Cabinet - Thursday 20 March 2025, 7:30pm - Folkestone & Hythe webcasting

Cabinet
Thursday, 20th March 2025 at 7:30pm 

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  1. Cllr Jim Martin
  2. Mr Jake Hamilton
  3. Cllr Jim Martin
Share this agenda point
  1. Cllr Jim Martin
Share this agenda point
  1. Cllr Jim Martin
  2. Cllr Tim Prater
  3. Cllr Jim Martin
  4. Cllr Jeremy Speakman
  5. Cllr Tim Prater
  6. Cllr Jim Martin
  7. Cllr Jim Martin
  8. Cllr Jim Martin
Share this agenda point
  1. Mr Ewan Green
  2. Cllr Jim Martin
  3. Cllr Mike Blakemore
  4. Cllr Tim Prater
  5. Cllr Jim Martin
  6. Cllr Stephen Scoffham
  7. Cllr Jim Martin
  8. Cllr Polly Blakemore
  9. Cllr Gary Fuller
  10. Cllr Jim Martin
  11. Cllr Jeremy Speakman
  12. Cllr Stephen Scoffham
  13. Cllr Mike Blakemore
  14. Cllr Jim Martin
  15. Cllr Rebecca Shoob
  16. Cllr Jim Martin
  17. Webcast Finished

Cllr Jim Martin - 0:00:00
to the internet. For those who do not wish to be recorded or filmed, you will need to
leave the chamber. For members, officers and others speaking at the meeting, it is important
that the microphones are used so viewers on the webcast and others in the room may hear
you. Would anyone with a mobile phone please switch to silent mode as they can be distracting.
I would like to remind members that although we have strong opinions on the matters under
consideration it is important to treat members officers and public speakers
with respect thank you very much everyone we have two items under
consideration but hopefully we we will be able to move through fairly quickly
so I'll kick off with apologies for absence thank you we have apologies from

1 Apologies for Absence

Mr Jake Hamilton - 0:00:54
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:00:59
Rich Holgate. Thank you very much and moving on to item two, declarations of

2 Declarations of Interest

interest. Do we have any declarations of interest? I'm not seeing any
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:01:11
indication

