Venue: Committee Room A, Town Hall, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1RS
Contact: Nick Peeters, Scrutiny & Performance Officer
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Apologies for Absence Apologies for absence as reported at the meeting. Minutes: Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Hannam and Palmer. |
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Declarations of Interest To receive any declarations of interest by Members in items on the agenda. For any advice on declarations of interest, please contact the Monitoring Officer. Minutes: There were no declarations of interest made, within the provisions of the Code of Conduct for Members. |
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Minutes of Previous Meetings PDF 183 KB Minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting dated 11 June 2018. The Chairman will move that the minutes of the previous meeting be signed as a correct record. The only issue relating to the minutes that can be discussed is their accuracy. Procedure rules applicable to all meetings Part 4, section 6. Minutes: The minutes of the meetings dated 11 June 2018 were submitted.
RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Committee meeting dated 11 June 2018 be agreed. |
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Items Called in under Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 13 If there are any ‘Call-in’ items, details will have been circulated to Members under separate cover. Minutes: There were no items which had been called-in under Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 13. |
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Chairman's Introduction Minutes: The Chair confirmed the order of the agenda. |
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Community Hubs - verbal update Minutes: Prior to the update on the community hubs, the Head of Economic Development and Property, David Candlin, provided an update on the timetable for the Calverley Square development. During discussion the following matters were highlighted:
The notice of appropriation of land in Calverley Grounds covered a number of areas including a permanent area for the buildings, areas for a compound and spoil, and the area across which jibs/cranes would swing. There were no areas of the Grounds that would be closed off in advance of the work and the public would continue to have access.
More information regarding public access to the Grounds and facilities (toilets) would be provided once the contractor was in place. Clarification would be provided within the construction management plan.
The preferred option from a political view for the civic complex was for a more socially aware use such as a base for small start-up business or a university faculty. There was also the option of retaining the site and the rent providing a revenue. The fall-back position for the Council was for the site to be sold for residential use. The brief for the civic complex allowed these elements to be discussed and for the Council to make a decision on the preferred option.
There were a number of areas being looked at in terms of funding for the theatre. There was potential funding from a local enterprise partnership and a bid would be submitted to the local growth fund. The Public Works Loan Board was not the only option and discussions with other funding organisations were underway which could prove to be better options.
The Director of Change and Communities, Paul Taylor and the Head of Business Support, Denise Haylett, and the provided an update on the community hub projects in the Borough (including the Cultural and Learning Hub). During discussion the following matters were highlighted:
Dowding House had been converted into 25 flats with 95 percent of the on-site work completed. Eight of the units were fully furnished and Housing had identified occupants and the first occupancy would take place on 1 September 2018.
Cranbrook had set up a community centre partnership board and jointly funded survey work had been undertaken for resurfacing of the car park which would be funded by the Coop, the Parish Council and the Borough Council. The Coop, the Parish and the Borough Council had reached an agreement in principle to allow temporary and ongoing access to the site subject to a conditional land transfer and repair works to the car park.
Paddock Wood had appointed architects with RIBA stage one and two having been signed off by the Town Council (stage three was underway). The intention was for an online planning application to be submitted in January 2019. Constructions costs for the project so far were £2 million but with a total of £2 million budget for the project overall, some value engineering would be needed. A petition with over 500 signatures to date had been raised ... view the full minutes text for item OSC15/18 |
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Additional documents:
Minutes: The Leader of the Council, Councillor Jukes, presented his portfolio holder update for 2018/19. During discussion the following matters were highlighted:
Work had been ongoing to remove the negative support grant and the Government had now reconsidered the scheme.
The Five Year Plan supported a new local plan sports facilities, support for local communities through the community hubs scheme, public realm works and economic development through the Calverley Square scheme.
The procurement of new property maintenance and servicing contracts related to building assets and planned maintenance, and although including the new parks and gardens maintenance contract had been looked at it, it was unlikely to be feasible.
