| Item | Description | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| PART 1 - PUBLIC | ||
| PP 05/034 |
Minutes |
The Minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 1 September 2005 were received and agreed as a correct record of the proceedings. |
| PP 05/035 |
Update on any action identified in the last Minutes. |
No items were identified. |
| PP 05/036 |
Police Liaison |
The Chairman welcomed to the meeting Chief Inspector Simon Wilshaw (Community and Crime Reduction Co-ordinator for West Kent Police), Sergeant Simon Terry (West Kent Police) and Sergeant Damian Hutton (Maidstone and Malling Police). The Panel heard details of Operation Excalibur that had run successfully over the half term period, Halloween and Bonfire Night and dealt with anti-social behaviour issues. A similar scheme, Operation Toboggan, would run over the Christmas period. Crime figures for Tonbridge and Malling had been produced and showed the type of offences over the different wards. Comparisons between April 2004 and March 2005 were also given. This information would be circulated with the minutes. Members were asked to advise local residents to secure stables and trailers as there had been a number of incidents in the borough. There were 62 active Neighbourhood Watch schemes in Tonbridge and a number of initiatives would be held in the New Year to encourage new schemes. The Vulnerable Neighbour and Vulnerable Person programmes would be combined to create a "Nominated Neighbour" initiative. Each member of the scheme would be given a number for their nominated neighbour. Callers to the vulnerable person would be asked to see the nominated neighbour and once their identity had been verified would be escorted back to the original resident if genuine. Residents referred vulnerable people to West Kent Police or Neighbour Watch who advised on crime prevention measures and referred to other agencies for further assistance if appropriate, e.g. Handy Man schemes. Members were advised that a new officer had been recruited for East Malling and Larkfield and a marked effect on anti-social behaviour had been noticed. This officer would be encouraged to work closely with the parish council. The Government's proposed restructuring of police forces was discussed and the impact on communities if the current 9 area model was reduced to 6. Research into the feasibility of this was ongoing but it was emphasised that if boundaries changed policing would remain the same. The Council would comment once a final decision had been reached, possibly in April 2006. The representative for West Malling Parish Council asked how the police intended to deal with the new licensing regulations from 24 November 2005. It was confirmed that they would continue to monitor activity in licensed premises, and, if evidence were found to revoke the license, they would liaise with the Council. Licensing officers would contact all licensees in connection with the extended hours and proposed to work closely with the Council and other partners. The representative of Snodland Parish Council congratulated the police on their recent operation, which involved searching licensed premises in Snodland. This was an example of good policing and deserved recognition. Chief Officers stated their ongoing commitment to neighbourhood issues. |
| PP 05/037 |
Flytipping and Rubbish |
West Malling Parish Council asked whether the resources used to deal with fly tipping could be used to monitor litter on private land which had public access, and what arrangements the Council had to liaise with the owners. Reference was made to fly tipping on sports grounds, public footpaths and the long access to West Malling railway station. Environmental Health Services confirmed, that as from April 2006, new powers dealing with cleanliness of private land were to be introduced. The Council intended to implement these new powers fully. Regular cleaning of land adjacent to West Malling Railway Station had been agreed with Network Rail, and a 'Hit Squad' had tidied up the access route to the station. Consideration would also be given to the installation of CCTV if appropriate and Environmental Health Services were pleased to work closely with Parish Councils. The Panel was reminded that there had been a reduction in fly tipping cases reported. Aylesford Parish Council suggested that height restrictions at civic amenity sites resulted in fly tipping as larger domestic vehicles could not gain access. It was confirmed that Kent County Council operated these sites and that any concerns with their height restriction policy should be passed to them direct. |
| PP 05/038 |
Licensing Regulations |
West Malling Parish Council raised a question which related to the fact that parish councils were no longer consulted or informed about licensing applications. They felt that Tonbridge and Malling had chosen not to consult their parish councils as other local authorities appeared to. The Chief Solicitor advised the Panel that 450 premises in the Borough had needed to reapply for their licence and that processing of these had been completed within the transitional period of 24 November 2005. The Panel was also advised that under the new Act notice did not need to be given to parish councils, as they were not designated a responsible authority. Responsible authorities, such as fire and police, and interested parties were entitled to make comments and had an opportunity to make representation at a Licensing Panel. Parish councils were not designated as interested parties under the new Act which meant that the licensing authority were not able to take their representations into account. However, parish councils could still make representations on behalf of residents who had asked them. The Council had interpreted this as widely as possible, but were being challenged in an appeal. It was emphasised that there had been no deliberate exclusion of parish councils by elected members or officers, who wanted to see them involved, but that the Act had been implemented in accordance with the law. The Panel agreed that the timescale for the notification process was too narrow, and supported the resolution that parish councils be included in this process. The Chairman thanked the Legal and Licensing teams for their hard work in dealing with these issues and applications. |
