Subject:

Subject:		Greater Brighton Economic Board Operational Arrangements for 2026/27
Date of Meeting:		25 March 2026
Report of:		Chair, Greater Brighton Economic Board
Contact Officer:	Name:	Andy Hill	Tel:	07833 483293
	Email:	andy.hill@brighton-hove.gov.uk
LA(s) affected:		All

FOR GENERAL RELEASE

1. PURPOSE OF REPORT:

1.1 This report outlines the preparatory steps needed to support the operational aspects of the Greater Brighton Economic Board (“the Board”) in 2026/27.

1.2 This report follows agreement at the January 2026 Board meeting that, whilst the region transitions towards establishment of the Sussex & Brighton Combined County Authority (SBCCA), the Board should continue to operate beyond 31 March 2026 and develop an Integration Plan. The Board members agreed to provide funding for FY 2026/27, which will be reviewed whilst the SBCCA is established. Therefore, this report sets out the budget for twelve months (1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027). The Board will consider funding over two periods of six months from 1 Apr – 30 Sep (tranche 1) and 1 Oct 2026 – 31 Mar 2027 (tranche 2), subject to board approval.

1.3 The budget does not include the anticipated costs associated with Board closure, including employment liabilities. These are presented in a separate paper to be discussed in Part 2 of the meeting.

1.4 This report should be read in conjunction with the Heads of Terms (HoTs) for the Board, attached as Appendix 1.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS:

That the Board:

2.1 Agrees the annual budget as set out in Table A;

2.2 Agrees on the future of the Board by no later than 24 June based on criteria outlined in [3.1], covering the period 1 October - 31 March 2027;

2.2.1 Agrees to release tranche 2 of the agreed budget in Table 3.1 if members agree to extend the Board;

2.3 Agrees that if members agree to dissolve the Board, the Lead Authority will make arrangements for dispensing with all liabilities (including employment liabilities) and that all associated costs will be apportioned across the Local Authority Members;

2.4 Agrees the proposed member contributions detailed in Table B and Part 2 of this report;

2.5 Note that Brighton & Hove City Council shall continue to act as Lead Authority for the Board in 2026/27;

2.6 Agree the process set out at sections 3.13 to 3.18 by which the Chair of the Board shall be nominated for 2026/27.

3 CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

3.1 The SBCCA is expected to be vested by April 2026. The Board has previously identified a number of programmes for the new authority to adopt and carry forward. The decision to extend the current Board for a further six months, from 1 October, will be informed by the level of clarity and commitment received from the SBCCA regarding future arrangements.

The programmes/themes under consideration include:

3.1.1 Sussex Energy

3.1.2 Economic Opportunities Review

3.1.3 Creative Industries

3.1.4 Food Systems Integration

3.1.5 Inward Investment

3.2 As outlined in the Table A below, the proposed budget for 2026/27 is £117,400 for the period April 2026-March 2027. Given the uncertainty over the Board’s future through 2026/27, this total is split into £30,200 for the period April-September 2026, and then £87,200 for the period September 2026-March 2027. The reason the cost for the first six months is lower is that there is going to be an underspend of £57,000 carried forward from 2025/26, and the sensible approach is to feed this into the budget for April-September,

3.2.1 There is a small increase in the staff salary costs for one post due to an increase in weekly working hours from 22.5 to 26.5 to support transition planning.

3.2.2 In previous years there has been an annual contingency of £10,000. Given the level of uncertainty in which the Board will operate, the recommendation is that this contingency amount be increased to £20,000.

3.2.3 Table A does not include £100,000 ringfenced for Sussex Energy that has been carried forward from previous years budgets. Of this, £50,000 will fund work currently being commissioned:

(1) large scale solar site identification and prioritisation; and

(2) development of a regional decarbonisation funding and investment strategy.

The remaining £50,000 will support subsequent work to engage site owners of the priority large scale solar sites identified through this process.

3.3 £3,027 of funding for an intern to support Sussex Energy communications activity has been secured in principle from University of Sussex Summer Internship Scheme. Interns must be employed through the payroll of Brighton and Hove City Council as Lead Authority. While the scheme provides funding equivalent to the National Living Wage salary contribution, employer on-costs (including National Insurance) and any top-up required to meet the employer’s minimum salary level must also be covered. This results in an estimated additional cost of approximately £500, which would be met from the £100,000 ringfenced Sussex Energy budget.

