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  • Agenda and minutes
  • Agenda and minutes

    Venue: Council Chamber, Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone. View directions

    Contact: Joel Cook - Democratic Services Manager  03000 416287

    Media

    Items
    No. Item

    107.

    Apologies for Absence

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    The General Counsel reported apologies for absence from Mrs Clair Bell, Ms Becki Bruneau, Mr Steve Campkin, Mr Paul Cooper, Mr Dan Daley, Mr Andrew Kennedy, Mr Steve Manion, Mrs Margot McArthur, Ms Jackie Meade, Mr Alan Ridgers, Mr Mike Sole and Mr Trevor Shonk.

     

    Members were advised that Mr Tom Cannon, Mr Perry Cole, Mr Nigel Collor, Mrs Trudy Dean, Ms Sarah Hamilton, Mr Tony Hills, Mrs Sarah Hohler, Mr Dirk Ross, Mr Charlie Simkins and Mr John Wright had given their formal apologies and were joining the meeting virtually.

     

    The General Counsel advised that Mr Murphy would be joining the meeting late.

     

    Dr Sullivan reported apologies for absence from Mr Barry Lewis and advised that Ms Kelly Grehan would be joining the meeting late. 

    108.

    Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Other Significant Interests in items on the agenda

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Mr Streatfeild declared an interest under Item 11 – SEND Transformation and Ofsted Revisit – as a family member was in receipt of an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP).

     

    Mr Bartlett, Mr Gough, and Mrs Chandler declared an interest under Item 10 – Kent & Medway Interim Care Strategy – as they were members of the Integrated Care Partnership Board.

     

    Dr Sullivan declared an interest under Item 10 – Kent & Medway Interim Care Strategy – as her husband was a member of the Integrated Care Partnership Board.

    109.

    Minutes pdf icon PDF 267 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    (1)       The Chairman invited Mr Holden to respond to references made at the County Council meeting on 20 October 2022 regarding the foundation of Kent’s Plan Bee pollinator action plan.

     

    (2)       RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 20 October 2022 be approved as a correct record. 

     

    (3)       RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 14 July 2022 be corrected to include the following revised minute for Item 91 - Pension Board – review of Terms of Reference:

     

    91.      Pension Board - review of Terms of Reference

    (Item 13)

     

    (1)           Mr Thomas proposed, and Mr Oakford seconded the motion that

     

    “The County Council agree the revised Kent Local Pension Board Terms of Reference”

     

    (2)      Following the debate, the Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph 1.

     

    (3)      RESOLVED that the Kent Local Pension Board Terms of Reference be agreed.

    110.

    Corporate Parenting Panel - Minutes for noting pdf icon PDF 301 KB

    Minutes of the meeting held on 26 October 2022

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Corporate Parenting Panel held on 26 October 2022 be noted.

    111.

    Chairman's Announcements

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Mr George Koowaree

     

    (1)      The Chairman referred to her announcement at the County Council meeting on 20 October 2022 of the sad passing of Mr George Koowaree.  The Chairman said Mr Koowaree had been the Member for Ashford East from May 2004 to May 2021.  In addition to his time at Kent County Council, Mr Koowaree represented North Willesborough at Ashford Borough Council and was also Mayor of Ashford in 1996 and 2016.  Mr Koowaree was made an Alderman by the Council in March 2022.  

     

    (2)      Tributes were made by Mr Stepto, Mr Hook, Dr Sullivan, Mr Bartlett, and Mr Gough.

     

    Mr Adrian Crowther

     

    (3)      The Chairman, with great sadness and regret, informed Members of the passing of Mr Adrian Crowther, former Member for Sheppey from May 2005 to May 2017. During his time at Kent County Council, Mr Crowther served on the Adult Social Care and Health Cabinet Committee, Communities Cabinet Committee, Education Cabinet Committee, Health Overview & Scrutiny, Kent & Medway Joint NHS Overview & Scrutiny, Regulation Committee and Superannuation Fund Committee. Mr Crowther also represented Minster Cliffs at Swale Borough Council from 2000 to 2007 and again from 2008 to 2019, serving as Mayor from 2009 to 2010.

     

    (4)      Tributes were made by Mr Booth, Mr Hook, Dr Sullivan, and Mr Baldock.

     

    Admiral The Lord Boyce

     

    (5)      The Chairman, with great sadness and regret, informed Members of the sad passing of the Admiral of the Fleet, The Lord Boyce KG GCB OBE DL.  Lord Boyce also held the historic post of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.

