Governance Committee
MINUTES of a meeting of the Governance Committee held in the Council Chamber, at County Hall, Lewes on 24 June 2025.
PRESENT: Councillors Keith Glazier (Chair), Nick Bennett, Bob Bowdler, Chris Collier, David Tutt and Wendy Maples
|
ALSO PRESENT: |
Councillors Anne Cross, Godfrey Daniel, Penny di Cara, Ian Hollidge, Paul Redstone, Christine Robinson, and John Ungar.
|
1. Minutes of the meeting held on 22 April 2025
1.1 RESOLVED – that the minutes of the previous meeting of the Committee held on 22 April 2025 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.
2. Apologies for absence
2.1 Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Denis.
2.2 It was noted that Councillor Maples was in attendance as a substitute for Councillor Denis.
3. Reports
3.1 Copies of the reports referred to below are included in the minute book.
4. Neonatal Care Leave and Pay
4.1 The Committee considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer regarding the implementation of the Neonatal Care Leave Policy.
4.2 The Committee RESOLVED to agree the implementation of the Neonatal Care Leave Policy based on the statutory provisions for Neonatal Care Leave and Pay.
5. Appointments to Outside Bodies
5.1 The Committee considered a report by the Deputy Chief Executive regarding the appointment of councillors to outside bodies.
5.2 The Committee RESOLVED to appoint councillors to outside bodies as set out below, for a term until the date of the annual council meeting in the next Council election year, or (where applicable) the Councillor ceases to be a member of the Council whichever is sooner, or unless the appointee resigns or is removed before then.
|
Organisation |
No. of reps |
Current Appointments |
Nominations |
|
Education |
|
||
|
University of Sussex – Sussex Annual Forum |
2 |
Cllr Standley Vacancy |
Cllr Cross Cllr Standley |
|
Economic Development / Regeneration Partnerships |
|
||
|
Love Hastings |
1 |
Cllr Daniel |
Cllr Daniel |
|
Rye Regeneration Partnership |
1 |
Cllr Glazier |
Cllr Glazier |
|
Hastings Plan for Neighbourhoods Board |
1 |
Cllr Pragnell |
Cllr Pragnell |
|
Eastbourne Plan for Neighbourhoods Board |
1 |
Cllr di Cara |
Cllr di Cara
|
|
Bexhill Plan for Neighbourhoods Board |
1 |
Cllr Hollidge |
Cllr Hollidge |
|
Environment |
|
||
|
High Weald – Joint Advisory Committee |
1 |
Cllr Kirby-Green |
Cllr Kirby-Green |
|
Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee |
1 + Sub |
Cllr Bowdler Cllr Lunn (substitute) |
Cllr Bowdler Cllr Lunn (substitute) |
|
Dungeness A & B Power Stations – Local Community Liaison Council |
3 |
Cllr Glazier Cllr Maynard Cllr Redstone |
Cllrs Glazier, Maynard and Redstone
|
|
Viridor in East Sussex Fund |
1 Cllr and 1 Officer |
Cllr C Dowling Waste Team Manager |
Cllr Claire Dowling Waste Team Manager |
|
Woodland Enterprises Ltd |
1 |
Cllr Kirby-Green |
Cllr Kirby-Green |
|
Chailey Common Local Nature Reserve Management Committee |
2 |
Cllr Maples Cllr Milligan |
Cllr Maples and Cllr Chris Dowling |
|
Coombe Valley Countryside Park Community Interest Company |
1 |
Cllr Beaver Cllr Pragnell (substitute) |
Cllr Beaver and Cllr Pragnell (substitute) |
|
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Management Committee
|
2 |
Cllr Glazier Cllr Redstone |
Cllrs Glazier and Redstone |
|
Harbour of Rye Advisory Committee |
1 |
Cllr Glazier |
Cllr Glazier |
|
South Downs National Park Authority Seven Sisters Country Park Stakeholders Advisory Group
|
1 |
Cllr Adeniji |
Cllr Tutt |
|
Safer Communities Partnerships |
|
||
|
Safer Eastbourne and Lewes |
1 |
Cllr di Cara Cllr Milligan (substitute) |
Cllr di Cara |
|
Safer Wealden |
1 |
Cllr C Dowling |
Cllr Claire Dowling |
|
Safer Hastings |
1 |
Cllr Azad Cllr Pragnell (substitute) |
Cllr Hollidge Cllr Pragnell (substitute) |
|
Safer Rother (previously appointed to as Hastings and Rother) |
1 |
Vacancy |
Cllr Hollidge Cllr Pragnell (substitute) |
|
Transport |
|
|
|
|
Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside London (PATROL) Adjudication Committee (July 20) |
1 |
Cllr Hollidge |
Cllr Hollidge |
|
Other organisations |
|
|
|
|
South East Employers |
3 + 3 substitutes (entitlement has changed since the appointments in 2021 and 2024) |
Cllr Lunn Cllr di Cara
|
Cllrs Denis, Cllrs di Cara and Lunn |
|
Armed Forces Champion |
1 |
Cllr Bowdler |
Cllr Bowdler Cllr Hollidge (substitute) |
6. Conservators of Ashdown Forest - Appointment of Council representatives
6.1 The Committee considered a report by the Deputy Chief Executive regarding the appointment of Conservative representatives to the Board of Conservators of Ashdown Forest, together with exempt information contained in a later agenda item.
6.2 The Committee RESOLVED to appoint Brett Akker, Matthew Street and Peter Young as Council representatives on the Board of Conservators of Ashdown Forest for a 4-year period, or until resignation or removal prior to the completion of the term.
7. Scrutiny Activity Update
7.1 The Committee considered a report by the Deputy Chief Executive that provided an overview of the scrutiny activity being undertaken by the People, Place and Health Overview Scrutiny Committees and an update on the work of the Audit Committee.
7.2 The Committee RESOLVED to note the updates on recent scrutiny and Audit Committee activity and the current work programmes at appendices 1-4 of the report.
8. Exclusion of Public and Press
8.1 It was RESOLVED to exclude the public and press from the meeting for the remaining agenda item on the grounds that if the public and press were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as specified under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act (namely, information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person) and paragraph 5 (which relates to information to which a claim of legal professional privilege could be maintained) would be disclosed to them, and that the public interest in withholding the exempt information outweighed the public interest in disclosing it.
9. Conservators of Ashdown Forest - Appointment of Council representatives
9.1 The Committee considered a report by the Deputy Chief Executive which provided exempt information in support of an earlier agenda item.
9.2 The Committee RESOLVED to note the report in support of an earlier agenda item.
10. Sea Change Sussex Membership
10.1 The Committee considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.
10.2 The Committee RESOLVED to note and consider the recommendations for the reasons set out in the report. Further details of the decision are set out in an exempt minute.