3.4 The 2025/26 Operational Arrangements and budget, approved by the Board in April 2025, were developed with consideration of the region’s inclusion in the Devolution Priority Programme. At that time, the timeline for establishing the SBCCA and its associated structures remained uncertain, and the future of the Board beyond March 2026 was yet to be determined.

3.5 A substantial underspend was carried forward into 2025/26; therefore, to prevent a further significant surplus, contributions requested from Board Members were adjusted accordingly. [PS1]

3.6 As outlined in Table A and in 3.2, the projected underspend for 2025/26 is expected to be £57,000. Therefore, to cover the costs outlined above, there is a need to request from members the contributions set out in Table B.

3.7 The contributions sought from local authorities are based on working age population figures from 2022. The methodology detailing how the contributions are derived is at Appendix 3.

Table A

Running Costs	Total: April 2026 - March 27	April - September 2026 (Tranche 1)	Oct 2026 – March 2027 (Tranche 2)
Salary costs (including on costs) and expenses	£98,029.00	£49,014.00	£49,014.00
Finance support	£8,270.00	£4,135.00	£4,135.00
Legal support	£11,325.00	£5,662.00	£5,662.00
Democratic Services support	£4,826.00	£2,413.00	£2,413.00
Scrutiny (charged £500 (excluding venue) on a ‘pay as you go’ basis)	£2,000.00	£1,000.00	£1,000.00
GBEB Communications	£24,950.00	£12,475.00	£12,475.00
GBEB Annual report, printing and other materials	£3,500.00	£1,750.00	£1,750.00
Venue hire, hospitality, and refreshments	£500.00	£250.00	£250.00
Additional costs e.g. IT, travel	£1,000.00	£500.00	£500.00
Contingency	£20,000.00	£10,000.00	£10,000.00
Total running costs	£174,400.00	£87,200.00	£87,200.00
Underspend from 2025/26	£57,000.00	£57,000.00	£0
Total cost, less carry-forward	£117,400.00	£30,200.00	£87,200.00

Table B

Organisation	Total sought: April 2026 - March 27	April - September 2026 (Tranche 1)	Oct 2026 – March 2027 (Tranche 2)
South Downs National Park Authority	£4,550.00	£1,170.00	£3,380.00
University of Sussex	£4,550.00	£1,170.00	£3,380.00
University of Brighton	£4,550.00	£1,170.00	£3,380.00
Chichester College Group	£4,550.00	£1,170.00	£3,380.00
NHS Sussex ICB	£4,550.00	£1,170.00	£3,380.00
Adur District Council	£5,725.00	£1,475.00	£4,250.00
Arun District Council	£14,100.00	£3,630.00	£10,475.00
Brighton & Hove City Council	£29,840.00	£7,675.00	£22,165.00
Crawley Borough Council	£11,855.00	£3,050.00	£8,805.00
Lewes District Council	£8,690.00	£2,235.00	£6,455.00
Mid Sussex District Council	£14,150.00	£3,640.00	£10,510.00
Worthing Borough Council	£10,285.00	£2,645.00	£7,640.00
Total Contributions	£117,400.00	£30,200.00	£87,200.00

LEAD AUTHORITY:

3.8 On 18 July 2023, the Board agreed that Brighton & Hove City Council continue to act as Lead Authority for 2023/24. As outlined in section 1.8 of the HoTs, lead authority arrangements are reviewed every two years and therefore this arrangement was maintained for 2024/25.

3.9 In the autumn of 2024, each local authority represented on the Board was due to be invited to submit an expression of interest in fulfilling the Lead Authority role for 2025/26 and 2026/27. The Board would then instigate a procurement exercise to select the most appropriate authority for that role. However, given that in February 2025 Sussex and Brighton was announced as being on the Devolution Programme, the recommendation for 2025/26 was that Brighton & Hove City Council continue as Lead Authority.

3.10 Establishment of the SBCCA is gathering pace, the Board is likely be dissolved during, or at the end of, 2026/27. The recommendation at 2.5 is thatBrighton & Hove City Council continue as Lead Authority during 2026/27.

