Agenda and minutes

The General Counsel reported apologies from Mr Bartlett, Mr Holden, Mr Manion and Mr Monk.

In relation to item 8 (Youth County Council), Dr Sullivan declared an interest as her husband was employed by the County Council as a Senior Early Help Worker (Open Access Youth Work).

(1)          In relation to Minute No 240 (Report Under Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989), Mrs Chandler, Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services, was invited to give a brief verbal update regarding unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC). 

(2)          Mrs Chandler stated that KCC’s position on the arrival of UASC was subject to regular review and communication with the Home Office.   KCC was not yet in a position to look after new UASC arrivals safely to the required standards and to continue to meet its statutory duty for all other children in its care. Work was continuing to reduce the caseloads for officers in the UASC team to a level where it was safe and sustainable to resume receiving UASC arriving at the port of Dover. 

(3)          Mrs Chandler confirmed that the Home Office was continuing to find placements for new UASC with other local authorities. KCC was a consultee on the National Transfer Scheme and had made strong representations for the scheme to be mandated.

(4)          Mrs Chandler reported that the number of USAC had slowly reduced since 17 August 2020 when the total number was 605. Whilst a number of young people had been transferred to other local authorities, KCC’s UASC number remained at more than double the safe level of 231 children. In conclusion she stated that, although the County Council was working towards finding a suitable and sustainable resolution, much would depend on the outcome of the Home Office consultation on the National Transfer Scheme.

(5)          It was noted that a written update on the UASC situation would be submitted to the December meeting of the County Council.

(6)          RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 10 September 2020 be approved as a correct record, subject to the recorded vote in minute no 242 (Minerals and Waste Local Plan) being corrected to show that Mr Hook had abstained and Mr Whybrow had voted against the motion.

a)        The Queen’s Birthday Honours List

(1)          The Chairman referred to the recent announcement regarding the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.  He congratulated all recipients especially those from Kent.  In particular he congratulated Paul Carter, former Leader of the Council, on his well-deserved knighthood and Geraldine Allinson, a Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, on being awarded an OBE.

(2)         He reminded members that the Covid-19 Honours nominations were still open and that further details could be found on the gov.uk website.

b)                    Kent County Council’s Renewable Energy Team

(3)         The Chairman stated that KCC’s Renewable Energy Team had been part of a solar energy project at Northfleet School for Girls, which had won the national Green Business Renewable Energy Project of the Year Award.  He asked members to encourage schools in their divisions to become part of the Kent Schools Energy Programme.

c)         Charity Walk

(4)         Following his announcement at the last meeting, the Chairman said he had completed his 56 mile walk across Kent in aid of Porchlight and had raised over £4,000.  He thanked everyone who had supported him and donated to the charity.

d)         World Mental Health Day and World Homeless Day

(5)         The Chairman referred to World Mental Health Day and World Homeless Day on Saturday 10 October.  The social care and health pages on Kent.gov contained details of much needed Kent-based initiatives to support the most vulnerable in the community.

e)         Black History Month

(6)         The Chairman drew attention to Black History Month and the virtual celebrations organised in Kent.  The Black and Minority Ethnic Forum had several virtual events taking place, including video messages from members of the forum sharing what the month meant to them. 

f)          Poppy Launch 2020

(7)         The Chairman referred to the national launch of the Poppy Appeal.  As it was not possible to hold the usual Kent Civic launch of the appeal he encouraged as many people as possible to purchase a poppy either online or at a local supermarket. 

g)         Interfaith Week - 8 – 15 November 2020

(1)          The Chairman stated that this year Interfaith Week would be held from Sunday 8 to Sunday 15 November 2020. However, due to restrictions linked to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, interfaith work this year had moved online and was not restricted to interfaith week. The interfaith agenda sought to promote understanding, cooperation and good relations between organisations and people of different faiths and beliefs within the UK. The County Council had worked with the National Interfaith Network and local interfaith groups over the past three years to increase the awareness of both the public and public sector staff of different faith communities and to celebrate the contribution that faith groups made to local communities. 

(2)         The Chairman referred to the way in which interfaith work supported the authority’s equality and diversity agenda and the Prevent agenda by increasing knowledge and promoting dialogue.  He said that the Public Health England review on ‘Covid-19,  which had demonstrated disparities in risks and outcomes,’ and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 248.

In accordance with Sections 14.15 to 14.22 of the Constitution, 10 questions were asked and replies given.  A record of all questions put and answers given at the meeting is available online with the papers for this meeting.  Question 11 was not put in the time allocated but a written answer was provided.

