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Agenda and minutes
Venue: Town Hall, Queen's Square, Priory Meadow, Hastings, TN34 1QR
Contact: Michael Courts on 01424 451764 email mcourts@hastings.gov.uk
Items No. Item Additional documents:
- Minutes Public Pack, 24/02/2016 Full Council , item 41. PDF 51 KB
- Budget Council Minutes Public Pack, 24/02/2016 Full Council , item 41. PDF 78 KB
Minutes:
RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 10 February 2016, the Special Council meeting held on 24 February 2016 and the Budget Council meeting held on 24 February 2016 be signed by the Mayor as a correct record of the proceedings
Declarations of Interest
Minutes:
The following Councillors declared their interest in the minutes indicated: -
Councillor
Committee
Minute
Interest
Roberts
Council, 13 April 2016
45 – Motion (Rule 14)
Personal – he draws a pension from East Sussex County Council
Westley
Council, 13 April 2016
45 – Motion (Rule 14)
Prejudicial – she is employed by East Sussex County Council
Announcements from the Mayor and Leader
Minutes:
The Mayor announced the death of former Councillor Ronald Rushbrook.
The Leader of the Council updated members on the outcome of a review by the University of Brighton of its campus in Hastings. In March, the University had announced that it intended to close it campus. Students already studying in the town, and those due to enrol in 2016, would be able to complete their courses at the Hastings Campus. Councillor Chowney said that he believed the University had made the wrong decision and would continue to lobby for them to reconsider the matter. He acknowledged the strength of feeling across the town against the decision to close the University Campus, adding that higher education provision was a key part of the broader regeneration ambitions for Hastings.
The University of Brighton had indicated that they would be willing to co-operate with partners, including Sussex Coast College, to maintain some form of higher education provision in the town. The Hastings and Bexhill Task Force, which included a range of partners from across the statutory, business, education and voluntary sectors, would oversee efforts to develop a new higher education provision in the town. Hastings Borough Council, together with East Sussex County Council, would also commission an external consultant to advise on future options to ensure that Hastings remained a University town.
Questions from Councillors under Rule 12
(a) Members of the public under Rule 11
(b) Councillors under Rule 12
Minutes:
No written questions had been received.
Questions to the Leader, Deputy Leader or other Lead Members were asked and answered in accordance with Rule 12.1 as follows: -
Questioner and Councillor
Subject
Reply Given By Councillor
Atkins
Fly tipping there has been an increase in fly tipping around the town, particularly in areas with communal bins. What is being done to address this issue, given the difficulties gathering evidence to prosecute offenders?
Councillor Chowney responded on behalf of the lead member, who had given apologies for the meeting. Councillor Chowney acknowledged that it was difficult to prevent fly tipping. When it has been possible to gather sufficient evidence, the council has carried out high-profile prosecutions of offenders. Wardens regularly patrolled known hot spots for fly tipping and the council aimed to ensure issues were dealt with promptly. The council had also recently upgraded its CCTV service, which would allow for improved monitoring.
Chowney
Westley
Rock-a-Nore Road what can be done to address the frustrations of residents and visitors at the difficulty parking in the Rock-a-Nore Road area?
Councillor Chowney replied that Hastings Borough Council was responsible for the car park in Rock-a-Nore Road. At peak times of the year the council employed attendants to ensure the space was used efficiently, and encourage motorists to use other nearby car parks when the car park reached capacity. He commented that the car park had already been particularly busy this year. Traffic management was the responsibility of East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and Hastings Borough Council would continue to work with them to improve the road and signage in the area.
Chowney
Cooke
Rocklands Caravan Park will the Leader of the Council explain why the latest application to carry out works on trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) at Rocklands Caravan Park were not referred to the Planning Committee for consideration?
Councillor Chowney replied that, under the council’s constitution, matters concerning TPOs could not be referred to the Planning Committee and instead decisions are delegated to officers. The matter may be referred to Working Arrangements Group for consideration as part of the rolling programme of updates to the council’s constitution.
Chowney
Turner
Homelessness Strategy does the leader of the council share his concerns that the transfer of social lets to affordable lets may create increased pressure on the council’s homelessness prevention service?
Councillor Chowney replied that the council’s Homelessness Strategy was included on the agenda for this meeting and members could debate this matter when that item was reached, if they wished.
Chowney
Pragnell
Rock-a-Nore Road will the council consider bidding to ESCC’s parking surplus fund, to support improvements to the signage at Rock-a-Nore Road? Will the Leader of the Council also join with him in welcoming the additional funding to ESCC, allocated by the government, to repair potholes in the roads around the county?