2026/27 BOARD MEETING DATES

3.11 The Board meeting dates for the new municipal year are proposed as follows:

· 24 June 2026

· 30 September 2026

· 16 December 2026

· 17 March 2027

3.12 It is proposed meetings will be held at various locations across Greater Brighton.

MEMBERSHIP AND CHAIRPERSON

3.13 As outlined in section 6 of the HoTs, the Chair will be elected annually by the Joint Committee members. The Chair of the Joint Committee shall, by virtue of their democratic mandate, be the Chair of the Board. It is for the Joint Committee to elect the Chair.

3.14 The Chair must be formally appointed at the Board’s first meeting in the new municipal year. It is proposed that nominations be sought in advance and that the following process be adopted:

3.15 On 27 April 2026, Brighton & Hove City Council’s Democratic Services team will issue an email to the local authority Leaders to ask if they would like to put themselves forward as Chair.

3.16 Those local authority Leaders choosing to put themselves forward must notify Brighton & Hove City Council’s Democratic Services of their decision by 15 May 2025.

3.17 On 18 May 2026, Brighton & Hove City Council’s Democratic Services will issue an email to all local authority Leaders, advising of the nominations and asking them to cast a vote for their preferred nominee. Each Greater Brighton Economic Joint Committee member will have one vote.

3.18 On 1 June 2026, Brighton & Hove City Council Democratic Services will issue an email to all members of the Board to advise them of the elected Chair.

3.19 On 24 June 2026 members of the Greater Brighton Joint Committee will formally appoint the new Chair (this will be the first item of business).

3.20 If the vote is tied, Brighton & Hove City Council’s Democratic Services will issue an email to all local authority Leaders, informing that the first round has been tied and asking them to vote again on the preferred nominees.

3.21 All member organisations are required to inform Brighton & Hove City Council’s Democratic Services of their substitute representatives by 19 June 2026. In line with section 9 of the HoTs, the list of substitutes will be approved by the Board at its first meeting in the new municipal year.

3.22 As stated in section 4.3 of the HoTs, the work of the Board shall be subject to review by an ad-hoc joint local authority scrutiny panel that is managed by the Lead Authority. It is proposed that the current Call-In Protocol remains unchanged for 2026/27. The Protocol is attached as Appendix 2.

3.23 Members of the Board are required to inform Brighton & Hove City Council’ Democratic Services of their Greater Brighton Call-In Panel representatives by 19 June 2026.

4 ANALYSIS & CONSIDERATION OF ANY ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

4.1 An alternative option was for the Board to be dissolved at the end of March 2026, in line with the end of the financial year and current funding. This was considered, but the view was that the structures around the SBCCA are not yet mature, and the Board still has a role to play as convenor and supporter of work to establish the SBCCA, including developing the Integration Proposal.

5 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & CONSULTATION:

5.1 There are no direct community engagement or consultation arising directly from this paper. However, the development of the proposed Integration Plan will set out how a) the work will continue at SBCCA; and b) make initial recommendations on ongoing community engagement and participation as part of regional devolution activity.

6 CONCLUSION:

6.1 To ensure that the Board transitions smoothly into the new municipal year, Board members are asked to:

(1) Agree the costs of running the Board and delivering its work-plan in 2026/27[PS2] ;

(2) Note that Brighton & Hove City Council shall continue to act as Lead Authority for the Board in 2026/27;

(3) Agree the process by which the Chair of the Board shall be nominated for 2026/27, and;

(4) Note the requirement, and instruct the necessary actions within their respective organisations, to:

a) Notify the lead authority of their named substitutes by 19 June 2026, and;

b) Notify the lead authority of their nominations to the Greater Brighton Call-In Panel by 19 June 2026.

