Agenda and draft minutes

73.1     The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 4 March 2025 were agreed as a correct record.

74.1     Councillor Bowdler was not present in the Chamber but joined the meeting via MS Teams. He did not vote on the items under discussion.

Disclosures by all members present of personal interests in matters on the agenda, the nature of any interest and whether the member regards the interest as prejudicial under the terms of the Code of Conduct.

75.1     All Members have been granted with a dispensation, in relation to their membership of the Council and any membership of a district or borough council, under the Localism Act 2011 and the Council’s Code of Conduct to enable them to participate and to enable the Cabinet to vote on the items on the agenda.

76.1     Copies of the reports referred to below are included in the minute book.

Report by the Chief Executive

77.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Chief Executive.

77.2     It was RESOLVED to:

1)         approve in principle the response to the Consultation set out at Appendix 2 of the report; and

2)         delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, authority to finalise the response for submission to Government.

Reasons

77.3     The establishment of a Mayoral Combined County Authority could lead to significant benefits for the area, attracting investment and ensuring a strategic approach across a significant geography to ensure a joined-up approach in relation to areas including environment and climate change, transport, infrastructure, skills, economic development and strategic planning. There are still details that need clarification which are raised in the draft consultation response and will also be raised as discussions progress, should approval be given by the Government to establish the Authority, and prior to the Council giving its approval to the Statutory Order that will be required.

Report by the Chief Executive

78.1     The Cabinet considered a report by the Chief Executive.

78.2     It was RESOLVED to:

1)         agree in principle the Interim Plan set out at Appendix 2 of the report;

2)         delegate to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader, authority to finalise the content of the Plan for submission to Government; and

3)         approve the continued development of proposals for the establishment of a single tier authority for the East Sussex area including public and stakeholder engagement.

Reasons

78.3     The Government has issued a statutory invitation for proposals for a single tier of local government across East Sussex by 26 September 2025. In doing so it has issued guidance to which the Councils have to have due regard. The Government has adopted a staged process, the first being that the Councils have to submit an interim plan by 21 March 2025 which sets out our progress on developing proposals in line with the criteria and guidance. The plan at Appendix 2 of the report has been developed jointly with the Districts and Boroughs and is consistent with the Government’s guidance. It is important to note that this interim plan, is not the proposal, but a document setting out progress. There is a very significant amount of work and engagement that has to be undertaken to develop a proposal by the ambitious deadline that has been set by Government.</AI6>

79.1     There were no items to report to the County Council.