Agenda item

Mr James Pearson (Head of Libraries, Registrations and Archives) was in attendance for this item.

1.      Mrs Bell, Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, provided an update on the following:

(a)     At Herne Bay Library the Knit and Natter group had knitted over one hundred woolly hats which held essential supplies donated by TESCO for those in need and the Winter Coat Swap at Dover Library continued to provide warm clothing, whilst Sittingbourne, Herne Bay and Southborough Libraries hosted successful Christmas jumper swaps. In Bexley there was a Santa’s grotto and at Danson House a Christmas market. Mrs Bell encouraged Members to keep promoting libraries as warm welcoming spaces all year round. 

(b)     On Wednesday 11 December libraries across the UK showed solidarity with Spellow Library in Liverpool which was damaged during riots in Summer 2024. Kent Libraries joined the nationwide Leave a Light On initiative symbolising the resilience of libraries and their role in uniting communities. Over 100 libraries participated across the county and it was featured on BBC’s The One Show.

(c)     Step into Digital Playground, a series of short films and podcasts, designed for families to enjoy together, encouraged viewers to explore the world in a new way and Mrs Bell thanked the Kent Family Hub for the funding.

(d)     Active Kent and Medway closed a busy 2024 with its annual conference, attended by over 150 partners from across the county. Sport England were reporting increased activity levels amongst children and young people alongside news of two more years of funding for the Kent School Games. The new year saw the launch of a new Everyday Active January Challenge and support for a Smoking Cessation grants programme.

(e)     On 26 December 2024 the government formally announced its intention to repeal the 2031 cut-off date for the recording of historic rights of way. Stakeholders broadly welcomed the move as the lack of exceptions risked the loss of historic, but unrecorded, public rights of way and the repeal may stem the increasing numbers of applications being received.

(f)      The Trading Standards Checked scheme safeguards vulnerable residents by providing advice and a network of approved traders. Staff were expanding the scheme with new features like trader reviews and an upcoming Direct Debit payment option. Mrs Bell encouraged Members to promote the scheme.

(g)     The Kent County Council Civil Society Strategy, introduced in 2019, detailed the Council’s support for the social sector including infrastructure. A revision to the strategy was planned for this year.

(h)     The Community Wardens were receiving NHS training to provide basic stop smoking advice and refer residents to local services. In the lead up to Christmas Community Wardens were present in Maidstone High Street at an event aimed at reducing violence against women and girls.

(i)      Domestic Abuse related death reviews remained high with 24 active cases. A webinar on parental conflict and domestic abuse was scheduled for 11 February.

(j)      Kent Scientific Services found high hydrogen peroxide levels in dental whitening sticks intercepted by Trading Standards and investigations were continuing. Trading Standards’ operation ‘Adopt’ which was a doorstep crime and fraud investigation had concluded. Trading Standards Manager Clive Philipps highlighted holiday scams on BBC Southeast with the interview reaching a national audience. The local vape action pilot in Tunbridge Wells had concluded its initial period and the findings were being drawn together in a report.

(k)     The Kent Film Office has facilitated several high profile productions recently including Bird (2024) including rooftop scenes in Gravesend, Blitz (2024) which was shot at The Historic Dockyard Chatham and Whitstable Pearl Series 3 featuring locations such as Whitstable, Herne Bay, and Halstead in Sevenoaks. These three productions had collectively contributed an estimated £1.4 million to the Kent economy over 44 filming days and 84 preparation days.

2.         Further to questions and comments from Members, it was noted that:

•           Evidence showed that the work of the Kent Film Office was linked to visitor numbers within Kent and there was a need to develop that relationship.

3.      Mr Murphy, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, provided an update on the following:

(a)     The Kent & Medway Business Fund continued to support local firms with loans to support job creation and growth. The boards had approved a further four loans in November and December to small businesses including to a company supporting the viticulture industry in Canterbury, a business planning service in Medway, a dog grooming business in Tonbridge and Malling. The total loans approved to date since the relaunch of the scheme in November 2023 was 38 with a combined value of almost £4.5 million.

