Council - Wednesday 25 June 2025, 7:00pm - Slides Tab - Folkestone & Hythe webcasting

Council
Wednesday, 25th June 2025 at 7:00pm 

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  1. Cllr Anita Jones
  2. Microphone Forty
  3. Slide 1
  4. Cllr Anita Jones
  5. Dr Susan Priest
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  1. Councillor Tony Hills
  2. Cllr Stephen Scoffham
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  5. Cllr Jim Martin
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  9. Cllr Connor McConville
  10. Cllr Anita Jones
  11. Councillor Tony Hills
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  13. Cllr Anita Jones
  14. Councillor Tony Hills
  15. Cllr Stephen Scoffham
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  17. Cllr Bridget Chapman
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  1. Cllr Anita Jones
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  20. Councillor Tony Hills
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  28. Cllr Jim Martin
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  31. Webcast Finished
Slide selection

Cllr Anita Jones - 0:00:00
Microphone Forty - 0:00:02
Good evening. If you would like to join me in prayer, I invite you to respond, Amen, after each prayer.
Heavenly Father, as we have been giving thanks for our armed forces these past weeks, we ask that you would continue to bless all those who give so much of themselves to defending our freedoms and British values.
Keep all those serving at home and abroad safe from evil and harm, and set their hearts to the values of your kingdom of justice and righteousness.
And comfort those families and friends of loved ones who are presently far away from home.
May they feel the warmth of community around them and sustain them in their loved ones' absence. Amen.
Amen.
Amen.
Among those values that members of our armed forces defend are respect and tolerance for
all peoples and communities.
Inspire us to uphold those values in our thoughts and actions.
May we always strive to serve all those whom we represent, promoting a better understanding
and dialogue between peoples and communities.
Amen.
Amen.
and as we reflect tonight on our district and our world,
help us to never lose sight of our vocation to serve.
Inspire us to serve our communities, our neighbors,
our colleagues, and our environment, and the common good.
Amen.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:01:47
So good evening and welcome to the meeting of four councils.
This meeting will be webcast live 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 it to silent mode as they can be distracting.
I would like to remind members that although we all have strong opinions on matters under consideration,
It is important to treat members, officers and public speakers with respect.
Please feel free to sit or stand when speaking.
So we'll move on to item one of our agenda, apologies for absence.

1 Apologies for Absence

Dr Susan Priest - 0:02:33
Thank you chair and good evening everyone, good evening members and members of the public and colleagues.
We have apologies for absence this evening from Councillors
Butcher, Polly Batemore, Mike Batemore,
Mrs Jenny Hollingsby, Ms McShane and Councillor John
Wynne. Thank you.
Thank you and item two on our agenda.

2 Declarations of Interest

Cllr Anita Jones - 0:02:53
Do we have any declarations of interest?

3 Minutes

Cllr Anita Jones - 0:03:01
OK so item three is that I'm going to check the chair is
going to sign the minutes of the meeting held on the second
We don't need a proposal for this do we?
No.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:03:33
Thank you and we'll move on to Chairs Communications.

4 Chair's Communications

So thank you to those of you who bought a donation for the Rainbow Centre Food Bank
this evening. I know that each of these will make a big difference to someone in our district.
So I've attended a number of events since the annual meeting in May. I was pleased to
support the new mayors of Folkestone, New Romney and Hyde in their mayor -making ceremonies.
They are all excellent mayors and will do an amazing job representing and promoting
their towns. I was honoured to attend the Royal Garden Party with my husband Steve on
on behalf of the district. We were lucky to have amazing weather. We didn't meet any royalty,
but we did chat to some amazing people who have done great things for their communities.
I took a short holiday at the end of May in Wales and was delighted to bump into our leader,
Jim Martin, at the top of Ewardfra, which is a Snowdon. I was pleased to support the
South Kent Mind Spot and Sir Dog Walk along the Royal Military Canal with my Dalmatian
Luna. The focus was on how owning a dog can improve both your physical and mental health.
Luna particularly enjoyed the party bag of dog biscuits at the end. The band of the Princess
of Wales Royal Regiment gave a great concert in the Tower Theatre at the end of May with
our Military Wives Choir raising money towards the Army Benevolent Fund. And on the 6th of
June we remembered the D -Day landings in the Garden of Remembrance in Folkestone. I was
Jim Martin and I travelled to Maidstone last week to attend the Kent and Medway Civilian Military Armed Forces Covenant Conference.
We made some useful connections and heard about some of the ways military veterans are being supported and what we can do to help.
As part of Refugee Week, I attended a networking breakfast at the Deanery in Canterbury Cathedral,
alongside representatives from councils, refugee charities and the church.
We are all united in wanting to support refugees in our communities and it was a great opportunity
to share our experiences.
Last Saturday, High Town Council with the RBL had a fantastic armed forces event in
Oaklands Park which included a parade, a service, entertainment and bouncy castles.
Outside the Civic Centre on Monday, we held a small flag raising ceremony for Armed Forces
and I joined the Armed Forces flag raising event at KCC on Tuesday.
In this deeply troubled world, it is so important to recognize the work of our Armed Forces community
and to reflect on how grateful we are to live in peace.
Thank you.

5 Petitions

So we'll move on to item 5, petitions. We don't have any petitions, so we'll move on to item 6, public questions.

6 Questions from the Public

We have two members of the public who have questions.
I'm hoping, are they both here?
No, okay, is the first one not here?
Okay.
So the first question, we will allow the cabinet member
to send a written response.
So we'll move on to our second question
from Mr B Reynolds to Councillor Shubbe,
Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness.
Thank you.
Microphone Forty - 0:06:59
Can you explain why tenants are being expected to pay for their own HH SRS inspection when
the Housing Act 2004 clearly places the legal duty on the local authority to carry out such
inspections free of charge where there is reason to believe a category 1 or category
2 hazard exists?
Councillor Shue.
Thank you for your question Mr Reynolds.
Cllr Rebecca Shoob - 0:07:27
The council does not provide full housing health and safety rating system or HHSRS assessment
reports for tenants.
The HHSRS is a risk based evaluation tool to help local authorities identify and protect
against potential risks and hazards to health and safety from any deficiencies identified
in dwellings.
Our private sector housing team is well aware of the requirements under the Housing Act
2004 in relation to the HSLRS.
The private sector housing team follows a process and will visit all tenants who request
help and carry out an initial inspection of a privately rented property.
The team will then write to the landlord and or the letting agent pointing out any deficiencies
and hazards present and asking them for written proposals of remedy of any deficiencies.
The tenant will receive a copy of this letter.
If the landlord or letting agent does not respond to the letter or the progress is too
slow, the council may then initiate enforcement action based on HHSRS assessments.
This is done in accordance with our council approved enforcement policy.
If a tenant requires a more detailed report and formal HHSRS assessment for their own
use, they would be advised to obtain such a report by instructing a private surveyor
or assessor.
This question relates to a specific case,
and if further responses are required,
they should be communicated to the
private sector housing team through
the prescribed channels.
Thank you.
Many thanks and do you have a
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:09:21
supplementary related question?
Please note this must not be a statement.
Microphone Forty - 0:09:29
Can you explain why the council
continues to operate to my belief and
unlawful housing enforcement policy?
One that breaches the Section 5 of the Housing Act 2004 after being formally
warned multiple times.
Councillor Shub.
Thank you.
I would refer back to my previous answer that our private sector housing
team is well aware of the requirements under the Housing Act 2004.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:10:04
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:10:05
So we're going to move on to Councillor questions.
There are nine questions from members which should be set out in Schedule 2 on your desks.

