Agenda

Delegated planning decisions for the week beginning 5 July 2021 are attached.  Contact for enquiries: Jean McPherson, Group Manager (Development Management) on jean.mcpherson@crawley.gov.uk.

The following documents are attached in relation to Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders:

·     List of Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders.

·     Balcombe Road, Pound Hill (appendix A).

·     Beehive Ring Road, Langley Green (appendix B).

·     Creasys Drive, Broadfield (appendix C)

Pursuant to the resolution of the Governance Committee held on 5 March 2019, the list of councillors’ Code of Conduct complaints and outcomes has been published on the Council’s website, and can be found here.

The Prime Minister has announced that step four of the government’s roadmap, meaning most legal restrictions will be removed, will go ahead from Monday (19 July) but that he expects a gradual return to offices over the summer. With case numbers rising quickly in Crawley and the surrounding area, we have decided to take a cautious, transitional approach to staff returning to the Town Hall.

From Monday, full-time staff can return to the building if they wish, for up to two days a week and part-time staff for one day a week. However, this won’t be mandated until Monday 6 September, after the summer holidays.

Some staff have not been into the building for nearly a year and may be anxious about returning so they will be encouraged to come in for a few hours over the next several weeks to reacquaint themselves with the office environment, while it remains quiet.

The Town Hall – and all our buildings – have been Covid-compliant since March 2020. We will continue with:

·     Our designated desk policy and retain the out-of-use desks so a maximum of 155 people can work in the building

·     Our clean desk policy

·     Mask wearing when not at desks

·     Directional signage and one-way systems

·     Enhanced cleaning of the building.

We will also be encouraging members of the public coming into the Town Hall to continue to wear face coverings.

On 10 July 2021 the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and under the Urgent Action decision making powers set out in the Constitution, agreed the allocation of Contain Outbreak Management Government Funding (COMF) of £642,362.  The first round of funding was allocated to county councils in March 2021, of which WSCC allocated £474,808 to Crawley Borough Council.  In April 2021, a further round of funding was announced and £167,553.74 allocated to CBC (yet to be received).   The release of the grant is dependent on WSCC providing a monitoring return on how the COMF allocation for 2020/21 has been used.  There is also a requirement for CBC to report in the monthly ‘Delta return’ on Covid-19 spend for the additional £167,553.74.  Any unspent grant must be returned to WSCC/the Government.  Expenditure on the COMF will be reported to councillors through the quarterly budget monitoring process.

The purpose of the COMF is to provide support to councils towards expenditure lawfully incurred (or to be incurred) in relation to the mitigation against and management of local outbreaks of Covid-19, working to break the chain of transmission and protect the most vulnerable.  The grant is ring-fenced for this purpose and will be allocated as detailed in the attached decision record.

Press releases are available at www.crawley.gov.uk/news