Agenda and minutes

Resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on 10 February 2025 were submitted and approved and signed as a correct record by the Chair.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Shore and Dehdashty. Councillor Small was appointed as a Member of the Committee under delegated powers, for this meeting only and Councillor Sayers-Copper was a substitute for Councillor Dehdashty.

There were none.

On matters not already included on the agenda and for which prior written notice has been given (total time allowed 15 minutes).

There were none.

The Chairman to notify the Committee of any items of urgent business to be added to the agenda.

There were none.

The Chairman to report any requests received to address the Committee from a member of the public or from a Councillor in respect of an item listed below and to invite the Committee to consider taking such items at the commencement of the meeting.

There were no requests.

Nick Grey, Environment Agency Programme Sponsor, provided a presentation to the Committee on the Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne Coastal Management Scheme. During the presentation, the following elements of the scheme were highlighted:

·       It was the largest coastal scheme in the country and designed to provide coastal protection against sea levels which were predicted to rise by at least one meter over the next 100 years.

·       Without an updated approach to coastal protection, the risk of defence failure would increase and up to approximately 18,500 homes and business could be at risk of flooding. There was also the potential for significant damage to infrastructure which would cost billions of pounds to repair or replace.

·       The 15km of beach frontage covered by the scheme has been managed in two parts, by Eastbourne Borough Council and Pevensey Coastal Defence Limited. From 2025 onwards the Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne Coastal Management Scheme would take over and provide strategic direction for the maintenance of the entire 15km.

·       The scheme would provide a phased approach over the life of the scheme with targeted investment over the following 12 years and the provision of appropriate engineering solutions, at the right points in the life of the scheme. It was expected that from 2027 onwards, the beach would remain in its current state but with improved reliance against climate change.

·       The engineering element of the scheme would include significant asset management, including the retention and maintenance, and where necessary, the improvement of 100 groynes. Other asset management included repairing

·       5 outfalls and importing 390,000m3 of shingle.

·       Strategically, the scheme aligned with the Council’s Seafront Strategy, the Environment Agency’s Shoreline Management Plan and the Government’s National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England.

·       Within the commercial element of the scheme, local small and medium sized enterprises would be looked for to complete work such as shingle shifting. There was a commitment from the Environment Agency to focussing on construction and maintaining oversight of the budget.

·       The scheme included a strong governance structure with director level representation from Eastbourne Borough Council involved. 

·       Other benefits from the scheme included the enabling of growth, the protection of heritage sights, increasing biodiversity and reducing carbon emissions, and improvements in the number of women employed in the engineering sector.

During discussion, the following points were highlighted:

·       There were a number of locations along the coast where large amounts of sediment collected offshore and companies engaged by the Environment Agency dredged the material and brought it ashore. The imported shingle would be ‘rainbowed’ onto the shore through a pipe and reprofiled on the beach in key locations by diggers. A number of groynes would need re-planking and others would need to be increased in height or lengthened. The overall effect would be a beach that remained looking as it currently did, although it would be higher and reach further into the sea.

·       There were fluvial rivers that ran through Eastbourne and the management of the flood risk in those areas had the same  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72.

Oliver Jones, Housing, Homelessness & Community Safety Lead, presented the report which provided detail of the 2024/25 performance of the Eastbourne & Lewes Community Safety Partnership (E&L CSP). During discussion the following points were highlighted:

·       With regards to the annual funding allocation, there were no routine measurements to determine resident satisfaction with community safety. A previous biannual survey had ceased due to funding restrictions. Campaigns had been undertaken more recently that highlighted the work of the Partnership and Sussex Police in tackling crime areas such as domestic abuse and fraud.

·       Members noted that the perception of crime by residents did not always reflect the reported statistics and the fact that reporting levels had increase. It was felt that increased publicity around the positive outcomes of the Partnerships work and campaigns could help to improve public perception.

Resolved to note the report.

Councillor Goodyear, Chair of the Byelaws Task and Finish Group, introduced the report which detailed the work of the Group and its final recommendations. During discussion, the following points were highlighted by the Group and officers:

·       It was noted that when enacted, the Crime and Policing Bill would provide new opportunities for dealing with the issues highlighted during the Groups work, such as the use of Respect Orders. It was also noted that there would be continued challenges in resourcing the areas where dog fouling and other anti-social behaviour took place and the targeting of identified hotspots formed one of the Group’s recommendations. The use of campaigns and advertising at the appropriate times of the year, was also highlighted as a practical recommendation from the Group.