7 Questions from Councillors

And we have a 45 minute time limit for this but I think we should be fine this evening.
So our first question this evening is from Councillor Hills to Councillor Stephen Scoffin.
Councillor Tony Hills - 0:10:24
Thank you, Chair.
What continuity plans does the council have if the bathing water quality is classified as poor this year at Dimchurch?
Councillor Schaffran.
Cllr Stephen Scoffham - 0:10:42
Thank you for your question Councillor Hills and I welcome the brief way in which you expressed it very neatly and it's a very important question.
Just to provide a bit of background,
we have six designated bathing water beaches in the district
which are regularly tested by the Environment Agency throughout the summer.
Currently, two of these beaches are designated as poor,
with advice against bathing.
These are Little Stone and, as of last year, Dim Church.
For reasons I'll explain realistically,
the scope of the contingency plans once the testing season is over
and the new rating announced is limited.
In most instances, you need to go through another summer season of testing
before the rating is reassessed.
This is why the Council's efforts are concentrated on this summer's season.
In preparation for this summer,
the Council has been working closely with the Environment Agency and Subbinwater
on several lines of investigation in relation to Dimchurch.
This has included increased out of season water testing, resolving private drainage
misconceptions, camera surveys of public toilets, pipe work and leech lake testing on the beach.
Officers from the Environment Protection Team are meeting regularly with the Environment
Agency, Internal Drainage Board and Southern Water to review the test results as they are
published.
The Council also hosted the latest in a sequence of public engagement meetings with Southern Water on the 13th of this month.
The Council will of course challenge a poor rating if the 2025 testing data shows a significant improvement but this has not been reflected in the new rating.
This is possible because the assessment has to consider testing data from the preceding three years,
but overall, for the reasons given, our efforts are focused on this season.
Thank you. Do you have a related supplementary question?
Yes, Chair, I do. Thank you for that. I have to call you Stephen.
Thank you, that's very comprehensive.
But the concern I have, if we do have a dip in performance
through July into August, we'll have very little time
to respond for this year.
And that would be the third year that the church
should have a failure.
After four years, I'm not sure I'm aware of this,
after four years they could lose their faith
in all the stadiums for life.
So that's why it's so important.
Now I just hope you will consider that come August
that would have to move at speed if there's a problem.
Thank you for drawing our attention to that.
Maybe I can just reassure you that we're doing everything we possibly can.
Last week I personally put the question to Emma Hardy, MP,
who is the MP for Minister for Water and Flooding,
on behalf of the leader.
I explained exactly the problems that we've got
and the view that we all have that the action proposed by Southern Water
for the 2025 -30 period across the district
is unlikely to solve the problems that we face.
The Minister said she would look into this
and find out more about Southern Water's priorities at a granular level.
Hopefully this will concentrate minds
and further raise the public profile of Dim Church and other local beaches.
Thank you. Sorry, could you just switch off your microphone?
Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:14:22
That's okay. And our second question from Councillor Hills
to Councillor Jim Martin.
Thank you, Chair.
Councillor Tony Hills - 0:14:28
With the growing possibility of Robby Marsh being covered in solar panels,
what can this council do to protect our precious environment?
Councillor Jim Martin.
Thank you very much, Councillor Hills,
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:14:48
for your excellent question and I think it is a concern to all of us.
Your question reflects concerns raised by Councillor Alan Martin in January of this year
and indeed in November last year, so it's a really real recurring theme.
As I said in January, this is a question which will challenge all rural communities across
the country, particularly in the southeast.
From a national policy context, generating clean energy is an important driver of growth
for both local and national economies.
He supports action in response to climate change and will increase energy security.
I do, however, have a great deal of sympathy for residents who are concerned about the
number and the scale of the energy generation projects proposed across this district, particularly
those on Romney Marsh.
These proposals will be subject to a public consultation through the nationally significant infrastructure planning process.
And the best way to make local views known is to take every opportunity to respond to these.
And I hope that our town and parish councils can help residents to do this.
Each application will need to consider the cumulative impact of their proposals and any
other existing or approved development applications when presenting their proposals to the planning
inspector.
Each will examine the schemes and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State.
In saying that, clearly that means we are not the planning authority for this.
we will be a consultee.
Sadly, it won't come to this chamber.
We will have to make representations to the government on this.
Notwithstanding this, I wrote to the Secretary of State in May this year
to express my concerns at the lack of strategic oversight
for these projects of this scale and nature.
I received a response from the Minister of Energy,
which confirmed that the planning system
will consider cumulative impacts where several solar projects are proposed close to each
other. The Minister added that the Government is commissioning a Strategic Spatial Energy
Plan, SSEP, which will be the first nationwide spatial energy plan. The energy plan will
support a planned approach across the country by assessing and identifying locations, quantities
and types of energy infrastructure required for generation and storage. Although I note
from the Minister's letter that the plan is due to be published in late 2026. We will
continue to monitor these schemes as they progress. The Council can comment through
the public consultations and if the schemes progress to public examination,
we can also appear at the examinations to make our views known to the planning
inspector.
I hope this gives you some reassurance and I'm very happy for those who
haven't had a copy of the Minister's letter to forward it to you after this
meeting.
Thank you.
Do you have a related question?
Thank you.
Councillor Tony Hills - 0:18:40
Thank you for that very comprehensive answer.
That's very good.
But the meetings I've had at the Shepway schemes, Shepway Energy Park...
This one.
The roads they intend to use are just not suitable.
I mean, really not suitable.
Now, the scheme in Old Romney is...
I can see that working, but they're working this separately,
You're quite right, they've got to take it to view of the whole marsh.
I believe it's up to six schemes, all working individually,
which could completely blight the marsh.
So I totally agree with your approach,
and I advise you, I support you, to look at the Shetway scheme
and see what a disaster that would be for our residents in my community
out there in the Melbourne Marsh Ward. Thank you.
Thank you, Cass Lails, for your supplementary.
All I can say is that the diagram that you hold there is on the wall
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:19:40
of our head of planning.
So it is of huge concern to us.
Your detailed knowledge with regard to the roads access, etc., etc., has always been
a huge benefit in terms of the feedback that you can add to the process.
So, I would encourage everyone to feed their knowledge into this, because it is in the
detail that we will try and resolve the issues and try and really sort out these applications.
So, please do continue to comment.
Thank you.
Now, our third question, again, is from Councillor Hills, and this
Councillor Tony Hills - 0:20:26
time to Councillor McConville.
I'm sorry chair, you get fed up with me aren't you?
I have too much time on my hands.
That's all.
I've heard rumors that parish councils have been approached
by Foulton High District Council to assume ownership
and responsibility for land and assets
currently controlled by Foulton High.
Is this part of the preparation for the forming
of a unitary council?
Councillor McConville.
Thank you for your question, Councillor Hills.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:21:00
I can confirm that the Fuxon High District Council
haven't approached any town or parish councils
regarding the transfer of land and assets
in light of local government reorganisation.
You may be aware that the council has transferred
and is still in discussions with town and parish councils
over the transfer of play areas that was agreed
in the play areas strategy approved in 2020.
In the context of the uncertainty surrounding LGR,
and the Council's auditors, Grant Thornton, have advised on the importance for all Councils
going through LGR to continue to operate effective governance and decision -making arrangements
and to maintain appropriate financial stewardship.
This Council is committed to the ongoing prudent management of its asset base and as far as
possible it will be a business as usual approach to allowing the Council to continue with delivering
its functions.
The new asset management strategy is currently being finalized, will be considered by OSC
in July and cabinet in September.
Notwithstanding that, I can say that folks in town council have had discussions about
the potential level of assets, of council -owned assets, and perhaps other district councils
have as well.
I think it's only healthy that those town and parish councils have those discussions.
If there's a prudent business case that could be put forward to this council
for the transfer of a potential asset in the correct circumstances
and done in the right way to ensure its longevity in the space of LGR,
then obviously the council will have those discussions,
but the council have not instigated those.
Thank you. Do you have a related question?
Sorry, Chip.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:22:44
Yeah, thank you for that.
Councillor Tony Hills - 0:22:46
That's a good answer as well.
The concerns would be to keep parish councils engaged
and involved as this thing develops,
not just send things out to mothers being cut and dried here.
So I'd advise you, I'd ask your sympathy to the parish councils
because they're getting very worried
because if we had, say, a large military,
and like, from Ashford to Lapp, around the coast to Canterbury,
which are the support, by the way, the coastal area,
the gap between them and parish councils is absolutely massive.
So we need to have that interview.
