Agenda item - Procedural Business

(a)  Declaration of Substitutes: Where Councillors are unable to attend a meeting, a substitute Member from the same Political Group may attend, speak and vote in their place for that meeting.

(b)  Declarations of Interest or Lobbying

(a)      Disclosable pecuniary interests;

(b)      Any other interests required to be registered under the local code;

(c)      Any other general interest as a result of which a decision on the matter might reasonably be regarded as affecting you or a partner more than a majority of other people or businesses in the ward/s affected by the decision.

In each case, you need to declare

(i)        the item on the agenda the interest relates to;

(ii)      the nature of the interest; and

(iii)     whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest or some other interest.

If unsure, Members should seek advice from the committee lawyer or administrator preferably before the meeting.

      (d)       All Members present to declare any instances of lobbying they have encountered regarding items on the agenda.

(c)  Exclusion of Press and Public: To consider whether, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, or the nature of the proceedings, the press and public should be excluded from the meeting when any of the following items are under consideration.

NOTE:  Any item appearing in Part 2 of the Agenda states in its heading the category under which the information disclosed in the report is exempt from disclosure and therefore not available to the public.

A list and description of the exempt categories is available for public inspection at Brighton and Hove Town Halls.

(d)  Use of mobile phones and tablets: Would Members please ensure that their mobile phones are switched off. Where Members are using tablets to access agenda papers electronically please ensure that these are switched to ‘aeroplane mode’.

(A)         Declarations of substitutes

137.1    Councillor O’Quinn was present in substitution for Councillor Gilbey, and Councillor West was present in substitution for Councillor Littman.

(B)         Declarations of interests and lobbying

137.2    Councillor West declared a personal interest in respect of Application B) BH2015/03285 – Land Adjacent to the American Express Community Stadium, Village Way, Brighton as he was a Member of the South Downs National Park Authority.

137.3    Councillor Wares declared a personal interest in respect of Application B) BH2015/03285 – Land Adjacent to the American Express Community Stadium, Village Way, Brighton as he was a season ticket holder for Brighton & Hove Albion; however, he was of an open mind and would remain present for the consideration and vote on this application.

137.4    Councillor Wares also noted, in respect of Application C) BH2015/02509 – Pavilion & Avenue Law Tennis Club, 19 The Droveway, Hove, that he had attended the site in the evening by himself; he had also viewed the site from two of the surrounding residential properties. It was noted that he had agreed this approach with Officers ahead of the visit.

137.5    Councillor Barradell declared a personal interest in respect of Application C) BH2015/02509 – Pavilion & Avenue Law Tennis Club, 19 The Droveway, Hove as she lived very close to the site; however, she was of an open mind and remain present for the consideration and vote on this application.

137.6    The Chair noted in respect of Application B) BH2015/03285 – Land Adjacent to the American Express Community Stadium, Village Way, Brighton that all Members of the Committee had been lobbied in the form of a letter in the post from the applicant.

(C)         Exclusion of the press and public

137.7    In accordance with Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (“the Act”), the Planning Committee considered whether the public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of any item of business on the grounds that it is likely in view of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during it, there would be disclosure to them of confidential information as defined in Section 100A (3) of the Act.

137.8    RESOLVED - That the public are not excluded from any item of business on the agenda.

(D)         Use of mobile phones and tablets

137.       The Chair requested Members ensure that their mobile phones were switched off, and where Members were using tablets to access agenda papers electronically ensure that these were switched to ‘aeroplane mode’.