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Okay, so it is 6.30 on another 11th Thursday evening in March, so we are going to start if that's all right. Thank you so much to everybody who's come along, every meeting now, I want to say, and spring has sprung, but I think it hasn't quite yet, so I really appreciate you coming out on yet another slightly dark rainy evening. It's lovely to see people who have made the journey out, and for everybody listening online, just to remind everybody who's speaking tonight, if you can speak into the microphone as closely as possible, so people can hear what you're saying, that will be fantastic. So, this is the Worthing Joint Strategic Subcommittee, which is a bit of a mouthful, but that basically means it's where we meet as Worthing Borough Council cabinet to discuss strategic decisions of major importance for our borough, and then make the decision in public. So, we have quite a full agenda tonight, with some great items coming up, and for example, we are going to be looking at the Worthing theatres and museums, which is always good, matters related to our community infrastructure levy, and some important development issues, I'm just going to say, Teville Gates, and throw it out there, just to let everybody know that that is on the agenda this evening. So, we do want to make this a welcoming environment, and if you have any questions, we absolutely encourage those questions to be asked, and we do have a process whereby members of the public can submit questions in advance, and Councillors not on the cabinet committee can also submit questions in advance. If there is time, I'm really happy to take questions on the evening, so please feel free to put your hands up, and we will try and encourage debate as much as possible. Obviously nobody wants to be here until midnight, so if we need to move along, then I know you'll forgive me if we sort of move forward. Thank you so much. Do I have a health and safety announcement? I don't have a health and safety announcement. If there's a fire, panic. No, that's not true. Okay, so if there's a fire, which, yeah, we don't anticipate a fire alarm, there is, oh, John, that was, Councillor Turley is being the air host desk at the most desk, and so is Mr. Kathmandando, please do go out that lovely fire escape there and meet at the end of the car park, is that right? Excellent. Okay, so if I go to agenda item on declarations of interest, so team, are there any pecuniary interest in relation to the items of business on tonight's agenda that anybody would like to declare? No hands up? Excellent. Okay, so minutes, so the previous meeting was last month, obviously the 6th of February, I've got the minutes here, I know that the teams had a look at them, are you happy for me to sign them off on our behalf? Is that agreed? Marvelous. Okay, so as I said before, public question time, we haven't received any pre-submitted questions, but if anybody in the gallery would like to ask us a question, and if it's council related, we'll do our best to answer it, if it's not, we're happy to hear it, and see what we can do. Please do raise your hand, and we're happy to hear from you. Would anybody like to ask us a question? Okay, as the evening goes on, you may well think of something, just stick your hand up in the air and wave if I'm looking elsewhere. Fantastic. So, members questions, we have received one question, thank you very much, Councillor Hunt. Would you like to come up and ask your question, please? Thank you for accepting my question, so it's about the community infrastructure levy investment plan. It says in the plan that there's flexibility in the regulations to fund smaller scale projects which help to mitigate the impacts of development. Are any projects being considered and should they be to mitigate the impact of the development of the HMRC site, for example, in terms of likely increased traffic movements on Shaftesbury Avenue, Goring Road, Barrington Road, Rosebury Avenue, etc. So, thanks so much, Councillor Hunt, and team, I'm just going to ask that as you speak this evening, you introduce yourself if I don't say who you are in advance and say what your portfolio is just so everybody gets used to who you are and what you do. So, Councillor Baxter, I think this is for you, please. Thank you. Thank you for your question, Councillor Hunt. So, the transport schemes in where they are delivered by West Sussex County Council, as you're aware, they are the highways authority. So, officers and members of Worthyneboro Council meet regular, on regular occasions with West Sussex County Council, officers to discuss schemes they're bringing forward over the next few years, which may be suitable for funding from from CIL. The Infrastructure Investment Plan, which is in the papers this evening, will include any proposals which are deemed appropriate, provided there's adequate self-funding available, and that's pretty much the key, really. It depends how much we're anticipating in getting in self-funding, and that will determine the kinds of projects that we put into the Infrastructure Investment Plan. But also, just to note, there's a Section 106 Financial Contribution for Highways and Transport to be paid for, and that's paid to West Sussex County Council, and that has been secured as part of the legal agreement for the HMRC Development. So, additional transport mitigations and improvements were also secured. Section 106 agreements are agreed in cases where either on-site infrastructure or financial contributions are necessary to make the development acceptable. So, the planning obligation for this site sets out the off-site mitigation, and this can be viewed on the Council's website, so that has already been addressed as part of the Section 106. Thanks so much, Councillor Baxter. I should say that Councillor Baxter is our Cabinet Member for Regeneration, so that's all right. No problem, we're going to be hearing from her more later on this evening. Councillor Hunt, have you got a follow-up question? Yes, thank you for the answer, and it is already a very busy traffic area, especially around the school pick-up and drop-off times, and as well as enduring the significant impacts that the build is causing, you know, with heavy construction vehicles, all of that, the residents do have legitimate worries about the traffic increasing when the new homes are occupied, and it can feel a little bit like they're just left to kind of cope with it. And it feels like there's also, therefore, an opportunity to identify other improvements, other than traffic, but improvements to the local area, and shouldn't the working Council lead on maybe identifying what those sorts of improvements could be, both for the current and the new residents, and those attending the schools, travelling to the station, all of that. So, maybe as like a coherent neighbourhood plan, perhaps using some of the sill funding from the strategic pot, if there is sufficient. Is that possible? Thank you. So, I'll just let you know, sorry, Councillor Baxter speaking again. I'm just getting the North here from our leader. So, I'm also a West Sussex County Council, Councillor, as you're aware, and West Sussex County Council, they would use Section 106 funding for that. It's not really something that would come from the sill funding pot itself. West Sussex County Council have an active travel plan, and they have been consulting on that. I don't know whether you put a submission in or whether residents, they have put a submission to the consultation there. But there are, you're right, there are other options available, like school streets program, some of the walking and cycling infrastructure plans that are done, but most of that is governed by the West Sussex County Council transport plan. Having said this, I'm more than happy as the Cabinet Member for Regeneration to write a representation to West Sussex County Council for that area. And perhaps after the meeting, we can follow this up together. I'm more than happy to put something together for you. Thanks. Thanks, Councillor Hunt. Thanks, Councillor Baxter. Okay. Any further members questions? There's a phone in question. No. Okay. So we're going to move on. So agenda item five, I have no items raised under urgency provision, I don't think. No, thank you. Excellent. So we're going to move to our first substantive item of business, which is agenda item six. And this is the 2025 to 2030 business plan. And 26, 27, and actually 25, 26, apologies, Councillor Ghana service fees for working, theatres and museums. So I'm going to ask Councillor Ghana to introduce this report for us, please. There we go. That's better. So I've got the Cabinet Lead for Culture and Leisure. And really pleased to have this report in front of you today. Just to remind people, the Wurthing Theatre's Museums was established as a charitable trust in November 2019. And it has a 25-year contract with Wurthing Borough Council. And the fees for the first five years were agreed at the start of the contract. And this period ends in March 2025 in a year's time. The contract requires that the next five years fees are agreed a year before, i.e. by the end of this March. And this should be accompanied by a business plan covering that period. So the Council was very conscious of the financial context and started negotiations in August last year. We've proposed that a fee for the first two years is agreed to allow further review of the financial position and the impact of Wurthing Theatre's and Museums' business plan. So the proposal is that the Wurthing Borough Council contribution is reduced by 10% over the next two years split equally each year. And the report summarises the business plan very succinctly. Wurthing Theatre's Museums undoubtedly contributes to the town in making it both a great place to live and to visit and financially directly through their activities, but also for other local businesses, especially hospitality. The Council, though, needs Wurthing Theatre's and Museums to reduce its reliance on the contract fee by developing its ability to secure external funding and increasing its own income. So the business plan includes further bid to the Arts Council for NPO status and targeted grants for audience development as well as increased membership, donations and sponsorship. So the business plan has been prepared by Wurthing Theatre's Museums and agreed with its Board of Trustees. And we have the first two years of the next five-year period and the remaining three years will be negotiated and agreed by March 2026 in two years time. So through our quarterly review meetings, we'll be monitoring performance and progress in achieving the additional income that will ensure we can agree a fee for the next three years that matches our ambitions for Wurthing Theatre's and Museums, but balances against the priorities of the Council and the financial situation at that time. Thank you, Chair. Grand, thank you, Councillor Garna. Are there any questions from anybody at this time? So I have a question if that's all right. While people are thinking, Councillor Garna, you talked about alternative funding arrangements for Wurthing Theatre's and Museums. I think it's fair to say we're all really keen to see them do well in that space. Are there particular funding streams that you're aware of that they may well be able to apply for, obviously, whether successful or not, is dependent on the bit? So I think one of the most important ones is the NPO status with Arts Council England, but they're actually working with people who have got a lot of experience in this area to actually develop a much more targeted fundraising strategy in order to be able to develop their audiences, as well as being able to have the exciting programme that they still have. So I'm confident that they have that as one of their top priorities, but as you say, they haven't got it yet, so it's yet to be proven, and I'm confident that they have that as a priority without doubt. Sorry, Councillor Garna, NPO, just partnership organisation. Thank you very much. And just as an aside, I went up to Ipswich recently to look at their council, and I think they actually have five NPOs in Ipswich. So I feel like they've got too many, really, and we need one of those, so that's good. Excellent, OK. So no questions, any comments from the committee at all? Councillor Coxe. Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Councillor Garna, for bringing this to the committee this evening. I think it's really important that we look kind of creative. I think it sounds like a sensible move, but also working with the theatres to make sure that they're looking at all options to kind of creatively move forward. And I think it's just another example of how we're working in the current financial situation. Thank you. Yeah, thanks, Councillor Coxe. Anyone else? Yeah, I think I just echoed that. I mean, it is financially – I mean, we all know this. We've said it a million times. They're financially very difficult times. That doesn't mean that we value arts and culture any less. In fact, if anything, we value it more, because it's incredibly important for people to be able to find imagination and hope in these spaces. We do need to make sure that we are encouraging and enabling all our partners, such as wedding theatres and museums, to look for those alternative funding sources. So, well done, Councillor Garna and team. I think that's a great piece of work. Okay, if no further comments, I'm going to move to the recommendations. I apologise. There are a few recommendations throughout this meeting, so please bear with my voice as I go. So, we are asked as a joint strategic subcommittee, or a subcommittee of the joint strategic committee, to approve the following. There are three things we're asked to approve. Once we approve a service fee, to work in theatres and museums, of £1,333,247 for 2025 to 2026, and £1,260,234 for 2026 to 2027. Secondly, agree that the remaining three years of the service fee will be negotiated and agreed before March 31, 2026, as Councillor Garna alluded to. And finally, welcome, Wurthing Theatre and Museum's five-year business plan, as a positive contribution toward enhancing Wurthing's cultural offer in accordance with Wurthing Theatre and Museum's contract with ourselves at the Council. Could I have a proposal for these recommendations, please? Could I see by way of show of hands committee, are we in agreement with this? And that is all of us, that's unanimous. Thank you very much. So, Agenda Item 7 moving swiftly on. We have a Community Infrastructure Levy neighbourhood fund, 2023 into 2024. So, I'm going to hand over to Councillor Walker to present the report, please. Yeah, thanks very much. So, this is a review of the CIL neighbourhood fund redesign that we embarked upon last year, but also it sets out the direction of travel for this year. For those who haven't encountered this, it was important to us last year to remodel the CIL neighbourhood fund so that we could broaden the allocation of money and groups who could benefit from this. Previously, it had been very much oriented towards physical infrastructure, but we also wanted to think about environmental infrastructure and social infrastructure as well. And so, as a result of that, we remodeled and redesigned the process. We also made it more participatory, so we wanted to make sure that residents and members and community groups that are rooted in places were involved in deciding where the money goes, because we trust our local community to be able to help us to make those decisions, because they work in the places that not all of us do as members. And it was a good process. We had a number of events. We invited organisations, community organisations to come along to. And there was two kind of big benefits to this. The first benefit is obviously being able to allocate the money to groups who are doing an amazing job in our town, but the second benefit is through the process, bringing those groups together and developing partnerships and capacity building. In the community and volunteer sector, which is something that emerged through these events. And so, we embarked upon this, and we ended up funding 45 projects, and I think to the tune of 577,000 pounds. As you can see from the papers, we've got on a range of projects now that are carrying out this work. Some of them have carried the work out, some of them are in progress, and some of the money has been allocated, and those projects are on the way to beginning. They have 18 months to do those projects. And we are in touch with all the projects supporting the way that we can. So, I think we did a celebration event in November, and I think it was well received. But at the same time, we don't want to rest on our laurels. We want to make sure that if there are ways that we can improve this process going forward this year that we do. And so, we're doing some consultation in March before we start the process of allocating money again. We're going to be talking to members who took part, but we're also going to talk into community groups who took part and get feedback. There may be ways that we can improve this process still. And we're always open to hearing that. We have a reduced pot this year to give out, and so it's going to be really important that we target it really carefully and supports the groups that are really kind of needing the most support. But I'm really encouraged, and I want to say thanks to the officers who worked incredibly hard and were very agile to be able to turn this process around so quickly and get that money out. But also to our community works who helped us administer this project and all of the community groups who did a great job. And the members actually across parties who were involved in selection panels and the allocation of money. So, we will be going forward this year with another round of this. And I guess the last thing to say is just to point out that this was the first kind of toe in the water of a much bigger, broader piece of work about how we engage and embody ourselves as a council for the community. And we're moving now towards a different model, a neighbourhood model. There's going to be much more participatory and much more about partnership. This was a step in that direction, and I think it was well received, but we're not complacent. And we're always looking for feedback on ways that we can improve as we go forward. But thanks to everybody who was involved, and please do share when the call goes out and the timeline goes out. If you know any community groups who are doing great work, let them know about this. Thanks. Great stuff. And I should say that Councillor Walker is the Deputy Leader and he has the portfolio for communities and young people. So, he's quite a busy fella. Okay, excellent. So, are there any questions for this agenda item? Councillor Cox. Thank you, Chair. And thank you, Councillor Walker. It's kind of a comment and a question. So, one of the comments is that this is probably one of my most favourite reports to read. I think, in fact, the huge thanks, the officers who put this together, seeing them all laid out and the project so clearly, and to see the variety and the breakdown of where all that money has gone, it's a really fantastic read. So, I do encourage anyone to read it because it's really to lay it all out like that and see the projects. It's been, yeah, really exciting to see what's going on. With the projects that are allocated, is there any kind of measure as to how far to progression they are? Are these going to be broken down any further as to how sort of deliverable they are? Which sort of progress, how far they are to completion or to in progress? There's not at the moment, or there is, there's a process that's happening where we're in constant contact with those groups. The tricky thing is they've got different reasons for being allocated but not necessarily have started. So, some of them depend on match funding, so they're waiting for the match funding to come in. Some of them are dependent because we were encouraging new groups to come forward and be a part of this, so they're developing their constitution so that they can then access the money. And some of the groups just require a bit of preparatory work. We don't have a process in place in terms of a rigid process because I'm not sure that a rigid process would be able to accommodate all of those. But actually, I take the point that being more, maybe what we could do this year is possibly be a bit more transparent about the state of those projects. So, I guess there's nothing else. There are people in those communities who are excited about this, know where they're going to be. So, I'll feed that back in when we do the consultation and if you're involved in it, Cascox, you know, make that point as well as a good point. Yeah, thank you, just to add to that. I think my interest is purely because of that. There's so many exciting projects that's kind of waiting to see when they're going to start. I've just been at the Keystone Centre today and met one of the recipients of it and they were starting them into health classes there. So, it's brilliant to see it already, sort of making an impact in the community. Fantastic, so I've got Councillor Weld and then Councillor Gorna. If everybody else wants to ask a question, please do stick your hands up. Thank you, thank you Chair. Yeah, following on from what Councillor Coxe said, really, just to note how many are in progress and how brilliant that is, but to swiftly follow on with that, to say that I went to visit the team up at Humber Avenue community allotments yesterday as I do. And I'm so excited and proud, I'm so proud of them. And just how, I mean the near completion, so Councillor Coxe, that one is near completion. But to see the raised beds that they've put in for accessible gardening to benefit people that would be excluded otherwise from that environment, the impact it's having on people's mental wellbeing and the fact that they're going from strength to strength up there. This has been so important to them. And I've seen it first hand, I've spoken to people that are utilising the space, it's brilliant. In turn, they're reaching out and lighting up with other community groups, the sand project taking full advantage, mind are up there as well. So the consequence of this £15,000 is, it reaches a lot further in time. And likewise, popping over to the friends of Whitebeam Wood and seeing the good stuff that they're doing up at Longhof Park as well. So just thoroughly applaud it and I'm excited to see the progress as it comes along. So thanks frequently. So that's great. I mean we could actually vote of best report of the night, couldn't we really? But there's a few contenders I think this evening, but this is not bad, this is pretty good. And Councillor Ghana. So you almost took what I was going to say because although I enjoyed reading all the reports in this lovely pack, this was the best. I think it's absolutely wonderful how the community have responded. But I was thinking