But please keep me informed, but thank you for your answer.
Thank you, Tony.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:23:32
A big focus of mine and a big piece of work
that I'll be undertaking over the summer,
well before we get to those November discussions.
Thank you. Moving on to question four.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:23:42
From Councillor Hills to Councillor Steven Scoffram.
Councillor Tony Hills - 0:23:46
I promise this is the last one.
Regents have raised concerns with me over air quality.
This comes from the Dinchurch Parish Council.
Do we have the latest readings for folks in the High?
Are they improving and how do we compare with other districts?
Councillor Scoffram.
It's another important question. Thank you very much for it, Councillor Hills.
Cllr Stephen Scoffham - 0:24:12
The Council conducts air quality monitoring at 19 locations across the district.
In fact, one new site was installed this year.
Each site is monitoring for nitrogen dioxide,
which is commonly associated with vehicle emissions,
and the sites are generally located near popular traffic routes.
Each year, the Council compiles its monitoring results
over the previous 12 months, and submits these to DEFRA.
Based on the results, decisions will be made
on whether a specific intervention was necessary to improve air quality.
This would commonly be through setting up an air quality management area.
So to come more specifically to what you asked,
the annual report has only just recently been drafted,
but not yet finalised.
However, I can report, and am pleased to report,
that the results at the original 18 testing locations have improved
and the district continues to have no requirement
to set up an air quality management area.
The report will be published on the council website in the next few weeks.
It's difficult to draw comparison between districts
as each has its own characteristics,
which is why we tend to compare this year
and the previous year's sectors of data.
Perhaps I can quickly comment on testing for particulate matter 2 .5 and 10, known as PM2 .5
and PM10.
These are the small particles which are measured in microns that can be a causal factor in
respiratory illnesses and heart disease.
The Council doesn't carry out monitoring for PM 2 .5
and instead relies on the DEFRA modelling and public health data.
There are several reasons for this.
PM 2 .5 is caused by numerous processes of combustion,
vehicle emissions being a major contributor,
but also other industrial processes.
There are also natural processes as well, like soil and dust,
Isolating individual contributions to PM 2 .5,
such as a relatively small number of properties with wood burners,
is therefore extremely difficult.
Secondly, proper scientific testing,
i .e. not handheld devices for interior use.
Proper scientific testing units are costly, static, difficult to employ
and generally designed to monitor the background level.
Thirdly, other testing like the Roadside Air Quality Monitoring will, by extension, indicate
problems with PM2 .5.
If NO2 emissions are high, then it's likely to do the same case with PM2 .5.
And finally, the Council responds on the basis that PM2 .5 is present, it is a risk and is
the local, national and global level needs to be reduced.
Do you have a related question?
Thank you, Steve, for that. It's a very comprehensive answer.
If you could email it to me, I'd be grateful.
But the concern you're quite right is over woodwork.
You don't have the traffic problems you used to have.
If your cars come online and more hybrids,
there'll be fewer problems with emissions from the engines.
but woodburners aren't getting to a serious concern.
So please keep that in mind
and I look forward to getting your information in due course.
Thank you, Councillor Hills.
I'd be happy to email you the reply that I just read.
As far as woodburners are concerned,
I'm aware that there was a report from the University College London
which had a national survey.
It was based on data of the number of woodburners
installed in individual properties,
which is obtained from certificates.
That tells us nothing about the type of wood burner,
and they vary enormously.
Some are very poor rating, some have very good rating,
and recirculate the particulate pollution several times before it's emitted.
So that makes a big difference,
as does the amount of usage that they get.
You might install one and use it every day,
or you might install one and use it once a year.
So the data didn't tell us that.
And equally, it didn't tell us about the quality of the wood being burned,
which could have been kiln dried or it could have been very green.
So that data is useful,
it's drawn attention to the danger and difficulties around wood burners,
but it doesn't actually take us terribly far.
So I'm certain you're aware, as I am, of the report.
I think what I'm saying is I know that there were various spots
around the coast of Kent, Hives being one of them,
Dia was another, there was a couple of spots in the North Kent coast as well,
all of which had a high concentration of wood burners per square metre
or per kilometre.
But again, it doesn't tell us a great deal,
but it just signals a direction of travel.
Thank you.
Stephen, thank you.
Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:29:37
And we'll move on to question five from Councillor Chapman to Councillor Butcher.
Thank you. Councillor Butcher is not here. Apologies. So it will be to
Cllr Bridget Chapman - 0:29:44
Councillor Jim Martin.
I understand. Thank you, Chair. New Petticoat Lane Emporium opens in Foulkesdon Town Centre
on Saturday. There is already a very successful emporium in Ramsgate and this one has taken over
the MT Wilcoast or in Foulkesdon Town Centre. It's a really interesting model which offers
space to smaller traders and dealers who might not otherwise be able to afford retail space
in this location. I think it's an excellent initiative which makes good use of a large
empty space in the town centre. I hope it will also increase footfall in the town centre
as it will be a draw for many. Will Councillor Bookjaw, indeed Councillor Martin, join me
in welcoming the opening of this new venture and will he outline what the council is doing
to work with landlords to ensure the many empty shops in the town centre find new uses?
Councillor Martin.
Thank you very much and not for the first time I have to say that I
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:30:38
completely agree with you, Councillor Chapman.
I'm sure that both, I'm sure all councillors will join you in welcoming the Petticoat Lane Emporium.
I completely agree with your assertion that the Petticoat Lane Emporium is great news for Folkestone
and their model does indeed create an affordable way
for smaller businesses and dealers
to trade in a high street environment
without having to be present each day.
This is often seen as an ongoing challenge
for small product makers.
This venture will also bring in more football
which in turn will help other businesses in the high street.
Empty shops are a very difficult problem to solve and this is a challenge up and down the country.
This council continues to support its high street through various projects,
the largest of which is the Fokston Brighter Future project.
By improving the core town centre, this will hopefully draw in new businesses and importantly drive up footfall.
The team are developing a town centre operating plan in tandem with capital improvement works
to ensure there is a mechanism to create vibrancy in the town centre through markets and events.
The council is about to launch a rural England prosperity grant programme aimed at helping
businesses diversify and become more resilient.
This capital funding can be used to unlock empty properties.
The Economic Development team will also engage regularly with town centre property owners
where they have the contact details and commercial agents to see what business movement there
is in the various towns within the district.
The team will also deal with enquiries from prospective businesses looking for premises
and try to connect them with appropriate landlords who have empty units.
Where appropriate, officers will meet new businesses directly,
as did happen with the proprietors of the Petticoat Lane Emporium,
to understand more about their business,
signposting where appropriate to other stakeholders.
We also liaise with Locate in Kent,
the Inwood Investment KCC funded organisation
whose key objective is to draw in new businesses
to Kent districts.
We take their inquiries and try and connect with landlords
and landowners to see if any of them can be taken forward.
Unfortunately, there is no easy fix
to the high street issues,
but the team do everything in their armoury
to support landlords and businesses to minimise our vacancy numbers.
Just on a personal note, the reason why I think this will work is because of the size
of the business unit.
Taking a big floor area is a really big fixed cost for a small business.
Taking a much smaller floor area and then increasing that floor area as the business
is a much better business plan with less risk for the small operator.
Thank you.
Do you have a supplementary question?
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:34:22
I do, thank you.
Cllr Bridget Chapman - 0:34:25
Thank you for that Councillor Martin, I really appreciate it.
I agree with you about dividing up spaces and I was lucky enough to visit Shrewsbury recently
and I was absolutely blown away by the Shrewsbury market hall there.
It's managed between Shrewsbury Town Council
and Shropshire Council.
It was a real community hub with bigger units
than we're talking about in Petticoat Lane.
I am wondering if we, I think that we should be
investigating using at least one floor of FOLKA
for such an initiative,
and I wonder if that could be explored.
Councilor Martin.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:35:04
This relates to a different topic, but you may not be as far away as you think.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:35:13
We're happy to explore everything. Just so everybody's clear, there is a great deal of commercial interest in Volker.
a whole floor, a half a floor, etc.
The council's objective is to get a mix in terms of the health centre,
our own offices, etc.
But everything is fluid.
In particular, at the moment, I've seen some really interesting work
about what we call revitalising the shop front, the windows.
If you're familiar with the Oxo building at Blackfriars, for example,
that's exactly what they've done.
So we're kind of on everything at the moment
and watch this space.
We may be making some other announcements very shortly at that time.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So we'll move on to question six from Councillor Keane to Councillor
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:36:15
Jim Martin.
Cllr Nicola Keen - 0:36:18
Thank you, Chair.
In view of the recent planning permission granted on the reserve matters on the harbour
shoreline development, what measures can we as a council put into place to protect the
residents who live in the area?