7 FINANCIAL & OTHER IMPLICATIONS:

Financial Implications[PS3] [AH4] :

7.1 The estimated cost of supporting the Board’s activity for 2026/27 is £174,400. This covers staffing, finance, legal and democratic support, communications activity, scrutiny, and other operational requirements, but also includes an enhanced level of contingency to reflect that the Board are operating within an uncertain environment in 2026/27. A £57,000 underspend from 2025/26 will be carried forward, reducing the annual funding requirement from members to £117,400. Due to the planned integration of the Board’s activities within the SBCCA during 2026/27, the report recommends that the annual budget is split into two tranches, each to cover the first and last 6 months of the year. Member contributions will be requested for tranche 1 as laid out in Table B, which have been calculated in line with the Board’s Memorandum of Understanding. Further member contributions required for tranche 2 (also in Table B) will depend on the timeline of the dissolution of the Board.

7.2 Brighton & Hove City Council will continue to act as the Lead Authority and Accountable Body. The associated support costs are included within the budget. In addition to the core operating costs, the Board holds £100,000 of ringfenced Sussex Energy funding, which will be used to progress planned workstreams. A small cost pressure of around £500 linked to the Sussex Energy intern will be met from this ringfenced allocation.

7.3 The financial implications regarding the costs relating to the dissolution of the Board are covered in Part 2 to the report.

Finance Officer Consulted: Modupe Oshin, Principal Accountant, BHCC & Deputy CFO (BHCC) Haley Woollard

Date: 17/03/2026

Legal Implications:

7.4 There are no direct legal implications arising from the recommendations in this report. If members agree at a future date to the dissolution of the Board, consideration will need to be given to the treatment of any contractual arrangements that have been entered into by the Accountable Body (Brighton and Hove City Council) on behalf of the Board. The Heads of Terms which governs the Board provides for a memorandum of understanding to set out in further detail of the support the Accountable Body is required to give to the Board. The current version of the memorandum (dated April 2014) may require updating to include any finally agreed details for the implementation of the dissolution.

Lawyer Consulted: Siobhan Fry, Head of Legal, Commercial

Date: 17/03/2026

Equalities Implications:

7.5 None

Sustainability Implications:

7.6 None

Any Other Significant Implications:

7.7 None

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Appendices:

1. Heads of Terms for Greater Brighton Economic Board

2. Greater Brighton Economic Board Call-In Protocol

3. Approach for Calculating 2026/27 Funding Contributions

Appendix 1: Heads of Terms for Greater Brighton Economic Board (Jan 2025)

1. Establishment, Purpose and Form

1.1. The Greater Brighton Economic Board (“The Board”) shall be established from the Commencement Date.

1.2. The over-arching purpose of the board is to bring about sustainable economic development and growth across Greater Brighton (‘the City Region’). To achieve this, the principal role of the Board is to co-ordinate economic development activities and investment at the regional level.

1.3. The Board comprises the Greater Brighton Economic Joint Committee (“GBEJC”), on which the local authorities will be represented; and the Greater Brighton Business Partnership (“GBBP”), on which the business, university and further education sectors will be represented

1.4. Meetings of the Board comprise concurrent meetings of GBEJC and GBBP.

1.5. GBEJC shall be a joint committee appointed by two or more local authorities represented on the Board, in accordance with section 120(1)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

1.6. The Board may appoint one or more sub-committees.

1.7. For the two years starting with the Commencement Date, the lead authority for the Board shall be Brighton & Hove City Council (“BHCC”), whose functions in that capacity shall include the provision of scrutiny (see paragraph 4.3), management of the call-in and review process (see paragraph 8), and the support detailed in paragraph 12.

1.8. Unless the Board resolves otherwise, before the start of the third year following the Commencement Date, and every two years thereafter, the Board shall review the lead authority arrangements and, subject to paragraph 1.9, invite each of the local authorities represented on the Board to submit an expression of interest in fulfilling the role of lead authority for the subsequent two year period. The Board shall then instigate a procurement exercise to select the most appropriate authority for that role.

1.9. Notwithstanding the appointment of a successor lead authority pursuant to paragraph 1.8, the incumbent lead authority may retain such of their Accountable Body functions as are necessary to enable that local authority to comply with its on-going commitments and liabilities associated with its Accountable Body status.

