Agenda and minutes

(Mr Richard Palmer, the present Chairman presided for this item)

1. Mr Wayne Chapman proposed, and Mrs Pamela Williams seconded that Mr Jeremy Eustace be elected as Chairman of the County Council.

2. Mr Paul Thomas proposed, and Mr Harry Rayner seconded that Mrs Sarah Hudson be elected as Chairman of the County Council.

3. The Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph 2 to the vote and the voting was as follows.

For (20)

Mr B Barrett, Mr B Black, Mr O Bradshaw, Mr A Brady, Mr M Brice, Mr D Burns, Mr R Ford, Mrs M Fothergill, Mr A J Hook, Mrs S Hudson, Miss I Kemp, Mr J Moreland, Mr M Munday, Mr T Prater, Mr H Rayner, Ms C Russell, Mr G R Samme, Mr C Sefton, Mr M Sole, Mr R G Streatfeild, Mr P Thomas and Mr N Williams.

Against (45)

Mr J Baker, Mr M Brown, Mr C Burwash, Mr A Cecil, Mr P Chamberlain, Mr W Chapman, Mr B Collins, Mr J Defriend, Mr S Dixon, Ms S Emberson, Mr J Eustace, Mr L Evans, Mr P Evans, Mr J Finch, Mrs G Foster, Mr M Fraser Moat, Mr B Fryer, Mr M Harrison, Mr J Henderson, Mr C Hespe, Mr M A J Hood, Mr S Jeffery, Ms L Kemkaran, Mr A Kibble, Mr P King, Mrs M Lawes, Mr M Logen, Mr T Mallon, Mr R Mayall, Mr T Mole, Miss D Morton, Mr M Mulvihill, Mr P Osborne, Mrs C Palmer, Mr R Palmer, Mrs B Porter, Mrs S Roots, Mr D Sian, Mr P Stepto, Dr G Sturley, Mr A Thorp, Mr D Truder, Mr P Webb, Mr N Wibberley, Mrs P Williams and Mr D Wimble.

Abstain (2)

Mr S Heaver and Mr R Yates.

Motion lost.

4. The Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph 1 to the vote and voting was as follows.

For (43)

Mr J Baker, Mr M Brown, Mr C Burwash, Mr A Cecil, Mr P Chamberlain, Mr W Chapman, Mr B Collins, Mr J Defriend, Mr S Dixon, Ms S Emberson, Mr J Eustace, Mr L Evans, Mr P Evans, Mr J Finch, Mrs G Foster, Mr M Fraser Moat, Mr B Fryer, Mr M Harrison, Mr J Henderson, Mr C Hespe, Ms L Kemkaran, Mr A Kibble, Mr P King, Mrs M Lawes, Mr M Logen, Mr T Mallon, Mr R Mayall, Mr T Mole, Miss D Morton, Mr M Mulvihill, Mr P Osborne, Mrs C Palmer, Mr R Palmer, Mrs B Porter, Mrs S Roots, Mr T L Shonk, Mr D Sian, Dr G Sturley, Mr A Thorp, Mr D Truder, Mr P Webb, Mr N Wibberley, Mrs P Williams and Mr D Wimble.

Against (21)

Mr B Barrett, Mr B Black, Mr O Bradshaw, Mr M Brice, Mr D Burns, Mr R Ford, Mr S Heaver, Mr M A J Hood, Mrs S Hudson, Mr S Jeffery, Miss I Kemp, Mr J Moreland, Mr M Munday, Mr T Prater, Mr  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

1. Mrs Georgia Foster proposed, and Mrs Sharon Roots seconded that Mr Dodger Sian be elected as Vice- Chairman of the County Council.

2. As there were no further nominations, the Chairman declared Mr Dodger Sian as Chairman of the County Council.

3. Mr Sian made his Declaration of Acceptance of Office, following which Mr Evans invested Mr Sian with the Vice- Chairman's Badge. Mr Sian thanked Members for their support, congratulated the Chairman on his appointment, and affirmed his intention to undertake the role of Vice- Chairman with integrity.

4. Mr Evans expressed his thanks to Members, officers and the leadership for their support during his term as Vice-Chairman.

RESOLVED that Mr Sian be elected as Vice- Chairman of the County Council.

The Democratic Services Manager reported apologies from Mrs Trudy Dean, Mr Mark Ellis, Mrs Beverley Fordham, Mr Andrew Kennedy, Mr Rich Lehmann, Ms Connie Nolan, Mr Martin Paul, Mr Alex Ricketts, Mr Ryan Waters and Miss Amelia Randall.

