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MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL

 

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL HELD AT THE TOWN HALL, HIGH STREET, MAIDSTONE ON

26 SEPTEMBER 2018

 

Present:

Councillor Naghi (The Mayor) and

Councillors Adkinson, Bartlett, Mrs Blackmore, Brice, D Burton, Chappell-Tay, Clark, Cox, Cuming, English, Fermor, Field, Fort, Garland, Garten, Mrs Gooch, Greer, Mrs Grigg, Harper, Harvey, Hastie, Hinder,

Mrs Hinder, Mrs Joy, Kimmance, McKay, McLoughlin, Mortimer, Munford, Newton, Parfitt-Reid, Perry, Powell, Purle, Mrs Ring, Mrs Robertson, Rose, Round, J Sams, T Sams, Spooner, Mrs Stockell, Vizzard, Webb, de Wiggondene-Sheppard and Mrs Wilson

 

 

<AI1>

58.        Apologies for Absence

 

It was noted that apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Boughton, M Burton, Daley, Fissenden, Harwood, Lewins, Springett and Wilby.

 

</AI1>

<AI2>

59.        Dispensations

 

There were no applications for dispensations.

 

</AI2>

<AI3>

60.        Disclosures by Members and Officers

 

There were no disclosures by Members or Officers.

 

</AI3>

<AI4>

61.        Disclosures of Lobbying

 

There were no disclosures of lobbying.

 

</AI4>

<AI5>

62.        Exempt Items

 

RESOLVED:  That the items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

 

</AI5>

<AI6>

63.        Minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2018

 

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the meeting of the Borough Council held on 18 July 2018 be approved as a correct record and signed.

 

</AI6>

<AI7>

64.        Mayor's Announcements

 

The Mayor updated Members on recent and forthcoming engagements, and thanked them for their support.

 

During the announcements, the Mayor took the opportunity to thank Mr Andrew Haynes for his company’s sponsorship of the new Mayoral car.

 

</AI7>

<AI8>

65.        Petitions

 

There were no petitions.

 

</AI8>

<AI9>

66.        Question and Answer Session for Members of the Public

 

There were no questions from members of the public.

 

</AI9>

<AI10>

67.        Questions from Members of the Council to the Chairmen of Committees

 

There were no questions from Members of the Council.

 

</AI10>

<AI11>

68.        Current Issues - Report of the Leader of the Council, Response of the Group Leaders and Questions from Council Members

 

Councillor Cox, the Leader of the Council, submitted his report on current issues.

 

After the Leader of the Council had submitted his report, Councillor Perry, the Leader of the Conservative Group, Councillor Mrs Gooch, the Leader of the Independent Group, Councillor McKay, the Leader of the Labour Group, and Councillor Powell, the Leader of the Independent Maidstone Group, responded to the issues raised.

 

A number of Members then asked questions of the Leader of the Council on the issues raised in his speech.

 

</AI11>

<AI12>

69.        Report of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee held on 30 July 2018 - Audit, Governance and Standards Committee - Annual Report for 2017/18

 

It was moved by Councillor McLoughlin, seconded by Councillor Round, that the recommendation of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee relating to the Committee’s Annual Report for 2017/18 be approved.

 

RESOLVED:  That the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee Annual Report 2017/18, which demonstrates how the Committee discharged its duties during 2017/18, be noted.

 

</AI12>

<AI13>

70.        Report of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee held on 30 July 2018 - Audit, Governance and Standards Committee - Parish Council Representation

 

It was moved by Councillor McLoughlin, seconded by Councillor English, that the recommendation of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee relating to Parish Council representation on the Committee be approved.

 

RESOLVED:  That the revised wording, as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee, be agreed for incorporation into Part 2 (Responsibility for Functions) and Part 4 (Codes and Protocols) of the Constitution in order to regularise the situation regarding Parish Council representation on the Committee and to address discrepancies within the document.

 

</AI13>

<AI14>

71.        Report of the Democracy Committee held on 5 September 2018 - Amendments to the Constitution

 

It was moved by Councillor Mrs Wilson, seconded by Councillor Mrs Gooch, that the recommendations of the Democracy Committee regarding amendments to the Constitution be approved.

