Members may ask questions on the Leader’s Statement.  (To follow). Statement added 18.9.17

The Leader introduced his Statement which gave an update on Mid Kent Services (MKS) Recruitment; Sittingbourne Town Centre; Changes to Cashless Parking; and Environmental Awards.

MKS Recruitment Update

The Leader of the Independent Group, who was also the Chairman of the Member Development Working Group, asked if it was possible for Mr McGuiness to attend the Working Group, rather than send a representative, which the Leader agreed to follow up.

Sittingbourne Town Centre Update

The Leader of the Labour Group referred to Phase One of the project, and asked if it was possible when Phase Two was reached,  for that phase to progress more quickly without the encumbrance of one development partner.  The Leader anticipated Phase Two would not begin before 2019 and so this would be a matter for the administration at the time.

Another Member asked for more information to be provided on the Council’s website, in particular regarding road closures, and the Leader agreed to follow this up.  He referred to the current edition of the Council’s magazine that was currently being distributed and press releases that had been issued, but there was no control over how much information the press included in their newspapers.

Changes to Cashless Parking

Members asked questions on the new service, referring in particular to charges that they had experienced in other Boroughs.  The team was congratulated on negotiating a contract to remove a convenience charge for customers, and a suggestion was made that the detailed press release should be re-issued, as the press had not included all of the information in their coverage.

The Cabinet Member for Safer Families and Communities and the Leader praised the new service and the Team for negotiating a good deal.  In response to a question about machines not working in car parks, the Cabinet Member confirmed that customers would not be penalised if they wished to pay by cash, but the machine was out of order.  He advised that many busy car parks had more than one machine and a good service level agreement was in place to rectify any problems quickly.

Environmental Awards

The Leader of the UKIP Group congratulated all concerned on the TIKPAK initiative and asked if there were any plans to expand the scheme?  The Leader advised that he hoped the scheme would continue but he could not make any budget commitments.

The Leader of the Independent Group congratulated all concerned for their achievements, but asked if there would be an update on Housing in a future Leader’s Statement?

A Member welcomed the recognition of the work, and asked if there was any action being taken regarding the recent muck spreading that had an adverse impact on residents?  The Leader advised that Environmental Health were working with the Environment Agency to ensure that national legislation was being followed, and there had been no examples of any breaches when he had last made enquiries.

A Member asked if the Leader was aware that Swale was the first District Council in England to introduce the TIKPAK scheme and that did he agree that officers should be thanked sincerely for their innovative idea?  The Leader endorsed this comment and congratulated officers and the Cabinet Member.  Another Member commended the officers for being awarded the RSPCA Gold Footprint Award for the eighth consecutive year.  In response to a question as to whether there were any plans to remove cigarette butt bins, the Leader agreed to ask the Cabinet Member to look into this.