The minutes of the meeting held on 17 July 2013 were presented and the Mayor was authorised to sign them as a correct record.

1        The Mayor and the whole Council congratulated Honorary Alderman and Past Mayor (1979-80) Joseph Angelman, who turned 100 years old on Sunday 15 September 2013.

2        The Mayor referred to the recent ‘world record postcard’ initiative led by the Save the DGH Campaign and fully cross-party supported by Eastbourne Borough Councillors and over 1000 residents. The postcard had been personally delivered to East Sussex Health Trust highlighting the Eastbourne community’s strong concerns at current and future plans for health care in Eastbourne

3        During the months of July and August the Mayor attended a number of Summer Fairs and Fetes including those at Elstree Court, The Hawthorns and Ashley Gardens.

4        Eastbourne’s affiliated ship HMS Puncher made an informal visit to the Town for a stand down period in July and the Mayor was pleased to host a small reception in the Parlour for crew members and students on 23 July.

5        On 26 July the Mayor attended the Aegon County Cup finals at DevonshirePark and was pleased to present the winners’ trophies.

6        The Mayor attended the launch of a new Stagecoach Bus Fleet on 9 August which took place at Eastbourne Lifeboat Station.

7        The Mayor embraced his feminine side on 10 August and was happy to walk around the Town dressed as a Pantomime Dame as part of St Wilfrid’s Hospice ‘Dame for a Laugh’ 5km walk, raising money for the new hospice.

8        On 17 August the Mayor visited the Western Lawns for Airbourne and was pleased to meet the Red Arrows and the Tigers.

9        The Mayor paid a visit to the Council Sports Centre Play-schemes on 27 August and was delighted to see what the children get up to at Hampden Park Sports Centre, Shinewater Community Centre and Cavendish Sports Centre during the school holidays.

10      Shinewater Fun Day took place on 7 September and the Mayor was very happy to attend and launch the first ever Junior Parkrun.

11      The Mayor held a charity BBQ at Chalk Farm Hotel on 15 September.  As well as a tasty buffet of sausages, burgers and salad kindly donated by Asda, there was music from Eastbourne Silver Band and singing from Voices Choir.  The money was still being counted but we hoped to have raised around £300.

12      The next event in aid of the Mayor’s Charity is an art exhibition organised by the Society of Eastbourne Artists and is being held at the Town Hall on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 September, followed by a Bangers and Mash Night on Saturday 5 October at Brodie Hall, ChristChurch.

13      The Mayor also attended a number of AGMs, concerts, open days and exhibitions in the last few months.

Apologies for absence were reported from Councillors Heaps and Stanley.

None declared.

Report of Senior Head of Infrastructure.

The Council received the report of the Senior Specialist Advisor concerning changes to national legislation and the introduction of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. Council was asked to approve delegated powers to determine the fee structure and implementation of the legislation. Members were advised that the reason for this matter being reported directly to the Council rather than via the General Licensing Committee was due to the lateness in the Government introducing the regulations.

It was moved by Councillor Tutt, seconded by Councillor Elkin, and;

Resolved: (1) That the Senior Head of Infrastructure be given delegated powers to set the level of licence fees relating to the Act in accordance with available national guidance, to grant appropriate licences where there are no contra indications as to the suitability of the applicant, and to undertake all other administrative, regulatory and enforcement actions under the Act.

(2) That the General Licensing Committee be given delegated powers to determine applications for licences where the Senior Head of Infrastructure is minded to reject an application, and to determine cases where it may be appropriate that an existing licence should be revoked or varied.

Report of Councillor Gill Mattock on behalf of the Cabinet.

The Council received the report of Councillor Mattock on behalf of the Cabinet. It was moved by Councillor Mattock, seconded by Councillor Tutt, and;

Resolved: That the annual treasury management report for 2012/13 be approved, and that specific approval be given to the 2012/13 prudential and treasury indicators included within the report.

That this Council supports - in principle - Gatwick Airport Ltd's proposals to build a second runway at Gatwick Airport, recognising this as a significant opportunity for growth and prosperity for Eastbourne, recognising also the environmental issues that may arise and the need to manage these sensitively.

The following motion was proposed by Councillor Ansell and seconded by Councillor Warner:

That this Council supports - in principle - Gatwick Airport Ltd's proposals to build a second runway at Gatwick Airport, recognising this as a significant opportunity for growth and prosperity for Eastbourne, recognising also the environmental issues that may arise, and the need to manage these sensitively.

Resolved:  (By 20 votes to 0 with 5 abstentions) That the motion be approved.

Members of the Council who wish to raise items for discussion (council procedure rule 14) on any of the minutes of the meetings of formal council bodies listed below must submit their request to the Head of Corporate Development no later than 10.00 am on Wednesday 18 September 2013. A list of such items (if any) will be circulated prior to the start of the meeting.

The following are appended to this agenda:-

The minutes of the following Council Bodies were submitted to this meeting:-

Conservation Area Advisory Group      16 July and 27 August 2013

Planning Committee                            6 August and 3 September 2013

Scrutiny Committee                            2 September 2013

Cabinet                                               4 September 2013

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 14, Members raised the following items for discussion:-

1.       Scrutiny Committee, 2 September 2013 – Minute 7 – Corporate performance – quarter 1 2013/14 (waste contract) – Item raised by Councillor Elkin. Council debated the issues around failed collections and the reasons for them during the transitional period of this new contract and noted that, whilst some matters were still to be resolved, the situation was improving. Members also paid tribute to the staff in Neighbourhood First and Customer Contact teams for the professional way in which they had coped with the large volumes of calls and concerns by residents.

The whole Council paid special tribute to Mr Paul Marsden for his efforts on this contract and for all his work over a long and distinguished career with Eastbourne Borough Council. All members joined in wishing Mr Marsden well for the future following his imminent retirement from office.

2.       Cabinet, 4 September 2013 – Minute 35 – Local authority mortgage scheme – Item raised by Councillor Bannister. Members were advised that as a result of matters outside the control of the Council, the implementation of this scheme would be delayed.

Further to Council Procedure Rule 14.3 it was,

Resolved: That the minutes of the above Council Bodies be accepted.