about how could we share more widely the impact of last year's sale as a way of encouraging more groups to go forward. But also recognising that there's much less money this year. So were there any lessons around the focus of this year's sale funding? Is there any kind of guidance because there's less money about what you'd like people to apply for? Yeah, it's a really good point. At this stage, there isn't, but that's partly because we haven't yet consulted. And so what I'm keen to do before we make any sort of before we kind of go down that route and think look are there are there ways that we need to be more targeted is to listen to the members and to listen to the groups themselves who who've been involved in it. And I think I think once we go through that consultation process, I suspect we're going to get quite a few ideas and then there'll be a point where we can sit down and think do we do we need to think a little bit differently given we've got roughly a third of the funds. I think that will happen, but it will probably happen after that consultation stage. In terms of the groups themselves, there is an evaluation process we'll be doing at the end of each of the projects with each of the groups. It's relatively light touch, but it gives us enough information on the scale of the impact, not just in terms of how they've impacted their communities, but also how they've, as Council well said, how they've started to form and work with other groups. And we will definitely be finding ways to really try and celebrate that and promote it. Grant and I note that one of our recommendations is to consider the opportunity for yourself, Councillor Walker, to make these decisions at a public meeting to increase visibility as to how they're made. So that sounds like that's all to the good. Any further questions? No, so we've moved into such as the way with politicians, we've moved into the sort of comments and debate session already. Are there any further comments or matters for debate on this agenda item? I can't see any further hands, so if that's okay, I'm going to move to the recommendations. And again, there are a few, so bear with me. So we are firstly asked to continue with the same program and governance structure used in 2023. And as Councillor Walker outlined, invite a participatory review to inform minor amendments with officers, ward members and community stakeholders in March. So now, essentially, gosh, okay. And that's detailed for those of you who've got the papers in paragraph 4.1. And secondly, to approve the proposed 2024 funding program timetable, and as Councillor Walker was outlined, there is less funding where that doesn't mean that it can't do mighty things. And that's detailed in the papers in paragraph 4.2. And then as a committee, we are asked to note the wider need to for things. Firstly, recognize that for the 2024 funding round, it is estimated that around £200,000 will be available to groups. And just to be clear, that's less than one third of the amount available that was available in 2023. And the details of this are in paragraph 4.3. Secondly, to begin scoping on potential changes to the 2025 funding round later in 2024. More details in paragraph 4.4 on this. Thirdly, review any projects identified by officers as being at risk of not being delivered. 4.5 to read more of that paragraph 4.5. And finally, consider the opportunity, as I said, for the cabinet member for communities and young people to make their decision as a public meeting to increase visibility. And there's more details on that in paragraph 4.6. So, could I have a proposal for these recommendations, please? Well done, Councillor Walker, excellent. Can I have a seconder, please? Thank you, Councillor Baxter. Team, can I see by way of show of hands, are we in agreement with these recommendations? And Councillor Walker, oh, yeah, yeah, hands up, excellent. All right. If you want. Okay. So that's unanimous. Thank you so much. And that's carried. Right. So, agenda item 8, we're moving on to the Worthy Community Infrastructure Level Infrastructure Investment Plan. So, different to the Community Seal Fund. And that is for 2023 to 2026. Councillor Baxter was alluding to it earlier when she was replying to Councillor Hunt. So, I'm now going to ask Councillor Baxter to introduce this report, please. Thank you, Chair. The report itself is explanatory, and I'm happy to present the paper this evening detailing the updated Worthy Seal Infrastructure Investment Plan, IIP, for the years 23 to 26. The plan has been worked on, instead, by officers and Councillors, members from the soil board, and it outlines our strategy for allocating the Community Infrastructure Level, also known as sil funds, to support our borough's growth and development. So, since inception of the Sil Fund in 2015, Worthy and Borough Council has had responsibility of managing the funds to ensure they're directed towards crucial infrastructure projects. And the purpose of this report is to provide an update on the progress made by the Sil Board in updating the infrastructure investment plan for the upcoming three-year period. The recommendations are two-fold. Firstly, they're to note the progress made in governance arrangements for overseeing the sil, and secondly, to agree upon the IIP or Infrastructure Investment Plan, which will delineate the priorities for infrastructure projects receiving sil funding from 2023 to 2026. The sil regulations of 2010 grant us the authority to impose charges on developments, just so everybody knows where the money comes from, to contribute towards the infrastructure required to sustain growth. So, as stewards of these funds, we recognise the challenges that are ahead. So, while sil is a valuable resource, it alone cannot meet all of our infrastructure needs. Therefore, it's vital that we use the Board to establish a clear and justified process for the allocation and how we prioritise the funds. Central to the process is the sil board itself, and that comprises of officers and members from both Wetheringborough Council and West Sussex County Council. So, it's a collaborative effort, and it ensures that governance around the sil spend is robust and transparent, and priorities remain at the forefront of any allocations. The strategic allocation of sil receipts is shared. 70% is dedicated to strategic projects that benefit the Council priorities, and the remaining 30% is allocated for the neighbourhood funding and some administrative costs. The distribution reflects our commitment to addressing borough-wide and localised needs. Looking ahead, the 23 to 26 IIP underscores our commitment to sustainable growth in the face of climate crises, so priority areas as highlighted on page 111, I think it is. They include sustainable travel and transport, climate resilience, which aligns with our overarching and projectives of creating a sustaining affair, green and local wording. Key infrastructure projects have been identified, ranging from walking and cycling improvements to coastal protection and public space regeneration. These projects are selected based on their tangible benefits to the community and their alignment with our strategic objectives. As we move forward, engagement and communication remain paramount. The IIP has undergone rigorous consultation with the county and borough council officers, and of course the board members' councillors, ensuring that it does reflect the collective vision for the borough's future, whilst remaining within the financial constraints. In conclusion, the sil infrastructure investment plan, it's a mouthful, isn't it? 23 to 26 represents our commitment to prudent stewardship of the resources and the strategic investments in the borough's infrastructure. By adopting this plan, we do confirm and reaffirm our priorities to allocate funding that supports sustainable growth and prosperity within the financial constraints given by the fund. And I think Paige, if you're going to look at the reports and you don't want to read the whole thing, page 111 details the projects that we've prioritised. Thank you. Grand, thank you, Councillor Baxter. Yeah, so that table on page 111 is really useful. This may be my second favourite report of the night, because I can see the cycle wave from Georgia that they have me to see lane on there. Yes! Okay, so that makes me very excited. Are there any questions for this report, please? No? Okay, so I'm going to throw it open for debate or comments, feedback. I think it's exciting. Cyclones are exciting, come on, Councillor Coxe. Cyclones are exciting, go for it. I'm also excited about this report to see the climate change priorities put into the strategy. I think it's another example of our golden thread that we're always talking about, about pulling it as a child priority. But I think it's also really useful just to highlight the differences between the community and the structure levy as we've got the neighbourhood fund as well as the strategic part. So it kind of explains, it's quite an interesting report to read through and see how it's all split out. So, yeah, I enjoyed reading the report and seeing the climate projects, the groins project and the cycle lanes and all of the commitments that we need to hit on at zero targets. I think it was a really useful report. Agreed, Councillor Wells. Yeah, again, just to hit me to the post there with the groins. The coastal defence work, I mean, we've been in meetings where we've discussed the need for as much funding as possible to certainly remediate the, you know, the state of the most desperate. I mean, they're at the end of life, basically, and while we're waiting for the Environment Agency to do their good stuff and work up that bigger, larger project, there is more we know we have to be doing locally to prevent sort of ingress and flooding and that is the point of defence. So I'm really excited that sensible money is coming at it from a number of different angles, so thanks. Absolutely. Any further comments or thoughts? No, so just to say again, the table on 111 summarises this plan. And as Councillor Baxter pointed out, this is the part of the cell fund. It's the 70% of the cell fund that's going into this plan, and 30% is going into the community neighbourhood. And we are obviously dependent on the receipts coming in from developments. So when I saw this, I was like, amazing. And then Councillor Baxter went, we've got to get the money in first. Councillor Kate Bursa, I was like, okay, that's good. So this is projected income from developments, but it's great to see it. And as Councillor Coxe pointed out, these are the golden threads. For me, health and well-being around sustainable travel and also the climate crises and coastal protection, they all integrate nicely. So if there are no further comments, I am just going to read out the recommendations. Short and sweet, we are recommended to note the progress made by the Community Infrastructure Levy Board in relation to governance arrangements for overseeing the Community Infrastructure Levy. And secondly, to agree, the Infrastructure Investment Plan, IIP, which will set out the priorities of infrastructure projects to receive cell funding over the next three years. And that's 2023 to 2026. So could I get a proposal for these recommendations, please? Councillor Baxter, lovely. Could I get a second? Councillor ALLAN, thank you very much. Can I see by way of Sheriff Hand's team, are we in agreement with these recommendations? Absolutely, Councillor TELLY has put down his tea to raise his hand, so we are