Agenda and minutes

The Director of Governance and Law reported apologies for absence from the following Members:

Mr Ian Chittenden

Mrs Trudy Dean

Mr Peter Harman

(1)          Mr Cowan declared an interest as both he and his wife were foster carers for Kent County Council.

(2)          Mr Hoare declared an interest in Question 9 as a director of Conduit, a community interest company that gets young people into employment in the construction industry.

(3)          Mr Koowaree declared an interest as he had a grandson who is a Looked After Child.

(4)               The following Members declared an interest as members of their family were employed by KCC; Mr Bond, Mr Caller, Mrs Whittle, Mr Maddison and Mrs Brivio.

(1)       Mr Latchford emphasised a point that he had made in his response to the Leader’s report, ‘where a name’ should have read ‘an aim’. 

(2)       Mr Vye referred to Minute 44 on the Motion for Time Limited Debate and stated that there had been a very good debate on the idea of a living wage for employees at KCC and there had been some sympathy right across the Chamber for this.  He stated that he had been disappointed to see that some Members who had vocally supported the living wage had then not done so in the vote.  The Chairman noted this point.

(3)       RESOLVED: that the Minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2013 are correctly recorded subject to the correction above and that they be signed by the Chairman.

(a)     Death of Lady Pender OBE DL

The Chairman announced with great sadness the death of Lady Pender OBE DL on Thursday 26 September 2013.

Lady Pender was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant in 2001 and was elected to the County Council in 1981 and served as the Conservative Member for Sandwich until 1997.  She was Chairman of the Adoption Agency Sub-Committee, the Community Services Sub-Committee and the Social Services Committee.  She served on the Emergency Committee, the Fire and Public Protection Committee, the Policy and Resources Committee, the Police Authority and the Probation Board. 

Lady Pender was a Kent Ambassador, Honorary President of the Kent Association for Disabled People, President of Fairbridge Kent, KCA and East Kent National Trust and Patron of Home Start, Maidstone.  She was Chairman of Governors at Sandwich Technology School from 1983 to 2001.

Lady Pender was appointed as an Honorary Alderman for the County of Kent on 15 December 2011. She was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list this year for services to the community in Kent.

Mrs Sarah Hohler, Mr Alex King, Dr Mike Eddy, Mr Martin Vye and Mr Steve Manion gave tributes to Lady Pender.

(b)     Death of Mr John Tolputt

The Chairman announced with much regret the death, on Thursday 19 September 2013, of Mr John Tolputt, the former Labour County Councillor for Maidstone South East, who served on the County Council between 2001 and 2005.  Mr Tolputt was also a Maidstone Borough Councillor representing Heath ward.

Dr Mike Eddy gave a tribute to Mr Tolputt.

(c)     Death of Lord Kingsdown, KG PC 

The Chairman stated it was with much sadness that he had to inform Members of the death of Robert "Robin" Leigh-Pemberton, Lord Kingsdown, on Sunday 24 November 2013. 

Lord Kingsdown was elected to the County Council in 1961 as the Conservative Member for the Hollingbourne No. 2 Division and served until 1977.  He was Chairman of the old County Council in 1972 and of the new County Council from 1973 to 1975.  He was also the Leader of the Conservative Group.  Lord Kingsdown is a former Governor of the Bank of England and Lord Lieutenant of Kent.

Lord Kingsdown was appointed as an Honorary Alderman on 19 December 2009.

Mr Paul Carter, Mrs Paulina Stockell, Mr Roger Truelove, Mr Dan Daley, Mr Mike Harrison, Mr Tom Maddison and Mr Leyland Ridings gave tributes to Lord Kingsdown.

After the minute’s silence:

The Chairman moved, the Vice Chairman seconded and the Council agreed unanimously that the Council records the sense of loss it felt on the sad passing of Lady Pender, Mr John Tolputt and Lord Kingsdown and extend to their families and friends its heartfelt sympathy to them in their sad bereavements.

(d)     Severe flood alert – 5 and 6 December 2013

The Chairman stated that, as Members were aware, due to a combination of unusual weather and sea conditions expected during high tides on 5 and 6 December the Environment Agency had issued  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

Under Procedure Rule 1.17 (4) 7 questions were asked and replies given.  3 questions remained unanswered at the end of the thirty minutes and written answers were given.

(1)       The Leader began his speech by stating that he thought it would be appropriate approaching the end of the year to reflect on some of the successes and challenges of the last year as well as looking forward to some of the significant challenges to be faced in the coming year. 

