Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies.

There were no Substitute Members.

It was noted that Item 11: Review of Maidstone’s Adopted CIL Charging Schedule had been paused and withdrawn from this agenda following the devolution announcement and until the situation was more clear.

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 on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 December 2024 be approved as a correct record and signed.

In response to queries, the Cabinet Member for Planning Policy and Management advised that any update on the Kent Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan would be presented following feedback from Kent County Council, which had not yet been received.

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

Note: Councillor Kehily arrived at 6.36 p.m.

The report was introduced by the Cabinet Member for Healthier Stronger Communities who complimented the museum and long-standing work of the previous Committee and officers.

The Museums Manager stated that, following the success of ‘Lives in our Landscape’, the museum had been given a further £100,000 from The William and Edith Oldham Charitable Trust (WEOCT) which would be put towards refurbishment and redesign of the Local History Gallery through chronological reorganisation and reinterpretation of existing objects. Engagement from residents and community groups has been encouraged through surveys and focus groups. A competition to find Maidstone’s oldest family, through collaboration with the Kent Family History Society, will commence in February 2025.

The Committee were enthusiastic about the proposed improvements and it was raised to extend thanks to the officers and WEOCT. In response to queries, the Museum Manger advised that one of their aspirations was to (archive) digitise the Collection and partner with other museums in the future.

RESOLVED: That the content of the report be noted and that thanks be noted to the officers, the Maidstone Museum Foundation and The William and Edith Oldham Charitable Trust.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and advised that the Corporate Strategy, formerly the Strategic Plan, had been worked up through a series of workshops, including with Members, and through public consultation. There were four main priorities, including:

1.  A High Quality Place, Adapted for a Changing Climate;

2.  Resilient Communities;

3.  Quality Homes; and

4.  Fairer Economy for People and Planet.

The Leader advised they had started building a set of Key Performance Indicators and that the report included a year one plan. It was acknowledged that, given the government white paper on devolution, there may be a requirement to prioritise the plan. The Director of Strategy, Insight & Governance highlighted the consultation document and table referencing the areas relevant to the Committee.

A few Members raised concerns around lack of specificity in the report and missing items. There were also concerns on how progress on development projects such as housing, the garden communities and the leisure centre might be affected.  

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to the CABINET: That the Corporate Strategy and Year 1 Action Plan be approved.

The Director of Finance, Resources & Business Improvement introduced the report and outlined the three elements: the Medium Term Financial Strategy, revenue budget proposals and capital budget proposals. The Committee were asked to bear in mind that most of the work was completed before announcement of the devolution white paper. The Committee were advised that the revenue budget proposals aimed to close the budget gap of £600,000 whilst delivering as much of the Corporate Strategy as possible. The biggest element in the Capital Program was the Quality Homes for Life Programme to provide affordable and social housing, which was supported by putting monies in a housing investment fund.

Several Members raised concerns around timing of replacement of the Leisure Centre and that, although they did not want it rushed, it was requested during the discussion that it be prioritised so it was at least started before devolution. An amendment to the recommendations was passed to propose retaining the amounts for the Leisure Centre in the existing five year capital programme 2024/25 – 2028/29, as agreed in February 2024.

RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to the CABINET: That

1.  The draft Medium Term Financial Strategy for 2025/26 to 2029/30 set out in Appendix A to the report be approved subject to retaining the spending profile in the existing five year capital programme 2024/25 – 2028/29, as agreed in February 2024, relating to a new Leisure Centre, as outlined in Table 7 on Page 141;

2.  The revenue budget proposals set out in Appendix B to the report be approved;

3.  The capital strategy principles set out in paragraph 4.6 of the report be approved; and

4.  The capital programme proposals set out in Appendix C to the report be approved.

6.30 p.m. to 7.40 p.m.