Agenda item

Grammar School for Sevenoaks

 

Save Ramsgate Youth Clubs

 

Closure of Richborough Household Waste Recycling Centre

Grammar School for Sevenoaks

 

(1)       The Chairman announced that the above debate would be recorded by BBC Radio 4 and BBC 5 Live. 

 

(2)       Mr and Mrs Shilling addressed the County Council on the above petition.

 

(3)       The Chairman invited local Members to address the meeting on the subject of the petition.  Mr Parry was the first Member to speak and he proposed, Mr Gough seconded the following motion:

 

that Kent County Council recommends to the Cabinet Member for Education, Learning & Skills that he pursues proposals to provide a 2 form entry of selective secondary provision for boys and a 2 form entry of selective secondary provision for girls in or close to Sevenoaks Town for students resident in the Sevenoaks area, that would meet legal requirements.

 

(4)       Other local Members, Mr Lake, Mr Chard, Mr Brookbank, Ms Hohler and Mr Brazier, then addressed the meeting on the subject of the petition.

 

(5)       The Chairman then opened up the debate to the floor and a number of other Members spoke on the petition.

 

(6)       Mr Christie moved, Mr Cowan seconded the following amendment to Mr Parry’s Motion:

 

First line – after “Kent County Council” insert “agrees to review the admission process and places, including costings, for selective secondary education in Kent and consult with other affected schools before it…”

 

(7)       The Chairman put to the vote the amendment to the motion as set out in (6) above, when the voting was as follows:

 

For (5)

 

Mr I Chittenden, Mr L Christie, Mr G Cowan, Mrs E Green, Mr G Koowaree

 

Abstain (2)

 

Mrs T Dean, Mr T Prater

 

Against (60)

 

Mrs A Allen, Mr M Angell, Mr A Bowles, Mr D Brazier, Mr R Brookbank, Mr R Bullock, Mr R Burgess, Miss S Carey, Mr P Carter, Mr N Chard, Mr A Chell, Mrs P Cole, Mr N Collor, Mr G Cooke, Mr B Cope, Mr H Craske, Mr A Crowther, Mr J Cubitt, 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 W Hayton, Mr M Hill, Mr D Hirst, Ms A Hohler, Mrs S Hohler, Mr P Homewood, Mr E Hotson, Mr M Jarvis, Mr J Kite, Mr P Lake, Mr J London, Mr R  Long, Mr K Lynes, Mr R Manning, Mr A Marsh, Mr M Northey, Mr J Ozog, Mr R Parry, Mr K Pugh, Mr L Ridings, Mr A Sandhu, Mr J Simmonds, Mr C Smith, Mr K Smith, Mr M Snelling, Mr B Sweetland, Mr R Tolputt, Mrs E Tweed, Mrs C Waters, Mr J Wedgbury, Mr M Whiting, Mrs J Whittle, Mr A Wickham, Mr A Willicombe

 

Lost

 

(8)       The Chairman put to the vote the original motion as set out in (3) above, when the voting was as follows:

 

For (67)

 

Mrs A Allen, Mr M Angell, Mr A Bowles, Mr D Brazier, Mr R Brookbank, Mr R Bullock, Mr R Burgess, Miss S Carey, Mr P Carter, Mr N Chard, Mr A Chell, Mr I Chittenden, Mrs P Cole, Mr N Collor, Mr G Cooke, Mr B Cope, Mr H Craske, Mr A Crowther, Mr J Cubitt, Mrs V Dagger, Mr D Daley, Mr M Dance, Mr J Davies, Mrs T Dean, Mr G Gibbens, Mr R Gough, Mr M Harrison, Mr W Hayton, Mr C Hibberd, Mr M Hill, Mr D Hirst, Ms A Hohler, Mrs S Hohler, Mr P Homewood, Mr E Hotson, Mr M Jarvis, Mr A King, Mr J Kite, Mr G Koowaree, Mr P Lake, Mrs J Law, Mr R Lees, Mr J London, Mr R  Long, Mr K Lynes, Mr R Manning, Mr A Marsh, Mr M Northey, Mr J Ozog, Mr R Parry, Mr T Prater, Mr K Pugh, Mr L Ridings, Mr A Sandhu, Mr J Simmonds, Mr C Smith, Mr K Smith, Mr M Snelling, Mr B Sweetland, Mr R Tolputt, Mrs E Tweed, Mrs C Waters, Mr J Wedgbury, Mr M Whiting, Mrs J Whittle, Mr A Wickham, Mr A Willicombe

 

Against (3)

 

Mr L Christie, Mr G Cowan, Mrs E Green

 

Carried

 

(9)       The Chairman then invited Mr Whiting, Cabinet Member for Education, Learning and Skills, to respond to the debate and describe how he intended to take the petitioners concerns forward.  Mr Whiting thanked the Shillings for bringing people power into the Council Chamber and praised them for their work on the website and the support they had gathered for their petition in a short space of time.  He stated that KCC were investing millions of pounds in building new schools and creating new provision and he was looking forward to moving down the road of investing some money in selective education especially in the Sevenoaks area. 

