Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Dr Sturley, for whom Mr Paul was substituting and the church and parent governor representatives.

Mr Collins was in attendance virtually.

There were no declarations of interest from Members of the Committee.

Mr Prater who was a guest at the Committee declared that he was a Member of Folkestone Town Council, Folkestone and Hythe District Council, Sandgate Parish Council, Hythe Town Council and Kent County Council.

1.    The Committee was advised on the formal call- in process and reminded that discussion should be focussed on the valid grounds for call- in with the purpose of scrutinising the decision taken, rather than proposing alternatives. The four possible outcomes were outlined: making no comments, making comments without requiring reconsideration, postponing implementation to allow reconsideration by the decision- maker, or postponing implementation pending review by Full Council. 

2.    The Chairman invited Tim Prater, one of the call-in members, to provide reasons for the call-in. Mr Prater outlined that the closure of Grace Hill Library had been a consequence of long- term underinvestment leading to the building becoming unusable, leaving central Folkestone without a library for over three years. He highlighted that only one bid, led by Creative Folkestone and supported by One Folkestone, was submitted following the Asset of Community Value (ACV) and open marketing process, proposing a long- lease arrangement to enable substantial grant- funded restoration. He stated that no substantive discussions had taken place between KCC and the bidders after submission, despite the bid being an initial framework requiring additional negotiation. He also emphasised strong public support for retaining the Grace Hill building as a library and argued that insufficient consideration had been given to developing the partnership option. Mr Prater concluded by arguing the decision be sent back to the decision- maker with comments from the Scrutiny Committee to allow for reconsideration. 

3.    A written statement from Councillor John Baker (Folkestone West) was read to the Committee, by the Chairman, acknowledging the continued provision of library services in Folkestone but emphasising the historic and cultural importance of the Grace Hill building. Mr Baker highlighted strong community sentiment and stated that disposal via auction would be premature. He called for further structured engagement with Creative Folkestone and other interested parties, full exploration of asset transfer or partnership options and investigation of relevant grant funding. He concluded that all reasonable options to retain Grace Hill as a community asset should be examined before taking an irreversible decision. 

4.    Paul Webb, Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, recognised the strong community sentiment in Folkestone and the limited library access experienced since Grace Hill had closed since December 2022. He confirmed that the temporary library at 14 Sandgate Road would provide a full multi- use service for the foreseeable future and stated that the issues raised related mainly to infrastructure. Mr Webb also confirmed that discussions regarding the future of Grace Hill were ongoing but that the proposals received to date had not met the Council’s criteria and in the absence of a compliant proposal, the Council would proceed with disposal via auction. 

5.    Brian Collins, Deputy Leader, highlighted the ongoing holding costs for the Grace Hill building were approximately £100,000 per year and emphasised that exploring grant- funded options that could take up to two years would mean substantial costs would continue to accrue during that period. 

6.    Hugh D’Alton, Programme Manager, provided background on the earlier public  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.