in. We are absolutely all in accord. It's unanimous motion carried. And the item like, oh, Councillor TELLY, you put your tea down just in time because it's you. So I think sort of in the spirit of strictly come dancing, this is my favourite report because it always gets, you know, you get short changes, don't you, everybody goes, oh, no, another finance report. So here we go, Councillor TELLY, this is your moment to shine. It's the third quarter capital investment programme projects monitoring 2023, 2024, incredibly important because this is the money that allows us to do stuff. So please introduce the report. Thank you. So I'm John Turley and I am the cabinet member for resources, which includes finance and property. This is a finance report. So this is the third quarter capital programme monitoring report. And in the wonderful world of local government, the third quarter is October to December. It took me a while to get my head around that, but that's the third quarter in our world. I'd like to thank the finance team for the report, which once again is very clearly laid out. Now, despite challenges, 14 schemes or projects have been completed by December, and more will be completed by the end of this month. And as I said, the end of this month is the end of the current financial year, so more projects will be completed by then, some indeed have. And I'm sure Councillor Wells will want to comment on the recent completion of one of our high profile, 10 centre projects. And I believe Councillor Baxter has an update for us on the works at Buckingham Road Car Park. The general challenges I referred to have been with us for a while and are still there. And according delays to a number of schemes, in particular supply issues, inflation, and our own internal staff shortages. Consequently, a number of schemes, totaling over £17 million, have been moved back or re-profiled to the next financial year. These are detailed in Appendix 2. There's a long list of them. But it should be noted that the amount of £17 million include some large items, such as almost £6 million for the Strategic Property Investments Fund. But since this report was produced, or since the end of the year, half of that has been allocated to cover increased costs for the Wurthing Integrated Care Centre or WIC. So half of that actually isn't being re-profiled. 2.7 million of the re-profiled amount is for the exciting new plans for Montague Place, which are progressing nicely. 1.4 million of the re-profiled figure is for the acquisition and development of emergency and temporary accommodation as we're looking for new schemes. Finally, I'd just like to thank the teams who are continuing to deliver projects, our capital program projects, in very difficult circumstances. Thank you. Excellent, Councillor Turley. Thank you very much. And are there questions for this report, please? Councillor Wells. Thank you, Chair. Yeah, it's not the question. It's more of a correction actually in the report if that's best fit here. And so on page 139, sorry, 5.1.2, with reference to the fabulous new High Street Public Conveniences, which you should be included in 5.1.5 because it has been completed, so it can join the ranks of those deliverables as well. Thank you. Well, that's a lovely correction, Councillor Wells. Happy days. So I never thought I'd be quite so excited about toilets as I've been inside the game leader of the Council, but I'm so delighted that they are referred. That's absolutely fantastic and we all know how important that is in order for residents to go out and have a lovely day out and not worry about where the toilets are and what state they're in, and Councillor Wells wants to say something else, go for it. Well, thank you, just to reiterate, thanks to the teams that helped to completely redesign the scheme. They're colloquially known as the Guildborn Centre Loos for Wurthingites. On the toilet tour that I conducted with officers, when we first came into administration, they were the worst offending on the list. And so I'm just thrilled that they have been completely gutted, redesigned and refitted. So we've got individual self-contained cubicles now we have, for the first time, a really sizable parent changing space, an even larger accessible loo and a changing place facility to enable residents and visitors to really enjoy the nightlife locally without having to worry that there's no suitable footage for them. So 100% improved, thanks to the teams again for that, thank you. Outstanding, yeah, thank you, teams, and I love the fact that you're going toilet tours. I'm sure the officers just delighted, just like maybe we should like advertise it and see if other people want to join you. That's fantastic. Are there any further questions? No, so if no further questions, are any comments, or sorry, Councillor Baxter. Okay, yeah, Councillor Baxter is going to give an update, go for it. Yes, sorry, Councillor Baxter, Cabinet Member for Regeneration. And yes, Councillor Turley's sharp eye noticed that there was no mention of Buckingham Car Park. So I will give another update about Buckingham Car Park, and it was just to say how much of a challenge it has been this year. It has been subject to a series of financial pressures and delays due to lead times and sourcing of materials. If you remember, the original design could not be completed because of financial pressures, it went way over budget. So the redesigned mesh that's on order now has a lead time for delivery. We anticipate opening in June, but all of the teams and the officers are working together as hard as they can to try and expedite the appearance of the materials for fitting. And if we can get it on any quick, we will. Thank you. Fantastic. Thanks, Councillor Baxter. So that's Turley's and Car Park's we now get excited about, which is just a whole new world, but it's going to be fantastic to see that open again. Okay, so that's updates, corrections, questions, any further comments or points for debate from the team? Nope. Okay, so we will move to the recommendations. And we are asked to approve two things. Oh, no, we're asked to approve one thing and we're asked to note the reprofiling of Wurthingborough Council capital schemes. As set out by Councillor Turley and as advised in paragraph 6.1, if you've got the papers and appendix two. And secondly, we're asked to approve the changes to the current schemes. Again, I'll set out by Councillor Turley and also to be seen in section 6.2 of the report. Could I have a proposal for these recommendations, please? Thank you, Councillor Turley. Could I have a seconder, please? Thank you, Councillor Garna. Can I see by way of sure of Hans team, are we all in agreement with these recommendations? Fantastic. So that motion is carried unanimously and we're moving on to agenda item 10. Okay, I always take a breath when I say this particular phrase, but here we go. It is the freehold land sale of Tevelgate to Holmes, England. So, Councillor Baxter, are you ready to introduce this report? All yours. Thank you, Chair. So, thank you for the opportunity to share the report on Tevelgate this evening. As everyone is aware, Tevelgate has faced its fair share of challenges. Most definitely under the previous Conservative administration. Tevelgate is a site with immense potential as where things gateway, but it's also filled with huge complexities for redevelopment. It's been in a state of vacancy and left derelict for almost two decades with empty promises for far too long. But now it's time to change this and it's time to progress the site. The previous administration repurchased the site for £7 million in 2021 after a series of failed deliveries and projects. You will see from the report that there were previous intentions for the site, but unlike the offer that is set before us this evening, there was little to no difference from previous offers that had been accepted over the years and remained undelivered. So, as mentioned before, the complexities of the site make it look a great opportunity, but often it's the barrier to getting the site regenerated. The report before us this evening outlines a positive and a beneficial offer, one that is a pivotal and a historic opportunity for the future of wearing. Following months of negotiations with Holmes England, we have now received an offer that will transform the site into a vibrant, thriving community assets. Holmes England recognising the strategic significance of the site has confirmed an offer for £5.1 million for the unconditional freehold sale of Teblegate. There are huge benefits from wearing from this offer and I'm just going to outline a few of them. Firstly, there is the immediate capital receipt, so the sale of Teblegate to Holmes England will provide an immediate injection of funds to the council. The receipt will significantly reduce the debt associated with the Teblegate purchase and it will provide relief from interest payments and other financial obligations. Secondly, there's the savings of interest. By securing the capital receipt, the council stands to save approximately £850,000 in interest payments over the course of the next three years. This reduction in interest costs contributes to the overall financial health of the council and potentially free funds for other critical projects and ongoing initiatives. The third benefit is a reduction in minimum revenue provision, M.R.P. charge. This annual charge which sets aside funds for the repayment of debt will decrease over time as a result of the capital receipt. So over the assumed asset life of 50 years, the M.R.P. charge will decrease and that will provide long-term financial relief to the council. The offer also allows for the retention of parking income. That's detailed in the report, so during the leaseback period, Withingborough Council will retain the income generated from the HMRC public car park and that amounts to approximately £100,000 per annum. This ongoing revenue stream will help offset costs associated with the site and provides additional financial stability to the council during that transition period. There are also financial and community benefits of meanwhile use. The report highlights the potential for generating income through meanwhile use of the technical rate site prior to its development. By actively seeking and agreeing to partnerships for temporary use, the council can generate additional revenue streams and from meanwhile use activities such as events or temporary installations and the community will benefit from an activation of the site for public participation and community use. We expect the relationship with Holmes England to deliver more than just housing and we're looking forward to a productive partnership with them. They're committed to delivering the site and they are set apart from other developers by their desire to invest not just in property and land, but also to invest in people and place. They're committed to bringing social value to their projects and I'm pleased that they've chosen Withing as one of the sites to deliver. Should the offer be accepted, I'm very much looking forward to working with them. The offer isn't just about the monetary value, there are financial benefits, but it's also about revitalising our community and committing to our principles of a fair, green and local regeneration of Withing. Holmes England anticipates delivering around 250 homes in a development that prioritizes successful placemaking and delivery. This means creating high quality homes, fostering thriving spaces and intervening where the market has continued to fail. It aligns with our priorities of genuinely affordable housing, sustainable development and enhancing our public spaces. Holmes England's approach offers a unique opportunity for Withing. Their involvement not only expedites development, but it also ensures a greater proportion of the uplifting value is reinvested into the scheme which benefits our communities directly. It's as near a guarantee as we can get for delivery of the regeneration of this site and we're very pleased that we've received an offer that the town can be both confident in the delivery of and reassured of the standards of. I would like to thank the place and economy team for all of their hard work in bringing the site to this crucial stage. So I urge members to approve the recommendations in the report this evening. This decision aligns with our tireless drive and vision to regenerate sites across the town and it represents a crucial step towards realising its full potential. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Baxter. Are there any questions? Yes, come on forward. If you can use the microphone there, and state who you are and perhaps what ward that you live in, that would be amazing. Thank you. Okay, Anthony Squires, I live in Heen Ward. I've just been flicking through Vancouver just beforehand. Holmes England, could you tell us a bit more about who Holmes England are and what, if any, similar developments to this they've done in the past? Thank you. So Holmes England are the government's delivery on the delivery arm of the government for house building and they are redeveloping sites similar to this sites that have failed up and down the country. There are a lot of developers, you've probably seen it on the news, who are going into administration or struggling to complete projects at the moment, and they are doing extremely well, great job of stepping in, rescuing those sites and delivering projects that directly benefit communities. And that's a real great thing for wording, to be fair. I think we can all agree that Tablegate is a project that has had many a broken promise and I have been on social media recently and there are lots of people saying, Oh, nothing's going to happen again. But I think Holmes England, it's time for us to work with them as partners and make sure that we're committed as they are to regeneration of Tablegate. Thank you. Great, thanks for the questions, any further questions? No further questions? Okay, so I'm going to open it up for debates and comments. Councillor Walker. Yeah, I'm really welcome to this report. I moved to wording in 2006, only 20 years ago, and the 20-year history of Tablegate has been like a long dull exercise in political satire with lots and lots of unfeasible projects promised and then not delivered. And it's a key, if you talk to people, residents in many wards, it comes up as something that people have been wanting to see delivered in the town for a long time. To see the way that we are going about it isn't just realistic, it isn't just feasible in terms of delivery, but that focus on placemaking and social value, which is inherent in Holmes England, which is the direction that all good development should be moving in, is really, really encouraging. So this doesn't just look to me like a realistic and deliverable and feasible project, but it looks like it's been done in the right way. So I would just sort of, I obviously support this and congratulate our team, Councillor Baxter, and our officers on bringing this to committee. Grand, Councillor Wells. Oh, Councillor Wells, we should say you're the Cabinet Member for Environment. Thank you, thank you, Chair. Yes, I'm the Cabinet Member for the Environment's portfolio. Oh, sorry, thank you for leaning into it. Yes, thank you for bringing the paper, Councillor Baxter. I'm excited about this one, because the sustainable development aspect of this, and this has gone, how many meetings have we raffled around and we've said no, not quite there yet, it needs to be greener, it needs to be more sustainable, we need to be looking at water capture, all the good stuff we know has to happen. And it's a real opportunity for us to show moving forward how serious we are about urban greening, so trees, water capture, sustainable drainage, and the best we can make of it, basically, to move forward. So thank you. Fantastic. Further comments? Councillor Cox. Yeah, thank you, Chair, and just say I'm the Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency. I also echo the comments that are made by Councillor Wells. Seeing something sustainable on this site is going to be fantastic, and the fact that we've been able to get a deal that is deliverable I think is the key part. I grew up in the town, I remember being dragged along to the Lonely Comet store that used to be on the site for a long time to get our washing machines, and it was lonely then, so it's going to be fantastic to get something onto this site. And I think the good news is that I think Holmes England is something that's secure, that we can be confident in, and I think, as you say, I've sat on the Planning Committee briefly, but we see how many developments are undeliverable in the current climate, so I think this is something that we can be confident that's going to get delivered, and I think that's a key part of what we said when we were going to come into administration, so well done to everyone involved. Grand. Further comments? Yeah, Councillor Waller. Who I should say is our Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing. And community safety. Excellent. So my comment is I really welcome this as well. Holmes England are really strong in their development. From what I've seen from previous projects from my community safety position, they're really good at developing designs which design out crime, and that is something we really need to be focusing on as we move forward with our generation projects. So that's it, well done, everyone, for that one. Grand. Any further comments? Mr. Randall, so Mr. Randall, who's sitting down there quietly, and he's our Director for Place, and he's apparently allegedly retiring, allegedly. I mean, I'm not convinced that's going to happen, but I think he is. So I think at this juncture, I'm going to take the opportunity to say many thanks, because not that Mr. Randall is sort of in any way in my head, in trickling it next to Tevelgate. Every time I think of Tevelgate, I think of Mr. Randall going, It will get done, I'm going to do this. So I think as a retirement present, we'll get you another present as well, don't worry. But I think the fact that yourself with your team, with Mr. Morgan sitting over there and others, that you've brought this paper with Councillor Baxter this evening, is testament to your hard work and dedication and passion to the borough over the years, and as I say, we'll get you a proper present, don't worry. But I don't think this is bad, Mr. Randall, that you are allegedly retiring, and leaving us with this excellent legacy where Tevelgate, as my colleagues have said, so eloquently has been a bit of an albatross around the neck of this fabulous town, and it's about time we took it off and started thriving. So I think it was all right, we're going to give you a big round of applause and say thank you very much. Is there anything you would like to say, Mr. Randall? Just for once, I'm lost for words. Just to say thank you, I think as a collective Councillors and officers alike, we've really teamed this, and it's just been fantastic to be part of that team. And now, you know, let's see, Tevel, I am somewhat older than Councillor Cox, as you may have spotted. I also visited Comet and the store before Comet, and yes, we've all seen sadly, you know, what happens when you know you attempt to put the wrong development in the wrong place, where they deserve something so much better, and let's hope we can get there, but thank you so much, it's some of your kind words. Thank you, Mr. Randall, I do say allegedly retiring because, you know, you've not gotten yet, and you know, there's loads of work to do. Are there any further comments or thoughts? No, so without further ado, I'm going to move to some very welcome recommendations, and we are asked, as the Worthing Subcommittee of the Joint Strategic Committee, to approve, firstly, an unconditional freehold sale of Tevel Gate to Holmes England, and continue to work in partnership with Holmes England to develop this critical site. Secondly, we're asked to delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Regeneration Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, to negotiate and enter into the legal documentation required to affect legal completion of the sale of Tevel Gate to Holmes England. And finally, we're asked to delegate authority to the Assistant Directors for Placement Economy and Regenerative Development in consultation, again with the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, to seek and agree to a suitable meanwhile use as a priority for the site, aligned to Council objectives to utilise the site during the lease-back period. Kids, I get a proposal for these recommendations, please. Thank you, Councillor Baxter. Kids, I get the seconder. Everybody, right, I'm going to go with Councillor Wells for the records, fantastic. Kids, I see by way of show of hands, are we in agreement with these recommendations? And that is unanimous. Hallelujah, Tevel Gate, you may move forward, fantastic. I want to give another round of applause. Off we go. Brilliant, fantastic, strong content for excellent reports of the night. Right, agenda item 11, selective licensing scheme for wording, another fantastic report, Councillor Taylor Beal, who is our excellent Cabinet Member for Housing and Citizen Services. Would you please present the report? Thank you. Thank you. I didn't realise that we were in competition for report of the night. We really are Councillor Taylor Beal's. I'm going to give thanks to Bruce Reynolds for what I think is about to be the report of the night, because while I'm bringing you tonight, I see as a genuine good news story for the residents of our town. The purpose of the report is to demonstrate whether Council's ambition to better protect our citizens by tackling poor standards in private sector homes. The proposal is to develop a selective licensing scheme that will enable our private sector housing team to take a targeted and proactive approach in the areas where the data informs us is most needed. Tonight we seek confirmation that members support commencement to a public consultation on the outline proposals. So to give you some context, the private sector housing team already used their powers to drive up standards in the private sector in our town by making landlords carry out improvements where these are necessary and by licensing houses in multiple occupations. However, there's limits on our finances and resources that mean they're currently only able to act on a proactive basis. Our recent homelessness needs assessment showed that 22% of homes in Whirthing are privately rented, which is a whole 3% higher than the southeast average. Additionally, the stock is not spread evenly throughout the town, with central and heme wards holding 40%. If you then include Selden, over half of the private rental stock in Whirthing is situated within three small and concentrated wards at the front and center of our town. The data also suggests that these same wards have the highest number of category one hazards, which are the most serious