To lobby or require Southern Water to upgrade their sewerage systems especially in areas of large volume new dwellings to enable the increased sewage volume to be fully accommodated”. The important factor was that action was needed now and not in the months ahead that might be needed in setting up the Forum.

          The Committee also

                     RESOLVED

That should there be minor changes  be needed to be made to these measures, then the Group Head of Organisational Excellence be given delegated authority in consultation with the Chair of the Policy & Finance Committee to make such changes.

(During the course of the discussion on this item, Councillor Walsh declared a Personal Interest as a Member of the Littlehampton Harbour Board and Councillor Greenway declared a Personal Interest as a Member of West Sussex County Council).