Agenda and minutes

Venue: online via Microsoft Teams

Contact: Democratic Services  Email: committee.services@tmbc.gov.uk

Link: View Meeting

Items
No. Item

PART 1 - PUBLIC

C 20/31

Declarations of interest

To declare any interests in respect of recommended items

Minutes:

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

 

For reasons of transparency, Councillors T Bishop and M Davis each advised that they were the Borough Council’s appointees to the Tonbridge and Malling Leisure Trust to which reference was made in the report on Leybourne Lakes Country Park – Facilities Improvements (Minute C 20/41 refers).

C 20/32

Minutes pdf icon PDF 226 KB

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of Council held on 14 July 2020

Minutes:

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 14 July 2020 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

C 20/33

Mayor's Announcements pdf icon PDF 3 KB

Minutes:

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

 

-       Tonbridge Model Engineering Society Cheque Presentation to the Mayor.  A cheque for £500 was presented for the Mayor’s charity CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young);

 

-       Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant and County Chairman for SERFCA Virtual  Awards Ceremony;

 

-       The Chairman of Kent County Council’s Virtual Civic Reception; and

 

-       The Chairman of Sevenoaks District Council’s coffee morning.

 

Future functions would include attendance at socially distanced Remembrance Day Services in Tonbridge and at the RBLI, Aylesford.

 

Finally, the Mayor thanked Members and officers of the Borough Council for the continuing support provided to residents, communities and businesses across the Borough during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

C 20/34

Questions from the public pursuant to Council Procedure Rule No 5.6 pdf icon PDF 3 KB

Minutes:

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

C 20/35

Questions from Members pursuant to Council Procedure Rule No 5.5 pdf icon PDF 3 KB

Minutes:

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

C 20/36

Leader's Announcements pdf icon PDF 3 KB

Minutes:

The Leader reported that the latest number of Covid-19 cases recorded in Tonbridge and Malling through Public Health England was 92 as at 23 October 2020.  He advised that the trend remained constant, with the 7 day rate per 100,000 population at 45.4 between 18 and 23 October.  This was below the Kent average and significantly below the average across England.  He cautioned against complacency and encouraged the use of every opportunity to reinforce public health messaging.  He reported that the Council’s Business Continuity officer group met regularly to discuss how the Council would respond to any potential spike in numbers. He expressed concern that the winter months, with potential flooding and severe weather, would add to the challenges to be addressed.

 

The Leader advised that two emergency decisions had been made in accordance with the Emergency Provisions set out in Part 7 of the Constitution.   He stated his preference for policy being brought before Members and regretted that the time-scale required for implementing the decisions had not allowed for this.  The first decision had related to setting up arrangements for those who test positive for COVID-19 or are identified by NHS Test and Trace as a close contact, requiring them to self-isolate.  Final guidance for the scheme had been received on a Friday with instructions that it be in place by the Monday. The second emergency decision had allowed the Council to make arrangements for engagement and enforcement work relating to COVID-19 using funding received from the Kent County Council.

 

The Leader commented that Covid-19 had had an impact on finances across the country, in the business sector, charities, and among families.  Local government had been equally impacted and the Borough Council now faced enormous financial challenges. He stressed the need to work together to ensure the Borough Council’s future financial stability and he welcomed the Government’s most recent tranche of funding to Tonbridge and Malling of £226,802.00, which brought the total of four tranches of funding to £1,776,566.

 

With regard to Planning, the Leader stated that the scale of the increase in housing numbers planned for Tonbridge and Malling by the Government’s algorithm was totally unsustainable and wrong.   He advised that he and David Lettington had written directly to Robert Jenrick, the Housing Secretary, to amplify the objections raised by Members at the extraordinary meeting of the Planning and Transportation Advisory Board.  He had also made the two local Members of Parliament aware of the objections and welcomed their support in opposing the Government’s calculations.

 

The Leader advised that, together with David Lettington, he had written directly to the Secretary of State to object to the democratic deficit that would occur from the proposals in the Planning White Paper, which ignored community involvement in individual planning applications.  He stated that this could not be right as communities changed and evolved over time and, whilst having a planning framework in place was crucial to guide development, the individual scheme proposals and their potential impact on the local environment were  ...  view the full minutes text for item C 20/36

C 20/37

Audit Committee Annual Report pdf icon PDF 77 KB

Item AU 20/13 referred from Audit Committee of 27 July 2020

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Item AU 20/13 referred from Audit Committee minutes of 27 July 2020

 

RESOLVED:  That the recommendation at Minute AU 20/13 be approved.