in terms of health and wellbeing, as well as the most houses in multiple occupations. Furthermore, our internal data shows that the highest numbers of complaints relating to property condition come from people living in central and heme. This is certainly something that Caroline, Rosie and I can attest to as councillors in this room who represent those wards. The houses may look stunning from the front, but very often when the door is opened, it's quite a different story behind. Having lower than average levels of social housing in Whirthing means that there's a chronic shortage of affordable housing and some landlords have definitely capitalised on the shortage of available properties to rent by offering dangerous and substandard accommodation and often charge in the absolute earth for it. So it's our statutory duty under the Housing Act of 2004 to keep the housing conditions in our town under review and to identify when action should be taken. We also have a duty to inspect any properties that we believe may have category one hazards. These, for example, would be things like hold, damp, mould, and if necessary, to take enforcement action. So what's selective licensing going to give us? Under part three of the Housing Act, we have the powers to designate areas for selective licensing to tackle issues such as poor property conditions and high levels of deprivation. And research has shown that other local authorities with schemes already in operation considered them to be at least fairly effective in tackling one or more of the issues that the licensing was introduced to address. In Whirthing, selective licensing will be a great tool to transition us from a reactive to a proactive approach to improving the standard of homes in the areas that we know need it the most. And the result will be a simple to define offence. Does the property have a license or not? And if not, it's very likely then that the landlord's hiding other wrongdoing. In such cases, it would give us additional powers to not have to give the 24 hours notice before inspection and this could be vital for catching some of our worst offenders. Overall, a proactive approach is likely to bring wider issues to our attention, and the scheme itself will help improve awareness among landlords in terms of their responsibilities to their tenants. So as well as responding reactively to reports of substandard rental accommodation, our officers are also doing all they can to identify licenseable HMOs, their houses of multiple occupancy. Licenseable HMOs are those where there are five or more people from two or more households sharing facilities. The selective license scheme will require all HMOs to be licensed regardless of size, and would also include section 257 properties where a building is being converted into self-contained flats that did not comply with appropriate building standards. For all these reasons, I believe the proposed general selective licensing scheme will be the best way for us to identify and improve all types and sizes of accommodation in these three wards. It's important to note though that the properties led by private registered providers of social housing, so like housing associations, for example, or local authorities are exempt from the licensing requirements, though we can still use our enforcement powers when required. Small note on enforcement in the new financial year at some time will look to bring a paper to this committee that will clearly set out robust and transparent enforcement policies to complement our commitment to driving up these standards. Despite the limited number of staff that our private sector housing team have, they have achieved a level of enforcement activity that exceeds the national average in respect of housing conditions, and that really is a testament to their dedication to protecting our citizens. However, many tenants are not aware that a council can even help them if they live in a private rental property, and those who do know they might be too scared to tell us for fear of being evicted, so we know the problem is probably far greater than we're currently aware. Should we approve the recommendations of this report tonight, then it would be a statutory requirement to embark on a minimum 10-week consultation process to consider the need for the cast and scope of the scheme, as well as the proposed conditions and potential consequences. Following this, approval will need to be sought from the relevant sector of state. The scheme would then be able to commence from three months after the approval was granted. In terms of fees, in principle, the revenue generated from each license will offset the associated cost of administrating the scheme, and so in conclusion, a legitimate concern about this scheme could be that it will cause landlords to sell up rather than purchase a license. But the proposed cost of a license is working out to be as low as £20 a month, so one would hope that decent landlords will see this scheme for what it is, something really important, giving a little bit of power back to the actual tenants and see it as something that they would be proud to comply with, and quite frankly, those that aren't interested in complying with, they need to get gone. So thank you very much for the opportunity to bring such a good news story. I'm really hopeful that we can get this through, that we can get approval, like don't even get me started on why we need to ask permission to do this, and that we can get going with this great work. Outstanding. Thank you so much, Councillor Taylor-Bill, and thank you to the housing team. I can see Mr Reynolds at that. Thank you so much, Mr Jarvis there. Thank you very much. Are there any questions for this item? No questions? Okay, in that case I'll open it up for debate or comments, Councillor Walker. Yeah, I just want to also reiterate the thanks to Mr Reynolds and to our housing team for the work that they've done, not just on this, but over the last two years, and also embarrassed Councillor Taylor-Bill. If you look over the last two years, whether it's the removal of council tax restriction or second homes council tax change, the development of our working housing needs, the housing conference that focused on working with ethical developers to bring our vision for a fair green town, the development of our ethical debt collection policy and now selective licensing. It is a seriously impressive kind of work over the last two years to take a values driven ethical humane approach to housing and putting the needs of the most vulnerable at the heart of everything we do. So I just want to take a moment to say thank you to our officers, but also particularly to Councillor Taylor-Bill for that amazing work of the last two years. Yeah, here, here to that. I think we're going to round of applause again. Yeah, and for those of you that don't know, Councillor Taylor-Bill is actually stepping down at the next election. We don't just all the way, we all don't always say thank you to each other all the time, you know, not all the time. So she is stepping down and as Councillor Walker points out, she has done an outstanding job in this portfolio. Do you want to say something, Councillor Taylor-Bill? Yeah, go for it. Yeah, if I can, thank you. I wasn't expecting that, but I really do appreciate it. It really has been an honour to be able to keep coming to this table with such positive schemes, but genuinely it does feel like I'm plagiarising the hard work of the officers, but I would also like, I hope to fairly position it, that we have consistently worked together as a team to sort of bring these initiatives that we all believe will make a difference. So whilst I might be front and centre of it, you know, the work's going on and people are working really, really hard, but it's been such a pleasure to be able to represent that work, so thank you, everybody. Fab, thank you so much, and I believe we've still got a full Council to embarrass you further in, so that's good. And so back to, are there any questions on this agenda item? Nope, and comments and queries and debate points to start with the Councillor Walker. Anything further? Councillor Weltz, please. Yes, thank you, just to say, thanks for bringing the paper. It is an absolutely, it's a smasher, isn't it, this evening. It really impresses on everyone the huge need to ensure that accommodation is safe for residents. And the fact that it's picked straight out right in the category hazards is just, you know, it's fundamental that this happens to make sure that residents are safe in private rented accommodation on our patch, so thank you, thanks to the team. Thanks, Councillor Weltz. Councillor Turley. Yes, I also welcome this paper. One thing that I've experienced more since I became a Councillor is entering properties where, you know, the real serious health issues in particular dampened. Mold and, you know, there are a number of, you know, private landlords out there who, you know, I mean, if they were to go and the paper says it here, if they were to go, the property would still be there. And, you know, as you say, in the paper, the house and stock, I think, would be better off, you know, without these, these real landlords, so I do welcome this. Thank you. Thanks, Councillor Turley. Councillor Garner. I think we've got such a difficult housing situation in the southeast, but in working especially. And if this change makes a difference to a few families, a few individuals, then it's absolutely worth it. I think one of the most heartbreaking things and difficult things we have to do is the case work when people are in living situations that they really can't do anything about. So, you know, I have, there's lots of things that are very wrong with our legislative system around housing, but this may be something that actually helps people, a tiny bit, or a few people, and it's worth it. Councillor, thanks, Councillor Garner. Any further comments? No, so, yeah, I would absolutely just echo what's been said and just saying that, you know, quite often I'll write to Mr. Reynolds and say, I've had this case work or I've had that case work. What do you think? And as you've said, if this allows Mr. Reynolds and other members of the team to, you know, act with more authority to make things better, then that's absolutely fantastic, because they do a great job within the powers that they already have. So, I'm absolutely happy to, to allow further powers to improve as Councillor Garner's, and then to say the housing stock here, it's so important for people's health and wellbeing. Okay, so, if there are no further comments, we are asked to approve a few things. So, here we go. So, firstly, actually, firstly, we're asked to note the contents of the report and agree, as Councillor Taylor be able to set it out, to commence a public consultation on the introduction of a selective licensing scheme within Worthing. Secondly, we're asked to delegate to the Director for Housing and Communities in consultation with a Cabinet Member for Housing and Citizen Services to firstly, scope out a fully-costered, selective licensing scheme in Worthing, as set out in this report relating to heans, central and seldom wards. Secondly, subject to this proposal being cost-neutral and viable, as approved by the Council's Chief Finance Officer, officers to then develop and deliver the consultation process. And thirdly, subject to this scheme being determined as viable to report back to this committee following the consultation for further consideration and authorities to proceed in principle with an application to the Secretary of State to implement the scheme subject for Council approval. Excellent. So, can I seek a proposal for these recommendations, please? Thank you, Councilor Taylor Beale. Can I have a seconder for these? Council, who have you all had, totally, thank you very much. Can I see by where the show of hands, are we all in agreement with these recommendations? Yes, unanimously. Motion carried. Thank you very much. Excellent. So, agenda item 12, it just keeps coming. We are now on to a successful public sector decarbonisation scheme, Phase 3C bids, very specific. So, Councilor Cox, as she has alluded to already, is our Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency. Could you please introduce the report to Councilor Cox? Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Yep, I'm very pleased to be presenting this report tonight, in another bid for report of the night, to update on the successful public sector decarbonisation scheme bid for Phase 3C. It's fantastic news that thanks to our hard-working officers, we've now secured an additional £5.6 million of further funding to extend the connections to the new Worthing Heat Network to now include Splashpoint and the Pavilion Theatre and replace their current fossil-fueled heating systems. The bid means the match funding requirement from the Council has been reduced, and it's proposed we allocate £250,000 of this reduction to take some necessary preemptive maintenance to the upper levels of the High Street multi-storey car park. This will reduce the Council's ongoing maintenance liability for the car park site, and means the work can now be done before the air source heat pumps are installed there as part of the project that Hemaco is delivering. It's recommended an increase to the capital program of £2.98 million is approved to be fully funded from the additional grants. Funding is also secured for energy efficiency measures, control upgrades, renewable electricity generation technologies, metering and heat network connection costs, and also contingency for the heat network project. Once complete, the works made to all seven of the now included buildings will mean over 900 tonnes of carbon will be saved from the town annually, helping decarbonisation targets from not only Wurthing Borough Council, but now also South Downs' leisure and Wurthing Theatre some museums. This will all help us on our journey to net zero as a Council by 2030 and as a borough by 2045. Fantastic, that is a strong contender for the report of the evening. I feel that we're going to have a 9-way tie here, I suspect, or 13-14-way tie. Okay, so that's excellent. Are there any questions for this report, please? I can't see any hands, so I'm going to open it up for comments or points for debate. You've stunned everybody into silence, Councillor Coxe, which is fantastic. So, I think I should just say that this is fantastic news and we should very much acknowledge not only the hard work of Councillor Cox, but Mr. Brewer sitting there pretending to be the Chief Executive in a very convincing way, well done, Mr. Brewer, and for his great hard work and also your team. He's done a fantastic job with this and it's great to see it moving forward in terms of addressing our climate emergency and sustainable energy. It's absolutely amazing, so great stuff and very pioneering and innovative. So, if there are no further comments or points for debate, I'm going to move to the recommendations, and there are three. So, we are firstly asked to recommend Council to approve and increase the general fund capital program budget of £2,980,230, to be funded by additional Public Sector Decarbonisation and Heat Network Delivery Unit grant funding. Secondly, to approve the use of the 175,000 Heat Network Delivery Unit funding to support the procurement and contract work associated with the projects, and for those of you that have got the papers, that's at 4.1. And thirdly, to approve a budget environment, always a strange word, it means transfer, to approve a budget environment of £250,000 from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Budget to Car Park to enable resurfacing works to the High Street. Very good idea. Okay, so could I have a proposal for these recommendations, please? Councillor Cox, excellent, could I have a second to please? Councillor Wells, thanks so much. By way of show of hands team, are we all in agreement with these recommendations? Great, so that's unanimous and motion carried, brilliant. So, we're on to Agenda Item 13. I should say at this point, if anybody needs to nip to the toilets, I think they're just out there, so feel free. Yeah, absolutely, please sort of will stretch your legs. I know we've got to tend to wait, you're doing terribly well sitting there. Okay, so we're going to power on. So, Agenda Item 13, we're going back to regeneration on our Brownfield sites, and we're now looking at Union Place. And this is a joint venture partnership with Roffee Homes Limited to secure the redevelopment of the site and delivery of new and affordable homes. I'm going to have to go and cough. Over to you, Councillor Baxter. Thank you. Okay, thank you. So, I do hope Councillor COOK is okay. It's a bit of a coughing bit. Thank you, Councillor Walker. Okay, so we have another Union Place paper coming to committee this evening. Thank you for the opportunity to present. The aim of the Union Gardens Joint Venture is to deliver 216 new homes on the site with a series of connected blocks linked by residents gardens. The homes gardens will sit on top of new commercial floor space and the undercroft car park. A pocket park will be situated at the south-eastern corner of Chatsworth Road and High Street, where there could also be a community cafe or similar space. I was delighted to attend Planning Committee on 28 February, where unanimous approval was given for the Union Place scheme. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Cabinet members and officers, the Place and Economy team, and our planning teams for all their feedback and input and all the hard work and effort that was put into prior to the planning submission. And, of course, the roughy homes from taking on board the administration's priorities for a sustainable green and attractive scheme with a mixed tenure of affordable and genuinely affordable properties. I'd also like to highlight the options to purchase further properties, which we intend to be for social rent. As it stands, the application supports that 20 of the flats will go to working households on the borough's waiting lists for genuinely affordable social rent, with a further 23 being available for shared ownership. Securing Planning Commission represents a major milestone that has attracted considerable and welcome publicity, mindful of the well-known challenges that are associated with Brownfield site regeneration. I think I alluded to this in the Teblegate report earlier. The scheme brings well-designed street frontages back to High Street and Union Place, and I'm extremely supportive of the development. It is sympathetically designed and it will definitely bring new life to the Civic Quarter. It will unlock Union Place and it will unlock High Street and it creates new commercial space and much-needed homes on derelict land. The report updates us on the considerable progress that's been made towards finalizing a joint venture with roughy homes to deliver the regeneration of the site. In the meantime, it's important we agree in principle to support the land transfers that are necessary for the joint venture team to finalize the agreements for final sign-off, which we hope will be in June. So this report proposes the transfer to the joint venture of both of the councils existing to Lampa households, as shown in Appendix 1, and that is the NCP car park site, which is parcel A and the former police station site, which is Lampa parcel B. Also, the transfer of Lampa parcel C, which is the small High Street and surface car park, once it's acquired from London and Continental Railways Limited LCR. All of the land transfers will be undertaken on the basis that the equity share in the joint venture that the council will receive in return for the three Lampa parcels will reflect an up-to-date valuation report. I'm particularly pleased that we secured a surrender, or officers have secured a surrender for the current lease agreement with NCP at Union Place. The cost of the surrender of the lease will be funded by the joint venture and deductive from the council's deemed equity based on the value of the council's land contribution. Under the terms of the joint venture, the council will retain an option to acquire the landlord's interest in the new car park. London and Continental Railways delivered the earlier outline planning permission to unlock the site for future delivery. So now, of course, we've reached the point where we need to agree and to terminate the collaboration agreement with LCR and resolve the outstanding associated costs. I'm also pleased to report on the financial commitment that Holmes England intend to make to support delivery of the project. The Holmes England team clearly recognised the strategic significance of regeneration to deliver new homes for local people in housing need and supports the efforts and strategic aims of the joint venture partnership. Finally, I would like to just once again thank everybody involved in pushing this project forward. It's great that as an administration we're unlocking sites in the borough, which have been left derelict, unloved and underutilised for so many years. So I'm very excited about this project and I look forward to reporting back to the committee on the joint venture progressing in June. I will note that there are exempt papers associated with the gender item 13, which we can't discuss in public and that outlines details of the business plan. So we'll just have to take that as it comes through comment and debate. Thank you. Grant, apologies for my coughing fit. I think it's a bit dusty in here. So I'm going to tag team with Councillor Walker to the end of the meeting. I won't look up. Okay, Grant. So as Councillor Baxter alluded to, there are exempt papers. So if any member present wants to discuss anything in the exempt papers, please do raise your hand now. Okay, so for the record, no hands are raised. So we continue an open session, but please be mindful all members and that we cannot discuss anything in the pink papers. So with that in mind, are there any questions for Councillor Baxter about this agenda item? It is very exciting. Councillor Baxter. Okay, so no questions. So are there any comments or points for debate, please? Councillor Cox. Yeah, just to say that it's good to see that union places is progressing, that joint ventures progressing. I think that's all that we need to say on this one, but I think it's just, it's another site like Tevel that's one of those places in town that we just want to see developed, the residents want to see developed and yep, thank you and note the progress. Absolutely agree. Any further comments or points for debate? No, so absolutely. Councillor Cox has nailed it. This is brilliant work and we're moving forward. So that's great. And obviously, you could see it go through a planning and great to see this JV moving forward. So I'm going to hand over to my glamorous assistant now to my rights and he is going to read out the pages of recommendations. I know I'll see in a couple of minutes. Okay, Ben in, folks, this is a serious set of