 

(10)     Mr Whiting stated in relation to Mr Christie’s amendment that he had already tasked a group of headteachers with reviewing the Kent Test to ensure it is fit for purpose.  He said that the rise in population was the driving factor.  In the West Kent area alone there had been an increase in some 3,500 secondary school places in the last 20 years with an expected 2,000 places in the next 10 years.  He stated that there was a need to invest in many more secondary places in West Kent and that it was right and proper that a proportion of those places were selective.

 

(11)     The Chairman thanked the petitioners for attending and advised them that their concerns had been noted and the issue of selective secondary education in Sevenoaks would be taken forward as indicated by Mr Whiting and supported by the Council.

 

Save Ramsgate Youth Clubs

 

(12)     The following individuals addressed the County Council on the above petition; Councillor Scobie, Thanet District Council and Mr Redmond, Thanet Wanderers Rugby Club.

 

(13)     Relevant local Members, Mrs Green, Mr Jarvis, Mr Burgess and Mr Hayton addressed the meeting on the subject of the petition.

 

(14)          The Chairman then opened up the debate to the floor and several other Members spoke on the petition.

 

(15)          The Chairman then invited the Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities, Mr Hill, to respond to the debate and describe how he intended to take the petitioner’s concerns forward.

 

(16)          Mr Hill thanked the petitioners for their measured and constructive contribution and agreed that robust youth services in Ramsgate were needed.  He praised the youth facilities and youth work provision by the voluntary sector and said it was just as good as anything offered by KCC.  He clarified the provision of youth services in Thanet stating that in Ramsgate the intention for commissioning was primarily from the voluntary sector.  At a cross-party meeting of district and county colleagues on 2 March the collective view was that there should be a buildings based youth provision in Ramsgate.  Subject to Cabinet and Committee views this was the way forward and Mr Hill stated that all other aspects of the Thanet proposal had received cross-party agreement from those present at the meeting.

 

(17)          The Chairman thanked the petitioners for their contribution.

 

Closure of Richborough Household Waste Recycling Centre

 

(18)          Mr Loffman addressed the County Council on the above petition.

 

(19)          Relevant local Members, Mr Ridings, Mr Kit Smith and Mr Burgess addressed the meeting on the subject of the petition.

 

(20)          The Chairman then opened up the debate to the floor and a number of other Members spoke on the petition.

 

(21)     Mr Prater proposed, Mr Chittenden seconded the following motion:

 

that the Council agrees that  the proposed closure of the Richborough HWRC should be debated by the next appropriate meeting of the Cabinet Committee for Environment, Highways and Waste prior to decision by the Cabinet Member

 

(22)     The Chairman then invited the Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Waste, Mr Sweetland, to respond to the debate and describe how he intended to take the petitioner’s concerns forward.

 

(23)     Mr Sweetland stated that his predecessor had been faced eighteen months ago with the options to close some sites, one of which had been Richborough, or close all sites a couple of days a week.  An Informal Member Group had investigated the situation, there had been numerous site visits and meetings and now was the time to make a difficult decision.

 

(24)     The Chairman put to the vote the motion as set out in (21) above, when the voting was as follows:

 

For (10)

 

Mr I Chittenden, Mr L Christie, Mr G Cowan, Mr D Daley, Mrs T Dean, Mr W Hayton, Mrs E Green, Mr M Jarvis, Mr G Koowaree, Mr T Prater

 

Abstain (1)

 

Mr C Hibberd

 

Against (47)

 

Mr M Angell, Mr D Brazier, Mr R Brookbank, Mr R Bullock, Mr R Burgess, Miss S Carey, Mr A Chell, Mrs P Cole, Mr N Collor, Mr G Cooke, Mr B Cope, Mr H Craske, Mr J Cubitt, Mrs V Dagger, Mr M Dance, Mr J Davies, Mr G Gibbens, Mr R Gough, Mr M Harrison, Mr M Hill, Mr D Hirst, Ms A Hohler, Mrs S Hohler, Mr P Homewood, Mr E Hotson, Mr A King, Mr J Kite, Mr P Lake, Mr J London, Mr R  Long, Mr K Lynes, Mr R Manning, Mr M Northey, Mr R Parry, Mr K Pugh, Mr L Ridings, Mr J Simmonds, Mr C Smith, Mr K Smith, Mr M Snelling, Mr B Sweetland, Mrs E Tweed, Mrs C Waters, Mr J Wedgbury, Mrs J Whittle, Mr A Wickham, Mr A Willicombe

Lost

 

(25)     The Chairman thanked Mr Loffman and his supporters for his contribution to the debate and wished them well.