Responding to a Member query regarding Declarations of Interests related to health matters, the Chairman advised that he would write to the Member outside of the meeting.

1.    The Leader asked that the minutes be updated to reflect that the Green Group did not withdraw their Motion for Time Limited Debate at the previous meeting.

2.    Mr Rayner asked that the minutes be updated to reflect that he was interrupted by the Chairman during his response to the Leader within the Report by the Leader of the Council.

3.    Mr Rayner asked that the minutes be updated to reflect that the opposition Members left the Chamber in protest at the permitting of a, in their view, disqualifiable time limited motion proceeding during a pre-election period.

4.    Mr Brady clarified that the Labour Group made an announcement at the beginning of the debate to say that they would be leaving the Chamber and would not be partaking or voting, which was not referenced in the minutes.

5.    Mr Brady proposed and Mr Hood seconded the amendment to the draft minutes. The Chairman put the minutes amendment in paragraph 4 to the vote and it was agreed by a majority.

6.    Mr Rayner proposed and Ms Russell seconded the amendment to the draft minutes. The Chairman put the minutes amendment in paragraphs 2 and 3 to the vote and it was agreed by a majority.

7.    There was a clerical error within the minutes, for Item 8 Member Allowances Scheme, Mr Burns was recorded as voting twice.

8.     Mr Hook commented that he did not use the words ‘pre-election guidance’ when referring to the wording within Item 13 Motion for Time Limited Debate but rather described the motion as a stunt for political purposes.

9.    Mr Bradshaw clarified that he voted against the amendment on Item 8 Member Allowances Scheme.

RESOLVED that, subject to relevant amendments agreed by Full Council above being made, the updated minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2026 be approved.

1. The Chairman welcomed tributes in relation to the sad passing to Mr Roger Latchford, who was a KCC Member for Birchington and villages 2013 until 2017 and leader of the UKIP group.

2. Tributes to Mr Latchford were made by Ms Kemkaran, Mr Shonk, Mr Thomas, Mr Hood, Mr Rayner, Mr Evans, Mr Hook and Mr Brady.

3. Mr Eustace proposed, and Mr Sian seconded, that the Council formally record the sense of loss it feels on the sad passing of Mr Latchford and extends to his family and friends its heartfelt sympathy to them in their sad bereavement.

Agreed unanimously.

4. The Chairman held a one-minute silence in memory of Mr Roger Latchford.

RESOLVED that the Council formally record the sense of loss it feels on the sad passing of Mr Latchford and extends to his family and friends its heartfelt sympathy to them in their sad bereavement.

In accordance with Sections 14.15 to 14.22 of the Constitution, 23 questions were submitted by the deadline and 20 questions were put to the Executive. 18 questions were asked and replies given. A record of all questions and answers is available online with the papers for this meeting.

1.    The Leader began by placing on record her thanks to the outgoing Chairman and Vice Chairman for their service over the past year, recognising their contribution to the work of the Council and their representation at civic events. A welcome was also extended to the newly appointed Chairman and Vice Chairman.

2.    The Leader stated that the Administration had focused on delivering improved accountability, service delivery and value for money. This had included the introduction of strengthened financial oversight and the launch of the Council’s first commercial strategy in January 2026, intended to maximise value from Council expenditure.

3.    It was reported that the Council had inherited long-term debt of £732 million, with daily interest payments of approximately £84,000. Over the last year, this had been reduced by £142 million to £590 million, resulting in savings of approximately £1.2 million per year, equivalent to around £3,200 per day in interest costs. A balanced budget for 2026/27 had been achieved, and the Administration had not increased council tax to the maximum level, instead had identified in-year savings while maintaining investment in frontline services.

4.    In relation to highways, the Leader advised that £67 million had been invested, with over 50,000 pothole repairs completed and resurfacing programmes accelerated.

5.    The Leader outlined progress in education and children’s services, including expanded support for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), reduced waiting times for assessments and strengthened partnership working with schools to improve outcomes for children and young people.

6.    The Leader referred to adult social care, explaining that it accounted for a significant proportion of the Council’s budget. It was reported that improved financial management had reduced overspending and strengthened budgetary control.

7.    Governance and operational changes were highlighted, including the removal of duplication in committee structures and modernisation of meeting arrangements. These changes were reported to deliver savings of approximately £75,000 annually, alongside improvements to transparency through enhanced access to information on the Council’s website.

8.    The Leader reported that KCC’s Climate Emergency Declaration had been removed, enabling the reallocation of approximately £39 million of planned expenditure. Work had commenced on the development of a new energy strategy, including consideration of alternative energy solutions and the protection of agricultural land.