     

    (6)      The Chairman held a one-minute silence in memory of Mr Koowaree, Mr Crowther, Lord Boyce, and for those who lost their lives in recent tragedies in the English Channel and Yorkshire.   

     

    John Downton Exhibition

     

    (7)      The Chairman informed Members that The John Downton Award entries were on display in the Exhibition Hall in County Hall.  The John Downton Award for Young Artists was an annual exhibition which encouraged and celebrated the creativity of Kent's young artists. It was open to students aged 11 to 18 from schools and colleges across Kent.  The exhibition ran until 8 February 2023 and the Chairman encouraged Members to take an opportunity to view the wonderful artwork produced by local students. 

     

    Letter from The King

     

    (8)      The Chairman reminded Members that, following the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II in September, she wrote to His Majesty King Charles III to offer condolences on behalf of the Council.  The Chairman was pleased to advise that a response had been received to that letter and Members were welcome to view it should they wish to.

    112.

    Questions pdf icon PDF 390 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    In accordance with Sections 14.15 to 14.22 of the Constitution, 11 questions were submitted by the deadline, 8 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.

     

    As Mr Lewis, Mr Sole and Ms Meade were not present during this item a written answer to their questions has been provided. 

    113.

    Report by Leader of the Council (Oral)

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    (1)      The Leader opened his report by expressing his sadness and regret for the tragic incident in the English Channel on 14 December 2022 when a migrant boat capsized.  Mr Gough thanked and paid tribute to the individuals and organisations involved in recovering people from the water.  He said the Council was working with the National Health Service (NHS) and other partners to establish wrap around care, and explained that those recovered from the water who were believed to be Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC), Integrated Children’s Services had established placements. 

     

    (2)      Mr Gough welcomed Mr Lehmann as Leader of the Green and Independents Group and paid tribute to his predecessor, Mr Stepto.

     

    (3)      The Leader clarified that he would not address some key topics in his report, such as the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Transformation and the Integrated Care Strategy, as they were later items on the agenda. 

     

    (4)      The Leader reflected on the events that had occurred in 2022 and how they had shaped the Council’s core activity. He said inflation and labour shortages had pushed longstanding budgetary pressures for the Council into a critical phase and explained that the most recent financial monitoring report to Cabinet on 1 December 2022 had projected a revenue overspend of £60million. Mr Gough said that it was in that context that he and the Leader of Hampshire had written to government ministers in November 2022.  The Leader acknowledged that the Autumn Statement was significantly better than expected, and it was particularly welcome to see local government, and in particular social care, prioritised.  However, Mr Gough emphasised that the Council would still need to take some difficult decisions in future budgets and although the immediate crisis had eased, the longer-term pressures remained. 

     

    (5)      Mr Gough referred to the growing risks and challenges faced by the Council, including inflation, slow growth, an aging population, a significant energy transition and an overhang of property and infrastructure that required renewal, and recognised these were also national and international problems. He said the latest Corporate Risk Register would be brought to both Cabinet and Governance & Audit Committee in early 2023 to highlight these concerns, consider the Council’s capacity in addressing them, and to understand the associated risks and their management.

     

    (6)      Mr Gough highlighted the positive reinstatement of the Chief Executive role within the Council and said, in his view, the Strategic Reset Programme should be applied more rigorously and comprehensively as part of the Council’s efforts to tackle the challenges it faced.  Mr Gough emphasised the need for a comprehensive long-term approach to put budgets on a sustainable footing and to preserve and enhance the Council’s role as a strategic authority.  Mr Gough explained that the Levelling Up White Paper, published in February 2022, set out many key visions for local government. 

     

    (7)      The Leader referred to Mr Gordon Brown’s recent commission on the UK’s political system and said he hoped that the common ground between this and the Levelling Up White Paper presaged  ...  view the full minutes text for item 113.

    114.

    Reconnect Update pdf icon PDF 916 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    (1)       Mrs Chandler proposed, and Mr Dance seconded the motion that

     

    “The County Council notes the report”.

     

    (2)       Following the debate, the Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph 1.

     

    (3)       RESOLVED that the County Council notes the report.

    115.

    Governance & Audit - Chairman's Annual Report pdf icon PDF 238 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    (1)       Mrs Binks proposed, and Mr Rayner seconded the motion that

     

    “The County Council notes the report”.