 

With the agreement of the mover and the seconder of the motion, and the remainder of the Council, the following wording was incorporated into the motion as paragraph 4:

 

That the Maidstone Quality Bus Partnership be deleted from the list of outside bodies set out in Schedule 2 to the Members’ Allowance Scheme (Part 5 of the Constitution) and that the whole issue of appointments to outside bodies be referred back to the Democracy Committee to enable anomalies to be addressed.

 

The motion, as amended, was then put to the vote and carried.

 

RESOLVED:

 

1.     That the amendments to the Constitution relating to Questions by Members of the Public, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report of the Democracy Committee, be agreed.

 

2.     That the amendments to the Constitution relating to Health and Safety, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report of the Democracy Committee, be agreed.

 

3.     That the amendments to the Constitution relating to Outside Bodies, as set out in Appendix 3 to the report of the Democracy Committee, be agreed.

 

4.     That the Maidstone Quality Bus Partnership be deleted from the list of outside bodies set out in Schedule 2 to the Members’ Allowance Scheme (Part 5 of the Constitution) and that the whole issue of appointments to outside bodies be referred back to the Democracy Committee to enable anomalies to be addressed.

 

 

 

</AI14>

<AI15>

72.        Report of the Democracy Committee held on 5 September 2018 - Protocol on the Appointment of Honorary Aldermen

 

It was moved by Councillor Mrs Wilson, seconded by Councillor Mrs Gooch, that the recommendation of the Democracy Committee regarding a Protocol for the appointment of Honorary Aldermen be approved.

 

Amendment moved by Councillor Harper, seconded by Councillor Perry, that the criteria for appointing Honorary Aldermen be amended to specify that nominees must have served 12 years in total, in aggregate, on the Council as follows:

 

Honorary Aldermen must have served 16 12 years in total, in aggregate, on the Council. When aggregating terms, the same principle will be used when determining precedence as for the Mayoralty, ie if there is a break of not more than four years between terms the service can be aggregated.

 

AMENDMENT LOST

 

RESOLVED:  That the Protocol for the appointment of Honorary Aldermen, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report of the Democracy Committee, be adopted and included in the Council’s Constitution.

 

</AI15>

<AI16>

73.        Report of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee held on 17 September 2018 - Annual Complaints Report 2017/18

 

It was moved by Councillor McLoughlin, seconded by Councillor Mrs Wilson, that the recommendation of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee relating to the Annual Complaints Report 2017/18 be approved.

 

RESOLVED:  That the Council’s performance on complaint management in 2017/18 and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s Annual Review Letter for the year ending 31 March 2018, as set out in the Appendices to the report of the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee, be noted.

 

</AI16>

<AI17>

74.        Oral Report of the Communities, Housing and Environment Committee held on 18 September 2018

 

There was no report from the Communities, Housing and Environment Committee on this occasion.

 

</AI17>

<AI18>

75.        Oral Report of the Policy and Resources Committee held on 19 September 2018

 

There was no report from the Policy and Resources Committee on this occasion.

 

 

</AI18>

<AI19>

76.        Oral Report of the Licensing Committee held on 20 September 2018

 

There was no report from the Licensing Committee on this occasion.

 

</AI19>

<AI20>

77.        Oral Report of the Communities, Housing and Environment Committee Acting as the Crime and Disorder Committee held on 25 September 2018

 

There was no report from the Communities, Housing and Environment Committee acting as the Crime and Disorder Committee on this occasion.

 

Note:  Councillor McLoughlin left the meeting at this stage (8.28 p.m.).

 

</AI20>

<AI21>

78.        Report of the Director of Finance and Business Improvement - Review of Allocation of Seats on Committees

 

It was moved by Councillor Cox, seconded by Councillor Perry, that the allocation of seats on Committees be as set out in Appendix 1 to the report of the Director of Finance and Business Improvement circulated at the meeting.

 

RESOLVED:  That the allocation of seats on Committees be as set out in Appendix 1 to the report of the Director of Finance and Business Improvement circulated at the meeting.

 

</AI21>

<AI22>

79.        Appointment of Committees

 

It was moved by Councillor Cox, seconded by Councillor Perry, that the wishes of the Group Leaders with regard to appointments to Committees and Substitutes, as set out in the schedule circulated at the meeting, be accepted.

 

RESOLVED:  That the wishes of the Group Leaders with regard to appointments to Committees and Substitutes, as set out in the schedule circulated at the meeting, be accepted.

 

</AI22>

<AI23>

80.        Duration of Meeting

 

7.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.

</AI23>

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