The Chairman welcomed the Cabinet Member for Community to the meeting.

The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June 2022

The Cabinet Member for Community reported that further information about the event and grants available would be sent out to Members.  He asked Members to liaise with the Council’s Economy and Community Services Manager, and the Economy and Community Services Project Officer about any known activities or events in their Wards to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.  This would allow officers to engage with organisers and use the Visit Swale web portal to promote if suitable. 

The Cabinet Member for Community gave a verbal update on various projects currently being supported by the Community Team which included:

·         the 1920s festival held in Sittingbourne High Street which had been well attended and supported by local traders;

·         a grant awarded to Sheerness Town Council for an event held on 31 August 2021;

·         the Kent Isolation Support Fund which provided support to those having to self-isolate during the Covid-19 Pandemic;

·         the recently launched Sheppey Community Bus which was supported by Swale Borough Council (SBC) and Kent County Council (KCC); Age Concern (Sittingbourne and Faversham) including exploring possible dementia services for the Sittingbourne area;

·         the Sheppey Digital Inclusion project which aimed to improve digital accessibility for residents on the Isle of Sheppey;

·         local food banks;

·         the Re-Connect Fund and events they had worked with at The Light Cinema, Sittingbourne;

·         local arts and crafts; and

·         The Raybel Heritage Workshop.

The Cabinet Member for Community outlined the various workshops and meetings he had attended.

Referring to Parking Services the Cabinet Member for Community advised that Members would be aware that revenue had dropped significantly during the Covid-19 Pandemic, and income levels were not back to pre-covid times, but things were starting to get back to normal.  The Cabinet Member reported that the agency that collected the cash from the car park ticket machines had recently gone into receivership.  However, officers had done an excellent job in ensuring a replacement company were in post very quickly and there were no issues to report.

The Cabinet Member for Community advised that the Community Safety Partnership (CSP) had reported an increase in domestic violence.  He reminded Members that a briefing from the CSP for all Members was scheduled for Tuesday 12 October 2021.

In response to a Member’s question on the shortfall in revenue from Council car parks because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Cabinet Member for Community said it was approximately £400,000 and there was an anticipated shortfall for 2022.  He added that there had been financial support from Central Government in the last financial year but that had not covered the whole shortfall.

A Member welcomed the provision of the Sheppey Community Bus but was disappointed that the scheduled trip to Leysdown and Warden had been cancelled.  The Cabinet Member for Community agreed to look into the reason for the cancellation.  

A Member asked specifically what projects the Cabinet Member for Community and the Council were instigating?  The Cabinet Member explained that he considered that it was better for the Council to support the work of external organisations rather than try and do the same work.  He added that the Council were looking at how to engage better with the 9 to 17 age groups in order to reduce anti-social behaviour.  A Member suggested that the Cabinet Member looked to engage better with people with special needs up to the age of 25.

The Chairman welcomed the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property to the meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property gave an economic update.  She spoke about the recent Sheerness High Street Task Force which involved taking government representatives on a tour of Sheerness High Street and she advised that the representatives report was awaited.  She hoped that the report would provide details of support services the Council could access.   The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property spoke about the Queenborough & Rushenden HIF funding and said that the date of mid-2022 was under discussion with Homes England due to delays on the construction of the pumping station.  She added that there was potential for underspend on some of the work and an open space area at the Creek might be possible, and she welcomed Members comments.  The Council had applied for the UK Community Renewal Fund in June 2021 and there were 11 Swale related projects submitted but still no announcement from Central Government on the successful projects.  The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property stated that there were on-going discussions with the East Kent College Group to make preparations should its bid prove successful.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property reported that the Covid-19 Pandemic had a major impact on employment levels in Swale and there had been a sustained decrease since February 2021.  The current claimant count i.e. people claiming out of work benefits for Swale from August 2021, was 5.5%.   The Isle of Sheppey had the highest claimant count in Swale at 7%, Sittingbourne 5.5%, the eastern area 4.8 and western area the lowest at 3.2%.  The Cabinet Member reported that youth unemployment 18-to 24-year olds was high at 9.3%.  There were currently 2,500 furloughed jobs in Swale up to the end of July 2021 and the number of jobs eligible for the scheme was 4% the lowest in Kent.  Unemployment in Swale from August was 5.5% an improvement of 19% since 2020.  The Isle of Sheppey was the lowest improved area in terms of employment at 16.6%.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property reported that the Council had received a £3,903.00 top-up grant to the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) and at end of June 2021 had spent £4.34million.  The £443,000 remaining could be used for direct business support and had to be spent by 31 March 2022.