(b)     The No Use Empty scheme continued to attract significant media and external interest with Steve Grimshaw recently delivering a presentation to Central Bedfordshire Council’s Empty Homes forum which included Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire councils. A letter to the Housing Minister, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree and a number of other MP co-signatories, highlighted NUE as a best practice example of how successful a national loan fund could be organised. NUE had returned 8,607 empty properties back into use since April 2005.   28 loans had been approved so far for this financial year with a value of £2.6million.

(c)     The Integrated Strategy for Work and Health was out for consultation until mid-March. The Economy team, along with colleagues in Public Health and the Integrated Care System were keen to hear from local businesses, employers, residents and other groups about how to best tackle economic inactivity locally, fill skills gaps faced by local firms and support people into work.

(d)     Work was ongoing with the implementation plan for the Kent & Medway Economic Framework. Recent work included a focus on the creation of an Innovation Partnership for Kent & Medway, the development of a new round of Getting Building Fund, further work to campaign for the re-introduction of international rail passenger services from Ashford & Ebbsfleet, running a series of workshops and training events to support local firms and add value to the Kent & Medway Growth Hub core functions.

(e)     On 15 January Mr Murphy attended a reception with the Foreign Secretary for the Launch of UK Soft Power Council at Lancaster House, in London. The new council, which would be jointly chaired by foreign secretary David Lammy and culture secretary Lisa Nandy, would seek to underline the breadth and depth of the UK's strengths in areas such as culture, creative, sports, education and the science and technology industries.

(f)      On 24 January Mr Murphy would be joining the campaign for Eurostar stopping at Ashford International station and filming a piece to camera setting out the economic benefits to Kent businesses and residents.

(g)     On 3 December, Mr Murphy along with the Leader hosted David Maenaut, the General Representative of Flanders in the United Kingdom. This visit was arranged following the recent visits from Flanders officials and business representatives.

(h)     On 12 and 13 December, Mr Murphy attended and presented at the UK-France Local Government Forum on behalf of the Leader. The Forum was a bi-annual conference looking at how British and French local government could work together and tackle the challenges of the future, such as cross-border cooperation and fluidity between countries. Travel for the event was paid for via a grant from the British Embassy in Paris.

4.      Further to questions and comments from Members, it was noted that:

•        The No Use Empty scheme was commended with specific credit given to Steve Grimshaw and his team for their work.  

•        Continued communication with the district councils to raise awareness of the No Use Empty scheme was requested.

•        Support was expressed for the campaign for Eurostar to stop again at Ashford and Ebbsfleet International stations.

5.      Mr Jones, Corporate Director Growth, Environment and Transport, provided a written update which was circulated to committee members before the meeting and included:

(a)     Contractual arrangements were finalised recently enabling Locate in Kent (LiK) to continue promoting inward investment opportunities in Kent & Medway. Targets included attracting 20 new firms to the county and supporting the creation of 750 jobs. LiK was able to maintain a pipeline of around 100 companies at any given time.

(b)     The Kent Foundation which KCC supported, was celebrating 40 years of mentoring young entrepreneurs. A celebration event was planned for 18 February to look back at several businesses supported over the years and to look forward to future activities.

(c)     The County Council’s Mineral and Waste Local Plan was submitted for independent examination in May 2024, with examination hearings in September 2024.  The Council was awaiting the Planning Inspector’s report which was anticipated this month. On the assumption that it was concluded that the Local Plan was sound and legally compliant, the County Council should be able to adopt the Plan this Spring. This would ensure that an up-to-date Local Plan would provide the policy framework for determining planning applications and ensure the planning for the County’s minerals and waste management needs, whilst protecting the environment.   Adoption of the Plan would be a decision for County Council.

6.      RESOLVED to note the updates.