Issue - meetings

The Leader delivered the following statement to the Council:

‘Here we are, our final Council meeting of the 2019-2023 term of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.  It has been a period in which this borough has changed beyond recognition and which I want to use my announcements tonight to reflect upon.

Four years ago, in May 2019, we all came here with a sense of purpose for what we wanted to achieve for our residents, ideas to make our towns and villages better.  For some of us, who were elected for the first time in 2019, we had a clear vision of the change that we wished to make.

Then, in less than a year, the pandemic hit and everything changed.  We saw this in our daily lives and also in our communities.  As the local authority we had to take steps very quickly to make sure that day to day services did not grind to a halt.

I think we can all agree that Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council did an exceptional job through the pandemic.  Whether it be making our borough safe again, providing millions of pounds of financial support to residents and businesses, or simply adapting our services to deal with the demands of the time.  It was – in my opinion – a shining example of the role the public sector can play in co-ordinating and helping a borough, especially the most vulnerable.

The pandemic of course changed life for everyone, but it also made each of us reassess our priorities.  The very way that we interact as a society has changed.  We see this in the impact on some of our demand led services as well.  We see tonnages in waste collections increase significantly and particularly during a period of lockdown, and yet demands for parking controls, for example, fall away particularly around stations.  As a society I think we are still adapting to what the ‘new normal’ could be, and as a local authority, we have still got to do some adapting ourselves as well.

Reflecting on the pandemic, I cannot take any credit whatsoever for the leadership this Council provided, those thanks must go to my predecessor, Councillor Nicolas Heslop.  It concluded an immensely successful 9 years as Leader and I am very sorry Councillor Heslop is standing down.

Councillor Heslop leads an illustrious list of members who won’t be with us at Annual Council.  I did a rough calculation earlier, and I reckon we are losing 212 years’ worth of experience from Councillors in this Chamber next month, with 16 members not seeking re-election.  This includes 4 former Mayors and decades of experience in the Cabinet or chairing committees.

There is no doubt that the loss of so much experience in any organisation at one time presents a huge challenge for the council.  So I would like to thank each and every member who is not seeking re-election for their contribution, however long you’ve been here.  I know in my own group  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31