·       The Group had been pragmatic in its approach to its terms of reference and conscious of the limited resources, both in terms of staff and budgets. This, in part, had informed its decision that existing byelaws used by the Council should remain as they were.

·       Councillor Sayers-Cooper, the Council’s appointed Girls and Women’s Champion, thanked the Group for the opportunity provided at its final meeting, to speak about violence against women and girls (VAWG), and advised that it had provided a good platform for discussion the issue to be expanded more widely.

·       Officers advised the Committee that the input from Sussex Police into the Groups work had been important and Susses Police representative, Inspector Sarah Taylor had attended a meeting of the Group and stressed the high level of collaboration that existed between Sussex Police and Eastbourne Borough Council and that it stood out an exemplar of this type of working relationship. The recommendations from the Group would be supported by this relationship.

·       A Member suggested that in order to address costs and promote community engagement, the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses could be approached for sponsorship of advertising, signage and stickers required as part of the campaign programme.

·       A Member considered that recommendation 1.3 in the report, which asked that a letter be sent to the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, seeking clarification on the future process for making byelaws in view of the Devolution and Reorganisation of Local Government programme, would be strengthened if the letter was written by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Holt.

Resolved, in full, to support the recommendations of the Byelaws Task and Finish Group, with an amendment to recommendation 1.3 in the report, proposed by Councillor Shuttleworth and agreed in full by the Committee, as follows:

1.3    The Council permits the Leader of the Council to write to the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, seeking clarification on the future process for making byelaws in view of the Devolution and Reorganisation of Local Government programme.

Ian Fitzpatrick, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Regeneration and Planning, introduced the report which sought the Cabinet’s approval of an Interim Plan, in conjunction with other East Sussex district and borough councils, and East Sussex County Council (ESCC), for submission to

Central Government regarding proposals for Local Government reorganisation in East Sussex and to seek agreement of the Cabinet to continue to progress, working with other relevant authorities, to develop a full proposal for a single tier authority for submission to Central Government by 26 September 2025. During discussion, the following points were highlighted:

·       Members considered that local representation and democratic accountability for Eastbourne Town was still required, possibly in the form of a town council. It was also felt that sufficient numbers of locally elected councillors were needed to represent communities and it was considered critical that sufficient resources were provided to support the changes outlined.

·       Members felt there had not been enough clarity provided by Government on how the Devolution programme would progress and that there was confusion among the public as to the aims of the programme. Members also felt there remained a lack of communication of the key themes within the Devolution programme and that widespread consultation and openness with residents and communities was key. Members noted the fast pace at which instructions from the government were being received and the short timescale provided for responses, which in turn restricted the ability to effectively communicate possible outcomes to the public.

·       Officers noted that the government considered town and parish councils as an important part of any future unitary authority structure. Previously created unitary authorities reflected this model of governance and sufficient representation for Eastbourne would be part of ongoing discussions.

·       Additional funding was not currently being offered by the government, who instead expected savings to be achieved in the long-term. The Leader of Lewes District Council, Councillor Nicholson was Chair of the East Sussex Leaders Group and Rob Cottrill, Chief Executive for both Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough Councils was Chair of the Chief Executives Group. Both of these appointments placed the Councils in a strong position.

Resolved to note the report.

Steve Houchin, Deputy Chief Finance Officer, presented the report which provided an update on the Strategic Finance Programme and the results of an Assurance Review undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in the summer of 2024. During discussion, the following points were highlighted:

·       A Member requested that the Scrutiny Committee urge the Cabinet, during its discussions with the management of the Sovereign Leisure Centre, Greenwich Leisure Limited, to promote the opening of the pools at the centre for as much of the year as possible. The same Member also expressed concern that the Council had not provided a clear timeline for the long-term offer at the Sovereign Leisure Centre or the Council’s strategic aims for the expansion of Eastbourne alongside its tourism offer and how resilience would be provided. Officers agreed that a response would be provided following the meeting.

·       Members expressed concern that the views of the Committee should not impede or impact detrimentally on any ongoing discussion between the Council and Greenwich Leisure Limited over the future operation of the Leisure Centre.