2. Interpretation

2.1. In these Heads of Terms –

i. ‘Commencement Date’ means 1^st April 2014.

ii. ‘City Region’ means the area encompassing the administrative boundaries of BHCC, Adur District Council, Worthing Borough Council, Lewes District Council, Mid Sussex District Council, Crawley Borough Council and Arun District Council; and ‘regional’ shall be construed accordingly;

iii. ‘economic development’ shall bear its natural meaning but with particular emphasis given to :

- Employment and skills;

- Infrastructure and transport

- Housing;

- Utilisation of property assets;

- Strategic planning;

- Economic growth.

iv. ‘Accountable Body’ means the local authority represented on the Board carrying out the function set out in paragraph 12.2.

3. Functions

3.1. The Functions of the Board are specified in paragraph 3.2 below and may be exercised only in respect of the Region.

3.2. The functions referred to in paragraph 3.1 are as follows:

i. To make long term strategic decisions concerning regional economic development and growth;

ii. To be the external voice to Government and investors regarding the management of devolved powers and funds for regional economic growth;

iii. To work with national, sub-national, regional and local bodies to support a co-ordinated approach to economic growth across the region;

iv. To secure funding and investment for the Region;

v. To ensure delivery of, and provide strategic direction for, major projects and work stream enabled by City Deal funding and devolution of powers;

vi. To enable those bodies to whom section 110 of the Localism Act 2011 applies to comply more effectively with their duty to co-operate in relation to planning of sustainable development.

vii. To incur expenditure on matters relating to economic development where funds have been allocated directly to the Board for economic development purposes; and for the avoidance of doubt, no other expenditure shall be incurred unless due authority has been given by each body represented on the Board.

3.3. In discharging its function specified in paragraph 3.2 (Viii) above, the Board shall-

i. (save in exceptional circumstances) seek to invest funding on the basis of-

a Proportionality, by reference to the economically active demographic of each administrative area within the city Region;

b Deliverability;

c Value for money and return on investment / cost benefit ratio; and

d Economic impact to the City Region as a whole.

ii. Delegate implementation of that function to the lead authority, who shall also act as Accountable Body in relation to any matters failing within that function.

4. Reporting and Accountability

4.1. The Board shall submit an annual report to each of the bodies represented on the Board.

4.2. The Greater Brighton Programme Board shall report to the Board and may refer matters to it for consideration and determination.

4.3. The work of the Board is subject to review by an ad hoc joint local authority scrutiny panel set up and managed by the lead authority.

5. Membership

5.1. The following bodies shall be members of the Board:

i. Brighton & Hove City Council

ii. Adur District Council

iii. Worthing Borough Council

iv. Lewes District Council

v. Mid-Sussex District Council

vi. Crawley Borough Council

vii. Arun District Council

viii. University of Sussex

ix. University of Brighton

x. Chichester College Group

xi. Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership

xii. Adur & Worthing Business Partnership

xiii. South Downs National Park Authority

xiv. NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board

5.2. GBEJC shall comprise the bodies specified in paragraphs 5.1(i) to (vii); and GBBP shall comprise the bodies specified in paragraphs 5.1(viii) to (xiv).

5.3. Each of the bodies listed in paragraph 5.1 shall be represented at the Board by one person.

5.4. Each local authority member shall be represented at the Board by its elected Leader.

5.5. Each business sector member shall be represented at the Board by the Chairman of that member or by a person nominated by the Board of that member.

5.6. Each university member shall be represented by a Vice Chancellor or Pro Vice-Chancellor of that university or by a person nominated by that university member.

5.7. Each further education member shall be represented by its Principal or the Chair of its Governing Body or by a person nominated by that further education member.

6. Chair

6.1. The Chair of GBEJC shall, by virtue of his/her democratic mandate, be Chair of the Board

6.2. If the Chair of GBEJC is unable to attend a Board meeting, the Board shall elect a substitute from its local authority member representatives provided that no such member representative attending in the capacity of a substitute shall be appointed as Chair of GBEJC / the Board.

6.3. The Chair will be elected annually by members of the GBEJC. Election of the Chair will be conducted through a formal process performed by the Democratic Services Team of the Lead Authority. The elected Chair will be appointed at the first meeting of the Board in the new municipal year. A Chair may be re-elected but shall not serve as Chair for more than 4 years.

7. Voting

7.1. Each person represents a member of GBEJC, and each person representing a member of the GBBP, shall be entitled to vote at their respective meetings.

