Adur District Council will meet at 7pm on 19 December 2024 at the QE2 Room, Shoreham Centre in Shoreham-by-Sea. This meeting will include recommendations from various committees, the Leader’s report, and time for questions. The Council will also be asked to note the minutes from various committees.

Council Tax Support Scheme for 2025/26

Adur District Council will be asked to decide whether to continue the Council Tax Support scheme for the 2025/26 financial year. The scheme is designed to support residents who live on low incomes. The Joint Strategic Committee recommends that the scheme should continue in its current form.

Gambling Act 2005 - Review of Statement of Gambling Licensing Policy

The Council will be asked to note the minutes from the Adur Licensing Committee meeting held on 11 November 2024, at which the committee considered a review of Adur District Council's Gambling Licensing Policy. The review included an amendment to the policy relating to the training of staff at gambling establishments. The amendment would require businesses to provide brief intervention training for staff to help customers who show signs of excessive gambling and addiction. It would also require businesses to consider how their staffing levels affect their ability to support customers. The minutes state that there are currently only three gambling establishments in Adur.

Regulation of Cosmetic Piercing and Skin Colouring Businesses

The Council will be asked to consider whether to adopt new byelaws regulating businesses in Adur offering acupuncture, tattooing, cosmetic piercing, electrolysis and semipermanent skin colouring. The byelaws would adopt a model scheme created by central government.

Organisational Design Programme

The Council will be asked to note that the Joint Strategic Committee received an update on the Organisational Design Programme at its meeting on 12 November 2024. The scheme aims to find £2.2 million of savings in the 2024/25 financial year, and a further £1.8 million in 2025/26. The report to the meeting stated that

The Councils had made important strides in redesigning key areas like Digital, Housing, Neighbourhoods and Resident Services. Other services were being supported to finalise proposals before Christmas.

Joint Overview & Scrutiny Committee Work Programme for 2024/25

The Council will be asked to note that the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee has reviewed its work programme.

Joint Mid Year Treasury Management Review 2024/25

The Council will be asked to note the minutes of the Joint Strategic Committee meeting that was held on 10 December 2024.

Strategic Property (non residential) Asset Management Plan 2024/ Asset Strategy

The Council will be asked to note that at its meeting on 12 November 2024 the Joint Strategic Committee discussed a new strategy for managing the Council's non-residential property assets. The report discussed the difficult financial situation facing the council and argued in favour of a “flight to quality” in which the authority seeks to reduce its exposure to risk by focusing on higher quality assets:

It was proposed that the Councils embarked on a ‘flight to quality’, in which the Councils took a whole asset view in light of changing risk appetite, legislative changes, and Council and Community needs. It therefore sought to own and look after a higher quality, less risky and more sustainable estate.

Grafton Multi-Storey Car Park - Structural Repairs

The Council will be asked to note that the Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources took a decision to approve funding for structural repairs to the Grafton Multi-Storey Car Park in Worthing.

Temporary Accommodation Contract Award

The Council will be asked to note that the Cabinet Member for Housing and Citizen Services took a decision to approve the award of a contract for the provision of temporary accommodation in six HMOs in Brighton. The Council will also be asked to note that a decision was made to award a contract for temporary accommodation in HMOs in Bognor and Worthing.

Commerce Way Roof Covering

The Council will be asked to note that the Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources took a decision relating to the roof covering of a property on Commerce Way in Adur.

Release of Worthing s106 funds to NHS

The Council will be asked to note that the Worthing Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing took a decision to approve the release of funds to the NHS. The funds were from a Section 106 Agreement. Section 106 (S106) Agreements are a mechanism in the UK Town and Country Planning Act 1990 that allows local planning authorities to require developers to contribute funds, or make other contributions such as a proportion of units in a development being made available at below market rents or for social housing, towards funding infrastructure or improvements to mitigate the impact of a development. The equivalent mechanism in Scotland is a Planning Gain.