(1)         Mr Gough referred to the rise in Covid-19 infection rates and the introduction of restrictions in other parts of the country.  Kent had a 7-day positive test figure of 48.4 per 100,000 which was 29% of the national rate and even in the worst affected districts in the county the rate was half of the national rate.   He said KCC’s response to the changing situation would be guided by a rigorous assessment of the data and the advice of the Director of Public Health, and that it was important to work closely with Medway and other partners. He acknowledged the devastating impact that restrictions and shutdowns had for the economy, livelihoods, physical and mental health and said that, in his opinion and that of the Director of Public Health,  Kent had not yet reached the point where a local lockdown needed to be considered. He urged all Kent residents to continue to follow rules and public health guidance to prevent the growth of infections in the county and the damaging effects of the consequent restrictions.

(2)         In relation to the economic impacts of Covid- 19, Mr Gough agreed that even while the county was in tier 1 the impact was significant. Unemployment had more than doubled and 244,000 people had been furloughed across the county.  He referred to the launch of the economic renewal and resilience plan in August, the re-launch of the Kent and Medway business fund and the establishment of  the multi-agency Employment Taskforce, under his chairmanship, whose focus was to ensure that business and job seekers had a clear picture of the jobs and support available, as well as linking re-skilling initiatives with job opportunities.

(3)          Mr Gough referred to the planning consultations that had been reported to Cabinet.  In response to the Government’s consultations on changes to the planning system, including the new methodology for the housing needs assessment, and the planning white paper, KCC members had emphasised the importance of appropriate and timely building of infrastructure to support development and had raised concerns about: housing numbers; the impact on local democracy; and the implications for strategic planning.

(4)          Mr Gough said that the review of the first tranche of funding for Active Travel, which had been reported to Cabinet,  indicated that the Government’s timescales had resulted in inadequate engagement with communities about the schemes, and that  better engagement would be central to travel schemes funded from tranche two.

(5)         Mr Gough said the devolution white paper, which he referred to at the County Council meeting in September, had now been deferred until the spring. He emphasised the importance of a voluntary approach and a range of non-structural solutions and highlighted the principles set out in September including sustaining the delivery of large-scale services, and the importance of Kent and Medway continuing to work together in the interests of communities in Kent and Medway.

(6)          In relation to the Strategic Plan which had been deferred from March 2020, Mr Gough said an interim version, covering  ...  view the full minutes text for item 250.

(1)          Mr Gough moved and Mr Payne seconded the following motion :

“County Council is asked to:

(1) Note the national and local preparations for the end of the EU Transition phase. 

(2) Endorse Kent County Council’s priorities for urgent Government action to resolve the outstanding issues as highlighted in the paper.”

(2)          Following the debate the Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph (1) above to the vote and the voting was as follows:

For (62)

Mrs Allen, Mr Angell, Mr Balfour, Mr Barrington-King,  Mrs Bell, Mrs Beresford, Mrs Binks,   Mr Bond, Mr Brazier, Mr Burden, Miss Carey, Sir Paul Carter, Mrs Chandler, Mr Chard, Mr Chittenden, Mr Clinch, Mrs Cole, Mr Collor,  Miss Constantine,  Mr Cook, Mr Cooke,  Mrs Crabtree,  Mr Dance, Mrs Dawson, Mr Farrell, Mrs Game, Mr Gough, Mrs Hamilton, Mr Harman, Mr Hill, Mr Hills, Mr Homewood, Mr Horwood, Mr Hotson, Mrs Hurst, Mr Kite,  Mr Lake, Mr Lewis, Mr Long, Mr Love,  Mr Lymer, Mr Marsh, Mrs Marsh, Mr McInroy, Mr Murphy, Mr Northey, Mr Oakford, Mr Ozog, Mr Pascoe, Mr Payne, Mrs Prendergast, Mr Pugh, Miss Rankin, Mr Rayner,  Mr Ridgers, Mr Simkins,  Dr Sullivan, Mr Sweetland, Mr Thomas, Mr Whiting, Mr Whybrow,  Mr Wright.

Against (0)

Abstain (6)

Mr Bird, Mr Daley, Mrs Dean, Mr Hook, Mr Koowaree, Ida Linfield,

Motion carried

(3)         RESOLVED that the national and local preparations for the end of the EU Transition phase be noted and Kent County Council’s priorities for urgent Government action to resolve the outstanding issues as highlighted in the report be endorsed.