7.2. Voting at each of the concurrent meetings of GBEJC and GBBP shall be by show of hands or, at the discretion of the chair, by any other means permitted by law, and voting outcomes reached at those meetings shall be on a simple majority of votes cast.

7.3. Where voting at a meeting of GBEJC results in an equal number of votes cast in favour and against, the Chair of GBEJC shall have a casting vote.

7.4. Where voting at a meeting of GBEJC results in an equal number of votes cast in favour and against, the motion/proposal/recommendation under consideration shall fall in relation of GBBP.

7.5. Where the respective voting outcomes of GBEJC and GBBC are the same, that shall be taken as the agreed Board decision and the Board may pass a resolution accordingly.

7.6. Where the respective voting outcomes of GBEJC and GBBP differ, the Board –

i. May not pass a resolution relating to that matter; and

ii. May refer the matter to the Chief Executive of the lead authority, who may consult with members of the Board or such other persons as are appropriate, with a view to achieving agreement on the matter between GBEJC and GBBP by discussion and negotiation.

7.7. Where, pursuant to paragraph 7.6(ii), agreement is reached the matter at issue shall be remitted to, and voted upon at, the next meeting of the Board.

7.8. Where, pursuant to paragraph 7.6(ii), no agreement is reached the motion/proposal/recommendation at issue shall fall.

8. Review of decision

8.1. Decisions of the Board will be subject to call-in and review in the following circumstances:

i. Where a local authority voted to agree a recommendation at a GBEJC meeting, but the decision of the Board was not to agree the recommendation.

ii. Where a local authority voted against a recommendation at a GBEJC meeting, but the decision of the Board considered that the interests of the body they represent had been significantly prejudiced; or

iii. Where any local authority represented on the Board considered that the interests of the body they represent had been significantly prejudiced; or

iv. Where any local authority represented on the Board considered that the Board had made a decision beyond its scope of authority.

8.2. The procedure for requesting, validation, and implementing a call-in and review is specified in Schedule 1.

8.3. Where a request for call-in is accepted, the Board decision to which it relates shall be stayed pending the outcome of the call-in.

8.4. Following call-in, the panel convened to review a Board decision may refer the decision back to the Board for re-consideration. Following referral, the Board shall, either at its next scheduled meeting or at a special meeting called for the purpose, consider the panel’s concerns over the original decision.

8.5. Having considered the panel’s concerns, the Board may alter its original decision or re-affirm it. Paragraph 8.1 shall not apply to the Board’s follow-up decision. In consequence, the latter decision may be implemented without further delay.

9. Substitution

9.1. Subject to paragraph 9.2, representatives are expected to attend all meetings however, where a representative of a member of the Board is unable to attend a Board meeting, a substitute representative of that member may attend, speak and vote, in their place for that meeting.

9.2. A substitute member must be appointed from a list of approved substitutes submitted by the respective member to the Board at the start of each municipal year.

10. Quorum

10.1. No business shall be transacted at any meeting of the Board unless at least one third of all member bodies are present, and both GBEJC and GPBBP are quorate.

10.2. Quorum for GBEJC meetings shall be three member bodies.

10.3. Quorum for GBBP meetings shall be three member bodies.

11. Time and Venue of Meetings

11.1 Ordinary meetings of the Board shall be convened by the lead authority and will rotate around the City Region.

11.2 The Chair of the Board may call a special meeting of the Board at any time, subject to providing members with minimum notice of two working days.

12. Administrative, financial and legal support

12.1 The lead authority shall provide the following support services to the Board:

i. Administrative, as more particularly specified in the Memorandum of Understanding pursuant to paragraph 13;

ii. Financial (including the Accountable body function specified in paragraph 12.2); and

iii. Legal, comprising Monitoring Officer and Proper Officer functions in relation to GBEJC meetings.

12.2 The function of the Accountable Body is to take responsibility for the financial management and administration of external grants and funds provided to the Board, and of financial contributions by each member of the Board, as more particularly specified in the Memorandum of Understanding Pursuant to paragraph 13. In fulfilling its role as Accountable Body, the lead authority shall remain independent of the Board.

12.3 Other members of the Board shall contribute to the reasonable costs incurred by the lead authority in connection with the activities described in paragraphs 12.1 and 12.2, at such time and manner as the Memorandum of Understanding shall specify.

