Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Mr Cannon, Mr Lewis and Mr Ridgers.

Mr Baldock and Ms Grehan were present virtually.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 11 September 2024 were a correct record.

Mr Tony Freudmann, Director RiverOak Strategic Partners Limited, was in attendance for this item.

1.      Mr Tony Freudmann, Director of RiverOak Strategic Partners Limited, provided a presentation on Manston Airport, a copy of which was included in the agenda pack.

2.      Members thanked Mr Freudmann for the presentation and discussed and commented on the airport in relation to sustainable growth, transport and infrastructure, and the impact it would have on jobs and the economy.

3.      RESOLVED to note the presentation.

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)     Feedback from the recent Folkestone Library consultation was being analysed and would inform the future decision.

(b)     The Libraries, Registration and Archives (LRA) service had retained Customer Service Excellence standard. The Assessor was impressed by the enthusiasm displayed by staff, their local knowledge of communities and customers, the creativity and innovation that took place, and how the services and staff were open to change.

(c)     Kent Libraries had once again signed up to the Warm Welcome Campaign which highlighted all Kent libraries as safe and welcoming places people could visit. This was featured on a recent ITV Meridian news item where staff at Margate Library were interviewed promoting warm welcoming library spaces.

(d)     Black History Month in October was commemorated in libraries and throughout 2024 there had been a touring exhibition called ‘Beyond the Bassline’ 500 Years of Black British music, on loan from the British Library.

(e)     Community Wardens had been allocated communities following changes to the service and engagement was taking place with parish and local councils regarding the option for them to fund a Warden in their area.

(f)      Mrs Bell joined the Chair of National Trading Standards, Lord Bichard, at a visit with the Council’s Trading Standards Ports Team to find out about their work protecting the border. The visit focussed on preventing illegal vapes entering the country but covered the whole remit of the team at the border. A visit to the Port of Dover was included where some of the challenges facing the team were demonstrated. Lord Bichard asked for the challenges that could be addressed centrally to be shared with him in writing so that he could discuss them with Government.

(g)     Trading Standards led and coordinated a multi-agency operation targeting illicit trade in tobacco products and vapes. Agencies included Kent Police, HMRC and local authorities.

(h)     Mrs Bell attended the launch of the first Local Vape Action Project in Tunbridge Wells which was led by British Vape Trade Association and the project aimed at ensuring only legal safe products were sold and that sales to children did not occur.

(i)      The main focus of the Resilience and Emergency Planning service continued to be the Entry/Exit System border checks and work continued internally and across the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum to ensure the Council was prepared. The Business Continuity Management System progressed and the Adult Social Care and Health directorate were trialling the system.

(j)      Mrs Bell recently met representatives from the British Horse Society at Squirrels Riding School in Bluebell Hill, along with the local member, Chairman of the Council, and the Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, and heard about the challenges faced by equestrians using public rights of way and safety issues on the roads.

2.      Further to questions and comments from Members, it was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 231.

1.      Mr Oakford introduced the report highlighting that it was published before the government’s Autumn Budget and therefore did not include anything contained within that.  He said the provisional Local Government Financial Settlement would not be received until December and therefore assumptions had been made regarding the grants the Council would receive. Mr Oakford explained that the draft budget and MTFP was not yet completely balanced, principally due to undelivered savings in adult social care, and £19.8million of policy savings also needed to be found. He said the increase in the living wage would have a substantial impact on the Council and its commissioned services. Mr Oakford said he believed, based on the recent Autumn Budget, that the Council should receive an extra £13million for adult social care but, whilst this was welcomed, it was not enough to have a sufficient impact on the Council’s budget.

2.      Mr Murphy explained, in relation to the Economic Development portfolio, there was a spend of £3.8million against which there was an income in excess of £500,000 through No Use Empty and the East Kent Opportunities Scheme. He said savings of £85,000 had been included and highlighted this amount, although seemingly small, should be considered against the overall spend of £3.8million.

3.      Mrs Bell said the overall budget for Community and Regulatory Services was approximately £25million, against which there was an underspend of just over £800,000 principally through additional income generated by Trading Standards, the Registration Service, and staff vacancies in the Coroners Service. Savings for 2025/26 reflected the overall size of the budget and work in previous years to make policy and efficiency savings. Mrs Bell highlighted a saving target in the Libraries, Registrations and Archives service of £300,000 was likely to be achieved through additional income from the service.  

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

·         The new layout of the report was welcomed.

·         Cyclopark was a discretionary spend and Mr Murphy would be meeting with partners later in the year to discuss future plans.

·         The ambition was for Locate in Kent, Visit Kent and Produced in Kent to work together as one entity.

5.      RESOLVED to note the administration’s draft revenue budgets including responses to consultation.

Ms Belinda Hooker, Head of Kent and Medway Coroner Service was in attendance for this item.

