Agenda item - Procedural Business

(a)  Declaration of Substitutes: Where Councillors are unable to attend a meeting, a substitute Member from the same Political Group may attend, speak and vote in their place for that meeting.

(b)  Declarations of Interest or Lobbying

(a)      Disclosable pecuniary interests;

(b)      Any other interests required to be registered under the local code;

(c)      Any other general interest as a result of which a decision on the matter might reasonably be regarded as affecting you or a partner more than a majority of other people or businesses in the ward/s affected by the decision.

In each case, you need to declare

(i)        the item on the agenda the interest relates to;

(ii)      the nature of the interest; and

(iii)     whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest or some other interest.

If unsure, Members should seek advice from the committee lawyer or administrator preferably before the meeting.

      (d)       All Members present to declare any instances of lobbying they have encountered regarding items on the agenda.

(c)  Exclusion of Press and Public: To consider whether, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, or the nature of the proceedings, the press and public should be excluded from the meeting when any of the following items are under consideration.

NOTE:  Any item appearing in Part 2 of the Agenda states in its heading the category under which the information disclosed in the report is exempt from disclosure and therefore not available to the public.

A list and description of the exempt categories is available for public inspection at Brighton and Hove Town Halls.

(d)  Use of mobile phones and tablets: Would Members please ensure that their mobile phones are switched off. Where Members are using tablets to access agenda papers electronically please ensure that these are switched to ‘aeroplane mode’.

25a        Declarations of substitutes

25.1       There were none.

25b       Declarations of interests

25.2       The Chair, Councillor Cattell stated in relation to Application F, BH2016/00015, 51 Westbourne Villas, Hove, that as a planning consultant she had been advised that she had been approached by one of the objectors in relation to an earlier application. She had no recollection of that conversation and had not expressed a view or undertaken any work as it was understood she had been about to go on holiday. Councillor Cattell confirmed that she remained of a neutral mind and would remain present during the discussion and decision making in respect of this application. Councillor Cattell also explained that Mr Coomber, the applicant’s agent in respect of Application I, BH2016/01931, The Hyde, 95 Rowan Avenue, was known to her as a former colleague, for whom she had undertaken work, since leaving the Council’s employ.She had not worked with Mr Coomber since 2006 and remained of a neutral mind and would therefore remain present during the debate and decision making in respect of this application.

25.3       Councillor’s Miller and Moonan declared a non prejudicial interest by in Application D, BH2016/01438, Land Adjacent, Wellsbourne Health Centre, 179 Whitehawk Road by virtue of the fact that they were both Members of the Housing and New Homes Committee and had voted that money be made available for development of this site for housing. Neither had expressed support for any specific scheme, remained of a neutral mind and would therefore remain present during the debate and decision making in respect of the application.

25.4       Councillor Inkpin-Leissner referred to Applications A and B, BH2016/01001 and BH2016/01004, East Slope, Refectory Road, University of Sussex, Brighton and; Application E,BH2016/01414, Unit 4 Home Farm Business Centre, Home Farm Road, Brighton stating that the application sites were located within his ward. He remained of a neutral mind and would therefore remain present during the debate and decision making in respect of those applications.

25c        Exclusion of the press and public

25.5       In accordance with Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (“the Act”), the Planning Committee considered whether the public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of any item of business on the grounds that it is likely in view of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during it, there would be disclosure to them of confidential information as defined in Section 100A (3) of the Act.

25.6       RESOLVED - That the public are not excluded from any item of business on the agenda.

25d       Use of mobile phones and tablets

25.7       The Chair requested Members ensure that their mobile phones were switched off, and where Members were using tablets to access agenda papers electronically ensure that these were switched to ‘aeroplane mode’.