The Council stood in silence for one minute in memory of Mrs Marion Ring and Mr Paul Oldham, both former Members of the Borough Council and past Mayors, who sadly passed away in January 2024.

Prayers were said by the Very Reverend John S Richardson of All Saints Church.

Councillors Mrs Blackmore and Harwood entered the meeting after the prayers.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Bartlett, Clark, Kimmance, Mortimer and Springett.

There were no applications for dispensations.

There were no disclosures by Members.

The Chief Executive, on behalf of all Maidstone Borough Council Officers present, disclosed an interest in the report of the Employment Committee relating to the Pay Policy Statement 2024.

There were no disclosures of lobbying.

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

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the extraordinary meeting of the Borough Council held on 29 November 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed.

The Mayor and representatives of the six political groups paid tribute to Mrs Marion Ring and Mr Paul Oldham who passed away in January 2024.

There were no petitions.

Mr Paul Thomas to the Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development

In relation to the Local Plan Review and specifically the emerging allocation relating to Abbey Gate Farm LPRSA265.  Firstly, can the Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development please explain how they can continue to support a review whereby it has no benefit to existing residents and in fact decreases their quality of life?  A clear example of this is the failure of the three South Ward Councillors to object to the proposed allocation LPRSA265 from the outset.  It is clear that this site has considerable planning reasons why it should have been rejected in favour of other sites when the sequential testing was put in place.

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development responded to the question.

Mr Thomas asked the following supplementary question of the Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development:

Are you prepared as a Council to work together beyond the Local Plan allocations to accept that there are issues for local residents of infrastructure and your current approach by not working together with the County and MPs is actually detrimental?

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development responded to the question.

Ms Allison Sweetman to the Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development

Did Maidstone Borough Council put a response in to the Regulation 19 consultation for the Pre-Submission Draft of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan?

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development responded to the question.

Ms Sweetman asked the following supplementary question of the Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development:

Is the impact on Maidstone of hard rock quarrying particularly with the

potential expansion over Ancient Woodland not worthy of Maidstone Borough Council's comment given the botched response to the previous consultation?  Why have you not provided a timely, properly discussed and agreed response?

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development responded to the question.

To listen to the answers to these questions, please follow this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=folbZbc5lio&t=2696s

(a)  Leader of the Council

(b)  Cabinet Members

(c)  Chairmen of Decision-Making Committees

Councillor Coates to the Leader of the Council

Fant and Oakwood Independents welcome the Council’s ongoing commitment to addressing Climate Change and Biodiversity and the desire to make Maidstone Carbon Neutral by 2030.  Previously the Council had asked the Cabinet to reduce the number of targets to make them more manageable and deliverable.  However, it seems that in addition to the targets set in 2023, we have now increased the number by the additional items in the latest Committee Round.

Can the Leader please explain how, with our limited resources, can the Council achieve all these proposals by December 2029 so to be carbon neutral by January 2030?

The Leader of the Council responded to the question.

Councillor Coates did not wish to ask a supplementary question of the Leader of the Council arising out of his original question or the reply.

Councillor Harper to the Chairman of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee

Regarding the proposed changes to the Constitution, discussed at an all- Members’ workshop on 20 November 2023 and elsewhere, to replace the Overview and Scrutiny Committee by Policy Advisory Scrutiny Committees.  Can the Chairman of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee explain when out of 19 Councillors at the workshop only 4 voted for the current system of Governance and 15 voted for change, how come the Democracy and General Purposes Committee ignored the democratic view of Councillors?

The Chairman of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee responded to the question.

Councillor Harper asked the following supplementary question of the Chairman of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee:

I am looking at the report which went to your Committee on 31 January where it says that out of the 19 people present 11 votes were cast for the model which was not adopted, four votes were cast for the model which is the current system and then four were cast for a further one so it was clear that the majority did vote for the proposed change.  I would like to know how that squares up with what you said earlier.

