The committee is an elected watchdog, comprising councillors from across Adur and Worthing, and is responsible for holding elected members and the councils’ senior leadership team to account. 

JOSC also regularly reviews issues that concern local residents, with water quality and law enforcement under the spotlight in the past year. 

The next topic up for scrutiny by JOSC will be housing supply in Adur and Worthing, and residents are being encouraged to send in questions ahead of the next JOSC meeting on Thursday 7th November, which is being held at the Shoreham Centre on Pond Road at 6.30pm.

The meeting will come just after the release of the councils’ draft five-year housing strategy, which aims to tackle the homelessness and housing crisis in the area. The strategy will be published on the councils’ website on 30th October.

JOSC is welcoming questions from residents on the strategy to be submitted in advance, for a chance to have them answered on the night. The councils’ director for housing and communities, Tina Favier, and assistant director for housing and homelessness prevention, Rob Jarvis, will be joined by Adur and Worthing’s cabinet members for housing and citizen services, Cllr Lee Cowen and Cllr Ödül Bozkurt as well as other cabinet members whose portfolio responsibilities come within the scope of the strategy. 

Questions can be submitted to the committee by emailing democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk by midday on Monday 4th November .

Cllr Heather Mercer, the Worthing chair of JOSC, said: “Citizens must have a voice, as housing impacts on everyone's life and happiness. We encourage everyone to have their say, either by attending the meeting on the 7th November or by submitting written questions. Guidance to complete this process is on the councils’ website or by telephone to myself (for Worthing residents only).”

Cllr Joss Loader, the Adur chair of JOSC, said: “Good quality housing is an essential human right and it’s essential that we get this right. Next month’s JOSC meeting is the first stage in the public consultation around the new draft housing strategy and we are very keen to help ensure that tenants and residents are given a meaningful voice and chance to impact outcomes.”

Please visit https://democracy.adur-worthing.gov.uk/mgCommitteeDetails.aspx?ID=163 to find out more about the committee and find details of future meetings.