Agenda item

1.    Mr Hill, Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, gave a verbal update on the following:

a)    The Amelia Scott in Tunbridge Wells opened on 28 April 2022.  The £21 million project was delivered by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in partnership with KCC, the National Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England. 

b)    Mr Hill visited the set of the film ‘Empire of Light’ in Margate at the end of April 2022. A report on the work of the Kent Film Office would be presented to a future Cabinet Committee.

c)    Lullingstone Country Park had been chosen as one of the 70 ancient woodlands to make up the Ancient Canopy, part of The Queen’s Green Canopy to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee.

d)    The 10^th anniversary of the opening of the Kent History and Library Centre was celebrated by a series of public events on 23 April 2022.

2.    Mr Murphy, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, gave a verbal update on the following:

a)    On 28 April 2022 the government announced that import controls on EU goods to Great Britain would not be introduced in 2022. Mr Murphy and the Leader of the Council were working with Leaders of Dover District Council and Ashford Borough Council to minimise the impact on the local workforce.

b)    The Council had been liaising with Visit Kent, Locate in Kent and the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce to gauge the impact nationally of the P&O ferries not operating at Dover and the consequences of Operation Brock.

c)    On 27 April 2022 Mr Murphy attended a jobs fayre organised by Dover District Council in response to the redundancies caused by P&O. The Department for Work and Pensions were also present for benefit advice. 

d)    On 28 April 2022 Mr Murphy visited Dungeness Power Station to gain a better understanding of the economic issues that would impact the area on the closure of the existing power station. The KCC Business and Enterprise Team continued to work closely with interested parties including the local MP, the district council, and Rolls Royce on the future of the site.

e)    The Mayor of Dartford opened Arc-UK Technologies’ new state of the art carbon neutral facility in Kent on 29 April 2022 and Mr Murphy was visiting the site on 29 June 2022.

3.    Mr Jones, Corporate Director for Growth Environment and Transport, then gave a verbal update on the following:

a)    The Libraries, Registration and Archive Service was significantly impacted throughout the pandemic but was now operating a full service. Death registrations had returned to face-to-face appointments and the Registrar Team was experiencing an increase in ceremonies.

b)    The Trading Standards Checked Team were working with traders to ensure they provided a safe and reliable service to Kent residents. The Operations Manager of the Trading Standards Team, Clive Phillips, had been made Deputy Chair of the new Kent and Medway Multi Agency Fraud Panel. The Trading Standards Service recently joined the Strategic Organised Crime Meeting and had taken the lead nationally in looking after organised crime groups. The Construction Products Regulation (CPR) was being amended, following the Grenfell disaster, and would be enforced by Trading Standards.  Esther Osborn was taking the Chair of the newly formed Construction Products Panel.

c)    The Domestic Homicide Review team continued to manage a busy caseload which was at its highest level for many years.  The team developed two events in March and April 2022 to share learning from recent investigations which over 160 practitioners had attended.

d)    The Community Wardens continued to provide valuable support to Kent residents. There was an increased reliance on food banks due to the cost-of-living crisis and community wardens were directing residents to the right resources to help them gain support. Community Wardens were also working with charities and other organisations to help those supporting refugees in Ukraine or those who had relocated to the UK.

4.    Mr Murphy, Mr Hill and Mr Jones responded to the following questions and comments from Members:

a)    Asked about the work of Trading Standards in relation to the cladding quality issue on buildings, Mr Jones said the Trading Standards team would be involved in the enforcement of manufacturing legislated materials.

b)    Asked whether library staff were trained to identify vulnerable people affected by the cost-of-living crisis, Mr Jones said librarians could direct residents to relevant services and support.

c)    Asked how community wardens could support elderly residents who were anxious following the pandemic, and how their own mental health was supported, Mr Jones said managers were trained to give mentoring support and community wardens had access to their own mental health support and were provided with training to spot those becoming overwhelmed. In terms of signposting wardens worked with other authorities and charities and were a single point of contact for residents, businesses, and communities.

 RESOLVED that the verbal updates be noted.