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Final Decision-Maker |
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Lead Head of Service |
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Lead Officer and Report Author |
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Classification |
Public
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Wards affected |
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Executive Summary |
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Purpose of Report
To update the Committee on the work of the estate since the last meeting, which was in November 2019.
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This report makes the following recommendations to this Committee: |
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1. That the contents of the update are noted
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Timetable |
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Meeting |
Date |
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20 January 2020 |
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1. CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES AND IMPLICATIONS
Delete text below once read: Report authors must
consider the implications of the recommendations in the report for each of
these issues. Where no implications have been identified, this should be
stated. It is the report author’s responsibility to ensure that the draft
report is read and signed off by relevant officers prior to being considered by
management or members. Relevant officers need to be given adequate time to
do this. The relevant officers are:
·
The legal team (for all reports which will go
before members).
·
The section 151 officer or deputy (for all reports
with any financial implications, including those which recommend any
expenditure or propose any savings).
·
Other officers as listed in the sign-off column
(for all reports where any significant implications have been identified under
that issue).
·
Equalities Reviewers
·
Finance Reviewers
·
Health Reviewers
·
Part II Reviewers (only add to the circulation
list if your report will be in Part II (Exempt) or you have an Exempt Appendix)
You should fill in your assessment of the implications
in the box, and circulate this for review by the appropriate officers.
Reviewers may add to this comment or replace it with another. However Reviewers
must put their name in the sign off box once they have checked the comment.
It is important to ensure this area is filled in,
as many of these areas form areas that decision makers are legally required to
consider before making a decision. Demonstrating that they have been considered
through filling in this section helps to ensure our decision making is legally
robust.
To help report authors fill out the boxes, some
suggested wording is provided below for each of the sections. You do not have
to use this wording but it will give you an idea of what is expected.
If your wording takes up more than a short
paragraph in the box, then you should cover it in the main body of your report
and then refer to these paragraphs in the cross cutting issues boxes.
2. INTRODUCTION
AND BACKGROUND
2.1 [Introduce
and establish the context for the report, outline the background issues, and
explain what has changed to necessitate the action recommended in the report]. This report covers the period from
November 2019 to January 2020.
Cobtree Manor Park
2.2 Maintenance of the park over this period covers winter works. Further tree works have been completed, lifting some of the crowns and removing dead limbs. Shrubbery works have continued and grass maintenance work was carried out on the top meadow area in the arboretum.
2.3 External interviews for a new Cobtree Manager did not lead to an appointment. Further discussions with some suitable internal candidates and an internal application process have identified a candidate who will begin in the role of Cobtree Manager in due course.
Park Management Plan and Green Flag
2.4 The park management plan for 2014-2019 expired recently. The Leisure Manager has begun the process of a new plan being written, which will set out the park’s ambitions for the next five to ten-year period.
2.5 The Green Flag submission for the park must be made by 31 January 2020. Leisure Manager has agreed with the Green Flag assessors that the submission can be made by 29 February 2020, when it is hoped the new park manager will be in post, and the management plan can then be submitted for judging at a later date.
Visitor Numbers
2.6 Analysis of the car park income for the year to date gives a figure of 48,047 paid vehicle visits to the end of December 2019. This compares to 55,051 paid vehicle visits up to the end of December 2018, which included the hot summer of 2018.
Cobtree Manor Park Golf Course
2.7 MyTime Active will be submitting their planning application for the golf course works imminently. They had a successful Christmas period with events and parties. The course was closed for a few days because of heavy rainfall in December. The visitor numbers and usage is as expected for this time of year.
Kent Life Farm Attraction
2.8 Kent Life won the silver award in the best large attraction category at the Visit Kent awards. They also won Silver in Tourism South East’s Awards for Excellence for the best Tourism/Festival Experience for Christmas at Kent Life 2018. Christmas 2019 was very successful with sell-out grotto experiences a highlight.
2.9 The timber treatment works on the play barn, as agreed by Committee at the 7 November 2018 meeting, are being completed between 6 January and 24 January 2020.
Forstal Field
2.10 Work to progress the lease to the Cobtree Young Farmers is progressing with the legal department.
2.11 Conversations with the OCND funding team and Natural England about creating a pond on the Forstal Field for the re-homing of endangered species displaced by housing development in the area have progressed. This proposal will require Committee approval and a report on the matter will be brought to this Committee in due course.
Cobtree Railway
2.12 The Leisure Manager has been pursuing the Kent Life operator’s involvement in the project before a report on the feasibility work is put forward to Committee. Planning Solutions would be interested in taking operation of the railway but would not be able to invest in its creation. Further discussions over the annual fee for that operation are needed.