(1)          Mrs Chandler moved and Mrs Prendergast seconded the following motion:

“County Council is asked to note the Youth County Council Annual Report 2019-20 and consider the following recommendations set out in the covering report which relate to each of the KYCC Campaigns.”

(2)          The Chairman welcomed three Members of Kent Youth County Council, Freddie Gardner, Lacie Ingram and Jordan Mothersole to the meeting and invited them to give a presentation on their annual report and to answer questions from Members.

(3)          The Chairman thanked the Youth County Councillors for attending the meeting and answering questions on their report. The motion as set out in paragraph (1) above was agreed without a formal vote.

(4)          RESOLVED that the Youth County Council Annual Report 2019-20, and the consideration of the recommendations set out in the covering report which related to each of the KYCC Campaigns be noted.

(1)          Mr Simpkins Simkins moved and Mr Chard seconded the following motion:

“Council is asked to agree:

(1)     To enter into the revised ACCESS Pool Inter-Authority Agreement as attached at appendix 2

(2)     That authority be delegated to the s151 Officer to enter into relevant contracts and other legal agreements as required to implement this decision; and

(3)     That authority be delegated to the s151 Officer to, following  consultation with the Chair of the Superannuation Fund and the General Counsel, agree future updates to the Inter-Authority Agreement providing no additional delegation of further formal Council powers are required.”

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

For (66)

Mrs Allen, Mr Angell, Mr Balfour, Mr Barrington-King, Mrs Bell, Mrs Beresford, Mrs Binks, Mr Bird, Mr Bond, Mr Brazier, Mr Burden, Mr Butler, Miss Carey, Sir Paul Carter, Mrs Chandler, Mr Chard, Mr Chittenden, Mr Clinch, Mrs Cole, Mr Collor, Miss Constantine, Mr Cook, Mr Cooke, Mrs Crabtree, Mr Daley, Mr Dance, Miss Dawson, Mrs Dean, Mr Farrell, Mrs Game, Mrs Hamilton, Mr Harman, Mr Hill, Mr Hills, Mr Homewood, Mr Hook, Mr Hotson, Mrs Hurst, Mr Kite, Mr Koowaree, Mr Lake, Mr Lewis, Ida Linfield, Mr Long, Mr Love, Mr Lymer, Mr Marsh, Mrs Marsh, Mr McInroy, Mr Murphy, Mr Northey, Mr Oakford, Mr Ozog,  Mr Pascoe, Mr Payne, Mrs Prendergast, Mr Pugh, Miss Rankin, Mr Rayner, Mr Ridgers, Mr Simkins, Dr Sullivan, Mr Sweetland, Mr Thomas, Mr Whiting, Mr Wright.

Against (1)

Mr Whybrow

Abstain (0)

Motion carried

(3)          RESOLVED that the County Council:

(a)       enter into the revised ACCESS Pool Inter-Authority Agreement as attached at appendix 2 to the report;

(b)        delegate authority to the s151 Officer to enter into relevant contracts and other legal agreements as required to implement the decision in (3) (a) above; and

(c)        delegate authority to the s151 Officer to, following consultation with the Chair of the Superannuation Fund and the General Counsel, agree future updates to the Inter-Authority Agreement providing no additional delegation of further formal Council powers are required.

(1)          Mr Oakford moved and Mr Sweetland seconded the following motion:

“That County Council agrees to update the list of Statutory and Proper Officers in the Constitution to record the designation of the General Counsel as the Data Protection Officer under the Data Protection Act 2018.”

(2)          The motion as set out in paragraph (1) above was agreed without a formal vote.

(3)          RESOLVED that the list of Statutory and Proper Officers in the Constitution be updated to record the designation of the General Counsel as the Data Protection Officer under the Data Protection Act 2018.

(1)          The Chairman moved and the Vice-Chairman seconded the following motion:

“The County Council is invited to consider the recommendation of the selection panel of Honorary Aldermen and appoint Ms Jemma Gowland, Mr Chris Macklin, and Mr David Mercier as the members of the Independent Member Remuneration Panel for a four-year term, from 1 November 2020 to 31 October 2024.”

(2)          The motion as set out in paragraph (1) above was agreed without a formal vote.

(3)          RESOLVED that Ms Jemma Gowland, Mr Chris Macklin, and Mr David Mercier be appointed as the members of the Independent Member Remuneration Panel for a four-year term, from 1 November 2020 to 31 October 2024.

