Minutes:
(a) Death of Mr Malcolm Robertson
(1) The Chairman informed Members of the sudden death of Malcolm Robertson, Liberal Democrat Member for Maidstone Central, on Friday 10 August 2012.
(2) The Chairman stated that Malcolm had been a fine Councillor and a good friend and that he was greatly saddened by his passing. They had worked together as Councillors on the Planning Applications Committee and Malcolm’s knowledge of, and interest in, this area was invaluable. The Chairman stated that Malcolm had worked tirelessly for his constituents, a gentle giant who held the respect of people from all political parties and would be greatly missed at County Hall.
(3) Mr Daley, Mrs Dean, Mr Davies, Mrs Stockell and Mr Cowan all paid tribute to Mr Robertson.
(b) Death of Mr Dennis Hunter
(4) The Chairman informed Members of the death of Dennis Hunter, former Conservative Member for Whitstable West, on Wednesday 29 August 2012. Mr Hunter was a member from 1977–1993.
(5) Mr A King paid tribute to Mr Hunter.
(6) At the end of the tributes, all Members stood in silence in memory of Mr Robertson and Mr Hunter.
(7) After the silence, it was moved by the Chairman, seconded by the Vice Chairman and:
(8) Resolved unanimously: that this Council desires to record the sense of loss it feels on the sad passing of Mr Malcolm Robertson and Mr Dennis Hunter and extends to their family and friends our heartfelt sympathy to them in their sad bereavements
(c) London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games
(9) The Chairman offered his sincere thanks and congratulations to all of the competitors, medal winners, officials and volunteers with connections to Kent for their hard work and success at this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. He said that there were far too many individuals to mention all by name but he was sure all Members agreed that the games were an overwhelming and outstanding success for the country.
(10) He stated that KCC had been awarded "Beacon Status" for its work on the London 2012 games and was only one of 5 authorities to achieve this accolade and the only one to secure the top grade of "Outstanding".
(11) The Chairman offered the Council’s sincere thanks and congratulations to the Cabinet Member for Customer and Communities, Mike Hill, Corporate Director, Amanda Honey and staff in the Customer and Communities Directorate, particularly Chris Hespe and his team for their hard work. He stated that this included securing the Paralympic cycling event for Kent as well as training facilities for a number of international teams in the run up to the games and there had been a truly remarkable effort by all concerned.
(d) Members’ Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
(12) The Chairman informed Members that staff from the ICT service would be offering advice and support to enable Members to make the most of the ICT needed to fulfil their Council duties. ICT staff would be outside the Darent Room at lunchtime and after the meeting.
(e) Petition
(13) The Chairman informed Members that he had received a petition from Mr Peter Lake on behalf of Hever Parish Council asking for Traffic Calming Measures to be introduced in and around the village of Four Elms. He presented the petition to the Cabinet Member for Environment Highways and Waste, Mr Bryan Sweetland, and asked him to investigate the matter and to respond to the petitioners in accordance with the Council's petition scheme.