They have already suffered years of upheaval, constant noise, dust and not being able to
park anywhere near their homes.
Due to the volume of vehicles and site traffic as a council what can we do?
Councillor Jim Martin.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:36:52
Thank you very much for your very important question Councillor Keene.
In order to minimise the destruction from construction activities, condition 28 of the
outline permission requires a construction management plan to be submitted to and approved
by the council to include HGV construction traffic routing and timings.
wheel washing, site personnel parking, hours of operation,
dust suppression measures, lighting
and construction noise controls.
The condition also requires the works to maintain
pedestrian and cycle links and parking areas
along the seafront.
In addition, condition 07 of the reserve matters bracket,
not formally issued yet, close bracket, for plots F, G and H requires details of construction,
vehicle loading and unloading.
Also condition 12 requires a construction management plan for the decant and re -provision
of the car parking provision, re -provision of the car parking provision available on
the site.
In addition, the council via the environmental health team have additional powers under the
statutory nuisance impacts.
While some temporary inconvenience is possibly unavoidable during the construction phase,
we will seek to work with all to protect our residents as much as possible.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:38:36
Cllr Nicola Keen - 0:38:38
We do have a related supplementary question on this subject.
In view of the fact that since 2019 the people in that area have suffered all kinds and nothing
was enforced, nothing at all.
I'm asking that we have extra environmental officers down there and extra enforcement.
I don't intend to spend my Saturdays pacifying residents when we need staff there.
We have a question please.
Can I please have extra staff in staid and on the harbour area during the summer and
during the construction of this?
Councillor Marsham.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:39:14
No problem, I get the gist Councillor Keegan.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:39:19
And, you know, we will react as the problems arise.
When the shoreline was being built,
I was taken down there to look at the wheel washing
and the traffic controls, et cetera, et cetera.
So there was, you know, these controls were in place.
I'm not saying that they were in place every single day.
I wasn't there every single day.
On the day that I visited, they certainly were.
But we have our team of enforcement officers.
If this becomes a particular issue,
we will have no hesitation in enforcing.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Our next question is also from Councillor Keane
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:40:10
to Councillor Blakemore.
But in Councillor Blakemore's place,
Next we'll have it to Councillor Jim Martin again.
Cllr Nicola Keen - 0:40:17
Councillor Martin.
Can we please have an explanation as to why a recent consultation was carried out on banning
dogs in some areas and less on leaves.
There are so few places that dog owners can walk their dogs without leaves that this seems
to be rather extreme and excessive.
Councillor Jim Martin.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Councillor Keith.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:40:43
The next instalment of the Nickler and Jim show.
So, yeah, I think you are referring
to the public consultation on the new
dog control public spaces protection order.
The current public space protection order
is expiring at the end of July,
and the council is in the process
of putting in place a new PSPO,
PSPO which is largely a continuation of the existing restrictions.
Dogs on Leeds restriction is not district -wide and applies only to selected areas, for example
cemeteries.
Where restrictions are proposed these will be in response to public complaints received
about dog fowling in an area or information provided by the enforcement or grounds maintenance
teams about dog fowling hot spots. A public consultation gives an opportunity for all
views to be heard on what in this case can be an issue that divides opinion. Just to
aware that the public consultation period for the dog control PSPO ends today if there
are any comments you wish to make.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:42:08
Cllr Nicola Keen - 0:42:08
Do you have a related supplementary question?
Can I suggest to the council this evening that in view of this PSPO that we're going
to be putting in to restrict dogs and where they walk, can we have a look at the maintenance
of our dog walking parks?
They are in an absolute disgusting state, they are not maintained.
Gates are left open by council workers cut and grass, that would lead to a dog being
off a ledge in the public space.
Can this police be looked at as a matter of urgency?
Fences are down, been broken, gates are left open and broken and there are great big holes
that they are expecting great pairs of this town to fill.
So can I have an assurance that these parts will be looked at and maintained appropriately?
Councillor Martin.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:42:51
I'm very happy to give that assurance. Thank you.
Thank you. So we'll move on to question eight from Councillor Keene to Councillor
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:42:57
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:43:07
McConville. Can you put your mic on? Sorry.
Cllr Nicola Keen - 0:43:09
I thought I was loud enough about it. I need to take my place back now. Was there an explanation
given as to why the cabinet member for DIGLOTION failed to attend or give apologies for the
meeting that took place last week?
Councillor McConville.
Thank you for your question.
Cllr Connor McConville - 0:43:29
Councillor Keene, I obviously had every intention of making that meeting.
Unfortunately I assumed that every single working group meeting that I have attended
has been online.
So I was on my computer after just finishing another meeting ready to log on only to see
that there was no online link and saw that it was an in -person meeting.
However, the room it was being held in would have allowed me to join virtually.
I emailed the member of committee services who was organising the meeting.
I emailed committee services generally and I messaged the leader of the council if they
can ask them to send me a link so I could join the meeting virtually.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a response until after the meeting.
after about ten minutes of assuming, waiting for a link to come,
I thought, should I go to the Civic Centre
and then end the meeting late?
Then I would have had to have left the meeting early
because I had another meeting scheduled.
At that time, that meeting was meant to end at 11 .30.
So I decided that a better use of my time
would be to go over the papers that were sent out
in terms that we're attached to the meeting,
so I spent another 30, 40 minutes going through those in much more detail,
and then I spent another 45 minutes to an hour
going through some information on the LGA's LGR hub.
And I'll also say that I have been...
The apologies are recorded
because the emails I sent were before the meeting started,
so there are apologies recorded for that meeting.
Thank you. Do you have a related question?
Cllr Nicola Keen - 0:45:08
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:45:10
No, just thank you, Councillor, for the rundown of your diary
Cllr Nicola Keen - 0:45:11
commitments that day.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:45:15
Okay, so moving on to question nine, which is our last question.
From Councillor Lockwood to Councillor Butcher,
but as Councillor Butcher is currently away, it will be to Councillor Jim Martin.
Cllr Adrian Lockwood - 0:45:25
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:45:25
Thank you, Chair.
Cllr Adrian Lockwood - 0:45:32
Will the traffic restrictions around Folkestone Central Station
and temporary traffic lights and diversions on Shelyn Street and Grace Hill
still be in place during the summer holidays
and for the start of folks in triennial?
And can anything be done to improve peak traffic time,
traffic flows, peak time traffic flows, apologies,
to avoid some of the jams that we experienced this weekend?
Thank you, Councillor Martin.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:45:58
Thank you very much Councillor Lockwood
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:46:03
for your very pertinent question.
To successfully deliver folks in a brighter future
within the required funding timeline,
it is recognized that there will be an element
of disruption as the highways and public realm improvements
are delivered throughout 2025 and into 2026.
Our delivery partner, Kent County Council,
along with the main works contractor,
Jackson Civil Engineering Limited,
developed a schedule of works in consultation with key stakeholders
including Creative Folkestone to minimize this level of disruption
especially during peak times such as the Triennial.
The temporary traffic lights recently put in place near Grace Hill
have since been removed.
Officers will continue to work with the wider project team
and to further minimise any disruption where possible.
Just to reassure you, Councillor Lockwood,
this is something that is monitored hour by hour.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:47:16
Do you have a related supplementary question?
Cllr Adrian Lockwood - 0:47:19
Yes, thank you, Chair, and thank you for that answer, Jim.
That's helpful.
Could I suggest that information is more readily available?
I personally don't know how long these works were on for.
There's no sign anywhere saying road blocking,
you know, road restrictions until,
usually it says until September or until whenever,
but I can't see any of that.
Maybe the council could use some comms.
My supplementary question is,
would the council be prepared to work with the contractor
to, if possible, route the station and notwithstanding road safety being first,
to do something creative with the cones so that the thousands of people entering
folks from the train station get their training and experience starts early.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:48:17
Councillor Marsden.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:48:19
Well thank you very much, a very imaginative and creative idea
and we'll certainly take that on board and convey it.
It's very interesting about the signage.
The chief executive and I were in a meeting earlier today
when this was discussed and I think everyone agreed
that we need to do much more around that signage,
give more information, less dramatic,
more explanation of what, where, how and when.
So I'll take that on board and we'll promise to do something to improve the signage.
Thank you.
Thank you. So we'll move on to item eight of our agenda,
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:49:00
which is the announcements of the leader of the council.