3 Local Government Reorganisation

so we'll take that as none. The first substantive item is item three, local
not heartily fed up of local government reorganization, you're doing very, very well.
So you'll see that the report is fairly straightforward, it seems to me.
To receive a note of the report to submit, support an interim submission being made to
government in response to the invitation received on the 5th of February 2025
from Minister Jim McMahon. These were the individual letters that each of the
Kent leaders received. Note the proposed draft response including as Appendix 6
and delegated authority to the leader supported by the Chief Executive to
finalise the submission in consultation
with the other Kent leaders.
Agree the leader establishes a politically balanced
executive working group of cabinet
to provide strategic oversight of the devolution
and local government reorganisation work of the council.
Agree that in the spirit of transparency,
further reports will be given to cabinet,
relevant committees and the full council
as proposals are developed through 2025.
To note that the council's resources are being diverted
to support LGR and that a further report on this matter
will be made in due course and agree that the full council
considers any final submission before the 28th of November
deadline on the local government reorganization in Kent.
So I've been more painstaking than I normally are
in reading out the recommendations
because each of them are fairly significant,
it seems to me.
I'm happy to move the report.
I'm happy to answer any questions that members may have.
But yeah, I'll leave it at that.
Oh, sorry, yeah, I could ask for a seconder.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:03:46
Councillor Prater, thank you very much.
So we have a proposal, myself we have a seconder and Councillor Prater and I'm very happy to
open it for debate.
Councillor Prater.
Thank you, Jim.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:03:57
The thought that the meeting that we've had before, thank you for arranging that full
Council got to speak to the paper and speak to the options which were in front of us.
I thought that was really helpful.
I think it was very clear throughout the course of that discussion and the reactions to it
that there is absolute backing for you, your signing the letter effectively, signing the
interim plan, the government organisation letter.
I think there was also reasonably clear that not backing for including the PwC appendix
as well.
I think it would possibly be helpful that we put in to recommendation 3 there at the
foot of it that we do not include appendix, it's just a clarity that we're not doing that.
Just to say that within our pack, the appendix on possible unitary geographies, page 63 onwards,
for those with a paper pack in front of them at this moment, or with the same paper pack in front of me,
as I've got at the moment, which might be different over there.
That looks like it is the PWC report, but without sections 4 and 5 at the back of it,
which is a slightly different version to the one that we looked at earlier.
It includes the numbers on the various models but then doesn't do the conclusions.
I think even partially, I don't think it helps the maths at that stage.
I think you either include or don't include, and I'd suggest that we just do not include
the appendix from PwC on possible geographies.
So as long as that was your intention and the recommendations for your intention was
not to include the PwC appendix on possible geographies.
I said I think possibly we could just draft in a couple of words
at the end of recommendation three to make it clear
that's what we're doing.
But absolutely support making a submission on that basis.
And note the other recommendations as well,
actually taking forward a working group to look at this.
Taking forward a working group to look at.
As you said, the PwC report is useful in terms
of giving us some numbers to start looking at and some starting points to look at what
the impact could be.
Unfortunately, what I don't think it does is drive through to enough actual hard conclusions
and hard data and using the data that they've got in terms of geographies and the number
of people who are there and the demographics of it to actually see how that works for each
of those and what that would end up meaning in terms of the financial stability of each
those organisations and if you're creating an inherently financially unstable organisation
simply on the demographics at the moment, then we either need to change the rules of
the game, the government needs to remove social care costs or something like that from those
councils or you need to remove it to the strategic level to do so or we shouldn't do it and that's
the sort of conversation that we should then be having as well.
But that's absolutely within these recommendations to continue so that's why I'm happy to support.
I'm sure the chief executive is working out what three or four words to put at the end
of number three at the moment to clarify that for me.
Otherwise, that's great.
Thank you.
Councillor Spillane.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:07:23
Cllr Jeremy Speakman - 0:07:27
Yes, Councillor Barrie just mentioned the working group of Cabinet and I think that's
a very good idea, having a politically balanced working group.
I just wanted to clarify the status of that because you're saying it's a politically balanced
executive working group of cabinet.
So does it have an executive function in that case?
Will it be making decisions on its own?
My understanding is that the working group would recommend
two cabinet for us to decide.
But again, as with all of this,
we will be freely communicating with all members on this.
So the working group is really to do some of the hard yards in terms of the analysis,
considering the various things that will come up, and then reporting, make recommendations,
draw conclusions, whatever the working group wants to do, but they're not decision making.
And in terms of reference and, Chair, and how that's posed, that's to be sorted, I take
it?
Or to be agreed, yes.
Okay, thank you.
Sorry, Councillor Proctor?
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:08:39
I think Councillor Speedman's point's really good, and actually the way it's worded at
the moment is difficult.
I think if it just said Executive Working Group reporting to cabinet as opposed to off
cabinet, I think that would clarify it.
At the moment, it's trying to be two different things simultaneously.
It can't be politically balanced and off cabinet.
I think that was as intended, so I think that's just a drafting amendment.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:09:10
Just drafting I think, yeah, certainly.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:09:13
Anyone else want to chip in to this mighty cauldron of complexity?
complexity.
Okay, jolly good.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:09:27
So we have a proposer in myself.
We have a seconder in Councillor Prater.
All those in favour please indicate.
Thank you very much.
I think that's unanimous.
Thank you.

