Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Monday 31 July 2023, 6:30pm - Feedback Tab - Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Webcasting
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Seat 3
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1 Apologies for Absence
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2 Declarations of Interest and Party Whip
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3 Notification of Persons Registered to Speak
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4 Minutes of the meeting dated 19 June 2023
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5 Items Called- In
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6 Work Programme
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7 Urgent Business
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8 Date of the next meeting
Disclaimer: This transcript was automatically generated, so it may contain errors. Please view the webcast to confirm whether the content is accurate.
Seat 3 - 0:00:00
Good evening, welcome to this evening's meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Monday, the 31st of July 2023.I am Councillor dwellings and I am the Chairman of this committee.
before we start, please give your full attention to the announcements from the clock
Karen
anything everybody in the event of the fire alarm ringing continuously, he must immediately evacuate the building at walking pace officers, will escort you by the most direct available route, and no one is to use the left we will make our way to the fire 70 points by the entrance to the Town Hall Yard, car park or months away. once outside, a check will be made to ensure everyone has safely left and no one is to re-enter the building until advice it is safe to do so.
this is a public meeting and proceedings are being webcast live online, a recording will also be available for playback on the Council's website shortly afterwards, any other third party may also record or film meetings unless exempt or confidential information is being considered but are requested as a courtesy to others to give notice of this to the clock. the Council is not liable for any third party recordings. Can I remind everyone to use the microphones when speaking and turn them off when you are not? The red light indicates that the microphone is on any comments that are not recorded for the webcast may not be included in the minutes of the meeting.
It is very important that the outcomes of this meeting are clear. At the end of each substantive item, the Chairman will ask whether the matter is agreed in the absence of a clear majority, or if the Chairman decides the full Burgess desirable. A vote will be taken by a show of hands. Members requesting a recorded vote must do so before the vote is taken. thank you Chair.
thank you, Caroline.
for the record, we're gonna take a roll call, the clock will call your name and if you are present, please introduce yourself.
thank you, Chair, Councillor Bland, present, thank you, Councillor Page.
Councillor Lewis
present, thank you, Councillor Pope Britain, thank you, Councillor Wilkinson present, thank you, Councillor Knight prisons, thank you, Councillor dwellings.
present. Thank you Chair,
thank you for the benefit of anyone who may be unfamiliar with our meetings, I would like to explain that the committee members have had their agendas for over a week and have had the opportunity to ask questions of officers ahead of the meeting
when we come to the substantive items on the agenda, there will be an introduction by the relevant officers or Councillors.
we haven't got any Councillors present, so we don't need to worry about that.
I mean, officers apologies.
we we then move into a Member discussion and I will first ask four questions before opening the floor for debate at the end of the debate, we will formulate a resolution and members should vote and ensure that any proposals or actions are correctly captured before we move to a vote
1 Apologies for Absence
so now onto the agenda general item 1 is apologies for absence,
Caroline, we have some apologies
for absence, yes, we've received apologies from Councillors Currie, Ellis Moreton Palmer and Rogers and for the benefit of the recording Councillor Page is not present at the beginning of the meeting.
2 Declarations of Interest and Party Whip
thank you, Caroline agenda, item 2 is to receive any declarations of interest in items or party whip on the agenda, does anyone have any declarations to make,
I see none?
3 Notification of Persons Registered to Speak
item agenda item 3 is to note anyone registered to speak, no one is registered this week.
4 Minutes of the meeting dated 19 June 2023
agenda item 4 is to approve the minutes of the meeting held on the 19th of June,
this is for accuracy, checking only no issues have been brought to my attention in advance, but are there any amendments to these minutes?
I see numb, the motion is to agree the minutes, are we agreed agreed, thank you.
5 Items Called- In
agenda item 5 is to consider any items called in and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee procedure Rule 13, but I can confirm there are no such items for this meeting.