13 Memorandum of Understanding

13.1 Members of the Board may enter into a memorandum of understanding setting out administrative and financial arrangements as between themselves relating to the functioning of the Board.

13.2 The memorandum may, in particular, provide for –

13.2.1 Arrangements as to the financial contributions by each member towards the work of the Board, including:

13.2.1.1 The process by which total financial contributions are calculated;

13.2.1.2 The process for determining the contribution to be paid by each member;

13.2.1.3 The dates on which contribution are payable;

13.2.1.4 How the Accountable Body shall administer and account for such contributions;

13.2.2 Functions of the Accountable Body; and

13.2.3 The terms of reference for the Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board.

14 Review and Variation of Heads of Terms

14.1 The Board shall keep these Heads of Terms under review to ensure that the Board’s purpose is given full effect.

14.2 These Heads of Terms may be varied only on a resolution of the Board to that effect, and subject to the approval of each body represented on the Board.

Appendix 2: Greater Brighton Economic Board Call-In Protocol

1. Requesting a Call-in

1.1. Call-in is a process via which decisions made by the Greater Brighton Economic Board (GBEB) but not yet implemented can be challenged by GBEB members and referred to an independent ‘call-in panel’ for consideration.

1.2. Any decision made by the GBEB may be called-in up to five working days from the date of the meeting at which the decision was taken.

1.3. Call-in may triggered by any one or more of the constituent members of the GBEB. Such a request shall be made in writing to the Chief Executive of the lead Local Authority (i.e. the Local Authority responsible for GBEB administration at the time of the call-in request) and shall include the reasons for the request and any alternative decisions proposed.

1.4. A request for call-in may be made by any GBEB member local authority:

i. where a local authority voted to agree a recommendation at a GBEJC meeting, but the decision of the Board was against the recommendation;

ii. where a local authority voted against a recommendation at a meeting of the GBEJC but the decision of the Board was to agree the recommendation;

iii. where any local authority represented in the Board considered that the interests of the body they represent had been significantly prejudiced; or

iv. where any local authority represented in the Board considered that the Board had made a decision beyond its scope of authority.

1.5. The Chief Executive may refuse to accept a call-in request which in his/her opinion is frivolous, vexatious or defamatory or where no reason for the decision to be called-in is given.

1.6. Should the request be accepted, the Chief Executive will call-in the decision. This shall have the effect of suspending the decision coming into force and the Chief Executive shall inform the relevant decision makers of the call-in. The Chief Executive shall then call a meeting of the GBEB call-in panel to scrutinise the decision.

1.7. The GBEB call-in panel must meet within seven working days of the Chief Executive accepting the call-in request. Should the call-in committee fail to meet within this period, or meet but not be quorate, then the original decision shall come into force at the expiry of the seven-day period

The GBEB Call-in Panel

1.8. The GBEB call-in panel shall include members representing each of the constituent members of the GBEB (i.e. both the Greater Brighton Economic Joint Committee and the Greater Brighton Business Partnership).

1.9. The GBEB call-in panel could potentially also include co-opted members from other bodies. Any decision on co-option would be made annually by the GBEB.

1.10. Each constituent member of the GBEB shall appoint a member to the GBEB call-in panel. No member of the GBEB call-in panel may also be a member or substitute member on the GBEB – GBEB call-in panel members should be independent of the GBEB to the degree that they have not as individuals been involved in the decision that they are being asked to consider as a call-in.

1.11. The Chair of the GBEB call-in panel shall be appointed annually by the GBEB.

1.12. Appointments to the GBEB call-in panel shall be annual.

1.13. Substitution is permitted on to the GBEB call-in panel. However, no substitute member may be or have been a GBEB member or substitute.

1.14. The GBEB call-in panel shall make decisions on the basis of a majority vote. If the vote is spilt then the panel Chair shall have a casting vote.

1.15. Quorum. To be quorate a meeting of the GBEB call-in panel shall require at least one third of members to be in attendance.

1.16. For the purposes of call-in no distinction shall be made between representatives from the members of the Greater Brighton Economic Joint Committee and representatives from the members of the Greater Brighton Business Partnership: all members of the call-in panel will vote together.

