Dear Members of the Council,

Council Members are summoned to attend the MEETING of the Council to be held on Thursday 29 April 2021 at 7.30pm using Microsoft Teams.

Members of the public have a right to and are invited to attend the virtual meeting using Microsoft Teams. If you wish to attend, please email the office@hurstpierpoint-pc.gov.uk before 4pm on 29 April 2021 to be sent an electronic invitation.

Sarah Groom, Clerk to the Council Friday 23 April 2021

AGENDA

1. Apologies for Absence: To receive and accept apologies for absence.

2. Declarations of Interest: To receive and record any declarations of interest.

3. Minutes of the Previous Meeting of the Council: To receive and adopt the minutes of the 25 March 2021 Council meeting.

4. Adjournment for Questions from the Public: To consider adjourning the meeting, to receive questions from members of the public in accordance with Standing Orders.

5. Councillor Co-option: To consider applications to co-opt a councillor to fill the vacancy left by Cllr Stephen Hand on the Hurstpierpoint ward. Following the publication of the notice of vacancy, no electors (10 electors are required) called for a by-election within the legally specified time period therefore applications to fill the post by co-opted were invited. The deadline for applications was 15 April 2021. One application was received and has been circulated to Members of the Parish Council prior to the meeting. Please note, the Parish Council is not obliged to select any candidate. The following procedure should be followed:

i. Applicants complete a short application form confirming their eligibility for the role within the statutory rules and including a description of their interest in becoming a councillor and any skills or qualifications they have, which may benefit the Parish Council.

ii. Copies of the application forms are circulated to all Members at least three clear days prior to the Council meeting when the co-option will be considered. These will be treated as strictly confidential.

iii. Candidates will be sent a full agenda for the meeting at which they are to be considered for appointment. They may speak for up to three minutes about their application during the co-option item on the agenda.

iv. Voting: Voting takes place in public by a show of hands. Where there is more than two candidates for the vacancy and none of those person have received an absolute majority in their favour, the name of the person having the least number of votes shall be struck off the list and a fresh vote taken. This process continues until a majority of votes is given in favour of one person. Any tie may be settled by the Chairman’s casting vote. After the voting has concluded the Chairman will declare the successful candidate duly elected.

v. The successful candidate will sign their Declaration of Acceptance of Office before they can act as a councillor. The Register of Interests form must be completed within 28 days.

RECOMMENDATION: That the Council ELECTS to co-opt a Councillor to serve on the Hurstpierpoint ward.

6. Committee Minutes: To receive and where appropriate, consider the recommendations of the:

6.1 Planning & Environment Committee (1 April 2021) No recommendations for Council.

6.2 Community Engagement Committee (8 April 2021) No recommendations for Council.

6.3. Strategic Policy & Resources Panel (15 April 2021) Recommendation for Council set out under item 8 below.

6.4 Highways & Cycleways Joint Council Working Group (19 April 2021) No recommendations for Council.

6.5 Finance & Governance Committee (22 April 2021) Recommendations for Council:

F20/21.132 Provisional Year End Figures: The Committee considered the provisional year end accounting statement and considered any additional reserves transfers; and it was:

RESOLVED: That the Committee AGREED to recommend to Council on 29 April 2021 to:

(i) Increase the Cemetery Ear Marked Reserve (EMR) by £8,000 to £10,563

(ii) Create a Roads EMR of £10,000 (for South Lane, Pit Lane and South Avenue).

(iii) Create a Youth Facilities EMR of £5,000; and

(iv) Create a Christmas Lights EMR of £5,000.

F20/21.134 Review of the Grant Terms and Conditions: The Committee considered whether to include an additional condition in the grants policy, and it was:

RESOLVED: That the Committee AGREED to recommend to Council on 29 April 2021, that the grants policy includes the condition that “any cancellation of an event for which a grant of public money has been awarded will require either a refund of that grant, or that it be held over for that same event on a new date in the future. The latter course of action will require the agreement of the Community Engagement Committee”.

RECOMMENDATION: That the Council RECEIVES the minutes of the following Committees and agrees the above recommendations:

i. Planning & Environment Committee (1 April 2021)

ii. Community Engagement Committee (8 April 2021)

iii. Strategic Policy & Resources Panel (15 April 2021)

iv. Highways & Cycleways Joint Council Working Group (19 April 2021)

v. Finance & Governance Committee (22 April 2021)

7. Reports from Other Authorities: To receive reports from representatives of other authorities:

7.1 West Sussex County Council

7.2 Mid Sussex District Council

7.3 West Sussex Association of Local Councils & Mid Sussex Association of Local Councils

8. Local Government Boundary Commission Review of Mid Sussex: To consider the draft response from the Strategic Policy & Resources Panel to the review being undertaken into the size of Mid Sussex District Council, undertaken approximately every twenty years and note the dates of the consultation periods and the invitation to submit comments by 31 May 2021.