(2)       On the success front the Leader stated that he was delighted that the final series of Ofsted inspections of Children’s Services had taken the Council out of the inadequate category.  In the coming year the Council had to build momentum and ensure it had the very best support for the young vulnerable young people living in Kent communities and build on the substantial recovery of improved Children’s Services with an aim to delivering the very best support in safeguarding arrangements across the county of Kent.

(3)       Facing up to the challenge of delivering the same level of business with a lot less money had been a massive issue for the current year and would continue to be in the future, particularly as 2015/16 approached with the compounding effects of less money and the effect of further cuts being made to local government from 2015/16 onwards.  The Leader stated he had been delighted that at the last Cabinet meeting it was reported there was a £4m underspend to date, projected to be the outturn for the current year and he hoped the Council could maintain that momentum.

(4)       There was an on-going consultation on the broad proposals for the 2014/15 budget with the public and voluntary and community organisations across the county of Kent which was going exceedingly well.  The Leader stated that the consultation would be discussed further at February’s budget setting meeting but generally the feedback from the consultation was that KCC was doing the right thing in the way that it was reengineering its services under the ‘Facing the Challenge’ heading and he would expand on this later in the morning.

(5)       He wanted to concentrate on two other areas of significance which were taking up a significant amount of his time, appropriately as they were not only very important to the future direction of this authority but also more broadly the welfare of the residents in the county of Kent.  He was absolutely delighted that Kent had been awarded Pioneer status for its groundbreaking ambitions on health and social care integration, one of only 14 authorities that were given that Pioneer status out of 99 local authorities up and down the country that had applied for it.  It was the ambition, not only of Kent County Council, but also of lead clinicians and those sitting on the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB), to set out where they believe health and social care integration needed to be.  The HWB was working to define what good health service provision and social care provision should look like in Kent from 2018 and beyond.  Many of these ambitious proposals were laid out in ‘Delivering Better Health Care for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

(1)       Mr Brazier moved, Mr Balfour seconded that the Council endorsed the Pre-Submission Draft Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan (MWLP), prior to its submission to the Secretary of State, subject to:

1.      A six week period of public consultation on the plan;

2.      No material objections being received during the public consultation

3.      The Director of Planning & Environment being given delegated powers to approve any non-material changes to the MWLP in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport & Environment following on from the public consultation and to agree any amendments to the MWLP during the Examination in Public for submission to the appointed planning inspector, if these amendments are likely to resolve objections.

(2)     The Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment introduced the Minerals and Waste Local Plan stating that Members had seen it before at County Council.  The Plan was a statutory requirement of the County Council and the strategic plan for the provision of minerals and the disposal of waste in Kent for the years up to 2030.

(3)     Processes had been followed to create a core policy, of calling for sites, establishing preferred options for sites and consulting widely on each step prior to the Plan being brought to full Council for endorsement.  Each stage had been monitored by the Minerals and Waste Local Plan Informal Member Group before coming to Council. 

(4)     The Plan document was now before the Council for endorsement prior to a 6 week period of consultation leading up to its submission to the Secretary of State.  The Plan would then undergo examination in public prior to its adoption by the Council in 2015.  The Minerals and Waste Sites Plan would follow and the Cabinet Member hoped that this would be adopted in 2016.

(5)     Mr Scobie moved, Dr Eddy seconded an amendment to the recommendations as follows:

          “The Council is asked to note the Pre-Submission Draft Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan (MWLP) and proceed with a 12 week period of public consultation on the MWLP; and that after the consultation a report should be produced and brought back to full Council for approval.”

(6)     Following a debate the Chairman put the amendment to the vote when the voting was as follows:

For (36)

Mr D Baker, Mr M Baldock, Mr R Bird, Mr H Birkby, Mr N Bond, Mrs P Brivio, Mr L Burgess, Mr C Caller, Mr B Clark, Mr G Cowan, Ms J Cribbon, Mr A Crowther, Mr D Daley, Dr M Eddy, Mr J Elenor, Mrs M Elenor, Ms A Harrison, Mr M Heale, Mr C Hoare, Ms S Howes, Mr G Koowaree, Mr R Latchford, Mr B MacDowall, Mr T Maddison, Mr F McKenna, Mr B Neaves, Mrs E Rowbotham, Mr W Scobie, Mr T Shonk, Mr D Smyth, Mr A Terry, Mr N Thandi, Mr R Truelove, Mr M Vye, Mr M Whybrow, Mrs Z Wiltshire

