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Agenda and minutes
Venue: Town Hall, High Street, Maidstone
Contact: Debbie Snook 01622 602030 Email: debbiesnook@maidstone.gov.uk
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Prayers Minutes: Prayers were said by the Reverend Canon Chris Morgan-Jones.
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Apologies for Absence Minutes: It was noted that apologies for absence had been received from Councillors Beerling, Brindle, Mrs Robertson and Warner.
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Dispensations Minutes: There were no applications for dispensations.
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Disclosures by Members and Officers Minutes: There were no disclosures by Members or Officers. However, Councillor Mrs Wilson stated that although she had taken advice regarding the report of the Head of Policy and Communications concerning Members’ broadband allowance, and understood that Members were not required to disclose interests in this matter, she had decided not participate in the discussion and voting since she had been claiming broadband allowance at the maximum rate.
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Disclosures of Lobbying Minutes: There were no disclosures of lobbying.
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Exempt Items Minutes: RESOLVED: That the items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.
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Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Borough Council held on 15 May 2013 PDF 51 KB Additional documents:
Minutes: RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Borough Council held on 15 May 2013 be approved as a correct record and signed.
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Mayor's Announcements Minutes: The Mayor announced that:-
· He was sure that Members would agree to a letter being sent on behalf of the Council to Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge congratulating them on the birth of their son. · It was with regret that he had to inform the Council of the death of Mrs Vera Wood, a former Mayoress of the Borough of Maidstone. Mrs Wood was the widow of John Wood who had served as Mayor during 1978/79. · He would like to thank the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress and the Mayoral Team for their help and support over an extremely busy few months. · He had attended the launch at Maidstone Museum of “Treasures from Hirado”, an exhibition celebrating the 400th anniversary of the opening of trade and cultural ties between Britain and Japan. He would like to thank all those involved in bringing this important international exhibition to the Museum. |
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Petitions Minutes: There were no petitions.
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Question and Answer Session for Members of the Public Minutes: Question to the Leader of the Council
Councillor Rob Bird, KCC Member for Maidstone Central, asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:-
“The Borough Council Core Strategy proposals
for close to 1,000 new houses to be built either side of the B2246
Hermitage Lane will place considerable strain on the local road
network, especially the Fountain Lane junction with A26 Tonbridge
Road which is already operating at well over capacity.
The Leader of the Council responded to the question.
Councillor Mrs Wilson, the Leader of the Opposition, and Councillor Mrs Gooch, the Leader of the Independent Group, then responded to the question.
Councillor Bird asked the following supplementary question of the Leader of the Council:-
“In the light of Councillor Garland’s response, would he agree that the statement sent to local residents on Maidstone Borough Council headed paper saying that Kent County Council as the Highway Authority has been told that the gyratory system is not acceptable to Maidstone Borough Council is misleading?”
The Leader of the Council responded to the question.
Councillor Mrs Wilson, the Leader of the Opposition, and Councillor Mrs Gooch, the Leader of the Independent Group, then responded to the question.
To listen to the responses to these questions, please follow this link:-
http://webcasts.umcdn.com/mbc077/interface
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Questions from Members of the Council (a) Leader of the Council (b) Cabinet Members (c) Chairmen of Overview and Scrutiny Committees (d) Chairmen of other Committees Minutes: Questions to the Leader of the Council
Councillor Parvin asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:-
“As a long serving member of staff has recently left the Council’s employ, will a letter of thanks be sent from all Members of this Council for the service he has given to us? Neil Harris has served the Council in many posts over the last 30 years taking on many new areas of responsibility and adjusting to whatever they entailed”.
The Leader of the Council responded to the question.
The Mayor said that he wished to place on record his appreciation of Mr Harris’s advice and support over the years.
Councillor De Wiggondene asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:-
“Can the Leader provide an update on the current situation following the call for sites? A number of these are on valued greenfield land and are causing concern to local residents. What percentage of the total now being considered are greenfield sites?”
The Leader of the Council responded to the question.
Councillor De Wiggondene asked the following supplementary question of the Leader of the Council:-
“Considering the concern expressed on both sides of this Chamber at the threat to greenfield land, could the Leader comment on the fact that whilst having written a letter to the Parishes about protecting green spaces, and asking them to put forward brownfield sites, the Maidstone Liberal Democrats put forward during the recent call for sites a significant tract of greenfield land at Lenham which is capable of delivering several thousand homes at normal densities, potentially tripling the size of the village on a site at the foot of the AONB? Does not this demonstrate the general hypocrisy of their current approach to the Local Plan process?”
The Leader of the Council responded to the question.