C 20/38

Local Code of Corporate Governance pdf icon PDF 249 KB

Item number AU 20/14 referred from Audit Committee of 27 July 2020

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Item AU 20/14 referred from Audit Committee minutes of 27 July 2020

 

RESOLVED:  That the recommendation at Minute AU 20/14 be approved.

C 20/39

Treasury Management Update and Annual Report for 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 182 KB

Item AU 20/15 referred from Audit Committee of 27 July 2020

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Item AU 20/15 referred from Audit Committee minutes of 27 July 2020

 

RESOLVED:  That the recommendations at Minute AU 20/15 be approved.

C 20/40

Sex Establishments and Sexual Entertainment Venues - Policy 2020-23 pdf icon PDF 168 KB

Item LA 20/09  referred from Licensing and Appeals Committee of 15 September 2020

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Item LA 20/9 referred from Licensing and Appeals Committee minutes of 15 September 2020

 

RESOLVED:  That the recommendation at Minute LA 20/9 be approved.

C 20/41

Leybourne Lakes Country Park - Facilities Improvements pdf icon PDF 181 KB

Item CB 20/65 referred from Cabinet of 14 October

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Item CB 20/65 referred from Cabinet minutes of 14 October 2020

 

RESOLVED:  That the recommendations at Minute CB 20/65 be approved.

 

In accordance with Council and Committee Procedure Rule 8.6, Part 4 (Rules) of the Constitution, Councillors T Bishop and M Davis requested that it be recorded that they had abstained from voting in respect of this matter.

 

 

C 20/42

IT Strategy Update and Enterprise Document Management System pdf icon PDF 98 KB

Item CB 20/66 referred from Cabinet of 14 October 2020

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Item CB 20/66 referred from Cabinet minutes of 14 October 2020

 

RESOLVED:  That the recommendations at Minute CB 20/66 be approved.

C 20/43

Treasury Management Update and Mid-Year Review pdf icon PDF 95 KB

Item CB 20/67 referred from Cabinet of 14 October 2020

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Item CB 20/67 referred from Cabinet minutes of 14 October 2020

 

RESOLVED:  That the recommendations at Minute CB 20/67 be approved.

C 20/44

Sealing of Documents

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

Minutes:

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.

Matters for Consideration in Private

C 20/45

Exclusion of Press and Public

Minutes:

The Mayor moved, it was seconded and

 

RESOLVED:  That as public discussion would disclose exempt information, the following matters be considered in private.

Part 2 - Private

C 20/46

Update on Properties at Pembury Road, Tonbridge

(LGA 1972 - Sch 12A Paragraph 3 – Financial or business affairs of any particular person)

 

The report provides an update on the properties purchased for use as temporary accommodation.

Minutes:

(LGA 1972 Sch 12A Paragraph 3 – Financial or business affairs of any particular person)

 

The report of the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health provided an update on the properties in Pembury Road, Tonbridge that had been purchased for use as temporary accommodation and sought approval to proceed with the delivery stage of the project. 

 

RESOLVED:   That

 

(1)          additional funding of up to £157,000 for delivery of the Pembury Road project be approved; and

 

(2)          the funding be met from s106 contributions for affordable housing or an alternative funding source as appropriate, with the former being utilised in the first instance.

C 20/47

Purchase of Additional Ground Floor Unit, High Street, Tonbridge

(LGA 1972 - Sch 12A Paragraph 3 – Financial or business affairs of any particular person)

 

The report sets out the business case for the purchase of an additional unit.

Minutes:

(LGA 1972 Sch 12A Paragraph 3 – Financial or business affairs of any particular person)

 

The report of the Director of Planning, Housing and Environmental Health outlined details for the proposed purchase of a ground floor unit in Tonbridge High Street to provide storage and office facilities to manage the Council’s temporary accommodation.

 

RESOLVED:  That

 

(1)             the purchase of a ground floor unit in Tonbridge High Street, funded from the Homelessness Reserve and Homelessness Reduction Initiatives revenue budget, be added to the Capital Plan List A;

 

(2)             authority be delegated to the Director of Central Services and Deputy Chief Executive to negotiate terms for the acquisition of a 125 year lease in respect of the additional ground floor unit in Tonbridge High Street, subject to a maximum purchase price of £30,000;

 

(3)             the Director of Central Services and Deputy Chief Executive be authorised to carry out all necessary legal formalities to conclude the acquisition; and

 

(4)             following the acquisition of the ground floor unit, the subsequent fitting out as an office and storage space be funded from Housing reserves (to a maximum £5,000).