The Chairman will advise the meeting of the evacuation procedures to follow in the event of an emergency. This is particularly important for visitors and members of the public who will be unfamiliar with the building and procedures.

The Chairman will inform the meeting whether there is a planned evacuation drill due to take place, what the alarm sounds like (i.e. ringing bells), where the closest emergency exit route is, and where the second closest emergency exit route is, in the event that the closest exit or route is blocked.

The Chairman will inform the meeting that:

(a) in the event of the alarm sounding, everybody must leave the building via the nearest safe available exit and gather at the Assembly points at the far side of the Car Park; and

(b) the lifts must not be used in the event of an evacuation.

Any officers present at the meeting will aid with the evacuation.

It is important that the Chairman is informed of any person attending who is disabled or unable to use the stairs, so that suitable arrangements may be made in the event of an emergency.

The Chairman drew attention to the evacuation procedure.

To approve the Minutes of the Meeting held on 2 December 2015 (Minute Nos. 359 - 367) as a correct record.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 2 December 2015 (Minute Nos. 359 – 367) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Councillors should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves or their spouse, civil partner or person with whom they are living with as a spouse or civil partner.  They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

The Chairman will ask Members if they have any interests to declare in respect of items on this agenda, under the following headings:

(a)          Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPI) under the Localism Act 2011.  The nature as well as the existence of any such interest must be declared.  After declaring a DPI, the Member must leave the meeting and not take part in the discussion or vote.  This applies even if there is provision for public speaking.

(b)          Disclosable Non Pecuniary (DNPI) under the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council in May 2012.  The nature as well as the existence of any such interest must be declared.  After declaring a DNPI interest, the Member may stay, speak and vote on the matter.

Advice to Members:  If any Councillor has any doubt about the existence or nature of any DPI or DNPI which he/she may have in any item on this agenda, he/she should seek advice from the Director of Corporate Services as Monitoring Officer, the Head of Legal or from other Solicitors in Legal Services as early as possible, and in advance of the Meeting.

Councillors David Simmons and Ted Wilcox both declared a non-pecuniary interest in Agenda item 9, Faversham Recreation Ground – Proposed Heritage Lottery Fund Bid, as they were Municipal Charities trustees.

PART A MINUTES FOR RECOMMENDATION

Cabinet Member for Finance

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Finance and the above Cabinet Member which set out the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan and Revenue and Capital Budget proposals for 2016/17.

The Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the report and updated the Cabinet on the changes from the report considered at the Cabinet meeting on 2 December 2015 to reflect the comprehensive spending review and the Local Government Finance settlement, as shown in the table at 3.5 on page 4 of the Agenda. The Cabinet Member for Finance drew attention to no proposed increase in Council Tax for the sixth year running, and advised that the Scrutiny Committee had considered but not made any recommendations to the proposals.

The Cabinet Member for Planning advised that, whilst it is anticipated that the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) regulations would be implemented during the financial year 2016/17, there would be nil effect on the balance within that year.

Recommended:

(i)            That the 2016/17 revenue and capital budget be approved.

(ii)          That the proposed Council Tax at band D for 2016/17 of £159.93 (zero increase) be approved.

(iii)         That the Medium Term Financial Plan funding position be noted.

(iv)         That the capital budget be approved.

(v)          That the additional amount of Council Tax for parish precepts be noted.

(vi)         That the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Statement as set out in Appendix IX attached to the report be noted.

Cabinet Member for Finance

The Cabinet Member for Finance introduced the report which sought to seek approval of the proposed Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential and Treasury Management Indicators for 2016/17.

Recommended:

(i)            That the Treasury Strategy 2016/17 and the Prudential and Treasury Management Indicators be approved.

PART B MINUTES FOR INFORMATION

Cabinet Member for Localism, Sport, Culture and Heritage

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Economic and Cultural Services and the above Cabinet Member which provided details of the procurement of the appointment of the approved Construction Manager Contractor for the Great Easthall Community Centre.

A Member sought clarification on the 60% price/40% quality ratio used to appoint the contractor, and was advised by the Cabinet Member for Localism, Sport, Culture and Heritage that this method was the Procurement Policy.  The Chief Executive added that the Policy adopts a standard price-quality ratio for assessing tenders, variations are allowed on a case-by-case basis.

Resolved:

(i)            That the appointment of BMR Construction Ltd as Construction Manager Contractor for the Great Easthall Community Centre for £129,114.65 be approved.

Cabinet Member for Environmental and Rural Affairs

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Economic and Cultural Services and the above Cabinet Member who gave an outline of how successful the littering and dog fouling pilot project had been in Swale and the positive impact it had made. The Cabinet Member for Environmental and Rural Affairs advised that the proposal to extend the contract to 31 March 2019 with the preferred supplier included an option to extend the contract for a further two years, and thanked the Environmental Response Manager and his Team.

In response to a question from a Member regarding the 60% quality/40% price on this particular contract, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Rural Affairs referred to the table at point 6 on page 49 of the report that highlighted that the scheme was self-financing and that quality was more important than price on this particular contract. The same Member was advised that the street cleansing contract had been negotiated only two years ago, which had delivered significant savings and it would be unjustified to consider any potential contractual  implications so soon..  The Environmental Response Manager added that the preferred contractor needed to be reliable, tested and have reputable training practices as their operatives were essentially representatives of Swale Borough Council.

