Cabinet - Thursday 25 January 2024, 6:30pm - Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Webcasting

Cabinet
Thursday, 25th January 2024 at 6:30pm 

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Seat 3 - 0:00:00
Good evening. Everybody, my name is Councillor Ben Chaplin and the leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, and I will be chairing this meeting of Cabinet on Thursday, 25th of January 2024. Welcome before we start, please could you give the your attention to the following safety and broadcasting announcements? Thank you. In the event of the fire alarm ringing continuously, he must immediately evacuate the building at walking, pace officers with a scorching via the most direct available route. 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. You should all be aware that any third party is able to record or film council meetings unless exempt or confidential information is being considered
the Council will not accept liability for any third party recordings. It's very important that the outcomes of the meeting are clear. At the end of each item, the Chair will ask whether the matter is agreed in the absence of a clear majority of the Chair decides. A full vote is desirable and vote will be taken by a show of hands. Members should raise their hands to indicate their vote when called and keep their hand up until the count has been announced. Members requesting a recorded vote must do so before the vote is taken. Thank you Chair, thank you, Caroline, for the benefit of a recording the following members of Cabinet at present.
Councillor Mark Ellis Councillor Elin level, Councillor Hugo pounds, Councillor Jane Sharratt, Councillor Pamela Wilkinson, Councillor Nancy Waun and Councillor Ben Chappel are members of staff who are present, are William Benson in hers and Caroline Britt for the benefit of the recording.
and those who may be washing are watching. I would like to explain a few things we've had our agendas for over a week, we've been able to ask factual questions of the staff ahead of tonight at these this item tonight has went to the Cabinet Advisory Board last night so I can feedback on that and when each item is considered we will have a presentation, have the opportunity to ask further questions before we open
the floor for debate at the end of the debate at last cabinet members, whether they are happy to proceed with the proposals and then will move to the vote.

1 Leaders Introduction and Announcements

item number 1 is leaders, introduction and announcements at my announcements announcements are to well wish everybody a happy new year in 2024, I know it's the 25th, but in a continental tradition you've got until the 31st of January to wish everybody a happy new year so Banani Philip and Euan Wavell and all that

2 Apologies

and I'd like to also welcome Councillor Mark Ellis, who joins Cabinet as Cabinet Member for Finance and performance, welcome Mark, do any other members of cabinet have any announcements they wish to make, I see no OK, thank you, we'll move on to item number 2 which apologies for absence and we've had apologies for Councillor Justin Rutland member for economic development.

3 Declarations of Interest

item number 3 are declarations of interest.

4 Notification of Visiting Members wishing to speak

5 Minutes of the meeting dated 7 December 2023

on any of the items tonight, does any member of Cabinet have any declarations of interest to make no, we have known item number 4 is notification of visiting persons registered to speak and I can confirm we have none, therefore we will move to Item 5 which are the minutes of the Cabinet meeting dated the 7th of December 2023.
is a record of accuracy, does anybody have any amendments that they wish to make to these minutes before I sign them off?
no goods.
are we agreed or that they are correct record agreed? Thank you very much.
thank you.

6 Questions from Members of the Council

7 Questions from Members of the Public

8 Consideration of the Forward Plan as at 11 January 2024

question sorry item number 6, which are questions from members of the Council, we have not had any questions from members of the Council tonight, so we'll move on to Item number 7, which are questions from members of the public and we haven't had none either which leads on to item number 8 which are consideration of the Forward Plan as at the 11th of January 2024 do members have any comments on the Forward Plan at all.