9. Coronavirus Meeting Legislation: To receive a verbal update and consider the latest information regarding the extension of the Statutory Instrument concerning the holding of face to face versus virtual meetings after 6 May 2021. To consider moving the date of the next Estates & Facilities Management Committee from Thursday 13 May to Tuesday 4 May 2021 at 7.30pm, so it can be held using Microsoft Teams.

10. John Lawson Circus: To consider a request from the John Lawson Circus to visit South Avenue Recreation Ground from Monday 24th to Thursday 27th May 2021 inclusive with their ‘All Human Circus’. Under Step 3 of the Government’s roadmap, they say they will be permitted to tour again, observing social distancing and other Covid restrictions.

The Government will only move from one step to the next if fewer people are catching coronavirus. From 17 May 2021 (Step 3) you can meet in groups of up to 30 outdoors. Some indoor places will also open, like cinemas, children’s play areas, hotels and bed and breakfast places. Some larger outdoor sports and shows will be able to have people watching. From 21 June 2021 (Step 4), nightclubs will open and large events will be able to take place.

The Circus normally visits South Avenue in May and takes place in a Big Top which would usually hold up to 350 people but due to Social Distancing they envisage only being able to accommodate 50% of that at the present time. They would like to arrive on Monday 24 May 2021, hold performances from Tuesday to Thursday, and then leave on Friday 28 May 2021. Apart from their normal Risk Assessments they have a Covid 19 Risk Assessment as well which explains how they will operate under the current conditions. They normally pay a £300 deposit for any damage to the site but have always had it returned afterwards.

RECOMMENDATION: That the Council AGREES to allow the John Lawson Circus to book South Avenue Recreation Ground from 24-28 May 2021, subject to tight control on observing social distancing and other Covid restrictions.

11. Information Items, Correspondence Received and Requests:

11.1 Preparation for Annual Council Meeting on 27 May 2021: Members are reminded that at the 27 May 2021 Annual Council Meeting they will elect the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council for the following year. Members will also be required to consider which councillors will serve upon the Council’s Committees, Panels and Working Groups and will elect Chairs and Vice-Chairs of each. Members will also appoint Council representatives to external organisations for 2021/22. Councillors are invited to indicate their preferences to the Clerk by 20 May 2021, to enable draft lists to be tabled for consideration and approval on 27 May 2021. Paperwork will be sent to Members to assist in this process.

11.2 Church Pew for Village Centre: Holy Trinity Church are kindly donating their 3 metre long pews that they have removed from the church, to local venues. Removing the pews is part of a plan to allow more flexible space so all can enjoy the church. It already has a sound/ lighting system and they will be fitting a new state of the art audio/visual system. New chairs arrive early May. The foyer in the Village Centre is one proposed location, under the noticeboards opposite the Parish Council reception desk. The pews are original Charles Barry pews installed in the church in 1843 (Charles Barry was one of the most distinguished architects of the 19th century and designed the Palace of Westminster.

11.3 Hurst Rethink Day Saturday 18 September 2021: The Parish Council have been formally invited to take part in the Hurst Rethink Day on Saturday 18 September 2021 at Court bushes. They plan to have a local and sustainable mix of entertainment, talks, stalls, local food, crafts, allotment seed swap, apple press, talks and debates. The group also wished to thank the Parish Council for its positive approach to their activities and stress how much they appreciate what we do and the way we have worked with them.

11.4 Hurstpierpoint College Community Action Day Friday 18 June 2021: On Friday 18 June 2021 Hurstpierpoint College students will be taking part in their Community Action Day. All students from Year 8 to Lower Sixth will take part in a wide range of projects in the local community. They are looking for any project that people may need help with and the Parish Council has been invited

to suggest suitable projects. In the past the students have been involved in for example, collecting litter, repairing and painting outside furniture and fences, clearing overgrown vegetation, clearing allotments and planting. In line with the projected COVID restrictions at the time, they will be in maximum groups of 30 or less to suit the needs and will be outside and supervised at all times.

11.5 Mid Sussex Site Allocation Development Plan Documents (DPD) Examination – Virtual Hearings: Dates have now been set for the Mid Sussex Site Allocation DPD Examination virtual hearings. The hearings will be held virtually using zoom and will be live streamed on the Council’s you tube channel for public viewing. The hearings will commence at 10am on Tuesday 1 June 2021 and run for a three week duration. Please note the deadline of the 4 May 2021 for letting them know if you wish to participate in any of the hearing sessions.

Protocol for filming and recording at public meetings: The Council has a protocol for public filming, recording and photography at its meetings, which is available on the Council’s website or on request at the Parish Office.