Issue - meetings

The Leader began by paying tribute to Jean Atkinson and Anne Moloney who had died within the space of two days earlier in October having fought long term illness.  He said that both were great friends of many Members past and present including himself.  Both were real champions for the communities they served, hardworking and dedicated to helping all who sought their assistance.  They would be sorely missed by all.

The Leader referred to the Savings and Transformation Strategy which sat alongside the Medium Term Financial Strategy.  Its purpose was to provide structure, focus and direction in addressing the significant financial challenge lying ahead and, in so doing, recognised that there was no one simple solution and the Council would need to adopt a number of ways to deliver the savings within an agreed timetable.  Members were reminded that when the budget was set in February 2016 the projected funding gap was £1.825m with a savings target in 2016/17 of £625,000.  The Leader indicated that the Council was making good progress towards meeting the savings target for this year.  He was also pleased to advise that the latest audit letter from Grant Thornton was extremely complimentary about the financial approach of the authority.  Two key passages worthy of note were:

In respect of value for money, as they had in many previous years, the auditors were “satisfied that the Council put in place proper arrangements to ensure economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources”; and commenting on the savings challenge, they observed “the Council continues to address this gap in a structured way.”

Maintaining the financial theme, the Leader said that the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on 23 November promised to be a significant one for the future of public finances.  It would also confirm the outcome of the bids made to the Local Growth Fund from across the country. Significant for the authority and its communities were two bids, one for improvements to the Leigh Flood Storage Area and a second at East Malling Research.  Working closely with the Environment Agency and Kent County Council, the Borough Council had taken the lead in developing a strong bid for the Leigh Flood Storage Area (including Hildenborough) and an East Peckham Flood Alleviation Scheme.  Just over £4.5m had been requested from this fund to increase the capacity of the flood defences, not only protecting existing homes and businesses, but also unlocking new sites for new homes and jobs.

The Council had also supported NIAB East Malling Research in a £6m submission for the creation of a biotech hub at East Malling.  The Leader commented that the need for R&D and new product development continued to accelerate. Downward pressure on margins from retailers, increased costs of labour, withdrawal of chemical defences and international competition all required improved productivity together with an increased focus on food security and health.  The potential for fresh fruit, bio-tech and engineering products to contribute to GVA and export growth represented a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68