Agenda and minutes

There were no substitute members.

Members are reminded of their obligation under the Council’s Code of Conduct to disclose any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Other Significant Interests in any matter(s) to be considered or being considered at the meeting. These are explained in the Code of Conduct on the Council’s website at Code of conduct for members – Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (tmbc.gov.uk).

Members in any doubt about such declarations are advised to contact Legal or Democratic Services in advance of the meeting.

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

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the ordinary meeting of General Purposes Committee held on 12 March 2025 and the extraordinary meeting held on 12 May 2025.

RESOLVED:  That the Minutes of the ordinary and extraordinary meetings of the General Purposes Committee held on 12 March 2025 and 12 May 2025 respectively be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Chairman to move that the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting during consideration of any items the publication of which would disclose exempt information.

The Chairman moved, it was seconded and

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

Reasons: LGA 1972 – Sch 12 A Paragraph 1 – Information relating to an individual.

This report sets out for Members’ approval a number of establishment changes recommended by Management Team.  Members should note that, in accordance with adopted conventions, all of the savings/costs referred to in this report reflect the salary at the top of the scale/grade plus associated on costs.

(Reason: LGA 1972 – Sch 12A Paragraph 1 – Information relating to an individual)

The report set out for Members’ approval a number of establishment changes recommended by Management Team.  Members noted that, in accordance with adopted conventions, all of the savings/costs referred to in the report reflected the salary at the top of the scale/grade plus associated on costs.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)          Post DF1101, Benefits & Welfare Manager, be deleted with effect from 12 June 2025;

(2)          Post DF1102, Revenues Manager, be deleted with effect from 12 June 2025;

(3)          a new permanent Revenues and Benefits Manager post, 37 hours per week, Grade M5, be established with effect from 12 June 2025;

(4)          a new permanent Deputy Revenues and Benefits Manager post, 37 hours per week, Grade M8/M7, be established with effect from 12 June 2025;

(5)          the reduction of 7 hours per week from the established hours for Post DF1109, Revenues and Benefits Officer, and the reallocation of the hours to increase the established hours for Post DF1199, Overpayment Recovery Assistant, from 30 to 37 hours per week, be noted;

(6)          the increase of the established hours for Post DJ0167, Senior Planning Officer, from 30 to 37 hours per week and the reduction of the established hours for Post DJ0184, Senior Planning Officer, from 29.5 to 22.5 hours per week with effect from 4 August 2025, be noted;

(7)          the deletion of Post DV0915, Housing Technical Officer, and the redistribution of its hours to increase the established hours for Posts DV0904 and DV0908, Housing Technical Officers, from 22.2 and 29.6 hours per week respectively to full-time 37 hours per week, be noted; and

(8)          it be noted that following the transfer of call handling responsibilities to the Contact Centre, as agreed by this Committee in January 2025 and implemented from 1 May 2025, 1.7 FTE had been transferred from the Environmental Health/Waste Admin Team to the Contact Centre with 3.9 FTE retained in the Team to provide back-office support across Environmental Health, Leisure, and Waste Services, per the revised establishment as set out in Annex 1.

RECOMMENDED*:  That

(1)          Post DV0723, Housing Solutions Manager, be regraded from Grade M7 to M6 with effect from 9 July 2025;

(2)          Post DV0731, Housing Allocations Team Leader, be regraded from Scale 5/6 to SO with effect from 9 July 2025;

(3)          Posts DV0726 and DV0745, Housing Allocations Officers, be regraded from Scale 3 and 3/4 respectively to Scale 5/6 with effect from 9 July 2025;

(4)          the hours of post DR0016, Contracts and Procurement Lawyer, be increased from 21 to 37 hours per week with effect from 9 July 2025; and

(5)          Post DE0107, Resilience Officer, be regraded from Scale SO to Grade M9 and the hours of the post be increased from 15 to 29.6 hours per week with effect from 9 July 2025.

*Recommended to Council