Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Ms Ainslie- Malik and Mr Defriend, for whom Mr Burwash was substituting.

1.    The Chairman declared, in relation to item C1, that his wife was a Director of Education in a secondary special educational needs provision, that his two children had gone through the system, and that he was previously a trustee of an independent special school.

2.    Mr Alister Brady declared in reference to item C1 that his partner was the director of the Tizard Centre, a group that specialised in autism and learning difficulties.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held 25 November 2025 were a correct record and they be signed by the Chairman.

1.    The item was introduced by Beverley Fordham, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, who outlined the report’s focus on why Kent was an outlier nationally in relation to higher numbers of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). She highlighted limitations in available data, the lack of standardised targets or comparable datasets and the wider national increase in EHCPs as potential constraints of the report’s analysis and summarised their approach in relation to national research. 

2.    Mrs Christine McInnes, Interim Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education, emphasised the significance of Appendix 2 of the report that addressed national challenges with the identification and use of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) data. She also outlined updates within the SEND sector in relation to wider ongoing policy changes. 

3.    In response to questions and comments from Members, discussion covered the following: 

a)    Further research to identify the relevant factors and gaps regarding numbers of EHCPs would require additional resourcing and could face challenges in drawing firm conclusions and improving service delivery due to the breadth of existing evidence.

b)    Craig Chapman, Assistant Director - Fair Access and (Interim) SEN Processes, acknowledged that the paper reflected a long- standing history of work on SEND and assured the Committee of the depth of knowledge and focussed activity taking place to deliver significantly improved service delivery compared to previous years. He highlighted that the challenges discussed arose from wider educational and demographic factors beyond the local authority SEND service and that the paper aimed to explain why, despite these national issues Kent’s local context has resulted in different outcomes. He emphasised that while these historic factors continued to be monitored, the priority was addressing current need and meeting statutory duties. 

c)    Mrs?McInnes outlined recent practice in Kent regarding neurodiversity, including the purchase of an Autism Education Trust licence. She explained that Kent had brought together the “This is Me” programme and the Department for Education (DfE)- funded Promoting Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) initiative. This enabled a combined approach that targeted organisations including staff training and also supported early identification and prevention within families. She added that this included specific work with young girls, which could be shared upon request. 

d)    Alice Gleave, Assistant Director for SEN Statutory Service, recognised the national challenge of identifying autism within young girls due to “masking” that potentially presented more subtly than outwardly dysregulated behaviour. She also confirmed a renewed systemic focus on recognising “masking” behaviours in girls, reflected in a significant increase in the number receiving a diagnosis. 

e)    Mr Chapman explained that EHCP data on neighbouring Local Authorities (LAs) in the paper were included as part of a routine comparative analysis for the Committee to consider. However, he established that due to a range of unknown factors, it would be difficult to determine whether any correlation existed between the number of grammar schools and the number of EHCPs across these authorities. 

f)     The Specialist Teaching and Learning Service provided a statutory service  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

Ms Claudine Russell was present for this item. 

1.    The report was introduced by Rebecca Spore, Director of Infrastructure, who outlined the establishment of the Short- Focussed Inquiry (SFI) on Water Supply and Quality. She also advised that the scope be broadened beyond Southeast (SE) Water to cover the whole of Kent, ensuring that the SFI covered all water- related incidents that had recently taken place. Mrs Spore also highlighted the ongoing work by other organisations in respect of the water quality/ outages in Kent which would need to be considered as part of the SFI. This included the Kent & Medway Resilience Forum (KMRF), Ofwat and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) as well as additional funding which had been secured in the Growth, Environment and Transport (GET) directorate to support work regarding water resources. 