Abstain (0)

Against (45)

Mrs A Allen, Mr M Angell, Mr M Balfour, Mr A Bowles, Mr D Brazier,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

(1)     Mr Carter proposed, Mr Simmonds seconded that the Council agreed the following recommendations:

(a)     note the progress on delivering the Whole-Council Transformation Plan: Phase 1;

(b)     approve the proposed operating framework and new Directorate structure critical to the delivery of the transformation;

(c)      note the outcome of the formal and informal consultation process;

(d)     note the actions and timescales that will result from this decision; and

(e)     note the intention to bring a further update and proposals for debate to a future County Council meeting recognising the changing role of members in a transformed organisation.

(2)     Following a request for a vote on recommendation (b) to be taken separately the Chairman put recommendations (a) and (c) to (e) to the vote when the voting was as follows:

For (79)

Mrs A Allen, Mr M Angell, Mr D Baker, Mr M Baldock, Mr M Balfour, Mr R Bird, Mr H Birkby, Mr N Bond, Mr A Bowles, Mr D Brazier, Mrs P Brivio, Mr R Brookbank, Mr L Burgess, Mr C Caller, Miss S Carey, Mr P Carter, Mr N Chard, Mr B Clark, Mrs P Cole, Mr G Cooke, Mr G Cowan, Mrs M Crabtree, Ms J Cribbon, Mr A Crowther, Mrs V Dagger, Mr D Daley, Mr M Dance, Mr J Davies, Dr M Eddy, Mr J Elenor, Mrs M Elenor, Mr T Gates, Mr G Gibbens, Mr R Gough, Ms A Harrison, Mr M Harrison, Mr M Heale, Mr M Hill, Mr C Hoare, Mrs S Hohler, Mr S Holden, Mr P Homewood, Mr E Hotson, Ms S Howes, Mr A King, Mr J Kite, Mr G Koowaree, Mr R Latchford, Mr R Long, Mr G Lymer, Mr T Maddison, Mr S Manion, Mr A Marsh, Mr B Neaves, Mr M Northey, Mr P Oakford, Mr J Ozog, Mr R Parry, Mr C Pearman, Mr L Ridings, Mrs E Rowbotham, Mr J Scholes, Mr W Scobie, Mr T Shonk, Mr C Simkins, Mr J Simmonds, Mr C Smith, Mr D Smyth, Mrs P Stockell, Mr B Sweetland, Mr A Terry, Mr N Thandi, Mr R Truelove, Mr M Vye, Mr J Wedgbury, Mrs J Whittle, Mr M Whybrow, Mr A Wickham, Mrs Z Wiltshire

Abstain (0)

Against (2)

Mr B MacDowall, Mr F McKenna

Carried

(3)     The Chairman then put recommendation (b) to the vote when the voting was as follows:

For (54)

Mrs A Allen, Mr M Angell, Mr M Balfour, Mr R Bird, Mr D Brazier, Mr R Brookbank, Miss S Carey, Mr P Carter, Mr N Chard, Mr B Clark, Mrs P Cole, Mr G Cooke, Mrs M Crabtree, Mr A Crowther, Mrs V Dagger, Mr D Daley, Mr M Dance, Mr J Davies, Mr T Gates, Mr G Gibbens, Mr R Gough, Mr M Harrison, Mr M Heale, Mr M Hill, Mrs S Hohler, Mr S Holden, Mr P Homewood, Mr E Hotson, Mr A King, Mr J Kite, Mr G Koowaree, Mr R Latchford, Mr R Long, Mr G Lymer, Mr  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

(1)     Mr Cooke proposed, Mr Ridings seconded that the Council should:

(a)       approve the changes to the Kent Code of Conduct for Members and the operational procedures; and

(b)       agree that the next review of the Code and procedures takes place following the County Council election in 2017.

(2)     RESOLVED that the County Council approve and agree the recommendations above.

Mr M Baldock will propose, Mr H Birkby will second that:

This Council supports the concept of combining the community funds and the member Highways funds in to a single fund.

Furthermore this Council is fully committed to the Localism agenda to which all members from all parties agree.

Therefore the level of grants to members should continue at its present level so that members can allocate to Localised projects within each member division.

The Motion for Time Limited Debate was withdrawn.