(1)          Mr Oakford moved and Mr Gough seconded the following motion:

“The Council is asked to agree the changes to the terms of reference of the Selection and Member Services Committee, following the recommendation of the Selection and Member Services Committee, as set out in paragraph 2 of the report.”

(2)          The motion as set out in paragraph (1) above was agreed without a formal vote.

(3)          RESOLVED that the changes to the terms of reference of the Selection and Member Services Committee, following the recommendation of the Selection and Member Services Committee, as set out in paragraph 2 of the report be approved.

20mph schemes

Proposed by Ian Chittenden.

Seconded by Antony Hook

Background information

Kent County Council have for many years promoted the use of 20mph schemes in areas throughout Kent and, almost every Borough now has schemes in place in selected part of their area. The acceptance of a series of 20mph schemes as part of the Governments recent Active Travel initiative has accelerated the process in many existing built up areas. It is also strongly recognised that a reduction from 30mph down to 20mph helps cuts the number of accidents, reduces the seriousness of injury when accidents occur and saves lives.

MOTION

This Council requests that the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport actively promotes the reduction of the default speed limit in all new housing developments to 20mph by:

•           Recommending to District Planning Officers through the Consultee process in relation to all new housing development applications that the design of the estate roads should be such as to promote a default speed of 20mph.

•           Adapting the Kent Design Guide to ensure that new estate roads are designed and constructed to ensure target speeds are self-enforcing at 20mph.

(1)          Mr Chittenden moved and Mr Hook seconded the following motion:

“This Council requests that the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport actively promotes the reduction of the default speed limit in all new housing developments to 20mph by:

•        Recommending to District Planning Officers through the Consultee process in relation to all new housing development applications that the design of the estate roads should be such as to promote a default speed of 20mph.

•        Adapting the Kent Design Guide to ensure that new estate roads are designed and constructed to ensure target speeds are self-enforcing at 20mph.”

(2)             Mr Payne proposed and Miss Rankin seconded the following amendment:

“This Kent County Council requests that the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport actively promotes the reduction of the default speed limit in all new housing developments to 20mph by:

•        Recommending to District Planning Officers through the Consultee process in relation to all new housing development applications that the design of the estate roads should  be such as to promote a default speed of 20mph.

•           Further development  Adapting of  the Kent Design Guide to ensure that new estate roads continue to be are designed and constructed to ensure target speeds are self-enforcing at 20mph.

•               Kent County Council recommending to District Planning Officers that the design of new housing estate roads should wherever possible promote a default speed of 20mph.

Furthermore, that based upon the learning acquired from the Emergency Active Travel Fund town wide and other 20mph trials,  Kent County Council will look to introduce further 20mph schemes when government funding becomes available provided that safety benefits can be shown and there is community support for any such individual scheme.”

(3)          The proposer and seconder of the original motion agreed to incorporate the amendments into their motion and the Council gave its consent to this approach.

(4)          Following the debate the motion as set out in paragraph (2) above was put to the vote and the voting was as follows

For (59)

Mrs Allen, Mr Angell, Mr Balfour, Mr Barrington-King, Mr Bartlett, Mrs Bell,  Mrs Beresford, Mrs Binks, Mr Bird, Mr Bond, Mr Bowles, Mr Brazier, Miss Carey, Mrs Chandler, Mr Chittenden, Mr Clinch, Mrs Cole, Mr Collor, Miss Constantine, Mr Cook, Mr Cooke, Mrs Crabtree, Mr Daley, Mrs Dean,  Mr Farrell, Mrs Game, Mr Gough, Mrs Hamilton, Mr Harman, Mr Hill, Mr Hills, Mrs Hohler, Mr Homewood, Mr Hook, Mr Hotson, Mrs Hurst, Mr Kite, Mr Koowaree, Mr Lake, Mr Lewis, Mr Long,  Mr Love, Mr Marsh, Mr McInroy, Mr Northey, Mr Oakford, Mr Pascoe, Mr Payne, Miss Prendergast, Mr Pugh, Miss Rankin, Mr Rayner, Mr Simkins, Dr Sullivan, Mr Sweetland, Mr Thomas, Mr Whiting, Mr Whybrow, Mr Wright

Against (0)

Abstain (0)

Motion carried

(5)          RESOLVED that Kent County Council requests that the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport actively promotes the reduction of the default speed limit in new housing developments to 20mph by:

•           Further development of the Kent Design Guide to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 257.