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.

107a     Declarations of substitutes

107.1    Councillor Wealls declared that he was in attendance in substitution for Councillor Bennett and Councillor Page declared that he was in attendance in substitution for Councillor Mac Cafferty.

107b     Declarations of interests

107.2    The Chair, Councillor Cattell, declared a prejudicial interest in applications B, BH2017/03676, land at Varndean College, Surrenden Road, Brighton and F, 2017/04102, Varndean College, Surrenden Road, Brighton stating that as the objectors were known to her that she would vacate the Chair and leave the meeting during consideration of both applications and would take no part in the decision making process. The Chair would be taken by Councillor Gilbey, the Deputy Chair during their consideration.

107.3    Councillor O’Quinn referred to Application A, BH2018/01738, Land to rear of Lyon Close, Hove, confirming that she had submitted a letter of objection (circulated with the Committee papers). Having spoken to her letter she would then withdraw from the meeting during consideration of the application and would take no part in the debate and decision making process.

107.4    Councillor Page declared a prejudicial interest in Application K, BH2018/02120, 238 Elm Grove, Brighton referring to the letter of objection which he had submitted in his capacity as a Local Ward Councillor. Councillor Hyde declared a non-prejudicial interest in Applications BH2017/03676, Land at Varndean College, Surrenden Road, Brighton and BH2017/04102, Varndean College, Surrenden Road, Brighton by virtue of the fact that her grandson was a student at the college, confirming that she remained of a neutral mind and would remain present at the meeting during consideration and determination of both applications.

107.5    Councillors Hyde, Miller and Moonan stated that they had been lobbied in respect of Application A, BH2018/01738, Land to the rear of Lyons Close, Hove, Application B, BH2017/03676, Land at Varndean College, Surrenden Road, Brighton; Application E, BH2018/01336, Land at Rear of 1-45 Wanderdown Road, Brighton; Application F, BH2017/04102, Varndean College, Surrenden Road, Brighton; Application G, BH218/02558, 106, 108 and 110 Downs Valley Road, Woodindean, Brighton and Application N, BH2018/01937, 15 Osmond Gardens, Hove. All confirmed that they remained of a neutral mind and would remain present during consideration and determination of those applications.

107c     Exclusion of the press and public

107.6    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.

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

107d     Use of mobile phones and tablets

107.8    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’.