9 TWBC Strategic Plan

okay, so are we agreed on the Forward Plan, great thank you, that's item 8, unanimously agreed, which leads on to item 9, which is a strategic plan, so before I asked Ian to off.
add anything to my introduction.
we have got a emerging strategic plan, which is this one, which is our ambition for for Tunbridge Wells, which is to make Tunbridge Wells a place where all generations can live healthy and fulfilling lives in a caring and connected communities. It's gone through
wide consultation we started off with the councillor convention last summer, we've had the borough wide survey where we had 1,500 responses, we then had a feedback session in the Amelia Scott, which was interactive with the mentor meter, and thanks to cabinet members who came on a rather windy night with one of the storms.
and then we had we asked councillors for ward projects and we've had 54 of those, and then Cabinet has had suggestions from all of that inflammation, we've come up with our five priorities or proposed priorities which are,
climate action, our environment, sustainable growth, vibrant economy and community wellbeing.
currently, it's very much in a a skeleton format because Ian and I've looked at over 100 corporate plans from the good, the bad and the downright ugly, and we've kind of tried to make it much more accessible to residents, so there are two things missing on there which are the specific projects that we will do to deliver those priorities and then we want to also asked residents what are the five things that they can do specifically in their day-to-day lives to help us meet those targets so just chain asking them to to keep those priorities in mind for the duration of the plan and the idea is that we are then going to go out to public consultation.
on these drafts and kind of be reassured that we are doing the things that matter to residents and then after that will then come back after Pedder and the May elections to look at the projects and select the the projects it was going into each of those five priorities.
it went to cabinet.
advisory boards for communities and economic development, and we had one question, which was, when would the projects be added, but apart from that, it went through a unanimously with cross-party support?
OK, so, Ian would you like to add anything to my introduction, thank you.
thank you, Leader,
yet just to say that this is the first of two phases of consultation on the strategic plan, the aim of this first phase is to check the general direction of travel, that the priorities are broadly agreed with, and then following this, we will be adding in the actual activities and projects that will be delivered to achieve the ambition of the strategic plan, the idea being the after this phase first phase Aikens consultation.
we'll make any amendments and then, following the all out elections in May, we will then go to a further consultation with the aim of a final approval of the final version in September, thank you.
thank you, Ian, does anybody have any questions for myself or Ian on this one?
OK, does anybody wish to comment?
Councillor Hugo pound, thank you, thank you Ben for that introduction and thank you again for for those words as well, I just wanted, I mean everybody will have the opportunity to see this draft strategy and I think, as you have said, then it is a draft and therefore we do encourage people to make comments and suggestions about what is we in our thoughts? Currently, as a council which has been shaped, as he said by a number of stakeholders, have discussions already
the one that I am particularly interested in, of course, is around sustainable growth, which says we want the right types of houses in the right places with the right infrastructure, jobs and local businesses.
and I do welcome her comments back from employees and employers and community groups and parishes and churches and schools and anybody else who wants to come back and say you know we have a slightly different perspective on what sustainable growth might mean and and people can have a look at that, but I just wanted to say No, the local plan is progressing with public consultation. Now we have inspectors hearings coming up, we have modifications later in the year the cinema site there are now workmen on site which people will be excited by we've got developments in Hawkhurst and frightened and in Paddock Wood and Tunbridge Wells.
already in train we are working with KCC and the government and other agencies on.
housing and planning in education and infrastructure projects, and flood risk and cycling and wheeling and walking and the area of outstanding natural beauty Management Plan, there are neighbourhood development plans that are in place and we're supporting local communities to develop those and, as it says in the draft,
statement and we will support local towns and villages to shape their own local areas, and that is part of that responsibility, so I hope that people will feel that we have begun to cover the angels, but if we are getting it wrong or it doesn't seem to reflect people's desires, then we hope to hear from them. Thank you, thank you for you again. Does anybody else wish to comment
Councillor Nancy Ward,
just following on from what Councillor Mohammed assets and my focus is on communities.
sounds very much the community wellbeing is what I'm interested in here, so likewise really we're really interested to see whether the six bullet points we've got, there are what people think is really important for us to either deliver or support within their patriotically, so that's looking at sports facilities and playing fields, leisure centres and community facilities, modern healthcare facilities and, of course,
ensuring that all
borough remains one of the safest places to live, I spent three hours with a community safety partnership partners this morning and we have a lot of conversations about how we can improve what we're doing by working closely together and focusing on particular issues that arise throughout the borough and,
now continuing with a diminishing resources and ever growing demands on these services, it's really important, we continue really close partnership, working with all the agencies and other authorities in the district and, of course, the police, to ensure that we do remain at all one of the safest places around so yeah we just really want to know that whether that is as far as community wellbeing goes is what people out there would agree with as being our priorities say.
yeah, that's that's me, thank you.
Frankie Nancy drink, Councillor drink, shower.
thank you, Jane, does anybody else?
Councillor Ellen Neville,
thank you, I just want to say that this is a an opportunity for us to face the immense potential that we can bring for a brighter future for the borrower in the face of climate change, environmental degradation and economics, the uncertainty that are here, so it feels that this is a very pivotal.
moment in time that we are are facing, the responsibility of these priorities are interconnected.
pillars, if you will, and we putting on specific projects in line with our communities, and I have really enjoyed speaking to members of my ward and looking at what they identify as their particular issues and how they can actually be.
part of the plans and how they're engaged with it, it's it's been a real eye opener and it's very, very validating as well, so I am I really welcome this draft plan, thank you.
thank you, Alan, does anybody else wish to speak on it?
I was just going to just mention, Ian I met yesterday to look at the consultation, so the idea is on the consultation that people will be able to click in the ambition which bit they value the most, so will have a rather than just say whether they agree with the statement or what is try and quantify what each bit appeals most and then on the the strands which are,
the bullet points, if you like.
residents would be able to rank those in terms of which ones they feel will have the greatest impact to achieve the ambition and was in there was anything else you want to just pick out on the on the consultation.
I thank you, Councillor, yes, on the consultation will also be asking residents to tell us what they feel that residents could do to meet the commitments within the Strategic Plan, so almost pledges or how to play their part, and we're looking for suggestions from residents to do that as well.

10 Urgent Business

11 Date of Next Meeting

thank you. Does anybody else wish to comment No OK, so we'll move to the recommendations on item 9, which is a strategic plan. Recommendation 1 reads that Cabinet note the draft Strategic Plan recommendation 2, that Cabinet approve the draft to plan for public consultation. Are we agreed and agreed agree that's unanimous item 10 is urgent business and I can confirm that we've had no urgent business, so we'll move on to Item 11, which is a date at the next meeting, so the next meeting is on Thursday the 8th February 2024 at 6.30 at the Town Hall, and also like to remember remind Members of Cabinet that we've have our joint meeting with Maidstone Borough Council's Cabinet
which has been organised for Wednesday, the 14th of February at the earlier time of five o'clock, because I'm told that day is very important, as you know, and we don't want to be in trouble so we are going to start an earlier time so thank you everybody for tonight the meeting is now closed.