The Leader said:

“Thank you Mr Mayor and good evening one and all. Firstly, could I, as leader of the council align myself with the tributes paid to former Mayor, Alderman Steve Worrall. Like many here this evening I never had the fortune of sharing the chamber with Steve, but through so many anecdotes from those that did I know that he was thoroughly respected, forthright and a truly outstanding representative, advocate and servant to his residents in Sheerness.

Whilst reflecting on Members past I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest Councillor to the chamber and formally congratulate Liberal Democrat Councillor Alex Eyre on successfully being elected as member representing Priory ward after the sad passing of former Councillor Mike Henderson.

Moving on, it is fitting that it is in Steve Worral’s old political stomping ground of Sheerness where I continue my Leader’s Statement. In particular with the Sheerness revival project where amongst other things young people will benefit from increased opportunities to learn the valuable skills that they need to support them as they embark upon their working lives, following approval of plans for the expansion of Sheppey College which is a key component of our £20 million project.

The new facilities will make provision for accommodating more students and also offer a wider range of vocational aligned courses, with subjects including creative skills, engineering, and logistics. Providing these opportunities will equip local 16–19 year olds with the pre-requisite skills that they need to thrive in today's job market and provide a valuable contribution to the local economy.

Improving the education and training opportunities for young people in Sheerness and wider, is one of the fundamental strategies that we as an administration have strived to achieve.

Staying with Sheerness, young developing craftsmen and women will soon have a space to ply their trade and build their business with the support of a local charity. Our plans to transform the existing garages at Masters House into three workshops, a toilet and kitchenette have now been approved.

These modern, sustainably built workshops will provide the perfect space for artists, ceramists, woodworkers, screen printers and more to practice their craft and create and grow a business.

The Launch It charity will work with and empower these young entrepreneurs assisting them to fulfil their potential by providing the space, mentoring, and training needed to start up a business.

Masters House is already home to a number of small businesses following a £1.5m investment into its refurbishment from this council, a venue which is expertly run under the auspices of former Borough Councillor Denise Knight, the Enterprise Manager at Launch It Kent

Crossing back onto the mainland we have teamed up with Kent Police and other partners to implement measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, such as street drinking and youth nuisance, in Sittingbourne High Street. Public Space Protection Orders are now in place to address street drinking and give officers from Kent Police and the Council powers to issue fines or take court action, in a bid  to make the high street a safer place.

The Council’s rough sleepers team have been working closely with the police in the high street to provide help and support to any individuals who are perceived to be homeless. However, it is the case that many of the offenders have been found not to be homeless at all.

Local charities, Forward Trust and Brogdale CIC, are also assisting in working to tackle the root cause of the problem by engaging with these groups and offering the support they need to change their behaviour.

The Council’s licensing team have been working with licensed premises on the high street to make sure they are selling alcohol responsibly and looking after the welfare of their customers through limiting their alcohol consumption.

The Council’s Safer Streets project, including uniformed marshals patrolling the high street, bolstering the council’s Swale Link project and additional CCTV, has also contributed to tackling these issues.

We appreciate that Sittingbourne High St is not unique in having its Anti- Social behaviour problems and of course, we would have liked to implement these measures throughout the borough, but unfortunately the government’s and subsequent PCC guidelines led to us having to target specified areas for engagement in order to access funding.

Moving on to the Eastern part of our Borough,

A one-of-a-kind "Newton Space Garden," complete with a space-themed play area and planetarium, has been created in Faversham.

The garden is the brainchild of the Brogdale Collection and centre stage will be a sapling grown from seeds of the very apple tree that inspired Sir Isaac Newton's theory of gravity.

The garden will also showcase eight additional apple trees with connections to space and Newton, a living willow planetarium - which has been planted, and a space-themed play area.

We provided a £7,000 grant from our Rural Swale Small Business Grant, funded by the Rural England Prosperity Fund, to help make this project possible.

