Visitors and members of the public who are unfamiliar with the building and procedures are advised that:

(a)      The fire alarm is a continuous loud ringing. In the event that a fire drill is planned during the meeting, the Chair will advise of this.

(b)      Exit routes from the chamber are located on each side of the room, one directly to a fire escape, the other to the stairs opposite the lifts.

(c)      In the event of the alarm sounding, leave the building via the nearest safe exit and gather at the assembly point on the far side of the car park. Do not leave the assembly point or re-enter the building until advised to do so. Do not use the lifts.

(d)      Anyone unable to use the stairs should make themselves known during this agenda item.

The Chair outlined the emergency evacuation procedure.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 14 November 2023 (Minute Nos. 406 – 413) as correct records.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 14 November 2023 (Minute Nos. 406 - 413) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Councillors should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their families or friends.

The Chair will ask Members if they have any disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) or disclosable non-pecuniary interests (DNPIs) to declare in respect of items on the agenda. Members with a DPI in an item must leave the room for that item and may not participate in the debate or vote. 

Aside from disclosable interests, where a fair-minded and informed observer would think there was a real possibility that a Member might be biased or predetermined on an item, the Member should declare this and leave the room while that item is considered.

Members who are in any doubt about interests, bias or predetermination should contact the monitoring officer for advice prior to the meeting.

Councillor Mark Last declared a non-pecuniary interest with respect to Item 9, Central Stadium, Sittingbourne, as he was the ward councillor.

Councillor Dolley Wooster declared a non-pecuniary interest with respect to Item 6, Beach Hut Policy – Consultation Report, as the Vice-Chair of Minster Parish Council.

The  Leisure and Technical Services Manager introduced the report which was requested at a previous Full Council meeting. The proposal was to not re-introduce the Memorial Bench Scheme at Minster Leas as the location was already full to capacity. He added that officers were considering alternatives such as plaques and memorial trees.

The Chair invited members to ask questions and make any comments, and points raised included:

·         The scheme was very popular with the local residents but could understand the reasons for not re-introducing the scheme;

·         could officers make sure that parish councils were kept informed about any future options;

·         did owners of the benches not pay for the maintenance cost of the bench?;

·         could a premium service charge be added onto the purchase price of a bench to cover the council’s maintenance costs?;

·         were the benches made of recyclable materials?;

·         did officers have an idea of where the tree planting zones would be?;

·         had officers considered adding plaques to the sea defence wall?; and

·         thought that a review of the whole scheme could be beneficial rather than looking at specific areas in the borough.

The Leisure and Technical Services Manager responded to points raised about the materials of the benches and the cost of maintenance explaining that, the benches were mainly made from recycled materials and officers purchased the most robust ones that were most suitable for the area. He added that some locations experienced more vandalism than others, whilst some had more damage caused by weather conditions. The ongoing cost of maintaining the benches was included in the purchase price but officers could look at charging a premium for maintenance of a bench but that would have to be considered in the annual fees and charges report.

In response to the alternative options, the Leisure and Technical Services Manager said that officers had an idea of small pieces of land to the east of Minster beach huts that could be used to plant trees, however, officers were not considering use of sea defences as this would require permission from the Environment Agency.

The Head of Environment and Leisure added that officers would engage with the local community and parish councils to understand all options available to them before launching anything new. He agreed that officers can work at getting a review of the Swale Memorial Scheme as a whole borough scheme to a future committee meeting once the dates for the 2024/25 civic year had been confirmed.

Recommended:

(1)  That the Swale Memorial Bench Scheme not be re-introduced along Minster Leas Promenade. 

Beach Hut Policy 2023 – Appendix II added 05.03.2024

Equality Impact Assessment Beach Huts 2024 Appendix III added 05.03.2024

The Leisure and Technical Services Manager introduced the report which provided the summary of comments from the Beach Hut Policy 2023 consultation and the final draft policy for adoption.

The Chair invited members to ask questions and make any comments, points raised included:

·         Could the policy be clearer as to what the proceeds of the beach huts were spent on?;

·         how often was the community beach hut used at Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey?;

·         Minster-on-Sea residents were concerned about the impact new beach huts would have on the wildlife; and

·         understood why we had a community beach hut, but thought that we should not be giving away something that could generate a lot of income for the Council and its services.

The Leisure and Technical Services Manager commented on the wildlife in Minster and said that no beach hut construction would take place without a biodiversity survey being conducted and officers would work with the appointed construction companies to ensure the correct processes were being followed.

The Head of Environment and Leisure reiterated that the income from beach huts was not directly ringfenced for any one service, but contributed to the Council’s overall income allowing services such as public toilets, street cleansing etc to continue. This had been added to the policy to make it clearer.

The Strategic Programmes and Asset Manager commented on the use of community beach huts and made members aware that there could be the possibility of using some grant funding from Government to assist with the cost of building the beach hut. However, the beach hut had to specifically be used for community use and not for commercial purposes.

The Head of Environment and Leisure also made a comment about the community beach huts and said that a reduced annual rental would still cover the costs involved with a community beach hut.

The Chair proposed to Members that the following wording be added to the policy:

“We will allocate a maximum of one beach hut per location for the subsidised use of voluntary and community sector organisations. This will be delivered through an anchor organisation who take responsibility for the hut and usage and in return they will receive a 50% reduction in the annual rental figure.”

This was seconded by the Vice-Chair and agreed by Members.

Resolved:

(1)   That a maximum of one beach hut per location for the subsidised use of voluntary and community sectors, be allocated.

(2)   That an anchor organisation take responsibility for the hut and usage and in return receive a 50% reduction in the annual rental figure. 

(3)   That the final draft Beach Hut Policy shown at Appendix II be adopted.

The Head of Regeneration, Economic Development and Property and Interim Head of Planning advised that the service department was reviewing the service plan against the new corporate plan and that more items would be added to the forward plan for next year.

Resolved:

(1)   That the Forward Decisions Plan be noted.

To decide whether to pass the resolution set out below in respect of the following items:

That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3.

3.  Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information). See note below.

Resolved:

That under Section 100(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of the Schedule 12A of the act:

3. Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Resolved:

(1)   That part of the retained site would no longer be held for future potential use as a depot for the Council’s Household Waste and Grounds Maintenance Contract.

(2)   That delegated authority be given to the Head of Regeneration, Economic Development and Property and Interim Head of Planning to undertake the necessary steps to complete the preparatory actions required.

(3)   That delegated authority be given to the Head of Regeneration, Economic Development and Property and Interim Head of Planning to negotiate, agree and complete a disposal of the land, subject to completion of the preparatory actions required, the protection of existing football provision (3 pitches), appropriate due diligence and in consultation with the Chair of Regeneration and Property Committee and one representative from each group.