Place Scrutiny Committee minutes

Committee minutes · Place Scrutiny Committee · Thu 27 Nov 2025 · East Sussex County Council

In plain English

Each sentence was checked against the passage it cites; how the checking works.

Refused · A decision has been taken, against.

The Place Scrutiny Committee considered a call-in of a decision by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment on the proposed relocation of Hastings Register Office. p39 p40

The call-in had been made by Councillors Hilton, Murphy, Tutt and Wright. p40

Cllr Murphy moved a motion for the decision to be referred back to the Lead Member for Transport and Environment, and Cllr Hilton seconded it. p44

The Committee voted on the motion and it was lost, with 3 votes in favour, 6 against and 2 abstentions. p44

Show the 3 passages this is based on

p39</AI7> <AI8> 24. Call-in: Decision made by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment regarding the proposed relocation of Hastings Register Office
p4024.1 The Chair introduced the report, which was for the Committee to consider the call-in in relation to the decision by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment regarding the proposed relocation of Hastings Register Office. The decision was called in by Councillors Hilton, Murphy, Tutt and Wright. The Committee considered the call-in and the information contained in the report, a summary of the questions raised and comments made is given below. 24.2 Cllr Daniel, Local Member for the decision, was invited to speak and noted that he supported the original decision taken by the Lead Member. He made the following points in support of the decision:
p44Financial Implications 24.8 The Committee discussed the financial context of the Council and the fact that savings were being identified to support reaching a balanced budget. Some members of the committee commented that this was an area in which savings could be made which would have minimal human impact and commented that this was a good opportunity to make a slight saving. Public Consultation and Decision-Making Process 24.9 Some members of the Committee expressed concerns about the way in which the decision had been taken and the lack of a public consultation, and asked what discussions took place with Hastings Borough Council before the decision was made. In the context of LGR members discussed the importance of working effectively in partnership with district and borough councils and working effectively with them on decisions the Council made that may impact the future unitary. 24.10 The Assistant Director Communities clarified that the Council’s 10-year lease with the Town Hall was at its end, and a review of the service took place because of this. This showed that to move the service would lead to an improvement in services for residents, and the Council therefore engaged officers at Hastings Borough Council to explain this intention in early October. There was no need for public consultation as it was a result of the lease coming to an end, and there were no changes to the services currently offered included in the proposal. 24.11 Cllr Murphy moved the motion that the decision be referred back to the Lead Member for Transport and Environment. Cllr Hilton seconded the motion. 24.12 The Chair put the Motion to a vote. The Motion was lost (3 in favour, 6 against and 2 abstentions).

Places and organisations it names

East Sussex County Council
Robertson Terrace (named in passing; not checked that it's about here)

Other papers for this meeting

Place Scrutiny Committee agenda · Committee agenda
Appendix 1 - ESCC Social Value Model Outcomes and MACs Oct 25 · Committee report
Appendix 2 - ESCC draft SV Policy - Proposed Edits for SVM · Committee report
Appendix 3 revised Social Value measure calculation · Committee report
Appx 1 - Call in request · Committee report
Appx 2 - LMTE 10 November 2025 Hastings Registration Office Relocation · Committee report
Appx 3 - LMTE 101125 Minutes · Committee report
Appx 4 - Departmental response to Call in request · Committee report
Appx 5 - Hastings Register Office Equality Impact Assessment · Committee report
Call-in: Decision made by the Lead Member for Transport and Environment regarding the proposed relocation of Hastings Register Office · Committee report
East Sussex On-Street Electric Vehicle Charging Network · Committee report
Minutes of the previous meeting · Committee report
Notice of Motion: 20mph speed limits in new developments · Committee report
November 2025 Cabinet report and appendices · Committee report
Place Committee work programme v91 Nov 2025 · Committee report
Printed plan Forward Plan 1 November 2025 - 28 February 2026 Forward Plan · Committee report
Reconciling Policy, Performance and Resources (RPPR) · Committee report
Scrutiny Review of Procurement: Social Value and Buying Local · Committee report
Work programme · Committee report

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