Questions to Cabinet Members
Councillor Mrs Wilson asked the following question of the Cabinet Member for Economic and Commercial Development:-
“As I am sure the Cabinet Member is aware there has been recent press coverage regarding the Federation of Small Business’s statement that if Local Authorities spent an additional 5% of their budget locally and committed just three percent of that to small local firms, an additional £788million could have been generated for local economies across the country.
The Cabinet Member for Economic and Commercial Development responded to the question.
Councillor Mrs Wilson asked the following supplementary question of the Cabinet Member for Economic and Commercial Development:-
“Does this Council use contract terms to ensure that its payment terms are passed on by tier ... view the full minutes text for item 30. |
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Current Issues - Report of the Leader of the Council, Response of the Group Leaders and Questions from Council Members Minutes: The Leader of the Council submitted his report on current issues.
After the Leader of the Council had submitted his report, Councillor Mrs Wilson, the Leader of the Opposition, and Councillor Mrs Gooch, the Leader of the Independent Group, responded to the issues raised.
A number of Members asked questions of the Leader of the Council and the Leader of the Opposition on the issues raised in their speeches.
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Additional documents:
Minutes: It was moved by Councillor J A Wilson, seconded by Councillor Paine, that the recommendation of the Cabinet relating to the refreshed Maidstone Sustainable Community Strategy 2009-2020 be approved.
RESOLVED: That the refreshed Maidstone Sustainable Community Strategy for 2009-2020, attached as Appendix A to the report of the Cabinet, be adopted.
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Additional documents:
Minutes: It was moved by Councillor Nelson-Gracie, seconded by Councillor Black, that the recommendation of the Audit Committee relating to its Annual Report to Council be approved.
RESOLVED: That the Audit Committee’s Annual Report 2012/13 (attached as Appendix A to the report of the Committee), which demonstrates how the Committee has discharged its duties during 2012/13, provides assurance to the Council that important governance issues are being monitored and addressed by the Committee, and provides evidence to support the Annual Governance Statement, be noted.
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Oral Report of the General Purposes Group Held on 19 July 2013 - Appointment of Independent Person Minutes: It was moved by Councillor Mrs Hinder, seconded by Councillor Chittenden, that the following recommendation of the General Purposes Group be approved:-
That Mrs Barbara Varney be appointed as the Independent Person until 31 July 2017.
RESOLVED: That Mrs Barbara Varney be appointed as the Independent Person until 31 July 2017.
FURTHER RESOLVED: That Mrs Dorothy Phillips, the previous Independent Person, be thanked for her services to the Council.
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Report of the Head of Policy and Communications - Members' Broadband Allowance PDF 32 KB Additional documents: Minutes: It was moved by Councillor Moss, seconded by Councillor Barned, that the recommendation contained in the report of the Head of Policy and Communications relating to Members’ broadband allowance be approved.
Amendment moved by Councillor Lusty, seconded by Thick:-
1. That no change be made to the basic allowance for Members, but Members may claim an allowance of £11.17 per month for broadband with effect from 1 August 2013 if they so wish without the requirement to supply copy invoices.
2. That the Members’ Allowance Scheme be updated accordingly.
AMENDMENT CARRIED
The substantive motion was then put to the vote.
SUBSTANTIVE MOTION CARRIED
RESOLVED:
1. That no change be made to the basic allowance for Members, but Members may claim an allowance of £11.17 per month for broadband with effect from 1 August 2013 if they so wish without the requirement to supply copy invoices.
2. That the Members’ Allowance Scheme be updated accordingly.
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Report of the Head of Policy and Communications - Committee Membership PDF 28 KB Minutes: It was moved by the Mayor, seconded by Councillor Ash, that the recommendations contained in the report of the Head of Policy and Communications relating to the membership of Committees be approved.
RESOLVED:
1. That the following changes be approved to reflect the wishes of the Leader of the Conservative Group:-
Community, Leisure Services and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Members
Delete Councillor Ash. Insert Councillor Mrs Parvin.
Substitute Members
Delete Councillor Mrs Parvin. Insert Councillor Ash.
Economic and Commercial Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Members
Delete Councillor Mrs Parvin. Insert Councillor Ash.
Planning Committee
Substitute Members
Insert Councillor McLoughlin.
2. That the following changes be approved to reflect the wishes of the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group:-
Community, Leisure Services and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Members
Delete Councillor Beerling. Insert Councillor Vizzard.
Substitute Members
Delete Councillor Mrs Grigg. Insert Councillor Beerling.
Planning, Transport and Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Members
Delete Councillor Harwood. Insert Councillor Chittenden.
Substitute Members
Delete Councillor Chittenden. Insert Councillor Harwood.
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Mrs Angela Woodhouse - Head of Policy and Communications Minutes: The Council congratulated Mrs Woodhouse on her appointment as Head of Policy and Communications.
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Duration of Meeting Minutes: 6.30 p.m. to 8.15 p.m.
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