We also provided the trustees of Graveney and Goodnestone Village Hall with a grant of £7000 from the Councils Community Infrastructure fund.

This funding, along with other grants, enabled the installation of 34 solar panels on the hall’s roof and a battery system to store the generated electricity, reduce costs and potentially sell back surplus to the grid.

As a non-profit organisation the trustees have ensured that the hall  has become a key destination for residents to meet, socialise and have fun. Initiatives like this will help bring Carbon reduction benefits, promote the use of renewable energy and assist in the long term sustainability of the hall in line with the Councils green agenda.

Finally we are looking to develop a new Disposal and Community Asset Transfer Policy which will outline a framework for identifying and transferring surplus assets, such as land, property, and buildings to charities, voluntary organisations, and town councils.

The goal is to promote greater community ownership and management of local assets.

Key principles which will underpin the approach to community asset transfers will include:

1. a focus on community benefit: Disposals and transfers must demonstrate a clear benefit to the local community, such as improving the economy, health, or environment
2. financial viability: Transfers will only occur if they are financially sustainable for the receiving organisation and meet the long-term goals of the council
3. transparency and accountability: A clear process for identifying surplus assets, evaluating them and ensuring ongoing accountability for the management of transferred assets

Taking ownership of an asset comes with challenges, so the policy will also set out what interested organisations need to consider and ensure that transfers are successful.

This policy is part of the council’s commitment to working in partnership with local communities and the voluntary sector, as outlined in the council's Corporate Plan 2024-2027 and Property Asset Management Strategy.

In closing with November not too far away I would remind you that we will be holding our service of Remembrance on Sunday 10^th November 10am at St Michael’s Church in Sittingbourne followed by an act of remembrance at the Sittingbourne War memorial at 11 am.

Services are also been held throughout the remainder of the Borough and Councillors will be laying wreaths as a mark of respect.

In response, the Leader of the Conservative Group welcomed Councillor Alex Eyre. He acknowledged that Master’s House was in the capable hands of former Councillor, Denise Knights. Referring to anti-social behaviour, the Leader of the Conservative Group said there was an increase in theft and anti-social behaviour linked to motorised scooters. He encouraged Councillors to get involved in the Local Government Boundary review and thanked those Councillors who had helped facilitate issues with the waste contract.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group reminded Members it was currently Black History Month and it was Dementia Awareness Day on 7 November 2024. She thanked those involved in Master’s House and Sheerness Revival and spoke positively about the Newton Space Garden, Faversham.

Other Members were invited to speak and made comments including:

·         Thanked those involved with the Sheerness Revival Project but was disappointed that KCC was removing services from the Isle of Sheppey;

·         drew attention to anti-social behaviour at Archer’s Park on The Meads, highlighting that the Police had not responded;

·         there used to be more regular community safety briefings for Members;

·         gave examples of anti-social behaviour when Police had not attended and the resultant financial burden to the Council including vandalism to its assets, tarnishing town centres and deterring businesses;

·         asked all Councillors to contact the Police and MP’s to take action to address community safety and anti-social behaviour;

·         residents were served best when multi-agencies worked together;

·         a Community Safety partnership was arranged earlier in the year but was cancelled due to low attendance;

·         Kent Police had attended Area Committees and hopefully would attend again in future;

·         the Police took a large proportion of Council Tax; and

·         the promised increase in more neighbourhood policing had not delivered and questions should be asked.

In response, the Leader acknowledged and thanked the Chair of the Environment and Climate Emergency Committee for his work in addressing the less than satisfactory waste service. He thanked the Leader of the Liberal Democrat group for highlighting Black History Month and Dementia Awareness Day. The Leader agreed that the Safer Streets project needed to be rolled out further across the borough to include rural areas. He highlighted that a Community Safety briefing was included in the Member Training Plan for 2024/25. Finally, the Leader acknowledged the shocking experience of anti-social behaviour a Member had described.