The Chairman of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee responded to the question.

Councillor S Thompson to the Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development

What assessment of impact on the Local Plan Review has been made following the recent news that Medway Council is facing bankruptcy, specifically the impact of that news on the plans for the proposed 2000 homes in Lidsing, and the future residents who will undoubtedly expect to access many aspects of Medway’s local services, and be part of their community as much as Maidstone’s?

The Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development responded to the question.

Councillor S Thompson asked the following supplementary question of the Cabinet Member for Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development:

Please would you consider, perhaps after this meeting, providing detail of what the process might be by which Maidstone Borough Council can show its good faith and best efforts in making the kinds of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 110.

The Leader of the Council stated that this being the budget setting meeting with the agreement of all Members present he would not submit a report on current issues.

Councillor Jeffery, the Leader of the Green Independent Alliance, addressed the meeting.

There were no questions from Members.

Councillor English, the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, presented the Committee’s Annual Report 2023/24.  In presenting the report, Councillor English thanked the Democratic Services Team, in particular Oliviya Parfitt, Principal Democratic Services Officer, who had contributed significantly to the delivery of the Committee’s work programme so far this year.

It was moved by Councillor English, seconded by Councillor Mrs Blackmore, and

RESOLVED:  That the Annual Report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2023/24 be noted.

It was moved by Councillor Cooper, seconded by Councillor Burton, that the recommendation of the Democracy and General Purposes Committee relating to proposed amendments to the Constitution be approved.

Amendment moved by Councillor Harper, seconded by Councillor Jeffery:

Retain the current recommendation 1.

Add new recommendations:

2.  (i)  That the Council agrees that further to the changes proposed by Democracy and General Purposes Committee, changes are required to its Constitution to enable the Council’s Policy Advisory Committee and Overview and Scrutiny Arrangements to be changed to the Cabinet plus Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committees as set out in model B to the Democracy and General Purposes Committee report, Governance Review 2023/24 – Policy Advisory Committee and Overview and Scrutiny Arrangements, of 31st January 2024; and 

  (ii)  That the Democracy and General Purposes Committee consider and recommend to Council the detailed changes to the Council’s Constitution necessary to implement 2 (i) to be implemented from the date of the 2024/25 Annual Meeting.

When put the vote, the amendment was lost.

The original motion was then put to the vote and carried.

RESOLVED:  That agreement be given to the amendments as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report to the following Parts of the Constitution:

a.  Part C1 (Rules of Procedure), Rule 2.5 (Cancellation of Meetings);

b.  Part C1 (Rules of Procedure), Rule 12.9 (Motions on Notice) in accordance with Option B;

c.  Part C1 (Council Procedure Rules), Appendix A: The Council’s Petition Scheme;

d.  Part C2 (Committee Procedure Rules), Remove the unnumbered paragraph following Rule 2.5.3;

e.  Part C2 (Committee Procedure Rules), Rule 5 (Notice of Meetings and Business to be discussed);

f.  Part C2 (Committee Procedure Rules), Rule 7.3.7 to read:

‘on the advice of the Monitoring Officer or, in their absence, the most senior officer present at the meeting’;

g.  Part C2 (Committee Procedure Rules), Paragraph 13.3; and

h.  Part E3 (Protocol on Honorary Alderman), Paragraph 2.4.

It was moved by Councillor Burton, seconded by Councillor Cox, and:

RESOLVED:  That the proposed Pay Policy Statement 2024 set out at Appendix 1 to the report of the Employment Committee be approved for publication on the Council’s website subject to the following:

The information in the tables and organisation structures in Appendix 1(G) to be updated including the actual pay figures for the year ending March 2024 which cannot be calculated until the March payroll is complete.

It was moved by Councillor Burton, seconded by Councillor Perry, that the recommendations of the Cabinet relating to the Medium-Term Financial Strategy and Budget Proposals 2024/25 be approved.