recommendations. The Worlding Subcommittee of the Joint Strategic Committee is asked to approve one. Note the significant progress towards the terms of the proposed joint venture limited liability partnership members agreement, referred to in this report as a joint venture agreement of the Royal Rifle Authority Homes Limited to agree to the principle of, and for officers to work towards a the proposed transfer to the joint venture LLP of the Council's existing two land parcels being the NCB car park site land parcel a and the former police station site land parcel B as set out in appendix one and B the proposed transfer to the LLP of land parcel C also set out in appendix one, required from London and Continental Railways Limited as per para 2.5 below. These land transfers are required to enable the regeneration of union place transfers are subject to the committee's formal agreement with such committee agreement proposed to be requested as part of the committee's approval of the JVA in June 2024. The land transfers would be on the basis that the equity share in the LLP which WBC Worlding Borough Council would receive in return for the three land parcels will reflect an up to date valuation report relating to the Worlding Borough Council owned land subject to deduction of the cost of purchase as set out at paragraphs 2.3 and 2.5 below. Number three agree to the surrender of the current lease agreement with NCP in accordance with the heads of terms attached at exempt appendix three and note that the cost of surrender of the lease will be funded by the joint venture LLP and deducted from the Council's deemed equity contribution based on value of WBC Worlding Borough Council land to be contributed to the LLP to the joint venture on the basis that a the surrender would only be completed once the JVA is approved by the committee approval proposed to be sought in June 2024 finalized and entered into and be the surrender would be accompanied by a JVA LLP commitment to grant a new 10 year lease to NCP of 146 car parking spaces from completion of development expected September 2026 with WBC having an option under the JVA to acquire the two landlords interests in that car parking at an agreed prior or market value. Number four agree to terminate the collaborate collaboration agreement with London and continental railways for union and place and irrespective of whether the JVA proceeds pay to LCR the agreed promotional and marketing costs of 843,631 pounds and five pence as set out in the report to this committee on 11th of July 2023. Five agree to purchase the freehold interest in the high street car parks land parcel C from LCR for the summer 542,500 pounds in accordance with the heads of terms attached at exempt appendix for to enable the regeneration and development of union and then to the surrender or other termination of Wuthering Borough Council's current lease under which Wuthering Borough Council operates the LCA land car park at that property. The costs of the purchase of the LCR land will be borne by the joint voucher LLP and deducted from the council's deemed equity contribution based on value of Wuthering Borough Council land to be contributed to the LLP to the joint venture on the basis the purchase would only take place once the JVA is finalized and ended into once committee authority for the JVA is obtained proposed to be sought in June 2024. To delegate to the director for place or assistant director for regenerative development in consultation with the leader, the authority to negotiate agree and enter into agreements with NCP and the LLP and roughly homes if applicable for the surrender in paragraph 2.3 above and with LCR and the LLP and or roughly homes if applicable for the LCR agreement termination and 2.4 above and for the acquisition of LCR land in paragraph 2.5 above on the basis that unless the committee agrees otherwise neither the surrender nor the acquisition will be completed until the JVA is approved by the committee having regard to due diligence reports on the procurement and subsidy advice and the final terms of the detailed business plan to be received and considered by the committee at the later meeting and thereafter entered into and seven agree a budget allocation of £85,000 to pay for legal costs to prepare the JV agreement and related legal documents referred to above in 2324. Can I seek a proposal? I think that might be a report of the, it's just a recommendation six where it says in consultation with the leader that should also say the leader and the cabinet member for regeneration. Is that okay, team? Thank you very much. Sorry, back to yourself, Councillor Walker, keep going. Okay. Can I seek a proposal and a seconder for the recommendations? First of all, a proposal. Thank you, Councillor Baxter. Can I seek a seconder for the recommendations? Councillor Waller, thank you very much. And then can I request a vote by a show of hands, please? Okay, that's unanimous. Back over to you, Councillor Cooper. Fantastic. Okay, I think we're on the final agenda item of the night. The heater is back on, so we feel like we're back in the Mediterranean in the end, which is nice. So this is Agenda Item 14. This is proposed sale of industrial land. And the final agenda item of the night goes to Councillor Turley, please. Thank you. I'm still the cabinet member for resources. I'm so sorry. As well as finance. Yes, absolutely. It covers property. This is a property paper. I'd like to thank Chris Morne and Mark Hooper both here tonight, and the estate scene for this paper and the work that's been done on this. The paper relates to the proposed sale of two pieces of industrial land in East Wurthing in Dale Road and Southdown View Way. The decision to sell any asset is never taken lightly. We can only sell an asset once, and we never want to be in a position where we have post sale regret. However, like so many other councils, we are experiencing considerable financial pressures and our balanced budget for next year includes reducing future borrowing costs through asset rationalisation. A strategic asset review is underway, and part of this involves identifying assets which could potentially be earmarked for disposal, although the final decision on this sits with the administration. Paragraphs 3.4 and 3.5 of the paper outline how assets have to pass a number of tests before they can be identified as potentially being surplus to requirements. For example, they wouldn't include parks or community assets. There are also financial tests. So, for example, we wouldn't sell an asset where there is the potential for significant income growth or where the income outweighs the costs of maintaining the asset. In the case of these two pieces of land, the council's approach with offers by the tenants themselves and negotiations have been taking place. It is of course incumbent upon the council to obtain best consideration or outcome. Although the sale prices have been agreed subject to independent valuations, there is still commercially sensitive information relating to the parties, the amounts involved and the structure of the deals. So this information has had to be included in an exempt paper. Based on these provisional sale prices, the council would be able to reduce its future borrowing costs by around £40,000 per year, which equates to more than 10% of the target reduction of borrowing costs in the budget for 24-25. There would be a loss of income of around £19,000 per year, and the strategic assets review also involves an assessment of our lease management, and that is already producing results, which will enable us to cover income losses such as this. I'm happy to take any questions on the paper. Thanks, Councillor Turley. Before we get to questions, as you alluded to, there is an exempt paper attached to this agenda item, so I'm going to ask, as per the previous agenda item, if any member would like to go into closed session to discuss the exempt papers, please put up your hand now. Okay, so there are no hands up, so we will remain in open session, and I just remind you that we will therefore only discuss what is in the white papers, not the pink paper, so the public papers, not the exempt papers. Thank you, so are there any questions for this agenda item? Can't see any hands up, so I'm going to move to comments or debate points, Councillor Baxter. Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Councillor Turley. It's good to see the context that explains the rationale behind the sale of the properties, and it's reassuring to see that the selected assets aren't parks, community assets, or properties held for regeneration, or any, nor of any immunity or potential community values, so that's reassuring when reading the report and coming to a decision whether to support it or not. And it's also really great that you and the team are working so hard to tidy up all of our portfolios, particularly with the financial situation that many countries are in up and down at the country. It's really great to see that you're keeping it all neat and tidy and making good decisions and recommendations. Thank you. Thanks, Councillor Baxter, Councillor Cox. Thank you, Chair, Councillor Turley for this report. I think it's really important to note in your report that the rationalisation of assets are not just disposal, because I think it's been a really important process looking at which ones are set for disposal, but also how we can best use the assets. And I know I'm sure I'll join with Councillor Wells in thanking the estates team for taking us on some interesting trips around some of the green spaces. And when I say trips, I mean, treks of some of them, it's been really fascinating to see what kind of the Council owns and the different pieces of land and what we can do with them. So just to note that not only disposals we're looking at, but really how we can better use the assets that we've got for other purposes. Excellent. Thanks, Councillor Coxe. So that's toilet tools and an asset tracks. So, gosh, the thing that you get to do is a Councillor. Anybody? Anybody want to have a go? No. Okay, great. Any further comments or points for debate? No? Okay. So I'm going to have a go at reading out these recommendations. Let's see how we get on. So we are asked to approve two things. Firstly, to delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Regenerative Development to sell the properties and achieve best consideration in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Resources. And secondly, to delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Regenerative Development again to affect the sales to existing tenants or others and test the sale amounts by reference to a red book valuation, thus demonstrating best consideration or some in excess of best consideration, which would be marvelous. Okay, could I have a proposal for these recommendations, please? Thank you, Councillor Turley. Could I have a seconder? Thanks, Councillor Walker. Could I see by way of sure of hands? Are we all in agreement? That is unanimous, and therefore that motion is carried. So that is the end of our meeting. Thank you so much for coming along. Thank you to all the officers who have braved out of the town hall. Thank you to our team, and that is the final Worthy Strategic Committee before elections. So everybody listening, please don't forget to vote, and we look forward to seeing you the other side of May in whatever form the Council takes, the other side of May. So thank you very much, and good night, get home safely. Bye bye. [BLANK_AUDIO] You You