8 Announcements of the Leader of the Council

We've already heard plenty from you, Jim,
but we'll look forward to hearing what you've got to tell us.
Good evening, councillors. Sorry about this.
Cllr Jim Martin - 0:49:14
So, good evening, councillors.
I hope you're all well and enjoying the fine weather in our beautiful district.
I have been trying to attend as many town and parish meetings as I can to explain the
position on local government reorganisation.
The problem I have is it keeps moving.
I recently attended a meeting of Lynn Parish Council and enjoyed a very lively debate on
local government reorganisation.
I also attended Folkestone, Saltwood and Hyde.
I was also pleased to attend an all -parish meeting
convened by CALC to talk about local government reorganisation.
On 11 June, I was invited to attend a Kent Leaders Summit
at Paul Cullis House in Westminster,
along with all of the other Kent District leaders,
the unitary leaders and all of the Kent MPs.
All political parties were represented.
The agenda was long and complexed, but it gave everyone an opportunity to raise specific
problems and discuss the issues currently affecting Kent as a county.
I was pleased to host, as has been referred to earlier, another steering group meeting
of the Southern Water Community Steering Group,
which was set up after our overview and scrutiny committee
asked for more discussion with the community group,
Southern Water and the Environment Agency
regarding the bathing water quality on all of the district beaches.
And while Councillor Hill's very pertinent question
is around Dimchurch,
There are strong positive signs about Dim Church.
My biggest worry is Sunny Sands and the Pent Street.
But again, it's something we're on daily.
Work on Otakal is continuing and I was happy to host a meeting
of all six of our newly elected KCC councillors
to outline a project to them.
Our collaboration agreement partners at Homes England attended the meeting and updated everyone
on their current position and their thoughts on the future.
We are continuing to meet with all interested parties including KCC, developers, contractors
and other potential partners.
I attended the UK REEF regeneration conference in Leeds and had a brief but very positive
meeting with Matthew Pennycook, the Minister of Housing regarding Otterpool.
I have also attended the Affordable Housing Conference in Brighton and the Kent Housing
Conference in Mainsford.
I have attended the Business Advisory Board meetings in Folkestone.
I have held meetings with a number of other businesses including hotels, Portland and
some manufacturing businesses.
This council is a friend to good business.
I have visited the Folkestone Leisure Centre
and I have been involved in discussions regarding the future.
I have been meeting many community interest groups across the district,
including the Save Stelling Minnis Windmill,
the Drop -In Centre in Liming
and a meeting with the New Folkestone Society
and the National Maritime Museum.
Work on Folkestone A Brighter Future is well and truly underway.
I visited FOLKA with our six KCC councillors to outline the scheme to them.
FOLKA has many challenges but I am convinced it is the most badly needed of all of our
projects.
Lid Airport invited me to meet their new commercial manager and give me an update on their current
activities.
There is a great deal of activity and confidence at Lid Airport at the moment and new jobs
are being created.
I am a trustee of the charity Dementia Awareness and Friends of Dementia,
so I was delighted to attend the opening of Safe Spaces in the Waitrose supermarket in Hyde.
Waitrose must be congratulated for their work in the community,
but specifically the work they do on dementia.
During the first week in June, I was pleased to be invited to the first anniversary of the
Peace Memorial in Oakland Park Hive. I was also pleased to attend with our
chair the Armed Forces Day celebrations in Oakland Park. I represented the
district at the Kent Armed Forces Conference in Maidstone and I was
delighted to join the chair in raising our Armed Forces flag at the beginning
of Armed Forces Week here at the Civic Centre,
with the musical accompaniment being brilliantly provided
by Ira, our Chair's youngest son.
It was a great honour to also be invited to attend
the national commemoration of the Allies evacuation
from the beaches of Dunkirk.
I joined many other representatives from many nations
who had troops evacuated in the commemoration.
I completed the Folkestone 10k this month along with 1 ,000 other runners.
I would like to thank Ray Johnson for organising such a fantastic and clearly ever growing
event.
Finally, as many of you may know, during the summer I am an everyday sea swimmer so I would
like to draw members attention to a recent event on sunny sands in Folkestone where the
fantastic beach rescue team averted a tragedy with their quick and heroic response when
two young paddleboarders were being blown by strong winds into danger. I'm sure I speak
for all councillors in thanking the volunteers from the beach rescue team and the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution who protect our coast and us if we get into difficulty in our sea.
So many of our vital services rely on the volunteers who provide that service and I
would like on behalf of the people of our district to thank them all.
Thank you chair.
Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 0:55:55
So we've got five minutes allowed for the opposition response.
Firstly from Councillor Lockwood.
Cllr Adrian Lockwood - 0:56:02
Thank you chair and thank you Councillor Martin for the update but also for all the work you
doing on our behalf, and all the representations,
and congratulations on completing your run,
by an achievement.
With respect to local government reorganization,
this is the biggest issue facing this council
in the coming months and couple of years.
It's worth mentioning at this point
that this council is an outlier
with respect to the other Kent districts,
and unitary councils with respect to public engagement
and councilor involvement.
I believe we're the only council
that has a local government,
the organization working group.
I'm not aware of any others in Kent.
And so we should be pleased that that situation's in place.
We have separate party meetings
and of course we just work together
and for the best outcome we can
with respect to the residents of Fosunhive and Romley Marsh.
With respect to the Southern Water Steering Group,
I'd be interested to hear if the outcome of these,
it's good that these meetings are happening,
and I know you do a lot of other work around that
and with the agency separately.
But are there any action points from those meetings?
Do you come away with measurable improvements
from the Environment Agency, from Southern Water,
or is it just pats on the back all round it?
It'd be good to hear if that's what those action points are
and where the improvements are coming from that group.
And it was very pleasing to hear earlier this week
that water companies nationally have been fined
100 million pounds by the government.
And that money is going to be spent on communities
that have suffered with water company issues like we have.
So I'm happy to work with the leader and officers
and our two MPs to see if we can leverage
some of that money for our, for example,
our six bathing beaches here in there,
folks that are in Haydn, from the OCH.
Thank you for the invite to the Leisure Centre.
There are several councillors there that came with you, that was very helpful.
Good to see that the swimming pool and to a certain extent the sports hall are pretty
much as they were when we were still using them last summer.
I was very tempted to jump into the pool.
It looked like it was ready for people to jump in but those would have been massively
contrary to health and safety on the day. But it's very much a sort of a game of two
halves because as soon as you go round the back and you see things like the plant room,
you can see that there's a lot of work to be done to get that building back to being
compliant and back working not just for a year or two but for the next 20 or 30 years.
So we hope that the Sports Trust will... they are working hard on this.
They're going to come forward in the next few weeks with plans and hopefully a better idea of when the centre will reopen.
And I will be able to go back and do my weekly swim, which I look forward to.
Very busy period for civic events. I've been able to go along to some myself and it's always good to see the council represented,
particularly on the Maidstone one. Just the flag as well, it's Armed Forces Day in Folkestone on Saturday.
On the Lees you can come and meet some of our amazing forces people.
and then on Sunday, it's town Sunday at St. Eames with on Sunday morning
and blessing of the fisheries on Sunday afternoon on the Stade
and everyone's welcome to all of those events
and they celebrate obviously our history and heritage in this town.
And then lastly on the life, on the beach rescue team, I echo what was said about thanking
that team and if there's anything this council can do funding wise to support their campaign
for a new boat, then I would welcome that and I'm happy to work with you to support
that.
Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:00:59
Thank you. And five minutes. Is it Councillor Godfrey standing in for Councillor Hollingsby?
Yes, thank you.
Cllr David Godfrey - 1:01:05
Yes, thank you. Well, you've been all over the country and all over Kent, meeting after
meeting after meeting. I do hope this is not the only opportunity to see your good lady
wife is in this chamber. Yeah, I attended the Kelk EGM up at Ashford and it was very
attended by all the parishes and many of the districts and the leader of Medway Vince Cable
who had some very forthright things to say about how LGR might or might not go ahead.
It's a very complex subject and it's going to take a lot of working out and I personally
am quite interested to see Kent's position when they finally make up their minds where
they want to go with this.
You mentioned the meetings about offer pool which is great, continuing meetings and the
meetings with them, the thoughts that Holmes England have on the future and their current
position.
I hope you'll be able to share more of that with us shortly because I'm not sure where
we are and that's one of the things you mentioned later that FOGA is the most important project.
I suggest that's the most important project for Folkestone but for the district I would
say Otterport is big and we would really like to see that get started.
I also attended with the other councillors that came along with us at the sports centre
and certainly the scale of the challenge of the sports centre trust is immense, absolutely
immense and they do a great job keeping the pool open but the rest of it needs a lot of
work and I think we will, I'm sure we will try to support them as much as possible and
get that thing open.
Thank you for all you've done because all of these swimming things,
that makes me feel tired actually, all this running and swimming you do.
And all these various charity meetings you've attended, well done.
And thank you for the report.
Thank you. And Jim, you have five minutes for right reply.
Thank you very much. Well, thanks both. Thank you very much.
Just on the Southern Malta thing,
We have no control on Southern Water or the Environment Agency.
Southern Water are the polluter and the Environment Agency are the
Cllr Jim Martin - 1:03:15
guardians.
My view throughout all of these discussions is we're being failed by both of them.
Many of you will recall the excellent overview and scrutiny meeting
that we had here where Councillor Davidson held them to account.
One of the things that came out of that was that Southern Water should actually take notice
of local knowledge.
We're hugely grateful for Councillor Hills, Councillor Thomas who attended the Steering
Group meetings along with a plethora of local experts in terms of sea conditions, tides,
and often I genuinely feel that we keep repeating this information to them,
this local information, and they nod and they make notes,
but I don't know whether anything is genuinely happening.
So in answer to your question, Councillor Lockwood,
no, there is no measurable outcomes.
All we've got is this very blunt instrument
of the environment agency readings from May to September
and that is the only benchmark that we have.
Unfortunately, we don't get the result until it's too late.
Once we get a bad result, we're stuck, we're stuck.
As Councillor Hill says, it's the next season.
They say the same stuff that, you know,
this is, you know, I'll be back to your question,
Councillor Keene, it was a recommendation from the Environment Agency,
asked us to ban all dogs from all beaches, which we wouldn't go to.
I would love to stand here and say that I have every confidence in them,
but I don't.
I think that the value of the steering group
is that we continue to hammer those same points again and again,
We will keep doing that until we get some responses.
If anyone's got any other ideas how I can pursue them any further,
I'll be delighted.
We will certainly be making inquiries, Councillor Lockwood,
as you suggested, about trying to get some of that fine spent here.
Just so you know, up until very recently,
Southern Walter held the record for the largest government fine at 93 million.
Tensmore have recently overtaken them.
So that will give you a sense of the size of their failure.
So, sorry, sorry.
Favourite topic, sorry.
Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:06:17
So we need to seek a proposer and a seconder.
Happy to propose.
Thank you, Councillor Prita.
Cllr Tim Prater - 1:06:22
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:06:22
Jim Martin to second.
And are we all agreed?
Thank you.

9 Portfolio Holder reports to Council

So item nine is the portfolio holder reports.
Excellent work, as always, from all of our portfolio holders.
So thank you for everything you've done.
And I hope you've all had a chance to read those.
So we'll move on to item 10, opposition business.

10 Opposition Business

We don't have any this month.

11 Motions on Notice

And number 11, we don't have any motions on notice.

12 Amendment to the scheme of delegation of Executive functions made by the Leader of the Council

So item 12, the amendment to the scheme of delegations of executive functions.
Do we have a proposer?
Cllr Tim Prater - 1:06:57
I'm happy to move the recommendations.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:07:00
Councillor Prater, do you want to speak on it?
No.
Do we have a seconder?
Councillor Jim Martin, would anybody like to speak on this?
Can we just agree by affirmation?
Are we all agreed?
I agree.
Excellent.
Thank you.

13 Committee Membership Changes

So moving on to Item 13, we've got the committee membership changes.
We need a proposer.
Cllr Tim Prater - 1:07:23
Happy to move the recommendation.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:07:25
Thank you. And do we have a seconder?
I second.
Councillor Martin, would anybody like to speak on this?
So are we all agreed?
Agreed.

14 Review of Political Balance and Committee Membership

Item 14, review of political balance and committee membership.
Do we have a proposer?
Cllr Tim Prater - 1:07:42
Happy to move the recommendations.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:07:45
Thank you, Councillor Bracer. And do we have a seconder?
Councillor Martin and are we all agreed?
We agree.
Excellent.

15 Equality and Diversity Policy (2025-29)

So moving on to item 15, the equality and diversity strategy.
So do we have a proposer for this?
Councillor McConville?
Happy to propose.
And would you like to speak on this?
Cllr Connor McConville - 1:08:05
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:08:05
Cllr Connor McConville - 1:08:05
Just briefly, only to say that the policy is largely similar
to that that was agreed in 2021.
If you look at some of the track changes,
I'd say the main difference is the previous policy laid out an action plan at the end,
whereas this now lays out a set of objectives, in my opinion, much more effective, where
it brings in some objectives that deal with our housing tenants, our youth forum and more
of our community stakeholders.
I think it's a much improved policy.
Thank you.
And do we have a seconder?
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:08:43
Councillor Jim Martin is open for debate if anybody would like to speak on this.
OK, so are we all agreed?
We agree.
Oh, you want to speak, sorry.
Apologies, Chair.
Cllr Tony Cooper - 1:08:58
Can I just mention that in the report itself,
there's reference to the employees and we're not happy to use it
to make reference to what is known as the whistleblower policy.
But I notice a tax report that there is no whistleblowing policy.
So in order to avoid any potential embellishments by employees asking in the future,
could a copy of the whistleblowing policy be included in that,
in case people needed to refer to it?
The second question I've got is in relation to who did you notify or consult with in the community?
Because I don't see any disabled groups that are being included
in respect of the future of their provision as a service provider.
What I'd like to do is look at the views of the community out there who have got an impairment.
How can we do that? Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:09:49
Thank you. I understand from officers that the whistleblowing policy is on the website
and it's obviously open to the public to view, so it is available.
Did anybody else have anything they'd like to add to that? Councillor Scoffram.
Cllr Stephen Scoffham - 1:10:03
Yes, just a brief point under 5 .5, the climate change comment.
I welcome the way in which the comment on climate change links climate change and social
equality. That is a theme that is going to crop up in the corporate plan as we go on.
So it is a good moment to say I welcome the way that that has been flagged up in the Equality
and Capacity Report.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:10:26
Thank you. Councillor Meade.
Cllr Jackie Meade - 1:10:31
Thank you, Chair. In regards to Councillor Cooper's question, I don't believe we have
some of that question which was asking which disabled groups we've actually included in
this consultation because it's so important to actually include all members of our society
for their input on this. So I'd appreciate an answer to his question. Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:10:57
Okay, so this obviously isn't the forum to be answering those questions. It's not question
but the answer will be sent to you in due course.
Thank you.
Did we have anybody else who wanted to speak on this?
No? Okay, so we're in the process of agreeing.
Do we want to vote or do we want to agree by affirmation?
Those in favour?
Okay.
Those against?
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:11:36
And any abstentions?
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:11:44
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:11:54
Yep, so it's carried.
What do we have?
17 for, two against and three abstentions.
Thank you.
So that's carried.
Okay.
So let's move on to item 16, the corporate plan.

