Following the creation of the Bexhill-on-Sea Parish Council (now known as Bexhill Town Council), Rother was now fully parished and this presented an opportunity for Rother District Council (RDC) to become predominately strategic and regulatory within the district.

Integral to this was to consider how and by whom discretionary services were best provided, with the guiding principle of ensuring such services were delivered by the most appropriate organisation, closest to the community it served.  In addition, the devolvement of these services would help to alleviate the Council’s financial deficit and reliance on reserves.

The Council’s programme of work to deliver financial stability, as set out in the emerging Corporate Plan, sought to transfer certain community assets to organisations better able to protect them and secure their public use into the future.  A simple and straightforward strategy, attached at Appendix A to the report, had been developed that set out the Council’s proposed approach.

The report gave details of the discretionary services the strategy sought to protect, how decisions would be made about which assets to transfer, who would be delivery partners, how assets would be protected from change of use or disposal, early financial support packages to delivery partners and who the other key stakeholders were.  Good working relationships were being forged with the Parish and Town Councils across the district and the Council would be working in partnership and agreement with them and others to progress this work.  It was made clear that there was no intention to close any public conveniences across the district which were considered a necessity. 

A communications plan would be developed in conjunction with the Council’s communications team to ensure that the rationale for the approach was understood by all.  Work would be progressed by a small dedicated team, including both relevant operational staff together with legal and financial support, and represented a great learning opportunity for staff and secondments would be encouraged.

RECOMMENDED: That the Protecting Discretionary Services Strategy at Appendix A to the report be approved and adopted.