6 Work Programme
agenda item 6 is because of the work programme, as set out in pages 12 to 13 of the main agenda pack.
this is, I suppose, the substantive item on on the agenda we discussed it at our last meeting and agreed that.
we'd like portfolio holders to come, we did, in fact invite to portfolio holders, but at short notice, and they couldn't make this meeting,
we also invited the
Head of Planning to come and discuss planning enforcement.
he pointed out that he'd come at an earlier meeting this year.
but we've agreed that he should come to our next meeting. which is in September to talk about planning enforcement, which I think we all considered to be
an important item.
we thought about inviting SE Water.
since then I have had quite a long chat with a chap called Steve Andrew from Southee's water and agreed in principle that.
they would tender Overview and Scrutiny Committee,
and the appropriate procedure is to write to the Chief Executive, which Caroline has done and are taking it as yet we haven't had a reply from them, but we have invited them to a meeting and given the dates of our next two meetings to hopefully they'll send someone along.
we talked about the staffing issues that we thought we ought to inquire about,
but since our last meeting there's been an All Member briefing held on staffing,
and I think that
I think I'm I am assured that
this matter is in hand.
and I don't think we want to pursue anything on staffing for the time being anyway, and we are happy with that.
yeah
yeah, yeah.
town square was suggested as some people that we ought to see to
see what was happening about the co-working arrangements for the Town Hall.
there is quite a lot happening with Town Square at present with the creation of a a lease agreement,
which I am hopeful, we will hear some positive news on shortly and I think at that stage either we should invite them to a meeting here or else we should encourage the Council to invite them to put on a
a Members briefing for for all members
but I think we're just await the outcome of the the discussions on on the lease first.
the other thing that we mentioned was looking at the J T. GTB and I'm afraid I haven't done anything with that, have you given that one any more for Caroline No?
but.
in terms of scheduling portfolio holders to come,
this is a natural fit for finance to come in for our November meeting, which is.
when there is a
when we would look at the budget in any any event.
and for September
we've got the.
Head of Planning to come to talk about planning enforcement.
Hugo Palmer would want to accompany the Head of Planning, so I think it's entirely appropriate that.
you know, whilst he goes here, he might as well pick up a few points in
in his portfolio
now
Caroline's passed round the list of the cabinet member's responsibilities,
so,
rather than just say 0 yeah, let's. let's discuss all of them
and then I think it might be quite a good idea if we could think about ones that we're particularly interested in, and then we could give them a steer on on that, so
I'm not going to ask you all tonight what do you think but if in the course of the next step next week or two, you could give that some thought
and e-mail, Caroline and me, and we will.
then get in touch with or with Hugo and say it was aspect that were particularly particularly want to discuss.
now we've also
we invited Justin Rutland to to the meeting tonight.
but she's on holiday
because at the last meeting we we, we said we wanted to talk about culture, we were a little bit concerned that
culture might be the target of.
budgetary cuts and savings we wanted to hear hear about that.
Justin couldn't make
today, but she can make September
and so if we invited him in in September, I think I'm gonna make the same points, can we look at
the items in her portfolio and decide which of those we particularly wish to wish to focus on?
so then we are left with.
the Leader of the Council.
notes the Deputy Leader of the Council.
Jane Sharratt and the sustainability portfolio.
Wendy Fitzsimons with.
sports and the leisure centres, the parks and ground maintenance,
and Ellen Neville, on environmental services.
so we need to look at
their
responsibilities and decide which of them we Bud, we'd like to focus in on at the other meetings that we've got in this this municipal year.
are you happy that is a constructive approach?
and if anyone has any other suggestions, then please let me know please let me know.
I'm looking round the room to see that you're happy with the approach, or whether you'd like any any, to make any alternative suggestions, Alan
I'm not going to make any alternative suggestions, I was just going to say that I am happy because I mean that it covers the points that we need to discuss and we will get to
talk about. I mean one of the big issues is the the the waste contract which you will get to in January. and
and housing is is vitally important, I think
so it would be good to
discuss that with them, Councillor Pam say
you particularly want to talk about housing
0yeah
yeah top of your agenda I mean at the top of my agenda is is, social unaffordable, and I know that Hugo.
that Councillor Pound has been
championing that as part of his portfolio, and I would like to. discussing to establish whereabouts we are as a Council on that is a big, big, important issue and one in Tunbridge Wells because it's easy to survive and live.
wouldn't say a decent offer
when you've got the money, but when you haven't it's a different issue and we're in danger, I think, sometimes of having haves and have-nots in Tunbridge Wells, unfortunately,
and the more we can do, I think to alleviate that as a council.
the better that being a specific issue and perhaps
an yes, I suppose the
overriding thing is the position of the Local
Plan, yes.
with that, there is that as well, yes.
is everyone happy with that approach, I mean I think we've.
