Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Forecast.

Councillor Spooner was present as Substitute Member for Councillor Forecast.

There were no urgent items.

Councillor Harwood was present as a Visiting Member for Item 14: Allocation of Council Land for Biodiversity Net Gain Off Site and Item 15: Natural Flood Management Schemes.

Councillors Russell and S Thompson were present as Visiting Members for Item 14: Allocation of Council Land for Biodiversity Net Gain Off Site.

There were no disclosures by Members or Officers.

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 21 May 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed.

RESOLVED: That the Forward Plan relating to the Committee’s Terms of Reference, be noted.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and stated that it contained a proposed response to the Productivity in Local Government request received by the Minister for Local Government in April 2024, including how the Council have transformed services; taken advantage of technology; reduced wasteful spending and explored barriers to progress. The Leader of the Council stated that, even though the administration in central government had changed, this was a useful summary of both business-as-usual and project work and how it aligns to Council priorities.

Members thanked officers for the report and it was raised that the response demonstrated how well the Council had managed its services and served residents and would be useful to the new administration.

RESOLVED: That the response to the request for a Productivity Plan be noted.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Transition and Nature Recovery introduced the report which updated Members on progress of the successful bid for a £3.1 million grant from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to help upgrade the energy efficiency of our operational buildings including: air source heat pumps to replace gas boilers; new insulation and glazing and; solar panel installation. There was also a separate, successful bid for £300,000 to South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) to refit the fourth floor of Maidstone House.

The report set out updated costs, following consultation with multi-disciplinary property and construction consultancy, Calford Seaden. The increased project cost estimate, based on the more technical advice, was £5.32 million with an advised 10% contingency, attributed to changes in material specification and costs. External funding would cover more than 50% of the total project costs with the rest covered by the agreed Capital Programme from February 2024.

Concerns were raised about the additional costs and the Cabinet Member reassured Members that these were covered by the Capital budget for next year. He advised that the grant needed to be spent by March 2025, but that the project did not have to be completed by this time.

The Biodiversity and Climate Change Manager also advised that, although the initial project stages of the timetable were delayed, they still expected for the rest of the dates to fit with the deadlines stated. He also explained that the total embedded carbon costs of and the manufacturing and the disposal of the solar panels would be sought as part of the contract when they agreed a contractor and could be reported back to the Committee.

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to CABINET: That

1. Capital expenditure of £5.85 million for the decarbonisation project, comprising Salix grant funding of £3.13 million and a Council contribution of £2.72 million be approved;
   
   
2. £300,000 to complete 4^th floor refit works, funded by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership be approved;
   
   
3. Further reports be received as the project progresses; and
   
   
4. The Director of Finance, Resources and Business Improvement be delegated authority to select and appoint contractors for applicable services as necessary.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources introduced the report setting out the financial and performance position for the services reporting into the Committee as at 31 March 2024 (Quarter 4) and covering the full year period explaining that:

·  The reduction of Policy Advisory Committees from four to three in May 2024 and new allocation of responsibilities between Committees was reflected in the report and shown as though the three new PACs had been in effect throughout the financial year;

·  The Council were within budget for the last financial year with some over and underspends. There was an underspend of £22,000, 0.1% of the overall budget. The most notable overspend was temporary accommodation, which was offset by a surplus on interest and investment income and a drawdown on the contingency budget;

·  The focus for the upcoming year would be on Corporate Strategy Review and setting of the Medium Term Financial Strategy;

·  Capital expenditure had lagged behind projections mainly due to the Council’s housebuilding programme. Any unspent budget would be carried forward and utilised in 2024/25;

·  Reserves remained comfortable but not excessive. Borrowing amounted to £45 million with most of it still to be deployed for Capital investment, mainly housing. This left £33 million in the form of short term investments;

·  The report included an update on progress against the Committee’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Explanations were provided for underperformance on litter collection, bins and waste management;

·  There was a breakdown of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) which had been used towards multiple projects across Maidstone Town Centre, supporting local arts and heritage activities, green space and the ‘Shaun the Sheep in the Heart of Kent’ free art trail; and

·  There was also a recommendation relating to the write-off of uncollectable Business Rates and an update on Corporate Risks.

In response to questions from the Committee, the Leader advised that the new administration would work through a new plan for the coming year and update Members accordingly. It was also advised that contract penalties on the waste and recycling contract had been introduced in the last few weeks and would be monitored.

RESOLVED: That

1.  The Revenue position as at the end of Quarter 4 for 2023/24, 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 for 2023/24 be noted;

3.  The Performance position as at Quarter 4 for 2023/24, including the actions being taken or proposed to improve the position, where significant issues have been identified, be noted;

4.  The UK Shared Prosperity Fund update, attached at Appendix 3 to the report, be noted;

5.  The uncollectable Business Rates (NNDR) listed at Appendix 4 to the report be approved for write-off by Cabinet; and

6.  The Risk Update, attached at Appendix 5 to the report, be noted.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Transition and Nature Recovery introduced the report and outlined the three proposed solar photovoltaic (PV) investment projects aimed at supporting the Council’s goal of achieving net zero by 2030 for: Lockmeadow Entertainment Complex; Parkwood Depot and Mote Park and the Leisure Centre. This had a potential investment value of £960,000 with a combined offset of up to 108 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and improved energy security for the Council operations in the buildings, depending on which project were approved.

