The meeting considered a wide range of issues, including adoption of the new Council Plan, the draft budget for 2025-2026 and the future of Rye Sports Centre.

The meeting approved the new Council Plan 2025-2029, subject to a couple of amendments to the recommendations. It was agreed that the Chief Executive would finalise the Action Plan in consultation with the Leader and Deputy Leaders of the council. The Corporate Programme Board would oversee the plan and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would monitor it annually.

The meeting also agreed to recommend to full Council the appointment of Councillor Christine Bayliss as the council's representative on the Board of East Sussex Energy, Infrastructure and Development Ltd (Sea Change Sussex) until May 2027.

Draft Budget 2025-2026

The meeting noted the report on the draft budget for 2025-2026. The report noted the increasing uncertainty and the unsustainability of its previous capital programme . The Council is waiting for the Local Government Finance Settlement, expected on 19 December 2024, which will confirm the funding it will receive from central government. There was particular discussion about how the government's 'levelling up' agenda might impact funding for Rother, which contains pockets of deprivation within a generally affluent area.

Councillor Field, Cabinet Member for Environmental, Joint Waste Contract, Licensing and Climate Strategy, argued that:

deprivation was scattered across the whole of the district and it was important that Rother received funding to support these areas / communities. The funding formula needed to reflect that granularity rather than high level averages.

There was also discussion about the council's reserves, which had been depleted in recent years:

The Council reduced its reserves by £3.394m in 2023/24. As at 1 April 2024, the Council still had £5m in the General Fund reserve. However, any overspend in 2024/25 will need to be funded mainly from this reserve. It is clear that the Council cannot keep raiding reserves to balance the budget or fund overspends.

The Council has already taken steps to reduce planned capital expenditure, agreeing to cut nearly £78 million from the programme, mainly by cancelling plans to build a hotel and food store at Beeching Road, scrapping plans to loan £60 million to its housing company, and cancelling plans to support industrial development at Barnhorn Green.

The meeting noted that public consultation on the draft budget, including proposed increases to fees and charges, would close on 11 January 2025, and that the results would be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 20 January 2025 and by Cabinet on 3 February 2025.

Hurst Green Neighbourhood Plan

The meeting agreed to submit the council's representations on the Hurst Green Neighbourhood Plan to the independent examiner. The representations were largely supportive of the plan, but did make a number of suggestions for changes, particularly concerning the plan's housing strategy. The examiner will consider the council's representations and those of other statutory consultees before deciding whether the plan can proceed to a referendum of residents.

Crowhurst Neighbourhood Plan

The meeting also agreed to submit the council's representations on the Crowhurst Neighbourhood Plan to the independent examiner. The examiner will consider the council's representations and those of other statutory consultees before deciding whether the plan can proceed to a referendum of residents.

Rye Sports Centre

The meeting agreed to an early termination of the contract with Freedom Leisure to operate Rye Sports Centre and to grant delegated authority to the Chief Executive to oversee the handover of the facility to Rye Recreation and Well-Being CIO. The handover is expected to take place in April 2025.

The Council does not own Rye Sports Centre, which is an asset of East Sussex County Council. Responsibility for the operation and management of the facility will be handed over to Rye Recreation and Well-Being CIO, with the support of Rye Town Council.