4 Update on Corporate Plan Consultation and Final Draft Corporate Plan

Moving swiftly on to item two, or item four, I should say, sorry, update on corporate plan
consultation and final draft of, final draft corporate plan, pages 93 to 180.
And I'm hoping that possibly our Amateur Officer could just take us through this briefly.
Thank you, Alita, very happy to.
Mr Ewan Green - 0:10:15
I think what you have before you, members, is a report which gives you the outcomes of
the consultation exercise that we undertook.
You recall it was quite extensive.
And we certainly undertook a whole number
of different types of engagement and consultation.
And we have fed that back through the working group
to get to this point.
And the report also has the draft of the corporate plan
that we're seeking your approval for that
to be put to council for agreement,
subject to any changes you may wish to made.
that are not substantive changes,
and delegating to myself to make these changes
in due course before council.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Ewan.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:11:06
So effectively what we have before us this evening
is the draft, and what our decision is,
is if we're happy with the draft subject
to minor amendments that we may draw
to Ewan's attention in terms of typographical errors,
et cetera, but we are happy for that to go forward
to full council for their consideration.
I'm very, very happy to move this.
It's been a lot of work.
I think it's an unbelievably good plan.
So I'm very, very happy to move and propose this.
I wonder if I could ask for someone to second it.
a council of like more thank you very much and would you like to speak to the item Mike?
Cllr Mike Blakemore - 0:12:01
Just to say I think it's a fantastic piece of work both in terms of the consultation
it's just so gratifying to see us finding new and innovative ways of consulting with
as many different people and different kinds of people as we could and then the corporate
plan itself is fantastic I can see massive amounts of work that's gone into it and it's
a really really great outcome I think.
Thank you very much.
Councillor Price here.
Thank you.
Cllr Tim Prater - 0:12:26
Yes, just to reiterate some of those points.
I think that the plan is really good, but I think the process by which we got to that
plan was better.
I think that the consultation on that and the work and the to and fro with the working
group has been really, really good.
I think the framework which was given to us by Councillor Scotland, so thank you for that,
I think that was a really helpful framework to start from.
I think it helped focus mines quickly, and you could reasonably quickly see from that
framework how this was going to develop and pan out.
I think that gave us a real structure to it, which I'm not sure that I've seen in quite
the same way in other plans.
I think that's really to its benefit.
I say I wouldn't recommend it.
I'm delighted that you can correct mine and type typographical errors.
I hope you'll also accept my drafting and factual errors
along the side of the typographical ones.
Very minor in almost all instances.
One three miles long.
But apart from that, with those in place,
which I emailed across the last few days,
absolutely happy to support.
Thank you.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:13:40
Thank you very much.
Councillor Scotland, were you indicating?
I was busy writing at the same time.
Cllr Stephen Scoffham - 0:13:46
I'm not functioning.
Yes, well, I'm terribly excited about the plan.
I think it's really good.
I know that we are heading towards extinction as a strict authority.
And there's a sort of sense of is it worth doing.
But I very much hope that yes, it is worth doing.
Apart from anything else, it will maybe, as we go towards the unitary,
be the sort of corporate plan that the other districts which
are joining this unitary think, wow, that is really good.
I know that Canterbury's district corporate plan also
has references to the SDGs.
But I think ours is actually underpinned by them
in a really important structural way.
I like the way that's flagged up in the report
at the very beginning and explained simply and clearly
without preaching or getting too over -worthy,
simply saying, this is the way that we can make sense of our place in the world.
I think the strap line, our district, our world, is very neat.
I really like that and I congratulate the officers, I suspect,
who came up with that.
I'm very happy for...
I think the graphics which was added and so on
gave the report a freshness and an appeal and accessibility,
which is exactly what's needed.
It's got a lot of strength, and I'll say more when it comes to full council,
because that's probably the place to do it.
I'm very happy for the officers and you
to make whatever tweaks they need to at this particular moment.
And just a thought,
if there is a... You might want to consider,
The officers might want to consider a subtitle,
if that would make sense.
And whether that fits in, I don't know.
But the framing of the report
and the underpinning around the SDGs is critical.
But the ambition for it is for our district and our residents,
and picking up on the discussion earlier,
we always want to...
It's terribly easy to get away from that.
But promoting prosperity and wellbeing for all
would be an interesting ambition just to consider
whether putting that into the report at some point might be worth doing.
I'm simply floating that as a very open...
I don't have a view on it, I'm just putting it on the table as a thought.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:16:16
Excellent, thank you very much.
I'll cancel if you'd like more.
I just wanted to add that I thought this corporate plan
Cllr Polly Blakemore - 0:16:23