There were concerns raised about the visual impact of the PV panels at Mote Park and general end of life disposal. In response, the Biodiversity and Climate Change Manager advised that the embedded carbon costs of manufacturing and the disposal at the end of life for the PV panels would be discussed with the contractor but assured that most components of PVs can and is recyclable as an industry standard practice. He also reassured that, being a grade II listed park, pre-planning had been sought and the visual impact considered. The panels would not be a higher or lower level than the canopy of the trees and the trees would not be damaged or removed to place them.

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to CABINET: That

1.  Investment in solar photovoltaic projects, as outlined in the report, be approved for:

a.  Lockmeadow Entertainment Complex;

b.  Parkwood Depot; and

c.  Mote Park and the Leisure Centre.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Transition and Nature Recovery introduced the report and stated that the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) presented an opportunity to generate income, support local nature recovery strategies and facilitate other development white meeting environmental obligations by selling Council owned units to developers who required their BNG to be offsite. Ecological assessments on the two potential sites in Ulcombe and Hawkenbury by Kent Wildlife Trust had identified a combined uplift of 13+ habitat units across these sites. The potential value of these sites was an annual income of £13,000 over Defra’s 30 year requirement if all unit were sold to developers, a potential value of £390,000. The generated income could be used maintain the sites and support local nature recovery.

Councillors raised concerns that the proposed sites were already amongst the most biodiverse in the Borough and that developers may take advantage if the sites already fulfilled their requirements. It was suggested that more could be gained by assessing the Council land portfolio for sites that required more intervention. It was also raised that the ward members and Parish Councils representing the proposed sites had not been consulted on the recommendations. The Committee agreed that this was a good opportunity, financially and environmentally, and considered adding a third recommendation to have more information at future meetings.

In response to queries, the Biodiversity and Climate Change Manager advised that:

·  The sites were chosen for their existing good biodiversity as they already had a good baseline to build on, and that it would be cost effective to increase the biodiversity marginally than to have a completely empty site, these would be used as a market test for BNG offsite provision to see if developers are interested and to secure long term maintenance funding;

·  Developers would make an agreement for the period of 30 years, after which time the sites would revert back to the Council, with payment either up front or on an annual basis;

·  It is also possible that there could be interest from developers outside the district in urban areas, like London, with little space available for BNG percentage uplift. The sites would be available on a register to view and, once purchased, would be protected under a Defra clause. The costs from the developers would be used to maintain the site; and

·  Recommended that Officers from Kent Wildlife Trust would monitor the sites and ensure uplift over a longer period of time.

The Committee moved to reject the proposed recommendations and instead to approve the option detailed at paragraph 3.4 of the report to request further information. The Committee wanted a more comprehensive report to be presented at a future meeting.

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to CABINET: That

1.  A new report be brought to the committee, following consultation with the ward members and Parish Councils affected, to include:

a.  All potential sites within the Borough;

b.  How they would be market tested, managed and monitored and;

c.  What would be charged, annually or in full,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Transition and Nature Recovery introduced the report and stated that money had been set aside in the Capital Programme to reduce flood risk and increase resilience under the heading ‘Flood Action Plan’. There has been a focus on measures with a local impact as large projects were deemed unsuitable for the south of the Borough, most affected by flooding. This was supported by the review of the Water Management Cycle by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee last year. The proposals would support Natural Flood Management by providing £57,000 for the South East Rivers Trust to carry out further feasibility and design work. The Upper Medway Internal Drainage Board had also agreed to provide £72,000 in funding. The location was based in the Headcorn and Sutton Valence parishes on the River Sherway but, if successful, other locations could be investigated.

The Committee supported the recommendations, but it was raised that other measures should be considered over time. This was agreed to be added to the first recommendation.

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to CABINET: That

1.  £57,000 be allocated to scoping, feasibility and design work, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, with other measures considered over time as appropriate;

2.  The Director of Finance, Resources and Business Improvement, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Climate Transition and Nature Recovery, be delegated authority to conclude agreement on terms for disbursement of the funding with the South East Rivers Trust and the Upper Medway Internal Drainage Board; and

3.  A review of the outcomes from the proposed work be reported to Cabinet within 12 months.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and outlined the timetable for creation of the new administration’s Strategic Plan, with the priorities to be announced at Council on 17 July. The timetable included engagement with residents, officers, stakeholders and Councillors through formal and informal surveys with a focus on accessibility for those without digital access. The new plan was expected to go through Overview and Scrutiny, Policy Advisory Committees and Council by February 2025 alongside a budget.

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to CABINET: That

1.  The Corporate Planning Timetable included at item 3.3 to the report be approved.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources introduced the report and advised that a new Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) was being developed in parallel with the Strategic Plan for the new administration and with a timetable very similar to Corporate Planning. It was advised that favourable and unfavourable scenarios had been considered in paragraph 2.14 to the report to prepare for internal and external risks. The report also covered the key variables in future financial planning. The next step was resident consultation linked with the Strategic Plan consultation and then more detailed work on the MTFS and budget proposals in Autumn with formal consultation expected to come back to the Policy Advisory Committees in January.

In response to queries from Members, the Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources stated that variables would be assessed if and when they occurred.

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to CABINET: That

1.  The issues and risks associated with updating the Medium Term Financial Strategy be noted; and

2.  The proposed approach and timetable for the development of updated Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2025/26 – 2029/30 and a budget for 2025/26 be approved.

6.30 p.m. to 8.03 p.m.