1.      Mrs Bell introduced the report regarding the implementation of the statutory Medical Examiner System and its impact on coroners’ responsibilities and ways of working, and explained the role of the Medical Examiner.

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

·         It was anticipated that the changes being implemented, once the new system was established, would speed up the issuing of death certificates.

3.      RESOLVED to note the changes in relation to the death management pathway and the impacts on the Coroner and Registration Services.

Ms Jude Farrell, Head of Community Learning & Skills, was in attendance for this item.

1.      Mr Murphy, Mr Samson and Ms Farrell introduced the report regarding a recent Kent County Council bid to the Department for Education (DfE) for a local, sector-focused ‘Skills Bootcamps’ programme for the 25-26 financial year to support local employers and the Kent & Medway workforce. Mr Samson said the outcome of the bid was expected in December 2024 and, if successful, 25 different bootcamps would be run for different sectors. It would secure £1.7million funding of which the Council would use approximately £250,000 to ensure the scheme was run on a full cost recovery basis.

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

·         Work had begun with employers in different industry sectors, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and other stakeholders to identify who may wish to be involved in the programme. There would also be local communication before each bootcamp was launched.

·         Work was taking place with providers and stakeholders involved in the Lower Thames Crossing and a sub-contract opportunity within CYPE relating to the Adult Skills Fund aimed to prepare people for bootcamps.

·         There was the opportunity to approach the DfE for more funding in year if gaps in skills were identified.

·         The programme would effectively be a pilot and the procurement process would allow for flexibility for learners to access the programme from across the county. Opportunities for online learning would also be considered and discussed with training providers should a barrier to participation be identified and subject to the nature of the bootcamp. Market engagement through different stakeholder groups had taken place to ensure there was a full coverage of providers from across the county.

·         A geographical map highlighting what was available would be helpful and this was something that could be considered after programme launch.

3.      RESOLVED to endorse the proposed decision by the Cabinet Member for Economic Development (subject to receiving confirmation of funding from the DfE) to:

(i)      APPROVE the acceptance of the National Skills Fund Grant, subject to final review and consideration of detailed terms and conditions from the Department of Education, for delivery of the Skills Bootcamps Programme for Kent & Medway.

(ii)     DELEGATE authority to the Director of  Growth and Communities after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, to review and agree to the required terms and conditions to enter into the necessary grant arrangements.

(iii)    DELEGATE authority to the Director of Growth and Communities to take other necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into contracts or other legal agreements, as required to implement the decision to deliver a Skills Bootcamp Programme for Kent and Medway as shown at Appendix A.

Mr Graham Rusling, Head of Service Public Rights of Way and Access, was in attendance for this item.

1.      Mrs Bell introduced the report which provided an overview of the Public Rights of Way and Access Service and explained that the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for the ‘median number of days to resolve priority faults on the public rights of way network’ had reduced in quarter 3 (2023/2024) to 20 (and rag rated green) and the performance reports for quarter 4 (2023/20224) and quarter 1 (2024/2025) showed the number of days had reduced to 9. She drew Members’ attention to Appendix B, sections 3.3 – 3.15, which set out the approach to the operational management of the network.

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

·         PROW officers were commended for the service they provide.

·         Active Travel England funding was secured for the repair of a towpath between Aylesford and Maidstone and work was in progress.

·         Active Travel England were currently producing rural guidance and engaging with the PROW sector.

·         The current length of time for a PROW application to be processed from receipt to allocation to an officer was 58 months. The backlog was 93 cases and 14 or 15 per year were being progressed. The backlog was likely to increase as the Definitive Map and Statement would close to applications based on historical evidence as from 1January 2031 and stakeholder groups were actively researching where applications could be made before that date.

3.      RESOLVED to note and endorse the report.

Ms Ellen Schwartz, Assistant Director Public Health, was in attendance for this item.

1.      Mr Murphy, Mr Samson and Ms Schwartz introduced the report which provided an update on the development of an Integrated Health and Work Strategy for Kent & Medway which aimed to tackle economic inactivity relate to long-term health conditions.

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

·         In terms of how often sick leave was reviewed, there was a reasonable adjustment section on ‘fit note’ forms that was used around 6% of the time. In June 2023 there were around 2357 issued relating to mental health issues and 1300 relating to musculo skeletal conditions. More information would be provided in relation to how often reviews took place and who conducted them.

·         The initial focus of the Strategic Partnership of Health and Economy was the Work and Health Strategy due to the funding being available from government. The broader remit of the partnership included how health and economic development could be looked at jointly to improve quality of life for residents, enhance workforce capacity and help businesses.

3.      RESOLVED to note the report and endorse the development of an Integrated Work and Health Strategy for Kent & Medway. 

1.      Mr Sole asked that the item – Kent Rural Partnership – on the work programme include an update on Kent agriculture and land industry.

2.      RESOLVED to note the Work Programme.