2. Call-in meetings

2.1. The GBEB call-in panel will consider call-in requests at a special call-in meeting. Typically, the call-in panel will hear from:

i. the GBEB member who made the call-in request (where a request has been made by more than one member the Chair of the GBEB call-in panel will decide whether to take representations from all the signatories to the call-in request or to ask the signatories to make a single representation). The member(s) who requested a call-in will explain why they feel the original decision was unsound and will suggest an alternative decision.

ii. the GBEB. The GBEB Chair (or another GBEB member or an officer supporting the GBEB at the request of the GBEB Chair) will explain why the original decision was made and will provide any additional information they feel is germane. Where the GBEB Chair is a signatory to the call-in request, then another GBEB member (or officer supporting the GBEB) shall attend the call-in meeting to represent the GBEB. This representative will be chosen by the Chief Executive of the lead authority, after discussion with GBEB members.

iii. Other organisations, stakeholders or members of the public may be granted the right to make representations to the call-in panel at the discretion of the GBEB call-in panel Chair. However, in general the intention should be to re-examine the decision originally made not to hold a broader enquiry into the decision in question.

2.2. Call-in does not provide for the call-in panel to substitute its own decision for the original GBEB decision, but merely to refer the matter back to the GBEB. The GBEB can only be asked to reconsider any particular decision once.

2.3. In essence the call-in panel is simply tasked with deciding whether the decision in question should be referred back to the GBEB to be reconsidered. Therefore the only substantive decision the GBEB call-in panel can make is whether to refer the decision back to the GBEB or to let the original decision stand.

2.4. In deciding whether to refer a decision back to the GBEB, the call-in panel shall have regard to:

i. Any additional information which may have become available since the original decision was made

ii. The implications of any delay in implementing the original decision

iii. Whether reconsideration is likely to lead to a different decision

iv. The importance of the matter raised and the extent to which it relates to the achievement of the GBEB strategic priorities

v. Whether there is evidence that the decision-making rules in the GBEB constitution have been breached

vi. Whether there is evidence that the GBEB consultation processes have not been followed

vii. Whether the decision taken is not in accordance with a policy previously agreed by the GBEB

viii. Whether there might be an alternative way of dealing with the matter in hand short of referral back to the GBEB

2.5. If having scrutinised the decision, the GBEB call-in panel feels that the decision was seriously flawed, it may refer it back to the GBEB for reconsideration, setting out in writing the nature of its concerns.

2.6. Implementation of any decision referred back to the GBEB remains suspended until the GBEB has met to reconsider the matter. However, should the GBEB call-in panel choose not to refer the matter back to the GBEB for reconsideration then implementation may begin immediately following the call-in committee meeting.

2.7. The GBEB shall reconsider any matter referred back to it by the GBEB call-in panel either at its next scheduled meeting or at a special meeting called for the purpose. Having considered the concerns expressed by the GBEB call-in panel the GBEB is free to make any decision it chooses including re-affirming its original decision.

3. Call-in and urgency

3.1. The call-in procedure set out above shall not apply where the decision being taken is urgent. A decision will be urgent if any delay likely to be caused by the call-in process would seriously prejudice the interests of the GBEB or the general public across the ‘Greater Brighton’ region. The record of the decision, and notice by which it is made public, shall state if in the opinion of the GBEB the decision is an urgent one and therefore not subject to call-in. This is subject to the agreement of the Chief Executive of the lead authority.

3.2. Any decision exempted from call-in for reasons of urgency shall be communicated to the Chair of the GBEB call-in panel by the Chief Executive of the lead authority, together with an explanation as to why the decision has been deemed urgent. The intention is that urgency exceptions are used sparingly and only where there is an overriding reason to do so.

Organisation	% of working age population (ONS 2022)	2026/27 Contribution Calculation
Adur District Council	6.04%	£5,725.00
Arun District Council	14.92%	£14,100.00
Brighton & Hove City Council	31.53%	£29,840.00
Crawley Borough Council	12.53%	£11,855.00
Lewes District Council	9.17%	£8,690.00
Mid Sussex District Council	14.93%	£14,150.00
Worthing Borough Council	10.89%	£10,285.00
Total	100%	£94,650.00