Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

124.

Emergency Evacuation Procedure

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. Nobody must leave the assembly point until everybody can be accounted for and nobody must return to the building until the Chairman has informed them that it is safe to do so; 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.

Minutes:

The Chairman ensured that those present were aware of the emergency evacuation procedure.

125.

Declarations of Interest

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 Interests (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.

 

(c)           Where it is possible that a fair-minded and informed observer, having considered the facts would conclude that there was a real possibility that the Member might be predetermined or biased the Member should declare their predetermination or bias and then leave the meeting while that item is considered.

 

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 Monitoring Officer, the Head of Legal or from other Solicitors in Legal Services as early as possible, and in advance of the Meeting.

 

Minutes:

No interests were declared.

Part B Minutes for Information

126.

Review of Gambling Act Statement of Principles pdf icon PDF 102 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Licensing Officer introduced the report which set-out that the Gambling Act 2005 required the Council as licensing authority to prepare and publish a Statement of Principles for Gambling Act 2005 policy.   The existing Statement of Principles was published in January 2019 and was due for renewal by January 2022.  The Licensing Officer gave an overview of the report and explained that the results of the consultation would be reported back to the Licensing Act 2003 Committee on 9 September 2021.

 

Members were invited to ask questions and make comments.

 

A Member supported the document and drew attention to the following points:  that Town Councils should be included as consultees, under paragraph 5.4 of the report, alongside Parish Councils; NHS Swale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), no longer existed, it was now Kent and Medway CCG; and the word ‘Bureau’ needed to be deleted from ‘Citizens Advice’.

 

A Member referred to page 9 of the report and considered there should be an implication listed under ‘Health and Wellbeing’, to reflect the content of paragraph 69 in the draft document.

 

The Licensing Officer acknowledged the comments made by Members and explained that the Local Area Profile, which would be published as a separate document, focused on any health related harm linked to gambling.

 

Resolved:

 

(1)      That the report be endorsed and officers be instructed to proceed with the review process.

(2)      That officers undertake a seven-week consultation on the proposed revised Statement of Principles for Gambling 2022 – 2025, attached as Appendix I to the agenda.

(3)      That a further report be accepted, after the conclusion of the consultation period where Members would consider any comments made, prior to formally recommending the revised Statement of Licensing Principles for Gambling for adoption by Full Council.