Another Member asked if the scheme would be extended out to other, more rural locations, and the Cabinet Member for Environmental and Rural Affairs responded that he expected that officers would be able to visit other areas, and asked for suggestions of hotspot locations for officers to visit.

Several Members spoke of their support of the scheme and welcomed the proposal, and the Leader agreed that one factor that helped to drive investment in the area was a clean environment, and he encouraged all Heads of Service to play their part.

Resolved:

(i)            That the appointment of Company A (Kingdom Security Ltd) to deliver the supplementary environmental enforcement service from 1 April 2016 until 31 March 2019 (with an option to extend for a two further years) be agreed.

Cabinet Member for Environmental and Rural Affairs

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Procurement and Customer Contact and the above Cabinet Member.  The Cabinet Member for Environmental and Rural Affairs gave a short history of the Faversham Recreation Ground, a place which he considered to be important and popular, but which required refurbishment with historical features restored.  He advised that there was funding allocated to the project from Section 106 developer contributions, but the draft Master Plan should be agreed in order to submit a Stage 1 Heritage Lottery Fund Bid by the end of February 2016.  Members were also encouraged to submit their comments on the draft Master Plan.

The Cabinet Member for Localism, Sport, Culture and Heritage supported the proposals, but raised concern regarding the potential on-going costs of maintenance in the future.  In response, the Cabinet Member for Environmental and Rural Affairs advised that there would be negotiations on ground maintenance and the possibility of an apprentice scheme.  The lottery grant would also include a sum for ongoing maintenance for five years.  The Greenspaces Manager confirmed that there was an awareness of the need to control costs, and the emphasis would be on reducing current maintenance costs and to generating income.

Resolved:

(i)            That the draft Master Plan be agreed.

(ii)          That the proposal to make appropriate Heritage Lottery Fund and other external funding bids be agreed.

The Leader

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Economic and Cultural Services and the above Cabinet Member which provided details of the procurement of Inside Swale print and distribution services, and recommended the award of the service contract to the preferred suppliers.  The Leader highlighted the success of the Inside Swale publication, and referred to one of the successful companies being local.

In response to a Member’s question whether additional income could be generated from increasing advertising in the magazine, the Leader responded that if the opportunity arose then it would be taken.

Resolved:

(i)            That the appointment of Company A (Headley Brothers) to deliver the printing services and Company 2 (The National Leaflet Company) to deliver the distribution services for Inside Swale Magazine from 1 April 2016 – 31 March 2019 (with an option to extend for a further two years if appropriate) be agreed.

Cabinet Member for Localism, Sport, Culture and Heritage

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Economic and Cultural Services with the above Cabinet Member which gave an update on recent discussions and responses provided at the three Local Engagement Forums held during December 2015.

Resolved:

(i)            That the report be noted.

Cabinet Member for Planning

Cabinet considered the report of the Head of Planning Services and the above Cabinet Member.

The Cabinet Member for Planning drew attention to part 3 on page 72 of the report which showed a reduction in  Swale’s contribution to the shared service.

In response to questions from a Member, the Cabinet Member for Planning advised that the issue of how to tackle the lack of qualified staff  was discussed continuously, required training was noted and options considered; there had only been one claim notified since 2007 but the suggestion of considering the claims position would be fed back; and there was already pressure to generate more income on the chargeable part of the service.  The Chief Executive directed the Member to 2.3 on page 80 of the report which highlighted that the costs of statutory services were reduced by c£33k as a result of the income from the chargeable services.

Resolved:

(i)            The Draft South Thames Gateway Building Control Partnership Business Plan for 2016-19 be agreed.

Cabinet considered the recommendations from the South Thames Gateway Building Control Joint Committee held on 10 December 2015.  There were two recommendations for the Cabinet to consider regarding the Development of Consultancy as a Local Authority Trading Company and the Business Plan.  The Business Plan was considered at Item 12 of the Agenda.

Resolved:

(i)            That the respective partner authorities provide £2,000 each to secure the delivery of the Business Plan Objective be approved.

(ii)          That the final contributions’ figures, which will be included in each authority’s budget planning process for 2016/17, be noted.

Cabinet is asked to approve the recommendations which fall within the remit of Swale Borough Council’s Cabinet.

Members are reminded that the terms of reference for the JTB state that:

The Cabinet will normally act in accordance with the advice or views of the JTB.  If the Cabinet is minded to act otherwise, no decision will be taken until after a discussion between the relevant Cabinet Member and the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the JTB.

Cabinet considered the recommendations from the Swale Joint Transportation Board (JTB) meeting held on  7 December 2015.

The Cabinet Member for Localism, Sport, Culture and Heritage spoke on Minute No. 379 Parking in Swale, and advised that since receiving subsequent advice from officers following the Swale JTB on 7 December 2015 in relation to the legality and practicality of  agreeing the changes to the bylaw, he considered it appropriate to refer the issue back to the Swale JTB to be discussed with Officers and Members.

Resolved:

(i)            That the report Parking in Swale – Minute No. 376 be considered further at the next Swale Joint Transportation Board on 7 March 2016.

(ii)          That the recommendation in Minute No. 377, 379, 381, 382 and 383 be approved.

(iii)         That Minute No. 384 and 385 be noted.