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January 2019
MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
HERITAGE, CULTURE AND LEISURE COMMITTEE
Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 17 December 2018
|
Present: |
Councillors Cuming, Fermor, Harper (Chairman), Hastie, Hinder, Mrs Hinder, Lewins and Mrs Wilson |
104. Apologies for Absence
There were no apologies.
105. Notification of Substitute Members
There were no Substitute Members.
106. Urgent Items
There were no urgent items.
107. Notification of Visiting Members
There were no Visiting Members.
108. Disclosures by Members and Officers
There were no disclosures by Members or Officers.
109. Disclosures of Lobbying
There were no disclosures of lobbying.
110. Exempt Items
RESOLVED: That all items be taken in public, as proposed.
111. Minutes of the meeting held on 27 November 2018
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Meeting held on 27 November 2018 be agreed as an accurate record of the meeting and signed.
112. Presentation of Petitions
There were no petitions.
113. Questions and answer session for members of the public
There were no questions from members of the public.
114. Committee Work Programme
The Chairman advised that following the approval of the Strategic Plan by Council one of the strap lines was ‘Pride in Maidstone’ which would have two overriding themes, heritage and bio-diversity. He felt that the Committee should consider how they could drive this forward and suggested an informal workshop where Members of the Committee and Officers could have a brainstorming session and felt that this should take place early January.
The Committee then discussed the items on the Work Programme and made the following changes:-
Cemetery Update – this item was moved to March 2019.
Leisure Scoping Report – the title was changed to Sports Scrutiny Review and would be considered in January 2019.
Museum’s Future Governance - the Chairman updated the Committee on a meeting he had attended with the Vice-Chairman of the Brenchley Trust.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – suggestions for new KPIs were scheduled to be discussed in depth at a forthcoming workshop.
Parks and Open Spaces Briefing Note – the Briefing Note sent out to all Members by the Vice-Chairman was due to be considered at the forthcoming workshop.
Arts Installation Maidstone East – this was a new item that needed adding to the programme.
Market Review and New Market on Jubilee Square – to be considered in April or June 2019.
RESOLVED: That the Committee Work Programme be agreed subject to the changes made above.
Note: Councillor Cuming arrived at 6.36 p.m. during consideration of this item.
115. Pollinators Project - A Pilot Meadow Creation Scheme
Mr Andrew Williams, Parks and Open Spaces Manager, presented a report on the merits of creating a more bio-diverse borough through planting a number of pollinator friendly wildflower grasslands as a pilot project. The lessons learnt would inform future plans to make the Council’s parks and open spaces more attractive for residents to enjoy and provide a better habitat for wildlife.
The Committee noted that the project was an opportunity for
adults and children to get involved in the sowing and onward maintenance of
these areas.
In response to questions from the Committee, Officers advised that:-
·
Local schools, community groups, Parish Councils and Ward Councillors
would be contacted during January to enable them to get involved. There would
also be an article in the Borough Insight magazine and a Press Release issued.
·
Kent County Council would be advised when areas that are
maintained by them are due to be sown to enable the seeds to establish.
·
The meadows should be flowering in June/July 2019 but would not
be at their optimum for another year.
· Fairmeadow had been sown but due to adverse weather conditions, the seeds had not flourished. This area was due to be resown.
RESOLVED: That the creation of eight
pollinator friendly wildflower and grassland areas to benefit bio-diversity,
increase access to nature and make the borough a more attractive place be
approved.
Voting: Unanimous
116. Duration of Meeting
6.30 p.m. to 7.25 p.m.