This meeting of the Council will see a number of reports brought to Councillors following previous discussions at the council's various committees. Councillors will also be asked to make a decision on the future of Winter Fuel Payments for the District's pensioners.

The Public Speaking Scheme at Planning Committee

The meeting will include the consideration of a new Public Speaking Scheme at the council's planning committee. The new scheme will, if enacted, change the existing scheme, which was introduced in November 2019.

The new scheme proposes a number of changes that are intended to shorten the length of meetings, after a review found that:

the length of meetings had increased due to the number of speakers permitted for each application and the length of time allowed to speak, leading to Councillor and officer fatigue and increased cost of meetings.

The new scheme will mean that:

• Residents will no longer be able to use visual aids in their presentations.
• Only one speaker will be allowed to speak for, and one against, any given planning application. The only exception to this will be for applications for major developments of more than 100 dwellings, or applications considered broadly equivalent. In these cases two speakers will be permitted to speak both for and against an application.
• Councillors will no longer be allowed to question members of the public who are speaking at meetings of the Planning Committee.

The report notes that the new scheme will need to be reflected in changes to the council's Statement of Community Involvement, which sets out how residents can engage with the planning process.

The Future of Public Conveniences in Rother

The meeting will include the consideration of the council's Asset Disposal Policy. The new policy is intended to enable the council to meet its policy objectives during a period of what the document describes as budget deficit challenges. It will also help the council to generate capital receipts to support the capital projects laid out in its capital programme.

The policy will be used to assess all of the council's assets. The policy identifies assets that it describes as suitable for disposal, so that resources can be targeted at other assets.

The report specifically mentions the future of the District's public conveniences, noting that:

following lobbying from across the geographical area of the district, early consideration of the currently closed public conveniences would take place, with a report being made early in the new year.

It also notes that Councillors expressed a desire to see assets that are no longer required by the council transferred to town and parish councils, or community groups, based on the asset's social value, rather than its potential sale value.

Internal Drainage Board Levies

Councillors will be asked to approve the appointment of Councillor Sue Prochak to the Local Government Association’s Special Interest Group (SIG) on Internal Drainage Board Levies.

Councillor Prochak has been nominated for the position by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Doug Oliver.

Internal Drainage Boards are statutory bodies that manage water levels in areas that would otherwise be at risk of flooding. They are funded by levies on local councils.

The report notes that Rother District Council is classed as a Special Levy Paying Council, and that the levy represents a significant cost to the authority, but it does not specify the amount of the levy. The report goes on to note that:

as a Special Levy Paying Council, it would be advantageous for the Council to be involved in this SIG.

The SIG was formed in October 2023 with 15 member councils. It now has 33. The SIG is campaigning for a change in the way that Internal Drainage Boards are funded. They want to:

support the request for the Government to commit to a new, longer term funding approach for Drainage Boards that removes the requirement for councils to fund them.

Winter Fuel Allowance

A motion will be put before the council by Councillor Ganly that regrets the UK Government's decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment to pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit.

The motion notes that this will mean that some of the district's pensioners will be forced to choose between heating their homes or paying for other essential goods and services. It also argues that the government has underestimated the administrative burden associated with claiming Pension Credit.

The motion calls on the government to withdraw its proposal to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment, and to consider the many suggested alternatives. It asks that the government make it easier to claim for Pension Credit.

The motion also calls on the Leader of the Council to write to the government, and to lobby colleagues at the Local Government Association on the matter.

Other Topics

The meeting will also include discussion of:

• The council's finances.
• A new Digital and Customer Services Strategy.
• The appointment of Councillor Simon McGurk as a company director to the board of Rother DC Housing Company Ltd.
• Proposed changes to the council's constitution.
• The appointment of a Rother Councillor to East Sussex Energy, Infrastructure and Development Ltd.
• Proposed changes to the way the council's taxi licensing regime operates.
• Whether to adopt the Gambling Act 2005 - Statement of Principles 2025-28.