David yeah,
thank you Chair yet, and can I just say yes, I agree with what Alan has just said, That's obviously a key thing and that we could tick my votes for that, the Housing for Councillor LB, obviously
just looking at this I see we've got
to portfolio holders for September and 2 4 January and only one for November, would there be room in November to try and request? it or any other Councillor, so we have to, or do we think that the finance is all embracing, and that would take the full session,
that's the first question. Second question would be.
second question would be, obviously we haven't got dates in the diary, yet for Councillor Warren in Fitzsimons, I'm just keen that we get dancing the dive them sooner rather than later so that we can hear from all our portfolio holders throughout the before the end of the year, thank you, Chair.
I I agree with that, David,
I think the
I'd just like to hold the November one because I think that's the most likely one to getting SE Water in, and I think that.
we would like to hear from them, and when the lack of resilience in the system is is worrying,
and I say that as someone who
is without water for a week before Christmas and another week in June.
so
but other, but yes, I mean, I think, is a general point if we can get two portfolios to each of our meetings we should and the sooner we can get these things schedule, the letters better.
but is there anything?
pending on the waste contract, which would make it necessary to.
See Councillor Vaughan earlier rather than later,
hence the waste contract. do you up by
the waistcoats and or renegotiate
the waste contract, I think, goes up to 2027, so I mean, I think, there's, there's no immediate,
there's no immediate urgency on on on that, but unless someone else knows best
I mean, I think the what we've had in the last few weeks has been the
change of dates and the change of rounds which has come with what I will call the inevitable teething issues
I hope that no more than that, I haven't I haven't heard I haven't heard I haven't heard anything beyond it just seems to be teething issues.
but yes, I mean there won't be any discussion on
a new approach, I don't think for
well, certainly not not happening in the course of the next few months anyway.
good.
yeah
deliberately are
essential.
yes, I think it's.
the final delivery route.
thank you, thank you, Alan, thank you, Godfrey
J Galloway, getting in and out of admitted.
well, thank you.
so we will work on that work programme over the next few weeks and you feedback in the meantime, any any comments that you wish,
I think we might need to triple upon some of the cabinet members, obviously with the
sort of
we haven't obviously got that many meetings to fit all the cabinet members in.
so, on the basis that on the 25th September you've already got two cabinet members. you may need to
see if there is a third, but
perhaps one
where you're sort of
it's not as big
an agenda DC vitamin yeah,
if we triple up yeah, let's be fair yeah if we've triple-A we miss apps, we must focus on the particular issues we want, you'll want them to discuss and we must we restrict, we must stick to those yeah, otherwise we'll be here all evening.
is it worth then discussing the
fusion contract?
and the 25th of September, if we can, because that would kind of lead-in from.
talking about culture, culture and sport.
because we haven't got a date for.
Councillor Fitzsimons agree to him come until afterwards.
say you think to talk about culture and the fusion contract
would be a net unacceptable addition to talking about.
I know because the
whose area from slightly unsure of who's responsible for the fusion contract then
Councillor for symmetry is
okay, okay, but the cultural side is
Justin Martland OK, so yes, we could ask, we could ask specifically to discuss that contract and the in and that when the position on that yeah
OK yeah,
Halton and to have an injustice,
yeah and say, Well, we we must make sure that we keep Justin focus on the on the items that people particularly want to discuss David
switching. Yes, I I would actually just like to say I I fully accept that, but I I would be very keen with Councillor Rahman to be talking about parking, please as well
in light of the decision the Council has recently made
I would like to be talking about parking to Councillor Rahman, please, thank you.
well, I'm not expecting to agree precisely what we want to talk about tonight, but I just want to make
sure we consider moving ahead, we can feel
we could feed that in Caroline, thank you.
has anyone got anything else, they want to feed in at this stage or shall we come up with a sort of draft programme over the next? few weeks and then then look at it
and look at it further than OK
so that moves us on to
7 Urgent Business
item 7 urgent business where I can confirm there is no urgent business.
8 Date of the next meeting
at our next meeting will be on Monday, the 25th of September.
that is a very short meeting,
thank you very much for coming.
- 1 Apologies for Absence, opens in new tab
- 2 Declarations of Interest & Party Whip, opens in new tab
- 3 Notification of Persons Registered to Speak, opens in new tab
- Minutes , 19/06/2023 Overview and Scrutiny Committee, opens in new tab
- 5 Items Called-In, opens in new tab
- Work Programme, opens in new tab
- 7 Urgent Business, opens in new tab
- 11 Date of the Next Meeting, opens in new tab