Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillors Ellis, Fitzsimmons and Funnell.

To receive any declarations of interest by members of the Council in items on the agenda. For any advice on declarations of interest, please contact the Monitoring Officer before the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

To note any Visiting Members or members of the public wishing to speak, of which due notice has been given in accordance with Council Meeting Procedure Rule 18 and 19, and which items they wish to speak on.

There were no members of the public of visiting Members of the Council registered to speak.

To approve the minutes of a previous meeting as a correct record. The only issue relating to the minutes that can be discussed is their accuracy.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meetings dated 13 July 2022 be noted as a true record of the proceedings.

RESOLVED – That the Forward Plan as at August 2022 be noted.

Councillor Everitt gave an introduction to the report and stated:

·         The Borough’s prior A26 Air Quality Management Area was declared in 2005, since that time the data produced through consistent monitoring had proven invaluable, not only for action plans specific to the A26 but it had also informed countless strategies, reports and initiatives that had aimed to decrease harmful pollution and promoted good public health.

·         In short, AQMAs did make a difference and were a good tool in our arsenal to reduce harmful pollution. This report set out a series of actions for public consultation for our newest AQMA area in Hawkhurst. 

·         Councillor Everitt had a great meeting with our Environmental Protection Team Leader and discussed their work and it was clear that the shared service had a wealth of experience and expertise.

·         This report showed this, with each action point been given robust consideration and engagement with stakeholders and as a result has a number of viable actions for the AQMA.

Stuart Maxwell, Senior Scientific Officer presented the report as per the agenda:

Discussion and questions from Members included:

              i.        It was confirmed that the yellow actions would be included in the consultation, however it was unclear if they would be included in the action plan, that depended on feedback from the consultation and on further deliberations.

             ii.        Funding was available for the improvements for (action 2) the traffic signals as a requested of developments in Hawkhurst, no information on when and was considered the most important action.

            iii.        It was confirmed that (action 2) and (action 16) were mutually exclusive.

           iv.        An explanation was given in terms of the modelling used and the emissions factors published by DEFRA.

             v.        It was stated that a it’s Maidstone Borough Council’s Consultation and Engagement Team carried out the consultation with residents, the report to Cabinet would include further clarification on this.

           vi.        It was explained that particulates and PN10s were measured on the A26 because historically, that’s where we knew some of the highest levels of pollution in the Borough were found.  So if there were no exceedances there, there were very unlikely to be any anywhere else.

          vii.        The news about drops in pollution levels was welcomed.

RESOLVED:

1.    That subject to additional information added to the report about the consultation, the recommendations to Cabinet as set out in the report be supported.

Councillor Everitt gave an introduction to the report and stated:

·         Thanks were given to Karin, Amy and all the Officers who had contributed to this, well constructed and detailed report.

·         The report contained a lot of information and this report presented the complicated subject well.

·         The Climate Emergency Advisory Panel had reviewed the report prior to this meeting.

·         CEAP had undergone some recent changes in the composition of its members, however this change had not impacted on the historic position of the panel, that being a cross party commitment to our authority’s ambitious goal to be Carbon neutral by 2030 and the further commitments made as part of the 2019 Climate Emergency Resolution motion, proposed by Councillor March.

·         The panel held this report in that same fashion, and it received cross party support without points raised against it.

·         As the new cabinet member responsible for Carbon reduction, Councillor Everitt will work the sustainability team to further develop the Carbon decent plan.

·         Currently the carbon reduction pathway being followed utilises carbon off-setting to achieve our 2030 aim, off-setting is a problematic means of reducing our carbon and does not offer a financial return.

·         The sole model we currently have to achieve our 2030 target without offsetting, the construction of a solar farm, would take significant capital and resource, but it did demonstrate that was possible. Providing residents and members support such a move and it is viable no option should be off the table.

·         The bigger fish to fry, were the much larger borough wide emissions. Something that this authority had previously not overtly recognised as within its responsibility.

·         Councillor Everitt was pleased to say that this report contained the first steps necessary to work towards much larger Borough wide greenhouse emission reductions.

·         The Draft year 2 action set out how we will work with community groups and develop a borough wide Climate strategy.

·         We had an example of such action, for this years Big Green Week, the Sustainability Team had worked hard to organise some excellent events that promoted a community-based approach.

·         Members were asked to spread the word and promote the events in their respective wards.

·         Women in Sustainability event on Thursday 29 September at King Charles the Martyr Church Hall, Tunbridge Wells at 7pm. With a panel of local climate activists and those working within Local Government to take action on Climate Change.

·         Going Green: Sustainable Business Friday 30th September at The Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells at 2.30pm with several excellent speakers from the business world.

Karin Grey, Sustainability Manager presented the report as per the agenda:

Discussion and questions from Members included:

              i.        Thanks were given to Karin and her team for putting the report together and achieving quite a lot in year 1 going in to year 2.

             ii.        It was felt that the website had done a good job bringing the information to the public’s attention, and it was good to see that it was kept fresh and treated as a priority.

            iii.        It was  ...  view the full minutes text for item COM7/22

To consider any other items which the Chairman decides are urgent, for the reasons to be stated, in accordance with Section 100B(4) of the Local Government Act 1972.

The was no urgent business considered.

The date of the next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 12 October at 6.30pm.

The date of the next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday 12 October 2022.