16 Corporate plan 2025-2030

Do we have somebody who's proposing this?
Councillor Martin, would you like to speak on this and introduce it?
Thank you very much, Chair.
I will give you all a rest.
Cllr Jim Martin - 1:12:19
First I will speak very briefly on this.
In my time in the Council I have never been involved in a more exciting and dynamic document.
I heartily recommend it.
I chaired all of the working group meetings.
I was so impressed in the way that my fellow councillors came together cross party and
really, really help develop this set of ideas
into a coherent plan.
I'm hugely grateful to the officers.
I don't want to particularly embarrass him,
but Adrian Toffs for putting this all together.
I cannot more heartily recommend a document
to this council than our corporate plan.
Thank you.
Do you have a seconder?
I reserve my right to speak.
Thank you, Councillor Prater.
If you'd like to speak now?
Cllr Tim Prater - 1:13:26
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:13:26
No? You want to reserve it? That's fine.
It's now open for debate.
Would anybody like to speak on this?
Councillor Godfrey.
Cllr David Godfrey - 1:13:39
Yes, thank you.
It's crucial that we have this document
actually with the local reorganisation that's going on to set the stone and hopefully for
the future whatever comes out from the unitary takes notice of it.
It's a huge piece of work and Adrian should be congratulated as always on his reports
and I know that there's a lot of work going on in the working group.
However, a but, Councillor Hornsby who incidentally is recovering well but couldn't be with us
tonight has repeatedly asked for the word nuclear to go in when it talks about Dungeness.
We talk about clean energy, which is always asked for energy.
So I'm going to make one more appeal, because the government is now right behind nuclear,
the MPs are right behind nuclear, Kent is right behind nuclear at Dungeness.
Could we not just show the people of Romany Marsh that we too are and just procure that
little word and move it forward in that respect.
Without that I'm afraid I'd have to abstain on this particular one,
because I find it very important. Thank you.
Thank you. Councillor Lockwood.
Thank you, Chair.
Cllr Adrian Lockwood - 1:14:54
I share Councillor Martin's view of this document, and he's excellent.
And thank you for the way in which it was cross -party,
and we feel we were genuinely listened to in this process.
People that voted for our particular party in the election, we had a manifesto against which we were elected
and we got elements of our manifesto into this plan.
So that does two things. Number one, it's reflecting the views of the voting public in this document.
and secondly it avoids the council having to go through the process of opposition business
and motions and things to try and get these things on the agenda because they're now baked
into the plan for the council.
So we really appreciate the opportunity to do that.
It's nice that we're all working cross passing, we've arrived at a document that we can all
back.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Councillor Schofrin.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:15:59
Cllr Stephen Scoffham - 1:16:04
You won't be surprised, I'm going to join in and say how as a member of the working group
who took part in all those extensive discussions over such a long period,
I really welcome this corporate plan, I think it's wonderful.
I want to just flag up a few points about it.
First of all, as a document, it's extremely clear and it's lovely to look at.
It's a nice document to handle, it's accessible.
The previous one did have pictures and so on in it, which made it a bit longer.
34 pages, this one's 12 pages.
It encourages you to look at it,
because corporate plans are not necessarily the sort of thing
that everybody would pick up as light reading at the end of the day.
But this is a clear, accessible, well -designed document
and it's an impressive achievement on that publishing level.
The consultation was huge, 500 plus, and lots of young people.
The future belongs to young people. This is a forward -looking document.
It's really good that we've had so many young people.
We've had such a range of groups, different forms of consultation.
I think that if we got 100 responses, it would have been good
to get 500 responses to something as dry as a corporate plan,
which you have to begin by explaining why it's important and what it's all about.
to get that level of response is really, really impressive.
And it shows that it's grounded not only
in a cross -party consensus within the council,
but in the local community more widely.
And if you read it, bit by bit, the various themes
which emerge have all been supported
through that consultation.
So that's a really powerful point.
But even much more powerful is that it's
structured around the SDGs, the United Nations
sustainable development goals.
These goals, which have been agreed by nations around the world,
set out a vision for the future.
They provide a sort of common currency for nations and institutions,
institutions such as universities, NGOs, local government,
national government, international agencies,
or speak SDG language.
So this set of 17 goals is a common framework.
We don't have to be slavishly driven by them,
but it's a representation or a way of saying we're a community.
We are a community on different levels. We belong to families,
we belong to our district, our town or area or community or parish,
but we also belong to a wider community in the south -east,
but we're also part of a national European and global community.
So that idea of inclusion is very much part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
It's there in the title, our district, our world.
It is our world, we belong to the world, we belong to the district.
In supporting and developing the prosperity of the district,
we are contributing to a global prosperity and wellbeing.
So that sense of inclusion comes across there.
And it's years ago, years ago,
when I was quite setting out on my enthusiasm for sustainability and the environment,
there was a slogan that some of you will recognise,
Act Global, Think Global.
And that, our district, our world, is a really good reworking of that.
So, global challenges can and should be addressed through local action.
And the actions and the priorities which are laid out in the report
show exactly how that works.
And those five themes are really powerful.
We start with leadership, leadership which is government, partnership and democracy.
Gosh, we need democracy, don't we?
I couldn't believe that five years ago I'd think that democracy was under threat.
There it is, right at the very top. It's at the top of our plan.
I think that's wonderful that it's there.
I also think that it's wonderful that the ground on which we all depend,
literally just the ground, is there in the climate change objective.
So that is another very powerful part of this.
So at the top, you've got the leadership.
We all depend on the soil, ultimately, for our food
and for our well -being, fresh water and fresh air,
and food for daily nourishment and survival.
And in between, we have housing, transport, economic growth,
and so on.
All those things in the middle, as it were.
That's the day -to -day stuff.
That's the daily stuff.
So what a great framework to have.
So just to finish with, I think that it
is a hugely valuable blueprint for the future.
It brings together all those things
which people have thrown on the table, which
could have been a sort of random smorgasbord of bits and pieces,
brings them together into a structure.
And I think that structure will serve this council extremely
well as it moves forward, as it moves forward
into the evolution.
I think other councils will look at this corporate plan
and think, gosh, that's something
that we could emulate.
That's something that gives us a framework.
So I think it actually contributes to this very thorny problem
that we've got coming up in debate around evolution.
I think it's a plan that we can be justly proud of.
I just want to say how much I've enjoyed,
and how it comes across to me, how much I've enjoyed being part of it,
and how proud I think we can all be that we've got to this point.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:21:31
Thank you. Councillor Wimble.
Thank you, Chair.
Cllr David Wimble - 1:21:36
I'd like to also thank Adrian for all his hard work along with his team.
Having played a part in the previous one,
it's a bit like painting a fourth road bridge.
I'm sure he's about to start work on the next one
because there's so many boxes that you have to tick
and things that have to go through different offices,
different departments before they even come to the councillors.
So it's a big, big job and well done.
I too, I didn't know that Councillor Godfrey was going to mention this,
really do want to see the word nuclear in the plan,
purely because Dungeness, even in decommissioning,
brings about £75 million into our district economy,
it creates jobs, it's carbon neutral,
it ticks all the boxes,
and it's going to be a big part of the next 10 to 15 years on the marsh.
The actual document is a great roadmap for this council.
I think we're all very welcoming to see it.
It's written in very plain English as well,
of what is a very complicated subject, some of the things that are covered in it.
And yet I can't back it without the word nuclear in it,
that we welcome nuclear within this council.
So I won't be voting against it,
but I won't be voting for it without that added to it.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:22:50
Thank you. Councillor Alan Martin.
Thank you, Chair.
Cllr Alan Martin - 1:22:56
I think I gleaned from Councillor Scotton's speech then that you use a corporate plan
to frame the actions that you're going to take and with that in mind I'd like to build
on what the two Davids have mentioned there around nuclear with a bit of marsh based detail.
In the section growing our economy we say we will support clean methods of generating energy,
e .g. at Dungeness, that respect our protected landscapes and habitats.
I've read that a few times this afternoon and I'll be honest I don't really fully understand what that means.
I mean I understand the sentence but it feels very passive and vague
and it's not at all clear what action we would be taking
underneath that kind of high level statement.
The corporate plan should be responding to local needs
and identifying within that section
where we're gonna drive growth
and allaying residents concerns.
So if I think about residents concerns
relating to that topic,
what do people on the marsh want?
Well first of all, as we heard earlier,
they want help protecting the marsh
from being swamped by solar farms.
They may be open to ground -filled sites.
They don't want these appearing on farmland,
and as we've discussed earlier,
they would be really grateful for support,
coordinating those developments
so that they can understand what it is
they're dealing with.
When it comes to nuclear,
the people on the mast genuinely do want us
to proactively support nuclear.
It's something that's been there for years.
people are very comfortable with it, they're very happy with it,
and they definitely would support nuclear versus the alternatives,
such as the large solar farms that are in danger of appearing on our farmland.
Now, the KC... So KCC has championed this for years
