Coronavirus: County Hall public meetings set to be cancelled

East Sussex County Council is set to cancel its public meetings, as the authority reacts to the coronavirus pandemic.
County Hall Lewes, East Sussex County Council HQ SUS-150925-134850001County Hall Lewes, East Sussex County Council HQ SUS-150925-134850001
County Hall Lewes, East Sussex County Council HQ SUS-150925-134850001

This morning (Wednesday, March 18), East Sussex County Council confirmed it would cancelling all its meetings from Tuesday (March 24) until further notice.

It has already cancelled several meetings previously scheduled to take place over the next two weeks, including a place scrutiny committee meeting set to take place this morning.

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However, a full council meeting is to go ahead on Tuesday, as it would centre on the introduction of “temporary measures”, which the council says would allow “essential business to be conducted in the event of disruption or suspension of formal meetings due to Covid-19.”

An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: “In light of Government advice, following the Council meeting on Tuesday, March 24, where we will be considering measures to ensure we can continue to make decisions during this challenging time, we will not be holding public committee meetings until further notice.”

Details of the temporary measures proposed are set to be discussed by the council’s governance committee ahead of the full council meeting.

In a report to be considered by that committee (a group which includes the leaders of the council’s three main political parties), officers are recommending a number of changes be made to the council’s constitution. 

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The proposed changes include council leader Keith Glazier assuming the decision-making powers of the council’s cabinet, while senior officers could be given delegated authority to make decisions for the planning, pensions and governance committees.

Both of the above would only be for “time-critical decisions which cannot be deferred” and where a formal meeting is either cancelled or cannot go ahead, the report says.

Senior officers would consult with the committees’ elected chairman before making planning and pension decisions and with group leaders when making governance committee decisions.

Other councils in East Sussex have confirmed they are considering similar steps, with Hastings Borough Council set to discuss an ‘urgent amendment’ to its constitution at a special full council meeting this evening. That meeting will also see the formal election of new council leader Kim Forward.

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West Sussex County Council has also cancelled all its County Hall meetings until the end of April.

Wealden District Council, meanwhile, discussed the situation as part of its cabinet meeting this morning.

During the meeting council leader Bob Standley urged members of the public who need to contact the authority to use the phone or go online and not to come into the council’s offices or write in, if possible.  

The council’s offices have not closed, he added, but asked that people avoid this contact point unless necessary. 

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Officers also confirmed that the majority of Wealden staff are now working from home as a preventative measure.

Cllr Standley said: “A number of messages have gone out to staff and councillors to update. I have also put a message out basically saying ‘no, this is not business as normal’.

“We will be doing everything we can in terms of supporting and listening to Government and Public Health. We have contingency plans for a pandemic and it will be updated.”

Rother District Council, however, says it does not yet plan to cancel its public meetings but is keeping the matter “under regular review”.  Notably the authority is not set to hold its next public meeting until April 6.

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A Rother District Council spokesman said: “There are currently no plans to cancel council meetings at Rother District Council, although the situation will kept under regular review.

“Given the current advice to those over 70, pregnant or showing symptoms to self-isolate, there may be occasions where there are not enough members to hold a meeting and it will have to be cancelled.  If this happens, we will give as much notice as we can.

“We would like to remind anyone planning to attend a meeting to check our website beforehand, and ensure they follow government advice if they are experiencing any symptoms. 

“The public can still listen to debates as meetings are recorded and posted on online at https://www.youtube.com/user/RotherDC when the minutes are published.”

Neither Eastbourne Borough or Lewes District Council have yet confirmed their plans.