Agenda and draft minutes

64.1     The Lead Member approved as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 14 January 2025.

Disclosure by all Members present of personal interests in matters on the agenda, the nature of any interest and whether the Members regard the interest as prejudicial under the terms of the Code of Conduct

65.1     Councillor Maples declared a personal interest in items 5 and 10 as a Member of Lewes District Council. She did not consider this to be prejudicial.

Notification of any items which the Lead Member considers urgent and proposes to take at the appropriate part of the agenda.

66.1     There were none.

67.1     Reports referred to in the minutes below are contained in the minute book.

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

68.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer together with exempt information in a later agenda item.

DECISIONS

68.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to:

1) Approve the writing-off of 12 debts amounting to £208,591.46 in the Council’s 2024/2025 accounts;

2) Note that provision is made for bad and doubtful debts; and

3) Note the current debt position and steps being put in place to make improvements.

REASONS

68.3     There is no prospect of recovering the 12 outstanding debts despite efforts made to recover the outstanding sums, all routes have now been exhausted.

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

69.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer together with exempt information in a later agenda item.

DECISIONS

69.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to:

1) Subject to formal stopping up procedures, declare land under the adopted highway at North Street, Lewes, required for the North Street Quarter regeneration scheme, surplus to requirements of the Council;

2) Delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer to:

(a) declare the exact extent of the identified land parcels, hatched blue set out in Appendix 1 of the report to be surplus to the requirements of the Council;

(b) agree the terms of the sale to achieve best consideration for the land parcels to be disposed of, in accordance with s123 of the Local Government Act 1972, including proceeding with the next best offer(s) in the event of the transaction(s) not completing within the expected timelines; and

(c) take all actions necessary to give effect to the recommendations in the report.

and

3) Approve the disposal of the land parcels in accordance with s.123 of the Local Government Act 1972.

REASONS

69.3     When development of North Street Quarter is brought forward, benefits for the wider community will be realised, including new homes, employment opportunities, flood defence works and the provision of a new bus layby and associated infrastructure.

69.4     Declaring the land parcels surplus to the operational requirements of the Council and disposing of them to the developer (subject to conditions for the highway land and the developer entering into a Section 278 Agreement so that the exact extent of the land to be disposed of to the developer can be agreed), enables the Council to facilitate the regeneration of a strategic brownfield site in Lewes.

69.5     The exact extent of East Sussex County Council land to be disposed of cannot be confirmed until the final designs for the bus layby and bus shelter have been produced and agreed. Therefore, the delegations to the Chief Operating Officer will facilitate the effective disposal.

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

70.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer together with exempt information in a later agenda item and written comments from Local Member, Councillor Azad.

DECISIONS

70.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to:

1) Approve Rother District Council taking a new lease of Sidley Depot, Bexhill for a period of 10 years to use as a Refuse Vehicle depot; and

2) Delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer to determine the detailed terms of the lease, to approve the final lease negotiations and the signing of the lease by East Sussex County Council and to take any other actions considered appropriate to give effect to the above resolution.

REASONS

70.3     By entering into the proposed lease arrangements with Rother District Council, East Sussex County Council can help to support a public sector partner in the expansion of waste collection services in the local area. The proposed terms are considered to reflect the best consideration for the Site in accordance with s.123 of the Local Government Act 1972.

70.4     Delegation of authority to the Chief Operating Officer to approve the final lease negotiations, the signing and completion by East Sussex County Council of the new lease and any related documentation and to take any other actions considered appropriate to give effect of resolution 1) above, will facilitate the timely completion of the lease documentation.

To consider excluding 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 in paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), namely information relating to any individual and information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

71.1     It was RESOLVED to exclude the public and press from the meeting for the remaining agenda items on the grounds that if the public and press were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information as specified in paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), namely information relating to any individual and information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

72.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer which provided exempt information in support of an earlier item on the agenda.

DECISIONS

72.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to note the exempt information in relation to an earlier item on the agenda.

REASONS

72.3     The report contained exempt information in relation to an earlier item on the agenda.

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

73.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer which provided exempt information in support of an earlier item on the agenda.

DECISIONS

73.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to note the exempt information contained in this report in support of an earlier agenda item.

REASONS

73.3     The report contained exempt information in relation to an earlier item on the agenda.

Report by the Chief Operating Officer

74.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer which provided exempt information in support of an earlier item on the agenda.

DECISIONS

74.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to note the exempt information contained in this report in support of an earlier agenda item.

REASONS

74.3     The report contained exempt information in relation to an earlier item on the agenda.