9.    The Leader highlighted rural issues, including fly-tipping and waste crime. The Leader advised that a county-wide Waste and Fly Tipping Conference would be held in July. This aimed to bring together stakeholders and enforcement agencies to address these challenges.

10. The Leader outlined activity to support economic growth and connectivity, including engagement with rail operators and infrastructure partners to encourage competition on international rail services and the reinstatement of services at Ashford and Ebbsfleet stations.

11. The Leader referenced regeneration initiatives, including partnership working to designate East Kent as a Marmot Coastal Region, aimed at improving life chances and opportunities for residents in coastal communities.

12. The Leader highlighted the declaration of an illegal migration emergency in Kent, sharing that a detailed report on associated impacts on services and communities  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.

1.    Ms Kemkaran proposed and Mr Collins seconded the motion that:

“Council is asked to:

(1)  APPROVE the revisions to the Council’s strategic statement, ‘Reforming Kent 2025-2028’; and

(2)  NOTE the progress made”

2.    Following the debate, the Chairman put the motion in paragraph 1 to the vote and the voting was as follows.

For (43)

Mr J Baker, Mr M Brown, Mr C Burwash, Mr A Cecil, Mr P Chamberlain, Mr W Chapman, Mr B Collins, Mr J Defriend, Mr S Dixon, Ms S Emberson, Mr J Eustace, Mr L Evans, Mr P Evans, Mr J Finch, Mrs G Foster, Mr M Fraser Moat, Mr B Fryer, Mr M Harrison, Mr J Henderson, Mr C Hespe, Ms L Kemkaran, Mr A Kibble, Mr P King, Mrs M Lawes, Mr M Logen, Mr T Mallon, Mr R Mayall, Mr T Mole, Miss D Morton, Mr M Mulvihill, Mr P Osborne, Mrs C Palmer, Mr R Palmer, Mrs B Porter, Mrs S Roots, Mr D Sian, Dr G Sturley, Mr A Thorp, Mr D Truder, Mr P Webb, Mr N Wibberley, Mrs P Williams and Mr D Wimble.

Against (26)

Mr B Barrett, Mr B Black, Mr O Bradshaw, Mr A Brady, Mr M Brice, Mr D Burns, Mr R Ford, Mrs M Fothergill, Mr S Heaver, Mr M A J Hood, Mr A J Hook, Mr S Jeffery, Miss I Kemp, Mr J Moreland, Mr M Munday, Mr T Prater, Mr H Rayner, Ms C Russell, Mr G R Samme, Mr C Sefton, Mr T L Shonk, Mr M Sole, Mr P Stepto, Mr R G Streatfeild, Mr N Williams and Mr R Yates.

Abstain (1)

Mr P Thomas.

Motion carried.

RESOLVED that Council:

(1)  Approves the revisions to the Council’s strategic statement, ‘Reforming Kent 2025-2028'; and

(2)  Notes the progress made

1.    Ms Kemkaran proposed and Mr Collins seconded the motion that:

“Council is asked to:

APPROVE the change in the reporting line of the Director of Public Health from the Corporate Director Adult Social Care and Health to the Chief Executive, with immediate effect.”

2.    Following the debate, the Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph 1 and it was agreed unanimously.

RESOLVED that Council approves the change in the reporting line of the Director of Public Health from the Corporate Director Adult Social Care and Health to the Chief Executive, with immediate effect.

1.    Ms Kemkaran proposed and Mr Collins seconded the motion that:

“Council is asked to:

1)    APPROVE the amendment to the allocation of committee and sub committee places between the political groups as set out in Appendix 1;

2)    DELEGATE authority to the Democratic Services Manager, to resolve relevant appointments with the affected Political Groups.”

2.    Following the debate, the Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph 1 and it was agreed unanimously.

RESOLVED that Council:

1)    Approves the amendment to the allocation of committee and sub committee places between the political groups as set out in Appendix 1;

2)    Delegates authority to the Democratic Services Manager, to resolve relevant appointments with the affected Political Groups.

