Resolved: That all items be web-cast

Councillors Ash, English, Mrs Parvin, Mrs Stockell, de Wiggondene and Mrs Wilson sent their apologies.

Councillors Chittenden and Beerling substituted for Councillors English and Mrs Wilson respectively.

Councillor Burton, Councillor Hinder and Councillor Mrs Hinder were in attendance as Visiting Members with an interest in item 7, Parish Services Scheme.

a)  Disclosures of interest.

b)  Disclosures of lobbying.

c)  Disclosures of whipping.

The following Members declared an interest in item 7, Parish Service

Scheme:

• Councillor Burton, Chairman of Langley Parish Council.  He also made the Committee aware that he had attended Kent Association of Local Council area meetings but had not voted;
• Councillor Gibson, Member of Headcorn Parish council;
• Councillor Mortimer, Member of Tovil Parish Council. He also made the Committee aware that he had attended Kent Association of Local Council area meetings but had not voted;
• Councillor Mrs Gooch, Chairman of Barming Parish Council; and
• Councillor Wilson, Member of East Farleigh Parish Council.

It was agreed that all items should be taken in public as proposed.

Interviews with:

·  Councillor John Wilson, Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services;

·  Zena Cooke, Director of Regeneration and Communities;

·  Paul Riley, Head of Finance and Customer Services;

·  Ryan O’Connell, Corporate Projects and Overview and Scrutiny Manager;

·  Geraldine Brown, Chairman of Kent Association of Local Councils;

·  John Perry, Chairman of Staplehurst Parish Council;

·  A representative from Bredhurst Parish Council; and

·  Harry Rayner, Chairman of Wrotham Parish Council (Borough of Tonbridge and Malling).

The Chairman began by welcoming to the meeting:

·  Councillor John Wilson, Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services;

·  Zena Cook, Director of Regeneration and Communities;

·  Paul Riley, Head of Finance and Corporate Services;

·  Ryan O’Connell, Corporate Projects and Overview and Scrutiny Manager;

·  Neil Lawley, Chief Accountant at Tonbridge and Malling  Borough Council;

·  Frankie Gahal, Senior Account at Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council;

·  John Perry, Chairman of Staplehurst Parish Council;

·  Harry Rayner, Chairman of Wrotham Parish Council; and

·  Geraldine Brown, Chairman of the Kent Association of Local Councils;

The Chairman also welcomed the members of the public seated in the Public Gallery which included representatives from Parish Councils.

The Committees were meeting jointly to fulfil their role in holding the executive to account as part of the decision making process on an issue that cut across the remit of both Overview and Scrutiny Committees. 

Councillor John Wilson, Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services was invited by the Chairman to give a brief overview of the Parish Services Scheme and the decision due to be taken by the executive in December which was ‘to consider the outcome of the Concurrent Functions review and agree the new Parish Services Scheme’.

A Concurrent Function is a function that could be carried out by two or more local authorities and funding could be provided for those functions from one authority to another. The current scheme was a ‘per capita’ grant scheme with headings under which the grant was allocated.  Parish Councils were obliged to tell the Council how much was paid under each heading and any under spend would be recovered the following year. Financial pressures meant that the Council had to review all services to ensure they provided value for money for all residents and taxpayers.  The proposed scheme aimed to move away from grant funding to providing funding from service budgets for the services Parish councils were providing that the Council provided.

The Purpose of the decision was to provide a framework to work from and a basis for discussions with individual Parishes. These would take place primarily from January to March 2012 and then continue into a transitional year (2012/13). The Cabinet Member informed the Committee that the 2011-12 grant allowance would be paid in 2012-13 to allow for a transitional period.

Mr Lawley, Chief Accountant at Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, was invited to give an overview of the Concurrent Functions Scheme in place at Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council to provide the Committee with an understanding of an alternative scheme.

Mr Lawley explained that the scheme in Tonbridge and Malling had been in place since the 1990s but had been subject to amendments since its implementation. The scheme covered 26 Parish councils and was administered on the basis of three main criteria:

1. A basic allowance of £2.13 received per head of population;
2. £19.72 per streetlight (but if it was adopted it was not the responsibility of the Parish Council or the Borough Council);
3. Cemeteries and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.