and proactively taken action to make sure that Dungeness is on the map.
And I think the new administration intends to sort of double down on that
from everything I've heard in recent weeks.
I understand the Labour group, and certainly I've
heard Tony Vaughan talk quite passionately
about nuclear at Dunsjness.
So with all of that in mind, my question
is, does that sentence in the plan
actually sufficiently cover that topic and everything
that we should pick up to really take action?
So we should be actively representing
our residents and the local economy's interests,
not just quietly supporting them as that sentence suggests.
So I would like to see a much clearer statement of intent relating to power generation and
a genuine plan that accompanies it.
Thank you.
Councillor Paul Thomas.
Yes, thank you, Chair.
Just with regard to the comments that have been made
this evening about new nuclear at Dungeness,
I don't think there could be anybody
who has been advocating more for Dungeness
Cllr Paul Thomas - 1:26:15
having worked at the station for over 37 years.
And it's something that I certainly do support.
One of the things that we have to remember,
and this will actually address some of the questions
just been raised by Councilor Alan Martin,
is to look at why is Dungeness not in the existing strategy document.
The existing strategy document is EN6.
And that laid out back in 2011,
the arrangement for having new nuclear stations.
It identified 11 originally back in 2009.
I was actually part of the group that actually advocated
and put the paper forward to support new nuclear Dungeness at that time.
Dungeness and two other sites were taken out of that paper for very good reasons,
for the simple reason that they didn't meet the national criteria
that was set out within that paper.
So when you have a look at the criteria that it actually failed on,
the two items it failed on were both discretionary items.
Now the document itself lays out both discretionary items
and non -discretionary items to be considered.
So when you have a look at why did it fail,
and this addresses directly Councillor Martin's concern.
So it says specifically, this is taken directly from the report,
Dungeness did not pass the criteria
on an internationally designated site of ecological importance.
And that the concerns whether the site could be protected
from flooding and coastal erosion.
They were the two reasons that were presented
to government at the time,
and they were the two reasons why the Dungeness was taken out of that.
So why is that important?
Well Dungeness is an SAC.
It has that designation along with 230 other sites in England.
It's the biggest massive shingle in Europe,
it's the second biggest in the world, the biggest is Cape Canaveral in the US.
So this special area conservation needs to be protected.
One of the things that couldn't be done previously was to demonstrate
that as a consequence of new build at Dungeness,
that they could actually mitigate the effects of the loss of habitat.
And since 2011, nothing has been done in relation to try and address that concern.
That concern and that criteria will still be the same
in the new document which is out at the moment.
So the new document for sighting new nuclear is EN7.
EN7 is looking beyond existing nuclear sites and in fact as already as
Councillor Martin's already said our own MP back in February asked the House of
Commons you know supporting the position for new nuclear and was told very
clearly that what they are looking for is they're looking for a developer who
can demonstrate compliance with the criteria that's in these documents but
specifically and especially for Dungeness,
this whole thing about it being an SACO,
special area of conservation.
It's a massive issue and something which needs to be addressed.
So, in terms of should we include that in our documents,
well, we have within the wording of that document,
we've mentioned the uniqueness of that environment
and why it's difficult.
Just in terms of Dungeness site itself,
we can't lose sight of the fact that Dungeness A closed in 2006
and has been decommissioning for nearly 20 years through many ups and downs and Councillor
Godfrey is well aware of that for his role on the site stakeholder group.
But we've also, once Dungeon SB has finished de -fuelling, which will be in 2029 -2030, that
will move into the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's operating envelope and specifically
into the Nuclear Restoration Services envelope.
When you have a look at the pressures that are on the NDA,
specifically at this moment in time through spending reviews
that they've gone through, and again,
Councillor Godfrey's aware he was at the stakeholder meeting
with the NDA in Manchester with me last year,
they are massive.
In terms of securing the things within the lifetime of this corporate plan,
our focus needs to be on maintaining support
through pressurising the NDA, through the government,
to make sure they do not cut the budget at Dungeon SA,
because there are some absolutely critical pieces of work
associated with that.
And as Councillor Godfrey knows, who sits on the SSG,
the removal of the boilers and the bringing down
of the height of the Dungeon SA reactor building
is absolutely essential to protecting that site,
so you can make sure that what happens
downstream of that is manageable.
So again, I think in terms of what we should be doing within the operating time of this
corporate plan, it's very much about focusing on supporting the existing nuclear structure,
the nuclear legacy that exists with Dungeness A particularly, and making sure the transition
into Dungeness, when Dungeness B was into the NDA.
Don't forget there will be job losses associated with this.
The nuclear industry is a very different place now
than what it was in 2006.
There's the potential for hundreds of jobs to be lost.
There isn't the expense within the nuclear industry in the UK
to accommodate all of those.
That's why I think it's important for us to understand that
and to put that focus on how can we make sure
that the things that we support going forward
within the frame of this plan
encompasses that and make sure that we can support
the existing nuclear structure and existing workers,
which will also help to promote the things that they're going to do in the future.
It's not 10 or 20 years, it's 30 or 40 years we're talking about with Dungeness B,
in terms of the things they need to do once they've been fuelled,
to get to the state that we will then know what the end state of that site is going to be.
So whilst I endorse fully the point about trying to get new nuclear in Dungeness,
Unless we address this fundamental problem about a special area of conservation and the
things that need to do to mitigate building on there, then I'm afraid that is not going
to stack up for anybody.
Developers will pick the easiest sites they can and the other sites that are in the ES6
document that already have existing nuclear in place are the ones they're going to build
on.
It's a sad fact I'm afraid.
But as I say, if I could advocate more than I have been doing, and just four weeks ago
I was in Vienna at the International Atomic Energy Agency
at the United Nations,
and I gave a statement there saying exactly why we should be able to do this.
So when the technology's available, and being first in three is not a good idea,
it was one of the major problems with Dungeness,
it experienced problem after problem.
So again, let's see what happens with the rest of the sites,
and then we can decide in the future how we want to take it forward.
Thank you.
Thank you. Councillor Goddard.
Cllr Clive Goddard - 1:33:28
Thank you, Chair. Thank you for that, Councillor Thomas. It mucks my speech up a little bit.
But firstly, I must obviously echo around the Chamber for Adrian's fine document.
A lot of work, and obviously a lot of this started, was built with the previous administration.
So it started back then, like Councillor Wimbledon touched on earlier,
when he was involved then.
With reference to what Councillor Thomas just said,
I think it enhances us to put nuclear in there even more now,
because if that drops out and people come and try to adjust
what's not got in 2011,
then we haven't said nuclear, we've just said industry on Dundiness.
So I think it's even more important now to have the nuclear.
So it looks like this council is backing nuclear.
Our fine government is going to back the nuclear.
So that's a positive.
KCC is enhancing it.
Got a good bunch there to do that with.
So it's all closed.
Like David and Anne and we've all said, and even Paul to a certain extent,
That important word, nuclear, within the document,
shows that this council does support nuclear on that site.
Paul Le Grian knows that A, B, a space converter site,
that space was always left for Dungeon SC.
I won't ever give up trying to get a Dungeon SC.
I know it looks like it might be mini -SR, SMIs,
but I won't ever give up Dungeon SC.
and doing it all my life and I will carry on.
And because I just feel we've still got the infrastructure
and Tony will obviously go on about the shingle
and the flooding in a minute when I've stopped
and because that's obviously your department.
But I just think that one word leader
will make all the difference,
not only for us marsh councillors here,
but for the residents on the right.
Thank you.
Councillor Laura Davidson.
Thank you, Chair.
My comments are not about nuclear.
I just wanted to express that I'd enjoy being part of the working group.
Cllr Laura Davison - 1:35:48
I think it was a good opportunity to look at our priorities and actually have a change
set of priorities from the previous administration.
And I think some of the work that was done in terms of having individual interviews with
residents so they were able to give their feedback and do that through the good offices
of our officers was really constructive and helpful in terms of the quality of the feedback
that came back.
And actually one of the things that came out of that work was identifying a kind of scale
of loneliness in the district and we were able then to act on that and include that
as an item within the plan as well which I think is really important.
So I just also echo the thanks to the officers,
to Adrian and colleagues as well who really worked very hard
and I think put a lot of their own kind of commitment
into developing the plan which was much appreciated
by members of the working group.
And I really look forward to seeing the action plan
that's going to follow on which obviously will give us
a concrete way forward in terms of these principles.
Thanks.
Thank you.
Councillor Keene.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:36:58
Cllr Nicola Keen - 1:37:01
I'm a bit confused with everyone being against solar energy, because I'm not.
And no one's forcing farmers to hand over their fields.
For some farmers in the Sanit area, that's the way they make a living.
Can I just be clear, are the farmers on our marsh being forced to have solar panels?
I don't think they are.
So, like every farmer, they need to make money to keep the rest of their farm going.
I think solar's a fantastic idea and I think we should continue on encouraging it.
And encouraging it with farmers who aren't using the land but setting it aside.
Thank you.
Councillor Cooper.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:37:38
Thank you, Chair.
Cllr Tony Cooper - 1:37:42
Sorry, um, it was actually Councillor Hill's next.