     

    (2)       Following the debate, the Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph 1.

     

    (3)       RESOLVED that the County Council notes the report.

    116.

    Kent & Medway Interim Care Strategy pdf icon PDF 217 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    (1)      Mr Gough proposed, and Mr Meade seconded the motion that

     

    “The County Council notes the Kent and Medway Interim Integrated Care Strategy.”

     

    (2)      Following the debate, Mr Baldock proposed the following amendment:

     

    “The County Council notes the Kent and Medway Interim Integrated Care Strategy with some reservations.”

     

    (3)      The Chairman put the amendment set out in paragraph 2 to the vote.

     

    Amendment lost.

     

    (4)      The Chairman put the substantive motion set out in paragraph 1.

     

    (5)      RESOLVED that the County Council notes the Kent and Medway Interim Integrated Care Strategy.

     

    The Labour Group asked that their abstentions be noted in the minutes.

    117.

    SEND Transformation and Ofsted Revisit pdf icon PDF 153 KB

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    (1)      Mr Love proposed, and Mrs Chandler seconded the motion that

     

    “The County Council notes the content of the report and the actions already underway in addressing the areas of weakness identified in the SEND revisit and to prepare to meet the challenge of addressing the High Needs Funding deficit.”

     

    (2)      Following the debate, the Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph 1. 

     

    (3)      RESOLVED that the County Council notes the content of the report and the actions already underway in addressing the areas of weakness identified in the SEND revisit and to prepare to meet the challenge of addressing the High Needs Funding deficit.

     

    The Liberal Democrats Group and Labour Group asked that their abstentions be noted in the minutes.

    118.

    Motions for Time Limited Debate

    Additional documents:

    Minutes:

    Motion for Time Limited Debate 1 – Impact Assessments

     

    (1)      Mr Stepto proposed, and Mr Baldock seconded the following motion for time-limited debate:

     

    “County Council resolves that the Executive is asked to;

     

    ·         Undertake appropriate assessments which take account of rural deprivation, environment and climate change and also socio-economic factors as part of the formal Executive decision process, in addition to the established Equality Impact Assessment process; and

    ·         ensure the relevant assessments are explicitly referenced in and accessible alongside Executive Decision documentation.

     

    (2)      Following the debate, the Chairman put the motion set out in paragraph 1 to the vote.

     

    Motion lost.

     

    Motion for Time Limited Debate 2 – Special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision in Kent

     

    (1)      Mr Hook proposed, and Mr Chittenden seconded the following motion for time-limited debate:

     

    The County Council resolves;

     

    a)    To recommend to the Executive that relevant policies and strategies be amended to reflect that early intervention and support for children with SEND is likely to save KCC long term care and support costs and that this be prioritised accordingly as part of service and budget planning.

    b)    To call on the Executive to prioritise necessary investment in SEND provision to meet the increasing demand of the ever-growing numbers of children in Kent with SEND.

    c)    To recommend to the Executive that the parental travel allowance and travel training for young people with SEND should be better promoted to increase take up.

    d)    To welcome and endorse the Scrutiny Committee decision to set up a SEND focused Scrutiny Sub-Committee”

     

    (2)      Following the debate, Mr Gough proposed, and Mr Love seconded the following amendment:

     

    The County Council resolves;

     

    a)    To recommend to the Executive that relevant policies and strategies be amended to reflect that early intervention and support for children with SEND is likely to save KCC long term care and support costs and that this be prioritised accordingly as part of service and budget planning, as set out in paragraph 9.4 of Agenda Item 11.

    b)    To call on the Executive to prioritise necessary investment in the full range of SEND provision, whether mainstream or special school, to meet the needs of all the increasing demand of the ever-growing numbers of children in Kent with SEND in accordance with the approach of right support, right place, right time.

    c)    To recommend to the Executive that parents’ and young people’s right to request the parental travel allowance and travel training for young people with SEND should be better further promoted to increase take up, thereby empowering young people to take steps towards independence and greater control over their own lives.

    d)    To welcome and endorse the single point of focus for reporting on SEND matter provided by the Scrutiny Committee decision to set up a SEND focused Scrutiny Sub-Committee.

     

     

    (3)      The Chairman put the amendment set out in paragraph 2 and it was agreed unanimously.

     

    Amendment carried.

     

    (4)      Mr Baldock proposed, and Mr Webb seconded that the motion set out in paragraph 2  ...  view the full minutes text for item 118.