Agenda and draft minutes

33.1     The Lead Member approved as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 16 February 2024.

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.

34.1     Councillor Glazier declared a personal interest in item 9 as a director of SELEP Ltd. Although he did not consider this to be prejudicial, Councillor Glazier delegated the decision at item 9 to Councillor Standley and left the room for this agenda item.

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

35.1     There were none.

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

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

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

37.2     It was noted that since the report was published, it has been suggested by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that they will also be a signatory of the transition agreement. As a consequence the recommendation in the report was amended at the meeting to include the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

DECISIONS

37.3     The Leader and Lead Member RESOLVED to:

(1) Agree the delegations to Officers set out in Appendices 1 and 2 of the report;

(2) Agree to enter into a transition agreement with Essex County Council, the other South East Local Enterprise Partnership Upper Tier Local Authorities and, subject to confirmation, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, to give effect to the transfer of Local Enterprise Partnership Functions; and

(3) Delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport to agree the terms of such agreement.

REASONS

37.4     Central Government confirmed in August 2023 that they will no longer fund the national network of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP)s from 2024/25 and that LEP functions should be integrated into the constituent Upper Tier Local Authorities (UTLA)s. The production of the Transition Agreement is the mechanism to give effect to this transfer.

37.5     Delegation to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport to agree the terms of the Agreement will ensure that the Agreement is completed by the transition date of 1 April 2024.

37.6     The delegations to officers set out in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 of the report will facilitate operational effectiveness once the LEP functions have transferred to the Council.

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

38.1     The Leader and Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport together with exempt information contained in a later agenda item.

DECISIONS

38.2     The Leader and Lead Member RESOLVED to:

(1) Note the Levelling Up Partnership (LUP) funding being awarded to both Hastings and Rother which includes funds allocated to East Sussex County Council led projects, subject to approval and confirmation from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC);

(2) Agree the proposal for East Sussex County Council to be the Accountable Body for County Council led projects and for any external led projects;

(3) Subject to approval and confirmation from DLUHC, agree that East Sussex County Council enters into any required legal agreements with Government in respect of the Hastings and Rother LUPs; and

(4) Delegate authority to the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport, in consultation with the Director of Children’s Services where appropriate, to agree the terms of such legal agreements and to take any other actions necessary to give effect to the recommendations in the report.

REASONS

38.3     The Government’s Levelling Up Partnerships will bring benefits to Rother and Hastings through 2024/25.

38.4     Although working to a tight programme, with further details still emerging, the opportunity for the County Council to access LUP funding has provided an avenue for delivering priority projects for the county that otherwise either might not have been able to proceed or would have required direct County Council spending at a time when resources are stretched.

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 paragraph 3 of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

39.1     It was RESOLVED to exclude the public and press 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 paragraph 3 of Part 1 of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

40.1     The Leader and Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport which provided exempt information in support of an earlier item on the agenda.

DECISIONS

40.2     The Leader and Lead Member RESOLVED to note the exempt information set out in Appendix 1 of the report in support of an earlier agenda item.

REASONS

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

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

41.1     The Lead Member for Education and Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

DECISIONS

41.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to approve the recommendations in the report, for the reasons set out in the report. The decision and reasons are set out in an exempt minute.