Sorry, apologies.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:37:47
Thank you, Chair.
I want to discuss Shingle.
Councillor Tony Hills - 1:37:51
No, just joking.
Dungeness.
I started fishing Dungeness in 1960 before they built the station.
It has that link to the community.
On those days, it's a long while ago,
that the community really values nuclear energy.
It supplies some fantastic well -paid jobs.
They've actually been a good friend to our community.
I was told by ADF, heroes in fact,
that they're putting in roughly on their thoughts
about 14 million pounds into our local economy.
When it comes to de -fuelling, that's going to finish,
because we're handing over B station to the NDA.
So what happens then?
That's going to be done, as I expect.
So it is a very serious point.
I've had meetings with Natural England, I had meetings with Northern UK,
I had meetings with government ministers, previous administration,
and basically we have a grid
Connections to the grid. We are unique.
That's why, I've got interest now,
and I shall leave it to my friend here to push that further,
because basically it makes more sense to use the existing grid.
The licensed sites, OK, Dungeness,
said, nuclearise the site.
Inside that, we could, when I was working on that,
get 10 SMRs, small module nuclear reactors, in that site.
It wouldn't supply the 600 jobs currently at B station,
but it would go some way to a bridge,
and they can be built very quickly,
and they can be, with a 45 -year design life,
similar to a solar palm.
But anyway, that could be done.
And as you might be aware,
the sea defence work we've had round our coastline,
the EA have spent £300 million
on the closest scheme since 2020,
defending our coastline.
I think it's because we had a nuclear power station there.
Now, the design life of the Hive Ranges Scheme,
Thalathamish and Shingle, it came in last year.
There's about 30 million we spent on that.
We put 150 ,000 cubic metres of shingle down,
which has driven along a long shore stream.
That's when we got a design life of 25 years.
Natural England want us to take it away,
to allow a natural development of intertidal areas over my dead body.
It won't happen.
The EA don't take defences out to put defences in.
But that's what they'd rather have.
I've been battling with them since we lost Station C in 2011.
But what I'll say to you is to keep that word out,
I totally support what Councillor Godfrey said and my other councillors.
I'd have to abstain myself because without that, it's a key word to me
and it's a key word to my community. Thank you.
Thank you.
Councillor Tony Cooper.
Thank you. Thank you, Chair.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:40:46
Cllr Tony Cooper - 1:40:48
Can I just endorse the comments made by members towards the agency?
Excellent documents, very well done.
Can I also comment in respect of the solar farms on Romley Marsh
or the proposed number?
I think we need to address this, and that's going to be a number to fairness.
We cannot expect Romley Marsh to be covered in solar panels forever,
because it's not going to be fair to the people that live there.
The number of schemes there needs to be reduced significantly.
What I would also add is that last year the general election the country voted for change.
Part of that change included new GB energy and all this stuff.
Now very irrespective of all that I take on board what Council Thomas has said
and what the Conservative group and Mr Wimberley said as well.
and I think the point, they have got a point,
and the point I think they've got here is that there is an industry on the mouse there
and it would be unfair for me as a mouse councillor not to support an industry,
so I will be abstaining from this I'm afraid. Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:41:50
Thank you. Councillor Proater.
Thank you. Please, I reserve my right now.
Cllr Tim Prater - 1:41:56
Firstly, again, I'll do the thanking of Adrian and officers
and their staff and also Ewan who has had a big hand to play in this document and I'd
like to thank them and all of the people who have contributed to it including the 500 consultees,
some of whom will press hands because it involves students and schools and brought them in and
doing that as well. You will contribute to our corporate plan, we are not going home
and they did go home, so thank you for them,
thank you for everyone who wrote in as well.
To go back to some of the points raised by Councillor Scotham,
I think that what we actually have is a very holistic plan.
It covers a lot of ground and it covers a lot of different areas.
I think it's something to be proud of.
It is a news plan.
It is based very much that a starting point was the plan which existed previously,
the old corporate plan, but it has been through an entire refresh.
This is this council's baby, not the last council's baby.
It does look a little bit like it.
There is a genetic similarity, but it's out.
And I'm really grateful for the work that's gone into it
and the things which have been done about it.
I'll go there on the nuclear word.
I'm relatively agnostic.
I'm actually nuclear, I'm pro -nuclear in terms of general generation.
But I've had a...
If I was going to speak to the smartest guy in the room on Shingle,
I would sit down with Councillor Hills and I would agree with him entirely
on what he said because he's the smartest guy in the room on Shingle.
And when it comes to nuclear, I've sat down in the room with Councillor Thomas
and I've listened to him because he's the smartest guy in the room on nuclear.
And amongst the points which Councillor Thomas May has made
is that at this moment the owners of that site
don't even include Dungeness on their list of sites
that they'd like to see new nuclear on.
And there's a reason for that.
It doesn't work there and it's not going to work
in the lifetime of this corporate plan.
And including the word nuclear into the corporate plan
for the lifetime of this corporate plan,
including nuclear in, is a nonsense.
We may as well include the word unicorn because we might get them about the same
as South Charles. Now, as has been absolutely said, in terms of money for
decommissioning etc, we should make sure that, and the council will make sure,
that the appropriate that we are getting that work continues, that that work is
being funded, that we're seeing those things coming through. But when the owner
of the site, EDF, not noticeably non -pronuclear, don't put it onto the list of sites that they
plan to bring forward. When the government does a having list of sites that want to bring
it forward, even when the NP asks for it, it's not going to make it onto the site, onto
the list. There is no point at this stage considering it as a site of nuclear, you're
lying to people. In the same way that if I asked my unicorn farm, I'd be lying to the
So I see no point in revising it.
We've been through this loop very carefully, we have considered the options,
and the reason why we haven't included that word is
because we listened to the smartest guy in the room on it,
even while he was in Vienna, discussing those nuclear facilities
with experts from across the rest of the world.
Sometimes, listen to the smart guy.
I'm listening to the smart guy.
I don't think that adding the word nuclear to this helps in any way,
and I think I would like us to vote on the document as it is.
Thank you.
Thank you. Councillor Meade.
Thank you, Chair.
Cllr Jackie Meade - 1:45:50
I've been listening to all the arguments really, really carefully.
I totally understand why the councillors -based Marshway
want nuclear mentioned in here,
But I think we have to face the fact that horse has bolted for a new nuclear power station,
at least for the foreseeable future, until technologies get to the point where they can put them on.
Again, I'm listening to Councillor Thomas.
Councillor Thomas has got myriad of years when it comes to dealing with nuclear.
I totally trust what he's saying on this.
So, and I understand it's difficult and we want to be seen to be supporting our nuclear residents,
for want of a better word, and our nuclear workers.
And I think that we do. And I think we will continue to do so.
And I think we will continue to lobby, so that when the technology has caught up with our wishes,
we will be first in line. But we can't force EDF to do this. Whether we want to or not,
we cannot force them to do this. And when it comes to the words clean energy, there's
a big difference between a solar farm and a nuclear power plant. I just heard behind
me, oh they've got roughly the same sort of life span. When you take a solar farm down,
you've got grass underneath. When you've got a nuclear power station, it's decommissioned
and you've got nuclear waste. Big difference when it comes to our future generations. So
I personally, and it's a personal thing, will be supporting this plan as it is. Thank you.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:47:47
Thank you. Would anybody else like to speak?
In that case, does the Councillor?
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:48:00
Okay, so back to Councillor Jim Martin.
Cllr Jim Martin - 1:48:06
Thank you very much, Chair. Very, very briefly, I am a bit disappointed that we have focused
on a missing word in this corporate plan.
The corporate plan is absolutely nothing like
the last corporate plan, not remotely.
Admittedly, it is in an A4 format.
There are headings, but it is based on the 17 sustainable
development principles as published by the United Nations.
Our world, our district.
I can't agree with any comparison with the last corporate plan.
There are lots of things that I would love to promise in that corporate plan.
I would love to promise a home for every person
that's currently in temporary accommodation.
I genuinely, genuinely would.
I would love to promise the reinstatement and development of rural bus services,
so all of our abandoned villages get at least a bus service that they can rely on.
I would genuinely love to have clean rivers and seas around our coast.
I can't promise on any of them, Chair.
I could put all of that in the corporate plan.
I could put a load of other promises.
We could go into the unicorn farming business.
Fantastic. I could promise whatever I like in that corporate plan.
It would be complete rubbish.
So we have to judge the actual probability of EDF
putting forward their site
in terms of the development of a small modular reactor.
Now, this has not been ignored.
This has been investigated in some detail.
And that corporate plan is about deliverability.
It's about what we can do, not what we can't do.
I would genuinely love to house everyone.
I want to provide rural bus services.
I want clean rivers and seas.
But I can't promise on any of it, because I'm not in control of that.
So, we could talk forever about what isn't in the corporate plan,
but what I would recommend to councillors
is they focus on what is in the corporate plan and vote for that.
Thank you.
Thank you. Excellent debate tonight.
So, we're going to move to the vote.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:50:42
So, those in favour of adopting the corporate plan.
Cllr Anita Jones - 1:51:03
Those against.
And if anybody would like to abstain.
So we have 17 for, nobody against and six abstaining.
So that is carried.
Thank you.
Dramatic end to the meeting.
Thank you for all your time this evening and I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.