Minutes:
(a) Mr Bertie Bassam
(1) The Chairman referred to the death of Mr Bertie Bassam on Friday 22 December 2017, which had been notified to Members.. Mr Bassam was a former Conservative Member for Dartford South East between 1997 and 2009.
Mr Bassam’s funeral had taken place on Thursday 18 January 2018.
(2) Mr Carter, Mr Kite and Mr Bird paid tribute to Mr Bassam.
(3) At the end of the tributes all Members stood in silence in memory of Mr Bassam.
(4) After the one-minute silence the Chairman moved, the Vice-Chairman seconded and it was resolved unanimously that:
(5) This Council records the sense of loss it feels on the sad passing of Mr Bassam and extends to his family and friends our heartfelt sympathy to them in their sad bereavement.
(b) Member Development Charter Plus
(6) The Chairman informed Members that Kent County Council had been successful in its re-assessment for Member Development Charter Plus; he congratulated Members for their contribution towards the successful re-assessments and for the work of the Member Development Steering Group under the chairmanship of Andrew Bowles. The award, recognising Kent County Council’s investment in Member Development was displayed in the Chamber.
(7) The Chairman reminded Members that Kent County Council would be re-assessed in November 2020.
(c) Highways, Transportation and Waste KM Charity Team Partnerships Award
(8) The Chairman informed Members that Kent County Council had achieved the KM Charity Team Partnerships Award. The award was in recognition of the help and support provided to KM Charity Team events and services throughout 2017.
(d) Recent Extreme Weather Conditions in Kent
(9) The Chairman thanked all staff within Kent County Council for their extraordinary efforts during the recent snow and bad weather.
(e) Faversham Swing Bridge
(10) The Chairman invited Mr Carter to hand over a letter received from a group of Faversham residents regarding Faversham Swing Bridge.
(11) The Chairman invited Mr Holden, on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, to accept the letter and ensure that it was responded to.
(f) Made in Kent Award
(12) The Chairman informed Members that Kent County Council’s Made in Kent campaign had been honoured at the National Award Ceremony in recognition of the way it promoted apprenticeships. By the beginning of March, more than 4,800 people had registered on Kent County Council’s recruitment site and at least 236 young people in Kent had been placed in apprenticeships.
(g) Lizzy Yarnold
(13) The Chairman informed Members of the success at the Winter Olympics of Lizzy Yarnold, Milly Knight and James Barnes-Miller who had been Members of the Kent FANS scheme (Free Access for National Sports People) and had been awarded the Invicta Award by Kent County Council’s Members.
(h) Paul Wickenden
(14) The Chairman informed Members that Paul Wickenden would be retiring on Thursday 29 March after serving the Local Authority for 36 years. He thanked Paul for the guidance and support he had provided to Members.
(15) Paul Wickenden thanked Members for their generosity and said he was most grateful for the support that he had received from Members and staff within Kent County Council.