The infrastructure of roads and flooding continued to be a concern for Members. The Borough Council’s relationship with the County council was currently in a good position; however, there was no direct control over these issues by the Borough Council.
Councillor Jukes had joined the Strategic Transport Organisation in an effort to strengthen the Council’s position with Kent County Council.
The retention of business rates growth as a replacement for the loss of the revenue support grant from Government needed to be more widely and clearly advertised and an emphasis on the need for investment in the town made.
The Portfolio Holder for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, Councillor March, presented her portfolio holder update for 2018/19. During discussion, the following areas were highlighted:
A new producer had been appointed to the Assembly Hall Theatre (AHT) with the aim of the theatre producing its own shows, developing audiences and bringing in bigger names to the shows. An improved website had been online for ten weeks and had improved ticketing opportunities.
A marketing team had been assembled to include staff from the AHT and the Museum and Art Gallery under one service and providing an improved cultural and educational offer.
An updated Cultural and Creative Industries Framework study was being produced and this would look at the barriers to growth in the creative industries sector. On 15 September a cultural development fund expression of interest was due for submission.
Improvements to the visitunbridgewells website were ongoing and it now included shopping pages and feature pages. Work was being done with Royal Tunbridge Wells Together to improve the town.
There were targets and figures to measure tourism in the Borough and these could be made available to Members following the meeting.
The sponsoring of round-a-bouts by local businesses was controlled by Kent County Council and there were health and safety restrictions. Looking at the condition of public areas more widely, such as public footpaths and the provision of local community facilities, it was for local communities to be more proactive in those areas. The redbrick pavements in the town were an important part of the town’s heritage and needed maintenance.
The Playing Pitch Strategy highlighted the need for football and rugby at a junior level. Sport England expected local authorities to work with local schools and utilise facilities.
RESOLVED to note the update. |
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Minutes: The Chairman of the Reducing Single-Use Plastics in the Town Hall and the Wider Community Task and Finish Group provided an update on the Group’s work.
The work of the Group was ongoing and the members were looking at what was being done in other authorities. Several of those authorities had pledges or plastic strategies. There were opportunities in Tunbridge Wells for this to be explored. The larger supermarket chains were looking at reducing plastic bags further and the recycling of black plastic.
The Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP) worked across the local authority sector and also with businesses to promote recycling and plastic reduction.
There was a local company in Tunbridge Wells that produced sustainable plastic and they should be approached for advice.
The use of unrecyclable plastic cups in the Town Hall remained an issue and staff in the Town Hall were keen to see a reductions in single-use plastic. It was important that the Council considered these issues as the project for the new offices progressed.
RESOLVED to note the update |
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Effectiveness of local authority overview and scrutiny committees (Government response to select committee) - verbal update Minutes: The Scrutiny and Performance Officer, Nick Peeters, updated Members on the Government response to the select committee report on the effectiveness of Overview and Scrutiny in local authorities.
The inquiry was relaunched in September 2017 and the final report published on 11 December 2017 with 8 recommendations. Not all the recommendations in the report had a direct impact on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council as they relate either to County Councils and Metropolitan authorities. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council already complies with some of the recommendations. The key recommendations to note and the ones that Government have acknowledged are that: · The current guidance was issued in 2006 and this needs to be updated. · The guidance will recommend that scrutiny committees report to Full Council rather than the Cabinet. · The updated guidance will also clarify the importance of public participation and the value of the views of service users. The report was debated in May 2018 and the key theme highlighted wasabout the culture in local government and the level of importance placed on Scrutiny and whether it adds value to the decision making process.
RESOLVED to note the update
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Minutes: Members noted the Committee’s work programme for the remainder of the municipal year.
RESOLVED to note the updated work programme. |
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Urgent Business 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. Minutes: There was no urgent business. |
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Date of the next meeting The next meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will take place on 8 October 2018 at 6.30pm. Minutes: The next scheduled meeting of the Committee would take place on Monday 8 October 2018. |