As a consequence of the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014, a named vote was taken on the motion as follows:

FOR (44)

Councillors Mrs Blackmore, Bryant, Burton, Cannon, Coates, Conyard, Cooke, Cooper, Cox, Eagle, English, Forecast, Fort, Garten, Mrs Gooch, Mrs Grigg, Harper, Hastie, Hinder, Jones, Mrs Joy, Khadka, Knatchbull, McKenna, Munford, Naghi, Newton, Parfitt-Reid, Perry, Reid, Riordan, Mrs Robertson, Rose, Round, Russell, J Sams, T Sams, Spooner, M Thompson, S Thompson, Trzebinski, Webb, D Wilkinson and T Wilkinson 

AGAINST (2)

Councillors Harwood and Jeffery

ABSTENTIONS (2)

Councillors Cleator and J Wilkinson

MOTION CARRIED

RESOLVED:

1.  That the revised Revenue Estimates for 2023/24, as set out in Appendix A to the report of the Cabinet, be agreed.

2.   That the first £139,000 of unringfenced government grant, comprising New Homes Bonus and the Funding Guarantee, be used for one-off support to financial inclusion and food larder services, with the balance transferred to the Housing Investment Fund, to be used to subsidise the Council’s Affordable Housing programme.

3.  That the Strategic Revenue Projection, as set out in Appendix A to the report of the Cabinet, be endorsed as the basis for future financial planning.

4.  That the proposed Council Tax of £292.95 Band D for 2024/25 be agreed.

5.  That the Revenue Estimates for 2024/25, as set out in Appendix A to the report of the Cabinet, be agreed.

6.  That the Statement of Earmarked Reserves and General Fund Balances, as set out in Appendix A to the report of the Cabinet, be agreed.

7.  That the funding of the Capital Programme, as set out in Appendix A to the report of the Cabinet, be agreed.

8.  That the Capital Programme, as set out in Appendix A to the report of the Cabinet, be agreed

9.  That the Treasury Management Strategy, Investment Strategy and Capital Strategy, as set out in Appendix A to the report of the Cabinet, be agreed.

10.  That the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, as set out in Appendix A to the report of the Cabinet, be agreed.

11.   That it be noted that the Council’s Council Tax base for the year 2024/25 has been calculated as 68,263.55 in accordance with Regulation 3 of the Local Authorities (Calculation of Council Tax Base) Regulations 1992.

12.  That it be noted that in accordance with Government guidance the yield from business rates has been calculated as £64,147,618.

13.  That it be noted that the individual parish area tax bases set out in Appendix B are calculated in accordance with Regulation 6 of the Regulations and are the amounts of the Council Tax Base for the year for dwellings in those parts of the Council’s area to which a special item relates.

14.  That the Council Tax requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2024/25 (excluding Parish precepts) is £19,997,807.

15.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 115.

It was moved by Councillor Burton, seconded by Councillor English, and

RESOLVED:  That the report setting out details of urgent decisions taken by the Cabinet between 30 November 2023 to 21 February 2024 be noted.

It was moved by Councillor Burton, seconded by Councillor English, and

RESOLVED: 

1.  That the Calendar of Meetings for 2024/25, attached as Appendix A to the report of the Democratic Services Officer, be approved.

2.  That it be noted that this Calendar of Meetings assumes that the Proper Officer, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, will assign the Cabinet Member portfolios, when known, to three Policy Advisory Committees.

It was moved by Councillor Mrs Joy, seconded by Councillor Mrs Blackmore, supported by Councillors Mrs Robertson, Jeffery, Cleator and Harper and

RESOLVED:  That Councillor Martin Ashley Richard Cox be appointed as Mayor Select for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

It was moved by Councillor Burton, seconded by Councillor English, supported by Councillors Mrs Gooch, Jeffery, Cleator and Harper and

RESOLVED:  That Councillor John Anthony Perry be appointed as Deputy Mayor Select for the Municipal Year 2024/25.

6.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.