Agenda

A list of the Mayor’s announcements in respect of his activities since the last meeting is attached for information.

The Mayor to report any requests received from a member of the public under council procedure rule 11 in respect of any referred item or motion listed below.

The Council may vary the order of business if, in the opinion of the Mayor, a matter should be given precedence by reason of special urgency.

The following matters are submitted to the Council for decision (council procedure rule 12 refers):-

Report of the Monitoring Officer.

Considered and referred from the meetings of the Audit and Governance Committee on 4 September 2023 and Cabinet on 1 November 2023.

Report of Councillor Peter Diplock, Cabinet member for Housing and Planning, on behalf of the Cabinet held on 20 September 2023.

Report of Councillor Robin Maxted, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, on behalf of the Cabinet held on 1 November 2023.

Report of the Head of Democratic Services (and Monitoring Officer).

Report of the Head of Elections and Local Land Charges.

The following motions have been submitted by members under council procedure rule 13:-

The following motion has been submitted by Councillor Murray:

“Southern Water was responsible for 16,888 sewage spills in 2022.  In Eastbourne during last year alone, sewage was discharged into the sea by Southern Water for a staggering 434 hours. It is time that we hold those responsible to task for this tsunami of human waste polluting our sea water.

This volume of waste and the frequency of discharges show that the discharges have become routine, rather than an emergency response to exceptional conditions.

The Government has stated that ‘Climate change has led to increased rainfall and water infrastructure has not kept pace with development growth’.

In addition to having a negative impact on local wildlife in our rivers and beaches, it is also having a devastating effect on our tourism and the health and wellbeing of our residents who use sea swimming to support their health.

We must work together to hold those responsible for these travesties to account, stop allowing them to profit at our expense and ensure that they improve the infrastructure to stop this happening in the future.

The Council:

1.    Calls on the Government and Southern Water to accelerate the capital programme to stop the risks of untreated sewage discharges into our rivers and seas and to stop this assault on nature, our economy and our basic human rights.

2.    Calls on the Government and Southern Water to enable the widespread deployment of nature-based solutions for flood mitigation and improved water quality.

3.    Calls on the Government:

a.    To ensure a better resourced Environment Agency in its role as regulator, in order that enforcement and monitoring is improved.

b.    To stop enforcing unrealistic housing numbers on local councils and force Southern Water to meet the costs of the required disposal of water from new homes once it is at street level, to improve the existing sewers to make them fit for purpose.

c.    To reform the Regulated Asset Base model, and significantly reduce the weighted, adjusted cost of Capital, to stop rate Paying households underpinning company debts.

d.    To make CEO’s of water companies personally responsible for excessive sewage discharges.

4.    Asks that the Chief Executive and Leader write to relevant Government Ministers and Southern Water to call for these changes.”

The following motion has been submitted by Councillor Alan Shuttleworth:

“This Council recognises the work that our officers have taken in identifying all possible sites for residential development in accordance with the Government directive to meet the housing targets that they set for Eastbourne.

The Council notes that since this work was completed Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, has stated that it is for Local Authorities to decide on whether or not sites are included in their Local Plan.

As the current position with preparations for the Eastbourne Local Plan have reached a stage where detailed assessment of the sites identified is conducted to inform a decision on whether they should be included or excluded from the plan as it progresses:

The Council resolves to commence that work immediately, starting with the two sites closest to the Pevensey levels, giving due consideration of the impact on the drainage infrastructure and the risk of flooding with the proximity to the Pevensey Levels, site of Special Scientific Interest. 

Whilst the Council recognises the need for additional housing within the Borough, in order to achieve this, the Council calls upon Government to:

·         Take action to progress the development on the many sites that already have planning approval; and

·         To provide the necessary grant funding to enable the development of the Bedfordwell Road site to commence.”

The following motion was submitted by Councillor Diplock:

“This Council notes:

Local Authorities spent £1.7bn on temporary accommodation in the last financial year.

Homeless presentations to the Borough have more than doubled over the last 3 years.

The net cost to the Borough has increased from £1.4m in 2021/22, to a projected figure of well over £3m this year.

Private sector rents are at their highest on record, with available housing supply at its lowest.

Lack of secure housing has a wider socio-economic impact on health, productivity and communities.

The recent cross-party summit hosted by this Authority alongside the District Councils’ Network and attended by 158 local authorities (half of all local authorities in England) to tackle the national crisis relating to homelessness and temporary accommodation.

Ordinary working families are caught up in a housing crisis that is no fault of theirs.

This Council urgently requests that the Government:

·         Raises Local Housing Allowance rates to a level that will cover at least 30% of local market rent and commit to annual uprating.

·         Provides urgent additional funding to local authorities for Discretionary Housing Payments of £100m in 2023-24 and £200m in 2024-25.

·         Provides a £150m top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2024-25.

·         Reviews the cap for housing benefit subsidy rate for local authority homelessness placements.

·         Develops new policy to stimulate retention and supply in the privately rented sector.

·         Gives councils the long-term funding, flexibility and certainty needed to increase the supply of social housing.”

The following motion was submitted by Councillor Lamb:

“We confirm that Eastbourne Borough Council should enforce its bylaws.”

The following motion was submitted by Councillor Small:

"Eastbourne Borough Council reaffirms its support for the International Holocaust Memorial Day event and commits the Council’s events team to continue to offer direct support with the organisation and public engagement of the event."

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 Democratic Services no later than 10.00 am on the day of the meeting. 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 next scheduled meeting of the Council is 19 February 2024 at 6 pm.