3. AVAILABLE OPTIONS
3.1 [Outline
the options available for responding to the situation described in Section 1.
Wherever possible this should include at least three options, one of which
should be the ‘do nothing’ option. For each of these options, provide a brief
analysis of advantages and disadvantages, together with a summary of why each
option except that described in more detail in the next section is not
recommended. Where there are no alternative options to the one discussed in the
next section, for example because the report is essentially for information
rather than decision, this section should be deleted]. Committee can note the
information contained in this report
3.2 Committee can choose not to note the information in this report, however the committee has requested regular updates on the operations of the estate.
4. PREFERRED OPTION AND REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 [Describe
the option being recommended in detail, clarifying what will be involved and
what outcomes are expected. This section should also explain why this is the
best of the options considered in the previous section]. It is
recommended that the information in this report is noted.
Un-numbered
subheadings
[This
section can be broken up by using un‑numbered
subheadings].
5. RISK
5.1 Assess
if within the council’s risk appetite and any mitigating actions proposed if
needed.This report is presented for information only and
has no risk management implications.
3.1
The purpose of the risk section of the report is to
understand the risks to the council of the options that members are
considering, including the risk of not taking action, and assess them against
the council’s risk appetite. For more detailed guidance on how to do this see
the council’s ‘Risk Appetite Statement’ and seek guidance from the Mid Kent
Audit Team. The flow chart below can be used to fill in the ‘Risk Management’
section on the cross cutting implications section of the report template (PLEASE
DELETE ONCE REPORT WRITTEN):
Standard
Text A
Option 1 (report purely for information): This
report is presented for information only and has no risk management implications.
Option 2 (update report on previous or forthcoming
decision): Risks related to this matter [were/will be] detailed in the [report]
[dated]. Since that report the risks identified [have not significantly
changed/have changed as detailed at [paragraph]].
Standard Text B
The risks associated with this proposal, including
the risks if the Council does not act as recommended, have been considered in
line with the Council’s Risk Management Framework. [That consideration is shown
in this report at [paragraph]]. We are satisfied that the risks associated are
within the Council’s risk appetite and will be managed as per the Policy.
Standard Text C
The risks associated with this proposal, including
the risks if the Council does not act as recommended, have been considered in
line with the Council’s Risk Management Framework. That consideration is shown
in this report at [paragraph] and identifies some risks assessed rated as “RED”
or “BLACK” [provide further information if needed]. However, we are satisfied
that the further responses to those risks shown at [paragraph] are sufficient
to bring their impact and likelihood within acceptable levels. We will
continue to monitor these risks as per the Policy.
Standard Text D
The
risks associated with this proposal, including the risks if the Council does
not act as recommended, have been considered in line with the Council’s Risk
Management Framework. That consideration is shown in this report at
[paragraph] and identifies some risks assessed rated as “RED” or “BLACK”
[provide further information if needed]. The report details mitigation
strategies for those risks at [paragraph] but they remain assessed as “High” or
“Critical”. However, we believe the opportunities outweigh the risks [because…].
6. CONSULTATION RESULTS AND PREVIOUS COMMITTEE FEEDBACK
3.1
[Summarise any
consultation which has been undertaken or which is planned to inform the
development of the proposal described in the previous section. Detailed
consultation results should be provided in an appendix where relevant. This
section can also be used to summarise viewpoints expressed in committees as the
report goes through the sign-off process, where these have not been
accommodated through changes to the report].
6.1 No consultation has taken place since the last report.
7. NEXT STEPS: COMMUNICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECISION
3.1
[Provide a brief summary of the action which will need to be
taken once the recommendations have been agreed to put them into effect, including
how they will be communicated. Where the report is for information only, this
section may be deleted].Any
comments from the Committee will
be passed on to the relevant parties.
3.1
7.1
8. REPORT APPENDICES
[The
following documents are to be published with this report and form part of the
report:
·
Appendix 1: [Title]None
·
Appendix
2: [Title]
9. BACKGROUND PAPERS
· None
Delete text in italics once read: Background papers to a
report are any documents which are relevant to the report and which in the
opinion of the report author disclose any facts or matters on which the report
is based and which were relied on in preparing the report. By law, all
background papers must be published with agendas on council websites. Report
authors need to be mindful of this when including such background papers, and
where information is used to inform the recommendations in a report, it is
better to refer to or cite this information directly within the report.
Nonetheless, if there are background papers which were specifically required to
produce the report, such as regulatory reports, national research or any other
published information, this requirement can be met by including weblinks to the
papers here.