Agenda and draft minutes

The Head of Democratic Services reported apologies from Mr Bill Barrett, Mr James Defriend, Mr Marc Logen, Mr Nigel Williams, Mr Peter Evans, Mr Mike Sole, Mr Colin Sefton, Mr John Moreland and Miss Amelia Randall.

1. In relation to Item 10, Motions for Time Limited Debate, the following declarations were made:

                      i.        Mr Streatfeild declared that he had a reserve liability.

                    ii.        Mr Mallon declared that he would be speaking as the Chair of the Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council meeting held on 16 July 2026 were a correct record and they be signed by the Chairman.

1. The Chairman welcomed Members back following the summer recess and marked a number of significant anniversaries, including Merchant Navy Day, Battle of Britain Day and the 82nd anniversary of Operation Market Garden. Members observed a period of reflection in recognition of those who had served and sacrificed in defence of their country.

2. The Chairman updated Members on civic engagements undertaken by himself and the Vice-Chairman since the previous meeting, including attendance at the Chairman of Essex’s annual reception, the East Sussex civic reception and Dover Merchant Navy Day, and highlighted a number of forthcoming engagements.

3. The Chairman paid tribute to Corporate Director Sarah Hammond, ahead of her retirement after 28 years of service to Kent County Council, recognising her significant contribution, particularly to Children's Services and Adult Social Care.

4. The Chairman welcomed tributes to the sad passing of four former Members: Mrs Margaret Stevens, Mr Paul Messenger, Ms Cheryl Hall and Mr Rodney Chambers.

5.    Tributes to Mrs Margaret Stevens were made by Mr Brady, Ms Kemkaran, Mr Hook, Mr Thomas, Mr Hood and Mr Rayner.

6.    Tributes to Mr Paul Messenger were made by Mr Rayner, Ms Kemkaran, Mr Hook, Mr Thomas, Mr Hood, Ms Nolan, Mr Shonk and Mr Wimble.

7.    Tributes to Ms Cheryl Hall were made by Ms Nolan, Ms Kemkaran, Mrs Dean, Mr Thomas, Mr Hood, Mr Rayner and Mr Hespe.

8.    Tributes to Mr Rodney Chambers were made by Mr Rayner, Ms Kemkaran, Mr Hook, Mr Thomas, Mr Hood and Mr Brady.

9.    Mr Eustace proposed, and Mr Sian seconded, that the Council formally record the sense of loss it feels on the sad passing of Mrs Margaret Stevens, Mr Paul Messenger, Ms Cheryl Hall and Mr Rodney Chambers and extends to their families and friends its heartfelt sympathy in their sad bereavement.

Agreed unanimously.

10. The Chairman held a one-minute silence in memory of Mrs Margaret Stevens, Mr Paul Messenger, Ms Cheryl Hall and Mr Rodney Chambers.

11. The Chairman reminded Members of the convention relating to the singing of the National Anthem at Council meetings, clarifying that only the first verse should be sung and reiterating that meetings remain in session until formally closed by the Chairman.

RESOLVED that the Council formally records the sense of loss it feels on the sad passing of Mrs Margaret Stevens, Mr Paul Messenger, Ms Cheryl Hall and Mr Rodney Chambers and extends to their families and friends its heartfelt sympathy in their sad bereavement.

In accordance with Sections 14.17 to 14.24 of the Constitution, 15 questions were submitted by the deadline and 15 questions were put to the Executive. 10 questions were asked and replies given. A record of all questions and answers is available online with the papers for this meeting.

At the beginning of this item, the Chairman announced that the speaking times for the Leader and Opposition Group Leaders would be extended, in light of recent developments concerning Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). The Chairman also declared that no points of order would be taken during this item.

1. The Leader began her speech by criticising the Government's approach to LGR, highlighting the short period between the Government's announcement and its subsequent decision to pause implementation.

2. The Leader reported that she had been appointed as a Deputy Director on the Board of Local Government Association (LGA) and highlighted the importance of the role in representing local government interests during a period of significant change.

3. The Leader had recently held lengthy discussions with the new Chief Executive of South East Water regarding concerns raised by residents and welcomed his engagement with the Council's forthcoming Water Resilience Partnership Forum.

4. The Leader outlined the launch of the Delivery of Local Government Efficiency (DOLGE) Strategy and explained that its transition into the delivery phase would support the Council’s continued focus on achieving value for money across all services.

