Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies.

RESOLVED: That Councillor Wales be elected as Chairman of the Committee for the 2024/25 Municipal Year.

RESOLVED: That Councillor Harwood be elected as Vice-Chairman of the Committee for the 2024/25 Municipal Year.

There were no urgent items.

There were no Visiting Members.

Councillor Cox stated that she was involved with a Community Interest Company that had received the receipt of a grant from the Cobtree Charity Trust but she did not consider this to represent a interest, and intended to speak on items when considered.

There were no disclosures of lobbying.

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

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 27 March 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed.

There were no petitions.

There were no questions from members of the public.

There were no questions from members to the Chairman.

The Senior Finance Manager (Client) introduced the report summarising the financial position of the Cobtree Manor Estate as at 30^th June 2024 and stated that the current position showed a surplus of £2,500 for the year to date. The following points were noted:

·  This was the first full year of the new golf course contract. Income from this contract was significantly less than the previous contract, which is one of the main reasons behind the small projected deficit this year.

·  Income from car parking at the Manor Park was slightly down against the budgeted figure, but this was offset by additional rental income from the café and an underspend against the Parks Management budget. The reduced car park income was a reflection of a small fall in visitor numbers to date this year.

·  The spend against the Kent Life budget includes the £5,000 cost of a dilapidations assessment that was required to be undertaken.

·  The spend against the residential properties budgets includes a charge of £1,140 from Maidstone Property Holdings (MPH) for the costs of a structural engineering assessment at Garden Cottage, which MPH manage on behalf of the Cobtree Estate. This was due to reports of subsidence at the property, and underpinning works may be required once investigations are complete.

·  Running costs have been increased annually by 5%, and savings of £25,000 (to be identified) have been built into projection.

·  The projected golf course income reflected the nature of the new contract. The Council received a base rent each year with a turnover percentage paid in addition. There was a risk associated with this should turnover be lower than anticipated, but the contractor has a track record of hitting their turnover targets at other sites, so there is assurance going forward. Numbers of rounds at the course are at the highest level for some years within the first 12 months of the new operator’s tenure.

·  There were some capital works required in the next two years, which means that the Estate will operate at a deficit over that period, but the amount of the bank balance reflects the fact that previous surpluses have been retained to cover future capital expenditure.

·  A new play area will be required at some point in the future, and at present the Estate does not have enough of its own funds for this. Officers would look at funding options and present these to the committee in due course.

·  In overall terms the Estate will continue to operate at a small surplus for most of the period, and these surpluses will be retained to continue to fund any further capital expenditure that may be required.

In response to questions the Leisure Contracts Manager stated that the Council had a small contingency depending on the final cost of the recommended underpinning works, and that the Council had notified the insurance company should any claim need to be made. It was further stated that the Council could explore additional sources of monies for a new play  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.

The Head of Property and Leisure introduced the report providing an update on activities at the Cobtree Manor Estate including the following points:

·  Visitor numbers at the Manor Park were healthy despite falling from a peak in the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic. The opening of the new main café would help to attract more visitors to the park.

·  The Elmer the Elephant sculpture that is themed on Maidstone Zoo and Cobtree Manor Park had been donated to the estate and would be placed in the café.

·  The new storage container for park operations had been granted planning permission in June and was due to installed shortly.

·  Visitor numbers at the Golf Course had been very strong since the new operator took over. The operator was planning to invest in refurbishment works over the winter.

·  There was a slight decrease in visitor numbers at Kent Life due to the slow start to the summer weather, but works on the barn’s thatched roof had now been completed.

In response to questions, the Head of Property and Leisure stated that the operators plan to increase the size of the lake would require planning permission.

RESOLVED: That the Cobtree Estate update be noted.

6.30 p.m. to 6.50 p.m.