Apologies were received from Councillor Russell.

There were no urgent items.

There were no Visiting Members.

There were no disclosures by Members or Officers.

There were no disclosures of lobbying.

RESOLVED: That all items be taken in public, unless any Member of the Executive wished to refer to Item 18 – Exempt Appendix – Draft Statement of Common Ground with Medway Council, in which case the Executive would enter into closed session due to the possible disclosure of exempt information.

There were no petitions.

Question from Ms Kate Hammond to the Lead Member for Corporate Services:

“The last time members were updated on the Heathlands new town proposals for which Maidstone Borough Council are acting as "Master Developer" was the 23rd March 2022. Can the Leader confirm which new council meeting will be receiving the next update report and when?”

The Lead Member for Corporate Services responded to the question.

Ms Hammond asked the following supplementary question:

“Given the size of the development, it would be greatly appreciated from the community standpoint if we could actually have some sort of ongoing communication to let us know exactly what’s going on, even if it is just noted.”

The Lead Member for Corporate Services responded to the question.

Question from Mr Steve Heeley to the Lead Member for Corporate Services:

“Can the Leader confirm the progress Maidstone Borough Council has made since March with Network Rail on progressing the new railway station at Heathlands?”

The Lead Member for Corporate Services responded to the question.

Mr Heeley asked the following supplementary question:

“You, the Leader, actually reported to have made remarks to local residents at the consultation event held at Lenham last month, that the new railway station was going to be very expensive and you had only included it in your plans to ‘keep the government happy’. Is the new railway station at Heathlands a red herring?”

The Leader of the Council responded to the question.

The full responses were recorded on the webcast and made available to view on the Maidstone Borough Council website. To access the webcast, please use the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGBt_SKFrLs

There were no questions from Members to the Executive.

There were no matters referred to the Executive for reconsideration.

There were no issues arising from Overview & Scrutiny.

There were no matters referred by any other Committee.

There were no matters relating to a serious service failure of nuisance.

There were no written representations from Members of the Council.

RESOLVED: That the Executive Forward Plan be noted.

The Lead Member for Corporate Services introduced the report which had been discussed at the Corporate Services Policy Advisory Committee meeting on the 15 June 2022. A small underspend was highlighted, and was attributed to several areas, one of which was the various grants received from central Government.

The Capital budget underspend was in part due to the acquisition of fewer properties for temporary accommodation than budgeted for, which was likely to continue to be an issue.

Within the risk report, financial uncertainty had been increased to the highest level for impact and likelihood to reflect the current financial circumstances. The Council’s finances were currently very sound.

RESOLVED: That

1.  the Revenue position as at the end of Quarter 4 for 2021/22, including the actions being taken or proposed to improve the position, where significant variances have been identified, be noted;

2.  the Capital position at the end of Quarter 4 be noted;

3.  the Performance position as at Quarter 4 for 2021/22, including the actions being taken or proposed to improve the position, where significant issues have been identified, be noted.

4.  Annual Performance for 2021/22 be noted.

See Record of Decision.  

Exempt Appendix 1 relating to Record of Decision.