5. The Leader reported that she had presented her annual report to the Scrutiny Committee, covering a range of key issues including the Council's financial position, Adult Social Care, Education and the authority's long-term strategic priorities, and welcomed the opportunity to respond to Members' questions.

6. The Leader highlighted a number of engagements undertaken during July and August, including visits to Five Acre Wood School and the Kent Police Netball Community Project, and praised the contribution of both initiatives in supporting resilience, wellbeing and the development of young people.

7. Updates were provided on projects across the county, including progress at the Ebbsfleet Development site and the Road of Remembrance scheme in Folkestone, highlighting the positive impact these developments would have on local communities and residents.

8. The Leader reported that she had attended a self-defence class for women and girls and explained that participants had expressed concerns about their personal safety. She stated that many attendees linked those concerns to the presence of illegal migrants and asylum seekers in their communities and reiterated her previously stated concerns regarding the impact of illegal migration on the safety of women and girls.

9. The Leader had recently attended the launch of the newly formed London and South East University Group, created through the merger of the Universities of Kent and Greenwich.

10. The Leader provided an update on LGR and outlined the Government's announcement that implementation of the previously approved Option 4B for Kent would be paused pending a Government review.

11. The Leader reiterated her opposition to both LGR and Option 4B, arguing that it lacked sufficient evidence of long-term financial sustainability and would create significant challenges for the delivery of key services.

12. The Leader explained that she had written to the Secretary of State seeking clarification on the rationale for the decision and expressed concern that no response had been received.

13. The Leader highlighted the uncertainty created by the Government's change in position,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 105.

Prior to the motion being proposed and seconded, the Chairman advised Council that he was aware of an amendment that had been developed on this item but he had ruled that it had not been processed prior to the relevant deadline and would therefore not proceed.

1.    Mr Wimble proposed and Mr Chapman seconded the motion that:

“County Council is asked to:

a.    Agree that the proposed amendments to the Planning Applications Committee Terms of Reference be approved.

b.    Agree that the name of the Planning Applications Committee be amended to Planning and Regulation Committee.

c.    Agree that the proposed amendments to the Appendix to the Constitution incorporating the new planning scheme of delegation be approved.

d.    Delegate to the Monitoring Officer the implementation of these changes on 31 October 2026.”

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

For (43)

Mr J Baker, Mr M Brown, Mr C Burwash, Mr P Chamberlain, Mr W Chapman, Mr B Collins, Mr S Dixon, Ms S Emberson, Mr J Eustace, Mr L Evans, Mr J Finch, Mrs B Fordham, 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 T Mallon, Mr R Mayall, Mr T Mole, Miss D Morton, Mr M Mulvihill, Mr P Osborne, Mrs C Palmer, Mr R Palmer, Mr M Paul, Mrs B Porter, Mrs S Roots, Mr T L Shonk, Mr D Sian, Dr G Sturley, Mr A Thorp, Mr D Truder, Mr R Waters, Mr P Webb, Mr N Wibberley, Mrs P Williams and Mr D Wimble.

Against (23)

Mr B Black, Mr O Bradshaw, Mr M Brice, Mr D Burns, Mr A Cecil, Mrs T Dean, Mr M Ellis, 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 M Munday, Mr H Rayner, Mr A Ricketts, Ms C Russell, Mr G R Samme, Mr P Stepto, Mr R G Streatfeild, Mr P Thomas and Mr R Yates.

Abstain (3)

Mr A Brady, Ms C Nolan and Mr T Prater.

Motion carried.

RESOLVED that Council:

a.    Agrees that the proposed amendments to the Planning Applications Committee Terms of Reference be approved.

b.    Agrees that the name of the Planning Applications Committee be amended to the Planning and Regulation Committee.

c.    Agrees that the proposed amendments to the Appendix to the Constitution incorporating the new planning scheme of delegation be approved.

d.    Delegates to the Monitoring Officer the implementation of these changes on 31 October 2026.

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

“Council is asked to note the report.”

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

RESOLVED that Council notes the report.

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

“The County Council is asked to:

(a)  APPROVE the amendment to the Committee sizes and the allocation of committee and sub-committee places between the political groups;

(b)  DELEGATE authority to the Head of Democratic Services to implement any time delayed changes, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer.”