1.    Mr Hespe proposed and Mr Chamberlain seconded the motion that:

“County Council is asked to agree the following amendments to the Constitution and ask the Monitoring Officer to update the document:

a)    Amend section 14.15 to read: “All Members are entitled to submit one question per meeting, which must be delivered to the Democratic Services Manager by 5:00pm of the tenth working day ahead of a regularly scheduled meeting of County Council by an email from that Member or by paper copy signed by that Member. The full list of questions submitted, with the names of the Members submitting them, will be circulated to Members by 5pm the working day before the meeting. Where the meeting is cancelled, Members will still receive written answers directly.”

b)    Amend section 14.25 to read: “The Leader of each opposition Group may give a reply to the Report, with a minimum of two minutes allowed. The Leader of the Opposition may speak for up to five minutes with the Leader of any other opposition Group following in order of Group size, losing one minute from the maximum time allowed until the minimum is reached.”

c)    Add a new section between the current 14.11 and 14.12 and read: “Prior to all other items, each County Council meeting shall start with a recital of the Lord’s Prayer.”

d)    Add a new section between the current 14.11 and 14.12 and read: “As the concluding item, each County Council meeting shall end with the singing of the national anthem.”

e)    Amend section 14.9 to read: “Attendance at meetings will be recorded in a manner determined by the Head of Governance and Members must sit in the seat allocated to them by the Chairman.” Further, to delete section 15.37 and amend section 15.7 to read: “Attendance at meetings will be recorded in a manner determined by the Head of Governance.”

f)     Amend section 2(a) to read: “The role of the Council is, (within its remit and jurisdiction) to seek to ensure the delivery of services to the people of Kent so as to enhance their social and economic well-being.”

g)    Delegate authority to the Democratic Services Manager, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, to make relevant arrangements to support lawful implementation of agreed recommendations.

h)    Delegate to the Monitoring Officer the authority to finalise the wording of constitutional amendments agreed by County Council where necessary to ensure the lawful implementation of any and all agreed recommendations.

i)     Delegate to the Monitoring Officer the authority to finalise the wording of constitutional amendments agreed by County Council where necessary to ensure the lawful implementation of any and all agreed recommendations.”

2.    Mr Sole proposed, and Mr Hook seconded the following amendment to the recommendation:

“County Council is asked to agree the following amendments to the Constitution and ask the Monitoring Officer to update the document:

a)    Amend section 14.15 to read: “All Members are entitled to submit one question per meeting, which must be delivered to the Democratic Services Manager  ...  view the full minutes text for item 80.

Motion for Time Limited Debate 1:

1.Mr Heaver proposed and Mr Hood seconded the motion that:

“This Council resolves to:

1.    Welcome the Water Supply Short Focused Inquiry (SFI) report, thank the Members and Officers involved for their work examining the water outages in Winter 2025/2026 and note the requirement for the Executive to provide a response to the report and its recommendations to the Scrutiny Committee in due course but also recognise that there are a range of other water related issues that merit immediate consideration by the Council.

2.    Recommend that the Executive to write to Southern Water and request that its published CSO spill data is condensed into a concise Kent-wide Combined Sewer Outfall (CSO) spill report and submitted on a quarterly basis to enable more effective scrutiny of water borne pollution and the progress of spill reduction efforts, across the county.

3.    Recommend that the Executive to write to Southern Water to request a concise quarterly report on the county-wide progress of the Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force and to offer Southern Water any appropriate support from KCC for their efforts to reduce CSO spills across the county and with particular regard to encouraging SUDS on KCC owned buildings and infrastructure such as schools and libraries.

4.    Recommend that the Cabinet Member for Environment, Coastal Regeneration and Public Health to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to recommend that any future fines imposed by the regulator on water companies (or other private or public bodies) for water related failure incidents in Kent, are ring-fenced for water infrastructure and pollution/sewage release prevention improvements.

5.    Recommend that the Flood Risk and Water Management Committee consider; asking the Environment Agency to provide a report on the number of pollution incidents for each category report by the Water Companies, many of these resulted in inspections in Kent over the last 5 years; and consider recommending that the Quarterly Environment Agency updates on this matter form part of routine performance monitoring by the Committee.

6.    Request that the Executive investigate the feasibility of setting up, facilitating and promoting via Plan Sea or any other appropriate means, the development and support of citizen science testing teams on key bathing water areas and rivers seek greater partnership working between all responsible authorities, including water companies, Districts and the Environment Agency alongside supporting existing projects and research to improve monitoring of bathing water quality.

7.    Recommend that the Scrutiny Committee consider requesting a Public Health report on the impact, risks of and KCC responsibilities in relation to water outages and in particular, waterborne pollution in Kent.

8.    Recommend that the Executive engages with relevant stakeholders to ensure the first Kent and Medway Spatial Development Strategy has due regard to issues relating to water supply, wastewater management and water demand throughout the preparation, adoption and delivery of the strategy.” 

2.    The Chairman advised that he would be seeking written advice from the Monitoring Officer on the Green  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.