Agenda and minutes

18.1     The Lead Member confirmed as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 26 March 2019. 

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.

19.1     Councillor Simmons declared a prejudicial interest in item 5, in that he is a director of Sea Change Sussex, one of the grant recipients.

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

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

21.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. 

DECISIONS

21.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to (1)  note the final 2018/19 spend for the Local Growth Fund programme and the amount of funds re-profiled into the East Sussex County Council Capital Programme;

(2)  note the final 2018/19 spend for the Growing Places Fund programme and the amount of funds re-profiled into the East Sussex County Council Capital Programme;

(3)  agree the confirmed scheme spend profiles for the Local Growth Fund programme for the 2019/20 financial year; and

(4)  agree the confirmed scheme spend profiles for the Growing Places Fund programme for the 2019/20 financial year.

Reasons

21.3     East Sussex have been successfully delivering across both the Local Growth Fund and Growing Places Fund projects, with some areas of short-term slippage experienced in 2018/19. This occurred on the following six projects in the 2018/19 LGF programme:

1.         Queensway Gateway Road

2.         Hailsham/Polegate/Eastbourne Movement and Access Transport scheme;

3.         Hastings and Bexhill Movement and Access Package;

4.         Eastbourne And South Wealden Walking And Cycling Package;

5.         Eastbourne Town Centre Improvement scheme; and

6.         East Sussex Strategic Growth Programme

In most cases this slippage is of a short term nature with spend occurring in the early quarters of the 2019/20 financial year.

21.2     East Sussex made a full early GPF repayment from the Priory Quarter Phase 3 scheme to the GPF Programme. SELEP will therefore be bringing forward a further round of the GPF monies enabling East Sussex to secure further investment.

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

22.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. 

DECISIONS

22.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to (1) approve grant funding to the value of £1.94m to Sea Change Sussex to fund the delivery of the Bexhill Enterprise Park North (following approval of the business case by the SE LEP Accountability Board);

(2) approve grant funding to the value of £2.918m to Plumpton College to fund the delivery of the Skills for Rural Businesses Post Brexit project (following approval of the business case by the SE LEP Accountability Board);

(3) approve grant funding to the value of £0.5m to Hastings Borough Council to fund the delivery of the Sidney Little Road Business Incubator Hub (following approval of the business case by the SE LEP Accountability Board); and

(4) delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport to agree the terms of any agreements and to take all other necessary actions in respect of recommendations 1-3 above.

Reasons

22.3     The projects detailed above support the delivery of the SE LEP’s strategic objectives as outlined in the new Economic Strategic Statement 2019, the County’s East Sussex Growth Strategy’s strategic priorities covering 2014-2020 and East Sussex County Council’s core priorities in ‘driving sustainable economic growth’ and ‘making best use of resources by maximising the funding available through external bidding’. 

22.4     As a result of the award by the SE LEP Investment Panel of grant funding to East Sussex of £5.358m through the SE LEP Local Growth Fund Round 3b programme the Lead Member is asked to approve the allocation of funding to the following three projects (subject to full business cases being approved by the SE LEP’s Accountability Board): (i) £1.94m to Sea Change Sussex to fund the delivery of the Bexhill Enterprise Park North site; (ii) £2.918m to Plumpton College to fund the delivery of the Skills for Rural Businesses; and (iii) £0.5m to Hastings Borough Council to fund the delivery of the Sidney Little Road Business Incubator Hub.

Report by the Chief Executive

23.1     The Leader and Lead  Member considered a report by the Chief Executive.  

DECISIONS

23.2     The Leader and Lead Member RESOLVED to (1) agree the delegation of Cabinet responsibilities and functions as set out in the Constitution including in Part 3 Table 1, 2 and 3 attached at Appendices 2 - 4 of the report;

(2)        agree the Officer Scheme of Delegation attached at Appendix 5; and

(3)        agree the annual report to the County Council.

Reasons

23.3     Part 4 of the Council’s Constitution requires the Leader to present to the Council at the annual meeting a written record of delegations of executive functions. .