best wishes

The Forum wished the Chairman Councillor Don Jordan well, following his return home from hospital.

minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 19th December 2006 (Minute Nos. 596 - 604) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

declarations of interest

Councillor Andrew Bowles declared a Personal Interest with regard to Minute No. 907 below (Call for Evidence - Strengthening the role of Rural Councillors) as he had been appointed as an expert witness on the Expert Advisory Group; supporting the Inquiry Panel.

part b minutes for information

north kent shoreline management plan

Mr Attwood presented the Minutes from the Shoreline Management Sub-Committee meeting held on 19th March 2007. He informed Members that the consultation would finish in May and that there may be a need to call a meeting of the Rural Forum to consider the Sub-Committees final recommendations.

A Member requested that two areas on the north coastline of the Isle of Sheppey be considered for future designation in particular.

call for evidence - strengthening the role of rural councillors

Members discussed various concerns, in particular the need to increase awareness amongst residents and Parish Councils about the role and powers of Parish Councils; that the impact and responsibilities of the Community Call For Action should be considered; that Councillors should be community leaders, but without interfering in what were local community issues; that Parish Councils should be made more aware of the funding that it available to them for community projects; the importance of subsidiarity and the problems created by the regulations in relation to encouraging people to stand as Parish Councillors.

The Chairman notified the Forum that the Community Call for Action issue would be subject to a Co-ordinating Scrutiny Review in the new Municipal Year.

A Member considered that Parish Councils should be encouraged to learn from their neighbours, for example, attending a neighbouring Parish Council meeting to learn about the way that they operated. Another Member thought that training with regard to leadership on publicising their events and existence would improve the role of the Parish Councils. It was also considered that a future workshop between the Rural Forum and representatives from local Parish Councils, to identify ways in which to improve the situation, could be useful.

With regard to the meeting papers, it was confirmed that all Parish Councils received notification of the date and venue of the Rural Forum meetings; but not the full agendas.

SDSO

RESOLVED:

(1) That Forum Members relay their comments to the Senior Democratic Services Officer by 11th May 2007; in order that she can formulate a draft response from the Rural Forum to be signed by the Chairman. Councillors / SDSO

the national fruit collection

The Tourism Development Officer presented her report, which outlined the approach to the future management of The National Fruit Collections and sought to determine the Forums views on its importance and value to Swale.

An update to the report included that DEFRA were interested in the views of the Borough Council and their support for retaining the facility at Brogdale, and had requested a copy of the report and subsequent minutes to include as part of their tender submission.

Members discussed the report in detail, coming to the conclusions that its loss would be detrimental to the tourist offer in the area; that Swale was an obvious and historic choice for the location of the National Fruit Collection; that if not used for its current purpose the site could be used for commercial development and the need to highlight the educational aspects of the current site.

It was also considered that, although the seeds could be stored cryogenically, visitors were attracted by the orchards. A Member highlighted that it was important to prove to the Government that people cared about the facility and would support public funding to be spent on it.

A Member of the Forum considered that the site could prosper if the focus was developed on both a tourist attraction and a fruit collection; as this had been done successfully elsewhere in the country.

RESOLVED:

(1) That the report be endorsed.

(2) That the Forum write to Paul Carter, Leader of Kent County Council and Dr. Emma Hennessy at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), stressing the importance of the National Fruit Collections to Swale and to Kent and their significant contribution to the cultural offer to both residents and visitors. SDSO

the effect of the second homes discount on rural tourism

The Tourism Development Officer presented her report. She updated Members, informing them that there were currently 2,123 chalets and 260 second homes that were affected by the change in discount. She confirmed that out of 260 second homes, only 6 were in arrears; and 501 chalets. However, 60% of the chalets in arrears, were by one month only which indicated that this was not due to the reduction in discount.

The Ward Member for Leysdown and Warden, who was a Member of the Rural Forum, considered that the nature of the holiday industry was changing. He stated that the number of chalets in the area had decreased, which was part of a long term trend. He did not consider that local morale had been helped by the discount; but confirmed that it was not possible to tell if the decline was due to that. He drew Members attention to the fact that the eastern end of the Isle of Sheppey relied heavily on tourism and was already the most deprived area in Kent. He felt it was a significant concern that the areas primary industry was at risk and in decline.

With regard to Paragraph 1 under the sub-heading 'current position' in the report, a Member undertook to clarify if the process adopted by Canterbury City Council was viable.

Overall, Members concluded that the effect of the reduction in discount appeared to be minimal. A Member also reported that the Economy and Administration Scrutiny Panel were currently undertaking a review into the Economy of the Isle of Sheppey and considered that no further assessments should be made until its recommendations had been made.

farmers' market

The Tourism Development Officer presented her report which advised on progress in respect of establishing a Farmers' Market on the Isle of Sheppey; identified potential stakeholders; a model for delivery through a local, community partnership and possible options for funding. She also explained that an alternative name to 'Farmers' Markets' was being sought.

Members were informed that she and the Vice-Chairman of the Forum would be meeting with the Chief Executive of 'Produce in Kent' and had been to several meetings with Parish Councils.

The Tourism Development Officer explained that a venue for the market still needed to be identified; but that Minster had been suggested. A Member suggested that Leysdown also be considered, due to its high footfall during the summer and to address the declining tourism problem.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) representative offered their help to the Tourism Development Officer.