Councillor Chowney responded that improved signage would help to address the congestion at Rock-a-Nore Road, and the council would consider ... view the full minutes text for item 44.
Motion (Rule 14)
Councillor Chowney to move, seconded by Councillor Poole, that:
“Hastings Borough Council pledges:
· To develop and implement a Responsible Investment Policy through which it will:
a) Divest from direct ownership and any commingled funds that include fossil fuel public equities and corporate bonds within 5 years;
b) Set out an approach to quantifying and addressing climate change risks affecting all other investments, and
c) Focus future investments in property and other assets on areas that minimise climate change risk and continue to reduce the council’s carbon footprint
· To work with other District and Borough councils in East Sussex to encourage and assist them to adopt Responsible Investment Policies with the same scope.
It also calls on both East Sussex County Council and East Sussex Pension Fund to divest from fossil fuels by developing and adopting Responsible Investment Policies with the same scope.”
Minutes:
Councillor Westley, having declared a prejudicial interest in this matter, left the Council Chamber during the debate.
Councillor Chowney proposed a motion, set out in the resolution below, seconded by Councillor Cartwright.
RESOLVED that Hastings Borough Council pledges to develop and implement a Responsible Investment Policy through which it will:
a) Divest from direct ownership and any commingled funds that include fossil fuel public equities and corporate bonds within 5 years;
b) Set out an approach to quantifying and addressing climate change risks affecting all other investments, and;
c) Focus future investments in property and other assets on areas that minimise climate change risk and continue to reduce the council’s carbon footprint
· To work with other District and Borough councils in East Sussex to encourage and assist them to adopt Responsible Investment Policies with the same scope.
It also calls on both East Sussex County Council and East Sussex Pension Fund to divest from fossil fuels by developing and adopting Responsible Investment Policies with the same scope
Reports of Committees PDF 74 KB
(a) To resolve that the public be excluded from the meeting during the discussion of any items considered while the public were excluded by the relevant committee because it is likely that if members of the public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in the respective paragraphs of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 referred to in the minutes of the relevant committee
(b) To receive and consider the recommendations and any decisions of the following committees: -
Minute No.
Subject
Cabinet Member / Chair
CABINET – 7 MARCH 2016
50.
Management Response to the Task and Finish Group to Review Scrutiny Functions, Processes and Potential Streamlining
Cartwright
51.
Culture-Led Regeneration Strategy
Poole
52.
Seafront Strategy Action Plan
Poole
53.
Homelessness Strategy
Forward
54.
Appointment of the Chair of the Charity Committee
Chowney
55. (C)
Amendments to the Council’s Constitution
Cartwright
56.
Factory Block on Churchfields Estate
Chowney
57. (E)
Factory Block on Churchfields Estate
Chowney
CABINET – 4 APRIL 2016
59. (C)
Revisions to the Local Development Scheme (LDS) (Local Plan Timetable)
Poole
60.
Hastings Sport and Physical Activity Strategy
Poole
61.
Disabled Facilities Grant Budget 2016/17
Forward
62.
Proposed Kiosk on the Upper Promenade above Bottle Alley
Chowney
63.
SELEP Housing Bid – Coastal Space Phase 3
Forward
64.
Compulsory purchase of long term empty property
Forward
65.
Aquila House - Purchase
Chowney
66. (E)
SELEP Housing Bid – Coastal Space Phase 3
Forward
67. (E)
Compulsory purchase of long term empty property
Forward
68. (E)
Aquila House - Purchase
Chowney
(C) – Council Decision
(E) – Exempt
Notes:
1) The Mayor will call over the minutes and members will rise and indicate those items which they wish to have discussed
2) No discussion shall take place at this stage upon any part II minute covered by resolution 7 (a) above. Any such discussion shall be deferred until item 8 on the agenda.
Additional documents:
Minutes:
The Mayor having called over the minutes set out in the agenda, the under mentioned minutes were reserved for discussion.
RESOLVED under rule 13.3 that the reports and minutes of committees set out in the agenda be received, including minute 55 of Cabinet on 7 March 2016 and minute 59 of Cabinet on 4 April 2016 which were matters for Council decision. Only those items which were reserved were discussed, as follows: -
Meeting
Minute
Councillor
Cabinet, 7 March 2016
51 – Culture-Led Regeneration Strategy
Batsford
Cabinet, 7 March 2016
52 – Seafront Strategy Action Plan
Dowling
Cabinet, 4 April 2016
60 – Hastings Sport and Physical Activity Strategy
Beaver
Cabinet, 4 April 2016
65 – Aquila House - Purchase
Pragnell
No motions for reference to an Overview and Scrutiny Committee or reference back to Cabinet were approved in respect of the items reserved for discussion and they were, therefore, received.
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