Following a proposal by Councillor Small, which was supported in full, the members of the Committee resolved to submit the following comment for the Cabinet’s consideration:

·       The Scrutiny Committee supports the Councill’s negotiations with Greenwich Leisure Limited for management of the Sovereign Leisure Centre but would like to reiterate its desire that pool opening opportunities are maximised wherever possible.

Resolved to note the report.

Steve Houchin, Deputy Chief Finance Officer, presented the report which provided an update on the Strategic Finance Programme and the results of an Assurance Review undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in the summer of 2024.

There was no further discussion on the report.

Resolved to note the report.

Luke Dreeling, Performance Lead, presented the report which provided an update on the Council’s progress and performance in respect of service areas for the Third Quarter of the year (October-December 2024) as shown in Appendix 1 to the report. During discussion, the following points were highlighted:

·       Although below target and underperforming for the end of the third quarter of 2024/25, improvements in the average number of days taken to process new claims for housing and council tax benefit, and the average number of days to process changes of circumstance for housing and council tax benefit claimants, had improved in December 2024. The processing of new claims was not yet on target but changes of circumstances was within target. The Service included a team that focused on the recovery of housing benefit overpayment.

·       The original backlog had been a result of two back-office systems being merged into one new system. The business case for the migration highlighted the complex nature of the migration, that there would be a time-period during which data was frozen whilst being transferred to the new system, and that a backlog was likely. There had also been challenges in recruiting agency staff in a competitive market, with the necessary experience and skills to deal with the backlog. It was anticipated that, by the first quarter of 2025/2026 both indicators would reflect improvements, however, the annual billing for council tax had recently taken place and this would impact on available resources.

Resolved to note the report.

Sarah Tye, Property and Development Engagement Lead, presented the report which outlined the findings of the summer consultation on the Eastbourne Seafront Strategy 2050 and provided progress updates on the next stages of consultation and delivery. During discussion, the following points were highlighted:

·       Members considered the community engagement aspect of the Strategy to be a key element as the seafront was a community asset, and that the entire length of the seafront should be included in the Strategy. The importance of linking tourism to the economy in Eastbourne and demonstrating how funding opportunities would benefit the town through areas such as employment was also considered to be important. Members it imperative that the Strategy should be finalised and agreed before the outcomes of the Devolution Programme were in place. Officers confirmed that community engagement workshops would take place over the coming months and it was planned for a full draft of the Strategy to be available by early summer 2025.

Resolved to note the report.

Lee Michael, Neighbourhood First Operational Manager, presented the report which outlined the future operation and management of the council’s grounds maintenance arrangements. During discussion, the following points were highlighted:

·       The current contract was self-monitoring and it was an area that would be looked at when drafting the new contract. It was anticipated that the new contract would include live tracking of performance. Parts of the Council’s grounds maintenance would be managed in-house and would deal with areas such as litter picking and litter bin emptying, which were historically high complaint areas.

·       Discussions on levels of support could be held with any sports groups or communities that wished to maintain their own sports pitches or grass activity areas. It was anticipated that simplification of the contract in areas such as grass-cutting frequency, managing the expectations of the contractor and introducing biodiversity improvements would reduce the overall cost.

Resolved to note the report.

To receive the Forward Plan of the Cabinet.

The Chair for the meeting, Councillor Shuttleworth, introduced the Forward Plan of Cabinet decisions. Members were advised that there were currently no items on the Plan for future meetings. Members noted that it was an evolving document and Democratic Services would liaise with the Chair of the Scrutiny Committee ahead of the Committee’s next meeting, to decide which items from the Plan would be included on the agenda.

Resolved to note the Forward Plan of Cabinet decisions.

To receive the Scrutiny Committee Work Programme.

The Chair for the meeting, Councillor Shuttleworth, introduced the item. Members were advised that the Committee’s meeting on the 9 June 2025 would provide an opportunity for discussion on the Committee’s work programme over the following Council year.

To note that the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to be held on 9 June 2025 in the Court Room, Town Hall, Eastbourne commencing at 6:00pm.

Resolved to note that the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to be held on 9 June 2025 in the Court Room, Town Hall, Eastbourne commencing at 6:00pm.