| PP 05/039 |
Regional Government |
The Chief Executive gave a presentation on Regional Government, which outlined what regional bodies existed, their main function within the South East, how they impacted on this Council, and how Tonbridge and Malling could influence them. Copies of this presentation would be circulated with the minutes. The Panel gained a better understanding of how South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA),South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and the Regional Housing Board functioned and the implications on a local level, and wanted to know how much financial contribution both Tonbridge and Malling and KCC gave to SEERA. It was felt that press releases should be issued to gain publicity and to inform residents about what regional government meant. The Chairman thanked the Chief Executive for his superb presentation and hoped that these bodies would be challenged if it was believed they were not acting in the best interests of the community. |
| PP 05/040 |
Customer Services Management |
The Customer Services Manager updated the Panel on her new role and responsibilities. This new position reported directly to the Chief Executive and would be instrumental in the development of a Customer Contact Strategy, which reflected the Council's commitment to customer care and local service delivery. The main aims of the Customer Contact Strategy would be: >to look at how customers contacted the council either face to face, by telephone, website or e-mail; >to promote the service delivery options provided to local residents; >maintain and improve high levels of customer satisfaction; >the needs of all customers would be looked at, in particular those with special needs, disabilities or language barriers. A distributed contact centre approach had been adopted by Members and enabled better information to be given to customers. Teams of specialist staff would be retained in services to handle telephone calls on one published number for each team. The direct dial telephone numbers for officers would be retained for business to business calls. Callers would speak to a person and not an automated system, whilst improvements to the website would enable some residents to self serve. The Panel was informed that there was a geographic spread of services within the Borough, and information would be collected as to why that resident had called and what area they lived in. For example approximately 40% of benefit enquiry visits to Kings Hill came from Snodland and consideration would be given to whether there could be a better way to distribute this assistance. The Panel heard that a Benefits Surgery would be piloted at the Volunteer Bureau, Twisden Road, East Malling. The Customer Services Manager wanted to know if there were any existing needs or demands that residents could not access locally and whether there were any "hot spots" where the Council could do better. Parish councils would be consulted on these issues and any comments would be incorporated into the Strategy. |
| PP 05/041 |
Grant Settlement |
The Director of Finance advised that the provisional grant funding settlement figure would not be notified to local authorities until early December, but early indications were that, nationally, it looked to be short of what would be required to fund services. This impacted on initiatives in licensing, housing, Customer Contact Strategy and the Free Fare Travel Scheme. Without sufficient funding there would be pressure on local authorities to find additional efficiency savings, use reserves or reduce services otherwise it would be necessary to pass on the additional costs to the council tax payers. A cautious approach to the Council's budget was being taken and it was noted that cost saving efficiencies continued to be implemented. The adoption of the Medium Term Financial Strategy had enabled the funding situation to be monitored effectively. The Council retained a healthy balance in reserves but, in order to reduce the financial burden on council tax payers, reserves had been used to support the revenue budget and it was recognised that reserves would not last forever. A minimum level of reserve would be maintained for emergencies, and new ways to generate income would be considered. Parishes were reassured that the Council was doing all it could to keep council tax increases for 2006/07 as low as possible whilst at the same time ensuring that key priorities were delivered and reductions in service were avoided. The campaign for better government funding would continue. The Leader and Chief Executive had attended a Fair Funding Summit in September 2005 which brought together a variety of public sector organisations within Kent. All organisations represented at the Summit supported the call for more government funding for public services within Kent. The Panel endorsed the resolution taken at Cabinet in September 2005, which asked that the "projected inequity of Government grant be addressed in full in response to the ODPM consultation on the changes to the Formula Spending Share calculation for the 2006/07 grant settlement". Parishes could make their support known by writing to the Government and keeping their residents informed. The Leader agreed to circulate to parishes for information his recent briefing paper on comparisons of grant support between Maidstone and Tonbridge and Malling. |
| PP 05/042 |
Kent County Council Services Update |
Loic Flory, KCC Community Liaison, introduced himself to the Panel and outlined briefly his role dealing with member grants and local boards. The Panel wanted confirmation of what arrangements were in place to notify parish councils when local boards were being held. It was noted that details were posted on the County Councils website, and parish councils were now mailed direct. The Chairman suggested that a Small Capital Grants presentation be given at a future meeting of the Panel. |