Agenda item

The Chair of the Policy & Finance Committee, Councillor Stanley, will present recommendations from the meeting of the Policy & Finance Committee held on 6 December 2023.

The minutes from this meeting are attached and the recommendations for Council to consider are set out within the minute below:

·       Minute 456 [Council Vision Working Party – 19 September, 23 October and 13 November 2023] – the Vision document it attached.

In the absence of the Chair of the Policy & Finance Committee, the Vice-Chair, Councillor Nash, presented recommendations from the meeting of the Policy & Finance Committee held on 6 December 2023.

          Councillor Nash alerted Members to a recommendation at Minute 456 [Council Vision Working Party] which he formally proposed. The recommendation was then seconded by Councillor Birch.

          In presenting the recommendation, Councillor Nash stated that he wished to have placed on record his thanks to the Officer team and he paid tribute to the vast amount of work that had been undertaken in reviewing the Vision document. As there had been significant debate on the flooding issues discussed at Full Council on 8 November 2023, the Policy & Finance Committee had great discussion on those issues and the response of Southern Water Services and had decided that this was of such significance that an additional Vision aim and objective should be added and so this had been included in the recommendation.

          Councillor Birch then seconded the recommendation.

          The Chair then invited debate. There were numerous observations made. One of these questioned the lack of new ideas contained within the Vision document and that it was disappointing that it very much resembled the last Vision with very few changes having been made.

          Other Councillors speaking stated that although they supported the revised Vision, they too agreed that very few changes had been made. Clarification was sought regarding the amended recommendation and its wording asking the Council to lobby or require Southern Water to upgrade their sewerage systems as there had been detailed discussion on this point and it had been felt that the Council could not ‘require’ Southern Water to do anything.

          Talking in favour of the recommendation were Councillors supporting the statement that had been added in view of the major flooding and associated issues that Barnham had been experiencing since November 2023. Barnham and its surrounding villages had been inundated with sewage for twelve weeks and continued to experience new flooding and drainage issues.  In view of this major problem, it was felt that the Council did need to take Southern Water to task.

          Councillor Bence in his capacity as West Sussex Ward Member for Barnham supported the statements made confirming that the situation also included road and sewer collapses and heavy pollution into the Aldingbourne Rife. The amended action to require Southern Water to upgrade their sewages systems was therefore supported. 

          Councillor Walsh who had moved the amendment at the Policy & Finance Committee explained why.  He stated that the point had been raised at the Committee that the Council did not have the power to require Southern Water to do anything with the Council’s only power was that of being able to lobby, and that lobbying should require central government to press southern Water into undertaking certain actions. He reconfirmed his view that it was essential to indicate to the public and Southern Water that the Council was serious in its approach to address the problems as best as it could. 

          The Group Head of Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer provided some advice and confirmed that there was a slight discrepancy in terms of what the recommendation confirmed and what the vision document confirmed in terms of the word ‘require’.

          A lengthy debate then took place over the use of the word ‘require’. Many Councillors confirmed that they liked the word require as it reflected how seriously the Council proposed to respond to the flooding situation, even though it was acknowledged that it could not enforce action. Further tweaks to the wording were suggested in that the Council should “require through Government and lobby Southern Water” to make it clear of the intention. It was felt that wording stronger than lobbying was needed to make the statement more forceful. Although alternative wording was suggested and proposed, this was not formally seconded even though Councillor Walsh stated that he would be happy to accept some of the suggestions made.

          A further observation was made in that the addition made by the Policy & Finance Committee should sit under the Environment section of the vision and not the Economy section.

          The Interim Joint Chief Executive and Director of Environment and Communities informed Members that the Environment Committee had agreed the terms of reference covering the establishment of the Flood Forum. It was also confirmed that Southern Water would be invited to attend the first meeting of the Forum which would be announced very shortly. She confirmed that all Members would receive notification of when the meeting would be held so that they could attend if they wanted to.

          Councillor Yeates confirmed that she too wished to propose an amendment to the recommendation in that she wished to replace the word ‘dwellings’ with ‘development’.  This was not seconded.

          In response, the Vice-Chair, Councillor Nash confirmed that he felt that it was not necessary to change the wording in the recommendation which was quite clear and took all points raised on board.

          As there were no more speakers for this item, and as the seconder had no further statement to make, the Chair invited Councillor Nash to conclude as proposer of the recommendation. Councillor  Nash paid tribute to Councillors Bence and Wallsgrove in view of the work they had been undertaking supporting residents and liaising with stakeholders to get issues resolved in Barnham and surrounding areas.

(During the course of the discussion on this item, Councillor Bence declared a Personal Interest as a Member of West Sussex County Council representing the Barnham Ward as much discussion had focused upon the immense flooding issues that the Barnham area had experienced recently).

          The Council

                     RESOLVED

        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.