2.    In response the report, the Chairman welcomed comments and views from the Committee which covered the following: 

a)    A Member argued since the full Council meeting, it had become clear the water supply issues extended beyond the expected scope of the SFI, with many communities served by SE Water experiencing water outages. They also recognised the serious challenges about sustainability of water supplies and the reliability of SE Water and other providers. It was also stressed that the SFI should address how water companies work with the KMRF and local councils due to existing water outage protocols failing to activate during recent incidents. 

b)    Ms Claudine Russell requested that the SFI consider the specific needs of livestock farmers due to many being left without water, dedicated support or reporting routes from providers. It was also suggested that the SFI examine differing impacts on urban and rural communities, including access to emergency water stations and reliable transport links. She further highlighted concerns about communication during outages, including clarity of responsibilities and timeliness of information. Committee Members expressed support for these proposals being incorporated into the SFI.  

c)    A Member requested the SFI examine the security and long- term resilience of the water supply, citing underlying issues that had gone unresolved. The Member also stressed ongoing concerns about emergency water provision during outages. 

d)    In response to a question surrounding governance, it was confirmed that the Scrutiny Committee held the responsibility of establishing and setting the scope for the SFI, rather than Full Council.   

e)    It was confirmed that the SFI would exist separately to the Kent Flood Risk and Water Management Committee and that the intention of the SFI was to establish the role Kent could play in ensuring water supply to residents.  

3.    The Chairman proposed the Scrutiny Committee agree: 

1. To establish a Short- Focussed Inquiry into the Failure in Water Supply in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas and subsequent supply interruptions in early January 2026. 

2. To delegate to Officers, in conjunction with members of the SFI group, the arrangement of the Inquiry as outlined in the report. 

4.    The Chairman further proposed the Committee take into consideration the advice provided by Mrs Spore and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

1.    The item was introduced by Brian Collins, Deputy Leader, who thanked the relevant officers for their time and work in the production of the Draft Revenue Budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP).

2.    Further to comments and questions from Members, discussion covered the following:

a)    Mr Collins assured the Committee that the MTFP demonstrated the savings/income necessary to balance the later years of the plan assuming no further council tax increases.

b)    Dave Shipton, Head of Finance, Policy, Planning and Strategy, clarified that the £250k saving listed for the library estate review formed part of the long- standing community assets programme, with any savings only arising from temporary closures pending a revised library strategy. A Member proposed the recommendation that the wording relating to the review of the library estate be amended to clarify its reference to temporary closures only. It was agreed that it would be considered outside of the Committee and brought back if necessary.

c)    Paul King, Cabinet Member for Environment, Coastal Regeneration and Special Projects, clarified that a proposed £130k saving from removing blue badge parking concessions at country parks had already been achieved without removing the concessions. Accessibility remained a priority, including through initiatives such as Changing Spaces.

d)    In response a query on the £333k change for the Crisis and Resilience Fund, Mr Shipton explained it was a technical adjustment to reflect the reduced spending capacity following the external funding allocation in the provisional settlement, with a full reconciliation to be provided outside of the meeting.

e)    A concern was raised about the flat cash settlement for the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant, with regards to it representing a real-terms reduction due to inflation. Mr Collins confirmed that this was a draft budget, and that the issue would be considered before the final proposal. Mr Shipton further added that the grant was subject to the multi- year government settlement with no uplift over the period.

f)     Mr Collins confirmed that following extensive debate and consultation, the administration had been able to reduce the planned Council tax increase by 20%, contrary to previous years’ practice. He also established that the main areas of financial risk continued to be Adult Social Care (ASC) and Children’s Services, although the recent Quarter 3 report indicated the position in ASC was gradually improving.

g)    In response to concerns about significant medium- term budget shortfalls and the achievability of several savings proposals, Mr Collins explained that the medium- term forecasts were subject to adjustment and that focus was on the upcoming financial year. Mr Shipton confirmed that the MTFP had not always been balanced and highlighted that previous plans had assumed the maximum Council tax increase. He further clarified that the Section 25 report would outline the most significant short and medium- term risks within the budget and MTFP, allowing for a transparent assessment of such risks to take place.

h)    Regarding questions on speculative savings proposals, Mr Collins emphasised the ambitious nature of the savings plans  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

RESOLVED to note the Work Programme.