Cabinet
Subject: Greater Brighton Economic Board – Heads of Terms
Date of meeting: 23 January 2025
Report of: Cabinet Member for Finance and City Regeneration
Contact Officer: Name: Assistant Director - City Development & Regeneration
Tel: 01273 291666
Email: max.woodford@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: All
Key Decision: No
1.1 On 11 July 2024, NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) wrote a letter to the Chair of the Greater Brighton Economic Board (“the Board”) formally requesting to join the Board.
1.2 At the Greater Brighton Economic Board Meeting on 16 October 2024, a decision was agreed that NHS Sussex ICB should become a constituent member of the Board, joining the Greater Brighton Business Partnership.
1.3 Extending the membership of the Board triggers a variance in the Board’s Heads of Terms that requires the formal ratification of all Joint Committee members; Adur District Council, Arun District Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, Crawley Borough Council, Lewes District Council, Mid Sussex District Council and Worthing Borough Council. Each member needs to individually ratify the membership of proposed new members in accordance with their own internal committee processes.
1.4 This report seeks approval from Cabinet to enable NHS Sussex ICB to become a member of the Greater Brighton Economic Board. Each local authority member of the Board is seeking equivalent approvals from their relevant decision-making bodies.
2.1 Cabinet agrees that NHS Sussex ICB joins the Greater Brighton Economic Board as a member of the Business Partnership.
2.2 Cabinet notes that these changes to the membership and Heads of Terms are dependent on the decision of all the local authorities represented on the Board agreeing that the new member be appointed.
2.3 Cabinet agrees to amend the Board’s Heads of Terms and instructs the Monitoring Officer to amend the Council’s constitution to reflect these amendments once they have been formally approved by all the constituent authorities.
3.1 The Greater Brighton Economic Board was founded in April 2014 as part of the Greater Brighton City Region’s City Deal with Government.
3.2 The Board comprises the Greater Brighton Economic Joint Committee (“GBEJC”), on which the local authorities are represented; and the Greater Brighton Business Partnership (“GBBP”), on which the business, university and further education sectors, and South Downs National Park Authority are represented. Meetings of the Board compromise concurrent meetings of GBEJC and GBBP.
3.3 The following bodies are members of the Board:
i. Adur District Council
ii. Arun District Council
iii. Brighton & Hove City Council
iv. Crawley Borough Council
v. Lewes District Council
vi. Mid Sussex District Council
vii. Worthing Borough Council
viii. Adur & Worthing Business Partnership
ix. Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership
x. Chichester College Group
xi. University of Brighton
xii. University of Sussex
xiii. South Downs National Park Authority
3.4 GBEJC comprises the bodies specified in paragraphs 3.3(i) to (vii); and GBBP comprises the bodies specified in paragraphs 3.3(viii) to (xiii).
3.5 Board membership has been extended twice since the Board’s inception; Crawley Borough Council and Arun District Council joined the GBEJC in February 2018 and in October 2019 respectively.
3.6 In July NHS Sussex ICB wrote a letter to the Chair formally requesting to join the Board and attended the Board meeting on 16 July as observers.
3.7 When considering the request by Crawley to join the Board in 2018, it was agreed that the Board should adopt a fair and consistent approach to organisations that express an interest in joining, and for proposed new members consideration would need to be given to the following five questions;
i. Does the organisation buy into the Board’s agreed vision and priorities?
ii. Do they share economic characteristics and represent the Greater Brighton functional economic area?
iii. Do they add capacity to help the Board deliver on its agreed vision and priorities?
iv. Will they add to the Board’s reputation, in terms of legitimacy, standing and reach?
v. Are they going to actively participate and commit resource to supporting the Board and deliver the work programme?
This methodology was also employed with regards Arun District Council’s request to join in 2019. All of these questions were answered positively in the paper ratifying the extension of its membership and formally inviting the NHS Sussex ICB to become a constituent member of the GBBP[MW1] . This paper was considered by GBEB on 16 October 2024.
3.8 A change in membership triggers a variance in the Board’s Heads of Terms (see Appendix 1) that requires the formal ratification of all Joint Committee members.
3.9 The Integrated Care System that covers Sussex (NHS Sussex) is responsible for healthcare for 1.7 million people across Sussex. It employs 50,000 staff with the largest components being the 20,000 employees at University Hospitals Sussex and 8,000 at East Sussex Healthcare. The NHS in Sussex has an asset base that covers 236 GP Practices, 9 acute sites, and around 14 other sites. The NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB) has 850 employees, and commissions the services for NHS Sussex health care providers. It currently has contracts with 267 individual providers making the organisation a big driver of economic growth in the region, both with the number of people it employs and the amount it spends on procurement. The ICB has expressed an interest in becoming a formal member of the Board, which would broaden the geographical reach of the Board to all of Sussex.
3.10 NHS Sussex ICB attended the July Board meeting and Sussex Energy Launch as an observer. They have nominated a prospective representative to sit on the Board as well as a deputy and have also nominated a member of the Team to sit on the Programme Board. NHS Sussex ICB have also attended recent Sussex Energy meetings so are already participating in and adding value to the Board’s work.
4.1 An alternative would be for membership to remain as it is currently, but for the reasons outlined above and in the paper reviewed by the Board on 16 October, the Greater Brighton Economic Board took the decision to extend the membership to NHS Sussex ICB subject to the ratification of its existing Joint Committee members.
5.1 The Board was consulted on the request from NHS Sussex ICB to join the Board and took the decision to extend the membership. The governance committees of constituent Board members are being consulted given the required change to the Heads of Terms.
6.1 The Board agreed to extend membership to NHS Sussex ICB at its meeting of 16 October 2024. This decision requires ratification by all constituent board members.
6.2 NHS Sussex ICB will make a contribution towards operational costs. The Operational Arrangements 2024/25 was approved at the Board meeting on 16 July 2024, and therefore NHS Sussex ICS will make a contribution in line with funding calculations outlined in that report from 1 April 2025.
Name of finance officer consulted: Haley Woolard
Date consulted: (06/12/24)
7.1 The GBEJC which forms part of the Board is a joint committee established pursuant to section 102(1)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972. Cabinet has authority to approve the extension of the membership of the Board together with the amendment of the Heads of Terms of the Board (subject to the approval of the constituent members of the Board) to include NHS ICB as a GBBP member under Part 2E paragraph 1.5(k) of the Constitution.
Name of lawyer consulted: Siobhan Fry
Date consulted: (09/12/24)
8.1 The NHS Sussex ICB and wider NHS organisations are committed to reducing health inequalities. By working closely with NHS Sussex ICB and wider health partners, the Board can better address the challenge associated with health inequality and create the conditions where more residents can benefit from inclusive growth.
9.1 There are no sustainability implications directly related to this report. However, both the Board and NHS Sussex ICB have ambitious targets associated with net zero, and this will be a strong feature of the future work programme.
10. Health and Wellbeing Implications:
10.1 As outlined in 8.1, with NHS Sussex ICB joining the Board, addressing health and wellbeing issues is likely to become a more prominent feature of the Board’s focus moving forwards.
11. Procurement implications
11.1 There are no procurement implications directly arising from this report.
12. Crime & disorder implications:
12.1 There are no crime & disorder implications directly arising from this report.
13.1 Cabinet is asked to note the benefits of NHS Sussex ICB joining the Board and accordingly approve the extension in membership by agreeing he change to the Board’s Heads of Terms.
Supporting Documentation
1. Proposed Heads of Terms for Greater Brighton Economic Board, December 2024
1. Greater Brighton Economic Board decision that NHS Sussex ICB join the Board
[MW1]Add link to the GBEB Agenda paper