Agenda

To receive any apologies for absence from Councillors.

Councillors are requested to declare any interests on items included in this agenda. Please refer to the workflow on the preceding page for guidance.

Declarations received will be reported at the meeting.

To confirm and sign as a correct record the minutes of the Meeting held on 26 March 2026.

To receive any public questions, statements or petitions submitted in accordance with the Constitution. Further information on the requirements for submitting these is available to view at the following link:-

https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeID=151&Info=1&bcr=1

The deadline for the submission of public questions is mid-day on Wednesday 20 May 2026 [12 noon, 3 clear working days before the meeting].

The deadline for the submission of a statement is mid-day Tuesday 26 May 2026 [mid-day the working day before the meeting].

The deadline for the submission of a petition is Tuesday 12 May 2026 [10 working days before the meeting].

To consider recommendations from the Overview and Scrutiny committees on items not otherwise included on the Cabinet Agenda.

In June 2025, Cabinet agreed to prepare a new Local Plan under the Government’s reformed plan-making system. The Government has now published the Regulations and guidance setting out the new process, which is intended to enable plans to be prepared and adopted within 30 months from Gateway 1. This report summarises the process and proposed timetable for preparing the new BCP Local Plan and seeks authorisation to undertake the Stage 1 (“Getting ready”) activities, together with delegated authority to progress the Plan through the prescribed Gateway stages. Cabinet decisions will remain for each formal consultation stage. A cross party Working Group is being set up to guide the Local Plan.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published a revised set of ‘Public Library Byelaws for England’ in March 2025 (updated August 2025).

DCMS state library byelaws are aimed at helping libraries to offer a “safe and comfortable environment and to make libraries places everyone can enjoy”. They also aid the “library workforce to deal with disruptive behaviour and allow for flexibility in dealing with local concerns”.

BCP Council has not updated its library byelaws since local government review and thus we are still operating with separate versions in place for the legacy authority areas.

The library service would like to update its byelaws to bring consistency across areas, but also because the new version produced by the DCMS are more modern and a better fit for life as it is today. 

This report presents the draft byelaws and seeks support to undertake the necessary next steps to enable us to adopt them.

BCP Council does not have a Social Value Policy nor a Social Value Statement.

In June 2025, CMB convened a Social Value Working Group to develop the Council’s Social Value Statement, aligned to priorities within the Corporate Plan and BCP’s Procurement and Contract Management Strategy.

Scope of the Social Value Statement includes leveraging social value through:

·       Procurement and contract management

·       External offers relating to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

·       Planning

·       Economic Development

·       Community-based projects.

This Report has been brought to Cabinet for a decision to adopt the Social Value Statement.

The Social Value Statement is presented at Appendix 1.

In line with statutory guidance on making significant changes to maintained schools, this report outlines the proposal to create a new Winchelsea School satellite unit and nursery at Stanley Green Infant Academy, in addition to expanding post?16 places at Winchelsea School’s Broadstone Youth Centre site. These developments support the council’s duty to provide sufficient specialist school places and form part of a wider programme to expand high?quality local SEND provision. The proposal responds to rising demand for specialist places driven by increasing numbers of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and the resulting reliance on independent and non?maintained special schools.

By using surplus space available at Stanley Green Infant Academy and at Broadstone Youth Centre for post?16 provision, the Council aims to strengthen local capacity so that more children and young people can access appropriate education closer to home. Increasing provision will reduce the need for costly out?of?area placements, often involving higher fees and significant transport costs, while improving outcomes by enabling pupils to remain within their communities and delivering long?term financial efficiencies for the Council.

The Chief Executive to report on any decisions taken under urgency provisions in accordance with the Constitution.

To consider the latest version of the Cabinet Forward Plan for approval.