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 21 February 2023

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the proceedings of the meeting of the Council held on 21 February 2023 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

The Mayor advised of a number of engagements attended since the last meeting of Council and made particular reference to the following civic and charity events:

·         Charity Zumba Event at Larkfield Leisure Centre which had raised £1,060

·         Valley Invicta Primary School at Kings Hill Opening of New Outside Area

·         Annual Community Concert for Senior Citizens at Tonbridge School

·         Unveiling of the Nations Table in the Nave at Rochester Cathedral

·         Tonbridge Lions Club’s Charter Night

·         Heusenstamm Friendship Circles Dinner & AGM

·         Mayor of Sevenoaks’ International Women’s Day Celebration Lunch

·         Hillview School for Girls Dance Platform Event

·         Tonbridge School’s Reception & Concert

·         Tonbridge Baptist Church Easter Crafts Session for Longmead Primary School      

·         TMBC’s Tonbridge Jobs Fair and Snodland Jobs Fair

·         Alzheimer/Dementia Drop in Centre Event at Spadework

·         Visit to Cage Green Primary School

·         The Declaration Ceremony of The High Sheriff of Kent

·         LAMPS Production

Arrangements were being finalised for future civic and charity events and the following were noted:

·         Mayor’s Charity Afternoon Tea at Tonbridge School on 14 May 2023 (further details to follow)

·         Annual Council – 17 May 2023

Finally, the Mayor thanked the Deputy Mayor for attending a number of events on their behalf.

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:

‘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 C 23/31

The programme of meetings for the municipal year 2023/24 is attached for consideration.  Management Team, Senior Officers and Cabinet Members have been consulted on the proposed dates.  The draft programme for 2024/25 is also attached for consideration.  Subject to any amendments identified by Members the programmes will be presented to Annual Council for endorsement.

The proposed programme of meetings for the municipal years 2023/24 and 2024/25 were presented for consideration and were attached as Annexes 1 and 2 respectively.  Management Team, Senior Officers and Cabinet Members had been consulted on the proposed dates.  Subject to any amendments identified by Members the programmes would be presented to Annual Council for endorsement.

It was the responsibility of the annual meeting of the Council to approve a programme of meetings for the coming year.  However, it was considered sensible to present the programmes to this meeting to allow time for any proposed revisions to be made.

As a result of the local election on Thursday 4 May 2023 and the Coronation Bank Holiday on Monday 8 May 2023, there had been a number of changes to the programme previously agreed in 2022 and Members attention was drawn to the amendments as detailed in paragraph 1.1.2 of the report. 

In addition, the budget setting cycle for 2024 was subject to confirmation of dates for Kent County Council, Kent Police and Kent Fire and Rescue Service budget meetings.  Currently, the provisional Borough Council programme allowed for Cabinet on 11 February 2024 and Council on 18 February 2024 and remained subject to change. 

RESOLVED:  That

(1)          the programme of meetings for 2023/24 (as set out in Annex 1) be approved and presented to Annual Council for endorsement; and

(2)               the draft programme of meetings for 2024/25 (as set out in Annex 2) be agreed, subject to final approval at Annual Council in May 2023.

Due to the timescale and print deadlines, the recommendations of the meeting of the Licensing and Appeals Committee held on 28 March 2023 will be circulated to Members in advance of the meeting of Council.

Item LA 23/4 referred from Licensing and Appeals Committee minutes of 28 March 2023.

RESOLVED:  That the recommendations at Minute LA 23/4 be approved.

The decisions taken under emergency and/or urgency provisions since the last meeting of Cabinet are attached.

Members noted that decision number D230019URG in respect of development management agency costs had been undertaken under urgency provisions as it was a departure from the Borough Council’s adopted Budget and Policy Framework and in accordance with paragraph 4 of the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules.

The reasons why this was considered an urgent decision were set out in the published Notice but related to maintaining service provision and performance.

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.