Minutes:
(a) The Chairman’s Long Service Award for Members
(1) The Vice-Chairman presented a long service award to the Chairman.
(b) Emma Mitchell
(2) The Chairman introduced Ms Emma Mitchell who joined KCC at the end of September as Director, Strategic Business Development and Intelligence.
(3) Ms Mitchell was invited to introduce herself and briefly set out her role.
(4) Royal Tunbridge Wells Heritage, Cultural & Learning Hub - Heritage Lottery Fund support
(5) The Chairman stated that he was pleased to announce that the Cultural Hub, which was a partnership project between Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Kent County Council had been successful in its stage one bid for Heritage Lottery Fund support.
(6) Mr Hill was invited to speak and commended this project, which would bring together the museum, art gallery, library and adult education into a new cultural hub in the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells.
(d) Democratic Services
Officer of the Year – Theresa Grayell.
(7) The Chairman announced that Miss Theresa Grayell had been awarded Democratic Services Officer of the Year by the Association of Democratic Services Officers, which represented governance officers from local authorities across the Country.
(8) Miss Grayell was presented with her award by the Chairman.
(e) LGC Investment Award for the best performing local authority pension fund in property in 2014/15
(9) The Chairman congratulated the Superannuation Fund Committee, under the chairmanship of Mr Scholes and officers on the Kent Pension Fund winning the LGC Investment Award for the best performing local authority pension fund in property in 2014/15, 89 other funds were considered for this award.
(10) The Chairman explained that the Fund had around £600m invested in property with £450m of that invested in direct UK property managed by DTZ Investors and with KCC Finance acting as client. The award was on display at the meeting.
(d) Petition - Dorothy Lucy Centre, Maidstone
(11) The Chairman invited Mr Clark to present a petition relating to the proposed closure of the Dorothy Lucy Centre, Maidstone.
(e) Petition - Kiln Court, Faversham
(12) The Chairman invited the Vice Chairman to present a petition relating to the proposed closure ofKiln Court, Faversham.
(13) The Chairman then invited Mr Gibbens, the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, to approach the dais to collect the petitions and to ensure that they are responded to in accordance with the Petition Scheme.
(f) Kent youth flag for the ‘Magna Carta Foundation of Liberty’ event
(14) The chairman displayed the flag designed by young people in Kent, which had been flown at two events in Parliament Square between 15 - 22 May 2015 to commemorate the 750th anniversary of the Montfort Parliament of 1265
(g) The Year So Far
(15) The Chairman introduced a PowerPoint slide show which illustrated some of the events which he and the Vice-Charman had attended since the previous meeting of the County Council.
(h) Carols
(16) The Chairman invited all Members to join him for carols from the Maidstone Singers in the Stone Hall at lunchtime.