Agenda and minutes

Resolved:  That all items on the agenda be web-cast.

Apologies were received from Councillor English.

There were no substitute Members.

There were no visiting Members.

There were no disclosures.

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

Resolved:  That the Minutes of the meeting held on 25 October 2011 be agreed as a correct record and duly signed by the Chairman.

Interview with Graham Tanner, Kent County Council’s Sustainable Transport Team Leader.

The Chairman welcomed Kent County Council’s Sustainable Transport Team Leader, Graham Tanner, to the meeting to discuss sustainable options as part of the Committee’s in-depth review of traffic congestion.  Mr Tanner gave a presentation, attached at Appendix A, on his role at KCC (Kent County Council) and the work he was undertaking.  This highlighted the following:

• Given the Government’s current financial economic situation it was unlikely that many new road infrastructure schemes to combat congestion would be financed in the short term and that more effort should therefore be placed in shifting attitudes to choose sustainable transport options;
• The importance of credible leadership, including in the public sector, with regard to encouraging their own workforces to choose sustainable options;
• The importance of partnership working with businesses in achieving behavioural shifts;
• Travel plans were historically considered as ‘red tape’. Therefore, there was a need to work with developers to change their understanding of the role they played in enabling more sustainable development to come forward. Also, to ensure that they became more than a ‘paper exercise’. Guidance on securing Travel Plans would be improved to ensure the requirement for a Travel Plan was based on a more qualitative assessment of need rather than arbitrary thresholds;
• All but one school in Maidstone had produced travel plans compared to a 95% take up across the whole county.  However, KCC’s school engagement staffing had reduced from 5.5 to 1 full time equivalent and this was likely to reduce the momentum of the application of the existing plans; and
• There was a lot of scope in Maidstone Borough Council’s involvement in the ‘New Ways 2 Work’ partnership - this was a voluntary partnership program to incentivise businesses in collaboration with service providers to get employees to review their travel options and was anticipated to be a county wide ’umbrella’ initiative with scope for local interpretation and implementation

In response to a question, Mr Tanner confirmed that KCC requested travel plans as a Condition or as part of a development’s Section 106 (S106) when they felt it was needed.  Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) was responsible, as the planning authority, for securing and enforcing such Conditions and S106s.  KCC collaborated with districts to identify and prioritise S106 travel plans and gave assistance in achieving their fruition as appropriate.  He noted that travel plans were resource intensive and enforcing them as part of a Condition or S106 was often difficult. For this reason a more voluntary and collaborative approach to Travel Plans, backed by the planning system as appropriate, was viewed as a better way forward.

A Member felt that Maidstone’s topography  did not encourage people to cycle, highlighting that places with successful cycle routes often commanded flat landscapes.  Mr Tanner acknowledged this, but highlighted that east to west movement in the borough was generally a relatively flat and easy cycle route and noted that it was well used.  However, he emphasised that Maidstone’s challenge to build cycle routes was different to that of places like  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90.

Interview with Jim Boot, Community Development Manager.

The Chairman welcomed Community Partnership Manger, Sarah Robson, and the Economic Development Officer, Keith Grimley, to the meeting.  Councillor Black provided an update to the Committee, attached at Appendix A, on the independent work he had been doing for his ward.  The Committee thanked Councillor Black for this and agreed that the same visits as a Committee should be undertaken to inform a review of skills and employment.  The Committee also requested that Ms Robson assist them in identifying additional possible venues for visits.

Ms Robson informed the Committee that the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) Delivery Group had focussed its work on worklessness in terms of skills and training.  She explained that the Delivery Group had recently resolved to hold a NEETS (Not in Education, Employment or Training) worklessness event in February 2012 to identify current provisions and the most disadvantaged groups of residents with all relevant stake holders.  However, she clarified that this was in its very early stages and its agenda was yet to be finalised.  She highlighted the need for co-ordinated provision in order to work effectively and to respond to identified needs, noting there was a significant amount of duplication of provision in some wards in the borough.  Ms Robson also informed the Committee that she was seeking to identify gaps in provision and best practice and welcomed any Committee involvement in this, and the Committee welcomed the opportunity.  Members discussed the requirement for a regularly updated amalgamated list of skills and employment training providers.  This would both identify duplication and could be used as a resource to people looking for support/offering support to others.  Ms Robson agreed this would be useful but highlighted the importance of local knowledge in identifying barriers to work, and that any duplication should be considered in light of this.  Members felt that this could be developed so that training programmes in relevant professions were identified and circulated to local employers who had undoubtedly been approached by unskilled applicants, for their referral.

Mr Grimley emphasised the possible assistance the Committee could provide by publicising those local groups that were identified as best practice in the local area as part of its review.  The Committee felt that the Council should find ways to support outstanding providers in the Borough, and point them in the direction of possible sources of help should they have any difficulties, particularly with funding.

Members considered the importance of identifying whether the amount of unemployment across the borough represented long term unemployed or not.  In response to a question, Mr Grimley informed Members that the figure of 2.6% of residents related to those on work related benefits, and that the proportion was higher including those on out of work benefits.  He noted that the South East rate was higher than the rest of the country and that Maidstone’s rate was around the middle of the South East.  The Committee requested that this data be provided in order to inform its review.

In response to a question,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 91.

The Committee felt that they could make an important contribution in reviewing Skills and Employment Training.  The Overview and Scrutiny Officer circulated a draft scope for the review, attached at Appendix A, and the Committee agreed to respond with its comments by email in order that the review may commence at its meeting on 31January 2012.  Furthermore, the Committee was informed that a draft interim traffic congestion report would be provided at its meeting in January, and Members requested that Sail and Ride be considered as part of this.  A Member highlighted a recent article in the Downs Mail had mentioned this opportunity. 

Members noted that a short review of the visitor economy was also scheduled for its meeting on 31 January.  An update on museum artefacts was considered by the Committee and Members noted that the Museum Manager had suggested that the requested independent visits of the Museum and the Visitor Information Centre, to inform its review of the visitor economy, take place from December 2012, as 90% of the new wing would be available to visit. 

Resolved:   That

a)  Members respond with comments on the draft Skills and Employment Training Review scope; and

b)  Sail and Ride be investigated with regard to the traffic congestion review.

6.30pm to 8.33pm.