Referring to the dismantling of the Sheerness clock tower, the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property hoped that the work would take five months to complete.  She spoke positively of the engagement with the local community and businesses on the project.  The lamp posts had been replaced and the benches refurbished, baskets and evergreen planting and streets deep cleaned, but would need additional cleaning.  The lamp posts in Sittingbourne High Street were due to be re-painted and benches refurbished with small projects in Faversham high street and the Forbes underpass works underway.  The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property stated that green area works were planned for Sittingbourne High Street and the public would be consulted on the proposals.  She also spoke about the Welcome Back Funding to support local events which included funding the free bus over the summer.  The Council would be liaising with bus companies to establish where the bus was most needed and whether it was possible to roll-out every summer.  She suggested the Committee might want to consider this as a agenda item.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property spoke positively about The Light Cinema, Sittingbourne the increase in footfall, especially following the opening of Nandos, there were two vacant units and several companies had shown interest.

In response to a query from a Member, the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property reported that the Master’s House construction contract had recently been signed and a local company were the successful contractors.  It was hoped that the work would take approximately 6 months to complete.

In response to questions from a Member, the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property reported that skills were high on the Council’s agenda and they wanted to encourage businesses to seek advice and outlined the importance of the Council acting as an “enabler” between businesses and young people.  She confirmed that the Council were liaising with Quick Start and spoke about the importance of creative and art projects to engage with those young people who were more creative.

The Director of Regeneration and Neighbourhoods confirmed that the lease for 34 High Street, Sittingbourne had been signed so the project could be moved forward. 

Members raised points and comments which included:

·         Considered that being able to commute from the western area of Swale could be the reason why employment was improving more in that area;

·         delighted with the improvements to Sheerness High Street;

·         the railings around Rose Street toilets were in need of repair and a re-paint;

·         considered that small starter units were needed in Sheerness to encourage businesses onto the Isle of Sheppey;

·         needed to ensure that the street cleansing was kept up-to-date;

·         needed to ensure that the Committee received updates on points raised at previous meetings;

·         concerned that the Cabinet Advisory meetings would jut become discussion meetings;

·          was funding for Master’s House still available?

·         had the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property lobbied government about youth employment;

·         had the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property written to government to lobby for the Renewal Fund bid?; and

·         did the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property consider that free parking would assist in the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic?

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Property confirmed that funding for Masters House was available and the Council had negotiated an extension and it was important money.

In response to points raised the Cabinet Member for Economy and Property said that she was happy to provide updates on comments raised by the Committee.  With regard to the Levelling-up Fund she explained that each parliamentary area could submit a levelling-up bid but it needed the support of the MP.  She reported that there had been a legal challenge to the Levelling-up Fund and the decision was awaited.  There had been a lot of work behind the scenes to write the bid and she welcomed the newly appointed Head of Regeneration and Economic Development who had experience of writing Levelling-up bids.  The Cabinet Member advised that officers were looking at the Council’s waste collection and street cleansing contracts including how often streets were cleaned. 

The Director of Regeneration and Neighbourhoods advised that officers had considered comments made by Members at the previous meeting and that once the criteria for the Levelling-up Fund was known the Council could prepare its bid. 

The Cabinet Member spoke about the improved footfall to Sittingbourne High Street and reported that the Leader of the Council was liaising with KCC and Central Government about the Renewal Fund bid.