This meeting was scheduled to include a motion on the British Indian Ocean Territory. The meeting also included the regular business of the council, such as receiving communications from the leadership of the council and answering questions from Councillors.

Notice of Motion - Motion on the British Indian Ocean Territory

A motion was scheduled to be discussed that relates to the future of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The motion notes that Crawley Borough Council is the UK local authority with the largest number of residents of Chagossian descent.

The motion goes on to say that Crawley Borough Council:

states its strong opposition to the recent UK government announcement to hand sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius.

The motion calls on the UK government to:

reverse its decision, and to ensure that local representatives of the Chagossian community are fully involved in all discussions relating to the future of the Chagos Islands.

The motion was submitted by Councillor Crow and seconded by Councillor Lanzer and can be read in full on the council's website: NofM- Motion on the British Indian Ocean Territory Cons.

Councillors' Questions

Councillors submitted questions in advance of the meeting, and these questions, along with the answers provided by officers can be read in full on the council's website: 8 Cllr QT response.

Receiving the Minutes of the Cabinet, Overview and Scrutiny Commission and Other Committees including Items for Debate

The Full Council was scheduled to receive the minutes of meetings from the following committees:

• Overview and Scrutiny Commission - 4 November 2024 - a OSC 4Nov24 Mins
• Cabinet - 6 November 2024 - b Cabinet 06Nov24
• Licensing Committee - 11 November 2024 - c Licensing minutes 11Nov24
• Overview and Scrutiny Commission - 25 November 2024 - d OSC minutes 25Nov24
• Cabinet - 27 November 2024 - e Cabinet minutes 27Nov24

The minutes from those committees' meetings contained a number of recommendations for the Full Council to consider.

Recommendation 1 - Crawley Leisure Contract: Contract Extension

The Cabinet recommended that the Full Council approve a supplementary capital estimate of £2 million for the refurbishment of K2 Crawley. The money would be given to Everyone Active, who operate the centre on behalf of the council, to remodel the health and fitness facilities at the centre.

The recommendation was made to:

ensure the leisure facilities in Crawley remain competitive, in keeping with market expectations and support on going work to improve environmental sustainability

The report notes that, although the council considered finding a different operator for the centre, doing so would:

be a significant resource undertaking

The report also notes that the extension to Everyone Active's contract will:

help to ensure the Council continues to receive the current level of management payment through to November 2033, despite an increasingly competitive and challenging commercial environment.

Recommendation 2 - Tenancy Strategy 2025 to 2029

The Cabinet recommended that the Full Council approve a new Tenancy Strategy.

The Council is required by law to have a Tenancy Strategy.

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee discussed the strategy, and asked the Cabinet to:

provide further clarity upon timescales ‘households may wait “many years” for an offer of suitable housing’

Recommendation 3 - Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2025 to 2029

The Cabinet recommended that the Full Council approve a new Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy.

Recommendation 4 - Updated Climate Emergency Action Plan and Climate Emergency Declaration

The Cabinet recommended that the Full Council approve an updated Climate Emergency Declaration.

The council has committed to reducing all of its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and to net zero by 2040. The new declaration aims to speed up the process of reducing emissions.

The new declaration also includes a declaration of a nature emergency in recognition of the council's responsibility to protect biodiversity.

The Overview and Scrutiny Commission discussed the updated declaration and:

welcomed the additions of the Declaration of a Nature Emergency.

Recommendation 5 - Budget Strategy 2025/26 – 2027/28

The Cabinet recommended that the Full Council note a number of points about the budget for 2025/26, including that:

some fees and charges may have to be increased by more than CPI to help close the budget gap and to ensure that services are operating more closely to a cost recovery basis where possible.

The report notes that:

fees and charges would be applied proportionally as possible