Agenda and minutes

As a mark of respect to His Royal Highness the Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh who had sadly passed away on Friday 9 April the Council observed a two minute silence.

The Mayoral statement released on the day of the announcement from Buckingham Palace was as follows:

“On behalf of the council and the people of Tonbridge and Malling, I offer our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family.

Prince Philip’s huge contribution to our monarchy, to public life in this country and his unstinting support for Her Majesty The Queen made him a much loved figure. His loss will be felt deeply, not just by his family and the people of the United Kingdom but across the Commonwealth and around the world.’

To declare any interests in respect of recommended items

There were no declarations of interest made in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of Council held on 23 February 2021

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 23 February 2021 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Extraordinary meeting of Council held on 17 March 2021

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the proceedings of the extraordinary meeting of the Council held on 17 March 2021 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

The Mayor advised that she had attended the following Covid secure and/or socially distanced engagements since the last meeting of the Council:

-        Air Ambulance Kent, Surrey & Sussex Webinar

This event had illustrated the valuable work undertaken by the Air Ambulance in providing emergency medical care for the people living, working and travelling in the area.  Attention had also been drawn to the number of training courses offered in first aid and CPR.

Finally, the Mayor expressed appreciation for the work being undertaken by NHS staff, volunteers and Borough Council staff at the vaccination centres at Tonbridge Baptist Church, the Angel Centre and at ‘pop-up’ centres around the Borough.   Appreciation was also recorded to Borough Council staff for maintaining a high level of service with many continuing to work remotely.

No questions were received from members of the public pursuant to Council Procedure Rule No 5.6.

No questions were received from Members pursuant to Council Procedure Rule No 5.5.

The Leader delivered the following statement to the Council:

‘Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I should like to begin by making my own tribute to Prince Philip, reflecting the sorrow of many people across the Borough – and indeed, nation – at the loss of such a great man. 

The outpouring of sorrow has understandably been from many communities across the UK since we learnt on Friday noon that Prince Philip had died.

Prince Philip gave so much to this country, to Her Majesty The Queen and to his family.   There are so many aspects on which he had a positive impact and influence on so many people.  He was a patron, president or member of more than 800 organisations.

He will be especially remembered for his inspiration on designing and championing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, in which hundreds of thousands take part every year, to develop their skills and mature into more confident, capable and caring people and to give them a sense of responsibility to themselves and their communities.

He understood the requirements of responsibility, the demands of duty and the sacrifices of service.  He had foresight in his support for so many causes.

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I should like to update Council on the Covid data within the Borough and the Borough Council’s own support for businesses and the unlocking of restrictions.

We are continuing to see Covid infections within the Borough falling.   The latest update that I have received reports 17 active cases; with a downward trend, so a seven-day rate of 7.6 per 100,000, compared to the immediate previous rate of 18.2.  

Vaccination take-up has generally been very high across the Borough. Yesterday, a pop up vaccination facility was set up in East Malling.  This was specifically secured in light of lower vaccination take up.

This was a much-welcomed local provision, with more than 70 residents vaccinated during the day.   Indeed, take up was so great that the facility remained open for a further 90 minutes, with a nurse having to collect further vaccine doses after the first hour of the facility opening.

Yesterday was also the first day of the opening of non-essential retail and outdoor hospitality.  Councillor Des Keers (Chairman of the Licensing and Appeals Committee) and I, joined by our licensing officers and the Police, held a virtual meeting for licence holders from across the Borough a couple of weeks ago in preparation for this next stage of the road map.  Reports I have received today are that despite a cold Monday night, licensed premises had a busy evening; with the Borough Council working closely with the Police in visiting premises, providing support and advice to business owners.

As of today, mandatory grant funding totalling £8.4m has been paid to businesses affected by the lockdown restrictions since last November.

This is approximately 75% of the total funding received from Government.  The Local Restrictions Support Grant scheme is still open for applications for the period 16 February 2021 to 31 March 2021.  Those businesses  ...  view the full minutes text for item C 21/28

Item LA 21/4 referred from Licensing and Appeals Committee of 9 March 2021

Item LA 21/4 referred from Licensing and Appeals Committee of 9 March 2021.

RESOLVED:  That the recommendation at Minute Number LA 21/4 be approved.

Item CB 21/39 referred from Cabinet of 16 March 2021

Item CB 21/39 referred from Cabinet of 16 March 2021

RESOLVED:  That the recommendation at Minute CB 21/39 be approved.

Item CB 21/40 referred from Cabinet of 16 March 2021

Item CB 21/40 referred from Cabinet of 16 March 2021

RESOLVED:  That the recommendation at Minute CB 21/40 be approved.

The programme of meetings for the municipal year 2021/22 is attached for consideration.  Management Team, Senior Officers and Cabinet Members have been consulted on the proposed dates.  The draft programme for 2022/23 is also attached for consideration.  Subject to any amendments identified by Members the programmes will be presented to Annual Council for endorsement.

Consideration was given to the proposed programme of meetings for 2021/22 and the draft programme for 2022/23. Subject to any amendments recommended by Members, the programmes would be presented to Annual Council for endorsement.

Reference was made to the opportunity to increase the intervals between meetings (as set out in paragraph 1.3.2 of the report) and the Director of Central Services clarified that the intention was not to reduce the number of meetings held but to create better spacing across the municipal year. 

RESOLVED: That

(1)         the Programme of Meetings for 2021/22 (as set out at Annex 1) be approved and presented to Annual Council for formal endorsement;

(2)         the revised layout for the Programme be approved (as detailed in the report); and

(3)         the draft Programme of Meetings for 2022/23 (as set out at Annex 2) be agreed, subject to final approval at Annual Council in May 2022.

Due to the timescale and print deadline, the recommendations arising from the Audit Committee of 6 April 2021 will be circulated to Members in advance of the meeting of Council.

Item AU 21/  referred from the Audit Committee of 6 April 2021

RESOLVED: That Minute Number AU 21/ be approved.

To authorise the Common Seal of the Council to be affixed to any Contract, Minute, Notice or other document requiring the same.

RESOLVED:  That authority be given for the Common Seal of the Council to be affixed to any instrument to give effect to a decision of the Council incorporated into these Minutes and proceedings.