was a really interesting and enjoyable read,
which isn't necessarily a form of words that I string together to talk about a corporate plan.
But I really enjoyed reading it and it's ambitious and it's realistic.
And I think the underpinning on the SDGs sets exactly the right tone
for a corporate plan for this council.
Councillor Fuller.
OK, I'm going to be the sulky one now, I guess.
Cllr Gary Fuller - 0:16:53
I did have, I mean it's really positive, it's a really good plan,
the consultation's really impressive, but the one thing that did stick out to me
was that I didn't notice any mention of a beacon among the schools we consulted.
It was our biggest SEND school. It was a bit disappointing because, you know,
there are other schools for people with special education needs in the area,
but I think that was an oversight that maybe we should have...
Maybe we should ensure it doesn't happen for future consultations.
But other than that, it's a fantastic piece of work.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I note the officers have made a note on that
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:17:38
and I'm sure they'll come back to you on that.
The Councillor's speaking.
Cllr Jeremy Speakman - 0:17:44
Yes, I just wanted to echo Councillor Scotland's line on prosperity.
I do think it'd be nice to have an underpinning
of what this is all about. It is about hopefully enhancing the prosperity and the wellbeing.
That's what our job is, isn't it? That's what we're trying to do.
I think if we could actually highlight that in some way,
I think that would be a good thing to do.
Thank you.
Am I allowed to come back?
Yes, for sure.
Cllr Stephen Scoffham - 0:18:12
I think that point about being inclusive,
and I think the key thing is for all at the end there.
And that inclusivity is for all people within the district, of all ages.
And the amount of work that we're beginning to do now with young people
is really significant.
And that is something that we do have the authority, as it were.
We put it in the corporate, the draft version,
and I think there's a little thing that says especially young people
at various points.
But the youth work that we're doing is so critical
because it's their world,
and this is the world they'll be inheriting.
But the neatness of adding the for all
is that it takes us beyond the parochial, beyond the boundaries
of this particular district towards the global, which is for all.
And it takes in the natural environment as well,
because that all is all living creatures, not just human beings.
So you can think of it as a very big way,
you can think of it as an inclusive for the local district.
So I think the well -being qualifies the prosperity,
because prosperity can be interpreted and probably will be interpreted
very simply as getting more money and getting a better paid job,
which everybody wants,
but actually well -being is perhaps even more important
in many people's agendas,
as long as they can get enough food to eat and housing.
There's so much focus on well -being in public discourse at the moment.
so many young people coming through with difficulties around that, and so many right across the spectrum.
So, yeah, just something to consider.
Terrific, thank you. Councilor Clayton.
I was just going to respond to Councilor Fuller's point about the
Cllr Mike Blakemore - 0:20:02
beacon, which, yes, they weren't involved in this,
but they took part in our first meeting with the Youth Forum, which was held recently, and will hopefully take part in future ones.
They will have a very direct route.
We're very keen to use forum as not just a talking shop,
it's actually about influencing how we do things,
that the council already were talking about the agenda for the next one in September,
which has come directly out of the last meeting
and the Beacon very much part of that conversation.
Thank you very much. Councillor Shue.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:20:30
Thank you.
Cllr Rebecca Shoob - 0:20:32
I very much welcome this.
It's an amazing piece of work.
and as Councillor Polly Blakemore said, it's a really good read,
which is unusual to read.
I think wellbeing is absolutely what we want to achieve
and what we need for our residents,
and the natural world is a part of that.
I also wanted just to commend the councillors, including Councillor Scott from Councillor
Mike Blakemore, who've been doing so much on the work with young people in the district.
And I'm sort of just reflecting on what Councillor Hills said in the previous meeting about,
Fast forward into the many years,
hence for none of us all, some of us might be here,
most of us probably not.
And the world that today's young people are going to be inheriting,
and this really makes...
Acknowledges the work that needs to be done right now.
And it offers absolute concrete ways in which we can address,
try to address the issues that have been allowed to develop
for too long and start writing some of those issues
so that hopefully today's young people won't have the angst
that they're faced with today
and that they can have a better and secure future.
Thank you.
Any further contributions?
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:22:29
I'd like to thank you all for your individual contributions.
Everyone spoke, which is terrific.
Thank you very much for that.
On behalf of the Cabinet and indeed the Council,
I think I'd like to yet again express my thanks
to the officers and please do make sure that everyone gets told because I agree with all
of us that this is a truly excellent piece of work.
I'm very, very, very proud of it.
So we have a proposer.
We have a seconder.
All those in favor, please indicate.
Thank you very much everyone.
That's unanimous and that's a conclusion of our business.
Thank you for hanging on.