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

For (69)

Mr J Baker, Mr B Black, Mr O Bradshaw, Mr A Brady, Mr M Brice, Mr M Brown, Mr D Burns, Mr C Burwash, Mr A Cecil, Mr P Chamberlain, Mr W Chapman, Mr B Collins, Mrs T Dean, Mr S Dixon, Mr M Ellis, Ms S Emberson, Mr J Eustace, Mr L Evans, Mr J Finch, Mr R Ford, Mrs B Fordham, Mrs G Foster, Mrs M Fothergill, Mr M Fraser Moat, Mr B Fryer, Mr M Harrison, Mr S Heaver, Mr J Henderson, Mr C Hespe, Mr M A J Hood, Mr A J Hook, Mr S Jeffery, Ms L Kemkaran, Miss I Kemp, Mr A Kibble, Mr P King, Mrs M Lawes, Mr T Mallon, Mr R Mayall, Mr T Mole, Miss D Morton, Mr M Mulvihill, Mr M Munday, Ms C Nolan, Mr P Osborne, Mrs C Palmer, Mr R Palmer, Mr M Paul, Mrs B Porter, Mr T Prater, Mr H Rayner, Mr A Ricketts, Mrs S Roots, Ms C Russell, Mr G R Samme, Mr T L Shonk, Mr D Sian, Mr P Stepto, Mr R G Streatfeild, Dr G Sturley, Mr P Thomas, Mr A Thorp, Mr D Truder, Mr R Waters, Mr P Webb, Mr N Wibberley, Mrs P Williams, Mr D Wimble and Mr R Yates.

Against (0)

Abstain (0)

Motion carried.

RESOLVED that Council:

(a)  APPROVES the amendment to the Committee sizes and the allocation of committee and sub-committee places between the political groups;

(b)  DELEGATES authority to the Head of Democratic Services to implement any time delayed changes, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer.

1. Mr Streatfeild proposed and Mr Hook seconded the motion that:

“This County Council resolves to:

1.    Recommend that the Executive establish a Veterans Community Resilience Task and Finish Group to examine and identify the responsibilities the Council will have under the upcoming Armed Forces Bill and request the outcomes of this to be reported to the Policy and Resources Cabinet Committee.

2.    Request that the Executive works with the Health and Wellbeing Board to explore and develop appropriate workstreams to better tackle veteran related health inequality, in line with the Armed Forces Covenant commitments to ensure that veterans and serving personnel are not disadvantaged in accessing health and relevant support services.

3.    Request that the Kent & Medway Civilian-Military Partnership Board (KMCMPB), working with relevant partners, map the skills, experience and interests of veterans locally and identify practical ways in which veterans can contribute to domestic resilience, including emergency preparedness, community response, recovery support, mentoring, youth engagement, neighbourhood resilience, volunteering and civic leadership.

4.    Encourage the Executive and relevant services to work with the Integrated Care Board, NHS partners, primary care, veterans’ charities and local voluntary organisations to review and, where appropriate, strengthen pathways for veterans into physical health support, mental health and wellbeing services, suicide prevention and postvention support, rehabilitation, social prescribing, employment assistance and peer support.

5.    Recommend that the Deputy Leader, works with partners across the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum to explore the development of a local Veterans Community Resilience Framework setting out how veterans can be brought together, supported and enabled to contribute safely and appropriately to local resilience activity, without replacing statutory emergency services or professional responders.

6.    Recommend that the Deputy Leader explore the establishment of annual Veteran Community Resilience Days across the authority area, bringing together veterans, reservists, former regular personnel with Reserve Liability, emergency services, employers, cadet forces, community groups and local residents.

7.    Ensure that the above referenced Veteran Community Resilience Days are designed to promote wellbeing and social connection; raise awareness of support services; encourage volunteering and civic participation; celebrate military service and local heritage; maintain bonds of comradeship and esprit de corps; and support pathways into Reserve service, mentoring, community leadership and resilience activity where appropriate.

8.    Note the work already completed by the Kent & Medway Civilian-Military Partnership Board to identify veterans who may be isolated, under-supported, or facing service-related health needs, and request the KMCMPB, via its Health and Wellbeing Task Group, explore any connection between veteran deaths and military service to help inform the development of improved support options.

9.    Encourage the Executive and relevant services to work with Kent-based Gurkha veterans, Gurkha community organisations and the Gurkha Welfare Trust, building on the established KCC commitments to support veterans under the Armed Forces Covenant, to identify the needs, strengths and contribution of Gurkha veterans and their families in Kent; improve culturally competent signposting into welfare, housing, health, benefits, translation, employment and social support; and ensure that Gurkha veterans are actively included in Armed Forces Covenant delivery, community  ...  view the full minutes text for item 109.

The Chairman invited Members to join in the singing of the National Anthem. After this concluded, the Chairman closed the meeting.